Digital curation for promoting personalized learning: A study of secondary-school science students’ learning experiences

Abstract

The article presents a research study that examined the ways in which digital curation promotes personalized learning, as well as the students’ experiences of this learning process. The study was conducted in the context of K-12 education. Participants spent three months on a project that included curating a personalized digital collection. The study was conducted using a phenomenological qualitative approach for the collection and processing of data. Findings demonstrate that digital curation provides a productive learning activity that supports significant personalized, emotional, and cognitive learning experiences, enabling the curator to construct a personal subject ontology.     

The dynamic relationship between response processes and self-regulation in critical thinking assessments

Our aim was to explore higher education students’ response and self-regulatory processes plus the relationship between these, as evidenced in two types of performance-based critical thinking tasks included in the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA+) International instrument. The data collection consisted of 20 cognitive laboratories. The data were analyzed using a qualitative approach. The tasks were found to trigger different response and self-regulatory processes. Overall, the performance task evoked more holistic processes than the selected-response questions, in which students’ processes were more question-oriented. The results also indicated the entanglement of students’ response and self-regulation processes. Three self-regulation groups were identified. Students with versatile self-regulation skills were able to complete the task thoroughly, whereas students with moderate self-regulation skills faced challenges in monitoring and evaluating their performance. Students who were lacking in self-regulation struggled both with the task as a whole and their own progress. Implications for higher education are discussed.     

Diversified professionalism of physical education teachers in the Asian context of Hong Kong

This study investigates the socialization and professional experiences of primary school physical education teachers (PSPETs) in the Asian context of Hong Kong. A qualitative research design is adopted. The researcher used semi-structured interviews, supplemented by documentary sources (diaries) for conducting data collection. Eleven PSPETs participated in this study. Data were analysed through open axial and selective coding. The concepts of organizational sensitivity, sources of satisfaction, dealing with influential persons or critical incidents, status of the profession, educational reform as a trend, and versatile roles are revealed in the theory of ‘Diversified Professionalism’. The substantive theory thus contributes to an increased appreciation of the PSPETs’ work and to the literature on physical education teachers’ professionalization and professionalism.     

Korean EFL teachers’ perceptions of the impact of EFL teacher education upon their classroom teaching practices

This study employed qualitative data collection and analysis methods to investigate the influence of English as a foreign language teacher education programme on Korean teachers’ classroom teaching practices. Six in-service secondary-school teachers participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was applied to the data collected from these interviews. Findings from the analysis included that: a) most of the teachers were dissatisfied with the largely theory-oriented pre-service teacher education programmes that they attended; b) a major source of influence on their teaching was their experience of in-service teacher training programmes with practical curricula; c) observation of other fellow teachers’ teaching had the strongest impact upon the teachers’ teaching practices; and d) the teachers’ low English proficiency and the washback effect of the Korea Scholastic Aptitude Test hindered the maintenance of the changes brought about by in-service teacher education programmes. This study ends with a discussion of the implications of these findings.     

Revisiting perceived service quality in higher education: uncovering service quality dimensions for postgraduate students

ABSTRACT

Perceived service quality in higher education and its antecedents have been one of the significant issues worldwide. Despite being studied over decades, service quality (SQ) remains a crucial area of research due to its dynamic and contextual nature, among other reasons. The main research objective is to uncover the dimensions constituting SQ from the perspectives of postgraduate students and university staff to provide a better understanding of key elements of the SQ. The current research incorporated relevant theories and concepts from both marketing and higher education literature and employed in-depth interviews with students and staff for data collection. Interviewees’ insights were analyzed using content analysis. A conceptual model is developed to explain the suggested relationship among study variables. Based on qualitative data analysis, four dimensions of SQ emerged, namely academic services, academic facilities, administrative services, and students’ service role. Additionally, performance and employee orientation are found to affect SQ. Research findings can guide education managers and academicians to consider students’ service role as an integral dimension of SQ and find new ways to improve it.     

