The role of expressed emotions in online discussions

Abstract

We investigated relationships among expressed emotions, perceived motivation, perceived emotions, and three dependent variables (i.e., behavioral engagement, cognitive engagement, and student achievement) in the context of a blended online course. We defined “expressed emotions” as emotions detected by an affective computing tool in messages that students posted to online discussion forums in a blended undergraduate writing course. The results of two-step hierarchical multivariate regressions revealed that expressed emotions differentiated positive emotions from negative emotions better than perceived emotions did. Moreover, while no significant effect emerged for perceived motivation and perceived emotions, expressed fear was a significant predictor of student achievement (i.e., final score). Although affective computing is in its infancy, our findings suggest the potential use of expressed emotions for educational research and practice.     

Case study of a problem-based learning course of physics in a telecommunications engineering degree

Active learning methods can be appropriate in engineering, as their methodology promotes meta-cognition, independent learning and problem-solving skills. Problem-based learning is the educational process by which problem-solving activities and instructor's guidance facilitate learning. Its key characteristic involves posing a ‘concrete problem’ to initiate the learning process, generally implemented by small groups of students. Many universities have developed and used active methodologies successfully in the teaching–learning process. During the past few years, the University of the Basque Country has promoted the use of active methodologies through several teacher training programmes. In this paper, we describe and analyse the results of the educational experience using the problem-based learning (PBL) method in a physics course for undergraduates enrolled in the technical telecommunications engineering degree programme. From an instructors’ perspective, PBL strengths include better student attitude in class and increased instructor–student and student–student interactions. The students emphasised developing teamwork and communication skills in a good learning atmosphere as positive aspects.     

The role of self-study time in freshmen’s achievement

Although invested study time is expected to relate to exam performance, research findings have been mixed. Therefore, the current study examined (a) the role of self-study time above and beyond relevant student characteristics, affective-motivational processes (i.e. academic self-efficacy, learning goal orientation, and action-state orientation) and the cognitive learning activities deployed while studying the course (i.e. deep, stepwise, and concrete processing), and (b) whether the effect of self-study time on course grade is moderated by these affective-motivational and cognitive learning activities and/or by student characteristics. Ninety three freshmen following a Macro-Economics course and 70 freshmen enrolling in Financial Accounting 2 participated. For Macro-Economics, self-study time predicted course grade above and beyond relevant student characteristics, the degree of class attendance, and course-specific affective-motivational and cognitive learning activities. No interaction effects were obtained. For Financial Accounting 2, students only benefited from more self-study time when they made few exercises.     

Using a mathematical model of motivation,volition, and performance to examine students’ e-text learning experiences

This empirical study used Keller’s (Technol Instr Cogn Learn 16:79–104, 2008b) motivation, volition, and performance (MVP) theory to develop and statistically evaluate a mathematical MVP model that can serve as a research and policy tool for evaluating students’ learning experiences in digital environments. Specifically, it explored undergraduate biology students’ learning and attitudes toward e-texts using a MVP mathematical model in two different e-text environments. A data set (N = 1334) that included student motivation and e-text information processing, frustration with using e-texts, and student ability variables was used to evaluate e-text satisfaction. A regression analysis of these variables revealed a significant model that explained 77% of the variation in student e-text satisfaction in both e-text learning environments. Student motivation and intrinsic cognitive load were positive predictors of student satisfaction, while extraneous cognitive load and student prior knowledge and background variables were negative predictors. Practical implications for e-text learning and generalizability of a mathematical MVP model are discussed.     

Self-regulated learning: the role of motivation,emotion, and use of learning strategies in students’ learning experiences in a self-paced online mathematics course

Enrollment in online remedial mathematics courses has increased in popularity in institutions of higher learning; however, students unskilled in self-regulated learning (SRL) find online remedial mathematics courses particularly challenging. We investigated the role of SRL, specifically motivation, emotion, and learning strategies, in students’ learning experiences in a remedial online mathematics course. With an online survey of 229 college students, we found that student motivation explained a small portion of variance in achievement; whereas student motivation and emotion explained a significant portion of variance in satisfaction. In addition, significant differences in motivation and emotion were found in passing and nonpassing students; however, learning strategies did not influence student achievement and satisfaction. Implications for teaching and learning in self-paced online remedial mathematics courses are discussed.     

