‘Photo-words’: promoting language skills using photographs

Abstract

This study, using a mixed methods design, examined the use of a photograph-based model to improve students’ language and writing skills. Classes were assigned to receive the photograph-based intervention (experimental) or to receive the regular language-based curriculum (control). Both second and fifth grade students in the experimental group significantly improved their language and writing skills compared to the control group. Second grade students improved significantly more than fifth grade students. The findings also enabled the research team to identify deficiencies that required specific modifications in language curriculum design.     

I Hate Writing: Making a Case for the Creation of Graphic Novels in the Caribbean English Classroom to Develop Students’ Creative Writing Skills

ABSTRACT

Caribbean students are repeatedly engaged in rigid forms of writing to meet the requirements of external exams, which often leads to negative attitudes to writing. With current shifts to multimodal and multi-literate texts to engage students’ multiple literacies in learning, students’ creation of graphic novels in Caribbean English classrooms can enable their engagement in meaningful creative writing. To illustrate this, I draw on my recent experiences with four inner-city boys at a Jamaican high school who showed marked improvement in their attitudes and their creative writing skills after creating graphic novels. The preliminary findings from my research suggest a need for more personalised learning strategies and for more opportunities for students to use their home language in Caribbean classrooms.     

Strategies for improving the written expression of primary children with poor writing skills

Abstract

This review examines the literature on strategies for improving the written expression of primary aged children with poor writing skills, from a sociocognitive perspective. The specific difficulties such children may experience are examined and research advocating a sociocognitive approach to help remediate their problems is described. Skill in writing depends partly on the author's ability to plan as well as manage the process of composition. Research is reviewed which describes some specific planning strategies such as the story web, the use of drama and drawings, and explicit instruction. Self‐regulation strategies are also described as a means of helping students internalise planning and reflective strategies. There is a clear consensus that teachers should also give specific instruction to children with poor writing skills.     

The Relationship between Height and Physiological Maturing

Abstract

As part of an ongoing screening program, the writing samples of 50 out of 109 third year college students were identified by readers as deficient. The entire sample of 109 had completed the Test of Everyday Writing Skills (TEWS). The students with identified unsatisfactory writing skills performed significantly lower than those students with satisfactory writing skills on all subtests of the TEWS. The TEWS was moderately easy for third year college students, but it discriminated well. The selection of the 70th percentile on the Composition Skills subtest as a cutoff criterion identified only 2 percent of deficient writers as potentially successful. The selection of appropriate cutoff scores on the TEWS allows for the use of a gross screening device and offers a number of advantages.     

Comparison of reading comprehension levels of literate learners with different methods

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between two teaching methods used to teach reading and writing and reading comprehension skills and successes of fifth-grade students. The main difference between the two methods in our research; teaching of the first literacy in the sentence method, determined and sentences with various features, in the voice based sentence method, the sound of the letters in the alphabet is determined by the instruction of the determined group order. The mixed method research design is the process in which both quantitative and qualitative methods are used in collecting, analyzing and mixing the data in a study. The application of the study lasted for two years. The achievement test developed by the researcher was first applied to 1000 fifth-grade students who learned reading and writing by the sentence method, and, then, to 1000 fifth-grade students who learned reading and writing by the sound-based sentence method in the following year. The results showed that there was a significant difference between reading comprehension levels of the fifth-grade students who learned reading and writing by the sentence method versus by the sound-based sentence method. The difference was in favour of the students who learned reading and writing by the sentence method.     

Developing Research Skills for the Future Workplace through Interdisciplinary Near-Peer Mentoring

Abstract

Experiential learning is touted as an effective way of imparting research skills. This suggests that master’s students undergoing training in research psychology should be exposed to managing projects and supervising interdisciplinary research teams and projects before entering the workplace. The Department of Psychology and Department of Town and Regional Planning at a South African university developed a near-peer mentoring programme in which the psychology master’s students mentored undergraduate urban planning students who were writing their final-year research reports. Focus group discussions with the psychology students about their experiences of the programme were analysed using phenomenography. The psychology students experienced their role as mentor in five hierarchical variations. The first four were seen as challenging, while the benefits were only experienced at the highest level of the hierarchy. Lessons learnt from the mentoring relationship that mirror certain workplace research skills are discussed followed by recommendations for improving the mentoring programme.     

Writing as an Act of Courage:The Inner Experience of Developmental Writers

ABSTRACT

Developmental writing programs often include a small number of students who seem unable to respond to instruction and to acquire sufficient writing skills to move on. Many common writing difficulties reflect ambivalence about expression. A core issue is that expression is related to trust in the anticipated response to what is expressed. An understanding of the underlying emotional and interpersonal aspects of writing can lead to effective strategies for instructors and counselors to reach these students and facilitate increased writing skills.     

