Network analysis and qualitative discourse analysis of a classroom group discussion

ABSTRACT

A new methodology is proposed for qualitative discourse analysis (QDA) aimed at gaining enhanced insights into learning possibilities and indicators that arise during classroom group discussions. The constitution of this new methodology has two principle components: a discourse analysis approach that aims to identify the relationships between content and group dynamics; and a network analysis (NA) approach that uses the same data to identify meaning-related structural dynamics found in the data. The proposed methodology pairs these two components to create a supplementary iterative interchange that facilitates the attainment of greater analytic insights than are achievable by either of the two components individually. The critical aspects of the methodology are illustrated and discussed using real classroom data in ways that provide a procedural exemplar. The strengths and limitations of the proposed methodology are also discussed.     

大学师生课堂互动观的实证研究

先用包含1个问题的开放式问卷对90名大学生和50名教师进行调查,之后又用根据开放式问卷结果编制的封闭式问卷对196名大学生和76名教师进行调查,结果如下：①师生的课堂互动观存在共同点和差异性;②师生都倾向于民主宽松课堂气氛的营造和平等师生关系的建立;③学生更重视互动的内容和形式;④教师应具备的素质中,学生更看重知识面宽和有人格魅力。     

略论课堂教学的空间格局

课堂教学的空间格局直接影响着教学信息交流的方式和交流的范围。“身田式”的课堂编排格局是班级授课制的产物,最适宜于大班教学,是我国目前课堂教学的基本形式。随着教学改革的深入,“秧田式”的弊端越来越明显。我们应根据教学需要。选择多样性的课堂教学空间格局,以便让每一位学生都有平等参与课堂教学的机会,使每个学生的主体性、积极性都能得到充分发挥。     

Professional development in classroom discussion to improve argumentation: Teacher and student outcomes

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a year-long professional development program in classroom discussion designed to improve students' argumentation skills in language arts classes. Twenty-six fifth-grade teachers and their 471 students at two research sites participated: 14 teachers in the experimental condition, who received the professional development, and 12 teachers in the comparison condition. Results showed that the professional development led to statistically significant improvements in the quality of teachers' facilitation and student argumentation during discussions, and in students' performance on individual argumentative reading and writing tasks following the discussions, at the end of the year. Findings suggest that the professional development for teachers resulted in strengthened student abilities to connect positions with relevant reasons and evidence, and that argumentation skills acquired in the discussions may have transferred to students’ individual argumentation, at least for reading outcomes.     

课堂知识传递不均衡问题管窥

在课堂教学过程中,由于教师对个体差异的区分不当、对学生存在期望差异、以及课堂空间形态的影响,导致教师对课堂知识传递不均衡,从而使学生知识获得机会不公平。为优化课堂教学知识的传递,教师应正确把握差异发展教学、注意提问的艺术、合理布置课堂空间形态、公平地对待每一个学生。     

Voice,identity, and the organizing of student experience: managing pedagogical dilemmas in critical classroom discussions

The current paper explores the discursive complexities of teaching and learning in inclusive, critically oriented classrooms. It argues that to accomplish the ontological goals of higher learning, we need to focus on the construction of student voice, or the ability to be considered in and have influence on teaching and learning. The paper further explores the relationship between having voice and the interactional negotiation of identities and relationships among students and teachers. It is suggested that teaching and learning through inclusive, critically oriented classroom discussions is bound in the organizing of complex social experiences, and requires teachers to navigate at least three inherent pedagogical dilemmas lesson management, emotion labor, and structure.     

Behavioural phenotypes in the classroom: a qualitative study of parental and teacher knowledge of classroom guidelines and teacher views on best practices

Research suggests that genetic syndromes associated with intellectual disability often have specific cognitive and behavioural profiles. It has been suggested that educational approaches need to reflect these profiles. Parents (n = 381) and teachers (n = 204) of children with one of four syndromes, fragile X syndrome, Prader–Willi syndrome, Williams syndrome and velo‐cardio‐facial syndrome were surveyed. Syndromes were compared with respect to what parents and teachers had researched or been told with respect to appropriate educational approaches. Parent and teacher reports were subsequently compared with actual published guidelines on the syndromes. Teachers were also surveyed on what they felt were successful approaches based on actual experiences of teaching the children. Parent and teacher reports of efficacious strategies for supporting their children based on what they had been researched or been told differed across syndromes as might be anticipated. However, differences between parents and teachers and between parent/teacher reports and the published guidelines suggest that parent and teacher knowledge of guidelines is deficient and/or that parents and teachers are accessing knowledge elsewhere. With respect to teaching practices, there were much less differences between the syndromes than in the published guidelines indicating that differences between syndromes in guidelines may not be as evident in practice.     

