Investigating the impact of automated feedback on students’ scientific argumentation

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the role of automated scoring and feedback in supporting students’ construction of written scientific arguments while learning about factors that affect climate change in the classroom. The automated scoring and feedback technology was integrated into an online module. Students’ written scientific argumentation occurred when they responded to structured argumentation prompts. After submitting the open-ended responses, students received scores generated by a scoring engine and written feedback associated with the scores in real-time. Using the log data that recorded argumentation scores as well as argument submission and revisions activities, we answer three research questions. First, how students behaved after receiving the feedback; second, whether and how students’ revisions improved their argumentation scores; and third, did item difficulties shift with the availability of the automated feedback. Results showed that the majority of students (77%) made revisions after receiving the feedback, and students with higher initial scores were more likely to revise their responses. Students who revised had significantly higher final scores than those who did not, and each revision was associated with an average increase of 0.55 on the final scores. Analysis on item difficulty shifts showed that written scientific argumentation became easier after students used the automated feedback.     

Fostering the use of pedagogical practices among teachers to support elementary students’ motivation to write

Based on self-determination theory, this research aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the CASIS professional development (PD) program for fostering (1) teachers’ use of five recommended pedagogical practices during a writing lesson and (2) students’ motivational resources (intrinsic, identified, and controlled regulations) toward writing. Two quasi-experimental studies with two-time points were conducted among preservice (Study 1, n = 32) and inservice (Study 2, n = 111) elementary teachers and their students (Study 1, n = 559; Study 2, sample 1, n = 1779; sample 2, n = 1471). In both studies, the CASIS PD program appeared to foster the use of two of the five recommended pedagogical practices. For the other three, some effects were observed in one study but were not always reproduced in the other. Although the CASIS PD program fostered greater use of the pedagogical practices, this effect did not always translate directly to the students’ motivational resources. However, some significant differences were observed between students of the CASIS and the control groups on identified and controlled regulations, as a function of the socioeconomic background of the schools in which teachers and students were sampled. The results are discussed in light of past research and relevant theories.     

The impact of students’ prior attitude on the processing of conflicting videos: a comparison between middle-school and undergraduate students

European Journal of Psychology of Education - The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of students’ prior attitude on the processing of conflicting information regarding a...     

Teacher humor: longitudinal effects on students’ emotions

European Journal of Psychology of Education - Characteristics of teaching are associated with the emotions students experience in the classroom; however, empirical evidence regarding longitudinal...     

Professional development on fostering students’ academic language proficiency across the curriculum—A meta-analysis of its impact on teachers’ cognition and teaching practices

This meta-analysis aggregates effects from 10 studies evaluating professional development interventions aimed at qualifying in-service teachers to support their students in mastering academic language skills while teaching their respective subject areas. The analysis of a subset of studies revealed a small non-significant weighted training effect on teachers’ cognition (g’ = 0.21, SE = 0.14). An effect aggregation including all studies (with 650 teachers) revealed a medium to large weighted overall effect on teachers’ classroom practices (g’ = 0.71, SE = 0.16). Methodological variables moderated the effect magnitude. Nevertheless, the results suggest professional development is beneficial for improving teachers’ practice.     

The impact of teachers’ individualized practices on gifted students in rural,heterogeneous classrooms

Several factors have increased teachers’ frustrations in the regular classroom as they try to meet the needs of students with varying levels of ability. Limited educational funding, the attitude that gifted students can do without special services, and a push for increased heterogeneous grouping have all contributed to the teacher's problem. The Mustard Seed Project was developed and supported by a grant from the Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education program to train teachers to differentiate for student needs by curricular adaptations. The training for teachers modeled the process of individualization for each learner's level, pace and style. A follow‐up support system of human and material resources was implemented to sustain the teachers through the difficult transition required of change. The sites participating in this study were all rural, ethnically diverse, and economically disadvantaged. Profiles of six gifted fifth‐graders were developed using interviews and classroom observations. The research questions sought to determine the extent of the gifted child's intellectual challenge, exploration of in‐depth selected topics of interest, and social and emotional satisfaction in adapted classrooms.     

A systematic meta-analysis and meta-synthesis of the impact of service-learning programs on university students’ empathy

Higher education institutions seek not only to prepare students for their chosen profession, but also to develop graduates that are civic minded and make a positive social impact. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on whether participation in service-learning leads to students reporting increased empathy. The study also examines the features within a service-learning placement that contribute to development of empathy. The review followed the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. The authors searched Scopus, ERIC (EBSCOhost), PsycInfo, CINAHL, Web of Science, Medline Complete, Google Scholar and specific service-learning journals not indexed in major databases for studies published before Nov 23, 2020 that met the Bringle and Hatcher (1995) definition of service-learning and measured change in, or development of, empathy. Of 662 records identified, 35 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Overall, across the 14 studies included in the meta-analysis, there was a significant small effect for increase in empathy for those who participated in service-learning compared to those who did not (g = 0.261) and from pre to post service-learning (g = 0.176). Across the 21 qualitative studies, the main feature which appeared to contribute to the development of students’ empathy was direct interactions with the community. This paper provides insight into the efficacy of service-learning as a pedagogy and contributes to our understanding of the educational value of service-learning for universities. We conclude with avenues for future research and implications for practice.     

