Impact of the educational use of Facebook group on the high school students’ proper usage of language

This study examines impact of the educational use of Facebook group on the high school students’ proper usage of language. The study included thirty students who attend 11th grade in a high school in Trabzon, Turkey. Firstly, preliminary data about Facebook usage of students were obtained to understand the factors that motivate students to use Facebook and whether they use them for the educational purpose or not. Then, a Facebook group was created, in which a literature teacher was assigned as the guide of the group. This study lasted twelve weeks. The students’ assignments such as compositions, poems, and vignettes, discussions, the teacher’s views and observation, data from the interviews with participants were analyzed in this study. Results from this study indicated that that Facebook group was effective on issues such as development of writing abilities of students, communication and cooperation between teacher and students, and cooperation and communication among students. The original idea for this research was to determine that proper usage of language can be improved in social context if Facebook group is created as a flexible online community with interactive and reflective activities, effective tool of sharing and communication. This study demonstrates how Facebook can successfully be used in educational environment appropriately.     

A group of nurses experience open learning—further explorations of the impact

The ideological moorings of distance education, both as a discipline and as a mode, rest on cognisance of multiple and varying contexts of learners, which it aims to address through responsive course content creation and delivery strategies. One of the frames through which the context needs to be understood is gender. There is research stating that gender both structures and influences the world of the learner and learner experience; therefore, learning needs to be contextualised to women’s personal, social, mental and emotional milieux. Through a qualitative inquiry, undertaken within the constructivist framework, aimed at uncovering the perspectives of learners and counsellors associated with five programmes of Indira Gandhi National Open University, the present paper attempts to revisit gender in open and distance learning (ODL). It seeks to uncover the impact of gender on learning through the distance mode; the need and availability of support structures in ODL to address the specific needs of women; the reflection and transaction of gender perspectives in content and pedagogy and, through this, to identify issues that may be relevant in the present‐day context. The findings of the study are not a function of gender alone. A matrix of variables appears to impact learner experience and response to ODL – the structuring of the programme and its requirements, the role(s) played by the counsellors, the motivations and the learning milieux created by the learners – all independently and collectively influence the learners’ – male and female – experience of ODL. While gender is not the independent variable each time, this does not mean that there are no gender‐specific issues any more – only that they need to be examined and answered in a particular context.     

Students’ use of the interactive whiteboard during physics group work

This paper presents a case study of how the interactive whiteboard (IWB) may facilitate collective meaning-making processes in group work in engineering education. In the case, first-year students attended group-work sessions as an organised part of a basic physics course at a Norwegian university college. Each student group was equipped with an IWB, which the groups used to write down and hand in their solutions to the physics problems. Based on a Vygotskian, dialectical stance, this study investigates how the students used the IWB in the group-work situation. From qualitative analysis of video data, we identified four group-work processes where the IWB played a key role: exploratory, explanatory, clarifying and insertion. The results show that the IWB may facilitate a ‘joint workspace’, a social realm in which the students’ dialogues are situated.     

Task performance in small group settings: the role of group members’ self-efficacy and collective efficacy and group’s characteristics

The present study extends the literature by investigating the relative salience of self- and collective efficacy in predicting group performance among early adolescents in Indonesia. A total of 435 early adolescents (mean age 11.70 years, 53% female) were randomly assigned to groups of three to four and completed three group tasks (task 1: puzzles; task 2: math; task 3: puzzles). Results indicated that collective efficacy was a more salient predictor of group performance than self-efficacy. Examination of the interaction effects suggested that the positive effects of collective efficacy on task performance were moderated by the levels of individual members’ self-efficacy, that is, when group members’ self-efficacy was high, task performance was lower. However, the debilitating effect disappears in the last task, where self-efficacy no longer undermines task performance when group members’ collective efficacy is high. Interestingly, heterogeneity of the group in terms of gender and ethnicity composition significantly predicted task performance of the group: groups comprising more boys and groups comprising members of different ethnic backgrounds had lower task performance. Findings are discussed in relation to their theoretical contributions and applied implications for classroom teaching and learning.     

