Students’ intuitive explanations of the causes of homologies and adaptations

This paper reports data from a study aiming to explore secondary students’ preconceptions and explanations about evolutionary processes. Students may exhibit both alternative and scientifically acceptable conceptions and bring different ones into play in response to different problem contexts. Hence, the examination of their explanations before instruction within different problem contexts is expected to highlight the concepts that instruction should put more emphasis on. To achieve this, an open-ended questionnaire in conjunction with semi-structured interviews was used to allow students to express their own views on issues related to evolution. Students’ explanations highlighted their lack of knowledge of important evolutionary concepts such as common descent and natural selection. In addition, many students explained the origin of traits as the result of evolution through need via purposeful change or as carefully designed adaptations. Rather than evolutionary, final causes formed the basis for the majority of students’ explanations. In many cases students provided different explanations for the same process to tasks with different content. It seems that the structure and the content of the task may have an effect on the explanations that students provide. Implications for evolution education are discussed and a minimal explanatory framework for evolution is suggested.     

Students’ preferences for lecturers’ personalities

The present study set out to examine students’ preferences for lecturers’ personality as a function of their classroom behaviour, core self-evaluations and self-rated character strengths. Various hypotheses were tested: first, students’ Big Five traits would significantly predict corresponding personality preferences for lecturers (the matching hypothesis); second, students’ core self-evaluation scores would significantly predict preferences for extraverted, agreeable and conscientious lecturers; and third, self-rated character strengths would also significantly predict extraverted, agreeable and conscientious lecturers. We also investigated difference in preferences among two ethnic groups (South East Asian/Chinese versus Caucasian/British). In all, 264 British students completed four questionnaires. Conscientiousness was the most desired trait in lecturers, followed by agreeableness, extraversion and openness; neuroticism was the least desired trait. Preference for agreeable lecturers was best predicted by all individual difference variables. Caucasian students had a stronger dislike for neurotic lecturers, while Asians had higher preferences for extraverted, open and agreeable lecturers. There was some evidence of the student–lecturer personality match. Limitations and further research options were discussed.     

Metrics for Students’ Soft Skills

This article presents a systematic approach to defining, applying, evaluating, refining, and revising metrics for students’ soft skills—their abilities like critical thinking, problem solving, leadership and responsibility, communication, and collaboration. The importance of these skills in educational and work settings is growing rapidly. While such skills are easy to notice, they are hard to measure. Metrics do exist, but vary from one case to another, and are often rather implicit and vague. Contrary to that, this article proposes the use of precisely specified, measurable, low-inference indicators (metrics) to assess soft skills. The article also introduces an open set of principles that can be used to guide the specification of concrete, evidence-based metrics for different soft skills. Two case studies are used to illustrate the approach. These case studies are part of a larger research effort that has developed an open set of metrics for different soft skills; some of them are discussed in the article extensively. Generalizing the metrics used in specific educational contexts is also discussed.     

Young children’s impressionable use of teleology: the influence of question wording and questioned topic on teleological explanations for natural phenomena

There is a significant body of research on children’s preconceptions concerning scientific concepts and the impact this has upon their science education. One active issue concerns the extent to which young children’s explanations for the existence of natural kinds rely on a teleological rationale: for example, rain is for watering the grass, or tigers’ stripes are for camouflage. It has been argued that this teleological tendency hampers children’s ability to learn about causality in the natural world. This paper investigates two factors (question wording and topic) which it is argued have led to a misestimation of children’s teleological tendencies within the area natural phenomena: i.e. those that are time-constrained, natural events or process such as snow, clouds or night. Sixty-six (5–8 years old) children took part in a repeated-measures experiment, answering both open and leading questions across 10 topics of natural phenomena. The findings indicate that children’s teleological reasoning may have been overestimated as open-question forms significantly reduced their tendency to answer teleologically. Moreover, the concept of teleology is more nuanced than often suggested. Consequently, young children may be more able to learn about causal explanations for the existence of natural phenomena than the literature implies.     

Students’ model-based explanations about natural selection and antibiotic resistance through socio-scientific issues-based learning

Antibiotic resistance (ABR) is a significant contemporary socio-scientific issue. To engage in informed reasoning about ABR, students need to understand natural selection. A secondary science unit was designed and implemented, combining an issues-based approach and model-based reasoning, to teach students about natural selection and ABR. This sequential explanatory mixed methods study explored students’ explanations of natural selection. Students created model-based explanations (MBEs) about ABR and verbally explained generalised natural selection during semi-structured interviews. Students’ MBEs significantly increased in natural selection content, and misconceptions about natural selection and ABR significantly decreased after the unit. However, students’ explanations of generalised natural selection differed from ABR explanations. Students struggled to include mutation as the cause of initial variation when explaining generalised natural selection, whereas students included mutation when explaining ABR but often did so after selection pressure. Qualitative analysis indicated students correctly explained ABR or correctly explained generalised natural selection, but none correctly explained both. Students who did understand ABR struggled to apply their understanding to a context other than ABR. This study demonstrates contextual differences in students’ natural selection ideas and provides implications for natural selection instruction. While ABR is a compelling issue to contextualise natural selection instruction, it may be problematic.     

