The impact of metamemory and domain-specific knowledge on memory performance

This paper consists of two major parts. First, research exploring possible interactions between metamemory and domain-specific knowledge in influencing children’s text recall and comprehension is briefly summarized. Overall, the findings indicate that metacognitive knowledge does make a difference even in cases where domain-specific knowledge is rich. Second, a recent experiment conducted in our lab and investigating the generalizability of this conclusion for sort-recall tasks is described in more detail. Third — and fourth-grade soccer experts and novices were first given a comprehensive metamemory questionnaire and then administered a sort-recall tasks using two different picture lists: whereas one list included items from various semantical categories (e.g., animals, clothes), the other list was composed of soccer pictures that could be classified in several categories such as players, kicks, or equipment. The results showed that although domain-specific knowledge had a strong impact on recall of the soccer list, general metacognitive knowledge made an independent contribution, particularly for the group of soccer experts. More specifically, good metamemory positively affected the recall of experts but had no impact on novices’ memory performance.     

Memory demands and the development of young children's memory

The primary purposes of this study were to determine the nature of and changes in early memory demands and to assess the relationship between memory demands and memory performance. 10 children at each of 2 ages--30 and 42 months--were observed in their homes for 4 2-hour sessions. Conversations between mothers and children were recorded and mother's memory-demand questions were coded for form and content from these conversations. Question form referred to whether recall or recognition was required and question content to the type of information requested--event or knowledge. Children also participated in 2 long-term memory tasks--production and verification. They were shown a dollhouse and asked to produce the names of objects that would belong in 2 rooms of the house and to verify whether particular miniature replicas of household objects belonged in the rooms. Although memory demands were frequently made, there were few changes between age 2 and 3 in the incidence or types of questions children were asked. At age 3, positive correlations were found between children's production and verification performance and content rather than form of mothers' memory-demand questions. At age 2 no overall relationships were found. Children were retested a year later on memory tasks, and for both age groups memory demands and performance were positively correlated even when initial memory-performance level was controlled. These results, along with other patterns in the data, suggested that mothers' memory demands have an impact on children's memory performance that provides at least partial support for Vygotsky's sociohistorical model of memory development.     

Memory skills of deaf learners: implications and applications

The author reviews research on working memory and short-term memory abilities of deaf individuals, delineating strengths and weaknesses. Among the areas of weakness that are reviewed are sequential recall, processing speed, attention, and memory load. Areas of strengths include free recall, visuospatial recall, imagery, and dual encoding. Phonological encoding and rehearsal appear to be strengths when these strategies are employed. The implications of the strengths and weaknesses for language learning and educational achievement are discussed. Research questions are posed, and remedial and compensatory classroom applications are suggested.     

Active learners’ characterization in MOOC forums and their generated knowledge

This study explores and characterizes learners' participation patterns in MOOC forums, as well as the factors that correlate with learners' participation. Educational data mining and learning analytics methods were used to retrieve and analyze the learners' interpersonal interaction data, which had accumulated in the Coursera log files. The content in the forums was categorized based on Henri's criteria and converted into quantitative values that could be compared and visualized. It was found that only 20% of the learners were collaborating in the forums throughout the entire course and were responsible for 50% of the total posts. A portion of them earned the name “Super Active.” The analyses not only demonstrated the volume of activity and its pattern but also revealed the content of the discussions, which helped to highlight the needs and reasons for students' usage of the forums. The content analysis showed intensity in the “Cognitive” and “Discipline” categories. Thus, forum participants benefit from discussions not only socially but disciplinarily and cognitively as well. Furthermore, even though a strong significant correlation was found between the learners’ completion status and their activity in the forums, a group of learners, who did not complete the course, was highly active.     

Effect of instruction using students' prior knowledge and conceptual change strategies on science learning

One of the factors affecting students' learning in science is their existing knowledge prior to instruction. The students' prior knowledge provides an indication of the alternative conceptions as well as the scientific conceptions possessed by the students. This study is concerned primarily with students' alternative conceptions and with instructional strategies to effect the learning of scientific conceptions; i.e., to effect conceptual change from alternative to scientific conceptions. The conceptual change model used here suggests conditions under which alternative conceptions can be replaced by or differentiated into scientific conceptions and new conceptions can be integrated with existing conceptions. The instructional strategy and materials were developed for a particular student population, namely, black high school students in South Africa, using their previously identified prior knowledge (conceptions and alternative conceptions) and incorporate the principles for conceptual change. The conceptions involved were mass, volume, and density. An experimental group of students was taught these concepts using the special instructional strategy and materials. A control group was taught the same concepts using a traditional strategy and materials. Pre- and posttests were used to assess the conceptual change that occurred in the experimental and control groups. The results showed a significantly larger improvement in the acquisition of scientific conceptions as a result of the instructional strategy and materials which explicitly dealt with student alternative conceptions.     

