Instructional Correlates of Students' Academic Responses: Comparisons Between at-Risk and Control Students

This paper describes instructional arrangements in first grade classrooms and assesses their effects on academic responses of students at risk for failure. A parallel set of analyses of not-at-risk controls provides a basis for comparison. Time-sampled, in-class observations focused on multiple components of instruction (subject matter, tasks assigned, group size, and teachers' behavior) and students' response (active/academic, task management, and inappropriate). The associations of instructional structure with type of student response were considered significant if replicated across two samples. Relative to base- rates (unconditional probabilities) six specific arrangements were shown to be significantly associated with either accelerated or decelerated rates (conditional probabilities) of at-risk and control students' active, academic, or inappropriate responses. The pattern of results indicated that while only one instructional arrangement was associated with increased inappropriate behavior for both groups, only two infrequently occurring arrangements in- creased academic responding. Implications with respect to both research and practice are discussed.     

Seniority and experience of college teachers as related to evaluations they receive from students

A review of relevant research shows that many studies have found the academic rank, age, and extent of instructional experience of college teachers to be unrelated to their students' global evaluation of them. Yet many other studies have found these indicators of the teacher's seniority and instructional experience to be related to the overall evaluation of teachers, and with a consistent pattern. In this latter group of studies, the teacher's academic rank is positively associated with the overall evaluation of the teacher, whereas both the teacher's age and extent of instructional experience are inversely associated with overall evaluation. Although these associations are generally weak in strength, they are robust enough to hold under a variety of controls (including the size of course enrollment and the gender of the teacher). Also, at least for extent of instructional experience, the number and strength of the associations may be underestimated by considering the relationship in question as linear when in fact it may be curvilinear. Just as the teachers' age and extent of instructional experience in general have been either not related or inversely related to the global evaluation of teachers, so they have been for more specific evaluations of teachers. When academic rank has been found to be related to specific evaluations, the relationships tend to be positive for only certain specific rating dimensions while being inverse for others. This being so, it is puzzling that the associations that have been found between academic rank and global evaluations have generally been positive only. A possible explanation for this is offered and supportive evidence marshaled. Finally, several reasons why associations between any of the indicators of seniority or instructional experience and either specific or overall evaluations may be inverse, positive, or curvilinear in the first place are advanced. These hinge on such factors as the teacher's motivation and career circumstances, the pedagogical training and abilities of different cohorts of teachers, as well as the criteria and practices of colleges in their recruitment of teachers, the extent of an age (or generation) gap between students and teachers, and students' expectations and perceptions of teachers and pedagogical characteristics attributed to them. Those reasons having the greater support empirically as well as those that seem the most plausible are noted.     

The importance of teachers' emotions and instructional behavior for their students' emotions – An experience sampling analysis

The present study focuses on the relationship between teachers' emotions, their instructional behavior, and students' emotions in class. 149 students (55% female, M age = 15.63 years) rated their teachers' emotions (joy, anger, anxiety) and instructional behavior, as well as their own emotions in an experience-sampling study across an average of 15 lessons in four different subject domains. Intraindividual, multilevel regression analyses revealed that perceived teachers' emotions and instructional behavior significantly predicted students' emotions. Results suggest that teachers' emotions are as important for students' emotions as teachers' instructional behavior. Theoretical implications for crossover theory and practical recommendations for teachers are discussed.     

Instructional conceptions: Analysis from an instructional design perspective

Learners are active actors in learning environments and not mere consumers of instructional designers' products. In line with mediating paradigm instructional conceptions of students are analysed. These conceptions act as cognitive filters that affect students' use of both instructional interventions and support in learning environments. To gain insight in the complexity of students' instructional conceptions, the concept is analysed and its theoretical assumptions scrutinised. Next, research findings regarding instructional conceptions are reviewed. Attention is paid to the nature and development of students' instructional conceptions and to the relationship with similar conceptions. In the Discussion section, current limitations of both the conceptualisation and instrumentation of instructional conceptions are described and perspectives are opened on further research.     

The influence of personality on social participation in learning environments

The impacts of the instructional environment (classroom vs. Web-based instructional environment—WBIE) and personality differences on students' social participation were examined among 214 university students. Students reported their attendance, willingness to participate and actual participation in each instructional environment. Students' personality traits were measured by the Big Five Inventory. It was found that despite of frequent attendance to both educational environments, the classroom seems to enhance students' active participation whereas WBIE appears to inhibit it. Participants in class were more extroverted, open to new experiences and emotionally stable, relative to non-participants. Such differences were not found between WBIE participants and non-participants. Students who actively participated only in WBIE were more introverted and more neurotic than students who participated in both environments, students who did not participate in either instructional environment, or students who participated exclusively in class. These results point to the psychological impact of the two instructional environments, and suggest viewing social participation as a result of educational context while individual differences play secondary role.     

