Students' views on the efficiency of instruction: An exploratory survey of the instructional metacognitive knowledge of university freshmen

Students have conceptions about the relationship between instructional interventions and learning or, in other words, students have instructional metacognitive knowledge. In this study, the efficiency of instructional interventions has been investigated as a specific object of students' instructional metacognitive knowledge. By means of a survey, conceptions about the efficiency of various instructional interventions of 488 freshmen in educational sciences and psychology have been investigated. Two research questions directed this exploratory study: (1) How do students assess the efficiency of instructional interventions; and (2) Do differences in gender, educational background, and/or subject of study affect evaluations of the efficiency of instructional interventions. Results show that respondents regard regular instructional interventions at the university directed toward, or supporting, surface-level processing and reproduction to be highly efficient. The use of technology is conceived as inefficient by these students. The limited number of differences between groups of students also suggests students' conceptions to be both consistent and robust.The study illustrates the need to investigate instructional metacognitive knowledge as distinct from other forms of metacognitive knowledge, and raises questions about the major components and structure of instructional metacognitive knowledge and individual differences in it. The findings suggest the need for the elaboration of a framework to describe instructional interventions.     

Making sense of graphs: does metacognitive instruction make a difference on students' mathematical conceptions and alternative conceptions?

The present study investigates the differential effects of cooperative learning with or without metacognitive instruction on making sense of graphs. Participants were 196 eighth-graders who studied in six classrooms. Data were analyzed by using quantitative and qualitative methods. Results indicated that students who were exposed to the metacognitive instruction within cooperative learning (COOP + META) significantly outperformed their counterparts who were exposed to cooperative learning with no metacognitive instruction (COOP). The positive effects of COOP + META were observed on both graph interpretation and graph construction (transfer task) with regard to alternative conceptions. Furthermore, observations indicated differential characteristics of discourse behaviors during small group interaction under these methods. The practical implications of the study are discussed.     

元认知听力理解策略培训研究

元认知策略是学习者的自我意识和自我调控,是计划、监控和评价,是适用于各种学习任务的一种学习策略。本研究提出将元认知策略培训与高职高专英语听力教学听力策略培训相结合的设想。该研究表明:基于元认知策略培训的高职高专英语听力教学有助于增强学生的元认知意识,有助于提高学生的听力成绩。     

Primary and secondary teachers’ conceptions of assessment: A qualitative study

A particular framework of teachers’ conceptions about assessment in school is presented. Fifty teachers of primary and secondary school were interviewed. Results of a qualitative analysis allowed building a model of conceptions of assessment. This model comprises four dimensions about the effects of assessment on: teaching, learning, accountability of teachers and schools to different audiences and stakeholders, and the certification of achievement. These conceptions, unequally distributed, show some tendencies that might be linked to the intrinsic tension between the by-default co-occurrence of both pedagogic and societal functions of assessment in school, and to difficulties of implementing assessment for learning practices.     

Effects of metacognitive strategy instruction and instruction time on reading comprehension

Ten-year-old students in an experimental group and a control group were tested for metacognitive abilities in reading comprehension before and after implementation of treatment in the experimental group. The teachers of the students in the experimental group were trained in metacognitive strategy instruction and in optimizing instruction time for reading comprehension. The learning gains made by the students in the experimental group in metacognitive abilities for reading comprehension turned out to be significantly greater than those made by the students in the control group. In the next school, year the students in the former experimental group and the former control group were tested for reading comprehension. It turned out that the students in the former experimental group had significantly better results on reading comprehension than the students in the former control group.     

Pre-service and in-service teachers' metacognitive knowledge about problem-solving strategies

The present study based on Antonietti, A., Ignazi, S., & Perego, P. (2000). Metacognitive knowledge about problem-solving methods. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 70, 1–16 methodology with the aim to examine primary school teachers' metacognitive knowledge about problem-solving strategies. A sample of 338 in-service (172) and pre-service (166) teachers participated in the study. They were asked to give on a five-point scale frequency, efficacy, and facility estimates for the application of five problem-solving strategies in 3 kinds of problems (interpersonal, practical, and study problems). The results are in accordance with Antonietti, A., Ignazi, S., & Perego, P. (2000). Metacognitive knowledge about problem-solving methods. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 70, 1–16 evidence. They, also, stressed the possible role of age along with work experience in the formation of beliefs about strategic behavior.     

