Supporting self-regulated hypermedia learning through prompts

The aim of this research was to develop and evaluate tools and supports for self-regulated learning with hypertext information structures, such as Web pages. Two kinds of supports for self-regulated learning were developed and tested experimentally: Prompting and Prompting with Training. In Experiment 1, Prompting was tested with a pre-post-test between subject design, including thinking-aloud data. Students of the experimental group (n = 20) were prompted for self-regulation activities that had to be followed while learning basic learning theory. No self-regulation support was offered in the control group (n = 20). In Experiment 2 (Prompting with Training), the experimental group (n = 20) received a short training, in addition to the prompting: the self-regulated learning activities were explained in detail, demonstrated and practiced right before the learning session. Again, no self-regulation support was offered in the control group (n = 20). Analyses of learning processes and learning outcomes confirm partly the positive effects of both measures of self-regulated learning prompts. The more extended measure (with training) had superior effects on students’ learning transfer performance and acceptance. Implications for the design of instructional support to improve self-regulated learning with computer-based learning environments are discussed.     

How repeated studying and testing affects multimedia learning: Evidence for adaptation to task demands

Two biases can occur in multimedia learning: overconfidence and over-reliance on text processing. The present research sought to identify these biases and to investigate whether they can be reduced, and hence learning fostered, when studying and testing are repeated. In 2 experiments (Exp.1: N = 79, Exp.2: N = 52), students learned either with text only or with text and pictures (multimedia) about how the toilet flush works, gave judgments-of-learning (JOLs), were tested on the learning contents; afterwards this study-test cycle was repeated. Results from both experiments revealed stronger overconfidence due to multimedia in both study-test cycles (JOLs higher than learning outcomes). Eye movement data showed a relative increase in attention on the picture versus text from cycle 1 to cycle 2; this relative increase in attention was related to better learning outcomes. Repeated studying and testing thus helped to reduce over-reliance on text processing in multimedia learning, fostering performance.     

Individual differences in a positional learning task across the adult lifespan

This study aimed at modeling individual and average non-linear trajectories of positional learning using a structured latent growth curve approach. The model is based on an exponential function which encompasses three parameters: Initial performance, learning rate, and asymptotic performance. These learning parameters were compared in a positional learning task administered to a sample comprising the whole adult lifespan (N = 527; age range: 20 years to 89.3 years; M_age = 52.95, SD_age = 17.37). Additionally, three explanatory variables, age, speed of information processing, and educational level were included in the analyses. All three learning parameters showed reliable individual differences. The correlations between the learning parameters indicated that those participants with high learning rates needed more trials to achieve their asymptotic performance and those who recalled more items initially also had a higher asymptotic performance. Older persons showed lower initial performance and lower asymptotic performance, whereas speed of information processing was positively associated only with initial performance. Persons with more years of formal education had a higher initial performance and a higher asymptotic performance. The learning rate, in turn, appeared to be unaffected by all three predictor variables.     

Examining the Motivation of Health Profession Students to Study Human Anatomy

Students' motivation is a vital determinant of academic performance that is influenced by the learning environment. This study aimed to assess and analyze the motivation subscales between different cohorts (chiropractic, dental, medical) of anatomy students (n = 251) and to investigate if these subscales had an effect on the students' anatomy performance. A 31-item survey, the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire was utilized, covering items on intrinsic and extrinsic goal orientation, task value, control of learning belief, self-efficiency for learning and performance, and test anxiety. First-year dental students were significantly more anxious than chiropractic students. Second-year chiropractic students attached more value to anatomy education than second-year medical students. The outcome of this research demonstrated a significant relationship between first- and second-year chiropractic students between anatomy performance and motivation subscales controlling for gender such as self-efficacy for learning and performance was (β = 8, CI: 5.18–10.8, P < 0.001) and (β = 6.25, CI: 3.40–9.10, P < 0.001) for first year and second year, respectively. With regards to intrinsic goal orientation, it was (β = 4.02, CI: 1.19–6.86, P = 0.006) and (β = 5.38, CI: 2.32–8.44, P = 0.001) for first year and second year, respectively. For the control of learning beliefs, it was (β = 3.71, 95% CI: 0.18–7.25, P = 0.04) and (β = 3.07, CI: 0.03–6.12, P = 0.048) for first year and second year, respectively. Interventions aimed at improving these motivation subscales in students could boost their anatomy performance.     

