Validation of a theory about functions and effects of embedded support devices in distance education learning materials

In this contribution a theoretical model is explored and validated that describes and explains learning based on learning materials where the basic content is enriched with embedded support devices. Embedded support devices (ESD) are elaborations of the basic content of a course, intended to support students learning in a distance educational context. Examples are: questions with feedback, advance organizers and study guidelines. The model represents the interaction of a large set of variables and processes and has been tested using a variety of research studies, each focusing on specific interrelations and/or variables. The research results support the positive impact of embedded support devices in written learning materials on study outcome. Furthermore the results indicate the impact of individual variables, such as prior knowledge and attitude towards computers. These variables influence the way students process the learning materials and/or use the task environment and have an interaction effect on study outcomes.     

Intraindividual relations between achievement goals and discrete achievement emotions: An experience sampling approach

Theories on the link between achievement goals and achievement emotions focus on their within-person functional relationship (i.e., intraindividual relations). However, empirical studies have failed to analyze these intraindividual relations and have instead examined between-person covariation of the two constructs (i.e., interindividual relations). Aiming to better connect theory and empirical research, the present study (N = 120 10th grade students) analyzed intraindividual relations by assessing students' state goals and emotions using experience sampling (N = 1409 assessments within persons). In order to replicate previous findings on interindividual relations, students' trait goals and emotions were assessed using self-report questionnaires. Despite being statistically independent, both types of relations were consistent with theoretical expectations, as shown by multi-level modeling: Mastery goals were positive predictors of enjoyment and negative predictors of boredom and anger; performance-approach goals were positive predictors of pride; and performance-avoidance goals were positive predictors of anxiety and shame. Reasons for the convergence of intra- and interindividual findings, directions for future research, and implications for educational practice are discussed.     

The influence of academic self-efficacy on academic performance: A systematic review

This review integrates 12 years of research on the relationship between academic self-efficacy and university student's academic performance, and known cognitive and motivational variables that explain this relationship. Previous reviews report moderate correlations between these variables, but few discuss mediating and moderating factors that impact this relationship. Systematic searches were conducted in April 2015 of psychological, educational, and relevant online databases for studies investigating academic self-efficacy and performance in university populations published between September 2003 and April 2015. Fifty-nine papers were eligible. Academic self-efficacy moderately correlated with academic performance. Several mediating and moderating factors were identified, including effort regulation, deep processing strategies and goal orientations. Given the paucity of longitudinal studies identified in this review, further research into how these variables relate over time is necessary in order to establish causality and uncover the complex interaction between academic self-efficacy, performance, and motivational and cognitive variables that impact it.     

Frame of Reference Effects Following the Announcement of Exam Results

The internal/external frame of reference (I/E) model by Marsh (e.g., 1990a) assumes two central information sources for the constitution of domain-specific academic self-concepts: (1) social comparisons (external frame of reference), in which students compare their own achievements with those of their classmates; and (2) intraindividual comparisons (internal frame of reference), in which students compare their own achievements in one subject with their achievements in other subjects. In path analyses, it has been found that the latter type of comparison leads to negative paths from achievement indicators in subject A to self-concept measures in subject B. To investigate the actual impact of achievement feedback and of the frames of reference on changes in self-concept variables, we analyzed math and German self-concepts immediately following the announcement of exam results in each subject. Participants were 258 7th- to 9th-graders. Path analyses using structural equation modeling supported the validity of the I/E model with respect to the impact of simultaneously given current exam results. In particular, German achievement had a negative impact on subsequent math self-concept. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.     

Understanding Examinees’ Responses to Items: Implications for Measurement

Examinees' thinking processes have become an increasingly important concern in testing. The responses processes aspect is a major component of validity, and contemporary tests increasingly involve specifications about the cognitive complexity of examinees' response processes. Yet, empirical research findings on examinees' cognitive processes are not often available either to provide evidence for validity or to guide the design or selection of items. In this article, studies and developments from the author's research program are presented to illustrate how empirical studies on examinees' thinking processes can impact item and test design.     