A meta-analysis of the impact of virtual technologies on students’ spatial ability

Educational technology research and development - With the rapid development of virtual technologies, there is a growing body of literature investigating the impact of virtual technologies on...     

Estimate of students’ workload and the impact of the evaluation system on students’ dedication to studying a subject in first-year engineering courses

In order to adapt current subjects to the ECTS credits system, it is necessary to estimate how much time a student has to invest in learning a subject. The Polytechnic Engineering School of the University of the Basque Country has made an initial study to investigate this matter in several subjects. A weekly questionnaire design was used for all the students in the class, supplemented, when necessary, by an individual interview, with student collaboration. The results indicate that the study rhythm and the number of hours are strongly conditioned by the evaluation system.     

A longitudinal study on the impact of parental academic support and expectations on students’ academic achievement: the mediating role of happiness

European Journal of Psychology of Education - Previous studies have separately explored the impact of parents’ academic support and expectation on students’ academic achievement....     

‘That extra sparkle’: students’ experiences of volunteering and the impact on satisfaction and employability in higher education

Research suggests that students entering Higher Education are doing so with greater expectations around their graduate employability. Students’ volunteering activities have been of interest to academics, but the impact of these activities on learning, employability and student satisfaction has been neglected. The current study investigated whether students who volunteered felt it benefited them, whether they felt they were more employable and whether they perceived their course as satisfying in combination with their volunteering. This small-scale qualitative study used a sample of psychology undergraduate students in focus groups (n = 11), and also a number of psychology graduate interviews (n = 6) from one UK university. Thematic analysis produced several key themes including students’ motivations to begin volunteering, which were mainly career-oriented; their motivations to continue, which included rewarding feelings and personal development; the impact of volunteering on their psychology degree, which included situated learning; and their perceptions of their volunteering and its impact on their employability. The findings indicated many reasons for both starting and continuing with volunteering activities with a clear narrative among this sample that volunteering enhanced their employment and postgraduate prospects. Findings are discussed in line with the current context of Higher Education and the implications for both students and Higher Education Institutions.     

Searching for the impact of teacher behavior on promoting students’ cognitive and metacognitive skills

This study investigates the impact of teaching factors on students’ cognitive and metacognitive achievement in mathematics. Written tests and the “Metacognitive Skills and Knowledge Assessment” tool were administered to grade 4 and 5 students (n = 924) at the beginning and end of the school year 2013-2014. A student questionnaire was used for measuring teaching factors. Multilevel SEM analyses revealed a reciprocal relationship between students’ cognitive and metacognitive skills. All teaching factors of the dynamic model of educational effectiveness were found to be associated with mathematics achievement but only four factors (modeling, assessment, questioning, and dealing with misbehavior) were associated with two aspects of metacognition (i.e. prediction and evaluation). Implications of findings are drawn.     

In the eyes of the beholder: students’ and teachers’ judgments of students’ motivation

This study was designed to examine the nature and accuracy of teachers’ judgments about students’ motivation related to mathematics. Seventeen fourth- through sixth-grade teachers and 100 of their students participated in this study. Teachers were asked to rate six target students’ motivation four times during the school year. At each of these times students also rated their own motivation. Teachers’ ratings were more stable over time and across mathematics topics and were less differentiated across motivation dimensions than were students’ ratings. The findings suggest that teachers need to pay careful attention to evidence related to children's motivation that might contradict their perceptions and therefore support more effective interventions.     

The impact of vision impairment on students’ self-concept

This study investigated the self-concept of students with vision impairment who were placed in specialist and mainstream educational settings in South Australia. Self-Concept was explored across six dimensions, namely Physical, Moral, Personal, Family, Social and Academic Self-Concepts and the Total Self-Concept. The ‘Tennessee Self-Concept Scale: Second Edition’ was administered to 25 students with vision impairment (13 females and 12 males). Participating students’ age ranged between 15 and 25 years and they were included from all levels of vision impairment. The visual acuity of the participants ranged from 6/18 or less (low vision) to 3/60 and less (blindness). Although the majority of the students with vision impairment obtained low scores on all dimensions of self-concept, namely physical, moral, personal, family, social and academic, some students obtained normal scores in relation to family and academic self-concepts. There were no significant differences between female and male students with vision impairment across the six dimensions of self-concept and thus total self-concept. These findings have implications for teachers, special educators, policy-makers and a range of professionals in the education and special education sector in enabling greater understanding of the self-concept accomplishment of the students with vision impairment. However, this study has limited scope for generalisation of the study's conclusions due to the study's small population sample size.     

