“This is the First Time I’ve Done This”: Exploring secondary prospective mathematics teachers’ noticing of students’ mathematical thinking

This mixed methods study investigates the ways in which secondary mathematics prospective teachers acquire skills needed to attend to, interpret, and respond to students’ mathematical thinking and the ways in which their perceived strengths and weaknesses influence their skills when this type of formalized training is not part of their program. These skills (attending, interpreting, and responding) are defined as teachers’ professional noticing of students’ thinking. Results indicate that seniors respond to students’ thinking in significantly different ways from juniors and sophomores. Converging the data highlighted inconsistencies in how participants’ were making sense of students’ mathematical thinking, as well as in participants’ self-identified strengths and weaknesses.     

Can Observation Be Trained in School Children!

Abstract

This study was an attempt to determine the necessity for adherence to three multiple-choice item construction principles recommended by experts for teacher-made tests. These principles involved the location of the blank in the stem, the use of complete or incomplete sentence stems, and the presence or absence of extraneous (noncueing) material in the stem. Over 480 high school juniors and seniors viewed a film and completed one of six test forms about its content. It was found that the item construction violations had a slight effect on the test results for these high school juniors and seniors.     

外语专业高年级学生元认知能力综合培养效应研究

本研究以大学英语专业三年级学生为样本,以问卷和学科考试为调查工具,以SPSS for Win-dows13.0软件为分析工具,对外语专业高年级学生元认知能力的综合培养效应进行了初步的实证性研究。结果表明,元认知能力综合培养对高年级外语专业的学生的元认知能力提高具有显著的正向影响,并且这种影响比较广泛和深入,同时这种培养模式对高年级外语专业学生成绩的正向影响也呈显著性。这些结论启示我们,要想有效提英语专业高年级学生的元认知能力,应该采用多种方法多种途径相结合的综合培养模式。     

Successful Concurrent Programs: An EXCELerate Program in Oklahoma

The article presents the implementation and findings of a successful collaborative effort with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE), Tulsa Community College (TCC), and two local public school districts, Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) and Union Public Schools (UPS). Known as EXCELerate, it's a five-semester dual enrollment pilot program that received state policy exceptions for juniors and seniors to enroll in dual enrollment courses and supportive resources from the participating agencies. Whereas the traditional dual enrollment student is White and college-going, the program's intent was to increase the number of high school students who may be first-generation, lower-socioeconomic, ethnic or non-ethnic. The article identifies three major barriers to successful dual enrollment and completion: state policy, financial issues, and transportation. It also examines how these barriers were eliminated through a collaborative effort. The results demonstrate that over 87% of the juniors and seniors persisted over the semesters, and enrollment tripled among African American and Latino students. The article is constructed to benefit further research and practical application for urban and rural community colleges.     

Enrichment programming for gifted and talented high school students

The author describes a special program for gifted and talented high school students that is based on Renzulli's Enrichment Triad Model. In the Seminar I class for freshmen, enrichment activities emphasize training in research and computer skills. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors in the Seminar II class spend more time on Type III projects.     

The Efficacy of Retesting in Relation to Improved Test Performance of College Undergraduates

Abstract

A causal-comparative analysis was done of the test performance of undergraduate students in five different sections of educational psychology taught over a 3-year period. A pretest-posttest design was used to test the hypothesis that a testing program employing fewer retests than original tests produced significant gains in mean highest test/retest scores. Original tests and retests were of comparable mean difficulty, discrimination, and cognitive level. Correlations between the unretested means and highest test/retest means for retesters in the five sections were statistically significant. Various retesting programs were not found to be significantly different in producing gains in mean test scores among retesters. Subgroup analysis revealed that retesting was used most frequently by students at the lower end of the marking spectrum. Further subgroup analysis revealed no significant difference in the frequency of retesting among sophomores, juniors, and seniors in the five sections. Students’ response to the use of retests was overwhelmingly positive.     

A Nonparametric Approach for Assessing Goodness-of-Fit of IRT Models in a Mixed Format Test

Investigating the fit of a parametric model plays a vital role in validating an item response theory (IRT) model. An area that has received little attention is the assessment of multiple IRT models used in a mixed-format test. The present study extends the nonparametric approach, proposed by Douglas and Cohen (2001), to assess model fit of three IRT models (three- and two-parameter logistic model, and generalized partial credit model) used in a mixed-format test. The statistical properties of the proposed fit statistic were examined and compared to S-X² and PARSCALE’s G². Overall, RISE (Root Integrated Square Error) outperformed the other two fit statistics under the studied conditions in that the Type I error rate was not inflated and the power was acceptable. A further advantage of the nonparametric approach is that it provides a convenient graphical inspection of the misfit.     

