Item Analysis in Introductory Economics Testing

Abstract

An interdisciplinary mentoring program for graduate teaching assistants, the GTA mentoring program, offers the needed support for graduate students in their training as teacher-scholars. Authors outline the vision and structure of the program and highlight student, faculty, and institutional benefits. This program involves regular meetings of small teams consisting of graduate students and a faculty mentor, as well as larger group meetings of all participants. Benefits include the development of personal and professional relationships, an open forum for the discussion of teaching and research issues, increased professional support, and greater confidence in classroom instruction.     

Immersion,Reflection, Failure: Teaching Graduate Students to Teach Writing Online

ABSTRACT

A common challenge facing those who prepare graduate students to teach writing online is the need to help those students connect online writing instruction (OWI) theory with their classroom practice. The authors present how graduate students are prepared to teach writing online at three universities and then synthesize those approaches to highlight three principles that can guide effective OWI preparation for graduate students in any program: immersion, reflection, and failure.     

Academic hardiness and academic self-efficacy in graduate studies

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study was to measure graduate students’ academic hardiness (GSAH) and academic self-efficacy (GSASE) and to examine the relationships between the two. A total of 202 graduate students across disciplines were recruited to complete two questionnaires (GSAH and GSASE). Results of exploratory factor analyses showed that the GSAH and GSASE were reliable for assessing graduate students’ academic hardiness and academic self-efficacy. Comparing master’s and doctoral students’ scores in the GSAH and GSASE scales, we found that doctoral students outperformed master’s students. The findings also revealed that three dimensions of GSAH (commitment, control of affect, and challenge) were strong predictors of graduate students’ academic self-efficacy. These results confirm and strengthen the relation between graduate students’ academic hardiness and academic self-efficacy. This study calls attention to graduate students’ ability to recognize and appraise causes of their failure and to learn how to overcome academic difficulties.     

Biased grades? Changes in grading after a blinding of examinations reform

Abstract

Group differences in average grades prior to and after a step-wise introduction of blinded examinations at Stockholm University are examined. Relative to students with ‘native’ names, students with ‘foreign’ names appear to experience weak positive bias in the grading of their examinations, but the estimated effect is sensitive to model specification. No substantial effects of blinding examinations with respect to male-female gaps are found. The results suggest that examiners – when the names of students are disclosed to them – if anything have a weak tendency to positively discriminate for students perceived to have an immigrant background, but they do not appear to discriminate on the basis of gender.     

Teach Me and I May Remember,Involve Me and I Learn: Four Approaches to Peer Mentoring in Sport Psychology

ABSTRACT

Many students experience difficulties during their graduate education. Scholars have proposed mentoring as one potential strategy to support them. While often assumed to be the sole responsibility of faculty, graduate students are also in a position to provide meaningful mentorship to their peers. Thus, the purpose of the current article is to focus on the relationship between peer mentor and mentee and provide those interested in becoming peer mentors during their graduate training with a guide to deliberately structure their interactions and relationships with mentees. More specifically, the approaches of four former peer mentors are presented. These are all grounded in theory and have been labeled: (a) autonomy-supportive mentoring, (b) mentoring with resonance, (c) community-based mentoring, and (d) self-concept-based mentoring.     

Knocking on the Ivory Tower's Door: The Experience of Ex‐Convicts Applying for Tenure‐Track University Positions

Courses dealing with crime and the criminal justice system go under various names, Criminology, Criminal Justice, Justice Studies, and Justice Administration being among the most popular. Presumably, those who name these courses see subtle differences between these names and select a title that is seen to best reflect the particular focus of their course. For example, in Australia Justice Administration has been generally used for courses that have an explicit vocational mission. This paper, however, is not about what these various courses contain, but what people think they contain. The paper reports on a study that examined the perceptions of various course names by prospective and current students in the field. It is argued that the name of a course has significant implications for the attractiveness of that course to prospective students and the way that students in a course define their studies. Moreover, the meanings that students attach to course names seem to impact upon their sense of occupational identity.     

Prospective teachers’ perceptions of development during fieldwork: Tutoring as a vehicle for professional growth

Abstract

This study examines elementary and secondary prospective teachers’ perceptions of the ways in which their experiences as tutors in school‐based tutoring programs influenced their professional development. Data collected from a survey questionnaire, reflective papers, and individual and focus group interviews revealed five main ways that these undergraduate and graduate education students perceived the tutoring experiences contributed to their professional growth. They described development in the following understandings: school students, pedagogical strategies, relationships with colleagues in school settings, the teaching/learning process, and reflective practice. All of these understandings were reported as increasing their self‐confidence as developing educators.     