When group work leaves the classroom does group skills development also go out the window?

In moving towards what Lemke (1996) terms the ‘interactive learning paradigm’, higher education has adopted two key principles consistent with group learning technologies:

• ? learning is always mediated by and occurs through language ( Falk, 1997 ; Gee, 1997 ); and
• ? learning is distributed across a range of other people, sites, objects, technologies and time ( Gee, 1997 ).

A third and relatively recent principle to emerge on the higher education scene that seems to ‘contradict’ accepted views of group learning technologies is that:

• ? many universities now choose to offer ‘learning resources’ online.

This paper asks whether Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are ‘robust’ enough to support, sustain and address industry, employer and government calls for greater attention to group skills development in university graduates. Data features an examination of respondent feedback (n = 171) in an ‘ICT‐rich’ group work setting, and the subsequent ratings of group skills development over a 13‐week period. This discussion offers an account of learner outcomes by adopting Kirkpatrick's (1996) four levels of evaluation of learning as a classification scheme for determining learner satisfaction (Level One), the effectiveness of learning transfer (Level Two), its impact on practice (Level Three) and the appropriation of learning behaviours by participants (Level Four). The contrasting patterns of ICT use between female and male users in the data are discussed in relation to building social presence and producing social categories online. Differences reported here indicate that ICT group work is moving forward, but opportunities to challenge rather than reproduce existing learning relations and differences, remain largely unresolved.     

Educational needs of the 16–19 age group: A sociological perspective

This paper attempts to draw a sociological profile of young people in Europe between 15–19 years of age. It points out changes in the socialisation functions of the three institutions, family, school and peer group.The second half of the article surveys quantitative aspects of the educational performance of this age group, pointing out similarities and dissimilarities between the various European countries.The final part is concerned with the effects of inequality of opportunity (socio-cultural, sex-based, and regional) on educational achievement. It is evident that education for this age group is in a state of ferment — new aspects include: the growing importance attached to guidance, the abolition of traditional types of examinations in many countries, the individualisation of instruction, the increased emphasis on technological training, and the greater range of options.

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Zusammenfassung In diesem Aufsatz wird versucht, ein soziologisches Bild von Fünfzehn- bis Neunzehnjährigen in Europa zu geben. Dabei wird auf die Wandlungen der Sozialisierungsfunktionen der drei Einrichtungen — Familie, Schule und Kameraden — hingewiesen.Im zweiten Teil bringt der Artikel einen Überblick über die quantitativen Aspekte der Erziehung dieser Altersgruppe, wobei die Ähnlichkeiten und Unterschiede zwischen den verschiedenen europäischen Ländern gezeigt werden.Zum Schluss folgt eine Auseinandersetzung mit den Auswirkungen der (soziokulturellen, geschlechts-bedingten und regionalen) Chancen-Ungleichheit im Bildungsbereich. Offensichtlich befindet sich die Erziehung dieser Altersgruppe in einem Gärungsprozess — zu den neuen Aspekten gehören: die zunehmende Bedeutung der Bildungsberatung, die Abschaffung traditioneller Prüfungsmethoden in vielen Ländern, die Individualisierung des Unterrichts, die wachsende Betonung der technischen Ausbildung und das grössere Angebot an Wahlfächern.

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Résumé Cet article s'efforce de dresser un profil sociologique des jeunes Européens de 15 à 19 ans, et met en évidence les changements qui se sont opérés dans les fonctions de socialisation des trois institutions: la famille, l'école et les camarades.La seconde moitié de l'article passe en revue les aspects quantitatifs du rendement éducatif de ce groupe d'âge, établissant similitudes et différences entre les divers pays européens.La dernière partie traite les effets de l'inégalité des chances (socio-culturelles, sexuelles et régionales) sur le rendement en éducation. Il apparaît clairement que l'éducation pour ce groupe d'âge est dans un état de fermentation; les nouveaux aspects comprennent: l'importance croissante accordée à l'orientation, l'abolition des types traditionnels d'examens dans de nombreux pays, l'individualisation de l'enseignement, davantage d'accent mis sur la formation technologique et la gamme plus étendue des options.