Developmental discourses as a regime of truth in research with primary school students

While developmental discourses have been heavily critiqued in relation to education systems, less attention has been paid to how these impact the data collection process in classroom research. This article utilises Foucault’s concept of regime of truth to highlight the pervasiveness of developmental discourses when conducting research in primary schools. Such a theoretical framing makes explicit how developmental discourses work and are constructed as ‘truth’, which limit the possibilities for alternative perspectives. This article shows how this regime of truth works in practice by reflecting on qualitative research conducted with two age groups in two primary schools in Australia, focusing on the researcher’s navigations of these discourses. In particular, this article examines the impact of developmental discourses on conducting research with multiple age groups, initiating research, choosing methods for data collection, and negotiating power relations and ethical practices.     

Affiliation policy rhetoric and reality in the Ghanaian higher education context

The present affiliation policy regime of Ghana’s higher education system has existed for more than two decades. However, empirical studies to examine the policy rhetoric and reality with regard to building quality assurance capacity in mentored institutions appear non-existent. This paper is based on an illustrative qualitative case study undertaken to examine the achievements and challenges of implementing the policy to build internal quality assurance capacities in mentored institutions. The study was guided by Institutional Theory using 12 key informant in-depth interviews and document reviews as data collection sources. The findings indicate a minimal achievement of the policy intent on internal quality assurance capacity building due to key implementation challenges such as a tripartite relationship structure; increasing cost on mentored institutions and increasing workload on mentor institutions. The study concludes that the gap between the policy rhetoric and reality in the studied mentored institutions appears undesirable and requires stakeholders’ attention.     

The Implementation of Character Education and Children’s Literature to Teach Bullying Characteristics and Prevention Strategies to Preschool Children: An Action Research Project

Bullying behaviors among young children are taking place in preschool classrooms and child-development centers. The author makes a case, based on bullying themes in children’s literature and both qualitative and quantitative data collection with young children, for the use of children’s picture books to teach character as bullying prevention to 4–6 year old children. Through the reading of picture books and character education activities with a bullying theme preschool children develop a better understanding of bullying characteristics and strategies for dealing with bullying behaviors. Included are the results from questionnaires and interviews with preschool children and an annotated bibliography of children’s picture books and activities useful in the instruction and prevention of bullying behaviors.     

The genesis of mentors’ professional and personal knowledge about teaching: perspectives from the Republic of Ireland

This study investigates the sources of mentors’ knowledge about teaching. A mixed-method research design combining quantitative and qualitative data collection methods was used to examine this area. The findings of the study suggest that: mentors’ knowledge about teaching is practice orientated and emerges from their professional experiences, their teaching skills, their pre-service teacher education and, to a considerable extent, from their own personal experiences. The authors argue that mentors require support to reflect on their early socialisation experiences and their attachment to practice-based experience as a source of professional knowledge, in this way they can better understand and carry out their role as mentors.     

Photovoice as a research method for higher education research

ABSTRACT

Higher education (HE) research often draws on a range of qualitative research approaches. However, some methods developed in other fields are underutilised in HE research, even though they could be of great use for answering particular kinds of research questions, or for involving students more actively in the research process. In this article, we draw on a study that piloted different methodological approaches to explore students’ conceptions of good teaching and effective learning at university. The participants in our study included 33 high achieving international, Māori, Pacific Island, and (other) local students enrolled in Humanities subjects. Our study used photovoice as a visual data collection approach in conjunction with more traditional methods of data collection: open-ended focus group questions and critical incident technique. In this article, we review the photovoice literature, which is mostly from outside HE. Then, we describe our study, discussing the students’ responses to photovoice, and the different kinds of data it elicited. We note that, while most students expressed appreciation of the photovoice approach, some also found it restrictive and challenging in some respects. We conclude, photovoice offers a useful methodological addition to HE research, while noting, as with all data collection approaches, researchers need to be mindful of its limitations.     

Contribution of rural roads improvement on children’s school attendance: Evidence in Cambodia

This study used quantitative and qualitative data collected in rural Cambodia after road improvements to investigate whether children living along better-conditioned roads attend basic education school more. The quantitative analysis revealed that the road conditions did not influence children's attendance, while suggesting significant influences of school travel distance as well as household’s ownership of two-wheeled vehicles and its member composition. The qualitative analysis complemented these results by confirming that improved roads motivated households to purchase those vehicles for easing children’s schooling; and household members’ appreciation of education and socioeconomic characteristics influenced their children’s education attainment.     

