Expository text comprehension in secondary school: for which readers does knowledge of connectives contribute the most?

The present study examined whether knowledge of connectives contributes uniquely to expository text comprehension above and beyond reading fluency, general vocabulary knowledge and metacognitive knowledge. Furthermore, it was examined whether this contribution differs for readers with different language backgrounds or readers who vary in reading fluency, general vocabulary knowledge or metacognitive knowledge levels. Multilevel regression analyses revealed that knowledge of connectives explained individual differences in eighth graders' text comprehension (n = 171) on top of the variance accounted for by the control variables. Moreover, the contribution of knowledge of connectives to text comprehension depended on a reader's level of metacognitive knowledge: more metacognitive knowledge resulted in a larger association between knowledge of connectives and text comprehension. Reading fluency, vocabulary knowledge and language background did not interact with knowledge of connectives. Findings are interpreted in the context of the strategic use of connectives during expository text reading.

What is already known about this topic?

• Connectives (words such as moreover, because and although) help the reader in establishing coherence between text parts.
• In primary school, for fifth graders, knowledge of connectives has been shown to be uniquely related to English text comprehension controlling for reading fluency and general vocabulary knowledge.
• For fifth graders, the relationship between knowledge of connectives and English text comprehension was higher for English‐only students than for their peers who learned English as a second language.

What this paper adds:

• The present study found that knowledge of connectives also has a unique relation with Dutch expository text comprehension for eighth graders above and beyond reading fluency, general vocabulary knowledge and metacognitive knowledge (about text structure and reading and writing strategies).
• The relationship between knowledge of connectives and text comprehension was not moderated by reading fluency, general vocabulary knowledge and language background (monolingual versus bilingual Dutch).
• Metacognitive knowledge did impact the relationship between knowledge of connectives and text comprehension: the higher the metacognitive knowledge, the higher the association between knowledge of connectives and text comprehension.

Implications for theory, policy or practice

• Secondary school readers are assumed to benefit from knowing connectives because these words are frequent in expository texts and signal relationships that students may often not infer without the help of these devices (i.e., with the use of background knowledge). This seems to apply in particular for expository texts that are intended to convey new information and relationships to students (see also Singer & O'Connell, 2003 ).
• We found a significant interaction between knowledge of connectives and metacognitive knowledge, which seems to indicate that knowing more connectives does not help much in improving expository text comprehension when metacognitive knowledge about text structure and reading strategies is low. This result suggests that it may be wise to couple instruction on the meaning of connectives with instruction about the structure of expository texts and ways to strategically deal with these texts.
• More specifically, besides instruction on the meaning of connectives, we advise teachers in secondary school to get students to understand the importance of connectives as markers of local and global coherence in texts, and to teach them how to strategically use connectives during reading.

     

Assessing learning in a sociology department: what do students say that they learn?

Assessment plays a central role in evaluating and strengthening student learning in higher education, and sociology departments, in particular, have increasingly become interested in engaging in assessment activities to better understand students’ learning. This qualitative study builds on previous research on assessment by asking what students in one American university department see themselves learning in the sociology major. Rather than asking students to reflect on what we think they are learning, we asked open-ended questions about skills, topics and modes of education they considered most significant to their learning. The 25 sociology majors in our study included second-year students, graduating fourth-year students and alumni who had graduated five years prior, enabling us to compare what students have learned or are learning across cohorts. Our findings demonstrate that students emphasise a common collection of skills, topics and – especially – modes of learning in the major, despite their various course selections and interests within the discipline, and also that majors’ orientations to sociology vary as they move through, and beyond, the undergraduate curriculum.     

Preservice elementary school teachers’ knowledge of fractions: a mirror of students’ knowledge?

