Making Connections: Learning and Teaching Chemistry in Context

Even though several studies have reported positive attitudinal outcomes from context-based chemistry programs, methodological obstacles have prevented researchers from comparing satisfactorily the chemistry-learning outcomes between students who experience a context-based program with those who experience a content-driven program. In this narrative inquiry we are able to address the question: how do the recalled experiences of a student and her teacher in context-based and concept-based chemistry programs compare? From the student’s unique perspective of experiencing both programs with the same teacher, we have constructed our collective account around four themes; namely, the extent to which the student makes connections between chemistry concepts and real-world contexts, developing research independence through engaging in extended experimental investigations related to contexts, learning chemistry concepts through contexts, and conceptual sequencing in a context-based program. The student reported real-world connections between chemistry concepts and contexts, found her engagement in the context-driven tasks interesting and productive, and identified connected sequences of concepts across the contexts studied. Despite difficulties for teachers who are required to shift pedagogies, the student’s lived experiences and outcomes from a context-based program provide some encouragement in working through these issues.     

Associations Between Teacher-Rated Versus Self-Rated Student Temperament and School Achievement

This study examined whether teacher-rated versus self-rated student temperaments are different in relation to the school grades in Maths and Mother language (ML) instruction in a nationally representative sample of Finnish Secondary School students (n?=?1,063, mean age 15.1 years). The results indicated that teacher-rated temperament was more strongly associated with students' Maths and ML grades than self-rated temperament. All the teacher-rated temperament traits were associated with school grades, accounting for 38% and 45% of the variance in Maths and ML, respectively. Of the self-rated temperaments, high task orientation and its components, high persistence and low distractibility, were associated with better school grades both in Maths and ML. Low reactivity and low negative emotionality were associated only with better ML grades, whereas high inhibition was associated only with better Maths grades. A temperament-conscious education needs to be taken into account in future teacher training.     

The Longitudinal Link Between Student Health and Math Achievement Scores

This study investigated the relationship between health conditions suffered over time and student scores on the Stanford Achievement Test 9 in Yuma County, Arizona, public grade schools. The majority of children in Yuma County were of Hispanic origin. The poverty and low income status of most of these children placed them at greater risk for health problems. The primary purpose of the study was to ascertain how the rate of math achievement of students who suffered from an illness or injury prior to testing compared to those students who had no known illness or injury. Findings suggested that physical illness influenced math achievement trajectories adversely. Importantly, the achievement gaps associated with several health conditions attenuated over time. However, children who experienced an injury or poisoning, or an endocrine, nutritional, or metabolic disease developed permanent math achievement deficits.     

Exploring the Impact of Student Teaching Apprenticeships on Student Achievement and Mentor Teachers

Abstract

We exploit within-teacher variation in the years that math and reading teachers in grades 4–8 host an apprentice (“student teacher”) in Washington State to estimate the causal effect of these apprenticeships on student achievement, both during the apprenticeship and afterwards. While the average causal effect of hosting a student teacher on student performance in the year of the apprenticeship is indistinguishable from zero in both math and reading, hosting a student teacher is found to have modest positive impacts on student math and reading achievement in a teacher’s classroom in following years. These findings suggest that schools and districts can participate in the student teaching process without fear of short-term decreases in student test scores while potentially gaining modest long-term test score increases.     

Antagonism Between Achievement and Enjoyment in ATI Studies

There is evidence that negative correlations between student achievement and their enjoyment of instructional methods exist under certain circumstances. In aptitude‐treatment interaction (ATI) studies where two or more methods are allowed to interact with student aptitudes to predict enjoyment and achievement, it appears that students often report enjoying the method from which they learn the least. Selected ATI studies are reviewed, and an explanation is suggested which may account for the negative correlations between achievement and enjoyment in instructional settings. It appears that students make inaccurate judgments about the amount of effort they will have to expend to achieve maximum learning outcomes. Low ability students typically report liking more permissive instructional methods, apparently because they allow them to maintain a “low profile” so that their failures are not as visible. However, in order to experience maximum achievement low ability students require less permissive methods which lower the information processing load on them. High ability students like more structured methods which they believe will make their efforts more efficient when these lower load methods seem often to interfere with their learning. High ability students seem to learn more from more permissive approaches which allow them to bring their own considerable skills to bear on learning tasks.     

Using Statistical Control Charts to Analyze Data from Student Evaluations of Teaching

In this paper, a method for analyzing data from student evaluations of teaching is presented. The first step of the process requires development of a regression model for teacher's summary rating as a function of student's expected grade. Then, two‐sigma control charts for individual evaluation scores (section averages) and residuals from the regression model are used to identify both excellent and poor outcomes. The performance of an individual whose scores are out of control on both charts cannot be explained by expected grade and therefore is worthy of note.     

