Learning fractions with and without educational technology: What matters for high-achieving and low-achieving students?

Instructional design research promotes interactive and adaptive scaffolds as features of educational technology. Mathematics education research can guide elaborated fractions curricula to develop basic fraction concepts while challenging the natural number bias. Thus, we developed theory-grounded interactive material for learning fractions providing scaffolds in an eBook. Evaluating both, curriculum and scaffolds, we split 745 high-achieving and 260 low-achieving 6th graders into three groups: Scaffolded Curriculum group (using the eBook on iPads), Curriculum group (using a paper copy of our developed material), and Traditional group (using conventional textbooks). Generalized linear mixed models revealed diverse positive effects on the achievement of students in the experimental conditions: Results showed that high-achieving students did benefit from the curriculum, regardless of whether it was presented with or without scaffolds, while for low-achieving students using scaffolds was decisive. This suggests that interactive and adaptive scaffolds can support students in learning mathematical concepts, especially for low-achieving students.     

The Adult Student and Course Satisfaction: What Matters Most?

Student satisfaction with a course is important because it can contribute to student retention, and it can also be used as one way to assess faculty effectiveness. This investigative work suggests that course satisfaction among non-traditional, adult students seeking business degrees is positively influenced by giving attention to four specific service-based factors. Based on feedback from 1,725 such students and 214 instructors at five institutions of higher education, a service-based model of course satisfaction is proposed. This model focuses on four manageable variables that are observed as influencing adult students’ satisfaction with a business course: relevancy of subject-matter, faculty subject-matter competency, faculty classroom management, and student workload.     

What if we could imagine the ideal faculty? Proposals for improvement by university students with disabilities

This article presents the partial results of a broader research project entitled, “University Barriers and Aids Identified by Students with Disabilities”, which is currently underway at a Spanish University. The general aim is to analyze the role of faculty in inclusive education of students with disabilities, and more specifically, proposals for improvement made by these students. A biographic-narrative methodology was used to collect data. The study concludes that faculty must show a positive attitude toward disability, promote inclusive practices using alternative methodologies, make curriculum adaptations, use new technologies and be trained in attending the needs derived from disabilities.     

What Do Student Teachers Want in Mentor Teachers?: Desired,Expected, Possible,and Emerging Roles

Research has shown that mentor teachers play varied roles. Using a conceptual framework grounded in these roles, the researchers explored what seven student teachers said during multiple interviews about the roles they wanted for their mentor teachers. Findings showed that while some participants preferred emotional support and others wanted instructional support, none wanted socialization. The researchers identified a new category–mentor as gatekeeper–to capture the preferences of one participant and concerns of others. This category reflected a focus on the credentialing aspect of student teaching as something that students must complete before licensure. Implications for teacher education included additional support for mentor teacher–preservice teacher pairs such as conversations about desired, expected, possible, and emerging roles during the mentoring process.     

Institutional Expenditures and Student Engagement: a Role for Financial Resources in Enhancing Student Learning and Development?

The concept of student engagement is receiving increased attention from researchers, higher education leaders, and the general public in recent years. This increased attention represents a shift from the more traditional resource and reputation model of academic quality to a model that emphasizes institutional best practices and student experiences that enhance student learning and development. At the same time, institutions face rising operating costs and the public faces rising costs of attendance. However, relatively little effort has been made to explore the potential relationship between these two important research and policy areas. This study examined the relationship between institutional expenditures and student engagement based on data from 142 colleges and universities. The results of an OLS multiple regression model, including a factor for student engagement as the dependent variable, suggest that administrative expenditures are negatively related to student engagement. These results support further exploration of potential complex causal links between expenditures and engagement and may provide support for initiatives to reverse historical trends and adjust institutional spending.I would like to thank Ms. Cathy Statham for assistance in obtaining data for this study.     

An educational game for learning human immunology: What do students learn and how do they perceive?

The scientific concepts of human immunology are inherently complicated and extremely difficult to understand. Hence, this study reports on the development of an educational game entitled Humunology and examines the impact of using Humunology for learning how the body's defense system works. A total of 132 middle school students participated in this study and a quasi‐experimental approach with a two‐group pretest/posttest research design was used. A knowledge assessment including 19 items was developed, and a questionnaire instrument with seven dimensions, which focuses mainly on perceptions toward the use of Humunology, and the help‐seeking behaviors of the students, was employed. The results show that students who learned by playing Humunology significantly outperformed those who learned by using web‐based content on items that examined their understanding of procedural knowledge and higher level of cognitive process. Students in the experimental group also had a significantly higher level of satisfaction than their counterparts. In terms of predicting a student's learning achievement on the posttest, the three positive variables were the results of the pretest, perceived ease of use, peer learning and help‐seeking behaviors. The only negative one was perceived playfulness. The implications and suggestions for further research derived from these findings are discussed.     

What Facilitates and Supports Political Activism by,and for,Undocumented Students?

Historically, undocumented students have been unable to attend public and private institutions of higher education in the United States. Lack of citizenship and/or financial aid precludes many from ever applying to college or other post-secondary institutions. This can create feelings of oppression, stigmatization, and/or inferiority for undocumented youth, who had no say in their ever coming to the United States. In the absence of a sustainable federal law that facilitates higher education attainment for this population, some states have enacted their own permissive policies. The present study utilizes a critical consciousness framework and a constant comparative approach to explore one permissive policy in a focal state. To this end, the authors attempt to answer the question of what motivates undocumented students, through the lens of critical consciousness, to engage in political activism, and what is the role of adult-allies? Findings support and extend our understanding of critical consciousness dimensions, vis-à-vis the revelation of ten themes and subthemes unique to this sample. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are also discussed.     