大学生SCL一90抽样测查结果对比分析

目的：了解大学生各年级及总体心理健康水平，以便有针对性地进行心理干预。方法：采用SCL-90对450名财政金融专业在校大学生进行测试。结果：金融专业大学生SCL-90各项因子均分均高于全国常模，除躯体化和人际关系敏感因子外，其余各项均有显性差异(P＜O．01)；一、二年级大学生的强迫、抑郁、焦虑、恐怖、敌对、人际关系敏感、偏执、精神病性有极显性差异(P＜O．01)；四年级大学生的躯体化因子有显性差异(P＜O，5)，强迫、抑郁、焦虑、敌对、恐怖、偏执、精神病性的差异极显(P＜O．01)；男女之间、城市和农村之间以及三年级大学生与全国常模无显性差异。结论：金融专业大学生一年级的心理问题较多、较重，四年级介于一、二年级之间，三年级最少。     

The national survey of student engagement as a predictor of undergraduate GPA: a cross‐sectional and longitudinal examination

Data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) collected across seven years were used to predict final, cumulative grade point averages (GPA). Cross‐product regression was used to explore the predictive abilities of the NSSE benchmark scores for freshmen (n = 2578) and seniors (n = 2293) collected in cross‐sectional cohorts. Hierarchical regression was also used with 127 longitudinal responses in students’ first and senior years of college. In the cross‐sectional analyses, Level of Academic Challenge emerged as a significant predictor of GPA for freshmen, whereas the Active and Collaborative Learning benchmark was a significant predictor for seniors; both effects were modest. The cross‐sectional data explained 22.6% of the variance with 18.2% of this variance accounted for by pre‐college control factors (American College Test score and high school GPA). For the analysis of longitudinal data, 31.3% of the variance was explained and 27.8% was attributed to the pre‐college indicators. No benchmark scores were significant predictors of GPA in the longitudinal data. Results suggest that cross‐sectional analyses can adequately detect modest effects on final GPA. In contrast, longitudinal models explain more variance, though they lack the power to reveal modest effects. This study suggests approaches for the responsible use of cross‐sectional and longitudinal data in educational research.     

At Risk on the Border: Assessment of Student Learning at an Hispanic Serving Institution

Hispanics face multiple barriers to academic achievement. This study measured learning in an undergraduate criminal justice program at an Hispanic Serving Institution bordering Mexico. We estimated the average gains students achieved across core content areas using a technique that can be used by other faculty as part of program assessment. The majority of participants were Hispanic first-generation college students. An independent samples t-test was used to examine differences between freshman- and senior-level students, and the Lovett/Johnson model (2012) model was used to measure student gains using regression analysis. Results indicated that seniors showed meaningful gains at every level.     

Striving for contribution: the five Cs and positive effects of cross-age peer mentoring

This article explores the relationship between cross-age peer mentoring and positive life outcomes as defined by the Five Cs: competence, character, confidence, connection, and compassion. Qualified high school juniors and seniors were randomly assigned groups of 4–5 freshmen to mentor through the challenges of transitioning to secondary school. Through a qualitative interview process, 12 former mentors discuss the benefits they have experienced in their lives as college students or productive members of the workforce, ranging from 1–4 years removed from the experience. All mentors found some value to the program as outlined by the Five Cs.     

Manufacturing and Production Technician Youth Apprenticeship Program: A Partnership

For 3 years, a university, a public secondary school, and a manufacturing company have been collaborating in offering an alternative education program to juniors and seniors who are not expected to graduate. The program takes place at the manufacturing site where students who are youth apprentices spend about 20 hr each week in work and another 20 hr in the classroom at the site-all at pay. After 2 successful calendar years in this competency-based program, youth apprentices earn a high school diploma. They are graduating from this program with useful skills, improved behavior, and academic qualifications for higher education. The Youth Apprenticeship (YA) Program meets the manufacturer's demand for skilled high school graduates in a rural area where such candidates are scarce. The program also provides the university with an alternative field site for preparing teachers and conducting research while rendering valuable services in areas of curriculum. Most important, the YA Program adds educational options for the apprentices themselves. The program has been recognized regionally and nationally for its design and effectiveness.     