Latin and the Student of English

ABSTRACT

This article describes the development, implementation, and systematic evaluation of a public health pedagogy course for first-time graduate student instructors in a Health Behavior doctoral program at a Midwestern School of Public Health. The pedagogy course focused on intensive pedagogical training in the first 8 weeks of a 16-week semester and then served as a forum for reflection and feedback during the second 8 weeks, when the enrolled graduate students served as either instructors of record or graduate teaching assistants for introductory health courses. Course participants (N = 7) completed anonymous pre-, mid- and post-course online surveys that assessed general teaching skills, discipline-specific teaching skills, and desire to pursue scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) activities. Participants' teaching self-efficacy increased for almost all survey items throughout the semester, particularly related to the instruction of health courses. Participants reported positive perceptions of the course and described it as essential for their teaching practice. This research study contributes to and expands upon the interdisciplinary study of the benefits of graduate level pedagogy courses and offers the first known assessment of a pedagogy course in the public health discipline.     

ACTION RESEARCH WITH GRADUATE STUDENTS: A TOOL FOR ACTIVE LEARNING

Abstract

This research explored the needs, expectations, and experiences of early childhood teachers as they worked together in graduate study. The study looked at data collected from graduate students in three courses that were part of a pilot program. In this program, traditional (M.Ed. students) and non‐traditional (uncertified teachers working in low SES urban child care centers) graduate students were enrolled in the same early childhood graduate courses. Following New Jersey Supreme Court mandated universal preschool in 30 low SES districts, non‐traditional students were required to obtain the new (P‐3) teaching certification. Results showed that most students valued their learning experiences. Additionally, combining the two groups of learners created significantly more ethnic diversity in the graduate classes. Challenges included decreasing class size, creating a sense of community for learners from diverse backgrounds and experiences, and maintaining the rigor of course material while meeting the needs of students who do not have a strong theoretical background.     

Doctoral Interns’ Perceptions of Preparedness to Work with Victims and Survivors of Sexual Assault at University Counseling Centers

ABSTRACT

Counselors at university counseling centers (UCCs) should be prepared to provide services to sexual assault victims and survivors, as an estimated 23% of females and 5% of males are assaulted during college, with rates being higher for sexual and gender minority students. We surveyed doctoral interns (N = 49) at UCCs regarding interns’ training and educational experiences during their graduate programs, practicum, and internship placements, as well as the services that the interns and UCCs provide to recent victims. Among our findings, 96% of the sample had expected to work with a recent victim, 82% had already done so, and only 22% perceived themselves as fully prepared to provide such services. In addition, the majority of UCC interns had focused on sexual assault cases during case conferences, didactic trainings, and supervision. These results have implications for graduate programs and internship sites.     

Senior Design Project Course: A Case Study

The two‐quarter Senior Design Project course given in the Computer Science and Engineering Department of Auburn University gives undergraduate students a significant computer system development experience by working on a project from proposal to prototype. Heavy emphasis is placed on team‐ and project‐management principles, team presentations, the application of standard structured development methodologies, and the generation of formal deliverables after each project phase. Project ideas are canvassed from faculty, graduate students, local industry and community, and from the students themselves. We believe that the knowledge and experience acquired by students from working in a team on a substantial project gives them an insight and perspective that is unattainable through the standard lecture paradigm. The course has received enthusiastic endorsement from industry, accrediting boards, and participating students (albeit at the end of the course!).     

What motivates higher education educators to innovate? Exploring competence,autonomy, and relatedness – and connections with wellbeing

ABSTRACT

Background: High quality tertiary teaching is important for maximising the impact of tertiary education for students, employers and society, as well as for institutional reputation and accountability. Varied interpretations exist regarding what counts as ‘innovative’ tertiary teaching.

Purpose: This study sought to explore the deeper drivers of motivations of tertiary educators to initiate and implement teaching innovations.

Method: Drawing from the data from semi-structured interviews from a wider study into innovative teaching in a tertiary education institution in Aotearoa New Zealand, we analysed the rationale of 13 expert tertiary educators for teaching in novel ways. The framework for analysis was based on Self-Determination Theory: data were analysed in relation to three basic psychological needs known to impact on motivation and wellbeing – competence, autonomy and relatedness.

Findings: Our analysis suggests that tertiary educator motivation to innovate in their teaching is related to feelings of all three needs. Findings suggest that innovative pedagogical change was linked to educators’ need for feelings of competence in relation to subject area content, pedagogy and developing student competence. Enhancing autonomy for the educators themselves, or for their students, was also an important factor motivating innovative practice. Developing relatedness between students, between themselves and students, and between students and society were reported as motivations for innovative teaching. Some teaching innovations were motivated by the educator’s desire for greater personal or student wellbeing.

Conclusions Educators’ motivations for being innovative in their tertiary pedagogical practice encompassed content, pedagogical, personal and social dimensions. None reported that their innovation was motivated by institutional policy or expectations. The reported challenges to innovative teaching practice, including institutional structures and processes, lack of access to specific technologies, and the time needed to develop and implement changed practice, indicate that educators must be strongly committed to making change in their practice to sustain the effort required.     

Teachers and students’ perception of competence-based education in the agricultural higher education system (Case of a student cooperative in Iran)

Purpose: This quantitative study sought to investigate the perceptions of teachers and students regarding competency-based education (CBE) principles at the College of Agriculture at Razi University.