     

Assessing the reliability of self‐ and peer rating in student group work

Peer and self‐ratings have been strongly recommended as the means to adjust individual contributions to group work. To evaluate the quality of student ratings, previous research has primarily explored the validity of these ratings, as indicated by the degree of agreement between student and teacher ratings. This research describes a Generalizability Theory framework to evaluate the reliability of student ratings in terms of the degree of consistency among students themselves, as well as group and rater effects. Ratings from two group projects are analyzed to illustrate how this method can be applied. The reliability of student ratings differs for the two group projects considered in this research. While a strong group effect is present in both projects, the rater effect is different. Implications of this research for classroom assessment practice are discussed.     

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.     

Making the most of “external” group members in blended and online environments

Although the importance of boundary spanning in blended and online learning is widely acknowledged, most educational research has ignored whether and how students learn from others outside their assigned group. One potential approach for understanding cross-boundary knowledge sharing is Social Network Analysis (SNA). In this article, we apply four network metrics to unpack how students developed intra- and inter-group learning links, using two exemplary blended case studies in Spain and the UK. Our results indicate that SNA based upon questionnaires can provide researchers some useful indicators for a more fine-grained analysis how students develop these inter- and intra-group learning links, and which cross-boundary links are particularly important for learning performance. The mixed findings between the two case-studies suggest the relevance of pre-existing conditions and learning design. SNA metrics can provide useful information for qualitative follow-up methods, and future interventions using learning analytics approaches.     

A characteristic condition of finite nilpotent group

INTRODUCTION In this paper, all groups considered are finite;G means a finite group. We use conventional notions and notations, asin Huppert (1968). Recall that a minimal subgroupof a finite group is a subgroup of prime order. Forthe group of even order, it is helpful to also considerthe cyclic subgroup of order 4. Two subgroups Hand K of a group G are said to permute if HK=KH.It is easily seen that H and K permute if and only ifthe set of HK is a subgroup of G. We know…     

Collaboration or confrontation? An investigation into the role of prior experiences in the completion of collaborative group tasks by student teachers

This paper describes research which investigated how a group of 23 postgraduate student teachers from a wide variety of international backgrounds with a broad range of previous experience perceived the significance of their own and others’ prior experience in accomplishing directed collaborative tasks, related to their coursework, in pre-determined groupings. The students were asked to comment on how they valued their own and others’ prior experiences and how they considered prior experience informed the completion of the tasks. They were also asked to comment on the dynamic of groups in which they worked and how they felt others’ prior experiences affected the management and achievement of the task. The students rated some experiences more highly than others and almost all appreciated the predetermined nature of the groupings as benefitting them socially as well as educationally. However, they raised practical, attitudinal and personality issues, suggesting that more structured guidance from tutors at the outset would be beneficial.     

Teenage dropouts and drug use: Does the specification of peer group structure matter?

Four alternative structures of peer groups are compared in an empirical analysis of teenage dropouts and recent drug use. In general, individual-specific covariates remain robust regardless of group structure specification in dropout models, but lose significance in models of drug-use. Estimates of correlated school effects depend on the specification of group structure. Contextual group effects have no influence on the probability that an individual uses drugs, but demonstrate some statistical significance, albeit ambiguous and strongly dependent on the specification of group structure. Endogenous peer effects do not influence the probability of dropping-out of school, but exhibit positive complementarities with respect to recent drug-use. Modeling the probabilities of leaving school and recent drug-use within a jointly distributed empirical framework indicates that unobserved attributes bridging the two types of behavior demonstrate positive correlation.     

