Student Ratings of Televised Classroom Demonstrations

Abstract

Student attitude toward classroom observation experience in an educational psychology course were explored as a function of whether observations were made in person, by closed circuit television, or kinescope recordings. Two hundred fifty-seven college juniors were randomly grouped to observe the same classroom demonstrations by different means or to receive a control lecture.

At the conclusion of the course mean subject ratings of the special observation (or lecture) experience were significantly different for the four treatment groups. Highest ratings were given by students who observed In person, next highest were given by “live” television observers, next highest by kinescope observers, and lowest by those who received the control lecture. No significant differences were observed between groups on ratings of the course of which the observations were a part.     

The Effect of Instructional Modality and Prior Knowledge on Learning Point Group Symmetry

Many topics in chemistry are difficult for learners to understand, including symmetry. Reasons for this difficulty include its multi-level content, instructional methodologies utilized, and learner variables. This study examined the effect of initial instructional modality and prior knowledge on learning of point group symmetry. Forty-four students in a sophomore-level inorganic chemistry class at a small private university were divided by pre-selected lab groups into two groups, lecture and computer, for introductory information about point group symmetry. Both groups had low prior knowledge of symmetry elements although the lecture group had significantly higher knowledge than the computer group. After initial instruction, the lecture group scored significantly higher than the computer group on a point group assessment, even when prior knowledge was controlled. A second assessment, given after both groups had follow-up information from computer courseware, showed no significant difference between the groups. The computer group significantly improved between the two assessments, the lecture group did not. At the end-of-the semester post-test showed no significant difference between the two groups, although only 50% of the students in each group achieved mastery. Factors affecting the significant improvement of the low prior knowledge, computer group were examined and recommendations for future research provided.     

Effects of Knowledge Maps and Prior Knowledge on Recall of Science Lecture Content

The effects of three types of lecture aids on students' recall of two college-level biology lectures were compared. Students heard audiotaped lectures while viewing either knowledge maps, outlines, or lists of the key terms presented on overhead transparencies. Free-recall tests revealed that listeners with low prior knowledge of biology learned the most when knowledge maps accompanied the lecture and the least when key terms were listed. For listeners with high prior knowledge, however, the opposite was true. An analysis of recall coherence revealed that learners recalled significantly fewer fragmented facts after viewing maps or outlines than after viewing lists. Prior knowledge was a significant factor in all analyses. Results are interpreted in terms of Mayer's cognitive model of assimilation encoding.     

Student Orientations to Independent Learning

Sixty‐six students completed two questionnaires to describe their approaches to study and the relationship to their personal preference for either the conventional lecture (CL) or self‐learning package (SLP) as methods of instruction. The students were randomly assigned to either an SLP and a CL group and received instruction on the same topic. Then, six weeks after the lecture all students were given a 30‐minute test to examine their level of understanding. Ten students, chosen at random, were interviewed further to assess their attitude towards learning. The inference drawn from the results is that more students preferred CL to SLP, however there was no correlation between students’ study approach and their preference for different teaching methods, nor did the study demonstrate that either method of instruction was superior when measured by test performance, suggesting a need to review independent study packages to better match student needs. Interview analysis showed that the students were highly dependent on reassurance from their lecturers, emphasising the negotiated nature of learning.     

Primary Health Care Providers' Knowledge Gaps on Parkinson's Disease

In order to determine primary health care providers' (PCPs) knowledge gaps on Parkinson's disease, data were collected before and after a one-hour continuing medical education (CME) lecture on early Parkinson's disease recognition and treatment from a sample of 104 PCPs participating at an annual meeting. The main outcome measure was the proportion of questions answered correctly by each PCP before the lecture. We measured the change in proportion of correct answers before and after the lecture (delta). Ninety-nine percent of the PCPs who attended the lecture returned the questionnaire. The level of knowledge on Parkinson's disease before the lecture was relatively low, particularly in management (61.4%) and diagnosis (34.4%). PCPs' perceived knowledge was not associated with the number of correct responses on management at baseline. Test scores significantly improved after the CME lecture. Our results show that PCPs' baseline knowledge of diagnosis and management of Parkinson's disease and self-perceived knowledge on this topic are relatively limited. Appropriately, United States reaccreditation programs do not only rely on self-perception. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine the impact of CME in knowledge retention and patient care in Parkinson's disease.     

