Multimethod assessment of self-regulated learning in college students: different methods for different components?

Instructional Science - Although self-regulated learning (SRL) is seen as highly relevant for successful college learning, college students oftentimes show a lack in SRL abilities. Therefore, it...     

An analysis of different representations for vectors and planes in ℝ3

The purpose of this paper is to present an analysis of the difficulties faced by students when working with different representations of vectors, planes and their intersections in \(\mathbb {R}^{3}\). Duval’s theoretical framework on semiotic representations is used to design a set of evaluating activities, and later to analyze student work. The analysis covers three groups of undergraduate students taking introductory courses in linear algebra. Different types of treatments and conversions are required to solve the activities. One important result shows that, once students choose a register to solve a task, they seldom make transformations between different registers, even though this facilitates solving the task at hand. Identifying these difficulties for particular transformations may help teachers design specific activities to promote students cognitive flexibility between representation registers.     

How do different types of schools prepare students for life at Cambridge?

Twenty students from different educational backgrounds within the UK were interviewed to investigate how well they considered their secondary school education had prepared them for the educational and social demands of an ‘elite’ university and life within its most traditional colleges. The study asked them how they perceived students from different educational backgrounds and how they thought they were perceived. Entering a traditional Cambridge college was found to be easiest for students from prestigious ‘public schools’ within the private educational sector. State school students were more likely to experience anxiety, and those who adapted successfully were likely to have strong independent learning skills and a robust sense of self-efficacy. The study suggests that students coming from state schools to Cambridge are making a more difficult academic and social transition than students from private schools, for which they are given no special support.     

Reaching for different ends through tenure track—institutional logics in university career systems

Higher Education - In this study, we used the institutional logics perspective to identify the logics underpinning the tenure track career system, how the logics manifest themselves in recruitment...     

Student teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge for teaching systems thinking: effects of different interventions

ABSTRACT

Systems’ thinking has become increasingly relevant not only in education for sustainable development but also in everyday life. Even if teachers know the dynamics and complexity of living systems in biology and geography, they might not be able to effectively explain it to students. Teachers need an understanding of systems and their behaviour (content knowledge), and they also need to know how systems thinking can be fostered in students (pedagogical content knowledge (PCK)). But the effective development of teachers’ professional knowledge in teaching systems thinking is empirically uncertain. From a larger study (SysThema) that investigated teaching systems thinking, this article reports the effects of the three different interventions (technical course, didactic course and mixed course) in student teachers’ PCK for teaching systems thinking. The results show that student teachers’ PCK for teaching systems thinking can be promoted in teacher education. The conclusion to be drawn from our findings is that a technically orientated course without didactical aspects seems to be less effective in fostering student teachers’ PCK for teaching systems thinking. The results inform educators in enhancing curricula of future academic track and non-academic track teacher education.     

Classes in themselves and for themselves: the practice of monitorial education for different social classes in Sweden, 1820−1843

This article investigates the monitorial system of education in Sweden between 1820 and 1843. In contrast to previous research, which has emphasised monitorial education as a method for disciplining poor children, this article compares the use of the method in schools for the working classes and in academic schools. Using concepts such as segmentation and discipline, the article analyses sources from 30 schools for the working classes and 40 academic schools to show how monitorial education was used in different schools. The mechanical exercises used in schools for the working classes were not implemented in the academic schools, where the role of monitors was more that of a teacher than a monitor. As this article demonstrates, these distinctions correspond to the different purposes of the schools. The schools for the working classes were directed towards instilling obedience, while the academic schools sought to awaken self-activity.     

Do different components of working memory underlie different subgroups of reading disabilities?

The purpose of this study was to determine the components of working memory (WM) that underlie less skilled readers' comprehension and word recognition difficulties. Performance of 3 less skilled reading subgroups---children with reading disabilities (RD) in both word recognition and comprehension; children with comprehension deficits only; and children with low verbal IQ, word recognition, and comprehension (poor readers)--was compared to that of skilled readers on WM, short-term memory (STM), processing speed, executive, and phonological processing measures. Ability group comparisons showed that (a) skilled readers outperformed all less skilled readers on measures of WM, updating, and processing speed; (b) children with comprehension deficits only outperformed children with RD on measures of WM, STM, phonological processing, and processing speed; and (c) children with RD outperformed poor readers on WM and phonological processing measures. A hierarchical regression analysis showed that (a) subgroup differences on WM tasks among less skilled readers were moderated by a storage system not specific to phonological skills, and (b) STM and updating contributed significant variance to WM beyond what was contributed by reading group classification. The latter finding suggested that some differences in storage and executive processing emerged between skilled and less skilled readers that were not specific to reading.     

each language cause different phenomena

e sentences, (2)the strictness of sentence units and (3)     