Evaluation about “reading,writing,and assistive technology: an integrated developmental curriculum for college students”

We firstly introduces the content and idea of Ellen’s essay,gathering according materials searching on internet,then make concerning critical evaluation.     

What if reading is easy but unimportant? How students’ patterns of affirming and undermining motivation for reading information texts predict different reading outcomes

Many affirming and undermining motivational constructs affect students as they read information texts, but few researchers have explored how these motivations are patterned within students. In this study we used cluster analysis to classify middle school students (n = 1134) based on their patterns of self-efficacy, perceived difficulty, value, and devalue for reading school information texts. We then compared how the patterns predicted students’ language arts grades, science information text comprehension, and dedication to reading school information texts. We found and validated a four-cluster solution. One cluster included a pattern of high affirming and low undermining motivations, and another included low affirming and high undermining motivations. Students with these patterns earned the highest and lowest scores, respectively, on all outcomes. A third pattern showed high self-efficacy/low difficulty with low value/high devalue, and a fourth showed moderate levels of all four motivational constructs. Students with the high efficacy and devalue pattern showed high information text comprehension but relatively low dedication. Students with the moderate pattern showed high dedication but low initial information text comprehension. Students with these two patterns earned similar grades. We discuss the implications of our findings for motivation theories and for school instruction that involves information text reading.     

Experience,knowledge and attitudes: Are paramedic students prepared to care for older patients?

ABSTRACT

As the population ages, so does the number of older patients encountered by paramedics. It is vital that paramedics are adequately prepared to meet the unique and growing needs of these patients. Experience and education play key roles in the formation of attitudes that impact behavior, and ultimately patient care. The aim of this study was to determine the level of student paramedic experience with knowledge of, and attitudes toward, older adults and to examine the relationship between these factors. This was a cross-sectional study utilizing three paper-based questionnaires; Experience with Older Adults Questionnaire, Australian Facts on Aging Quiz 2 (FAQ2), and Aging Semantic Differential (ASD). Of the 871 paramedic student participants, 79% had an oldest living grandparent 65 years old or above, and 63% had encountered older adults on clinical placement. The mean (SD) score for the FAQ2 was 12.7 (3.0) out of a possible 25, indicating a low level of knowledge about older people. The mean (SD) score for the ASD was 120.3 (17.77), indicating slightly positive attitudes toward older adults. Knowledge (β = ?0.06; p = .058) and experience (β = ?0.06; p = .058) had weak associations with attitudes. Student paramedics have some prior experience with older adults, relatively low knowledge and generally positive attitudes. There is some association between these factors; however, the impact on patient care requires further investigation. Paramedic educators should strive to provide students with broad quality experiences and education that increases awareness and understanding of older people.     

Equal Opportunities and Post‐Sixteen Education: strategies for institutional change,possibilities and constraints

In this paper we describe findings from a research project in the South West of England that enquired into the impact of the changing requirements of programmes leading to teaching qualifications in the FE sector. We utilise the metaphor of ‘learning journey’ as a heuristic to discuss the professional formation of student teachers in training. In so doing, we challenge oversimplified models and assumptions of progress and learning as a linear progression by demonstrating the complexity of student transitions during professional formation.     

School Efficiency and Student Subgroups: Is a Good School Good for Everyone?

State and federal accountability reforms are putting considerable pressure on schools to increase the achievement of historically low-performing groups of students and to close test score gaps. In this article, we exploit the differences among the large number of elementary schools in New York City to examine how much schools vary in the efficiency of the education they provide to subgroups. In addition, we examine the extent to which observable school characteristics can account for the variation that exists. We find that New York City elementary schools vary in how well they educate poor students compared to nonpoor students and Asian and White students compared to Black and Hispanic students. The disparities in school efficiency measures between boys and girls are lower than for the other subgroups. There is no conclusive evidence about which school resources and characteristics are associated with more or less efficient education across all subgroups.     

Aspirations of and realities for Hong Kong students: is the “formal” transition system effective?

School to work transition is an important aspect of lifelong learning that has increased in significance as the knowledge-based economy takes off in developed countries. Rapid structural economic changes, the importance of innovation, and a shorter lifecycle of products require education systems to adjust to the needs of economies and individuals. Educational reforms in many countries aim to improve school students’ readiness for their important move to post-school life. Countries organize different pathways for students following secondary school level that are designed to meet both students’ demands and the needs of economies. This article explores Hong Kong students’ aspirations and realities. Although the majority of students plan to complete the final year of high school and 91.5% planned to undertake the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) to be eligible for higher education, in reality a significant number of school leavers do not perform well and should undertake training for employment. In addition, many students who are eligible for tertiary education cannot be admitted to government sponsored universities due to the limited number of places. This article begins with a consideration of students’ aspirations, and then outlines the realities of transition and current issues. It concludes with some suggested policy measures that could improve equity during this school to work transition period.     

Student ambassador experience in higher education: Skills and competencies for the future?

Lifelong learning, where individuals keep modifying, renewing and updating their existing skills and competencies, is an essential requirement in the knowledge economy. Yet research has shown that employers often find it hard to hire individuals who are equipped with sufficiently rounded competencies in areas such as commitment, enthusiasm and timekeeping. The Student Ambassador (SA) scheme offers university students the opportunity to undertake relatively well‐paid and flexible part‐time jobs around widening participation initiatives, which, in general, focus on raising aspiration and attainment of young people from more disadvantaged backgrounds. This article examines research evidence into the SA scheme in South‐East London and, in particular, focuses on analysing whether the scheme offers students an ideal part‐time job opportunity while in higher education. It will be seen that SAs not only gain complex transferable skills while earning money, but also engage in something that they perceive to be a highly rewarding and valuable experience.