The Effects of Instructional Computer Games and Drill and Practice Software on Learning Disabled Students' Mathematics Achievement

No abstract available for this article.     

The Effects of Concurrent Classroom and Home Instructional Video-Game Use on Student Achievement

ABSTRACT

This study focused on whether Internet use improves skills for practical use of information, which is termed information literacy in Japan. Data from Japanese elementary school children (n = 702) were analyzed in a two-wave panel study in order to estimate the causal relationship between Internet use and information literacy. Structural equation modeling was the specific technique applied in a cross-lagged effect model. Results of the analysis indicated that greater use of the Internet led to higher information literacy in the whole-scale measure of practical use of information, as well as in the subskill areas of collecting, judging, and expressing information.     

Factors of Professional Learning Community Implementation and Effect on Student Achievement

ABSTRACT

Professional learning communities (PLCs) promote collaboration among school personnel in an effort to stimulate student learning. Using data obtained from a larger statewide initiative in Missouri, the current study examined data from 181 schools (102 elementary schools, 32 middle schools, 41 high schools, and 6 other schools, average of 428.76 students) to determine (a) the factors that can be used to assess the effects of PLCs, (b) how well PLCs relate to student achievement, and (c) the extent to which teams differentially implement the factors. An exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analyses resulted in two broader constructs that represented PLC attributes, collaborative leadership process and data-driven systems for learning, both of which correlated with student achievement and together provided unique variance in mathematics beyond school variables and achievement scores from before the PLC began. Directions for future research and implications for practice are discussed.     

Teacher-as-Researcher Reform: Student Achievement and Perceptions of Learning Environment

This study reports the results of a research project conducted as part of high school teachers' efforts to bring about reform of science education in their school. Two classes of Grade 8 students (N = 43) taught by the same teacher were monitored in terms of students' perceptions of their learning environment, achievement levels, and conceptual understanding of research. Quantitative methods (questionnaire, tests and examinations, GPA) and qualitative methods (interviews, videotaped lessons, artifacts) were combined while the learning environment was changed to a student-centered open inquiry format. Not unexpectedly, relationships between the Autonomy and Student-Centeredness scales of the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES) and immediate (unit test) and delays post-tests (examination subsection) were detected. On the other hand, although student-student interactions in small-groups and whole-class sessions were a significant part of the learning environment, the Negotiation scale was not related to achievement. Three case studies of representative students (in terms of achievement and perceptions of the learning environment) are featured, further underscoring the importance of monitoring reform of teaching at the classroom level.     

The Effects of Change in Instructional Effectiveness on the Relationship of Teacher Expectations and Student Achievement

Abstract

The literature concerning passage dependence in tests of reading comprehension abounds with statements about the importance of the topic. Yet no study was located that investigated the extent to which conventional reading comprehension scores correlate with scores of another form of the test administered with its passages removed. It was argued that until this relationship is shown to be less than perfect, there would be an inadequate data base from which to profess the importance of passage dependence. The present study provided such data for seventh and eighth grade students. It was found that independent scores obtained under the two administration conditions were more highly correlated than seems previously to have been assumed. However, this correlation was judged to be not sufficiently high to render the topic of passage dependence moot.     

The Impact of Scaffolding and Student Achievement Levels in a Problem-based Learning Environment

This study examined how scaffolds and student achievement levels influence inquiry and performance in a problem-based learning environment. The scaffolds were embedded within a hypermedia program that placed students at the center of a problem in which they were trying to become the youngest person to fly around the world in a balloon. One-hundred and eleven seventh grade students enrolled in a science and technology course worked in collaborative groups for a duration of 3 weeks to complete a project that included designing a balloon and a travel plan. Student groups used one of three problem-based, hypermedia programs: (1) a no scaffolding condition that did not provide access to scaffolds, (2) a scaffolding optional condition that provided access to scaffolds, but gave students the choice of whether or not to use them, and (3) a scaffolding required condition required students to complete all available scaffolds. Results revealed that students in the scaffolding optional and scaffolding required conditions performed significantly better than students in the no scaffolding condition on one of the two components of the group project. Results also showed that student achievement levels were significantly related to individual posttest scores; higher-achieving students scored better on the posttest than lower-achieving students. In addition, analyses of group notebooks confirmed qualitative differences between students in the various conditions. Specifically, those in the scaffolding required condition produced more highly organized project notebooks containing a higher percentage of entries directly relevant to the problem. These findings suggest that scaffolds may enhance inquiry and performance, especially when students are required to access and use them.     

