Exploring academic achievement in males trained in self-assessment skills

This paper examines academic achievement of males following formal training in self-assessment. It adds to current literature by proposing a tried-and-tested method of improving academic achievement in males at a time when they appear to be marginalised. The sample comprised 515 participants (233 males), representing 25.2% of that high school leaving cohort in a small Caribbean country. Academic achievement was examined in all subjects taken by participants at a regional examination. Examination results indicate that males who were formally trained in self-assessment skills outperformed their untrained male counterparts. Implications for teaching and learning are explored and several practical suggestions are offered.     

韩国中小学的健康教育

本文从健康教育课程方面对韩国中小学的健康教育作了简单介绍，着重介绍了韩国中小学的安全保健教育和性教育的目标和内容，希望能对我国学校的健康教育有所启发。     

中学数学素质教育模式探索

为适应新课改的要求，必须贯彻以人为本的教育原则，在数学教学过程中牢固树立数学意识，培养数学应用能力；同时针对职教中学的特点实施分层教学，才能保证全体同学都能提高素质。     

中小学教师心理健康问题之探讨

中小学教师的心理健康与否,不仅关系到教师自身的身体健康,而且还影响到教育对象的身心健康、人格的健全发展以及学习的质量.因此,必须在了解中小学教师心理健康现状的基础上,加强中小学教师心理健康问题研究,维护和促进中小学教师的心理健康.     

Endorsing achievement goals exacerbates the big-fish-little-pond effect on academic self-concept

The big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE) model predicts students’ academic self-concept to be negatively predicted by the achievement level of their reference group, controlling for individual achievement. Despite an abundance of empirical evidence supporting the BFLPE, there have been relatively few studies searching for possible moderators. Integrating the BFLPE model with Achievement Goal Theory, the present study aims to determine whether the negative effect of class-average achievement on academic self-concept is moderated by individual and class-average achievement goals. Our sample comprised of 2987 students (50% boys) from Grade 6 in 112 elementary schools in the Flemish region of Belgium (174 classes). Applying multilevel modelling, we found a stronger BFLPE when students’ individual achievement goals were higher, regardless of the specific nature of these goals. The BFLPE was not moderated by class-average levels of achievement goals. Overall, our findings demonstrate that the BFLPE is moderated by individual goal-related factors.     

朝鲜族中小学英语教学研究述评

基于对CNKI数据库及东北三省朝鲜族中小学英语教育研讨暨教师培训会议论文集中相关论文的归类与分析,从微观视角揭示出了我国朝鲜族中小学英语教学研究的现状,指出了我国学者在该研究领域中所存在的五点不足,并展望了该领域中未来值得研究的四个问题,以期通过研究的深入、问题的解决,促进朝鲜族中小学英语教学的持续发展。     

Exploring the effect of learning styles on learning achievement in a u-Museum

In recent years, mobile technology has been developing rapidly and has been widely used. There are many successful cases of mobile technology applied greatly in today’s teaching and even combined with sensing devices to overcome the limitations of traditional learning environment. In order to make teaching more diversified, teachers currently treat field trips as one of the major ways to aid traditional classroom teaching. Based on Keller’s ARCS motivation model, this study used the natural disaster section in the sixth graders’ Natural Science-Taiwan subject as an example and application of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in mobile devices to develop a context-aware ubiquitous learning system to be applied in the 921 Earthquake Museum of Taiwan. With the guide of the system, learners can use mobile carriers to receive content information displayed in the Museum for learning. This study conducted experiment in the 921 Earthquake Museum of Taiwan to explore whether using the system for learning significantly improves learning outcomes and motivation in comparison to traditional navigation learning. Felder & Silverman’s theory of learning style was incorporated to explore whether there exists differences in learning performance and outcome among learners with different learning styles so design and strategies for future teaching system can be improved.     