Preschoolers’ and first graders’ reasons for liking or avoiding school

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study examined 287 Turkish children's school experiences and sought to connect such experiences to their overall feelings about school. A semi-structured interview protocol derived from Ladd, Kochenderfer, and Coleman’s [1996. “Friendship Quality as a Predictor of Children’s Early School Adjustment.” Child Development 67 (3): 1103–1118] School Liking and Avoidance Questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants, who comprised 141 preschoolers and 146 first graders. Most members of both groups stated that school was fun, that they were happy when they were there, and that they felt happy about going to school in the morning. Most preschoolers and first graders also said that school did not make them feel like crying, and that they did not wish they could stay home from school or go somewhere else. However, slightly more than half the respondents stated that they felt happier when it was time to go home from school. Preschoolers tended to emphasise positive features of school such as toys, whereas first graders were more likely to talk about learning new things, and their in-school friendships.     

Accounting for unexpected test responses through examinees’ and their teachers’ explanations

Researchers have developed indices to identify persons whose test results ‘misfit’ and are considered statistically ‘aberrant’ or ‘unexpected’ and whose measures are consequently potentially invalid, drawing the test’s validity into question. This study draws on interviews of pupils and their teachers, using a sample of 31 10‐year‐olds who were flagged as most ‘aberrant’ in a standardised mathematics test. The children’s and their teachers’ explanations were analysed and attributed: (i) to item‐, person‐ (self/other) and classroom‐levels; and ii) according to causal dimensions. Children’s and teachers’ explanations were mostly in agreement in relation to unexpected negative results and they included references to previously well‐cited sources of construct‐irrelevant variance (e.g. ineffective test‐taking strategies, careless mistakes) as well as construct‐relevant variance (e.g. misconceptions, weaknesses in particular topics). Findings of this exploratory study are discussed from a test validity and attribution theory perspective: we conclude that this approach offers grounds for multi‐level explanations of person misfit and that this qualitative research approach to unexpected responses is worthy of more attention.     

Assessment for the right reasons

hinking carefully about the reasons for assess-ment helps to make clear which methodsof assessment are best suited to our purposes, as well as helping make decisions about what and when to assess.     

Fifth-grade students’ use and preferences for mathematically and practically based explanations

This paper focuses on fifth-grade students’ use and preference for mathematically (MB) and practically based (PB) explanations within two mathematical contexts: parity and equivalent fractions. Preference was evaluated based on three parameters: the explanation (1) was convincing, (2) would be used by the student in class, and (3) was one that the student wanted the teacher to use. Results showed that students generated more MB explanations than PB explanations for both contexts. However, when given a choice between various explanations, PB explanations were preferred in the context of parity, and no preference was shown for either type of explanation in the context of equivalent fractions. Possible bases for students’ preferences are discussed.     

Factors Impacting on Students’ Readiness for Higher Education

This article reports on a study that examined the readiness levels of students in the South African context. Particularly, the study explored the differences between various students’ academic proficiency, support mechanisms, motivational levels and overall integration with the university. A quantitative approach was used and 117 full-time first-year National Diploma in Human Resource Management students from the Nelson Mandela University (formerly known as Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University) participated in the study. This study therefore focused on one student cohort at a particular higher education institution (HEI). The findings revealed that a combination of cognitive and non-cognitive variables influences student readiness and success. Even though HEIs have implemented interventions, the level of student readiness remains low. It was noted, however, that students who scored high on the variables were more likely to succeed in higher education.     

College Students’Quest for Lexical Study and Application

What every brick is for grande building,vocabulary is for the foundation laid for the acquisition of one language.It follows that authentic expressions are justified by the mastery of its application in a specific context.Therefore,it is crucial to delve into the process of vocabulary acquisition,that is,the effect of students’input and output.Words’meanings varied in distinct contexts.Starting from the above two aspects,this paper illustrates the understanding of learning words through examples,so as to optimize the word learning method to achieve twice the result with half the effort.     