This research analyses preservice teachers’ knowledge of fractions. Fractions are notoriously difficult for students to learn and for teachers to teach. Previous studies suggest that student learning of fractions may be limited by teacher understanding of fractions. If so, teacher education has a key role in solving the problem. We first reviewed literature regarding students’ knowledge of fractions. We did so because assessments of required content knowledge for teaching require review of the students’ understanding to determine the mathematics difficulties encountered by students. The preservice teachers were tested on their conceptual and procedural knowledge of fractions, and on their ability in explaining the rationale for a procedure or the conceptual meaning. The results revealed that preservice teachers’ knowledge of fractions indeed is limited and that last-year preservice teachers did not perform better than first-year preservice teachers. This research is situated within the broader domain of mathematical knowledge for teaching and suggests ways to improve instruction and student learning.     

Are psychology students getting worse at math?: Trends in the math skills of psychology statistics students across 21 years

Statistics is an important subject in psychology and social science education. However, inadequate mathematical skills can pose a barrier to learning statistics. Some educators have suggested that students’ math skills are declining. The present research examined trends in the math skills of psychology undergraduates across 21 years. Students (n = 3735) who were enrolled in an introductory psychology statistics course from 1990 to 2011 completed a pencil-and-paper math skills test. Over the 21-year period, there was a 9% decline in math skills scores and a 28% increase in the number of attempts required to pass the test. Consistent with national trends, SAT Math scores also increased by 7%; however, the pencil-and-paper math skills test was nearly twice as predictive of course performance as was the SAT. Results suggest that important math abilities have declined. Implications for statistical education in the social sciences are discussed.     

Teacher effects on student achievement in first grade: which aspects matter most?

The present study investigates the effects of teachers (background qualifications, attitudes and beliefs, and instructional practices) on student achievement in mathematics, reading, and spelling in 1st grade. Its theoretical framework and methodology are based on recent work by Palardy and Rumberger (2008). Data from the SiBO Project, a longitudinal study in Flemish primary education, were analyzed for the present study using 2-level regression analysis. The results showed that teacher background had the largest effect on mathematics achievement, whereas instructional practices had the largest effects on both reading and spelling achievement. Moreover, the size of teacher effects depended upon the specific learning domain: Larger teacher effects were found for mathematics than for spelling and reading. Overall, the results suggest that teachers had a modest to strong effect on student achievement in first grade.     

Upgraded curriculum? An analysis of knowledge boundaries in teaching under the Swedish subject-based curriculum*

This article offers a contribution to the current debate about knowledge and the curriculum, especially initiated by social realist writers. The enacted Swedish subject-based curriculum for compulsory schooling is examined and is also used as a significant case with the aim of discussing practical implications of social realist claims regarding knowledge and the curriculum. Video-recorded lessons from grade six in six different Swedish schools, in combination with teacher interviews, are explored within the scope of a curriculum theory framework with the purpose of illuminating dominant patterns of knowledge boundaries and knowledge conceptions. The study shows how the Swedish subject-based curriculum frames teaching in a direction where a disciplinary knowledge conception with fixed knowledge boundaries predominates over other knowledge forms. The subject-based curriculum also appears to produce an ‘overloading’ of content, which implies that pupils’ questions and experiences are avoided and dismissed in the teaching practice.     

How different are students of school psychology and clinical psychology?

Based on many years of training students in both school and clinical psychology, the authors have formulated some impressions of differences and similarities found in these trainees. While generalizations remain tentative and call for research, the students in each of these disciplines seem to present different patterns in cognitive styles, perceptions of clients, conceptions of professional role, and personality characteristics. In personality, the students in these fields often display differences in need for structure, need for external support, social maturity, and desire for autonomous professional functioning. Differences seem to be related to variations in previous work and educational experiences, and to differences in age, sex and marital status. Implications for quality of service offered and training needs are outlined.     

Academic anxieties: which type contributes the most to low achievement in methodological courses?

Students’ academic achievement in courses with a high mathematical content can be affected by their levels of trait, math and test anxiety. In this study, 180 university students were assessed on these types of anxiety and the relationships between them and students’ performance were evaluated. Higher levels of math anxiety were related to a low academic achievement, but a high level of test anxiety was related only to an increase in the number of errors. Moreover, although women reported higher levels of trait, math and test anxiety than their male peers, their academic achievement was similar. We conclude that math anxiety is the main emotional factor that can affect students’ performance in these courses and some proposals to help highly math-anxious students are discussed.     