Personalizing e-Learning. The Social Effects of Pedagogical Agents

Numerous studies have evaluated the effects of pedagogical agents on students’ learning outcomes, but so far, beneficial effects have not been consistently demonstrated. The ambiguous results might partly be due to the strong emphasis on cognitive outcomes, which is characteristic for research in teaching and learning. The paper suggests a shift of attention to socio-emotional and relational variables, which might be considered as relevant moderator variables in learning or even as learning outcomes per se, for example, in social learning. In order to achieve this goal, we suggest a systematic account of the results from social psychology and in particular from nonverbal communication research, and findings from studies on the social effects of embodied agents in general. This perspective will include (1) a distinction between static and dynamic aspects of embodiment, such as the visual appearance of agents and their nonverbal behavior, and (2) a more systematic approach concerning the functions of embodiment and nonverbal behavior, such as modeling, discourse and dialogue functions, and socio-emotional effects. A further argument addresses the necessity of complementing outcome measures by process measures, which are sensitive to the tasks and the changing situational demands that occur during learning processes and tutor-learner interaction.     

Methodological challenges for collaborative learning research

Research on collaborative learning, both face-to-face and computer-supported, has thrived in the past 10 years. The studies range from outcome-oriented (individual and group learning) to process-oriented (impact of interaction on learning processes, motivation and organisation of collaboration) to mixed studies. Collaborative learning research is multidisciplinary. This introduces a multitude of theoretical accounts for collaborative learning, accompanied by a broad spectrum of methods to study processes and outcomes of collaboration. This special issue will provide an overview of methods that are at the core of current research effort, but also identifies opportunities and problems to sensibly combine methods into mixed method approaches.     

Access to higher education in South Africa: expanding capabilities in and through an undergraduate photovoice project

ABSTRACT

There is a gap in research on access to universities in South Africa. The research that exists focuses on quantitative methodologies, although some qualitative studies are now emerging. These research methodologies, although necessary and substantial for the development of equity measures and policies, might be less successful in their impact on the local context, on research participants and in expanding what counts as knowledge in the university. In this paper, participatory research, which has not been used to research access, is explored. The paper seeks to go beyond the instrumentalization of research participants – especially those from low-income households – highlighting the potential of using multi-strategy research, in which participatory elements are included as a way to foster both participants’ human development and local impact. Drawing on a research project on access to higher education in South Africa, the paper demonstrates that by including participatory elements (in this case photovoice) has the potential to operationalize Appadurai’s notion of the ‘right to research’ among undergraduates. Using data, including processes, observations, workshops, interviews, and visual narratives from a participatory photovoice project, the findings highlight how methodological plurality creates space for locally and relevant knowledge production, challenging epistemic barriers and fostering human development among the research participants.     

Cognitive and motivational profile shape predicts mathematical skills over and above profile level

The interpretation of subtest profiles from intelligence testing remains popular among many practitioners who use subtest performance to draw diagnostic conclusions, in spite of criticism by some researchers, who point to the low reliability and predictive validity of subtest scores in predicting achievement outcomes. Prior research outlines two approaches to the study of subtest variation: the examination of interindividual variation in specific cognitive domains or subtests as compared to a standard sample, and the examination of intraindividual strengths and weaknesses, regardless of overall level. The present study seeks to add to knowledge in this field with data from 567 children ages 5 to 10 years who exhibit meaningful subtest variation on a new test of intellectual abilities. Results from the present sample point to statistically significant utility, with small to medium effects, of intraindividual cognitive and motivational profile shape over and above profile level in predicting mathematical skills. We discuss implications for school psychological and educational assessment research.     

Factors affecting the development of pupil attitudes toward school subjects

124 dissertation abstracts were reviewed to assess recent research concerning the study of factors which have an impact on pupil attitudes toward school subjects. The results of this review are discussed with research reported in journals to suggest that teacher attitudes and enthusiasm toward the subject and student related variables such as previous attitudes, parents, and self-concept may have a greater impact on attitude formation than instructional variables. Implications of this conclusion are pointed out.     

