“I'm just not that great at science”: Science self-efficacy in arts and communication students

Research in science education confirms the importance of self-efficacy in students' persistence and success in the sciences. The current study examined the role of science self-efficacy in nonspecialist, arts and communication-oriented students encountering science in a general education context. Participants (N = 275) completed a beginning- and end-of-semester survey including a Science Self-Efficacy Scale, a “connection to science” measure—the Inclusion of Science in Self Scale—and a Science Anxiety Scale. Participants also responded to two open-ended “sources of science efficacy” questions, and provided background/demographic information and access to their academic records. Results showed a significant increase in science self-efficacy and connection to science—although no change in science anxiety—over the course of the semester. The observed shift in self-efficacy for minority and international students was of particular note. These students started the course with lower confidence but, by the end of the semester, reported comparable science self-efficacy, and achieved similar grades to their White/Non-Hispanic and US resident classmates. Contrary to expectations, science self-efficacy did not predict performance in the class. However, students' self-reported sources of efficacy indicated increased confidence in using science in daily life, and confirmed the value of mastery experiences and of personally meaningful, student-centered course design in scaffolding student confidence. Results are discussed in terms of the individual and instructional factors that support science self-efficacy and student success in this unique, general education science environment.     

Examining the role of self-efficacy and online metacognitive monitoring behaviors in undergraduate life science education

In STEM education, a thorough understanding of the interaction of self-efficacy and metacognitive monitoring behaviors is needed to refine theories and inform the design of instructional supports for students with varying levels of motivation and self-regulation skills. We examined how students' (n = 1063) exam scores in an undergraduate life science course were influenced by their self-efficacy and online metacognitive monitoring behaviors by integrating variable-centered and person-centered approaches. In a semester-long study, students' self-efficacy judgements made at the end of the semester were stronger predictors of students' final exam performance than those made at the beginning of the semester. Results further suggested that the influence of self-efficacy on exam scores decreased as online monitoring behaviors increased. Students’ prior GPA predicted membership in three latent profiles indicated by 1) high self-efficacy with high metacognitive monitoring activity; 2) high self-efficacy with low metacognitive monitoring activity; and 3) low self-efficacy with low metacognitive monitoring activity. Learners with high self-efficacy and high monitoring activity outperformed those with high self-efficacy and low monitoring, who outperformed those with low self-efficacy and low monitoring on exams.     

“从做中学”教学观对培养高职生英语学习自我效能感的启示

学生英语学习的自我效能感体现了学生对自己英语学习的自信和期望,是影响学生学习效果的一个重要非智力因素。在英语教学中,可以运用杜威“从做中学”教学观,通过建立和谐师生关系、设置合理学习目标、活化教学过程、构建多元评价体系等,调动学生学习的积极性,增强自信心,培养其英语学习自我效能感。     

The effect of success or failure on self-efficacy and task persistence of conduct-disordered children

Twenty-four children with conduct disorders were familiarized with a pattern-matching task, and their self-efficacy expectations for this task were assessed. Subjects were then given either “Success” or “Failure” feedback for a series of similar problems, and their self-efficacy was reassessed. Finally, task persistence was evaluated by allowing subjects to attempt as many additional pattern-matching problems as they wished, with all subjects receiving failure feedback. Results indicated that, although the two groups of subjects were initially similar, the success group's self-efficacy was significantly higher following feedback. The success group also attempted significantly more problems while later receiving failure feedback, and there was a significant positive correlation between task persistence and the second self-efficacy rating. These findings were related to Bandura's self-efficacy theory and to educational programming for conduct-disordered children.     

Using collaborative two‐stage examinations to address test anxiety in a large enrollment gateway course