Teacher: students’ interpersonal relationships and students’ academic achievements in social studies

Background: The classroom is a social system in which the teacher and the students interact as organizational members. The quality of classroom relations is dependent on the activities of both the instructor and the students. Several environmental conditions and circumstances often tend to either improve or depress the academic performances of students in defiance of their natural academic endowments. Aim: This study was to identify the relationship between teacher–students’ interpersonal relationships and students’ academic achievements in social studies. Methods: The work used the ex post facto design and a sample of 1954 Junior Secondary School (JSS) III randomly drawn from 50 Government Secondary Schools in Calabar Educational Zone of Cross River State, Nigeria. Two instruments were used: The Teacher–Students’ Relationship Questionnaire and a 50-item multiple choice questions in social studies set using the JSS social studies syllabus and validated by test experts. The data were analysed using the Pearson product moment correlation analysis (r). Product moment correlation analysis (r) is used in finding the relationship between two variables X and Y, if these variables are continuous and are obtained from the sample. Outcomes: There was a significant relationship between teacher–students’ interpersonal relationship and students’ academic achievements in social studies. As a researcher, this means much for me. Students themselves are classroom observers. They are aware, to a great extent, of their own academic standing in the classroom as well as those of others. Some examples of the strategies students use to evaluate their own academic standing include the tasks they are given, grouping strategies implemented in the classroom (e.g. ability grouping) teacher feedback and information regarding ability, the responsibilities that teachers provide students with and the quality of teacher–students relationships. Conclusions: The major conclusion forwarded by this research was that there was a significant relationship between the teacher–students’ interpersonal relationship and students’ academic performances in social studies. This has a serious implication for me and others, viz, a good human relationship is one of the lubricants of high productivity. Teachers should therefore galvanize cordial relations between themselves and students. All teachers, including this researcher, should bear in mind that a healthy interpersonal relationship is one indispensable instrument of high productivity and achievement in all fields of human endeavour including the education industry.     

Episodic memories and the longitudinal impact of high school physics on female students’ physics identity

Students enter physics classes with negative attitudes towards physics compared to the other sciences. Female students are more likely to opt out of a second higher-level physics course. Thus, the broad goal of this work is to better understand how to have the most lasting positive impact on female students’ attitudes and motivations towards learning physics after a single physics course in high school. Through longitudinal case studies of six female students using the frameworks of episodic memory and physics identity, we explore the most impactful features of students’ high school physics experiences. The data is drawn from three years of student interviews and one initial student survey. Our results indicate that the students could remember in detail and with longevity their experiences with physics causing high arousal and negative initial valence, such as teachers presenting physics knowledge in a counter-intuitive way. The students can remember the context but not the details of their experiences with physics causing low arousal and non-neutral valence, such as their teacher sharing a story about physics. Experiences that were eventually tied to positive valence had positive impacts on female students’ physics identity maintenance, such as problem solving activities where no one was left behind.     

Implementation of service-learning in engineering and its impact on students’ attitudes and identity

The current paper outlines a concise engineering service-learning model and describes its implementation and logistics in the context of a typical heat transfer course for undergraduate engineering students. The project was executed in collaboration with a not-for-profit organisation. Summative reflections were conducted by the students by answering a set of carefully-phrased questions after conducting the project. The students had to write about their feelings, attitudes, identity, and the physical, social, ethnic and economical environment they had experienced as they performed the service. A quantitative method for analysing reflections is presented. Analysis of the students’ responses clearly showed that they became more aware and sensitive to their roles as engineers in a societal context.     

Teacher educators’ research practices: an explorative study of teacher educators’ perceptions on research

Research conducted by teacher educators is considered important for their professional development, their actual teaching practice and their body of knowledge. However, for many teacher educators in Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) in the Netherlands, research is a new challenge. A survey was conducted among 508 such teacher educators exploring their perceptions towards research. They were questioned about the aims of research within a UAS, their perceived capabilities to conduct research and their need for support. Subsequently, 10 teacher educators were interviewed to elaborate on the findings and to gain further insight. Research is considered vital for their professional development, and their development is seen as an important means to improve the quality of the curriculum for teacher education. Teacher educators emphasise the need for communities of inquiry in which they can collaborate on research, improve their skills, develop a shared language and contribute to the body of knowledge in teacher education.     

Indigenous cultural contexts for STEM experiences: snow snakes’ impact on students and the community

Opportunities for American Indian youth to meaningfully engage in school-based science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) experiences have historically been inadequate. As a consequence, American Indian students perform lower on standardized assessments of science education than their peers. In this article we describe the emergence of meaning for students—as well as their community—resulting from Indigenous culturally-based STEM curriculum that used an American Indian tradition as a focal context. Specifically, the game of snow snakes (Gooneginebig in Ojibwe) afforded an opportunity for STEM and culturally-based resources to work in unison. A case study research design was used with the bounded case represented by the community associated with the snow snake project. The research question guiding this study was: What forms of culturally relevant meaning do students and the community form as a result of the snow snake game? Results indicate evidence of increased student and community engagement through culturally-based STEM experiences in the form of active participation and the rejuvenation of a traditional game. Implications are discussed for using culturally-based contexts for STEM learning.