A Classroom Study on the Relationship Between Student Achievement and Retrieval-Enhanced Learning

Retrieval practice has been shown to produce powerful learning gains in laboratory experiments but has seldom been explored in classrooms as a means of enhancing students’ learning of their course-relevant material. Furthermore, research is lacking concerning the role of individual differences in learning from retrieval. The current study explored the effects of retrieval in a large undergraduate introductory biology course as a function of individual differences in student achievement. Students completed in-class exercises that required them to retrieve course information (e.g., recalling definitions for terms and labeling diagrams) followed by feedback or to simply copy the information without retrieving it. A later quiz over the information showed that high-performing students benefited more from retrieving than copying, whereas middle- and low-performing students benefited more from copying than retrieving. When asked to predict their quiz scores following the in-class exercises, high-performers demonstrated better overall metacognitive calibration compared to middle- or low-performers. These results highlight the importance of individual differences in learning from retrieval and encourage future research using course-relevant material to consider the role of student achievement in classroom-based interventions.     

电子教案的制作及应用

21世纪的教师必须掌握现代化教育技术,运用电脑和网络备课、讲课和辅导。如何编制高质量的电子教案和正确使用,充分发挥计算机多媒体的作用,节省教学时间,提高教学效率,减少粉尘的危害,让教师有更多的时间从事创造教育的实践,这既是时代的要求,又是每位教师应积极面对的问题。     

Consistency of Teaching Approach and Student Achievement: An Empirical Test

This article describes the results of a study into the relations between school, teacher, class, and student characteristics in Dutch elementary schools. Central to the study were the socio-ethnic background of the students, socio-ethnic class composition, language and math test results, teaching approach, and consistency of teaching approach within the school. The major question was whether student achievement levels vary according to the consistency of the teaching approach after controlling for socio-ethnic background at both the individual and class levels. The sample consisted of 7,410 grade 8 students and in total 1,714 teachers from 567 schools. The results of multilevel analyses showed consistency of teaching approach to be of no relevance to achievement levels. The most important factor appeared to be the socio-ethnic background of the students. Ethnic minority students perform less well than native Dutch working-class students, who in turn perform less well than the other students studied. In addition, students in classes with a relatively high number of so-called disadvantaged students perform less well independent of their individual socio-ethnic background.     

专业软件教学与实践应用的关系研究

在高等职业实施型教育中,积极处理好艺术设计专业软件教学与实践应用的关系问题是涉及到未来实践中设计思想表现的重要环节,越来越受到设计行业的重视。正确认识专业软件教学与实践应用的关系是目前高职类艺术设计专业教学首要研究和注意的问题。只有密切结合专业特点研究软件的实践应用,才能保障实施型教育的健康发展。     

Relationship Between Children's Social Competence,Learning Motivation and School Achievement

The influences of the social environment and affective factors on academic achievement were identified as early as the 1970s. This line of research continued in the following decades, but the relationship between social competence and academic achievement remained a neglected issue. The aim of the empirical research presented in this paper was to define those components of social competence that influence learning motivation and academic achievement. The following components of social competence were selected for analysis: dynamism, dominance, cooperativeness, politeness, scrupulousness, perseverance, emotional control, impulse control, openness, external-internal control attitude and attachments. Four questionnaires were administered to a sample of 6th and 10th grade students (altogether 438 subjects). The results show that the assessed social factors are not affected considerably by age. The correlation analyses reveal the importance of intrinsic motivation within learning motivation, manifested in its strong relationship to the variables representing the social factors of personality except for emotional stability. The results of the regression analysis indicate that friendliness and openness have the largest impact on each other among social factors extraversion. The results show that conscientiousness, openness and academic self-concept explains most of the variance in intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation seems to exert considerable effect on these three variables.     

Exploring Relationship between Teaching Practice and Student Learning: Comparative Analysis Using Large Data Bases

This special issue introduction specifies several rationales for its focus on the relationship between teaching practice and student learning. Worldwide teaching reforms show some converging policy patterns with shared assumptions around the role of teaching practices in shaping students’ learning outcomes as their bases. These assumptions and policy patterns are seriously challenged by various countering arguments and critiques. Such a contentious situation demands extensive and solid empirical knowledge for its productive resolution at a conceptual level and for guiding the development of the relevant teaching reforms in different countries. However, such knowledge is not available readily in the exiting literature, which is fragmented and limited, with few studies based on large databases from a comparative perspective involving non-Western countries and regions. It goes on to introduce four studies in the special issue that use international databases and comparative analyses involving different countries/regions and highlights their contributions to the much-needed empirical knowledge. Finally, it calls for further and more extensive research along this line of empirical exploration.     