Instructional conceptions: Analysis from an instructional design perspective

Learners are active actors in learning environments and not mere consumers of instructional designers' products. In line with mediating paradigm instructional conceptions of students are analysed. These conceptions act as cognitive filters that affect students' use of both instructional interventions and support in learning environments. To gain insight in the complexity of students' instructional conceptions, the concept is analysed and its theoretical assumptions scrutinised. Next, research findings regarding instructional conceptions are reviewed. Attention is paid to the nature and development of students' instructional conceptions and to the relationship with similar conceptions. In the Discussion section, current limitations of both the conceptualisation and instrumentation of instructional conceptions are described and perspectives are opened on further research.     

The effects of metacognitive instruction on solving mathematical authentic tasks

The present study investigates the differential effects of cooperative-learning with or without metacognitive instruction on lower and higher achievers' solutions of mathematical authentic tasks. Participants were 91 seventh graders who studied in three classrooms. Data were analyzed by using qualitative and quantitative methods. Results indicated that students who were exposed to the metacognitive instruction within cooperative learning (COOP+META) significantly outperformed their counterparts who were exposed to cooperative learning with no metacognitive instruction (COOP). The positive effects of COOP+META were observed on both authentic and standard tasks. In addition, the findings show the positive effects of COOP+META method on lower and higher achievers. The practical implications of the study are discussed.This revised version was published online in September 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effects of metacognitive instruction on low achievers in mathematics problems

This study investigates the effects of metacognitive instruction in mathematics on low-achieving third to eighth grade students. The study was conducted in 18 classes in two elementary schools from the same district with a majority of Hispanic population. Students were randomly assigned to the 18 classes. Twelve of these classes were randomly assigned to the experimental group. One class per grade level was assigned to the control group. Results on learning outcomes showed significant effects favoring the experimental group independent of grade level. These results indicate that metacognitive instruction could be tailored to regular classrooms where the majority are low-achievers. Recommendations on how regular classroom teachers might implement the methods are discussed.     

Instructional guidelines based on conceptions of students and scientists about economic and population growth within planetary boundaries

International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education - The burden placed by human activities on Earth is ever-increasing. Global environmental changes have profoundly affected the...     

教学策略、方法与结构——以知识与技能教学为例

教学策略是使学生掌握学习结果并形成互动的主要媒介。教学方法是教学策略的一个组成要素,也是传递学习内容并提供学习指导以保证学生掌握所学知识技能的过程。教学策略和方法本身很难说有什么好坏优劣之分,只不过不同的人适合不同的策略,而选择合适的教学策略的目的就是为了充分发挥其功效而不至于浪费或误用。课堂教学结构是指在教学中发挥特定功能的可资辨别的要素。它是教学过程中的基本构成板块,也是充分发挥教学功能,提高教学效率所必需的。课堂教学结构中的核心成分包括:明确教学目标,导入新课,聚焦核心知识点,提供举例或说明,开展练习和给予反馈。各类教学策略或者方法都可以在课堂教学结构中得到运用。     

Future time orientation and learning conceptions: effects on metacognitive strategies,self-efficacy beliefs,study effort and academic achievement

During the past decade, research on the constructive learning process has been conducted mainly from two perspectives: student approaches to learning (SAL) and self-regulated learning (SRL). The SAL perspective has highlighted the role of learning conceptions with respect to other topics involved in constructive learning processes, whereas recently the SAL perspective has emphasised the effects of the future time perspective (FTP) and self-efficacy beliefs about these topics. Based on these two lines of research (SRL and SAL), using path analysis, we explored the direct and indirect effects of FTP and learning conceptions on self-efficacy, metacognitive strategies, effort and academic performance. Likewise, we identified some patterns that combine specific factors related to these variables. Participants in the present study were 100 (84% females, 16% males) Spanish fourth year university students enrolled in the Social Sciences Degree Programme. The ages of the students ranged from 18 to 49 (M = 22.02; SD = 3.68) and their participation was voluntary and anonymous. Likert-scale inventories were used to obtain data from students: FTP; learning conceptions; metacognitive strategies scale; and self-efficacy beliefs for SAL. On the one hand, the path analysis showed interesting indirect and direct relationships between topics with regard to key constructs of each of these research perspectives (SRL/SAL). However, these results do not coincide with the body of knowledge about FTP. On the other hand, results obtained using cluster and discriminant analysis revealed three specific patterns: a meaning orientation to learning and the future, a reproductive orientation to learning and the present, and an unusual pattern explained by the influence of historical-cultural characteristics on learning practices in educational contexts. We consider that this last pattern presents relevant implications for educational practice.     