Students’ course experience and engagement: an attempt to bridge two lines of research on the quality of undergraduate education

This study attempts to bridge two current lines of research on the quality of undergraduate education, i.e. students’ course experiences and engagement. Defining student engagement from a psychological perspective, this study explores the relationships between students’ course experiences and their motivation and engagement with a sample of 882 Chinese undergraduates who participated in a questionnaire survey. The results of structural equation modelling indicate that, although clear goals and standards, generic skills and appropriate workload positively relate to student engagement, appropriate assessment has a dual effect, while good teaching and emphasis on independence have undesirable, negative effects on students’ motivation and engagement. These findings reveal the potential of combining the two lines of research, and reflect some characteristics of teaching and learning in Chinese higher education institutions. The results have implications for enhancing the quality of undergraduate education in China.     

Innovative learning and developments in motivation and achievement in upper primary school

Although previous research has shown the potential of innovative learning for enhancing motivation and learning outcomes, further understanding is needed on which aspects of IL are most effective and whether these are equally motivating for different types of students. The present study investigated how developments in students’ motivation and achievement related to different aspects of innovative learning (i.e. authentic learning, collaborative learning and focusing on self-regulation), and whether these relations varied by students’ background characteristics. A sample of 722 grade five students from the Netherlands (average age 11?years old) and their teachers completed questionnaires during four measurements from grade five to grade six. Autoregression analyses were performed. Results showed both positive and negative relations between IL and developments in students’ motivation and achievement, indicating that IL is not a unidimensional construct. Furthermore, the effectiveness of different aspects of IL depended on students’ gender, and social and ethnic background characteristics.     

Activating learning in engineering education using ICT and the concept of ‘Flipping the classroom’

ABSTRACT

This case study trialled the introduction of a student-response system (Top Hat) in a third-year engineering Fluid Mechanics course (n?=?44) to improve student engagement, motivation and cognition. It was recognised that for the potential benefits of student-response systems (SRSs) to be fully realised, more time must be allocated for student engagement and the active learning components of the course. In order to allow sufficient time to fully engage with the SRSs and other classroom activities, traditional lectures were revised and the classroom format was flipped. This paper presents the initial case study results focusing on the use of SRSs. Overall, the new flipped lecture and SRS teaching format demonstrated a substantial increase in the level of student engagement, motivation, active learning and attendance compared to previous cohorts. However, the increased levels of engagement did not appear to reflect on any large increase in students’ individual grades.     

Using personalized learning as an instructional approach to motivate learners in online higher education: Learner self-determination and intrinsic motivation

Abstract

In this qualitative comparison study, we examine the perceived efficacy of using personalized learning (PL) activities based on PL principles to support students’ psychological need satisfaction and intrinsic motivation in an online course using a traditional one-size-fits-all model. We apply self-determination theory as a framework to investigate students’ perceptions of their psychological need satisfaction (e.g., competence, autonomy, and relatedness) and relation to students’ intrinsic motivation when enrolled in an online course implementing PL principles. Overall, the study results showed the potential of implementing personalized learning principles in online courses to support students’ psychological need satisfaction (e.g., autonomy and competence) and intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, students perceived the PL interventions as engaging and effective in meeting their learning needs and interests.     

Integrator element as a promoter of active learning in engineering teaching

In this paper, we present a teaching proposal used in an Introductory Physics course to civil engineering students from Porto's Engineering Institute/Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto (ISEP). The proposal was born from the need to change students’ perception and motivation for learning physics. It consists in the use of an integrator element, called the physics elevator project. This integrator element allows us to use, in a single project, all the content taught in the course and uses several active learning strategies. In this paper, we analyse this project as: (i) a clarifying element of the contents covered in the course; (ii) a promoter element of motivation and active participation in class and finally and (iii) a link between the contents covered in the course and the ‘real world’. The data were collected by a questionnaire and interviews to students. From the data collected, it seems that the integrator element improves students’ motivation towards physics and develops several skills that they consider to be important to their professional future. It also acts as a clarifying element and makes the connection between the physics that is taught and the ‘real world’.     

Exploring the influence of course elements and emotional connection to content on students’ approaches to learning in an introductory food science and human nutrition course

