Seeking effectiveness and equity in a large college chemistry course: an HLM investigation of Peer‐Led Guided Inquiry

This study employed hierarchical linear models (HLM) to investigate Peer‐Led Guided Inquiry (PLGI), a teaching practice combining cooperative learning and inquiry and tailored for a large class. Ultimately, the study provided an example of the effective introduction of a reform pedagogical approach in a large class setting. In the narrative, the strengths of HLM as a statistical technique are discussed in the context of pedagogical reforms, and the case is made for the use of HLM in rigorous determinations of both effectiveness and equity associated with reform practices. The implementation of PLGI in a college‐level general chemistry course is also described. For the study, two general HLM models suited to investigating reform were developed and utilized to examine the effectiveness and equity of PLGI as implemented in this setting. The models showed that the reform was associated with statistically significant improvement over traditional pedagogy in terms of academic performance on multiple measures, but achieving equity remained elusive: the consequences of pre‐existing achievement gaps did not lessen as a result of reform implementation. The analysis led to several implications for educational research, particularly in terms of evaluating pedagogical reforms, as well as for teaching. Choosing effective and equitable pedagogies for classroom implementation remains a critical goal for classes of any size. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 794–811, 2008     

Language‐Focused Interventions on Math Performance for English Learners: A Selective Meta‐Analysis of the Literature

This meta‐analysis synthesized research on math performance outcomes for English learners (EL) as a function of language‐focused (math vocabulary) interventions. We included group and single‐subject design studies with children from kindergarten to 8th grade (3,766 students for group, 30 for single‐subject). Group studies yielded a mean Hedges’ g of 0.26 in favor of the interventions relative to the control conditions, whereas single‐subject studies yielded a mean Percentage of Non‐Overlapping Data of 81.01% and Phi coefficient of .66 relative to baseline. Although group studies yielded small effect sizes (ESs), we found significant moderators for grade level, intervention focus, and length of intervention. Single‐subject studies yielded higher ESs than group studies, and were considered generally effective, with a high ES. This finding was attributed to a direct focus on children with math difficulties and one‐to‐one instruction. The implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

Reaching the students that student‐centred learning cannot reach

Student‐centred learning has the potential to engage a more academically diverse student body than the more conventional teacher‐centred approaches. In spite of the evidence in favour of student‐centred learning, a recent study showed that it was ineffective for around 30% of undergraduates in a large and diverse group studying business operations management. The possible reasons for this are explored in two ways. First, the literature relating to student engagement and participation is reviewed from three different perspectives: the sociological, the epistemological and the approaches to learning perspectives. Second, all three perspectives are applied to data generated from the original study within the context of a post‐1992 university. The advantages of a three‐perspective approach over a single‐perspective approach are discussed. Finally, the development of a holistic model integrating all three perspectives is called for, to be used as a guide for further empirical research into student engagement and as a tool for evaluating and developing inclusive and engaging learning environments.     

Applying Quality Indicators to Single‐Case Research Designs Used in Special Education: A Systematic Review

This study examined how specific guidelines and heuristics have been used to identify methodological rigor associated with single‐case research designs based on quality indicators developed by Horner et al. Specifically, this article describes how literature reviews have applied Horner et al.'s quality indicators and evidence‐based criteria. Ten literature reviews were examined to ascertain how literature review teams (a) used the criteria recommended by Horner et al. as meeting the 5‐3‐20 evidence‐based practice (EBP) thresholds (five studies conducted across three different research teams that include a minimum of 20 participants) to assess single‐case methodological rigor; and (b) applied the 5‐3‐20 thresholds to determine whether the independent variables reviewed qualified as potential effective practices. The 10 literature reviews included 120 single‐case designs. This study found that 33% of the reviewed single‐case designs met Horner et al.'s quality indicator criteria. Three of the literature reviews concluded that examined practices met criteria to qualify as an EBP. Recommendations related to quality indicator criteria and EBP established by the literature review teams as well as directions for future research are discussed.     

