Changes in perceptions of studying for the GCSE among Year 10 and Year 11 pupils

This research aimed to explore whether pupils’ perceptions of studying for the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) altered during the two‐year period of study of this qualification. Six hundred and forty four pupils from eight schools in outer London completed a self‐report questionnaire on two occasions, once in Year 10 and once in Year 11, which elicited their responses to statements about studying. Overall, throughout the course pupils remained anxious about coursework, examinations and homework and the time required for them. There was little evidence that pupils developed an increased level of understanding about the demands of the GCSE or a wider range of study strategies to support effective learning. That the students in this research remained as uncertain about the demands of coursework and the quality of their work in Year 11 as Year 10 warrants attention from those who plan and deliver the GCSE.     

Students’ and teachers’ perceptions: initial achievements of a Project-Based Engineering School

A unified academic model based on the project-based learning (PBL) methodology was implemented, in the 2012–2013 period, in the School of Engineering at Universidad Europea de Madrid. The purpose of this paper is to explore whether teachers and students participating in the capstone projects feel that the objectives for which this methodology was designed for are being achieved. The data were collected through interviews to participants at the end of the PBL experience. The results are encouraging, as students seem to be more motivated, and they say that they are experiencing deeper learning, and have developed key competitive skills required for their professional lives. Findings also suggest that teachers face positively the PBL as a learning approach since they perceive that students obtain a deeper learning, develop transversal skills with the projects and are more engaged with their studies. Implications and recommendations for the future of the model are also discussed.     

Am I That Talented? The experiences of gifted individuals from diverse educational backgrounds at the postsecondary level

The experiences of gifted students at the postsecondary level have not been studied widely. The goal of the present study was to explore and describe gifted students’ perceptions of their first year after high school regarding experiences of success and failure. Two focus groups were conducted with 12 students (8 males, 4 females) from different educational backgrounds, who had participated in a university-based enrichment program, to discuss topics related to their academic and socio-emotional experiences at a postsecondary level. Many students who attended vocational high schools experienced high levels of discomfort with their academic preparedness to face postsecondary education. Other initial problems were adapting socially to a new environment and perceiving themselves as “less” gifted than their peers. However, after these initial adjustment problems, students revealed high perseverance to face difficulties and a strong motivation for continuing the academic path they had outlined for themselves. Conducting longitudinal research and rethinking college services offered for gifted students are some of the implications discussed in this study.     

A Spelling-Book Score Card

Abstract

An experiment was carried out to determine the effect of several elements of mastery learning on student achievement in an undergraduate course on curriculum development and instruction, which is a less sequential course than the type of courses used in prior studies. Learning in a less sequential course can be facilitated by previous learning, but the lack of prerequisites does not obstruct learning. Students were randomly assigned to three groups: conventional teaching methods; enhancing cognitive entry behavior plus conventional teaching methods; and feedback/corrective procedures, enhancing cognitive entry behaviors, and conventional teaching methods. The combination of feedback/corrective procedures and initial enhancement of cognitive prerequisities was significantly more effective than using only enhancement of cognitive prerequisites, which in turn was significantly more effective than using conventional methods. The results indicate that using a combination of alterable variables effectively in the teaching-learning process may solve the “two sigma problem” in less sequential subject series and at the university level.     

Longitudinal study of a cooperation-driven,socio-scientific issue intervention on promoting students’ critical thinking and self-regulation in learning science

ABSTRACT

This longitudinal study explored the effects of a Cooperation-driven Socioscientific Issue (CDSSI) intervention on junior high school students' perceptions of critical thinking (CT) and self-regulation (SR) in Taiwan. Forty-nine grade 7 students were randomly selected as an experimental group (EG) to attend a 3-semester 72-hour intervention; while another 49 grade 7 students from the same school were randomly selected as the comparison group (CG). All participants completed a 4-wave student questionnaire to assess their perceptions of CT and SR. In addition, 8 target students from the EG with the lowest scores on either CT or SR were purposefully recruited for weekly observation. These target students and their teachers were interviewed one month after the intervention in each semester. Analyses of covariance and paired-wise t-tests revealed that the EG students' perceptions of CT and SR in learning science were improved during the study and were significantly better than their counterparts' at the end of the study. Systematic interview and classroom observation results were consistent with the quantitative findings. This study adds empirical evidence and provides insights into how CDSSI can be integrated into planning and implementing effective pedagogical strategies aimed at increasing students' perceptions of CT and SR in learning science.     