Training early childhood teachers for sustainability: towards a ‘learning experience of a different kind’

In this study, we discuss findings from a small-scale project evaluating an in-service teacher training programme focused on ‘perspective transformation’ in early childhood education and education for sustainability (EfS). A bespoke professional development programme was developed for Turkish early childhood teachers, based on a variety of Mezirowian-inspired adult education activities. Data were gathered using a mixed method research design, from 24 early childhood educators, through learning diaries, a Learning Activities Survey and follow-up interviews. Initial findings illustrate the range of transformations possible in the teachers’ perspectives during and after the training workshops. Influential factors in facilitating perspective transformation are shown to be the content, structure and sequencing of the training, and peer support. We conclude that transformative learning techniques offer a viable framework for engaging practicing early childhood teachers with EfS and also discuss implications for teacher preparation in both areas.     

Exploring formative assessment as a tool for learning: students’ experiences of different methods of formative assessment

This study aims to provide a greater insight into how formative assessments are experienced and understood by students. Two different formative assessment methods, an individual, written assessment and an oral group assessment, were components of a pathology course within a medical curriculum. In a cohort of 70 students, written accounts were collected from 17 students and group interviews were carried out to explore the students’ experiences of these two forms of assessment. All students were engaged in both assessment methods, which were conducted a few weeks apart, and data were collected soon after each assessment. Our findings suggest that formative assessments motivate students to study, make them aware of what they have learned and where they need to study more. Thus, formative assessment can act as a tool for learning, contributing to the process and outcomes of learning. A closer look at students’ experiences of each form of assessment reveals interesting differences.     

Competences for Learning to Learn and Active Citizenship: different currencies or two sides of the same coin?

In the context of the European Union Framework of Key Competences and the need to develop indicators for European Union member states to measure progress made towards the 'knowledge economy' and 'greater social cohesion' both the learning to learn and the active citizenship competences have been highlighted. However, what have yet to be discussed are the links and the overlaps between these two competences. Based on the development of research projects on these two fields, this article will compare the two sets of competences, both qualitatively and quantitatively. It will describe how the values and dispositions that motivate and inform active citizenship and learning to learn are related to each other, both empirically and theoretically. Both these competences are tools for empowering individuals and giving them the motivation and autonomy to control their own lives beyond the social circumstances in which they find themselves. In the case of active citizenship, the ability to be able to participate in society and voice their concerns, ensure their rights and the rights of others. In the case of learning to learn to be able to participate in work and everyday life by being empowered to learn and update the constantly changing competences required to successfully manage your life plans. When measuring both these competences then certain values relating positively towards democracy and human rights are common in their development.     

Implications of different methods for specifying classroom composition of externalizing behavior and its relationship to social–emotional outcomes

In this paper, we examine common methods for using individual-level data to represent classroom composition by examining exemplary studies that thoughtfully incorporate such measures. Building on these studies, and using data from the Chicago School Readiness Project (CSRP), this paper examines theoretical and analytical implications of a set of different transformations of individual ratings of child externalizing behaviors in order to examine and compare the influence of these representations of classroom composition on Kindergarten internalizing behaviors, social competence, and attention/impulsivity problems. Results indicate that each Kindergarten outcome is influenced by distinct aspects of classroom composition of externalizing behaviors. Kindergarten internalizing behaviors are positively associated with the proportion of children in the Head Start classroom who started with externalizing scores above the 75th percentile regardless of the average value of externalizing behaviors in the classroom. In contrast, Kindergarten social competence is predicted by three aspects of the classroom distribution of externalizing behaviors in the fall of Head Start—the classroom mean, standard deviation, and skew. Finally, Kindergarten attention/impulsivity problems were not associated with any aspect of classroom composition of externalizing behavior examined in this paper.     

Why do they want to teach? The multiple reasons of different groups of students for undertaking teacher education

In times of teacher shortage, well-considered, goal-oriented teacher recruitment is important. An understanding of the reasons why different groups of students undertake teacher training would be useful in developing targeted campaigns. Against this background, the research question is as follows: what are the motivations prompting students to enter primary teacher training and do these motivations vary according to student characteristics? A questionnaire based on the reasons and expectations included in the Learning and Studying Questionnaire was administered during a compulsory course. Participants were 1,805 pre-service primary education teachers starting their first year of study at 14 different schools in Flanders (Belgium). Results show that students mainly undertake teacher training for intrinsic and altruistic reasons such as developing skills and knowledge that will be useful in their future teaching career, attending interesting and well-taught courses, gaining an understanding of the subject and helping children and making a difference in the world. In addition, students also take into account extrinsic factors such as good working conditions, long holidays and the ability to balance work and family responsibilities. Significant differences in motivation were found to be related to student characteristics such as gender, age, educational background and self-reported academic achievement, suggesting that teacher recruitment could benefit from population-specific approaches aimed at increasing the attractiveness of teaching and teacher training.     