Book Reviews

Reading Bernstein, researching Bernstein : J. Muller, B. Davies & A. Morais (Eds) Handbook of qualitative research, 3rd edn : N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln Doing quantitative research in education with SPSS : Daniel Muijs Understanding teaching excellence in higher education: towards a critical approach : Alan Skelton English in urban classrooms. A multimodal perspective on teaching and learning : Gunther Kress, Carey Jewitt, Jill Bourne, Anton Franks, John Hardcastle, Ken Jones & Euan Reid Becoming biliterate—young children learning different writing systems : Charmian Kenner     

The discourse of language learning strategies: towards an inclusive approach

This paper critiques discourse surrounding language learning strategies within Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and argues for the creation of new definitions of language learning strategies that are rooted in the socio-political and socio-economic contexts of the marginalized. Section one of this paper describes linguistic imperialism theory and post-colonial education's responses to allegations therein: multicultural education theory, critical race theory, and technological egalitarianism. This section also highlights the difference between formal and informal learning in order to validate multiple learning strategies. Section two of this paper then analyses two prominent works by Oxford [2002. Language learning strategies around the world: Cross-cultural perspectives. Honolulu: Second Language Teaching & Curriculum Center, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. 2013. Language learning strategies: What every teacher should know. South Melbourne: Heinle Cengage Learning]. This section suggests that even though Oxford [2002. Language learning strategies around the world: Cross-cultural perspectives. Honolulu: Second Language Teaching & Curriculum Center, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa] made attempts to incorporate diverse voices into language learning strategy theory, her efforts in turn potentiate those who already have access to education. Finally, the concluding section postulates five principles for including marginalized voices in the discourse of language learning strategies in order to propose contextualized definitions: (1) incorporate non-extractive research among the marginalized, (2) document local knowledges and practices in marginalized communities, (3) confront one's own identity of privilege before, during, and after research, (4) allow those on the margins to define learning strategies, and (5) develop diversity within TESOL.     

Learning environment profiles of Turkish secondary biology classrooms

The purposes of this study were to examine how Turkish students perceived their biology classroom environment, how their perceptions compared to those of students in other countries, and what classroom learning environment profiles could be discerned in Turkish high school biology classrooms. Data were gathered from 1,474 high school students in four inner city schools, in Bursa, Turkey. A total of 11 biology teachers participated in the study with 52 of their classes. Data on students’ perceptions of their learning environment were collected with the What Is Happening In this Class? (WIHIC) questionnaire. Results indicated that Turkish classrooms were perceived as being low in terms of Teacher Support and high in terms of Task Orientation. Six distinct classroom learning environment profiles were found: the ‘self-directed learning classroom’, ‘task-oriented cooperative learning classroom’, ‘mainstream classroom’, ‘task-oriented individualised classroom’, ‘low-effective learning classroom’ and ‘high-effective learning classroom’. The most common profile was the ‘mainstream classroom’ for which all WIHIC scales had medium–high scores.     

“Wearing a mask” vs. connecting identity with learning

Contemporary insights regarding identity emphasize its situated, negotiated nature (i.e., identity is shaped by – and shapes in response – the contexts in which it is formed;  and ) Recent work also suggests that this identity/context intersection holds powerful implications regarding engagement in learning (Brophy, 2008). This pair of qualitative studies drew from contemporary models connecting learning with identity (Study 1: cultural modeling, Lee, 2007 and third-space/hybrid-identities, Gutiérrez, 2008; Study 2: Kids’ business inquiry projects, Fairbanks, 2000) to explore the nature and impact of such connections among disaffected ninth-grade English students at a high-needs school. Results demonstrate evidence of: (1) a significant connection between identity and learning; (2) students’ negotiation of engaged patterns of participation; (3) the relevance of student voice to this process; and (4) the impact of connections between identity and learning on students’ participation in, and affective response to, learning.     