‘I assume they don't think!’: teachers’ perceptions of Normal Technical students in Singapore

Teachers’ attitudes and beliefs about students in a particular grouping hierarchy are shaped by their ideological views. Within education systems that have high international profiles, such as Singapore, what has been less explored is how teachers think about and interact with students who are seemingly positioned as being ‘low-ability’ or ‘low achieving’ within disadvantaged education contexts. This paper accordingly examines teachers’ perceptions of ‘Normal Technical’ students in Singapore. The findings underscore the need to understand teachers’ interpretations and thinking about teaching and learning processes that influence classroom practice. This is a necessary starting point for pedagogical innovation and change in schools.     

A change of perspective – Exploring Mexican primary and secondary school students’ perceptions of their teachers differentiated instructional practice

With the increasing student diversity, the establishment of inclusive classrooms has become a top concern of policy-makers worldwide urging teachers to differentiate their instruction according to students’ individual learning needs. As the implementation of differentiated instruction (DI) relies mainly on teachers, previous research has mostly focused on examining teachers’ perspectives on their use of differentiation. In contrast, far less attention has been paid to explore students’ perspectives about their experiences in inclusive classrooms. Therefore, this study aims at examining students’ experiences of their teachers’ actual DI practice. Moreover, this study sets the spotlight on Mexico, a country that has faced changes with a recent proposed educational model. Results from a mixed analysis of variance revealed that students do in fact perceive that their teachers implement DI practices. It appears that both primary and secondary school teachers implement more frequent variants of mastery learning as well as tutoring systems as a means to differentiate their instruction. Implications of the results, as well as further lines of research, are discussed.     

信息时代大学生信息素养研究--对我校大学生信息素养现状的调查与分析

信息时代要求每个人都具备信息素养,大学生更是如此。大学生的信息素养直接影响着学习能力,影响着教学改革,影响着大学生一生的学习和生活。我校大学生信息素养现状是:一半以上的学生信息意识不强、信息能力较差,尤其是获取、利用、创新信息的能力不强,信息道德有待提高。学校应通过提高教师的信息素养、开设专门的信息素养课程、改革各学科教学、建立评估制度等方法提高大学生的信息素养。     

Stability and Consistency in Secondary Schools’ Effects on Students’ GCSE Outcomes over Three Years∗

This paper reports the results of a UK study investigating the issue of differential school effectiveness. The size of overall school effects versus departmental differences in effects on 16 year old students’ General Certificate in Secondary Education performance are examined, as well as the internal (within school) consistency of departmental effects across six GCSE subject outcomes and the stability of school and departmental effects across three GCSE cohorts (1990‐1992). A value added approach is adopted, controlling for selected student intake measures (such as attainment at secondary transfer). The findings of multilevel analyses suggest that very few schools perform both consistently (across subjects) and with stability (over time). The implications of the results are discussed in relation to the publication and interpretation of schools’ examination results as well as the use of school and departmental effectiveness measures for school self‐evaluation.

     

How the experience of assessed collaborative writing impacts on undergraduate students’ perceptions of assessed group work

A time-series analysis was used to investigate Arabic undergraduate students’ (n = 50) perceptions of assessed group work in a major government institution of higher education in Qatar. A longitudinal mixed methods approach was employed. Likert scale questionnaires were completed over the duration of a collaborative writing event. Additionally, open-ended questionnaires were administered after the students received their grade for their term paper. This study found that the participants’ perceptions were positive towards assessed group work throughout the duration of the event, changed in a statistically significant way after the submission of the first piece of formally assessed work, and are temporal and liable to change depending on what is experienced. The results of this study suggest that: assessed collaborative writing is a feasible pedagogical tool within higher education; undergraduate learners place value on group work as it enables them to collaboratively generate, share and develop their ideas; and researchers who investigate perceptual or attitudinal changes should consider whether their study requires time-sensitive methodology.     