Large enrollment foundational courses are perceived as “high stakes” because of their potential to act as barriers for progression to the next course or admittance to a program. The nature of gateway courses makes them ideal settings to explore the relationship between anxiety, pedagogical interventions, and student performance. Here, two‐stage collaborative examinations were implemented to improve test‐taking skills and address widespread test anxiety in an introductory human anatomy course. Test anxiety data were collected (using the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire) before the first examination and last examination. Most students experienced decreased test anxiety over the course of the semester; however, some students may have experienced performance limiting conditions due to test anxiety at the end of the semester based on academic ability in the course (in “C” students when compared to “A” students: P < 0.00006 and “B” students: P < 0.05), overall academic ability (in academically weaker students: P < 0.025), and demographic factors (in women: P < 0.025). The strongest performances on examinations were primarily observed in already academically strong students (mean individual performance: P < 0.000, mean group performance: P < 0.000). Furthermore, changes in test anxiety were not significantly associated with the group portion of the examinations. Patterns of changes in test anxiety over the course of the semester underscore a complex interaction between test anxiety, student background, and student performance. Results suggest that pathways for test anxiety in “high stakes” courses may be separate from the mechanisms responsible for the benefits of collaborative testing. Anat Sci Educ 10: 409–422. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.     

EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG CLASSROOM CLIMATE, SELF-EFFICACY, AND ACHIEVEMENT IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS: A MULTI-LEVEL ANALYSIS

For nearly 50 years, leaders in American industry, military, education, and politics have focused considerable attention on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. Given the increased societal demand for STEM careers, the relationships among classroom climate, self-efficacy, and achievement in undergraduate mathematics needed to be examined. A purposeful sample of college algebra instructors (n = 15), employed at public 4-year universities in various states (n = 10) across the nation, was administered the Principles of Adult Learning Scale at the beginning of the semester to assess classroom climate. At the end of the course semester, their college algebra students (n = 326) were administered the Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale-Revised and final college algebra examinations. The results of the multi-level analysis indicated: (a) students having higher mathematics self-efficacy also had higher mathematics achievement, (b) teacher-centered classroom climates had greater mathematics self-efficacy levels, (c) classroom climate was not a significant predictor of mathematics achievement, (c) classroom climate did not moderate the relationship between mathematics self-efficacy and achievement, and (d) although boys reported higher mathematics self-efficacy than girls, gender differences were not found to exist in regard to mathematics achievement.     

THE GOVERNMENTALIZATION OF LEARNING AND THE ASSEMBLAGE OF A LEARNING APPARATUS

Abstract In this essay, Maarten Simons and Jan Masschelein reconsider the concepts “educationalization” and “the grammar of schooling” in the light of the overwhelming importance of “learning” today. Doubting whether these concepts and related historical‐analytical perspectives are still useful, the authors suggest the concept “learning apparatus” as a point of departure for an analysis of the “grammar of learning.” They draw on Michel Foucault’s analysis of governmentality to describe how learning has become a matter of both government and self‐government. In describing the governmentalization of learning and the current assemblage of a ”learning apparatus,” Simons and Masschelein indicate how the concept of learning has become disconnected from education and teaching and has instead come to refer to a kind of capital, to something for which the learner is personally responsible, to something that can and should be managed, and to something that must be employable. Finally, the authors elaborate how these discourses combine to play a crucial role in contemporary advanced liberalism that seeks to promote entrepreneurship.     

Do teachers' achievement goals and self-efficacy beliefs matter for students’ learning experiences? Evidence from two studies on perceived teaching quality and emotional experiences

Although teacher motivation is posited to matter for students' learning experiences, this remains largely uninvestigated, particularly in higher education. In two studies, we analyzed the role of higher education teachers' achievement goals and self-efficacy for students' learning experiences. In Study 1 (k = 166 teachers, n = 2,106 students), we assessed teachers' motivations at the semester start, and students' course-specific perceptions of teaching quality (overall rating, learning) and emotions (joy, boredom) at the semester end. Latent multilevel modeling indicated favorable associations for teachers' self-efficacy, but not for their goals. In Study 2 (k = 96 teachers, n = 16,009 students), we assessed the same constructs and measured students' learning experiences weekly regarding 828 specific course sessions. Additionally, we included teachers’ session-specific motivations. Results replicated the effects of self-efficacy on the teacher-level and suggested that performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals primarily matter on the level of specific sessions. This affirms the relevance of teacher motivations and illuminates the importance of their specificity.     

Improved Appreciation of Mathematics Through an IBL Liberal Arts Mathematics Course

Abstract

The author has taught an inquiry-based liberal arts mathematics class using the text “The Heart of Mathematics: An Invitation to Effective Thinking” by Edward B. Burger and Michael Starbird a total of 20 times since Spring 2001. The students in this class have almost all been in non-technical majors and many started the semester with negative or ambivalent attitudes toward mathematics based on their prior experiences. The author has gathered responses from students in this class that illustrate significant changes in their attitudes towards mathematics during the course. In particular, the responses gathered at the end of the semester are often eloquent about understanding the great ideas of mathematics that students confronted in this course and about seeing many more and varied connections between mathematics and the “real world” than they had previously realized existed.     