Improved Student Reasoning About Carbon-Transforming Processes Through Inquiry-Based Learning Activities Derived from an Empirically Validated Learning Progression

This paper reports on our use of a fine-grained learning progression to assess secondary students’ reasoning through carbon-transforming processes (photosynthesis, respiration, biosynthesis). Based on previous studies, we developed a learning progression with four progress variables: explaining mass changes, explaining energy transformations, explaining subsystems, and explaining large-scale systems. For this study, we developed a 2-week teaching module integrating these progress variables. Students were assessed before and after instruction, with the learning progression framework driving data analysis. Our work revealed significant overall learning gains for all students, with the mean post-test person proficiency estimates higher by 0.6 logits than the pre-test proficiency estimates. Further, instructional effects were statistically similar across all grades included in the study (7th–12th) with students in the lowest third of initial proficiency evidencing the largest learning gains. Students showed significant gains in explaining the processes of photosynthesis and respiration and in explaining transformations of mass and energy, areas where prior research has shown that student misconceptions are prevalent. Student gains on items about large-scale systems were higher than with other variables (although absolute proficiency was still lower). Gains across each of the biological processes tested were similar, despite the different levels of emphasis each had in the teaching unit. Together, these results indicate that students can benefit from instruction addressing these processes more explicitly. This requires pedagogical design quite different from that usually practiced with students at this level.     

Assessing the impact of learning environments: How to use student ratings of classroom or school characteristics in multilevel modeling

In educational research, characteristics of the learning environment (e.g., social climate, instructional quality, goal orientation) are often assessed via student reports, and their associations with outcome variables such as school achievement or student motivation then tested. However, studying the effects of the learning environment presents a series of methodological challenges. This article discusses three crucial elements in research that uses student reports to gauge the impact of the learning environment on student outcomes. First, from a conceptual point of view, it is argued that ratings aggregated at the relevant level (e.g., class or school level), and not individual student ratings, are of primary interest in these studies. Second, the reliability of aggregated student ratings must be routinely assessed before these perceptions are related to outcome variables. Third, researchers conducting multilevel analyses need to make very clear which centering option was chosen for the predictor variables. This article shows that conclusions about the impact of learning environments can be substantially affected by the choice of a specific centering option for the individual student ratings.     

Monitoring School Effectiveness in Developing Countries

Reviews on school effectiveness research in developing countries indicate that between-school variances are much larger than in industrialized countries. Resource input factors appear to have a larger impact in developing countries, while there are relatively few studies that have focused on instructional processes. Results at this level are not very clear at this stage. Local contexts may shape and interact with conditions that are expected to enhance effectiveness. Given the high stakes that are involved and the degrees of existing variation, school effectiveness studies in developing countries have the potential to be at the cutting edge of empirical school effectiveness research in the near future. Integration and application of the knowledge-base in evaluation and monitoring projects by means of school process indicators is seen as the most responsible way to use the research findings for improvement purposes.     

A systematic review on evidences supporting quality indicators of bilingual,plurilingual and multilingual programs in higher education

This systematic review intends to report on the strength of evidences supporting the quality indicators (predictors) attributed to higher education bilingual, plurilingual or multilingual practices and programs across four key dependent variables (outcomes) analyzed (i.e., student performance, second language proficiency, employment, and motivation and attitudes). The rapid growth of both offer and demand of this type of higher education and learning worldwide requires the implementation of high-quality evaluation strategies and techniques to measure potential causal links between interventions and results. To do so, a pre-specified systematic review protocol following the Campbell Collaboration (2015) recommendations is designed and implemented. The results suggest the urgent need to increase the primary research quality standards in this sub-discipline by reducing bias in the processes of designing, implementing and reporting research. Despite the scarcity of results sustained on statistical conclusions with the higher statistical power found in this review, specific results of the dependent variables indicate that this type of education benefits students’ performance and second language proficiency, with a higher impact on receptive skills. Although no results were obtained concerning student employment, other results point out that there is general satisfaction of participation with the programs. Finally, several recommendations on how to scale up those quality research standards in this sub-discipline are provided.     

