Cognition in Context: Students’ Perceptions of Classroom Goal Structures and Reported Cognitive Strategy Use in the College Classroom

This study examined contextual and personal factors related to the use of cognitive strategies by undergraduates. Specifically, students’ goal orientations (intrinsic or extrinsic) and perceptions of the classroom environment (i.e., task or performance structured) were evaluated as predictors of student use of deep or surface level cognitive strategies. Results confirmed earlier work, which indicated intrinsic goal orientation was related to use of deep cognitive strategies and extrinsic goal orientation was related to use of rehearsal. There was no interaction between intrinsic and extrinsic goal orientations on use of either cognitive strategy. In addition, students’ perceptions of classroom environment were significantly correlated with students’ goal orientations. In particular, task structure of classrooms was significantly positively correlated with use of both types of cognitive strategies. Thus, student goal orientation, perception of classroom structure, and use of cognitive strategies appear interdependent, with intrinsic goal orientation moderating the effect of perceived classroom structure on the use of deep cognitive strategies. Results of this study suggest the need for university instructors to be more aware of the roles of both personal and contextual factors affecting student motivation and learning.     

Elementary Science Students’ Motivation and Learning Strategy Use: Constructivist Classroom Contextual Factors in a Life Science Laboratory and a Traditional Classroom

The purpose of this study was to describe the influence of constructivist classroom contextual factors in a life science laboratory and a traditional science classroom on elementary students’ motivation and learning strategy use. The Constructivist Teaching Inventory was used to examine classroom contextual factors. The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire was used to examine student motivation and learning strategies. A Wilcoxon nonparametric test determined that constructivist teaching practices were found to occur more often in the life laboratory than in the regular classroom. Although constructivist teaching practices increased at each observation time in both the regular classroom and in the life laboratory, a Friedman test determined that they were not statistically significant increases. Paired sample t tests determined that student motivation and learning strategies were higher in the life laboratory than in the regular classroom overall as well as at each survey time except for learning strategies at Post 1. A 2 × 4 between 3 within repeated measure ANOVA determined that student MSLQ motivation and learning strategy scores in the regular classroom varied statistically significantly by teacher. Student MSLQ motivation and learning strategy scores in the life laboratory varied statistically significantly by teacher. To triangulate data, individual interviews of students were conducted at the end of the semester and revealed students regard the life laboratory as an asset to their science study; however, students do appreciate and value working in the learning environment that the regular classroom provides.     

Training versus instruction in the acquisition of cognitive learning strategies

As various cognitive learning strategies have been identified and shown to be useful, the question of how best to teach an individual to use these techniques becomes important. Two studies compared simple instruction to more extended training. In Experiment 1 training was found superior to simple instructions with the method of loci for serial recall learning. Training in generalizable strategies involving imagery, verbal elaboration, and grouping was compared to simple instruction for a reading comprehension task in Experiment 2. Training was found to be more effective than instruction with a short-answer test over easy reading material, but not with difficult readings or multiple-choice tests.     

Advancements in instructional design theory: Contextual module analysis and integrated instructional strategies

In the past decade, research and theoretical advancements in both cognitive science and instructional technology have led to updates in instructional design theory. In this article, we review two areas in which the updates make important contributions: information analysis for higher-order cognition, and instructional strategies to improve acquisition of such higher-order processes. From our reviews of the literature, we propose procedures for conducting a contextual module analysis and designing integrated instructional strategies. An additional purpose of the article is to demonstrate the need for researchers in educational technology to lead in the discovery of theories contributing to acquisition of higher-order cognition.     

不同水平英语学习者的语用理解

采用真实的、语境丰富的听力材料作为工具,以60名在校大学生为研究对象,运用定量定性相结合的方法,检测两组不同水平英语学习者的语用理解及在语用理解过程中对语用信息处理的特点。研究表明,高水平英语学习者在语用理解上明显优于低水平者。两组学习者都能运用社会和文化背景知识和个人经验等来理解语用意义。与低水平者相比,高水平学习者使用了更多的语用策略进行推论,并在语用理解中表现出显性的语用语言知识。     

Unpacking high and low efficacy teachers’ task analysis and competence assessment in teaching low-achieving students in secondary schools

This study adopted a pragmatic qualitative research design to unpack high and low efficacy teachers’ task analysis and competence assessment in the context of teaching low-achieving students. Nine secondary school English and Science teachers were recruited and interviewed. Results of thematic analysis show that helping students perform well in exams was identified by both the high efficacy teachers (HETs) and the low efficacy teachers (LETs) as the sacred task, but the HETs perceived more contextual support from school culture, school leaderships and collegiality than the LETs did. Although the HETs showed more confidence than the LETs in instructional strategies, classroom management and student engagement, both the HETs and LETs experienced struggles when their personality traits and beliefs were in conflict with required strategies or imposed regulations. Despite the LETs having a lower level of perceived competence, their hunger for learning reveals that their sense of efficacy could be enhanced if provided with courses that focus on coaching and mentoring experiences.     