知识经济呼唤教育观念的转变

在知识经济时代,要转变传统的教育观念,树立既为社会发展服务又为人的发展服务的教育观,树立以学生为主体、培养学生创造能力的教育观。     

Domain-specific knowledge and memory performance in children

Developmental studies assessing the impact of domain-specific knowledge on memory are discussed. In the first section of the review, different ways through which domain-specific knowledge relates to strategy use in memory tasks are briefly summarized. Empirical evidence indicating nonstrategic effects of the knowledge base are discussed next. In particular, findings based on the expert-novice paradigm are used to compare the knowledge structure and memory performance of experts and novices of different ages, and to explore how individual differences relate to the acquisition and use of domain-specific knowledge. The review shows that domain-specific knowledge permits children to process and remember domain-related information more efficiently, apply strategies more effectively, and integrate novel information more easily than domains for which they have less detailed knowledge. If the knowledge base is particularly rich, it exerts a greater influence than other sources of memory development (i.e., memory capacity, strategies, and metamemory) combined.     

Examining the task and knowledge demands needed to teach with representations

Representations are often used in instruction to highlight key mathematical ideas and support student learning. Despite their centrality in scaffolding teaching and learning, most of our understanding about the tasks involved with using representations in instruction and the knowledge requirements imposed on teachers when using these aids is theoretical. In this study, we examine the task and knowledge demands for teaching integer operations with representations by analyzing teaching practice. Teaching integer operations is used as an intensity case, as integer operations are challenging for students, and teachers are often required to employ several representations to teach this topic. Following a practice-based approach while also taking prior literature into consideration, we first generate a list of tasks entailed in teaching with representations and then discuss the knowledge demands imposed on teachers to successfully undertake this work. We highlight these tasks and knowledge demands by analyzing and discussing an integer addition and an integer subtraction episode for each of two teachers, Bonita and Karen. Based on our analysis, we organize the generated knowledge components using the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching framework. We conclude by drawing implications for teacher educators and curriculum developers.     

Motives,beliefs, and perceptions among learners affect preparatory learning strategies

Preparation is an effective and necessary activity; however, most students do not prepare for future lessons. The present study addressed this problem and examined how learners' motives, beliefs, and perceptions affected their strategy use during preparation for future lessons. Participants were 219 Japanese junior high school students who responded to a questionnaire about mathematics learning. The result of a path analysis suggested that learners' intrinsic motives, extrinsic motives, and cognitive beliefs about learning positively related to their spontaneously obtaining prior knowledge and solving example problems. In addition, noncognitive beliefs positively affected perceived cost of preparation and decreased obtaining prior knowledge. Implications for educational practice, limitations of the present study, and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

从报刊看我国公众对近现代物理知识的需求

在我国 ,大众媒体是公众获取科学技术信息的重要途径 ,看懂普通报刊上的科技报道和文章应当是对公众科学素养的基本要求。本研究对我国具有代表性的几种综合报刊文献进行了统计 ,将其中出现的近现代物理知识分为四类 ,并对其教育价值进行了分析。这些知识对提高公众的科学素养具有重要意义 ,建议在中学物理课程中适当补充这些方面的内容。     

Teacher change in beliefs and practices in science and literacy instruction with English language learners

This study examined patterns of change in beliefs and practices as elementary teachers learned to establish instructional congruence, a process of mediating academic disciplines with linguistic and cultural experiences of diverse student groups. The study focused on six bilingual Hispanic teachers working with fourth‐grade, mostly Hispanic students. The results indicated that teacher learning and change occurred in different ways in the areas of science instruction, students' language and culture, English language and literacy instruction, and integration of these areas in establishing instructional congruence. The results also indicated that establishing instructional congruence was a gradual and demanding process requiring teacher reflection and insight, formal training, and extensive support and sharing. Implications for further research in promoting achievement for all students are discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 65–93, 2004     

知识经济背景下的育人方略--对小教大专培养模式的理性思考

本文从社会进步和时代发展这一角度,就大学专科程度小学教育专业的培养模式与培养目标规格的关系探讨其内涵特征及其在实施中的操作问题,并把它放到具体的校情中和一定的地域条件下进行思考.     