It Says in the JER…

Abstract

This study was designed to see how successfully the unwed mother fits into the environment of the “culturally deprived” high school after having given birth to an Illegitimate child. Thirty-seven subjects were selected ns a study group and their progress was followed for one semester. Their records In three areas, attendance, grades, and emotional behavior were compared with a control group which was made up of a random sampling of the school's population.

The results showed that In nil three areas the study group scored considerably lower than the control. By the end of the semester over half of the unwed mothers had dropped out of school while only 13 percent of the control group had left. The conclusion was reached that without special help most unwed mothers will have considerable trouble when returned to school.     

Exploring Self-Efficacy among Entry-Level and Advanced BSW Students

This study compared a sample of entry-level and advanced BSW students, who completed pretest and posttest self-efficacy measures, to assess their level of confidence in performing social work tasks after 15 weeks of instruction. By the end of the semester, only advanced students made significant gains in self-efficacy beliefs, and they showed a significantly higher self-efficacy belief than entry-level students. Results suggest that increased mastery experiences, as found in the advanced social work curriculum, may help students develop confidence in their ability to practice as professional social workers.     

The effect of authentic m-learning activities on student engagement and motivation

Authentic collaborative m-learning activities were designed, developed and implemented for a computer networking course. The effect of the activities on student engagement and motivation were analyzed using a mixed method research design. Moreover, the effect of the iterative design of the content and instructional process of authentic m-learning activities on students' engagement and motivation were analyzed in the study. The activities were implemented for two consecutive semesters and were modified based on the findings from the first semester. Student engagement survey and motivation questionnaire were used to collect quantitative data, student interview protocol was used to collect qualitative data for further investigation. The findings from the first semester indicated that the engagement categories “personal development” and “satisfaction from the course” had the highest mean scores. In the second semester, the highest mean score belonged to the “personal development” category, followed by “collaborative learning.” Comparison of the results from two semesters revealed that the improvements in the content of the activities and instructional process increased the “collaboration” among students as well as their “interaction with instructor.” Paired sample t-tests revealed a difference in indicators of student motivation within groups in both semesters. Analysis of the interview data showed that students perceived the authentic activities as an appropriate tool for enhancement in “communication” and “collaboration” opportunities.     

No Downturn Here: Tracking E‐business Programs in Higher Education*

As the fortunes of e‐businesses fluctuate, what is the state of e‐business educational offerings? The present study attempted to explore this question by investigating the number and nature of e‐business programs available in colleges and universities. Results were compared to previously published findings on e‐business education. Data were collected from program web sites. Master's and bachelor's degree programs based in North America and elsewhere in the world were examined. Despite the “dot‐bomb” economy, the present data suggested large increases in all foreign and North American bachelor's programs between the start of the fall semester of 2000 and November 2001. The number of North American master's programs appeared to increase dramatically during the year 2000 and at a lesser rate afterward. Findings also suggested that bachelor's and foreign master's programs involved more technical e‐business courses than the North American master's programs. The educational and economic factors possibly underlying these trends are discussed.     

Using Extreme Programming in the Software Design Course

This is a report on an effort to bring the practices of the Extreme Programming methodology into a Software Design course. Two teams of 11 members followed many of those practices in developing their semester projects. We described the practices required of the development teams, those encouraged, and those that were not easily simulated. Near the end of the semester the students were asked to answer questions about how well each practice had served the process. Summaries and examples of their responses along with the instructor's observations are presented as an evaluation of this approach. The main conclusions are that pair programming is generally powerful and popular, and that it is difficult to make upper level students write tests prior to writing code. Suggestions for what might be done differently to better simulate the Extreme Programming methodology are included. The foremost suggestion is to teach a “test first” approach in all programming courses.     