Ideological composition of the classroom: testing the effects of polarization on perceptions of open classroom climate among students in five countries

Abstract

This quantitative study tests the relationship between ideological classroom composition and perceptions of open classroom climate. Using data from the 2016 International Education Association’s International Civic and Citizenship Study, the study uses latent class analysis and multilevel regression modelling across five countries. First, latent class analysis identified students as low or high socioeconomic status. To assess ideological polarization, the gap between support for gender equality and ethnic rights was calculated between groups. Finally, a multilevel regression model measured the relationship between ideological polarization and students’ perception of open classroom climate. Across three countries, results found negative associations between increased polarization and perception of an open classroom climate. Additional testing identified that polarization modified the relationship between student socioeconomic status and perceptions of open classroom climate in Croatia.     

How business students view corruption,and why this should concern us: insights from Lebanon,Romania and the United States

When seeking to understand corruption in its ongoing temporal context, it is useful to consider business students. Because of their high numbers and the kinds of jobs they enter, they have a key role to play in challenging or sustaining corruption in their societies. This exploratory study focuses on these people in three countries in different regions – the USA, Romania and Lebanon – and asks ‘How does long-standing corruption in a country shape their attitudes toward bribery?’ Using a case-study methodology structured along four theoretical perspectives – universalism, cultural relativism, ethical relativism and consequentialism – the study suggests that, when viewed from a universalist perspective, students in corrupt societies may be more tolerant of corrupt practice than those living in less corrupt countries. Thus, rather depressingly, those who should be part of the solution may actually be part of the problem.     

高职数学课堂中师生博弈策略研究

针对职业院校数学课中学生很普遍的逃课行为、课堂教学效果不高、考核质量不理想等现象,教师在教学中尝试和归纳出来一系列师生博弈策略来帮助解决这些矛盾,将这些策略应用于实践当中,收到了比较好的效果。     

专题讨论式授课与学生知识整合能力的培养

学时少和内容多是当今大学人才培养方案设置中突出的矛盾。专题讨论式教学是解决上述问题的一种行之有效的形式。以电工技术课程部分内容为基础,提出了进行专题讨论式授课选取专题的注意事项。结合案例分析,介绍了电工技术课程中几个专题教学的过程及效果。专题式教学方法有利于提高学生的知识整合能力和学习的兴趣。     

Mathematically gifted students and high achievement: the role of motivation and classroom structure

One of the most intriguing questions for those who study intellectually gifted students is why some of them reach peak performances at school and others don’t. Moderator theories of giftedness assume that domain-specific gifts are transformed into achievement in a process influenced by non-cognitive and environmental variables. Thus, the current study investigates differences in the non-cognitive construct motivation (achievement goals, interest, self-concept, self-efficacy, implicit theories) and perception of classroom environment (classroom structure, class climate) between mathematically gifted high achievers (n = 66) and mathematically gifted students with non-high achievement (n = 144) using a latent variable approach. Gifted high achievers expressed higher levels of motivation than non-high achievers. Furthermore, they perceived a classroom structure that provides more tasks with a focus on learning and more autonomy.     

A view from the inside: Collaborating with students to flip the classroom in real time

This article details decisions made to flip a small, public administration graduate-level course in real time. Interweaving student feedback with instructor notes and reflections gives a unique, personal look into a scenario-based course that changed weekly. We detail this dynamism, highlighting successes and failures in flipping the classroom. Students were positively able to apply administrative theories in real time but struggled to maintain relevance and connection to the readings. The narrative details how we all collaborated on an innovative pedagogical practice to apply public sector theories in real time.     