Impact of Expert Teaching Quality on Novice Academic Performance in the Jigsaw Cooperative Learning Method

We assessed the impact of expert students' instructional quality on the academic performance of novice students in 12th-grade physics classes organized in an expert model of cooperative learning (‘jigsaw classroom’). The instructional quality of 129 expert students was measured by a newly developed rating system. As expected, when aggregating across all four subtopics taught, regression analysis revealed that academic performance of novice students increases with the quality of expert students' instruction. The difficulty of subtopics, however, moderates this effect: higher instructional quality of more difficult subtopics did not lead to better academic performance of novice students. We interpret this finding in the light of Cognitive Load Theory. Demanding tasks cause high intrinsic cognitive load and hindered the novice students' learning.     

The defining features of teacher talk within autonomy-supportive classroom management

Classroom management practices were studied in middle school classrooms with positive interpersonal classroom climates, high levels of student engagement, and high levels of autonomy support. Students' motivational responses to autonomy-supportive instructional interactions were explored to understand variability within classroom management practices identified and described in this study as providing autonomy support. Our findings suggest proactive classroom management is enacted through instructional interactions wherein teachers scaffold students' autonomous self-regulatory capacities that sustain student engagement in classroom activities by supporting students' strategy use, transferring responsibility to students, encouraging students' to structure physical and social contexts to support learning, and promoting prosocial behavior.     

Science Teachers' Elicitation Practices: Insights for Formative Assessment

In evaluating teachers' instructional decisions during instruction, it is clear that the nature of their elicitation is crucial for student learning. When instructional decisions are informed by information about students' conceptual understanding, significant learning is possible. This article examined the elicitation practices of two high school science teachers who indicated that they made instructional decisions based on the elicited evidence of students' knowledge but whose elicitation practices were characteristic of low-level elicitation. The teachers focused on students' responses that used canonical terms and expressed acceptable knowledge. The teachers demonstrated low-level responsiveness because they did not have full access to students' knowledge. The elicited evidence of students' knowledge that was used in making instructional decisions was not representative of students' conceptual understanding. There was, thus, a mismatch between the teachers' perspectives about their formative assessment practice and what is considered effective formative assessment.     

The role of teachers' instrumental and emotional support in students' academic buoyancy,engagement, and academic skills: A study of high school and elementary school students in different national contexts

In this investigation of high school students (N = 2510) in Singapore (Study 1) and elementary school students (N = 119) in Australia (Study 2), we examined the role of instrumental and emotional forms of teacher support in students' academic buoyancy and academic outcomes (engagement and academic skills). In both studies, perceived instrumental support (but not perceived emotional support) was positively associated with academic buoyancy (moderate effect size in Study 1, large effect in Study 2). In Study 1, academic buoyancy was positively associated with students' academic engagement (specifically, effort and persistence [large effect], perceived importance of school [moderate effect], and feelings of school belonging [moderate effect]). In Study 2 academic buoyancy was positively associated with gains in students' academic skills and engagement (specifically, class participation [large effect] and future aspirations [large effect]). In both studies, there was tentative support for a mediating role of academic buoyancy linking students' perceived teacher support to academic outcomes.     

Comparing Problem-Based Learning and Traditional Instruction in High School Economics

Abstract

The potential differences in the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) and traditional instructional approaches regarding high school students' attainment of economics concepts and principles and attitude toward learning economics were examined. The authors also considered potential interactions between learning outcomes in PBL and traditional instructional contexts and differences in students' academic ability, entering knowledge of economics, attitude toward economics, negative feelings after failure, preferred level of task difficulty, and behavioral response to failure. No differences between PBL and traditional classes were found regarding unit-specific student learning outcomes, although there was a difference in changes in general economics knowledge measured at the beginning and end of the semester, with the traditional classes learning more.     