Small group learning: Do group members' implicit theories of ability make a difference?

We examined the impact of members' implicit theories of ability on group learning and the mediating role of several group process variables, such as goal-setting, effort attributions, and efficacy beliefs. Comparisons were between 15 groups with a strong incremental view on ability (high incremental theory groups), and 15 groups with a weak incremental view on ability (low incremental theory groups). Groups worked on a computer-based management simulation. The task required the groups to learn the underlying structure of the simulation to be able to control the system effectively. High incremental theory groups set more challenging group goals, attributed their performance more to effort, developed stronger group efficacy, and displayed steeper learning trajectories than low incremental theory groups. Group goals mediated the impact of group members' implicit theories on group learning. Exploratory analyses of the group communication process revealed that members of the high incremental theory groups communicated more openly about the task and maintained a stronger task focus compared with members of the low incremental theory groups. Research on group learning benefits from a stronger individual differences perspective that incooperates variables such as implicit theories of ability as determinants of emerging group processes and outcomes.     

Whole school support for vulnerable children: the evaluation of a part‐time nurture group

The positive impact that nurture groups can offer is well documented. This study aims to describe the evaluation of a nurture group intervention across six schools. In contrast to previous research, children accessed the group for a maximum of four mornings per week. The findings show that this model did not comprise the gains reported in previous studies. The results show a significant positive effect on the children with reference to their behaviour both in school and at home. In addition, the intervention appears to have contributed further to the whole school system. Schools reported an improved ethos and an increased capacity to support children with social and emotional difficulties. This paper concludes by considering the new Scottish Curriculum guidelines A curriculum for excellence and whether the principles and theoretical underpinnings of nurture groups can be fully integrated into a mainstream environment.     

“Staying Black”: the demonstration of racial identity and womanhood among a group of young high-achieving Black women

Signithia Fordham’s theory of “racelessness” purports that while interacting with teachers, administrators, and peers in the school setting, academically successful Blacks must suppress the racial identities of their home worlds to secure and maintain the label of high achiever. My objectives were to examine how young Black women navigate between racially homogenous public schools in their neighborhoods to a racially integrated setting, and to highlight their involvement in work groups and social clubs as a way of expressing their racial identity and burgeoning womanhood. This study used interviews and questionnaire data gathered from a cohort of high-achieving young Black women in a highly selective honors high school to dispute Fordham’s theory, and to examine the various strategies that these women use to become and remain academically successful. This study revealed that through social club participation these female students are not raceless, and consciously identify as Black, and develop and demonstrate versions of Black womanhood that allow them to negotiate diversity. Implications for promoting racial integration, the development of Black identity, and the academic success of Black female students are provided.     

Trajectories of change in university students’ general views of group work following one single group assignment: significance of instructional context and multidimensional aspects of experience

This paper examines how distinct trajectories of change in students’ general views of group work over the duration of one single group assignment could be explained by multidimensional aspects of their experience and the overall instructional context. Science (336) and Education (377) students involved in a semester-long group assignment completed questionnaires at the beginning and end of their assignment. Individual and group level analyses provided evidence of change in general views of group work for over half of students and one third of the groups. Students’ multidimensional experience of their group assignment was investigated in terms of its cognitive, motivational, affect, interpersonal, management, and assessment aspects. Change in general views of group work could be explained by different aspects, which varied depending on the overall instructional context and whether change was toward more positive or more negative views. Overall, the findings highlight the significance of affect in students’ experience of group work and the influence of enabling or inhibiting features of instructional contexts. The criticality of distinguishing between different experiential aspects of group work and examining the nature of students’ experience in relation to the characteristics of the instructional context was demonstrated. Understanding what triggers change in students’ general views of group work is important as these views are expected to have a major impact on the quality of subsequent engagement in group activities.