Transforming university curriculum policies in a global knowledge era: mapping a “global case study” research agenda

Radical curriculum policy transformations are emerging as a key strategy of universities across different countries as they move to strengthen their competitive position in a global knowledge era. This paper puts forward a “global case study” research agenda in the under-researched area of university curriculum policy. The particular curriculum policies to be investigated point to potentially new forms of liberal education, and they resonate in varying degrees with contemporary patterns in Europe as well as longer standing patterns in the United States. This research agenda stands to make a unique contribution with its “whole curriculum” approach to: the examination of the relationship between curriculum content, pedagogy and assessment; the tracking of curriculum policy borrowing across different jurisdictions extending between global and local levels; and the investigation of historical antecedents of contemporary curriculum policy patterns. In particular, the proposed agenda features a rare combination of spatial and temporal dimensions of university curriculum policy flows. This research agenda will provide a strong empirical evidence base for extending theory building about university curriculum policy development, as well as policy “learning” for policy makers, practitioners and scholars – globally.     

Of the crucial events in China in 2008,which most impressed you?

Simons In the 29th Olympic Games,Amedcan swimmer Michael Phelps sought to navigate uncharted territory.He has widely known in the last Olympics and for his second straight Olympics,the 23-year-old Phelps won eight gold medals to surpass the record seven that fellow-American swimmer Mark Spitz won in 1972.The Olympic Games will be a worldwide game,and each     

Conscientiousness,achievement striving,and intelligence as performance predictors in a sample of German psychology students: Always a linear relationship?

Studies on the interface between cognitive ability (intelligence) and personality in the prediction of academic performance have yielded mixed results so far. Especially an interaction between conscientiousness (and its facet achievement striving) and intelligence has been investigated. The hypothesis is that conscientiousness enhances the impact of intelligence on performance. Based on findings supporting the idea of a non-linear relationship between conscientiousness and performance the present study aimed at a clarification of the mixed results. Given such a non-linear relationship, studies investigating a possible moderating effect should pay attention to the performance level. A sample of N = 271 students completed a conscientiousness and an intelligence measure. Moderated regression analyses revealed a moderation for conscientiousness but not its facet achievement striving in the total sample. However, splitting the sample into a low and a high performer group revealed an enhancing effect of achievement striving for low performers and a buffering effect for high performer. Practical as well as theoretical implications are discussed.     

Assessing college students’ perceptions of a case teacher’s pedagogical content knowledge using a newly developed instrument

Ongoing professional development for college teachers has been much emphasized. However, previous research on learning environments has seldom addressed college students’ perceptions of teachers’ PCK. This study aimed to evaluate college students’ perceptions of a physics teacher’s PCK development using a newly developed instrument and workshop intervention. A mixed method design was employed incorporating both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The survey “Assessing Students’ Perceptions of College Teachers’ PCK” was adopted as the instrument of research. This survey was conducted twice in this study; with the pre-test carried out during the mid-term exam and the post-test given in the last week of the semester. The results indicate that only SMK and IRS showed significant difference in the four categories of the survey, while IOC and KSU did not. Furthermore, the organized workshops helped the case teacher to better understand students’ prior conceptions of the subject matter and learning difficulties, and further facilitated her adjustment of instructional strategies. The limitations of this study are discussed and suggestions for improvement are also provided.     