Researchers have identified three approaches to learning—surface, strategic, and deep. These approaches are influenced by various contextual and student factors, including teaching methods, assessments, and relevance to future career. The global objective of this study was to explore the influence of course elements and students’ emotional connection to section content on students’ approaches to learning in an introductory Food Science and Human Nutrition course. Students completed two questionnaires for the Nutrition and Health (NH) and Composition and Chemistry (CC) course sections: (a) Entwistle's ASSIST Inventory and (b) a questionnaire developed to assess students’ perceived usefulness of assignments, learning resources, and emotional connection to section content. Students’ approaches to learning did not significantly differ between NH and CC sections, with the majority reporting use of strategic or deep approaches. Generally, positive correlations were obtained for learners who used the deep and strategic approaches and their perceived usefulness of assignments and learning resources. In stark contrast, negative correlations were identified for learners who used the surface approach and their perceived usefulness of learning resources and assignments. Regarding emotional connection to section content, compared to learners who used the deep and strategic approaches, learners who used the surface approach did not enjoy and felt anxious about learning the content in both sections. Furthermore, based on regression analysis, the surface learning approach was a predictor for low exam scores in both sections. Based on these findings, instructors should implement practices in course design, instructional methods, and assessment strategies that help students choose deep and strategic approaches to learning, while minimizing surface approaches.     

The contribution of perceived classroom learning environment and motivation to student engagement in science

This study investigated middle school students’ engagement in science in relation to students’ perceptions of the classroom learning environment (teacher support, student cohesiveness, and equity) and motivation (self-efficacy beliefs and achievement goals). The participants were 315 Turkish sixth and seventh grade students. Four hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted on the dependent variables of cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and agentic engagement. The results indicated that engagement components were positively predicted by most of the perceived learning environment variables, while motivational factors had some differential predictive effects on engagement components. The predictor variables explained 26, 28, 33, and 30 % of the variance in the cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and agentic engagement components, respectively.     

混合教学对学生学习成效的影响——基于国内外106篇实证研究的元分析

线上线下融合的混合教学成为推动教育变革及促进教育内涵式发展的重要方式。然而,混合教学对学生学习成效的实证研究结果存在较大差异,因而有必要探究混合教学的有效性及影响因素。本研究采用循证研究的元分析方法,对2000年1月~2021年9月的106篇国内外实验和准实验研究进行量化分析,系统检验混合教学的有效性。研究发现:1)纳入研究的样本总效应量为0.669(n=142),表明混合教学对学生学习成效具有中等偏上的促进作用,其中尤以学习动机和情感态度的提升最显著;2)就不同学段、实验周期以及实验人数而言,混合教学对初中生和高中生的学习促进作用最大,1~3个月的教学周期效果最好,而实验人数在51~100人之间的效果最佳;3)就在线学习比例、混合顺序和交互类型而言,50%的混合教学对学生学习的促进作用最大,同步和同步+异步的形式对学生学习的促进作用最明显;4)就教学方法和学习方式而言,基于任务的学习、角色扮演法、探究教学法以及案例教学法具有较大的效应作用,小组学习对学生学习促进最大。文章最后提出了有效开展混合教学的对策和建议。     

Using an interactive ubiquitous learning system to enhance authentic learning experiences in a cultural heritage course

This paper proposes a novel interactive ubiquitous learning system (IULS) for authentically teaching a cultural heritage course and imparting relevant concepts to students. Experimental results demonstrated that learning performance was significantly improved after students used the IULS. This study also demonstrated that students using the IULS achieved superior results to those achieved using conventional teaching models. No gender bias affecting the performance of students in the experimental group was observed because each student consistently performed to a higher standard on the learning tasks compared with students in the control group, particularly in learning comprehension-related content. The IULS was more effective in enhancing the overall learning performance of students exhibiting different cognitive styles in liberal arts education courses. Furthermore, the results of a survey on Instructional Materials Motivation Survey revealed that Relevance was the most highly rated motivational factor among students who used the IULS, suggesting that students were motivated to use the IULS. Thus, we believe that a liberal arts education supplemented with the IULS yields a significant learning advantage for students by improving overall learning performance and motivation.     

主动学习:在线教学的新目标与实施策略

主动学习近年来演变为在线教学的重要议题,它为在线学习提供了新的视角.该研究从在线教学背景下主动学习的内涵与研究特征出发,首先提出了在线教学目标经历的嬗变,即信息由"自由渗透"到"自主重建",认知由"洗耳恭听"到"自我调节",行为由"约定俗成"到"躬体力行",情感由"人造物"到"人";其次检视了主动学习面临的困境,即师生...     