Contributions of Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction to Knowledge About Interventions for Motivations in Reading

We present a theoretical and empirical explication of the intervention of Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction (CORI) that is designed to increase students' reading comprehension and motivation for reading. The framework specifies a set of five motivational constructs that represent goals for the instructional intervention. Necessary cognitive goals in reading are also presented. For this intervention, the five instructional practices of relevance, choice, success, collaboration, and thematic unit that are prominent in CORI are portrayed as components that are aligned with motivational constructs. The impact of CORI on some of the motivational processes, cognitive competencies, and reading comprehension are presented in the form of a meta-analysis of 11 CORI studies with 75 effect sizes on 20 outcome variables. The CORI motivational intervention is compared to laboratory treatments and other field studies.     

“We Keep the Education Goin’ at Home All the Time”: Family Literacy in Low-Income African American Families of Preschoolers

Researchers have examined the impact of family on child literacy among low-income African American families and preschoolers considered to be at risk for not being ready for kindergarten. Quantitative studies identify family-parental variables associated with poorer literacy outcomes, whereas qualitative studies detail family practices that promote child literacy development. Addressing the limitations of social address variables in quantitative research, and the paucity of research on preschoolers in qualitative research, this study examines the home-based literacy practices of 20 low-income, African American families with preschoolers in Head Start transitioning to kindergarten. Using qualitative interviews informed by a resilience framework, we found that home-based literacy activities were carried out within teams of diverse kin who worked together to promote children's school readiness. Family literacy teams expanded the literacy resources available to preschoolers, providing a rich literacy environment for children's development. These findings contribute to our substantive understanding of literacy practices within low-income African American families, resilience theory, and culturally relevant home-school collaborations.     

Integrating data in a complex mixed-methods classroom interaction study

Mixed-methods (MM) designs have gained increasing interest in educational research. Still, many studies collect quantitative and qualitative data but report these data separately and do not attempt to integrate them in practice. The aim of this article is to discuss the purposes and processes of integrating qualitative and quantitative data in an MM classroom interaction study. Issues regarding mixing and integration, including how to overcome integration barriers, are discussed. Based on this outline, the study then presents details about the various integration processes adopted in a recent MM study on classroom interaction in Norway. The possibilities and challenges of integration to produce new knowledge and a deeper understanding throughout the research process in classroom studies are illustrated with a specific focus on points of interface. A key issue is whether the new knowledge obtained in an MM study is more than the sum of the individual quantitative and qualitative parts. Using selected questions from the MM alphabet proved a helpful heuristic for guiding the iterative processes of integration and provided richer explanations and an enhanced understanding of the implementation and impact of a complex classroom intervention initiative. The study provides a new methodological contribution to the MM literature by examining the integration processes and challenges faced in a specific study.     

The rocky terrain between delocalized and localized,duplication and originality: learning to write and learning to teach academic English

In recent years, a discourse is emerging in education that emphasises the study of the impact of in-service teacher education on student outcomes (more often than not student outcomes are seen in the form of test scores of academic achievement). Implicit in this discourse is the view that the impact of in-service teacher education is directly observable on students' outcomes, suggesting that the variables in a school or classroom are connected in some kind of a causal link. However, it is problematic to view variables in a social setting such as a school or a classroom as being in causal relationships because social settings are complex so that it is not possible to control the variables or the outcomes. Hence, one cannot convincingly study the outcomes without also studying the process and its complexity. In this article, I describe an action research study undertaken to study the impact in the classroom, of new teaching strategies introduced as part of an in-service teacher education programme in Karachi, Pakistan. By describing this study I mean to suggest that action research is an appropriate methodology to study the impact of in-service teacher education.