Teachers’ curriculum agency in teaching a standards-based curriculum

Abstract

In 2011, Sweden introduced explicit standards for the curriculum used in compulsory schooling through the implementation of ‘knowledge requirements’ that align content, abilities and assessment criteria. This article explores and analyses social science teachers’ curriculum agency through a theoretical framework comprised of ‘teacher agency’ and Bernstein’s concepts of ‘pedagogic device’, ‘hierarchical knowledge structure’ and ‘horizontal knowledge structure’. Teachers’ curriculum agency, in recontextualisation of the curriculum, is described and understood through three different ‘spaces’: a collective space, an individual space and an interactive space in the classroom. The curriculum and time are important for the possibilities of agency – the teachers state that the new knowledge requirements compel them to include and assess a lot of content in each ‘curriculum task’. It is possible to identify a recontextualisation process of ‘borrowing’ and combining content from curriculum tasks across the different subjects. This process is explained by the horizontal knowledge structure and ‘weak grammar’ of the social sciences. Abilities, on the other hand, stand out as elements of a hierarchical knowledge structure in which a discursive space is opened for knowledge to transcend contexts and provides opportunities for meaning-making. The space gives teachers room for action and for integrating disciplinary content.     

Assessing metacognitive knowledge in 3–5 year olds: the development of a metacognitive knowledge interview (McKI)

Historically, early cognitive skills have been underestimated, largely as a result of the ways these competencies have been measured, which is particularly pervasive in the area of metacognition. Only recently have researchers begun to detect evidence of contextualized metacognition in 3–5 year old preschool children through the use of observational assessment tools (e.g., Whitebread et al. J Cogn Educ Psychol 3:433-455, 2007, Metacognition Learn 4:63-85, 2009). While these observational methods are a more sensitive way to capture metacognition in young children, their exclusive use may not result in a comprehensive depiction of early metacognitive competency. In the current study, we describe the development of a metacognitive knowledge interview (McKI) and what it reveals about metacognitive processes in 43 3–5 year olds (including investigating face validity). Findings indicate that the McKI (a) is a developmentally appropriate measure for 3–5 year olds, (b) is capable of eliciting articulated metacognitive knowledge when engaging in a contextualized problem-solving task, (c) shows the expected developmental trend (i.e., older children perform at a higher level and scores increased over the course of a school year), and (d) provides sufficient variation across children. Implications for future research are discussed, including the importance of using multiple measurement tools when studying early metacognitive development.     

Learning paths in synthesis writing: Which learning path contributes most to which learning outcome?

Instructional Science - This paper presents a secondary analysis of data collected during an intervention study in which students learnt to synthesise pairs of texts presenting opposite views on...     

On the global knowledge components in an information security curriculum–a multidisciplinary perspective

Because of the borderless feature of the Internet, information security threats could come from anywhere around the globe. In this research, we propose adding global knowledge components in the information security curriculum using a multi-disciplinary approach. We argue that a global perspective has been lacking in the current information security curriculum. We then propose several knowledge components to be added in the curriculum to enhance the global perspective. We also examine how to incorporate knowledge from various related disciplines, including political science, criminal justice, and business administration. Through our empirical study on faculty from various disciplines and the industry practitioners with first-hand information security knowledge, we confirm that the proposed knowledge components are relevant to the information security education and practice. Analyzing the similarities and differences among responses from various disciplines, we also found that albeit different disciplines have slightly different emphases on the curriculum components, they all tend to agree on the importance of adding the global perspectives in information security education. Our research could be of value to the educators in the information security field when considering incorporating a global perspective into the curriculum. It could also shed some lights when examining the relevance of global information security to various disciplines.     

Assessing collaborative work in a higher education blended learning context: strategies and students’ perceptions

This study examines students' views on a blended learning module developed and offered at the University of Aveiro. The paper presents the module and the strategies, tools, activities and assessment. In order to examine the effectiveness of the module, data were collected from reflections, postings and questionnaires. Findings document students’ opinions concerning the module, the activities and their learning. Students valued the module but expressed concerns in using the wiki tool, assessing collaborative work and in engaging in peer assessment activities. The results have practical implications for the design of collaborative activities and innovative assessment in blended learning environments.