Contextual Effects on Student Achievement: School Leadership and Professional Community

This paper contains empirical evidence of a positiverelationship between faculty relations and studentachievement in mathematics in U.S. high schools. Thefindings are based on composite measures ofprofessional community and transformational leadershipwhich were defined and constructed through comparisonsof theoretical models from studies of the socialorganization of schools. I find that the effects oftransformational leadership and professional communityare interdependent. However, these two processes arenot equally dependent on each other. Professionalcommunity only has a positive effect on studentachievement in mathematics in schools whose teachersexperience above average transformational leadership. I also find that these effects are strongest in lowersocioeconomic status (SES) schools. Thus, I confirmfindings from in-depth studies and studies ofpurposeful samples that the social organization ofteachers and administrators within schools can affectstudent achievement.     

The Effect of Team‐Based Learning on Student Attitudes and Satisfaction

We examined student attitudes toward a team‐based learning method known as the readiness assurance process encompassing team exams to model how student satisfaction is initially shaped and subsequently changed over time as a function of scholastic performance and perceived development of professional skills (PS). We found that students were generally positively disposed toward the learning method and recognized its benefits in terms of developing teamwork skills. A regression analysis of student responses to an instrument distributed directly after each of four quizzes given over the course of a semester leads to the inferences that satisfaction with the method depends minimally upon the immediate feedback provided by student performance on a quiz and more critically upon student perceptions of how it has enhanced their PS. There is also shown to be a strong carryover effect in satisfaction with the method in successive uses. The results suggest that student attitudes are shaped by multiple, high‐level goals, and not just scholastic performance. The study also evidences the need to study learning interventions over multiple uses rather than through a one‐shot design.     

An NCME Instructional Module on Booklet Designs in Large-Scale Assessments of Student Achievement: Theory and Practice

In most large-scale assessments of student achievement, several broad content domains are tested. Because more items are needed to cover the content domains than can be presented in the limited testing time to each individual student, multiple test forms or booklets are utilized to distribute the items to the students. The construction of an appropriate booklet design is a complex and challenging endeavor that has far-reaching implications for data calibration and score reporting. This module describes the construction of booklet designs as the task of allocating items to booklets under context-specific constraints. Several types of experimental designs are presented that can be used as booklet designs. The theoretical properties and construction principles for each type of design are discussed and illustrated with examples. Finally, the evaluation of booklet designs is described and future directions for researching, teaching, and reporting on booklet designs for large-scale assessments of student achievement are identified.     

Estimating the Impact of Instructional Practices on Student Achievement in Science

This study used a hierarchical linear model (HLM) to estimate direct and indirect effects of instructional practices recommended by the National Science Education Standards on individual achievement. Three pedagogical reforms—namely, providing more opportunities for laboratory inquiry, increasing emphasis on critical thinking, and reducing the amount of teacher‐centered instruction—were expected to account for variability in school mean achievement and explain why gender, racial‐ethnic status, and socioeconomic status have more influence on achievement of students in some schools than in others. Results suggest that whereas the instructional policies recommended by the authors of the Standards may be associated with higher achievement overall, they are equally likely to have the unintended consequence of contributing to greater achievement gaps among students with different demographic profiles. Theoretical expectations about the impact of instructional practices on academic excellence and equity require further evaluation. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 36: 1110–1126, 1999     

基于知识媒体的建构主义学习环境设计

学习环境设计是教学理论领域的两大主题之一。随着知识媒体概念的提出及不断发展,它对学习环境的影响也越来越明显。主要表现在呈现教学信息、构造仿真情境、创建虚拟学习空间、丰富的信息资源和学生评估等几个方面。     

基于学习对象的教学设计

通过对学习对象的概念分析,论述了学习对象的内涵与特性。从学习对象的粒度、学习对象的编列、学习对象与学习内容、学习策略和学习者学习风格的关联、学习对象元数据规范（CELTS－3．1）等方面说明,在开发网络学习资源时,如何有效设计学习对象。     

The Effects of Cooperative Learning on Student Achievement and Motivation in a High School Geometry Class

In this study, the effects of a form of cooperative group instruction (Student Teams Achievement Divisions) on student motivation and achievement in a high school geometry class were examined. Eighty students were randomly assigned to either a control group receiving traditional instruction or one of two treatment groups receiving cooperative learning instruction. Geometry achievement was assessed using scores from the IOWA Test of Basic Skills and teacher-made exams. An 83-item questionnaire was used as a pretest, posttest, and post-posttest assessment of efficacy, intrinsic valuing, goal orientation, and cognitive processing. Students in the cooperative treatment groups exhibited significantly greater gains than the control group in geometry achievement, efficacy, intrinsic valuing of geometry, learning goal orientation, and reported uses of deep processing strategies. The implications for cooperative group structures and motivation theory are discussed.     