Introducing the use of a semi-structured video diary room to investigate students’ learning experiences during an outdoor adventure education groupwork skills course

Outdoor adventure education courses are used in higher education to develop transferable skills such as groupwork and problem-solving skills. There is a need for exploratory investigation into students’ perceptions of this experience. This study aimed to develop an innovative qualitative data collection method, and to use it to explore students’ perceived learning processes and developmental outcomes when taking part in an outdoor groupwork skills course. Participants (n = 40) were undergraduate engineering students who were taking part in the 3 day residential course as part of their degree course. Students’ experiences were captured whilst immersed in the course, using a semi-structured video diary room. Participants entered the diary room at different time points throughout the course and responded to openended questions. Following a thematic analysis, students were found to arrive on the course with mixed feelings towards groupwork and expected learning outcomes. Activities were enjoyable yet challenging, revealing students’ weaknesses and demanding a range of skills and coping methods. The outdoor environment added novelty, risk and natural consequences. Students reported developing a range of skills in groupwork, adaptability, persistence, planning, problem-solving, time-management, communication, leadership, cooperation, group reflection and team spirit, as well as benefits to physical activity, self-confidence, self-awareness, peer and staff relationships and internationalisation. These findings provide a base for future investigation into the long-term impact on student development and skill transfer. The semi-structured video diary room yielded rich data, contributing to the literature by offering a simple, yet effective, qualitative research method that can be implemented in a variety of contexts.     

The application of the microgenetic method to studies of learning in science education: characteristics of published studies,methodological issues and recommendations for future research

This paper examines the role of the microgenetic method in science education. The microgenetic method is a technique for exploring the progression of learning in detail through repeated, high-frequency observations of a learner’s ‘performance’ in some activity. Existing microgenetic studies in science education are analysed. This leads to an examination of five significant methodological issues in microgenetic research. Firstly, qualitative and/or quantitative approaches to data collection and analysis within the microgenetic approach are considered and a case is made for the appropriateness of qualitative microgenetic research. Secondly, it is argued that researchers may define static intervals, periods within which (for methodological purposes) change is assumed not to occur, when reporting microgenetic studies. Thirdly, researchers should consider providing justifications for their choice of sampling rate with reference to the rate of change of the phenomenon they are studying. Fourthly, the difficulty of distinguishing conceptual change from the existence of multiple understandings is highlighted. Finally, the nature of sequences of repeated measures in microgenetic studies is considered. It is argued that different methodological approaches are suitable for microgenetic studies of different phenomena and a list of guidelines for the use of the microgenetic method in small-scale, qualitatively analysed studies in science education is proposed.     

Raising teachers’ voices: an in-depth qualitative inquiry into teachers’ working conditions and professional development needs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,a province of Pakistan

This study documented in detail teachers’ voices about their working conditions, professional development needs and opportunities to cater to these needs. The study reported in this paper was conducted as part of a large-scale study that used mixed methods to assess teachers’ professional development needs. The qualitative data reported in this paper were collected using focus group discussion with teachers (N = 481), classroom observation (N = 66), post-observation interviews with teachers (N = 24) and analysis of qualitative responses from survey questionnaires (N = 200). By bringing together a collection of teachers’ voices, the findings of the study illuminate a hope for positive change in teaching and learning in public schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, provided that teachers are genuinely considered as part of the solution and are facilitated with necessary physical and structural resources and psychological incentives. The education system needs to create conditions in schools that support teachers’ work and their continued professional growth.     

A mixed-methods approach to developing an understanding of teachers’ attitudes and their enactment of inclusive education

This research sought to develop an understanding of teachers’ attitudes, sense of self-efficacy and approach to enacting inclusive education in their classrooms in two diverse countries. A mixed-methods research design guided the data collection and analysis. This article focuses on how quantitative and qualitative research approaches were used sequentially and how the findings were finally merged to provide more comprehensive insight into different aspects of teachers’ sometimes contradictory attitudes and approaches to implementing inclusive education. The meta-inferences presented here indicate that merging measurements and meanings can shed light on how teachers’ attitudes and self-efficacy within the implementation of inclusive education are multi-faceted, non-linear and connected to their cultural–historical contexts.     