Bewertung kollaborativer Arbeit in einem gemischten Hochschulbildungs‐Lernkontext: Strategien und Wahrnehmungen der Studenten

Diese Studie untersucht die Ansichten von Studenten auf einem gemischten Lern‐Modul, entwickelt und angeboten von der Universität Aveiro. Das Papier stellt das Modul und die Strategien, Tools, Aktivitäten und Bewertung vor. Um die Wirksamkeit des Moduls zu untersuchen, wurden die Daten von Reflexionen, Notizen und Fragebögen gesammelt. Die Ergebnisse dokumentieren die Meinungen über das Modul, ihre Aktivitäten und ihr Lernen. Studenten schätzten das Modul hatten aber Bedenken beim Wiki‐Tool, bezüglich des kooperativen Arbeitens, Bewertungen und Peer‐Bewertungs‐Aktivitäten. Die Ergebnisse haben praktische Folgen für das Design gemeinsamer Aktivitäten und innovative Bewertungen ?gemischter Lernumgebungen”.

L’évaluation du travail collaboratif dans un contexte d’enseignement universitaire mixte: le strategies et les perceptions des étudiants

La présente étude examine les opinions des étudiants sur un module d’apprentissage mixte (blended) mis au point et assuré à l’Université d’Aveiro. Cet article présente le module et les stratégies, les outils, les activités et l’évaluation. Pour déterminer l’efficacité de ce module, on a rassemblé des données à partir des réflexions, des envois et des questionnaires. Les éléments recueillis illustrent les opinions des étudiants à propos du module, des activités et de ce qu’ils ont appris. Les étudiants ont apprécié le module mais exprimé leur inquiétude quant à l’usage de l’outil wiki, de l’évaluation du travail collaboratif et de l’engagement dans des activités d’évaluation de leurs camarades. Ces résultats ont des retombées pratiques pour la conception des activités collaboratives et d’un mode d’évaluation innovant dans des environnements d’apprentissage mixte.

La evaluación del trabajo colaborativo dentro de un entorno de aprendizaje mixto (Blended Learning) en la enseñanza superior: estrategias y percepciones de los estudiantes

El presente estudio examina las opiniones de los estudiantes acerca de un módulo de aprendizaje mixto desarrollado y propuesto por la Universidad de Aveiro. El artículo presenta el módulo y las estrategías, herramientas, actividades y evaluación. Para determinar la eficacia del módulo se hizo una recogida de datos, basandose en reflexiones, mensajes y cuestionarios. Los resultados ilustran las opinones de los estudiantes acerca del módulo, de las actividades y de lo que han aprendido.Los estudiantes valoran el módulo pero expresaron su preocupación acerca del uso de la herramienta wiki, de la evaluación del trabajo cooperativo y de la dedicación a actividades de evaluación mutual. Esos resultados conllevan consecuencias prácticas para el diseño de actividades cooperativas y la evaluación innovadora en entornos de aprendizaje mixto.     

Which students benefit most from a flipped classroom approach to language learning?

Research has shown that the potential benefits of a flipped classroom could be diminished by the way students perceive and prepare information prior to class. This study aims to explore individual characteristics, such as learner motivation, self‐efficacy and epistemology beliefs, that might have an impact on learning outcomes in a flipped classroom. Data were collected using four instruments during a 7‐week flipped classroom conducted from mid‐September 2014 to mid‐November 2014 with a total enrolment of 85 students (10 females and 75 males) in the required course, Applied English for Vocational Education. After controlling for pre‐test and other covariates (eg, gender, grade and experience), an analysis based on structural equation modeling showed a positive and significant (β = 0.12, p < 0.05) indirect effect of instrumentality (promotion) on the change in test scores through averaged quiz scores. Beliefs had a significant positive effect on change in scores between pre‐ and post‐tests (β = 0.20, p < 0.05). Findings revealed that language learners with a high level of motivation in instrumentality (promotion) followed quiz mechanisms closely and thus benefited most from the flipped classroom. Learners with high beliefs exhibited improvement in the post‐tests without doing well in quizzes. The implications for a flipped language learning classroom are discussed, including multiple strategies for regulating learners of different personal traits to preview the online course content before class.