Gender organization of schooling and television viewing among early adolescents: a test of two alternative hypotheses

In this analysis, single‐sex and mixed schools are compared in terms of pupils' television viewing habits, the latter factor being considered as an indicator of a pupil's sense of educational responsibilities. It was hypothesized that the presumably lower levels of television watching among girls attending single‐sex schools could be explained by school climate factors pertaining to adolescent subculture values and/or to the pedagogic approaches of a predominantly female staff. Use was made of data from 68 academic‐type secondary schools in Flanders (Belgium). Of these schools, 25 were mixed and 43 were single‐sex (21 girls', and 22 boys' schools). Respondents were third‐year pupils: 3370 girls and 3057 boys, aged 14 and 15 years. A multilevel analysis (HLM) was performed controlling for parental socio‐economic status, curriculum enrolment, school residency and school mean SES. The results mainly indicate that the differential effect of single‐sex and coeducational schools on girls' TV watching habits may be partially accounted for by factors associated with pedagogic approaches by the predominantly female staff in girls' schools, but not at all by norms related to the adolescent subculture.     

The Effectiveness of a Color‐Coded,Onset‐Rime Decoding Intervention with First‐Grade Students at Serious Risk for Reading Disabilities

This study was an investigation into the effectiveness of a color‐coded, onset‐rime–based decoding intervention with first‐graders at serious risk for reading disabilities using a single‐subject multiple probe design. Students increased their ability to decode instructional words on average 73% over baseline. For novel words from instructed rime patterns, scores increased by an average of 56%. Transfer at the vowel level to uninstructed rime patterns was limited, with scores improving by an average of 29%. Students maintained decoding gains at 1‐week and 1‐month maintenance. While acknowledging the difficulty in predicting reading disabilities based on first‐grade performance, the effectiveness of the early intervention is a promising step in finding an instructional approach that is successful with the most at risk or disabled students who often do not respond to effective remedial programs.     

HLM Behind the Curtain: Unveiling Decisions Behind the Use and Interpretation of HLM in Higher Education Research

Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) has become increasingly popular in the higher education literature, but there is significant variability in the current approaches to the conducting and reporting of HLM. The field currently lacks a general consensus around important issues such as the number of levels of analysis that are important to include and how much variance should be accounted for at each level in order for the HLM analysis to have practical significance (Dedrick et al., Rev Educ Res 79:69–102, 2009). The purpose of this research is to explore the use of a 3-level HLM model, appropriate contextualizing of results of HLM, and the interpretation of HLM results that resonates with practice. We used an example of a 3-level model from the National Study of Living Learning Programs to highlight the practical issues that arise in the interpretation of HLM within a higher education context.     

Designing Knowledge‐In‐Use Assessments to Promote Deeper Learning

Contemporary views on learning highlight that deep learning occurs not simply by accumulating knowledge, but by using and applying knowledge as one engages in disciplinary activity. Increasingly, those concerned with education policy and practice are shifting priorities toward supporting deeper learning by emphasizing the importance of students’ ability to apply knowledge in subject areas. Designers of student assessments are following suit and are taking on the challenge of creating a new generation of assessments. We present a principled approach for designing classroom‐based assessments that not only assess deeper learning, but also provide teachers with critical information about how students are progressing toward achieving ambitious new learning goals. Our approach follows the evidentiary reasoning of evidence‐centered design and builds on research about the important role of knowledge‐in‐use to support student learning. We illustrate our approach in the context of creating tasks that assess students' science proficiency as reflected in the Next Generation Science Standards that are gaining prominence in the United States.     

Student resistance in the classroom—Functional‐instrumentalist,critical‐emancipatory and critical‐functional conceptualisations

The paper provides a systemic literature review and a typology of texts that discuss student resistance in the classroom in Higher Education. Analysing 134 empirical and conceptual studies published between 1988 and 2018 for how student resistance is conceptualised, this review identifies three approaches: functional‐instrumentalist, critical‐emancipatory and critical‐functional. Presenting the three approaches in more depth, the article points to the main tenets, like supposed reasons for and suggested ways of handling student resistance. In the final part of the analysis, the paper discusses the typology in light of the current institutional background of Higher Education, including the managerial university and ambivalences of critical education. Finally, the article offers future research directions.     

A Top‐Down Approach to Designing the Computerized Adaptive Multistage Test

The top‐down approach to designing a multistage test is relatively understudied in the literature and underused in research and practice. This study introduced a route‐based top‐down design approach that directly sets design parameters at the test level and utilizes the advanced automated test assembly algorithm seeking global optimality. The design process in this approach consists of five sub‐processes: (1) route mapping, (2) setting objectives, (3) setting constraints, (4) routing error control, and (5) test assembly. Results from a simulation study confirmed that the assembly, measurement and routing results of the top‐down design eclipsed those of the bottom‐up design. Additionally, the top‐down design approach provided unique insights into design decisions that could be used to refine the test. Regardless of these advantages, it is recommended applying both top‐down and bottom‐up approaches in a complementary manner in practice.     