Students’ writing and reading preferences in a paperless classroom

ABSTRACT

This study took place in a school which adopted a “paperless classroom” policy. The purpose of the study was to examine whether students who learn in a paperless classroom really prefer reading and writing on computers rather than on paper and whether their preferences differ according to contextual conditions and personal differences. The findings show that students’ reading and writing preferences depended on the context in which the reading or writing was performed. The boys preferred to read and write on the computer significantly more than girls. Conversely, the girls’ handwriting skills and preference for handwriting were higher than the boys’. Reading and writing on computer was found to be favored among strong students, while weak students tended to prefer using paper. This research also revealed a rapid decrease in favoring computer over paper in both reading and writing over time. Students who had experienced the paperless classroom policy in this school for three years were less supportive of the use of computers for reading and writing than younger students.     

竞争话语的人际语用学研究

竞争话语指的是竞争者在特定情境中为实现交际目标所建构的相关话语。在此过程中竞争者为实现该目标会采取多种语用策略,不礼貌策略是其中的一种。本文结合Culpeper(1996)的不礼貌理论框架和Spencer-Oatey(2008)的人际关系管理模式,以2016年美国总统竞选的三场辩论为竞争话语语料,通过定性并辅以定量的方法分析了特朗普和希拉里所使用的不礼貌策略,旨在发现双方不礼貌策略使用的差异并探讨其达到的语境效果以及不礼貌策略使用的原因,进而验证不礼貌理论和人际关系管理模式在竞争话语中的解释力,并最终探索竞争话语的人际语用取向。     

2-5岁超常儿童的计数及其策略研究

本研究选取2-5岁超常儿童46名、普通儿童54名,通过实验考察了早期超常儿童的计数及其策略。结果显示:(1)超常儿童更早掌握“一一对应”的计数原则;(2)4岁前,超常儿童相对同龄普通儿童能掌握更大范围的基数;特别是3-4岁超常儿童,基本已经掌握了20以内的基数概念,显著优于同年龄普通儿童;(3)2-5岁超常儿童普遍具有比同年龄普通儿童更好的计数策略;(4)4-5岁超常儿童相对同龄普通儿童和3-4岁超常儿童,能够更有效地运用计数策略完成“随机性”计数任务。     

The use of cumulative cloze to investigate contextual build-up in deaf and hearing readers

This study finds no significant differences between deaf and hearing readers' sensitivity to contextual build-up as evaluated in a cumulative cloze exercise measured by a 2 X 5 X 2 factorial design using readers at the eighth, tenth and twelfth grade levels. Differences favoring hearing readers have been documented at the fourth and sixth grade levels. Results from the current study and its antecedents indicate that readers in both groups predict meaning more accurately when given passage-level rather than sentence-level contextual constraints. Additionally, both groups predict meaning more accurately and their predictions become more semantically and grammatically acceptable as the amount of contextual information increases. Deaf readers, however, tend to abandon correct choices more often than do hearing readers.     

Leveraging the power of music to improve science education

We assessed the impact of music videos with science-based lyrics on content knowledge and attitudes in a three-part experimental research study of over 1000 participants (mostly K-12 students). In Study A, 13 of 15 music videos were followed by statistically significant improvements on questions about material covered in the videos, while performance on ‘bonus questions’ not covered by the videos did not improve. Video-specific improvement was observed in both basic knowledge and genuine comprehension (levels 1 and 2 of Bloom’s taxonomy, respectively) and after both lyrics-only and visually rich versions of some videos. In Study B, musical versions of additional science videos were not superior to non-musical ones in their immediate impact on content knowledge, though musical versions were significantly more enjoyable. In Study C, a non-musical video on fossils elicited greater immediate test improvement than the musical version (‘Fossil Rock Anthem’); however, viewers of the music video enjoyed a modest advantage on a delayed post-test administered 28 days later. Music video viewers more frequently rated their video as ‘fun’, and seemed more likely to revisit and/or share the video. Our findings contribute to a broader dialogue on promising new pedagogical strategies in science education.     

Effects of televised modeling and active participation on rule-governed question production among native American preschool children

Preschool native-American children were randomly assigned to observation of TV modeling only, observation of TV modeling plus active participation, and control conditions to determine if providing an opportunity to perform behaviors displayed by televised models is more effective than observational learning alone in inducing preschool children's rule-governed production of causal questions. Performance of both experimental groups was significantly superior to controls at posttesting, but only the TV plus active participation group surpassed controls at retention testing. The TV modeling plus participation group asked significantly more causal questions than the TV modeling only group on posttest and retention trials. Implications are discussed for social learning theory and research for instructional programming for minority group children who are faced with the requirements of two cultures.     