Exploring the first year academic achievement of school leavers and mature-age students through structural equation modelling

One of the most noticeable changes to the university student profile over the last decade is the increasing number of mature-age students. This study examined the relationship between previous academic performance, psychological characteristics of the student, learning strategies, and the first year academic performance of school leavers and mature-age students through structural equation modelling (SEM). A total of 1193 first year university students completed a questionnaire at the beginning of their first year of study, and provided consent for their academic results to be tracked over their first year at university. While the overall model of success appeared to fit for both groups, differences were identified in the order of importance of constructs affecting achievement and the strength of some relationships. The most obvious difference occurred in the relationship between previous academic performance, self-reported learning strategies, and achievement in first semester, with previous performance a more accurate predictor of school leavers' performance and self-reported learning strategies a more accurate predictor of mature-age students' performance. This study has implications for the university in terms of the targeting of academic support services for students of different ages.     

Military deployments and children's academic achievement: Evidence from Department of Defense Education Activity Schools

Household disruptions – such as divorce, relocation, and parental absence – have long concerned researchers interested in the educational attainment of children. Here, we consider a plausible source of exogenous variation in work-related parental absences—military deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2002–2005 period. Combining the standardized test scores of children enrolled in Defense Department schools with their military parent's personnel data, we evaluate the effect of a soldier's deployment on the academic achievement of his or her children. We find that deployments have modest adverse effects in most academic subjects, with lengthy deployments and deployments during the month of testing associated with the largest detrimental effects. Evidence also suggests that these adverse effects may persist for several years.     

The effect of web-based portfolio use on academic achievement and retention

The web-based portfolio emerged as a result of the influence of technological developments on educational practices. In this study, the effect of the web-based portfolio building process on academic achievement and retention is explored. For this purpose, a study platform known as a computer-assisted personal development portfolio was designed for 30 Turkish students who participated in a web-based portfolio process. The academic achievements of the students were examined through an experimental design in which participants were divided into an experimental group and a control group and given a pre-test and a post-test. The results of the study revealed that the levels of both academic achievement and retention in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group. Similar practices can be applied to the teaching of medicine, economics, physical sciences, humanities and other subjects in order to extend students?? performance and achievement levels.     

Examining the effect of positive behaviour support on academic achievement of students with disabilities

Students who engage in challenging behaviour compromise the fundamental ability of schools to educate children. Consequently, teachers face the daunting task of designing effective strategies to promote positive educational outcomes for their students. Since the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act amendments, the use of positive behaviour supports (PBS) to address the behavioural needs of children challenged by disabilities has expanded. There is evidence to support the utility of PBS in reducing challenging behaviour among students. However, successful schools are also gauged by the academic achievement of their students. Hence, it is important to examine the extent to which behavioural outcomes are related to academic outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which PBS interventions aimed at reducing challenging behaviour result in corresponding improvement in academic achievement. A meta‐analysis of extant research indicated a positive correlation of 0.40 between improvement in problem behaviour and academic achievement. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at: http://youtu.be/c9OUU0GkGrw .     

关于朝鲜族中小学双语教育中强化朝汉翻译教学实践的思考

朝、汉翻译教学实践作为一种跨语言的特殊的交际活动,不仅有助于强化朝、汉双语学习,而且有助于传承中华文化和朝鲜民族的文化。在朝鲜族中小学强化朝、汉翻译教学实践,不仅有益于开发学生的大脑和强化朝、汉词汇的记忆,而且有益于互补朝、汉双语语法知识和提高学生的社会适应能力。强化朝鲜族中小学的翻译教学实践工作是一个系统工程,应坚持全面、协调、可持续发展的科学发展观。当前应抓紧制定课程标准,完善教材建设,加强教师培训,强化语言规范工作。     

The effect of teacher strikes on academic achievement: Evidence from Colombia

International literature on the effects of teacher strikes on academic performance is scarce. Colombia offers a unique opportunity to study these effects given the high frequency of stoppages and the availability of high-quality data. Exploiting the exogenous variations of teacher strikes at school, municipality and department level, we find that those students who have been exposed to more and longer strikes obtain on average, lower scores in math and reading. We also find that students who were exposed to more strikes during secondary school score on average 41 % and 29 % of a SD lower in math and reading, respectively.     