Researching embodied learning by using videographic participation for data collection and audiovisual narratives for dissemination – illustrated by the encounter between two acrobats

The article concerns doing ethnography in education and it reflects upon using ‘videographic participation’ for data collection and the concept of ‘audiovisual narratives’ for dissemination, which is inspired by the idea of developing academic video. The article takes a narrative approach to qualitative research and presents a case from contemporary circus education examining embodied learning, whereas the particular focus in this article is methodology and the development of a dissemination strategy for empirical material generated through videographic participation. Drawing on contributions concerned with the senses from the field of sport sciences and from the field of visual anthropology and sensory ethnography, the article concludes that using videographic participation and creating audiovisual narratives might be a good option to capture the multisensuous dimensions of a learning situation.     

Cypriot primary school principals’ understanding of education for sustainable development key terms and their opinions about factors affecting its implementation

‘Transformative leaders for sustainable schools’, was a nationwide research project conducted in 150 primary schools in Cyprus during 2005–2007. The project explored the role of the principals in the organisation of sustainable schools. A mixed methods approach to data collection was employed combining quantitative and qualitative methods. This paper presents primary school principals’ perceptions of sustainable development, their views on the characteristics and operation of the sustainable schools as well as factors supporting or impeding the development of such schools in Cyprus. Our analysis reveals that the term ‘sustainable school’ is a concept only vaguely understood by the principals. Education for sustainable development is interpreted loosely as environmental education and sustainable schools’ operation is limited to sustainable development’s environmental aspects. Principals place their emphasis on environmental conservation, for satisfying humans’ needs whereas the notion of environment, economy and society are marginalised. The development of sustainable schools in Cyprus is restricted by limitations in time, lack of ESD teacher education, the centralised educational system and the overloaded curriculum. Suggested reinforcing factors are parents’ associations’ support and the school–community dialogue. Further exploration of the principals’ role as potential carriers of change and effective leaders is needed.     

Pre‐school teachers’, other professionals’, and parental concerns on cooperation in pre‐school – all around children in need of special support: the Swedish perspective

The aim of this study was to discover and describe parents’, pre‐school teachers’, and other professionals’ experiences of cooperation regarding children in need of special support. It is a topic that arouses many different feelings and experiences. This study has a qualitative procedure with a phenomenological approach. The data collection in this study consists of interviews from 20 participants. It becomes apparent that pre‐school teachers lack training in cooperation, as well as that further education has not been available to any mentionable extent. In this study it becomes clear that there is a large difference between various pre‐schools regarding knowledge and motivation to provide the extra support that many children need. This study also shows that accessibility to and information from other professionals to parents is basic for them to feel safety and support. Different aspects of cooperation are highlighted and discussed.     

Seeds of professional development in pre-service teachers: a study of their dreams and goals

What happens to pre-service teachers’ dreams and goals during their professional preparation? What can teacher educators learn from what is uncovered about pre-service teachers’ dreams and goals to improve their practice? To answer these questions, a four-phase qualitative study was conducted. Data on five pre-service teachers were collected over a three-year period. At the end of the data collection, case studies of each of the five pre-service teachers were constructed and a cross-case analysis was performed. Participants in the study prioritized their dreams and goals; they tended to mention goals more frequently than dreams and they revised their dreams and goals through the use of backgrounding, foregrounding, reassessment, and refinement. These activities contributed positively to the development of their professional identify as teachers. The importance of the “affective side of teacher education” is addressed by Professor Geert Kelchtermans in a closing commentary.     

Method as a journey: a narrative dialogic partnership illuminating decision-making in qualitative educational research

Qualitative education research is an inherently complex landscape, presenting the qualitative researcher with constant ethical and reasoned decision-making. Presented as a narrative dialogic, this paper traces and juxtaposes the method stories of two qualitative researchers who focused their work around education phenomena, but in different contexts and in different ways. One researcher’s narrative study of phenomena via interviews is juxtaposed with the other’s phenomenographical investigation utilizing Facebook status updates. Seeing researcher thinking side-by-side provides a comparison that teases out the ways in which researchers might consciously grapple with thinking around method. These twin method stories offer ways for other qualitative researchers to think about their own decision-making as they address the challenges of balancing subjectivity and rigour, authenticity of reported data, and protection of participants. This dialogic partnership points to the malleability of method. It also encourages further exploration of the complexities of qualitative education research in which the researcher is often insider–outsider or outsider–insider.