The effects of varying the interreinforcement interval on appetitive contextual conditioning

Appetitive contextual conditioning in rats and ringdoves was investigated in six experiments. In Experiment 1, differential contextual training produced greater anticipatory activity in rats in the presence of a context paired with food than it did in rats in the presence of a different context in which food was never presented. Furthermore, the rats showed a preference for the context associated with food when they were given a simultaneous choice test between contexts. In Experiment 2, rats were more active in and preferred a context associated with a variable-time 30-sec (VT30) schedule as opposed to a VT180 schedule. Experiment 3 was a between-subjects replication of the previous experiment. As expected, rats exhibited significantly more anticipatory activity in a context in which food had been presented on a VT30 schedule than they did in a context in which food had been presented on a VT180 schedule. Experiment 4 showed that anticipatory activity was a reflection of context-US associations in ringdoves, and in Experiments 5 and 6, ringdoves also exhibited an inverse relationship between the. amount of anticipatory activity and the length of the interreinforcement interval (IRI). These results reveal a relation between ERI and contextual conditioning opposite from that obtained in studies of aversive conditioning.     

Graduate employability and educational context: a comparison between Great Britain and the Netherlands

Within policy circles, graduate employability remains a problem. It is often understood as an individual phenomenon, overlooking the influence of the organisation of higher education on the competition for graduate jobs. This article explores and compares how graduate employability is socially constructed within Great Britain and the Netherlands. It provides an analysis of both Dutch and British systems of higher education and explains how they shape the positional competition for graduate jobs. In addition it shows how perceptions of employability of final year university students relate to these two educational systems. The article is based on an empirical study on graduate employability in both countries using both micro analysis as well as contextual analysis. The article shows a fit between educational structure and employability strategies. The educational context shapes graduates' understandings and expectations of the competition for graduate jobs.     

学习困难学生的学习策略研究

该文通过对 1 4 3名初中学习优秀学生和 1 2 6名初中学习困难学生的学习策略比较研究 ,结果发现学习困难学生的学习策略明显低于学习优秀的学生 ,特别是元认知策略 ;初中学习困难学生的学习策略没有显著的性别差异 ,但从整体上看 ,女生的学习策略要稍高于学习困难男生的学习策略 ,尤其是元认知策略 ;初中学习困难生的学习策略存在显著的年级差异 ,主要表现为初三学困生的学习策略比初一、初二的学困生好。     

Hong Kong Teacher Education Students’ Goal Orientations and Their Relationship to Perceived Parenting Styles

The study examined goal orientations, perceived parenting styles, and their relationships in a sample of Hong Kong teacher education students. It was found that students adopted both learning and performance goals but tended to be more performance goal‐oriented. Females were more performance goal‐oriented than males. As well, students perceived their most influential parents to be authoritative. In terms of gender, authoritativeness was more effective with females and authoritarianism worked better with males. It was found that perceived parenting styles predicted goal orientations. Authoritativeness was significantly and positively related to learning goals, whereas authoritativeness and authoritarianism were significantly and positively related to performance goals. Besides main effects, there were interaction effects between gender and parenting styles on goal orientations. Cultural and contextual factors were considered in interpreting the findings.     

论广告策略的顺应性

广告,作为一种语言交流方式,要取得语言交际的成功也要讲究策略,所以文章主要从Jef Verschueren的顺应论的角度对八个常用的广告语言策略的选择进行诠释。以顺应论和广告的相关知识为理论基础,对11个有代表性的中英文广告进行定性分析并探讨广告语言策略的选择是如何顺应社交世界和撰稿人假设的读者的心理世界。     

Contextual challenges of implementing learner‐centred pedagogy: the case of the problem‐solving approach in Uganda

This article explores teachers’ experiences of implementing the problem‐solving approach; a learner centred pedagogic innovation prescribed by a centrally mandated curriculum in Uganda. It presents teachers’ interpretations of the pedagogic principles suggested by the innovation as well as their accounts of challenges of implementing the pedagogic approach. The findings suggest that the teachers’ implementation of the problem‐solving approach was far more regulated by contextual affordances and constraints within schools and the broader education system and society than by their interpretations of the official curriculum. These findings highlight the influence of structural contextual factors in regulating pedagogic practice and teachers’ take‐up of learner‐centred pedagogies in Africa. The evidence from this paper suggests the need for education researchers in developing countries such as Uganda to focus on helping teachers develop strategies for teaching large classes as learner‐centred pedagogies have a bleak future in the region.     

模因论观照下的流行热词以及英译策略解析

如何用地道的英语翻译流行热门词语,是翻译界、词典界、媒体、英语教师和广大英语学习者共同关心和探索的问题。从模因论视角反观汉语流行热词的翻译策略,提出在保留原语特色的基础上,要注意分析语境和区分语域,做到在内容和形式上的翻译恰如其分。