Conceptions of,and approaches to,teaching online: a study of lecturers teaching postgraduate distance courses

This paper presents the outcomes of a study into online teaching. It builds upon previous research and conceptual frameworks produced by Kember and Kwan (Instr Sci 28(5):469–490, 2000) and Roberts (Instr Sci 31(1–2):127–150, 2003). It advances research on conceptions of, and approaches to, teaching by examining teaching in a novel context: distance-taught courses at the postgraduate level. Lecturers were interviewed from a Faculty of Health Sciences in a research-intensive Australian University. Relationships between conceptions and approaches found in previous research were confirmed in this study. However, it was found that the conceptions of online teaching proposed by Roberts (Instr Sci 31(1–2):127–150, 2003) did not adequately distinguish between the conceptions held by the lecturers interviewed in this study. Three modified conceptions of online teaching are proposed: ‘for individual access to learning materials and information; and for individual assessment’; ‘for learning related communication (asynchronous and/or synchronous)’; and ‘as a medium for networked learning’. Some of the dimensions developed by Roberts to describe approaches to online teaching were not applicable in this study setting and needed further modification. Two broad approaches emerged: ‘informative/individual learning focused’ and ‘communicative/networked learning focused’. Contextual influences on teaching reported by Kember and Kwan (Instr Sci 28(5):469–490, 2000)—that is, institutional influence, nature of students and subject and curriculum—were revealed in this study to have different levels of influence over approaches to online teaching: the first two being the more relevant ones.     

Learning about ‘learning identities’ in the school arithmetic practice: The experience of two young minority Gypsy girls in the Greek context of education

The present study explores the experience of two young Gypsy girls in solving school arithmetic tasks in interaction with an adult who supports their participation. Along with learning the use of arithmetic tools, a basic element concerning the experience of the two girls as they try to gain entry into the school practice is learning about developing relevant ‘learning identities’. Analysis of the girls’ interaction with an adult identifies that the type of ‘learning identities’ required involve at least two dimensions: (a) learning to value the use of formal arithmetic tools, and (b) learning about relevant ways of behaving in the school mathematics practice.     

How does help seeking help? - New prospects in a variety of contexts

The editors of this special section have focused on a theme that is both old and new. Research on help seeking has a long history and a strong theory pointing out that help seeking is an important academic strategy of self-regulation that facilitates learning. It is a new topic to consider in the context of broadened learning environments, increased opportunities provided by technology and multiple forms of social interactions available in new learning environments. I’ll consider the special section from a self-regulated learning research perspective and focus my remarks on three themes: (a) “How does help seeking help?”, (b) “adaptiveness of strategic help seeking”, and (c) “help seeking in pairs and teams”.     

Do they learn differently? An investigation of the pre-service teachers from US and China

Based on the hypothesis that learning preferences tend to vary over cultures, this study compared and contrasted the learning approaches and learning styles between Chinese and American pre-service teachers in an attempt to know more about the learning/teaching landscapes in these two countries as “teachers teach the way they learned” [Dunn, R., & Dunn, K. (1979). Learning styles/teaching styles: Should they...can they...be matched? Educational Leadership, 36, 243, 238–244]. The results showed significant differences between the two groups in deep and surface-learning approaches as well as kinesthetic and visual learning styles. The underlying cultural backgrounds and social–economic factors accounting for the differences were discussed and the implications for teaching and learning enhancement in teacher education were explored.     