The transmission of values from math teachers to their ninth-grade students: Different mechanisms for different value dimensions?

Teachers can transmit their class-related values to their students and thus affect their students’ academic development in regular classes. This so-called value transmission has mostly been examined with respect to emotional contagion, that is, the transmission of rather affective values (e.g., enjoyment) from teachers to their students through teachers’ enthusiastic behavior during instruction. However, other transmission processes might also be at play, including other value dimensions and mediation through other instructional practices. In this study, we therefore aimed to systematically test the generalizability of such value transmission effects by examining a broad spectrum of (a) teacher values, (b) instructional practices, and (c) student values. Based on longitudinal data from 1744 students and their 70 math teachers, cross-level mediation analyses revealed that teachers’ teaching enthusiasm, math enthusiasm, as well as math utility value affected their students’ values (i.e., intrinsic and utility values). Teachers’ teaching enthusiasm was transmitted to students’ values through both student-perceived enthusiastic behavior during instruction and through relevance-related instructional practices. Teachers’ subject-related values (i.e., math enthusiasm and utility value) primarily affected students’ utility value, but this transmission could not be explained by the instructional practices under investigation. Overall, our findings reveal auspicious evidence for a broader generalizability of the value transmission concept and yet also show the need to differentiate between different value dimensions and the mechanisms through which they are transmitted from teachers to their students.     

Measures of reading comprehension: do they measure different skills for children learning English as a second language?

The validity of two measures of English reading comprehension was examined across three different groups of English language learners (ELLs; 64 Portuguese, 66 Spanish and 65 Cantonese). All three groups were achieving within the average range in second grade. An exploratory principal components analysis of reading skills was carried out to determine which skills were related to two commonly used tests of reading comprehension, the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery??s test of Passage Comprehension (WLPB-PC; Woodcock, 1991) and the Gray Oral Reading Test-4 (GORT-4; Wiederholt & Bryant, 2001). The factor solutions were different for the three language groups but showed many similarities in that the GORT-4 and WLPB-R tests of reading comprehension fell on the same factor within each group. Hierarchical regression analyses examining relationships among vocabulary, decoding and reading comprehension showed that language group membership did not significantly predict performance on either measure of reading comprehension. Differences that arose are likely due to issues with task validity and not ELL status. Limitations and future research are discussed.     

Students classified as LD who petitioned for or fulfilled the college foreign language requirement-are they different? A replication study

This replication study compared 86 petition students who received course substitutions for the college foreign language (FL) requirement with 40 nonpetition students who fulfilled the FL requirement by passing FL courses on cognitive and academic achievement measures and graduating grade point average. The results showed significant differences between the two groups, favoring the nonpetition group on one measure, the American College Testing (ACT) score, when IQ was used as a covariate; however, no significant group differences remained when ACT score was used as a covariate. More than half of the 126 petition and nonpetition students did not meet a minimum criterion for classification as learning disabled (LD), and more than half of both groups (54% and 63%, respectively) were not classified as LD before enrolling in college. Sixty percent of the petition students either had not taken an FL course in college or had achieved only grades of withdrawal before petitioning for substitution of the FL requirement. Implications addressed include petition students' persistence in fulfilling the FL requirement, students' use of instructional accommodations and services, criteria used to classify students as LD, use of the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT), and why some students classified as LD pass FL courses and other students classified as LD do not.     

Bipolaron in different configuration of quantum confinement

INTRODUCTION The bipolaron in bulk materials has been ex-tensively discussed in the past decade. With morerecent advances in the creation of nanocrystal withstrong ionic coupling (Hudgins et al., 1997), onenatural problem is that the effect of bipolarons insome quantum low dimensional systems with ef-fective electron-phonon coupling is very strongowing to the confinement. This problem is alsorelevant to the proposal of the bipolaronic mecha-nism for pairing in CuO2 plane (quasi-tw…     

Changing pre-service mathematics teachers’ beliefs about using computers for teaching and learning mathematics: the effect of three different models

This study examines the effect of three different computer integration models on pre-service mathematics teachers’ beliefs about using computers in mathematics education. Participants included 104 pre-service mathematics teachers (36 second-year students in the Computer Oriented Model group, 35 fourth-year students in the Integrated Model (IM) group and 33 fifth-year students in the Exploring Mathematical Relationships with Mathematical Software (EMReMaS) group. The results indicated a remarkable change in beliefs within the EMReMaS and IM groups concerning computer use in teaching and learning mathematics. The present study offers empirical evidence that the pre-service mathematics teachers’ experiences in computer-based mathematics courses played a significant role in this change. Teacher education programmes should consider this learning method for pre-service teachers.