Information technology and collaborative writing: fundamental pedagogy and theoretical considerations

Abstract

This article considers how teachers working across three countries can create a collaborative writing environment in their classrooms. It reports on the first phase of a research programme conducted by university lecturers in the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, investigating ways of developing teachers' expertise in the linking of information technology (IT) and pedagogy. It examines writing practices in the secondary classroom, in particular focusing on collaborative writing, and explores how this can be extended and developed through the use of IT. The research operates at three levels of collaboration: first, between the researchers involved; secondly, between teachers sharing their pedagogical expertise; and thirdly, between school students engaging in writing across the limits usually imposed by time and space. A fundamental hypothesis is that experienced and capable teachers of writing in different countries can extend their pedagogical skills through working together. Such collaboration between both teachers and school students has only recently become a possibility as a result of wider access to the Internet and the World Wide Web, on which it is eventually intended to publish results of the research, including examples of student work.     

How Prepared Are MSW Graduates for Doctoral Research? Views of PhD Research Faculty

ABSTRACT

This national survey of PhD faculty assessed the research preparation of entering doctoral social work students on a wide range of research knowledge and related skills. The prior literature shows that PhD programs repeat much BSW and MSW research course content. This study shows that the trend continues and has perhaps widened. PhD research faculty report that the typical entering PhD student displayed solid conceptual, ethics, and writing skills but lesser preparation for conducting quantitative and qualitative research, including methods related to understanding evidence-based practice. The research expectations of responding PhD faculty were low, reflecting limited retention and little production of research among typical entering doctoral students. These findings raise the issue of how effectively the social work profession prepares students for research and for future PhD education.     

A theory of instruction for introductory programming skills

ABSTRACT

Background and Context: Current introductory instruction fails to identify, structure, and sequence the many skills involved in programming.

Objective: We proposed a theory which identifies four distinct skills that novices learn incrementally. These skills are tracing, writing syntax, comprehending templates (reusable abstractions of programming knowledge), and writing code with templates. We theorized that explicit instruction of these skills decreases cognitive demand.

Method: We conducted an exploratory mixed-methods study and compared students’ exercise completion rates, error rates, ability to explain code, and engagement when learning to program. We compared material that reflects this theory to more traditional material that does not distinguish between skills.

Findings: Teaching skills incrementally resulted in improved completion rate on practice exercises, and decreased error rate and improved understanding of the post-test.

Implications: By structuring programming skills such that they can be taught explicitly and incrementally, we can inform instructional design and improve future research on understanding how novice programmers develop understanding.     

Students’ writing and reading preferences in a paperless classroom

ABSTRACT

This study took place in a school which adopted a “paperless classroom” policy. The purpose of the study was to examine whether students who learn in a paperless classroom really prefer reading and writing on computers rather than on paper and whether their preferences differ according to contextual conditions and personal differences. The findings show that students’ reading and writing preferences depended on the context in which the reading or writing was performed. The boys preferred to read and write on the computer significantly more than girls. Conversely, the girls’ handwriting skills and preference for handwriting were higher than the boys’. Reading and writing on computer was found to be favored among strong students, while weak students tended to prefer using paper. This research also revealed a rapid decrease in favoring computer over paper in both reading and writing over time. Students who had experienced the paperless classroom policy in this school for three years were less supportive of the use of computers for reading and writing than younger students.     

Perceived Value of Higher Education among Police Officers: Comparing County and Municipal Officers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the perception of higher education among police officers, to determine whether these perceptions vary among county and municipal police officers, and to explore the types of suggestions that officers might have for improving the college curriculum. A survey was administered to police officers from five departments. Data analysis revealed a mixed view of the perceived value of higher education. Officers employed by municipal departments had a more positive general perceived value of higher education compared to officers employed by county sheriff’s offices. This study also found several common suggestions for improvement to the higher education curriculum, including more hands-on experience, instructors with experience as law enforcement officers, and improved writing and interpersonal communication skills.     

Constructing the case study in victimology

This article advocates the use of case studies to illustrate the importance of victimology in the criminal justice curriculum. The case study of a particular victimization introduces emerging issues in criminal justice, and illuminates the responsibility of the criminal justice system to prevent and react to crime. Academic programs are challenged to develop and maintain students' interest in this theoretical framework. Case studies in victimology promote interdisciplinary knowledge, critical thinking and precise writing skills. They also provide students with experience in research, investigation and integration of information.     