Online learning: Learner characteristics and their approaches to managing learning

Using cluster analysis this study investigated the characteristics of learning strategies learners use in online courses with one-on-one mentoring. Three distinct approaches were identified: “Mastery oriented”, “Task focused” and “Minimalist in effort”. Despite the widespread concern that students will have difficulty managing their time in online courses with high level of student freedom, this study found that the vast majority of learners were very effective in their learning strategies. The findings speak well for the potential of distance education environments to provide high quality self-paced learning, accommodating different learning strategies, which is difficult to do in group-paced courses. We further explored how these approaches relate to and interact with, participants’ background and their levels of satisfaction and self reported learning.     

‘Learning Style’: frameworks and instruments

In both education and training an important aspect of the design, development and delivery of learning is the role of individual differences between learners in terms of their ‘learning styles’. One may identify four broad categories of what have been termed ‘learning style’: (i) ‘cognitive personality elements’ (e.g. Witkin et al. 1977; Riding, 1991); (ii) ‘information‐processing style’ (e.g. Kolb, 1984; Honey & Mumford, 1992); (iii) ‘approaches to studying’ (e.g. Entwistle & Tait, 1994); (iv) ‘instructional preferences’ (e.g. Riechmann & Grasha, 1974). A study of 245 university undergraduates in business studies aimed to: (i) describe the range of individual differences present within the sample; (ii) investigate the relationship between learners’ cognitive styles, learning styles, approaches to studying and learning preferences; (iii) consider the implications of ‘learning style’ for teaching and learning in higher education. The present study suggested some overlap between the dimensions measured by the Learning Styles Questionnaire (Honey & Mumford, 1986; 1992) and the Revised Approaches to Studying Inventory (Entwistle & Tait, 1994). No statistically significant correlations were found between cognitive style, as measured by the Cognitive Styles Analysis (Riding, 1991) and any of the other ‘style’ constructs used. Further research is required to investigate these relationships, as is a large‐scale factor analytical study of the Honey and Mumford and Kolb instruments. The notions of whole brain functioning, integra‐tive approaches to studying and degree of learning activity are discussed.     

The Effects of College Students’ Personal Values on Changes in Learning Approaches

Many studies of changes in learning approaches have used data from different age groups at one point in time only (Gow and Kember, High Educ 19:307–322, 1990; Watkins and Hattie, Br J Educ Psychol 51:384–393, 1981) or have analyzed the effects of just two or three factors using single level analytical techniques (Cano, Br J Educ Psychol 75:203–221, 2005; Duckwall et al., Res High Educ 32(1):1–13, 1991; Jay and Love, NCSSSMST J 7(2):4–8, 2002; Loo, Educ Psychol, 17(1/2), 1997; Watkins and Hattie, Hum Learn 4:127–141, 1985; Zeegers, Br J Educ Psychol 71:115–132, 2001). This study employs multilevel modeling as a more appropriate technique for the analysis of longitudinal data to examine factors influencing changes in the learning approaches of 153 international undergraduate students over a 3-year period. Specifically, using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), the effects of personal values (level-2) on learning approaches and changes in them over time (level-1) are examined. Results show no changes within students in the deep and surface approaches to learning but a significant decline for the achieving approach, particularly for students who previously experienced a more formal teaching authority. Furthermore, students’ personal values in terms of security, achievement and hedonism affect the achieving approach while no effects emerge for the personal values of tradition, conformity, universalism, self-direction and stimulation. Finally, these effects can be observed while no significant effects emerge for gender, discipline and ability.     