Problem- Versus Case-based Approaches in Teaching Medical Students about Eating Disorders: A controlled comparison

Fourth-year medical students were allocated randomly to either problem-based learning (PBL) or case-based learning (CBL) tutorials on the topic of eating disorders during their 6-week psychiatry attachment. All students were evaluated in terms of their tutorial performance and the factual knowledge they had acquired. In turn, students evaluated the performance of the tutors in both the PBL and the CBL process. No significant differences were found between the student groups with respect to their performance or acquired knowledge. Furthermore, there were no significant differences when comparing the PBL format with the CBL format with regard to group functioning or oral interaction between students. Finally, student ratings for tutor performance on feedback, group management skills and personal qualities showed no differences. Implications for education are discussed.     

Exploring how children with reading difficulties respond to instructional supports in literacy games and the role of prior knowledge

Digital literacy games can be beneficial for children with reading difficulties as a supplement to classroom instruction and an important feature of these games are the instructional supports, such as feedback. To be effective, feedback needs to build on prior instruction and match a learner's level of prior knowledge. However, there is limited research around the relationship between prior knowledge, instruction and feedback in the context of learning games. This paper presents an empirical study exploring the influence of prior knowledge on response to feedback, in two conditions: with or without instruction. Thirty-six primary children (age 8–11) with reading difficulties participated: each child was assessed for their prior knowledge of two suffix types—noun and adjective suffixes. They subsequently received additional instruction for one suffix type and then played two rounds of a literacy game—one round for each suffix type. Our analysis shows that prior knowledge predicted initial success rates and performance after a verbal hint differently, depending on whether instruction was provided. These results are discussed with regards to learning game feedback design and the impact on different types of knowledge involved in gameplay, as well as other game design elements that might support knowledge building during gameplay.

Practitioner notes

What is already known about this topic

• Instructional supports, such as elaborative feedback, are a key feature of learning games.
• To be effective, feedback needs to build on prior instruction and match a learner's level of prior knowledge.
• Prior knowledge is an important moderator to consider in the context of elaborative feedback.

What this paper adds

• Providing additional instruction (eg, pre-training) may act as a knowledge enhancer building on children's existing disciplinary expertise, whereas the inclusion of elaborative feedback (eg, a hint) could be seen as a knowledge equaliser enabling children regardless of their prior knowledge to use the pre-training within their gameplay.
• Highlights the importance of children's preferred learning strategies within the design of pre-training and feedback to ensure children are able to use the instructional support provided within the game.
• Possible implications for pre-training and feedback design within literacy games, as well as highlighting areas for further research.

Implications for practice and/or policy

• Pre-training for literacy games should highlight key features of the learning content and explicitly make connections with the target learning objective as well as elaborative feedback.
• Pre-training should be combined with different types of in-game feedback for different types of learners (eg, level of prior knowledge) or depending on the type of knowledge that designers want to build (eg, metalinguistic vs. epilinguistic).
• Modality, content and timing of the feedback should be considered carefully to match the specific needs of the intended target audience and the interaction between them given the primary goal of the game.

     

An Analytical Study of the Reading Habits of Deaf Children

The efficacy of behavioral objectives in improving student achievement was assessed in a college setting. The Ss were nineteen senior and graduate students enrolled in a research course in educational psychology. Ss randomly assigned to two groups were separated before treatment. One group received a list of precise instructional objectives, while the other group discussed an unrelated topic. The two groups were reunited, exposed to the same lecture, and then administered a 12-item quiz covering the day’s lesson. Results of an analysis of covariance revealed that behavioral objectives had a desirable effect on student achievement.     

Students' note-taking behaviors and the efficacy of providing the instructor's notes for review

College students viewed a videotaped lecture with or without taking notes. Average performance between the two groups did not differ on an immediate test. The encoding effect of note taking was therefore unsupported. Two days later, note takers reviewed their notes while listeners reviewed the instructor's notes in preparation for the delayed exam. Subjects who reviewed the instructor's notes achieved significantly more, on factual items, than did subjects who reviewed their own relatively brief and unorganized notes. Thus, listening to a lecture and subsequently reviewing the instructor's notes prior to a delayed exam leads to relatively higher achievement than does the traditional method of taking and reviewing personal lecture notes.     