The effect of levels of cooperation within physical science laboratory groups on physical science achievement

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the levels of group cooperation on students' achievement during a series of physical science laboratory activities. Six intact seventh-grade physical science classes taught by two teachers, with each teacher instructing three classes, were selected from two middle schools. For each teacher, one of the classes was taught with a traditional approach (no cooperative goal structure). The other two classes were assigned to a cooperative goal structure (role assignment and nonrole assignment). For the role assignment class, each student was assigned a specific role, but students in both traditional and nonrole assignment classes were not assigned roles. The Classroom Observation Instrument in Science Laboratory Activity (COISLA), which includes investigative skills (i.e., managing, manipulating, observing, reading, writing, and reporting); social skills (i.e., discussing, encouraging) and nonlearning behaviors (i.e., waiting, off-task), was used to measure the levels of group cooperation. The grades on lab reports and lab quizzes of students who were taught by the same teacher were compared to assess the effects of the different learning conditions. No significant differences on the students' final achievement were found with respect to the three instructional approaches followed by each teacher. The teacher effect was more significant than either instructional approach on managing, manipulating, observing, reading, and writing behaviors. No significant teacher effect was found for the other behaviors. Only one treatment effect was significant, writing behavior. Overall, the teacher effect was more influential than instructional approach on students' behaviors. In teacher A's classes, reading behavior predicted 21% of students' achievement. However, no significant correlations existed between the 10 collaborative behaviors and students' achievement in teacher B's classes.     

Instructional metacognitive knowledge: A qualitative study on conceptions of freshmen about instruction

Many studies have pointed to the limited direct effectiveness of instructional interventions and one explanation of this has drawn attention to the importance of 'instructional metacognitive knowledge'. In this exploratory study, instructional metacognitive knowledge of university freshmen is addressed by means of a survey covering: (a) instruction in general, (b) instruction in two different environments, and (c) specific delivery systems and concrete instructional interventions. While some differences appeared in the answers on different sets of questions, also large similarities were found. The results show students' knowledge about instruction to be mainly affected by their instructional experiences. The students' view is 'reactive' and places instructional agents at the core of the instructional process. The findings provide additional support for the importance of correspondence between learners' and teachers' views on instructional interventions if forms of support for students' learning are to be effective.     

The effects of augmented reality-supported instruction in tertiary-level medical education

A significant body of the literature has documented the potential of Augmented Reality (AR) in education, but little is known about the effects of AR-supported instruction in tertiary-level Medical Education (ME). This quasi-experimental study compares a traditional instructional approach with supplementary online lecture materials using digital handout notes with a control group (n = 30) and an educational AR application with an experimental group (n = 30) to investigate any possible added-value and gauge the impact of each approach on students' academic performance and training satisfaction. This study's findings indicate considerable differences in both academic performance and training satisfaction between the two groups. The participants in the experimental group performed significantly better than their counterparts, an outcome which is also reflected in their level of training satisfaction through interacting and viewing 3D multimedia content. This study contributes by providing guidelines on how an AR-supported intervention can be integrated into ME and provides empirical evidence on the benefits that such an approach can have on students' academic performance and knowledge acquisition.

Practitioner notes

What is already known about this topic

• Several studies have applied various Augmented Reality (AR) applications across different learning disciplines.
• The effects of AR on students' perceptions and achievements in higher education contexts is well-documented.
• Despite the increasing use of AR-instruction in Medical Education (ME), there has been no explicit focus on AR's effects on students' academic performance and satisfaction.

What this paper adds

• This quasi-experimental study compares the academic performance and training satisfaction of students in an experimental group (AR) and a control group (handout notes).
• This study provides instructional insights into, and recommendations that may help students achieve better academic performance in AR-supported ME courses.
• The experimental group reported greater training satisfaction than their counterparts.

Implications for practice and policy

• Students who followed the AR-supported instruction achieved better academic performance that those in the control group.
• AR-supported interventions encourage active learning and lead to significant performance improvement.
• The experimental group outperformed the control group in academic performance and training satisfaction measurements, despite the lower experimental group's lower pre-test performance scores.

     

New Directions in Social Skills Assessment and Intervention for Elementary and Middle School Students

Social skills are important to the successful social and academic functioning of all students and play a significant role in avoiding or preventing negative responses from others. Social skills also are important aspects of effective schools. In this article, we emphasize the assessment and intervention of the academic side of social skills. That is, we examine the role that social skills play in facilitating individuals' learning and creation of a school environment where others can feel supported and motivated to learn. As a basis for this examination, we first review several key studies documenting interrelations among social skills and academic competence. Next, we briefly review current assessment practices focusing on rating scale methods for documenting students' social skills and perceptions of social support. Finally, we introduce an instructional approach called the Responsive Classroom (Charney, 1992) that has been shown to advance the development of elementary and middle school students' social skills and academic achievement, and result in supportive school environments for learners and teachers. We conclude with recommendations for researchers and practitioners to continue to consider the strong interrelations among social skills, academic functioning, and social support when working with all students in elementary and middle schools.     