The “good professor” as perceived by university instructors

The purpose of this study is to answer the question: What is the Israeli instructor's conception of a “good university professor?” The study deals with the instructor's conception of the characteristics of the “good professor” with regard to the department in which he is teaching. A sample of 51 instructors from two departments were asked to select the three most important characteristics of a “good university professor” from a list of fifteen. It was shown that instructors attached primary importance to the professor's ability to spark intellectual growth. Of secondary importance was his method of instruction. The professor's traits connected to his academic status and his personality were of relatively little concern. There was unanimity among instructors from the two departments in their conception of what a “good professor” should be. They singled out characteristics that fall under the heading of delivery. A disparity exists between the instructor's conception of the “good professor” and the students' conception.     

Selective Parent Participation: Structural and Cultural Factors that Influence School Participation Among Korean Parents

This study examines the process of parent participation for a group of Korean parents in a Korean English two-way immersion program who were labeled “uncooperative.” It adopts Ogbu's cultural ecological theory as the theoretical framework for examining the phenomenon and thus it examines both the environmental as well as the cultural forces that underlie the parents' patterns of participation. Over the course of an academic semester, eight parents and three staff members were interviewed and observed during PTA meetings and other parent involvement events. Findings indicate that the Korean parents practiced “selective participation.” Findings also point to the importance of acknowledging institutional barriers and cultural differences in parents' school participation patterns.     

家庭、同伴支持对大学生社会责任感的影响

采用问卷法调查了400名“90后”大学生,运用回归分析法研究了家庭支持、同伴支持与大学生社会责任感的关系以及自我效能感在其中的中介作用。结果发现:（1）“90后”大学生社会责任感水平较高,社会责任感包括自我责任行动、他人责任行动与社会责任行动3个结构维度;（2）家庭支持与自我效能感、自我责任行动、他人责任行动与社会责任行动均显著正相关,同伴支持与自我效能感、社会责任行动均显著正相关;（3）自我效能感在家庭支持与自我责任行动、他人责任行动、社会责任行动间均起到部分中介作用,在同伴支持与社会责任行动间起到完全中介作用。     

School Strategies of Children with Multiple Relocations at Refuges for Abused Women

ABSTRACT

Worldwide, domestic violence forces many mothers with their children into refuges for abused women. Some children experience multiple residential relocations and continual schooling disruption. Limited research exists exploring these children's school experiences. This article examines their strategies at school. Data were collected in qualitative interviews with 20 children, ages 6–16, with multiple stays at Norwegian refuges. Data were coded according to the constructivist approach to grounded theory. The generated code “thought control” led to Bandura's theory of “self-efficacy and thought control” as the framework for data analysis. Children used six strategies to regulate their emotional state at school. The strategies were: imaginative safety, recreational learning, healing talks, physical activity, divertive play, and creative explanations.     

How college science students engage in note‐taking strategies

A composite theory of college science student note‐taking strategies was derived from a periodic series of five interviews with 23 students and with other variables, including original and final versions of notes analyzed during a semester‐long genetics course. This evolving composite theory was later compared with Van Meter, Yokoi, and Pressley's (Journal of Educational Psychology, 86, 323–338, 1994) corresponding composite “college students' theory of note‐taking.” Students' notes in this long‐term study were also compared with a standard of “adequate” note‐taking established by experts. Analyses detected many similarities between the two composite theories. Analyses also provided evidence of inadequate note‐taking strategies, inconsistencies between what students claimed and evidently did with their notes, and weak self‐regulating learning strategies. Recommendations included prompting students during class on how to take notes. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 43: 786–818, 2006     

Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Voices Describe How Their Teacher Motivated Them to do Mathematics

In this study, data in the form of (preservice teacher) student voices taken from mathematical autobiographies, written at the beginning of the semester, and end-of-semester reflections, were analyzed in order to examine why preservice elementary school teachers were highly motivated in a social constructivist mathematics course in which the teacher emphasized mastery goals. The findings suggest that students entered the course with a wide variety of feelings about mathematics and their own mathematical ability. At the end of the semester, students wrote about aspects of the course that “led to their growth as a mathematical thinker and as a mathematics teacher…” Student responses were coded within themes that emerged from the data: Struggle; Construction of meaning [mathematical language; mathematical understanding]; Grouping [working in groups]; Change [self-efficacy; math self-concept]; and the Teacher’s Role. These themes are described using student voices and within a motivation goal theory framework. The role of struggle, in relation to motivation, is discussed.