Computer-based feedback matters when relevant prior knowledge is not activated

BackgroundHow feedback is given may influence its utility.AimWe examined the effect of activated prior knowledge on learning from feedback by manipulating whether knowledge of a foundational concept was activated before solving fraction division problems.Sample and methodsUndergraduates (N = 171) were randomly assigned in a 3 (feedback timing: delayed, immediate, or no feedback) x 2 (knowledge activation: relevant or not) between-subjects design.ResultsIf irrelevant knowledge was activated, immediate feedback enhanced learning as compared to no feedback during the learning task, whereas if relevant knowledge was activated, then there was no impact of immediate feedback. On the posttest, any feedback (immediate or delayed) resulted in greater performance, but feedback timing did not matter. Thus, activating prior knowledge moderates the effect of feedback on learning.ConclusionWhen researchers or practitioners are investigating or giving feedback, they must also consider individual differences of the learner such as the prior knowledge they bring to the task.     

Incorporating a Modified Problem‐Based Learning Exercise in a Traditional Lecture and Lab‐Based Dairy Products Course

Abstract: A modified problem‐based learning (PBL) exercise was implemented in a food science Dairy Products course, which had previously been taught in the traditional lecture and laboratory format only. The first 10 wk of the course consisted of weekly lectures and laboratory exercises. During the remaining 3 wk, students were presented with a case study that described milk quality problems that could be encountered by the dairy industry. Each week, students received a set of case disclosures containing relevant information that assisted in solving the case. Students were asked to present their findings at the end of the course in the form of a written “consultant's report.” In addition, students were given a survey asking for feedback on the PBL exercise, and the usefulness of having the lectures and labs prior to the PBL experience. Eighty percent of the students found that lectures and labs provided them with sufficient background knowledge to understand and solve the PBL case, 70% found that the PBL reinforced course material covered during lecture and labs, 50% responded that PBL helped them develop new ways of reasoning about the subject matter and 65% reported that PBL taught them to think critically. Of the total students surveyed, 56% would prefer to participate in similar types of PBL exercises in the future. Incorporating PBL into traditionally taught food science courses can have a positive influence on the learning process.     

Learning about the past: exploring the opportunities and challenges of using an outdoor learning approach

This paper examines the potential of outdoor learning for supporting children’s understanding of and attitude towards history. A class of primary school children participated in an intensive experiential, residential history programme. A range of data was collected before, during and after the residential programme, and the findings suggest that the experience had a positive impact on the children’s attitude towards history and enabled many of the children to be able to easily recall highly specific factual knowledge. However, the children’s understanding of history as a provisional construct was not developed, as it was not a strong feature of the programme. Nor was the experiential nature of the experience fully exploited. Overall the study suggests that such a programme has the potential to support children’s learning of the past, but a deeper understanding of history, drawing on the benefits of outdoor learning pedagogy, needs to be planned for more explicitly.     

Spacing in a simulated undergraduate classroom: Long-term benefits for factual and higher-level learning

Despite showing robust benefits in lab-based research, there remain relatively few studies exploring the spacing effect in educational contexts with meaningful materials. In this study, participants (N = 169 undergraduate students) attended a simulated university lecture where they were presented with natural science curriculum material. Participants reviewed the material either one day or eight days after the lecture via an online review. Participants completed a final test on the material five weeks after each respective review. During the review and final test participants were asked both factual and higher-level (application) questions. Results showed that reviewing material eight days after the lecture led to better final test performance for both types of questions when compared to reviewing only one day after the lecture. This study suggests that spaced review is a robust and effective strategy that can be and should be adapted to classroom practice.     

Effects of informative feedback in relation to retention of initial responses

Ninety-seven fifth graders read a 900-word text followed by a multiple-choice test consisting of factual and guess questions that, respectively, could or could not be answered on the basis of the text. They received informative feedback either immediately after the test, after a day, or no feedback. All children were retested 7 days after the initial test and subsequently asked to identify their initial-test responses. On the delayed test, subjects in the feedback conditions outperformed subjects in the no-feedback condition on both types of question, but they did not identify more initial responses correctly. There were no differences between the feedback conditions. Initial-response identification was better for factual than for guess questions. Analysis of identification scores in relation to initial- and delayed-test response sequences suggested that awareness of initial errors may be helpful rather than detrimental for the acquisition of correct responses through feedback.     

