Constructing Meaning in a Technology-Rich,Global Learning Environment

Abstract

This paper introduces the Global Forum on School Leadership (GFSL) as a Type II application of interactive computing technology suitable for 21st century learners, teachers, and school leaders. Simply put, the concept of the GFSL brings together learners who share a common goal, a common subject area, or a common profession, and encourages them to interact and learn together. Among the many differences that learners bring to the learning task, the one central and very obvious difference upon which the GFSL depends is culture. In the example presented here, the GFSL creates a learning partnership between a class of neophyte school leaders enrolled in a school leader preparation program in the United States and a similar class of students enrolled in a school leader preparation program in Australia (it could be anywhere else in the world). The discussion begins with a focus on the evolution of technology use in schools and the related evolution of learning in technologically rich environments. The GFSL is introduced as a Type II application increasingly necessary in a learning world where a global focus is being forced upon learners and where global understanding and awareness is becoming a basic survival skill. The paper generates a global version of the five characteristics of Type II applications, and concludes with an analysis of the impact of the Global Forum on participants' learning experiences and professional skills.     

The Impact of Scaffolding and Student Achievement Levels in a Problem-based Learning Environment

This study examined how scaffolds and student achievement levels influence inquiry and performance in a problem-based learning environment. The scaffolds were embedded within a hypermedia program that placed students at the center of a problem in which they were trying to become the youngest person to fly around the world in a balloon. One-hundred and eleven seventh grade students enrolled in a science and technology course worked in collaborative groups for a duration of 3 weeks to complete a project that included designing a balloon and a travel plan. Student groups used one of three problem-based, hypermedia programs: (1) a no scaffolding condition that did not provide access to scaffolds, (2) a scaffolding optional condition that provided access to scaffolds, but gave students the choice of whether or not to use them, and (3) a scaffolding required condition required students to complete all available scaffolds. Results revealed that students in the scaffolding optional and scaffolding required conditions performed significantly better than students in the no scaffolding condition on one of the two components of the group project. Results also showed that student achievement levels were significantly related to individual posttest scores; higher-achieving students scored better on the posttest than lower-achieving students. In addition, analyses of group notebooks confirmed qualitative differences between students in the various conditions. Specifically, those in the scaffolding required condition produced more highly organized project notebooks containing a higher percentage of entries directly relevant to the problem. These findings suggest that scaffolds may enhance inquiry and performance, especially when students are required to access and use them.     

Teacher-as-Researcher Reform: Student Achievement and Perceptions of Learning Environment

This study reports the results of a research project conducted as part of high school teachers' efforts to bring about reform of science education in their school. Two classes of Grade 8 students (N = 43) taught by the same teacher were monitored in terms of students' perceptions of their learning environment, achievement levels, and conceptual understanding of research. Quantitative methods (questionnaire, tests and examinations, GPA) and qualitative methods (interviews, videotaped lessons, artifacts) were combined while the learning environment was changed to a student-centered open inquiry format. Not unexpectedly, relationships between the Autonomy and Student-Centeredness scales of the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES) and immediate (unit test) and delays post-tests (examination subsection) were detected. On the other hand, although student-student interactions in small-groups and whole-class sessions were a significant part of the learning environment, the Negotiation scale was not related to achievement. Three case studies of representative students (in terms of achievement and perceptions of the learning environment) are featured, further underscoring the importance of monitoring reform of teaching at the classroom level.     

Factors of Professional Learning Community Implementation and Effect on Student Achievement

ABSTRACT

Professional learning communities (PLCs) promote collaboration among school personnel in an effort to stimulate student learning. Using data obtained from a larger statewide initiative in Missouri, the current study examined data from 181 schools (102 elementary schools, 32 middle schools, 41 high schools, and 6 other schools, average of 428.76 students) to determine (a) the factors that can be used to assess the effects of PLCs, (b) how well PLCs relate to student achievement, and (c) the extent to which teams differentially implement the factors. An exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analyses resulted in two broader constructs that represented PLC attributes, collaborative leadership process and data-driven systems for learning, both of which correlated with student achievement and together provided unique variance in mathematics beyond school variables and achievement scores from before the PLC began. Directions for future research and implications for practice are discussed.     

新课程改革环境下教育的平等性:家庭社会经济背景对学生学业成绩的影响

以小学数学课程为例,研究追踪考察了参加新课程改革与使用原课程两组学生的家庭社会经济背景与学业成绩的关系。结果表明:(1)对于高层次思维能力,来自不同家庭社会经济背景的使用新课程的学生发展差异表现出逐渐缩小的趋势;而对于来自不同家庭背景的使用原课程的学生,其发展的差异未表现出缩小的趋势;(2)不管是使用新课程还是使用原课程的学生,来自不同家庭背景学生对数学的基本理解与计算能力的发展差异均有缩小的趋势。但与新课程改革的学生相比,来自不同家庭背景原课程的学生在这方面发展差异的缩小趋势更明显。     