Meta‐Analysis of Mathematic Basic‐Fact Fluency Interventions: A Component Analysis

Mathematics fluency is a critical component of mathematics learning yet few attempts have been made to synthesize this research base. Seventeen single‐case design studies with 55 participants were reviewed using meta‐analytic procedures. A component analysis of practice elements was conducted and treatment intensity and feasibility were examined. Findings suggest that drill and practice with modeling produced the largest effect sizes. Treatments with more than 3 components yielded higher effect sizes than those with fewer than 3, and a combination of treatment agents lead to better outcomes than a single agent. Other findings pertaining to prebaseline assessment, treatment time, experimental design employed, and treatment setting are also discussed.     

Letter‐space: Typographic Translations of Urban Place

This article discusses a Bachelor of Design honours year typography project in the medium of letterpress. The Letter‐space project positioned letterpress as a textual, spatial and structural visual language, through which the experiences and meanings of a local urban place were translated, mapped and given form through typographic design. We outline and contextualise the pedagogical approach we took in this project. In Letter‐space a pedagogy based on the principles of situated and reflective learning drew urban place and letterpress into a theorised practice. Metaphorical frameworks advanced in urban theory offered new insights into the ways in which urban place could be understood. These metaphors provided departure points for specific place‐based investigation and interpretation. The subject of urban place and the medium of letterpress interacted through their shared language of structure and compositional order, facilitating the processes of mapping and translation. Examples of the student work produced in the project are discussed and show how theory and practice interacted through conceptual and metaphorical structures. The Letter‐space project advanced the students’ structural understanding of the principles and practices of typographic design, while at the same time deepened an awareness of the complex relationships which form and order familiar urban places     

Art,Design & Technology ‐ a Plea to Reclaim the Senses

The paper explores the inherent confusion surrounding the existence of design in two foundation areas of the English National Curriculum. We argue that this is a consequence of a fundamental misunderstanding about the nature of art, design and technology. Whereas technology should be considered as a cross‐curricular set of skills and knowledge with a variety of technologies applicable to different subject domains, design more properly belongs to the diffuse subject of art with its range of skills, crafts and cultural knowledge bases. We argue that design and technology can learn from the expressive and open‐ended processes of art making. If the practice of design is to operate effectively in the classroom then it needs to embrace more exploratory strategies to playing and making. Teachers of all age groups need to foster a greater engagement with sensory materials to enable pupils to create a context for the making of personal meanings. The notion of the teacher practitioner is a key component and the studio practice of artists and designers provides a useful framework in the adoption of such approaches.     

An analysis of Social StoriesTM research using an evidence‐based practice model

The number of Social Stories^TM studies and reviews has increased in recent years, yet concerns regarding quality and effect sizes continue to be expressed. With the emphasis on evidence‐based practices (EBPs) for the education and treatment of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), this issue becomes of paramount importance as professionals and parents attempt to select interventions for the people with ASD in their care. The current study makes a unique contribution in its use of an extensive EBP evaluation model to examine 33 single‐subject studies across 13 peer‐reviewed journals, a 12‐year period, and a wide range of grouping variables. Using the Mayton, Wheeler, Menendez and Zhang (2010) EBP evaluation protocol, studies were investigated in terms of eight quality indicators comprised 23 operationally defined standards. Studies included in this analysis met the following criteria: (1) they were intervention studies using single‐subject research designs; (2) they included only participants with disorders on the autism spectrum; and (3) the primary intervention was the use of a Social Story. Findings included on‐ or above‐standard acceptability in EBP indicators related to important aspects of dependent variables within studies and below‐standard acceptability in indicators related to both internal and external validity of studies.     

A Project‐Based Approach to Executive Education

Executive education (EE) has been an important part of business school offerings for nearly as long as there have been business schools. Similarly, business schools were among the first in higher education to adopt online approaches as a means for course delivery. Despite this experience, few business schools have been able to successfully integrate EE with online delivery approaches. This study suggests that a project‐based approach can achieve EE/online delivery integration. The case is first made for a project‐based approach by telling the story of our institution's journey toward a project‐based EE model. Challenges, successes, and plans for the future are then discussed.     