学生对计算机辅助反馈策略的态度(英文)

本研究调查了计算机辅助反馈策略对大学技术教育课程的影响。具体来说,研究探讨了计算机辅助反馈策略"对错反馈"(Knowledge of Responses,简称KCOR)和"正确答案反馈"(Knowledge of Correct Re-sponses,简称KCR)的有效性,并与"无反馈"(No Feedback)的学生的学习态度进行了比较。三组学生被分配到三个条件之一:KOR,KCR和NR(对照组)。通过四个星期的基于网络的教学实验,研究者获得学习者对计算机辅助反馈教学系略的态度。结果表明,学生对三种反馈显示出相同的态度。计算机辅助反馈策略可能是促进学习的可行的选择。     

How prior knowledge affects word identification and comprehension

While prior knowledge of a passage topic is known to facilitate comprehension, little is known about how it affects word identification. We examined oral reading errors in good and poor readers when reading a passage where they either had prior knowledge of the passage topic or did not. Children who had prior knowledge of the topic were matched on decoding skill to children who did not know the topic so that the groups differed only on knowledge of the passage topic. Prior knowledge of the passage topic was found to significantly increase fluency and reduce reading errors, especially errors based on graphic information, in poor readers. Two possible mechanisms of how prior knowledge might operate to facilitate word identification were evaluated using the pattern of error types, as was the relationship of errors to comprehension. Implications of knowledge effects for assessment and educational policy are discussed.     

Meeting the Discipline-Culture Framework of Physics Knowledge: A Teaching Experience in Italian Secondary School

The paper deals with physics teaching/learning in high school. An investigation in three upper secondary school classes in Italy explored the reactions of students to a structuring lecture on optics within the discipline-culture (DC) framework that organises physics knowledge around four interrelated fundamental theories of light. The lecture presented optics as an unfolding conceptual discourse of physicists regarding the nature of light. Along with the knowledge constructed in a school course of a scientific lyceum, the students provided epistemological comments, displaying their perception of physics knowledge presented in the classroom. Students’ views and knowledge were investigated by questionnaires prior to and after the lecture and in special discussions held in each class. They revealed a variety of attitudes and views which allowed inferences about the potential of the DC framework in an educational context. The findings and interpretation indicate the positive and stimulating impact of the lecture and the way in which DC-based approach to knowledge organization makes physics at school cultural and attractive.     

The effects of reinforcement frequency on performance in a multiple fixed-ratio schedule

A barpress analog to the double-alley runway was sought by varying percentage reward in the first of two consecutive FR 18s. Groups of six rats each were given 0% 50%. or 100% reinforcement upon completion of the first FR 18: after a 5-sec midtnal imterval, the second FR 18 was administered on a separate lever and all groups received CRF reward upon its completion. Group 50 Ss performed faster after nonreward than after reward. Group 50 Ss performed faster after nonreward than did 0% Ss. A measure of midtnal behavior revealed a difference between groups in orienting to the bars. When all groups were shifted to a 50% first component schedule (Phase II), there were no statistically reliable effects of prior reinforcement history on rewarded or nonrewarded responding. The Phase 1 results were taken to demonstrate a frustration effect similar to that of the double alley     

On Reading Dante: The Swinging Bridge

Abstract

Mindfulness meditation involves focusing one's attention on the present moment in a non-judgmental way. Several recently published investigations have demonstrated that a brief session of mindfulness meditation, practiced before a higher-education course lecture, can improve performance on a quiz over lecture content given immediately following the lecture. It is less clear how mindfulness meditation, practiced before multiple course lectures, impacts performance on quizzes over time as well as on a cumulative exam over all lecture contents. The present experiment compared a mindfulness meditation group to an active control group; each practiced 6 min of mindfulness or relaxation prior to seven course lectures. Following each lecture, a quiz was given over lecture contents to measure short-term academic achievement. A cumulative exam was later given over all lecture content to measure long-term academic achievement. In contrast to prior published investigations, there were no effects of mindfulness meditation on academic achievement. Given these promising yet inconsistent effects, future work should explore the moderators (i.e., individual differences; duration, frequency, and style of meditation practice) of mindfulness meditation's salutary benefits.     

Effects of Toy Crane Design-Based Learning on Simple Machines

The aim of this 2-group study was to investigate the following question: Are there significant differences between scaffolded design-based learning controlled using 7 forms and teacher-directed instruction methods for the toy crane project on grade 7 students’ posttest scores on the simple machines achievement test, attitude toward simple machines, and attitude toward creativity in simple machines after adjusting for their respective pretest scores and the prior semester science grades? The study group (N = 65) consisted of grade 7 students in public middle schools in Burdur, Turkey. There were significant treatment effects favoring the first method with large effect sizes on both achievement and creative attitude scores. Teaching topics about simple machines with the design-based method increased students’ achievement and creative attitude without disadvantaging their attitude toward the topic as they constructed new knowledge through each step of the precise process.