Comparing Two Methods of Writing Instruction: Effects on Kindergarten Students’ Reading Skills

ABSTRACT

This experimental study directly compared the effects of two prevalent forms of classroom writing instruction, interactive writing and writing workshop, on kindergarten students’ acquisition of early reading skills. Repeated measures data was collected at four points over 16 weeks to monitor growth of 151 kindergarten students in phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, and word reading. Results of this study showed students in both the interactive writing group and the writing workshop group demonstrated significant growth over time for each of the three outcome measures, with no statistically significant difference between groups for any of the outcome measures at any of the time points. This study provides evidence that, when consistently implemented during the first 16 weeks of kindergarten, interactive writing and writing workshop are equally effective in promoting acquisition of early reading skills.     

Examining the Impact of Explicit Language Instruction in Writers Workshop on ELL Student Writing

abstract

In the context of our work as literacy specialists, we taught teachers to use sentence frames to support ELL students’ writing. We then studied the impact of their instruction on students. Our analysis of student writing samples revealed no groupwide developmental trends so we posed deeper questions about their work using the data analysis methods learned through the action research process. We report our findings about the relationship between student writing development and language instruction. We discuss our learning as well as implications for our work supporting teacher instruction.     

A Systematic Approach in Student Reading

Abstract

The Faculty Writing Fellows Seminar was designed to develop university instructors’ skill in writing instruction: The 2015–16 professional development project offered faculty at Southern Oregon University a chance to read writing-pedagogy research, collaboratively develop their teaching practices, and—most importantly—put themselves in the shoes of student writers. The seminar had a positive impact on instructors’ teaching and students’ writing. Instructors showed growth in confidence, empathy, knowledge, and instruction. Their students’ essays outscored essays by students in nonparticipating instructors’ classes. The study argues for professional development that simultaneously builds pedagogical knowledge and skills and incorporates emotional and psychosocial aspects of teaching and learning.     

Peer review in the classroom: student perceptions,peer feedback quality and the role of assessment

Abstract

Peer review in the classroom can enhance numerous employability skills such as critical appraisal, writing skills, reflection practices and collaborative experiences. This study takes place over two years and discusses the implementation of a repeating blind peer review cycle across a single semester for final year chemistry students enrolled on a compulsory employability module. The feedback cycle promotes personal reflection through the use of mini-reflective questionnaires. The process was assessed by academic tutors at the resubmission stage and/or the peer feedback stage where the quality of peer feedback was directly assessed. The research investigates the quality of peer feedback, the importance of assessment and student perceptions of what is most useful. Methods include directed content analysis of feedback produced, student opinions and a focus group. Students were capable of offering useable feedback across a range of assessment criteria but tend to focus on the important criteria best aligned to the particular assignment. A range of motivational factors and tactics were noticed but students tended to find reviewing the most beneficial.     

Evaluation of intervention on Chinese graduate students’ understanding of textual plagiarism and skills at source referencing

Abstract

Textual plagiarism is a serious violation of established academic protocols, but it requires considerable writing experience and care to avoid as well. Although student understanding of textual plagiarism and their plagiaristic behaviour in English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts have been quite well researched, few studies have sought to evaluate instructional interventions specifically designed to reduce plagiarism by empowering student writers with a better knowledge of plagiarism and skills at source referencing. To the best of our knowledge, no study to date has ever systematically assessed students’ understanding of plagiarism and their source referencing performance in response to intervention. This classroom-based research, at a university in Beijing, aimed to discover whether a 6-hour block of instruction could facilitate better understanding of plagiarism and appropriate source referencing skills. The results showed that the intervention did generally give students a better appreciation of how textual plagiarism looks and significantly reduced blatant and subtle plagiarism in their writing. However, students’ heavy reliance on original source language did frequently reoccur in student writing if in less clear-cut ways. Some helpful lessons were drawn from this study.     

The perceptions of first-year undergraduate Malawian students of the essay writing process

Abstract

A good command of written English is essential for tertiary students in Malawi. Notably, their academic success is largely dependent on their mastery of the written language but, in addition, recent years have seen more employers in Malawi emphasising the need for excellent communication skills in both the national language (Chichewa) and English. This article analyses Malawian first-year undergraduate perceptions of the essay writing process. A study in which 200 students from the faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences were surveyed was carried out at the University of Malawi's Chancellor College in 2006. The results indicate that students find it very challenging to obtain sufficient and relevant source text information, paraphrase or summarise information, and use an appropriate academic writing style. It appears that essay writing is challenging for first-year undergraduates — partly due to lack of thorough and timely training in essay writing.