Fostering active processing of instructional explanations of learners with high and low prior knowledge

Despite the potential advantages of instructional explanations, evidence indicates that they are usually ineffective. Subsequent work has shown that in order to make instructional explanations effective indeed, one successful strategy is to combine them with indications of the limitations in learners' understanding that they are intended to revise, which makes learners deeply process the explanations. We explored whether this is so for both learners with low and those with high prior domain knowledge. In one experiment, 77 participants with low and high prior knowledge learned about plate tectonics from a multimedia presentation. In addition to the presentation, half the participants received instructional explanations combined with indications, whereas the rest received instructional explanations with no indications. After using the materials, the participants solved retention and transfer tests. Results showed that low prior knowledge learners learned more from explanations including indications of their misunderstandings, whereas high prior knowledge learners profited from instructional explanations either with or without the indications. We discussed theoretical and practical implications.     

Young children's knowledge and strategies for comparing sizes

This study examined the knowledge and strategies that young children used for comparing sizes of geometric figures. Sixty-nine children from the ages 3 to 6 years were asked to compare sizes of geometric figures and their placement and adjustment strategies were observed. The children were also presented with strategies for comparing sizes and asked to choose the most effective one. As a result, children showed four different patterns of uses of strategies and judgments. Differences among children showing the four patterns (referred to as clusters 1–4) were summarized as follows: (a) children in clusters 2–4 made correct judgments for the relative sizes of figures placed on one another, (b) children in clusters 3 and 4 very often used the strategy of adjustment based on two dimensions, (c) only children in cluster 4 very often used the strategies of superimposition and adjustment based on two dimensions at the same time and made more correct judgments for the relative areas of two figures; and (d) children in cluster 4 selected as effective the strategy of adjusting figures based on two dimensions.     

Short-term memory and working memory in children as a function of language-specific knowledge in English and Spanish

This study determined the degree to which the phonological and executive components of memory reflect language-specific capacities in Spanish and English vocabulary. We tested whether the memory processes in a sample of English language learners found in Grade 1 also emerged in Grade 2. For the total sample (N = 90), Grade 1 English STM measures shared a common construct with Spanish STM, whereas Grade 2 STM measures were language dependent. In contrast, WM measures were language independent across grades 1 and 2. When vocabulary subgroups were analyzed, a subgroup × type of memory task emerged. The results showed that performance on Spanish and English STM tasks were a function of high and low Spanish and English vocabulary knowledge, whereas WM was not. The relationship between language-specific processes in memory was discussed.     

Scaling up strategies for change: change in formative assessment practices

This article discusses some of the results of the CATCH (Classroom Assessment as a basis for Teacher Change) project. CATCH was meant to develop, apply and scale up a professional development programme designed to change teachers’ instruction by helping them change their formative assessment practices. The authors focus on the analysis of three consecutive rounds of structured interviews with CATCH teachers in two US school districts. Regarding teacher changes through participation in this programme, changes in attitude toward assessment as well as in their classroom practices were found for all participants from both research sites. Some striking attitude changes were related to the so‐called assessment pyramid, a crucial element of the CATCH professional development programme. The interviews also revealed which sources of support teachers thought were important to help sustain these changes in their classrooms, schools and school districts. Evidence of scaling up and dissemination of presented ideas, ideas ‘travelling’ to other curriculum areas, larger groups of teachers and other grade levels was also found. Appropriate organizational structures have enabled ‘travel’ on a district level.     

Conceptual change strategies and cooperative group work in chemistry

This study conducted at a suburban community college tested a method of conceptual change in which treatment students worked in small cooperative groups on tasks aimed at eliciting their misconceptions so that they could then be discussed in contrast to the scientific conceptions that had been taught in direct instruction. Categorizations of student understanding of the target concepts of the laws of conservation of matter and energy and aspects of the particulate nature of gases, liquids, and solids were ascertained by pre- and posttesting. Audiotapes of student verbal interaction in the small groups provided quantitative and qualitative data concerning student engagement in behaviors suggestive of the conditions posited to be part of the conceptual change process (Posner, Strike, Hewson & Gertzog, 1982). Chi-square analysis of posttests indicated that students in treatment groups had significantly lower (p < 0.05) proportion of misconceptions than control students on four of the five target concepts. Students who exhibited no change in concept state had a higher frequency of verbal behaviors suggestive of “impeding” conceptual change when compared to students who did change. Three factors emerged from qualitative analysis of group interaction that appeared to influence learning: (a) many students had flawed understanding of concepts that supported the target concepts; (b) student views towards learning science affected their engagement in assigned tasks, (c) “good” and “poor” group leaders had a strong influence on group success.