Students' perceptions of academic quality and approaches to studying in distance education

Attempts to demonstrate a relationship between students' approaches to studying in higher education and their perceptions of their academic context have been bedevilled by limitations of the research instruments and the problem of aggregating students' perceptions and approaches across different course units. The extended version of the Course Experience Questionnaire (Wilson et al., 1997) and the Revised Approaches to Studying Inventory (Entwistle et al., 2000) were adapted for use in distance education and administered in a postal survey to students taking seven courses by distance learning with the Open University. Usable responses were obtained from over 2100 students. Both instruments proved to be remarkably robust, and the students' scores on these two instruments shared 61% of their variance. Students' perceptions of the academic quality of courses in distance education are strongly associated with the approaches to studying that they adopt on those courses.     

Study and leisure interference as mediators between students' self-control capacities and their domain-specific functioning and general well-being

Study interference (i.e., studying is interfered by enjoyable alternatives) and leisure interference (i.e., leisure time is interfered by duties) are investigated as separate mediators between students' self-control capacities and their overall functioning (N = 253). Based on the assumption that both conflict experiences are associated with domain-specific outcomes, we calculated multiple mediator models with several indicators of students' domain-specific functioning as criteria, self-control as predictor, and students' tendency to experience motivational interference during studying (TMIS) and during leisure time (TMIL) as parallel mediators. As predicted, TMIS was the strongest mediator for measures of academic functioning, whereas TMIL was the strongest mediator for leisure functioning. With regard to general well-being, TMIL was the more consistent mediator. Findings are in line with the assumption that students' self-regulation difficulties are not only important for academic contexts but also for leisure contexts, especially when concepts of successful development include students' strivings in various life domains.     

“Double-Dose” Algebra as an Alternative Strategy to Remediation: Effects on Students' Academic Outcomes

Abstract

Expanded instructional time has become increasingly popular as a strategy to improve the academic outcomes of low-skilled students, particularly in the 9th grade. We evaluate the efficacy of a double-period algebra policy initiated in the Chicago Public Schools in 2003. This policy required all students with 8th-grade test scores below the national median to enroll in a support algebra course in addition to regular algebra in the 9th grade. Using regression discontinuity combined with interrupted time series designs, and instrumental variable models, we show the effects of the policy on students' grades, failure rates and test scores in 9th-grade algebra and 10th-grade geometry. Providing support courses improved algebra test scores for the target population but only modestly affected grades and failure rates. Students with very low initial abilities benefited less than students close to the national median. The policy also led schools to track algebra classes by students' entering math skills. As a result, it affected academic outcomes among students not targeted by the policy; test scores among high-ability students improved whereas their grades declined.     

A Psychometric Framework for the Evaluation of Instructional Sensitivity

Although there is a common understanding of instructional sensitivity, it lacks a common operationalization. Various approaches have been proposed, some focusing on item responses, others on test scores. As approaches often do not produce consistent results, previous research has created the impression that approaches to instructional sensitivity are noticeably fragmented. To counter this impression, we present an item response theory–based framework that can help us to understand similarities and differences between existing approaches. Using empirical data for illustration, this article identifies three perspectives on instructional sensitivity: One perspective views instructional sensitivity as the capacity to detect differences in students' stages of learning across points of time. A second perspective treats instructional sensitivity as the capacity to detect differences between groups that have received different instruction. For a third perspective, the previous two are combined to consider differences between both time points and groups. We discuss linking sensitivity indices to measures of instruction.     

Less direct than you thought: Do teachers transmit math value to students through their cognitive support for understanding?

Students' valuing of subject domains is an important contributor to students' educational success. As one avenue to foster students' valuing, social-cognitive motivational theories suggest that teachers might transmit their value beliefs to students through their instructional strategies. Accordingly, the current study examined the transmission of teacher's math value to students' math value via the content-related instructional strategy of cognitive support as reported by teachers and students. Using a longitudinal dataset of 1429 students (51% males, 68% Hispanic) and their 26 teachers (48% female), manifest-latent multilevel regression analyses showed some indication that teacher's endorsement of math valuing for their students, but not their personal value beliefs, might be associated indirectly with class average students' interest value through teacher's provision of cognitive support. Furthermore, teacher's reported cognitive support was related to the class average of students' value beliefs through class average students' perceptions of cognitive support, highlighting the importance of students' perceptions.