The Effects of Inquiry Teaching on Student Science Achievement and Attitudes: Evidence from Propensity Score Analysis of PISA Data

Gauging the effectiveness of specific teaching strategies remains a major topic of interest in science education. Inquiry teaching among others has been supported by extensive research and recommended by the National Science Education Standards. However, most of the empirical evidence in support was collected in research settings rather than in normal school environments. Propensity score analysis was performed within the marginal mean weighting through stratification (MMW-S) approach to examine the effects of the level of openness of inquiry teaching on student science achievement and attitudes with the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2006 data. Weighting subjects on MMW-S weight successfully balanced all treatment groups on all selected covariates. Significant effects were identified on both cognitive and attitudinal outcomes. For student science achievement, the highest score was achieved at Level 2 inquiry teaching, that is, students conduct activities and draw conclusions from data. For student science attitudes, higher level of inquiry teaching resulted in higher scores. The said conclusions were generally held in most PISA 2006 participating countries when the analysis was performed in each country separately.     

管理者批判性思维意向与成就动机关系研究

文章采用实证研究方法,分析探究了300多名管理者批判性思维意向维度层面对成就动机影响的差异性,并考察了基于个人背景变项的差异性。研究发现批判性思维意向因不同个人背景变量存在明显差异性;成就动机仅因部分个人背景变量存在明显差异性;批判性思维意向整体与成就动机整体及其三个维度之间均呈正相关关系。     

Employment During High School and Student Achievement: Longitudinal Analysis of National Data

Abstract

The relationship between employment and academic performance in a nationally representative sample of U.S. students was examined in a longitudinal study as the students progressed from Grade 8 to 12. The participants (N = 15,552) took part in the base year (1988), first follow-up (1990), and second follow-up (1992) of the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS). Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the NELS data set while controlling for the effects of family background, previous achievement, gender, and ethnicity. Employment had an overall negative and curvilinear effect on high school GPA. Students who worked fewer than 12 hr per week fared better academically than those students who were not employed. A significant decline in academic performance was observed when students worked more than 11–13 hr per week.     

What is the Relationship Between Teacher Quality and Student Achievement? An Exploratory Study

The major purpose of the study was to examine what constitutes effective teaching as defined by measured increases in student learning with a focus on the instructional behaviors and practices. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analyses and hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) were used to identify teacher effectiveness levels while controlling for student-level and class/school-level variables. Actual achievement of 1936 third grade students in 85 classrooms on the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) Assessment results in English, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science were compared to expected achievement resulting in an indicator of teacher effectiveness. Based on student learning gains, teachers were divided into quartiles. The statistical modeling approach facilitated comparisons of outcomes that were free of influences of identified extraneous variables. A double blind design was selected for in-depth cross-case studies with teachers from the highest quartile representing highly effective teachers (N?=?5) and the lowest quartile the less effective teachers (N?=?6). The observation team assessed the third grade teachers (N?=?11) based 20 categories within four domains: instruction, student assessment, classroom management, and personal qualities. Key findings indicate that effective teachers scored higher across the four domains. Additionally, effective teachers tended to ask a greater number of higher level (e.g., analysis) questions and had fewer incidences of off-task behavior than ineffective teachers. The exploratory study identified instructional behaviors and practices of teachers that result in higher student learning gains.     

Teaching and Student Achievement in Science: A Comparison of Three Different Schedule Types

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

对CAI课件制作及使用的思考

当前，在多媒体CAI课件制作及使用中存在着一些弊端。改进CAI课件质量，必须做到：正确认识和理解计算机辅助教学，优化CAI课件开发的组织模式，CAI课件内容要有选择，开发开放式CIA课件，重视教学软件的人机交互环节，由“课件”向“积件”转变，CAI研究要向智能化CAI即ICAI方向发展。     

Virtual Transgenics: Using a Molecular Biology Simulation to Impact Student Academic Achievement and Attitudes

The transgenic mouse model is useful for studying the causes and potential cures for human genetic diseases. Exposing high school biology students to laboratory experience in developing transgenic animal models is logistically prohibitive. Computer-based simulation, however, offers this potential in addition to advantages of fidelity and reach. This study describes and evaluates a computer-based simulation to train advanced placement high school science students in laboratory protocols, a transgenic mouse model was produced. A simulation module on preparing a gene construct in the molecular biology lab was evaluated using a randomized clinical control design with advanced placement high school biology students in Mercedes, Texas (n?=?44). Pre-post tests assessed procedural and declarative knowledge, time on task, attitudes toward computers for learning and towards science careers. Students who used the simulation increased their procedural and declarative knowledge regarding molecular biology compared to those in the control condition (both p?<?0.005). Significant increases continued to occur with additional use of the simulation (p?<?0.001). Students in the treatment group became more positive toward using computers for learning (p?<?0.001). The simulation did not significantly affect attitudes toward science in general. Computer simulation of complex transgenic protocols have potential to provide a ??virtual?? laboratory experience as an adjunct to conventional educational approaches.