Concurrent and longitudinal associations between parental educational involvement,teacher support,and math anxiety: The role of math learning involvement in elementary school children

Environmental and individual factors are regarded as powerful predictors of math anxiety. However, their joint contribution to predicting math anxiety has not been thoroughly explored. To address this, two studies were conducted to examine how parental educational involvement and teacher support related to math evaluation anxiety and learning math anxiety concurrently (Study 1) and longitudinally (Study 2) and whether the effect of parental educational involvement and teacher support on math anxiety needed to go through math learning involvement. Third-grade students (Study 1: N = 1780, Study 2: N = 1850) from three public elementary schools participated in the studies. Concurrent analyses revealed that higher parental educational involvement and teacher support were associated with higher math learning involvement and lower math anxiety. Moreover, math learning involvement partially mediated the relation between parental educational involvement and math evaluation anxiety, teacher support and math evaluation anxiety, teacher support and learning math anxiety, but fully mediated the relation between parental educational involvement and learning math anxiety. Longitudinally, robust associations were found between current parental educational involvement, current teacher support, and subsequent learning math anxiety. But similar patterns did not emerge in math evaluation anxiety. Specifically, the direct effect of parental educational involvement and teacher support on math evaluation anxiety was not significant. These findings suggested the importance of taking into account the dimension of math anxiety when understanding the mechanisms of math anxiety from a dynamic developmental perspective. We demonstrate areas that need improvement and suggest possible future directions.     

初中学生学习自我控制量表的编制

自我控制是影响学习的主要因素,它是学习活动得以顺利进行的重要保证,这种自我控制在学习上的表现：自觉与专心学习,控制干扰的情绪,排除无关的干扰,编制一套有效的量表是研究学习自我控制的基础。根据Kuhl和Corno的行动控制理论,本研究提出了自我控制的三个结构的构想,并参考程炳林和林清山编制的“中学生学习行动控制量表”,编制了中学生学习自控力量表。经过因素分析得到了三个二级因素。初步验证了三个维度的构想,量表的信度与效度表明：自编的初中学生学习自控力量表具有一定的信度与效度。     

Understanding and applying the dynamics of test practice and study practice

Two different methods of practice are available in the learning of simple information, test practice or study practice. Of these two methods of learning, research has generally shown that test practice is superior to study practice. However, this research has not considered the testing advantage with respect to the fact that test learning is uncertain (i.e. if recall fails, nothing appears to be learned) or with respect to the fact that study learning depends greatly on the duration of the study event. The following work clarifies these issues by presenting an integrated computational model of the relative costs and benefits of testing compared to study presentation [based on the ACT-R theory of declarative memory; Anderson, J.R. & Schooler, L.J. (1991). Psychological Science 2: 396–408; Pavlik Jr., P.I.. & Anderson, J.R. (2005). Cognitive Science 29: 559–586]. This model was applied to determine how test and study practice can be optimally employed to improve learning and provides a framework for understanding the effects of mnemonic strategies in simple memory tasks.     

Book reviews

Book Reviewed in this article: Learning without limits S. Hart, A. Dixon, M. J. Drummond, D. McIntyre et al. Improving learning: professional practice in secondary schools D. Glover & S. Law Enhancing primary mathematics teaching I. Thompson (Ed.) We want our say R. Klein Early years play and learning: developing social skills and cooperation P. Broadhead Experiences of special education: re‐evaluating policy and practice through life stories D. Armstrong Challenging orthodoxy in special education: dissenting voices D. J. Gallagher, with L. Heshusius, R. P. Iano & T. M. Skrtic Ethnography for education C. Pole & M. Morrison     

Mitigating Resistance to Teaching Science Through Inquiry: Studying Self

This is the report of a qualitative emergent-design study of 2 different Web-enhanced science methods courses for preservice elementary teachers in which an experiential learning strategy, labeled “using yourself as a learning laboratory,” was implemented. Emergent grounded theory indicated this strategy, when embedded in a course organized as an inquiry with specified action foci, contributed to mitigating participants’ resistance to learning and teaching through inquiry. Enroute to embracing inquiry, learners experienced stages resembling the stages of grief one experiences after a major loss. Data sources included participant observation, electronic artifacts in WebCT, and interviews. Findings are reported in 3 major sections: “Action Foci Common to Both Courses,” “Participants’ Growth and Change,” and “Challenges and Tradeoffs.”