论我国社会组织的腐败问题及治理

社会组织已成为推动我国经济和社会发展的重要力量,但由于体制不清、法律不全、监管不力等原因,社会组织滋生的腐败越来越频繁并逐步为社会所关注。而要从根本上解决社会组织的腐败问题,保证社会组织的健康发展,关键是构建防治社会组织腐败的惩防体系并建立与之相应的组织管理机制、宣传教育机制、保障支持机制、法制规范机制、内部约束机制、外部监控机制等六大运行机制。     

Investigating whether aberrant response behaviour in classroom maths tests is a stable characteristic of students

This study investigated whether aberrant response behaviour is a stable characteristic of high school students taking classroom maths tests as has been implied in the literature. For the purposes of the study, two maths tests were administered; the first to 25 classes (635 students) and the second to 18 out of the original 25 classes (445 students). The tests contained multistep mathematical problems with partial credit awarding for partially correct answers, together with some multiple choice items. The Rasch Partial Credit Model was used for the analyses and the infit and outfit mean square statistics with six different cut-off scores were used to identify students with aberrant response behaviour (misfitting students). Six Chi-square tests were then performed, one for each cut-off score, leading to a very clear conclusion: contrary to expectations the same students do not misfit in the two tests administered; aberrance does not seem to be a stable characteristic of students. Explanations for aberrant responses such as carelessness, plodding or guessing need to be reconsidered. They may have validity for particular test situations but this has yet to be demonstrated and thus investigation calls them into question.     

Exploring the role of university students’ online self-regulated learning in the flipped classroom: a structural equation model

ABSTRACT

The flipped classroom has gained a great deal of attention in educational research and practice in recent years. The purposes of this study are to understand the relationship between students’ online self-regulated learning (SRL) and their perceptions of learning in a flipped classrooms (FC), to identify possible mediators in this relationship, and to explain how this relationship predicts students’ intentions to participate in an FC. Two questionnaires were used to gather data from 576 undergraduate or graduate students in Taiwan. The structural equation model showed that students’ in-class interactions and online SRL are predictors of their perceived quality of usefulness of online learning activities and positive experience of FC, and these, in turn, associate with their intentional behaviours of participating in FC. While students’ perceived value of interactions in physical classrooms directly related to their intentions to participate in FC, their online SRL predicts their intentions to participate in flipped learning only when mediated by the perceived quality of the usefulness of the online learning activities and positive experience of FC.     

大学生开展数学第二课堂活动的调查分析与思考

第二课堂既是第一课堂的有益补充,也是提高学生综合能力素质的有效途径,对于提高学生综合能力,培养学生创新意识等方面具有独特价值。经过我校不断努力,数学第二课堂建设取得了很大的进步,在培养人才方面发挥了巨大的作用。为了构建科学的数学第二课堂教育体系,我们课题组通过调查研究,旨在把握我校数学第二课堂活动开展现状,总结经验,查找不足,为进一步加强数学第二课堂教育体系的建设提供参考与借鉴。     

高校学术腐败现象之透视与对策

揭示了高校学术腐败的种种现象，分析其危害性和产生的根源，并探讨反学术腐败的若干对策。     

School placement and classroom participation among children with disabilities in primary school in Norway: a longitudinal study

The purpose of this paper is to address changes in school placement and classroom participation with respect to children with disabilities of primary school age in Norway, as well as examining the factors which explain variation in school placement and classroom participation. School placement refers to whether children with disabilities attend regular school, while classroom participation refers to time spent in regular classrooms at regular schools. The analysis is based on longitudinal data drawn from surveys undertaken in 2003 and 2006, of parents of children with disabilities. Present findings suggest there are no major changes in school placement during primary school years, which is contrary to earlier findings. However, the amount of time children with disability are absent from regular classes does increase significantly as the children become older. Size of municipality population, type of disability and degree of impairment are the main factors which have an impact on school placement. In addition to these, the amount of special education also has an impact on classroom participation. There are small changes in mechanisms that lead children out of both regular schools and classrooms, during their primary school years. However, some of the identified factors strengthen in importance as the children become older. The apparent policy change for older children, from special school placement to an “out of class” practice, is discussed. It could be seen as regular schools’ adaptation to the tension between the prevailing ideology of inclusion and schools’ maintenance of existing practice.     

Geography students as constructors of classroom knowledge and practice: a case study from Botswana

This study reports on the strategies (overt and subtle) employed by students in one senior secondary school in Botswana to keep their teachers in an information‐giving position. Contrary to the prevailing view that the ‘teacher dominance’ of classroom activities so often reported in classroom studies results from teachers' desire for social control, this study sees the dominance as a negotiated product, resulting instead from teachers and students exercising power on one another. Such a view of classroom practice is only possible where power is conceptualized not as a negative force that dominates, but as a productive force that simultaneously constrains and enables human action. Viewed this way, classroom reality becomes a co‐construction, a ‘joint project’ by teacher and students. Attempts to change this reality, therefore, must include both teacher and students.