Integration of collaborative learning in Grade K-5 EFL classrooms

This study investigated the effectiveness of integrating collaborative learning in Turkish elementary (primary) classrooms where English is acquired as a foreign language. Specifically, it aimed at shedding light on how the participating students and teachers perceive such language classes, what are the effects of integrating this particular method in the classroom and how does working collaboratively influence students’ level of proficiency. A sample of 23 Turkish students (Grade 5, age 10–12) and 2 English teachers participated in the case study. Data were collected through a triangulated approach, in which pre- and post-tests, diaries and observations were administered to the two groups of participants. The findings revealed that collaborative learning has positive influence both on teaching and learning English in fifth-grade classrooms.     

Students’ views of assessment in project-led engineering education: findings from a case study in Portugal

According to the demands of the Bologna process, new educational methods and strategies are needed in order to enhance student-centred learning. Project work is one of those approaches. This paper aims to evaluate the impact of project-led education (PLE) on students’ learning processes and outcomes, within the context of a first-year engineering programme. It explores students’ perceptions about assessment procedures and processes. Data collection was based on individual surveys at the end and the beginning of each PLE edition and through focus groups, after a period of six months. Findings are presented according to emerging themes from the data analysis, focusing mainly on students’ perspectives of learning and assessment, the role of formative and summative assessments in PLE and their impact on learning. Implications for improving assessment practices are discussed.     

浅谈如何培养高职学生良好的英语学习习惯

随着我国高等职业教育的发展,高职学生的素质越来越受到关注。英语作为高职院校的一门必修课程,越来越受到人们的重视。但是高职学生的英语基础相对较弱,在学习上普遍缺乏自主性;不具备良好的英语学习习惯。针对目前高职学生公共英语学习中存在的问题,提出了一些培养良好学习习惯的具体方法,以期达到提高英语教学质量之目的。     

Identifying exemplary science teachers through their students’ perceptions of the assessment process

This paper reports on part of a large‐scale study aimed at examining students’ perceptions of assessment. This paper will report on a study utilising mixed methodology in 150 Australian middle school classrooms. The purpose of the study described in this paper was to use the Students’ Perceptions of Assessment Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (SPAQ) to identify and describe exemplary science teachers. With a sample of over 3000 science students, the reliability of the SPAQ scales ranged from 0.62 to 0.82. The exemplary teachers were identified as those whose students’ perceptions were more than one standard deviation above the mean on three of the five scales of Congruence with planned learning, Transparency, Authenticity, Student consultation, and Diversity. The construct validity of the SPAQ to identify these exemplary teachers was confirmed through interviews with students and these views are reported in the article.     

短期留学教育的跨文化适应实证研究

文章通过问卷调查和深度访谈研究泰国学生在短期来华留学过程的跨文化沟通态度和跨文化沟通焦虑程度的变化关系。结果发现,短期留学后,跨文化沟通焦虑程度减少,但跨文化沟通态度却朝负面方向发展。本研究通过访谈发现了与此相关的影响因素有：主流文化社会支持的缺乏、生活变化、留学经验、外语能力及成就动机等。     

试析高职院校学生实践技能的培养

在高职院校中,对于学生实践技能的培养是尤为重视的,高职教育中实践能力的培养起着决定性的作用。专业教学计划的制定,一定要将学生实践技能的培养内容体现出来。在培养学生实践能力的过程中,教师的实践教学能力,学生的重要性在其中都发挥着重要的作用。想要学生实践能力的培养得到一定的保障,就需要通过实验实习基地建设进行实现,学生实践能力主要通过职业资格证书来体现。