The Mediating Effect of Knowledge‐Sharing Processes on Organizational Cultural Factors and Knowledge Management Effectiveness

This study explored the extent to which knowledge‐sharing processes mediate organizational cultural factors and knowledge management effectiveness among Korean organizations. The findings show that knowledge‐sharing processes play as mediators in the effect of trust, collaboration, and learning on knowledge management effectiveness. Employees from knowledge management practicing companies in Korea were surveyed. Results from mediation analysis show that knowledge‐sharing processes have both practical and statistical significance to enhance knowledge management effectiveness. Trust and a learning culture are also significant to increase knowledge management effectiveness. We discuss the implications of these findings to facilitate knowledge sharing and make suggestions for future research.     

基于混合式学习的分层教学模式研究

混合学习模式是以混合学习理论为指导,以信息技术为重要手段的新的教学形式,是高校教学改革的研究热点及重要发展方向之一。文章运用混合式学习理论结合分层教学的思想设计教学过程,并提出了混合学习理论下的分层教学设计思路,并给出相关课程的设计实例。最后以"多媒体应用基础"课程的学习者为调查对象,对课程设计的效果进行了验证和简要分析。     

The Relationship of Teachers' Instructional Decisions and Beliefs about Alternate Assessments to Student Achievement

In the decade since alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS) were first required, special education teachers have had to develop content knowledge and pedagogical skills to teach academics to students with significant cognitive disabilities. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact that teachers' instructional decisions and beliefs about AA-AAS have on the academic achievement of students with significant cognitive disabilities. A survey of nearly 400 teachers across three states provided evidence of teachers' beliefs, as well as their instructional planning processes for students. Students' learning characteristics were also identified. Survey responses were analyzed in conjunction with students' 2010–2011 scores on their statewide AA-AAS. The results indicated that students with presymbolic communication systems had a lower likelihood of achieving proficiency in English language arts/reading and math than students with abstract symbolic communication. Students with concrete symbolic communication systems had lesser odds of proficiency in ELA/reading but not in math. Teachers who agreed that AA-AAS had an impact on instruction tended to have students with higher achievement proficiency. However, more negative views of the validity of AA-AAS scores were associated with greater odds of proficiency.     

Project‐Based Learning Involving Sensory Panelists Improves Student Learning Outcomes

Project‐based, collaborative learning is an effective teaching method when compared to traditional cognitive learning. The purpose of this study was to assess student learning after the completion of a final meal project that involved a group of sensory panelists. A paper survey was conducted among 73 senior nutrition and dietetics students enrolling in Experimental Food Science, Spring 2013 and 2014. The survey comprised of qualitative and quantitative questions about students’ perceived learning outcomes. The project required students to prepare a 4‐course meal in 90 min, in groups of 4. Eighteen sensory panelists consisting of faculty and graduate students from the Nutrition, Dietetics, and Hospitality Management Department and administrative staff from the college evaluated the foods, asked students several food science‐related questions, and completed a survey about their involvement in the project. Students reported that this project reinforced class material (4.7 ± 0.6), and was enjoyable (4.6 ± 0.6) yet challenging (4.4 ± 0.7); numerous skills were developed, including team‐building (4.7 ± 0.5), food preparation (4.6 ± 0.5), and time management (4.4 ± 0.5). Students perceived that the involvement of sensory panelists was beneficial in terms of providing constructive feedback for improvement and motivating them to prepare high‐quality foods. It also prepared them for serving foods to individuals from different cultural backgrounds. However, some students found the experience stressful. For the sensory panelists, the project helped them to venture out of their areas of expertise. In conclusion, a meal project involving sensory panelists can result in positive learning outcomes.     

The Effects of Reciprocal Imitation on Teacher–Student Relationships and Student Learning Outcomes

Neuroscientific and developmental psychological research in imitation has yielded important insights into building teacher–student relationships and enhancing students' learning. This study investigated the effects of reciprocal imitation on teacher–student relationships and students' learning outcomes in one‐on‐one teacher–student interactions. In a within‐subjects design, participants learned eight English vocabulary words under two conditions: one condition paired with teacher's imitative behaviors and the other with teacher's random behaviors. Students' self‐rating surveys and quiz scores on new words were assessed. When the teacher imitated the students' behaviors in interactions, the students reported significantly higher perceptions of rapport, more confidence in and satisfaction with learning outcomes, and had significantly higher quiz scores. Results had important implications for teachers in using imitation as an effective teaching tool to build teacher–student relationships and enhance students' learning.     

基于网络环境的课程教学模式研究与实践

本文以现代教育技术课程为研究对象，提出了基于网络环境的课程教学模式，探讨了网络课程教与学的策略，并为网络环境下的教学模式建设提供一定的参考。