“环境保护”专题学习网站的建设应用研究

随着互联网和网络技术的发展,互联网提供了丰富多样的网络教育资源。文章介绍了"环境保护"专题学习网站的建设过程,并在中学进行教学实践作初步探讨。     

The Instructional Effects of Knowledge‐Based Community of Practice Learning Environment on Student Achievement and Knowledge Convergence

The increased accessibility of technology and Internet connections has enabled organizations to provide their workforces with the opportunity to engage in distributed education. “Harnessing this innovation calls for organizational and technological infrastructures that support the interplay of knowledge and knowing” (Cook & Brown, 1999, p. 381). This article explores the evidence of knowledge convergence in online knowledge‐based communities of practice (CoPs). Learning outcomes assessed declarative knowledge, convergence, and knowledge application. A comparison group (self‐paced design) was used to draw conclusions about the differential effects of knowledge‐building strategies on these learning outcomes. The results show there was a difference in pretest and posttest scores and positive evidence of knowledge convergence. The findings pointed to higher posttest scores and higher level of convergence in the online CoP strategy.     

Influence of Redesigning a Learning Environment on Student Perceptions and Learning Strategies

In society, there is a growing need for graduates who possess competencies consistent with deep learning. This means that, amongst other competencies, graduates should be capable of dealing with the complexity of the tasks in which they will engage in professional situations. We tried to increase the depth of students learning by changing the format of a so-called assignment-based learning to a problem-based learning course. The goals of this research were to determine if students, firstly, perceived the redesigned course as being more challenging and, secondly, adjusted their learning strategies towards deeper learning. Participants were two groups of second-year International Business Studies students attending the International Business Strategy course in consecutive years. Students perceptions of the learning environment and their learning strategies were measured in both the original (n = 406 students) and the redesigned course (n = 312 students) using the Ramsden Course Experiences Questionnaire and the Biggs Study Processes Questionnaire. In contrast to our expectations, the results indicated that the students from the redesigned course showed a higher degree of surface learning and a lower level of deep learning than the students from the assignment-based learning course. Additionally, the students perceived the new learning environment to be less positive in terms of the clarity of its goals, the usefulness of the textbook and the workload. Improvement in terms of students perceptions of the learning environment and their learning strategies could be expected to be fostered by the implementation of a more advanced staff development program, focusing the curricular assessment system on problem-solving skills, supporting the students in the development of the skills necessary to cope with the demands of the redesigned course, and giving them more opportunities to experience this instructional approach.     

学习策略与英语学习成绩的关系研究

本研究利用Oxford编制的英语学习策略量表对177名非英语专业大学生进行调查研究,考察非英语专业大学生英语学习策略与英语学习成绩的关系.结果发现:(1)英语学习策略与英语学习成绩存在显著正相关;(2)元认知策略对英语学习成绩有显著的正向预测作用:(3)元认知策略的性别差异达到显著性水平;(4)认知策略的专业差异达到显著性水平.     

Rural Differences in Student Achievement: The Effect of Student Perceptions

The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of effective high schools in rural Western Australia by investigating factors influencing science and mathematics achievement. This article reports findings from 2 years of a longitudinal study undertaken in a cohort of urban and rural schools in Western Australia, called the Western Australian School Effectiveness Study [WASES]. A multilevel analytical model was used to demonstrate that most variability in student achievement is at the classroom and student level, with negligible amounts at the school level. Upon further analysis of the residuals, this article demonstrates that teacher effects were substantial and warrants further investigation.     

The Effects of Cooperative Learning on Student Achievement and Motivation in a High School Geometry Class

In this study, the effects of a form of cooperative group instruction (Student Teams Achievement Divisions) on student motivation and achievement in a high school geometry class were examined. Eighty students were randomly assigned to either a control group receiving traditional instruction or one of two treatment groups receiving cooperative learning instruction. Geometry achievement was assessed using scores from the IOWA Test of Basic Skills and teacher-made exams. An 83-item questionnaire was used as a pretest, posttest, and post-posttest assessment of efficacy, intrinsic valuing, goal orientation, and cognitive processing. Students in the cooperative treatment groups exhibited significantly greater gains than the control group in geometry achievement, efficacy, intrinsic valuing of geometry, learning goal orientation, and reported uses of deep processing strategies. The implications for cooperative group structures and motivation theory are discussed.     