高中生成就动机与学业情绪、学业成绩的关系研究

为探讨高中生成就动机与学业情绪、学业成绩的关系,采用问卷对285名高中生进行调查.结果显示,趋近动机(Ms)与积极学业情绪和学业成绩呈正相关,且对两种积极学业情绪和学业成绩均有正向预测作用,对消极低唤醒学业情绪有负向预测作用;回避动机(Mf)与积极学业情绪和学业成绩呈负相关,而与消极学业情绪呈正相关,并能正向预测消极低唤醒学业情绪,负向预测积极低唤醒学业情绪和学业成绩.积极低唤醒情绪和消极低唤醒情绪在成就动机和学业成绩之间起部分中介效应,积极高唤醒情绪只在趋近动机和学业成绩间部分中介效应.     

Peer priorities and the impact of academic achievement

The relationship between level of academic achievement and student self-concept was investigated. Based upon recent hypotheses concerning sex differences in the priority of academic accomplishments, it was predicted that the self-concept of older males and younger females would be most strongly influenced by the level of academic competence. This hypothesis was supported only for the male group. It was argued that younger males rather than older females were most debilitated by sex-role stereotypes.     

Examining the impact of capital on academic achievement

While a growing body of literature on education production looks at the impact school inputs have on academic achievement, virtually no research is examining the impact capital is having on academic achievement. In this study, we take an initial step towards that end. By using school districts' level of bond indebtedness as a proxy for capital, we find evidence that capital stock does affect academic achievement. In light of these findings along with the general lack of research on capital inputs, we conclude that capital expenditures should be given greater attention in future research.     

Situational interest and academic achievement in the active-learning classroom

The aim of the present study was to investigate how situational interest develops over time and how it is related to academic achievement in an active-learning classroom. Five measures of situational interest were administered at critical points in time to 69 polytechnic students during a one-day, problem-based learning session. Results revealed that situational interest significantly increased after the problem stimulus was presented. Subsequently, situational interest gradually decreased but at the end of the day increased again. Testing a path model relating the situational interest measures showed strong (directional) interrelations. Moreover, situational interest was highly predictive for observed achievement-related classroom behaviors. The latter, in turn, proved to be a significant predictor of academic achievement. Aggregating situational interest over the day led to less accurate predictions of achievement-related classroom behaviors and academic achievement. Implications of these findings for situational interest research are discussed.     

Implicit intelligence beliefs of computer science students: Exploring change across the semester

This study investigated introductory computer science (CS1) students’ implicit beliefs of intelligence. Referencing Dweck and Leggett’s (1988) framework for implicit beliefs of intelligence, we examined how (1) students’ implicit beliefs changed over the course of a semester, (2) these changes differed as a function of course enrollment and students’ motivated self-regulated engagement profile, and (3) implicit beliefs predicted student learning based on standardized course grades and performance on a computational thinking knowledge test. For all students, there were significant increases in entity beliefs and significant decreases in incremental beliefs across the semester. However, examination of effect sizes suggests that significant findings for change across time were driven by changes in specific subpopulations of students. Moreover, results showed that students endorsed incremental belief more strongly than entity belief at both the beginning and end of the semester. Furthermore, the magnitude of changes differed based on students’ motivated self-regulated engagement profiles. Additionally, students’ achievement outcomes were weakly predicted by their implicit beliefs of intelligence. Finally, results showed that the relationship between changes in implicit intelligence beliefs and student achievement varied across different CS1 courses. Theoretical implications for implicit intelligence beliefs and recommendations for STEM educators are discussed.     

Relevant prior knowledge moderates the effect of elaboration during small group discussion on academic achievement

This study set out to test whether relevant prior knowledge would moderate a positive effect on academic achievement of elaboration during small-group discussion. In a 2 × 2 experimental design, 66 undergraduate students observed a video showing a small-group problem-based discussion about thunder and lightning. In the video, a teacher asked questions to the observing participants. Participants either elaborated by responding to these questions, or did not elaborate, but completed a distraction task after each question. They received either relevant or irrelevant prior knowledge before the discussion. After the discussion, all participants studied a text about thunder and lighting and completed immediate and delayed-recall tests for this text. Elaboration had no main effect on recall, but there was a significant interaction effect between relevant prior knowledge and elaboration. The results suggest that elaboration is helpful for students with more prior knowledge, but harmful for students with less prior knowledge.