Learner Resistance to English-medium instruction practices: a qualitative case study

The internationalization of higher education has resulted in the growth of English-medium instruction (EMI) practices and research. The existing EMI research has documented learners’ favorable attitudes toward EMI but not necessarily its practices. Learners’ dissatisfaction has not been viewed as a form of resistance. Through the notion of learner resistance that underscores agency in defiance, this study examined the occurrences of learner resistance and the reasons for it by investigating Chinese learners’ experiences in an undergraduate business English-taught program in Taiwan. Multiple sources of data, including interviews, stories, and class observations, were gathered for analysis. The findings showed that most Chinese learners resisted an unhelpful curriculum, pedagogy, and context. Their resistance may be related not simply to academic disciplines but more importantly to a Confucian Heritage Culture of learning. Such findings highlight learner agency in resisting actions and call for further investigation into potential learner resistance in EMI practices.     

Development of metacognitive skillfulness: A longitudinal study

This study shows the results of a two-year longitudinal study where the same participants were followed for two consecutive years as they enter secondary school (aged 12–14 years). The main issue was to investigate the development of both the quantity and the quality of metacognitive skills. Another issue was to establish whether the development of metacognitive skillfulness is intelligence-related or relatively intelligence-independent. Finally, the generality vs. domain-specificity of developing metacognitive skillfulness was investigated. Thirty-two secondary school students participated in this study. While thinking aloud they performed two different tasks representing two different domains: A text-studying task for history and a problem-solving task for math. Participants' intellectual ability, metacognitive skillfulness and learning performance were assessed. Results show a quantitative as well as a qualitative growth in metacognitive skillfulness. Furthermore, results of both years show that metacognitive skillfulness contributed to learning performance (partly) independent of intellectual ability. A parallel development of metacognitive and intellectual ability was found. Finally, metacognitive skills predominantly appear to be general. Domain-specific metacognitive skills, however, played a substantial, but minor role as well in both years. Instructional implications are being discussed.     

基于知识管理的教学设计

知识时代的教学,已是一个知识搜集、转移、共享和创新的过程,因此,有必要将知识管理的思想引入教学设计.构建面向知识时代的教学设计框架的基本理念是根据教学设计的发展走势和知识时代对创新人才的素质偏向,以建构主义和知识管理为支柱,以学习环境设计为重心,为学习者发展创设条件.对学习环境的设计,可以知识的获取开发、组织存储、传播共享、检索应用四个过程为基础,运用知识管理技术和工具,对学习环境所包括的任务、情境、资源、工具、支架等五要素提供支持.     

Teacher knowledge about oral English instruction and teacher profiles: an EFL perspective

Teacher knowledge, as an important cognitive basis of teaching, has attracted tremendous attention in educational research in the last few decades. This study examines whether teachers’ self-perceived knowledge about oral English teaching differs with regard to their professional profiles in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context in China. A sample of 527 teachers from 56 universities in 29 cities across the country responded to a self-report questionnaire. Thirty teachers were interviewed. Teachers’ self-perceived knowledge was assessed by two factors: pedagogical content knowledge about oral English teaching (PCK) and knowledge of students’ oral English characteristics (KOS). The reliability and validity of the instrument are tested and presented. Results showed that EFL teachers generally reported having insufficient PCK and KOS. ANOVA and t-tests revealed no significant knowledge difference among teachers with different teaching experiences, training and overseas exposure. However, teachers’ learning experiences, self-perceived speaking ability and familiarity with teaching methodologies were found to influence teacher knowledge in a significant way. The findings highlight the need for the development of teacher knowledge about oral English teaching in the EFL contexts. Suggestions for further research are provided.