The Effect of Music in Video Mediated Instruction on Student Achievement

Does the use of musical accompaniment in instructional media enhance motivation and learning? Many instructional film producers avoid music in their presentations, but others regularly use music to accompany the instruction. Such differences in production may well affect the level of enjoyment, assimilation, retention, recall, transfer and application of the material to be learnt. This paper describes a study into whether the use of music on video‐mediated instruction has any effects on students’ learning. The study revealed only inconclusive differences in effect between video instruction accompanied with music and video instruction without music     

Co-ordination Within Schools,Commitment of Teachers and Students and Student Achievement

This research study investigates co-ordination strategies within schools, their relationships to both teacher and student commitment to school, and the relationship between student commitment and student achievement in Switzerland. Two different kinds of co-ordination strategies, structural and cultural, can be distinguished. Structural co-ordination strategies have to do with formal, lasting arrangements that allow an organisation to operate. These include roles, rules, procedures, and authority relations. Cultural co-ordination strategies are related to the nature of communications and the consensus on organisational goals in the school. Cultural mechanisms shape what teachers want to do. Drawn from TIMSS, the sample for the present analyses included principals, teachers and students in 178 classes at the lower secondary level in three Swiss cantons: Bale-Country, Berne and Zurich. Multiple regression analyses carried out with different indicators of teacher and student commitment to school showed that school coordination strategies can make a difference, although the effects were rather small. A further analysis that included student commitment indicators as predictors of mathematics achievement suggests that the affective/social and the cognitive domains are relatively independent at class level.     

The Brink of Change: Gender in Technology-Rich Collaborative Learning Environments

This study was designed to contribute to a small but growing body of knowledge on the influence of gender in technology-rich collaborative learning environments. The study examined middle school students attitudes towards using computers and working in groups during scientific inquiry. Students attitudes towards technology and group work were analyzed using questionnaires. To add depth to the findings from the survey research, the role of gender was also investigated through the analysis of student conversations in the context of two activities: exploring science information on a hypertext text and conducting hands-on investigations. The data suggest that not only are girls and boys are similar with regard to attitudes about computers and group work, but that during collaborative learning activities, girls may actually participate more actively and persistently regardless of the nature of the task.     

远程学习环境下的学生辅导对在学率的影响

以色列开放大学（OUI）是一所以远程学习及自学为主的免试入学的高等学院。对所有高等教育机构,尤其是对远程开放教育机构来说,学生的在学率问题是最被关注的。为应对这一问题,OUI决定实施一项保证在学率的项目,其目的是帮助新生解决在学习第一门课程中遇到的困难。新生和高年级的学生组成对子,由高年级的学生在第一学期作为辅导员帮助他们解决困难。本论文介绍了此项目实施情况并展示了接受辅导的学生的学习情况、就学情况、沟通情况以及他们在远程学习环境中的辅导情况。     

网络环境下基于问题学习的专题教学设计与实践

介绍了基于问题学习的基本概念,给出了网络环境下基于问题学习的电路与电子学课程中基本放大电路专题的单元教学设计案例及其教学试验过程,并总结分析了教学试验结果.     

Computer Conferencing: An Environment for Collaborative Project-Based Learning in Distance Education

In this experimental study two independent variables were manipulated. Each was associated with online collaborative learning in a distance education context. One of these (group formation strategy) addresses one of the early decisions that must be made in forming groups for collaborative project work. The second (levels of tutor intervention) relates to the on-going process of group management in a computer-mediated environment. An additional independent variable (type of collaborative project) served as a within-group factor in the design. Two measures of individual achievement (final exam scores and idea units) and a measure of group dynamics served as dependent variables. Prior academic achievement (current grade point average) served as a covariate in the analysis of the achievement data. There were no differences across the two types of projects, but two slightly different interaction patterns emerged from the analysis of the achievement data. In general, however, these results favored the random assignment of students to collaborative groups (as contrasted with allowing students to pick their own partners) and the introduction of low tutor intervention during the course of project work. Two main effects emerged from an analysis of the group dynamics data, one of which supports the random assignment strategy. Because of these findings, it is difficult to suggest a totally unambiguous strategy for formulating and managing online collaborative project work. However, some tentative suggestions are advanced. Some guidelines for online collaborative learning are provided.     

Introverts,Extroverts, and Achievement in a Distance Learning Environment

Although difficulties that characterize distance learning (DL) clearly have differential effects on different learners, links between barrier research and individual differences remain relatively unexplored. This study examined the relationship between cognitive style, based on Jung's (1971) theory, and achievement levels among 77 university students in a videoconference-based learning environment. Clarifying this relationship enables educators to identify in advance students who may require additional instructional support in a DL context. Understanding student-related variables that affect learning also enables faculty to adapt instructions to meet the diverse needs of different students instead of adopting a “one-size-fits-all” approach to designing DL environments.     

The Effects of a Web-Based Learning Environment on Student Motivation in a High School Earth Science Course

Collaborating closely with a 10th-grade science teacher, we designed a Web-based learning environment (Web-LE) to improve student motivation to learn science. Factors believed to enhance intrinsic motivation (challenge, control, curiosity, and fantasy) were integrated into the instructional design of the Web-based learning tool. The Web-LE was implemented in the teacher’s 10th-grade classroom as a three-day student-centered learning activity. Data collection methods included individual student interviews, teacher interviews, motivation questionnaires, and observations. This study revealed multiple forms of evidence that the Web-LE and the associated learning activity improved student motivation. This study illustrates the benefits of educational researchers working closely with teachers using design-based research methods to successfully solve instructional problems and identify reusable design principles. Design principles for the integration of intrinsic motivation factors into the development of similar Web-LEs are presented as well as directions far future research.