高校教师教学效果的多因素模型的验证性分析

通过贵州省文科、理科和农科专业的二、三、四年级大学生填写的《大学生评价教师教学效果问卷》（学生用）,即SEEQ问卷,运用协方差结构模型验证了贵州地区大学生评价教师教学效果的七、九因素模型的适合性。结果表明：1．Marsh的一阶九因素结构比较稳定;2．七因素完整模型也比较稳定,比九因素结构模型更好;3．教学热情／组织、群体互动、人际和谐、知识宽度、考试／作业与阅读材料这五个维度影响学习／价值感;4．项目T1（教师讲课能在智力上激发学生,富有启发和激励性）可归为教学热情／组织性这个维度。     

内蒙古蒙汉大学生应对方式调查研究

内蒙古大学生的应对方式趋于成熟。不同年级大学生在自责因子存在显著差异。大一、大四学生显著高于大二和大三学生;文科在幻想因子上显著高于理科。蒙汉族在解决问题和求助两个积极应对因子上没有显著差异,在其他几个消极应对因子上,蒙古族大学生显著高于汉族大学生;应对方式不存在性别和来源地差异。根据内蒙古大学生应付方式的年级、专业和民族特点,引导其采取积极的应对方式,提高心理健康水平,拓展心理素质。     

Protégé Growth Themes Emergent in a Holistic,Undergraduate Peer-Mentoring Experience

Two faculty members developed and implemented a successful, holistic, goal-oriented peer-mentoring project for two years at a midsize, urban university to enhance student success and retention. In year one, 12 juniors and seniors mentored 34 freshmen and sophomores; in year two, 14 upperclassmen mentored 40 underclassmen. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze goal-progress tracking data, postintervention survey data self-reported by protégés, and mentor journals. The following six themes emerged from this data analysis: academic skills and knowledge, career decision-making, connectedness to others, maturity, physical well-being, and aspiration. Findings advance our summary understanding of the context in which students may grow and develop because of holistic mentoring, understanding that may have value in informing the intelligent design of future mentoring experiences. Results also support program efficacy, from an overall standpoint as well as regarding improvements from the year one to year two versions of the program.     

高师高职学生应激生活事件状况的调查研究

本研究运用自编问卷对广西师范大学500名高职生应激生活事件进行调查研究。结果表明:(1)高职学生的主要应激生活事件来自学校、就业、家庭、社会、个人等几个方面。(2)高年级高职学生受应激生活事件的影响高于低年级学生。(3)不同性别高职学生应激生活事件状况无显著差异。     

Dispositions Toward Critical Thinking: The preservice teacher's perspective

This study examines the critical thinking (CT) dispositions of 202 preservice physical education students in the US. All were juniors or seniors and enrolled in physical education secondary teaching methods classes. Results provided evidence of a positive inclination toward CT on six of seven subscales and the total score of the California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory (CCTDI). When compared with other university populations, the preservice physical education sample generated higher scores than community college students, but were generally outscored by students from a private 4-year university cohort. Knowledge of the CCTDI data can be used to assist physical education teacher educators as they prepare teachers capable of fostering CT in their students.     

Traveling the road to success: A discourse on persistence throughout the science pipeline with African American students at a predominantly white institution

This study focuses on 11 African American undergraduate seniors in a biology degree program at a predominantly white research institution in the southeastern United States. These 11 respondents shared their journeys throughout the high school and college science pipeline. Participants described similar precollege factors and experiences that contributed to their academic success and persistence at a predominantly white institution. One of the most critical factors in their academic persistence was participation in advanced science and mathematics courses as part of their high school college preparatory program. Additional factors that had a significant impact on their persistence and academic success were family support, teacher encouragement, intrinsic motivation, and perseverance. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

大学生网络暴力游戏与攻击行为的关系:暴力态度的中介作用

采用网络暴力游戏接触问卷、暴力态度问卷和攻击行为问卷调查了308名大学生暴力态度的基本特点及其在网络暴力游戏与攻击行为之间的作用。结果发现:(1)大学生的暴力态度总体水平不高,并在年级上存在着显著差异,二年级、三年级和四年级的暴力态度水平显著高于一年级;(2)网络暴力游戏对大学生的攻击行为产生显著的正向影响,并且暴力态度在网络暴力游戏与攻击行为之间起着完全中介作用。     

A Comparison of Two Methods of Learning

ABSTRACT

This is an impact evaluation of the Technical Support to Failing Schools Program, a Chilean compensatory program that provided 4-year in-school technical assistance to low-performing schools to improve students’ academic achievement. The author implemented a quasi-experimental design by using difference-in-differences estimation combined with propensity scores matching procedures to estimate treatment effects. The main findings were the following: (a) the program had positive effects on fourth-grade students’ achievement in both language and mathematics; (b) program effect size was 0.23 standard deviations, and not sensitive to control for covariates; (c) there were larger effects for students in the middle part of the students’ test-score distribution; (d) after the intervention had ceased, the program impact declined rapidly; and (e) the program reduced grade retention by 1.5 percentage points.