Assessing and Validating Effects of a Data‐Based Decision‐Making Intervention on Student Growth for Mathematics and Spelling

Data‐based decision making (DBDM) is presumed to improve student performance in elementary schools in all subjects. The majority of studies in which DBDM effects have been evaluated have focused on mathematics. A hierarchical multiple single‐subject design was used to measure effects of a 2‐year training, in which entire school teams learned how to implement and sustain DBDM, in 39 elementary schools. In a multilevel modeling approach, student achievement in mathematics and spelling was analyzed to broaden our understanding of the effects of DBDM interventions. Student achievement data covering the period from August 2010 to July 2014 were retrieved from schools’ student monitoring systems. Student performance on standardized tests was scored on a vertical ability scale per subject for Grades 1 to 6. To investigate intervention effects, linear mixed effect analysis was conducted. Findings revealed a positive intervention effect for both mathematics and spelling. Furthermore, low‐SES students and low‐SES schools benefitted most from the intervention for mathematics.     

The development and application of affective assessment in an upper‐level cell biology course

This study exemplifies how faculty members can develop instruments to assess affective responses of students to the specific features of the courses they teach. Means for assessing three types of affective responses are demonstrated: (a) student attitudes towards courses with differing instructional objectives and methodologies, (b) student self‐efficacy (confidence) in completing tasks common to practicing experts, and (c) interests in subject‐specific topics and associated intellectual skills. The iterative processes used in refining the instruments and performing the statistical analyses of their effectiveness are detailed. An analysis of data obtained using these instruments is also included. Positive attitudes towards courses emphasizing analytical thinking increased significantly over the course of a 14‐week semester, as did the measures of self‐efficacy. Despite the rigorous analytical nature of the course experience, the initial strong interest in cell biology topics and higher order thinking skills remained unchanged. There were no significant differences based on gender in any of the affective measures. We discuss the apparent dichotomy, revealed in these assessments, between students' idealistic, academic attitudes towards the course's effectiveness and their opinions of its effects on them personally. We conclude by reporting how insights garnered both from these formal assessments and from anecdotal communications have prompted experimental modifications in the design and conduct of the course. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 44: 1057–1087, 2007     

School‐based prevention and intervention programs for children with emotional disturbance: A review of treatment components and methodology

School practitioners and educators are frequently challenged by the diverse and pervasive academic, social, and behavioral needs of children at risk for and with emotional disturbance. The present article examines the outcome literature on school‐based prevention and intervention programs by systematically reviewing the key treatment interventions and methodology used. A total of 29 investigations including 1,405 children and adolescents were reviewed and coded on 41 variables across three dimensions (i.e., sample characteristics, treatment components, and methodology). Single subject and group design studies were included. Behavioral and/or cognitive behavioral treatment approaches were primary used. Deficit‐based assessment and treatment approaches (i.e., problem behaviors) were predominately used in the outcome literature with few investigations incorporating strength‐based outcome approaches. Findings are discussed in relation to previous research. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Cultural‐competence considerations for contemporary school‐based threat assessment

Threat‐assessment procedures are advanced for their utility in reducing racial disparities in punitive and exclusionary school discipline outcomes. Generally unexamined, however, is bias in who gets referred for school‐based threat assessment and under what circumstances. Cultural‐competence considerations hold promise for addressing sources of bias in the evaluation of threats made in the school setting. Using a quantitative approach, this systematic literature review examines the degree to which contemporary cultural‐competence considerations are embedded in 24 school‐based threat‐assessment articles published between 2007 and 2017. Results indicate generally poor coverage of considerations for cultural competence both within and across threat‐assessment articles. An analysis of change in cultural‐competence considerations by year of publication suggests that more recently published threat‐assessment literature has generally not integrated concurrent advancements in concepts of cultural competence. Preliminary guidance for incorporating contemporary cultural‐competence considerations into school‐based threat‐assessment procedures are provided.     

Reading and spelling gains following one year of Orton‐Gillingham intervention in Singaporean students with dyslexia

Despite the widespread use of Orton‐Gillingham (OG) based approaches to dyslexia remediation, empirical support documenting its effectiveness is lacking. Recently, Chia and Houghton demonstrated the effectiveness of the OG approach for remediation of dyslexia in Singapore. As a conceptual replication and extension of that research, we report results of 39 students with dyslexia aged between six and 14 years enrolled in an OG intervention programme over a period of one year in a single‐subject research (pre‐test/post‐test) design. Analyses of variance showed that students significantly improved in standardised tests of reading and spelling with moderate effect sizes (Cohen's d = 0.52–0.58). Additionally, an inverse relationship was found between students' ages when they began intervention and gains made during the intervention. Results thus indicate the effectiveness of an OG approach in remediating literacy difficulties in students with dyslexia and, taken together with previous studies, further suggest the importance of early identification and intervention.