Students’ use of a rubric for research theses

A rubric for research theses was developed, based on the manual of the American Psychological Association, to be used as an assessment tool for teachers and students. The aim was to make students aware of what is expected, get familiar with criteria, and interpret teacher and peer feedback. In two studies, it was examined whether students use and value these functions. In the first study, a rubric was provided to 105 Educational Sciences students working on their bachelor’s thesis. Questionnaire data indicated that students did value the rubric for the intended functions, although rubric use was not related to ability. In a panel interview, teachers stated that the number of proficiency levels should be increased to be able to distinguish between good and excellent students adequately, and that a criterion concerning student’s role during supervision should be added. Therefore, in the second study, 11 teachers were interviewed about their motives to give high grades and about the supervision process. This lead to an extra criterion concerning student’s role during supervision and an additional proficiency level to assess excellent performance. It is argued that an adequate course organisation is conditional for the rubric’s effectiveness.     

Strategies for Effective Comments on Students’ Written Assignments

Abstract:Comments on students’assignments are important for English course.The loopholes in teachers’working schemes-comments of their students’written assignments are the clues around which the paper spreads.In the process of teaching,some English teachers pay so much attention to the contents taught in class but ignore the comments on students’written assignments.Consequently,it is not applicable for students to correct their mistakes in time and they probably make the same mistakes repeatedly.     

Teachers’ reasons for using peer assessment: positive experience predicts use

Peer assessment (PA) is one of the central principles of formative assessment and assessment for learning (AfL) fields. There is ample empirical evidence as to the benefits for students’ learning when AfL principles are implemented. However, teachers play a critical role in mediating the implementation of intended policies. Hence, their experiences, beliefs, and attitudes towards PA are important factors in determining whether the policy is actually carried out. A survey of over 1500 primary, secondary, and higher education teachers in Spain elicited their beliefs and values around PA as well as other aspects of formative assessment; only 751 teachers provided complete responses to all PA items. Teachers reported occasional use of PA in their classrooms but with positive experience of it. The vast majority did not use anonymous forms of PA and half of the teachers considered the students were accurate when assessing peers. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to examine relationships of attitudes and beliefs to self-reported frequency of using of PA. The self-reported frequency of using PA was strongly predicted by teacher experience of PA which included positive reasons for using PA, rather than negative obstacles for avoiding, prior use, and beliefs that students should participate in assessment, and willingness to include PA in grading.     

Exploring Israeli high school graduates’ explanations for the spread of the coronavirus

Educational Studies in Mathematics - The aim of this study is to explore Israeli high school graduates’ mathematical explanations for the spread of the coronavirus, given that the mathematics...     

Investigating teachers’ explanations for aggressive classroom discipline strategies in China and Australia

Student misbehaviour can provoke aggressive teacher management (e.g. yelling in anger), adversely effecting students’ learning and attitudes toward school. To investigate this phenomenon, data were obtained from 75 Chinese (typically Eastern) and 192 Victorian (typically Western) secondary teachers who self-reported aggressive management. Results: 49% of Chinese and 59% of Australian teachers adopt aggressive behaviours rarely to sometimes; and, 9% of Chinese and 13% of Australian teachers sometimes or more frequently. The teachers were assessed for levels of support for Attribution, Attachment or Efficacy theory as explanations. The only significant differences were found for Attachment theory with Chinese teachers reporting significantly more support. National setting explained 29% of the variance independent of gender, levels of aggression and years of experience.     

Students’ use of asynchronous discussions for academic discourse socialization

Our universities are becoming increasingly diverse at the same time as online asynchronous discussions (OADs) are emerging as the most important forum for computer mediated communication (CMC) in distance education. But there is shortage of studies that explore how graduate students from different ethnic, linguistic and cultural backgrounds use OADs for academic discourse socialization. This article discusses a qualitative study conducted to address these issues. Language socialization and community of practice theories informed the study. Analyses of surveys, interviews, and Blackboard postings from seven hybrid courses reveal that participants perceived OADs highly positively and used them as a virtual community for academic and professional discourse socialization and appropriation. Findings also suggest that students experienced some frustrations and disappointments regarding professorial presence and grading. We discuss these findings, show how academic and professional discourse socialization occurs in asynchronous virtual reality, and draw implications for further research and practice.     

Students’ interests for personalized learning: an analysis guide

The lack of alignment between, on the one hand, what schools seek to teach and, on the other, the students’ interests and learning objectives is leading to increasing numbers of students who are unable to derive meaning from school activities. Personalized learning strategies represent one of the most powerful ways to help students attribute meaning and personal value to their learning. This paper has two interrelated objectives. The first is to present a guide to the analysis of educational practices that work with and from students’ interests. This tool makes it possible to identify the potential of practices to reinforce and promote the meaning and personal value that students attach to their school learning. The guide is structured around three large blocks (personalization strategies, conceptions of interests, and design and development of practices), which describe the dimensions, subdimensions, questions, and levels for the analysis. The second objective is to illustrate use of the guide by analyzing two practices designed and implemented in primary school classrooms, characterized by a focus on students’ learning interests. The paper concludes by highlighting the main contributions of the guide presented, identifying some limitations, and pointing to future lines of research.