“以学生为中心”理念在货币银行学教学中的实践

结合货币银行学课程的具体教学实践,围绕教学过程的两个重要环节——网上教学及面授教学,要将“以学生为中心”的理念贯穿在教学过程的始终,在教学中就应充分发挥学生学习的自主性,尽量引导学生进行基于问题及案例的探究学习,还应意识到教学过程是一个以心理活动为基础的情感过程和认知过程的统一,情感以及兴趣、愿望、热情等形式构成的学习动机将成为主要的认知因素制约着认知学习。     

Supporting Student Learning through Instructional Videos in Business Statistics

While statistics is an essential topic for business students, many students experience barriers to successful learning due to anxiety, motivation, or difficulty with quantitative understanding. This research examines the use of online videos with an effort to explore the relationship between student characteristics, video usage, and course performance measures. In addition, the study examines student perceptions of the supplemental resources in an effort to examine the efficacy related to student learning and performance. This study seeks to confirm previous research regarding the benefit of supplemental video resources and extend the knowledge base by understanding the impact for various types of students (e.g., level of course, level of previous academic performance, etc.). The study found that the use of the video resources varies based on students’ previous math performance and the difficulty of the material. Student ratings indicate that the videos were helpful in learning the content and that they provided an important resource when students needed additional tools to master the material. Analysis of the results provides implications for understanding how different students use online videos and offers recommendations for educators and researchers about how to enhance student success in difficult statistics coursework.     

在线学习研究30年

本文介绍了作者对过去30年在线学习研究的研究进展。研究如何设计在线教学是将学习科学应用于教育的一个案例。在线教学设计研究有助于发展学习科学(如认知负荷理论、多媒体学习的认知理论,以及学习的元认知、动机和情感的综合),教学科学(如有研究证据的教学设计原理不断发展)和评估科学(如多侧面的迁移测试,同时辅以保持测试和自我调查报告,学习过程中的日志文件数据,以及学习认知过程中的认知神经科学测量等)。文中反复提到的观点:学习有赖于运用教学方法,而不是单凭教学媒体就能够奏效的,在线教学设计研究应该关注数字化学习环境的特性;教学实践应建立在严谨、系统的研究基础上,包括旨在确定在线教学中有效成分的增值实验;在线学习研究应确定教学技术最有效的边界条件;在线学习研究应该起到检验和发展学习理论的作用。     

Student teachers’ knowledge integration across conceptual borders: the role of study approaches,learning strategies,beliefs, and motivation

There is widespread agreement that student teachers need to construct an integrated knowledge base across multiple domains. This study examined the contributions of intraindividual factors of self-regulated learning to explaining student teachers’ (a) integration of knowledge across topics and domains (i.e., integrative learning) and (b) disjointed processing of potentially domain-specific learning content (i.e., separative learning). The factors considered were study approaches; cognitive, metacognitive, and resource-related learning strategy use; epistemological and pedagogical beliefs; and career choice motivation. The study applied a cross-sectional survey design and examined separative and integrative learning in N = 103 student teachers by way of multiple regression analyses with backward eliminations. A key finding is that deep and strategic study approaches and certain cognitive learning strategies contributed significantly to explaining integrative learning in student teachers. Epistemological and pedagogical beliefs were not able to predict integrative learning. Regarding separative learning, the study identified the surface study approach, specific epistemological and pedagogical beliefs, and the “usefulness” motive for career choice as positive predictors and critical thinking as a negative predictor. The study demonstrates differences in how integrative and separative learning are shaped by distinct intraindividual factors. Implications are discussed with regard to student teachers’ self-regulated learning and pre-service teacher education.

     

The impact of physics teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge and motivation on students’ achievement and interest

This paper examines students’ achievement and interest and the extent to which they are predicted by teacher knowledge and motivation. Student achievement and interest are both considered desirable outcomes of school instruction. Teacher pedagogical content knowledge has been identified a major predictor of student achievement in previous research, whereas teacher motivation is considered a decisive factor influencing students’ interest. So far, however, most research either focused on knowledge or motivation (both on the students’ as well as the teachers’ side), rarely investigating them together or examining the instructional mechanisms through which the supposed effects of teacher knowledge and motivation are facilitated. In the present study, N = 77 physics teachers and their classes in Germany and Switzerland are investigated utilizing a multi‐method approach in combining data obtained from test‐instruments (teacher pedagogical content knowledge, student achievement) and questionnaires (teacher motivation, student interest, student perceived enthusiastic teaching) as well as videotaped instruction (cognitive activation rated by observers). Multi‐level structural equation modeling was used to support the assumptions that teacher pedagogical content knowledge positively predicted students’ achievement; the effect was mediated by cognitive activation. Teachers’ motivation predicted students’ interest which was mediated by enthusiastic teaching as perceived by students. Neither did teacher pedagogical content knowledge predict students’ interest, nor teacher motivation students’ achievement. This implies that in order to improve students’ cognitive as well as affective outcomes, both teachers’ knowledge but also their motivation need to be considered. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Research in Science Teaching Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 54:586–614, 2017