Design: This research is a comparative analysis of two groups. The first group consists of undergraduate and graduate students majoring in agriculture who are members and non-members of student cooperatives (n?=?256). The second group consists of agricultural faculty members (n?=?59).

Findings: The results of this study show that students and teachers have different views with regard to the extent to which CBE principles are practiced in the College of Agriculture. Moreover, students with different learning patterns had different perceptions regarding the extent to which CBE is practiced, whereas teachers with different teaching patterns had the same perception of the application of CBE principles in the College of Agriculture.

Practical implications: This study has practical implications for agricultural higher education in general and colleges of agriculture in particular. Colleges of agriculture across Iran could encourage their students to establish and engage in student cooperatives so that the ‘what’ and ‘how’ aspects of CBE are put into practice.

Theoretical implications: This study has theoretical implications for CBE principles. For example, student cooperatives can be utilized by faculty members as one of the main strategies for developing CBE in agricultural colleges.

Originality/value: This study is original in that it moves from theory to practice when considering CBE.     

Criminal justice doctoral programs in the United States and Canada: Findings from a national survey

Characteristics of 13 doctoral programs in criminal justice and criminology are examined. Features described include the age and size of the programs, representation of women and minorities among faculty and graduate students, admissions requirements and admissions activity, financial support available to graduate students, and characteristics of the curricula. Criminal justice doctoral programs vary widely on each of these characteristics.     

Project work in the graduate classroom: Teachers as students apply skills beyond the classroom

Abstract

Through the use of a long‐term project in a graduate teacher education course on the importance of play, students learned skills beyond those usually required in a graduate classroom. Students used their understanding and knowledge of play, constructive practice, and project work to develop a family play day at the university lab school. As part of the project, students helped to develop a play‐style instrument that served as a self‐study for their own classrooms as they observed the play among their own students. The project culminated with the students hosting the families of the lab school at a fun day and preparing a brochure that gave families information about the importance of play.     

A Case Study in Online Classroom Interaction to Enhance Graduate Instruction in English Literature

Abstract

This paper discusses the use of online classroom collaborative environments to support the face-to-face teaching of a graduate course in English Literature. Online data from graduate students and the professor were collected and analyzed. Results show that students benefit from the online interaction to learn English Literature. There are, however, also disadvantages in the use of online environments, which are discussed in our conclusion.     

A comparative study on student perceptions of their learning outcomes in undergraduate science degree programmes with differing curriculum models

ABSTRACT

This study investigated students’ perceptions of their graduate learning outcomes including content knowledge, communication, writing, teamwork, quantitative skills, and ethical thinking in two Australian universities. One university has a traditional discipline-orientated curriculum and the other, an interdisciplinary curriculum in the entry semester of first year. The Science Students Skills Inventory asked students (n?=?613) in first and final years to rate their perceptions of the importance of developing graduate learning outcomes within the programme; how much they improved their graduate learning outcomes throughout their undergraduate science programme; how much they saw learning outcomes included in the programme; and how confident they were about their learning outcomes. A framework of progressive curriculum development was adopted to interpret results. Students in the discipline-oriented degree programme reported higher perceptions of scientific content knowledge and ethical thinking while students from the interdisciplinary curriculum indicated higher perceptions of oral communication and teamwork. Implications for curriculum development include ensuring progressive development from first to third years, a need for enhanced focus on scientific ethics, and career opportunities from first year onwards.     

Statistics Anxiety Among Female African American Graduate-Level Social Work Students

ABSTRACT

Studies have found that statistics anxiety among female and minority graduate students is higher than that of their Caucasian counterparts. Both gender and culturally sensitive approaches to teaching statistics need to be developed to reduce student anxiety, especially in graduate programs that are dominated by women and minorities. The current study presents data on pre- and post-course statistics among female African American MSW students enrolled in a gender and culturally sensitive statistics course. A series of t-tests revealed that students had significantly lower levels of anxiety about statistics after the course. Implications for integrating gender and culturally sensitive approaches into the curriculum are discussed, and recommendations for future research are provided.     

The Effects of the “Flight Technique” of Teaching on Creativity Scores

The effects of human relations seminars on dogmatism scores of educational administration students were investigated. Two groups of graduate students coming largely from the Middle and Far East were used in this study. The experimental group was given a series of human relations workshops over a period of four weeks. The results provided evidence that human relations training can reduce dogmatism as measured by the Rokeach Dogmatism Scale. Also, the seminars provided an opportunity not usually found in the traditional academic program for graduate students to interact with their peers and the faculty.     

Expanding the Start of the College Pipeline: Ninth-Grade Findings From an Experimental Study of the Impact of the Early College High School Model

Abstract

Early college high schools are a new and rapidly spreading model that merges the high school and college experiences and that is designed to increase the number of students who graduate from high school and enroll and succeed in postsecondary education. This article presents results from a federally funded experimental study of the impact of the early college model on Grade 9 outcomes. Results show that, as compared to control group students, a statistically significant and substantively higher proportion of treatment group students are taking core college preparatory courses and succeeding in them. Students in the treatment group also have statistically significantly higher attendance and lower suspension rates than students in the control group.