Effects of learning physics using Augmented Reality on students’ self-efficacy and conceptions of learning

The Augmented Reality (AR)-based learning environment not only provides educators with novel ways to present learning materials but also give learners the opportunity to spontaneously interact with the material. Previous studies have shown that AR has many advantages in education; however, few focuses on the mechanisms behind promoting inquiry motivation, such as the effect of AR on learners’ self-efficacy and conceptions of learning. This study developed an AR-based wave-particle duality learning application, “AROSE,” to explore the effect of AR technology on students’ self-efficacy and conceptions of learning physics. A quasi-experimental study method was used, and 98 high school students aged between 16 and 18 were randomly assigned to experimental and control group. After a 4-week intervention, it was found that integrating AR technology into physics classrooms can (1) significantly enhance students’ physics learning self-efficacy, as indicated by understanding of concepts, higher-level cognitive skills, practice and communication; (2) guide students to be more inclined to higher-level conceptions of learning physics rather than lower ones; and (3) stimulates students’ motivation to learn more deeply.     

Coherence,contradiction, and the development of school science identities

This study demonstrates the potential for collaborative research among participants in local settings to effect positive change in urban settings characterized by diversity. It describes an interpretive case study of a racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse eighth grade science classroom in an urban magnet school in order to explore why some of the students did not achieve at high levels and identify with school science although they were both interested in and knowledgeable about science. The results of this study indicated that structural issues such as the school's selection process, the discourses perpetuated by teachers, administrators, and peers regarding “who belongs” at the school, and negative stereotype threat posed obstacles for students by highlighting rather than mitigating the inequalities in students' educational backgrounds. We explore how a methodology based on the use of cogenerative dialogues provided some guidance to teachers wishing to alter structures in their classrooms to be more conducive to all of their students developing identities associated with school science. Based on the data analysis, we also argue that a perspective on classrooms as communities of practice in which learning is socially situated rather than as forums for competitive displays, and a view of students as valued contributors rather than as recipients of knowledge, could address some of the obstacles. Recommendations include a reduced emphasis on standardized tasks and hierarchies, soliciting unique student contributions, and encouraging learning through peripheral participation, thereby enabling students to earn social capital in the classroom. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47: 1209–1228, 2010     

Maximising the language and learning link in computer learning environments

In studies on the implementation and educational uses of computers there are reports of changes in students' behaviour as a result of working with computers (Rowe, 1993; Crook, 1994). Social, collaborative and dialogic exchanges have been observed as students engage in tasks around computers. This research provides evidence that the computer is a social facilitator in the sense that it provides opportunities for collaboration, group work and interaction which fosters cognitive change (Wild, 1995).
This article recognises the social role of the computer, and supports the view that computers can be used to facilitate learning through language. There is growing awareness that if we are to realise the full potential of computers in education, consideration must be given to their role as catalysts in the learning process, rather than technological tools (Hawkridge, 1990). Computer assisted learning has progressed through many phases, and through investigation of underlying theoretical frameworks it is possible to recognise the change of focus from individual accounts of learning to social perspectives.
Theoretical frameworks which emphasise the social dimensions of learning (Vygotsky, 1978) legitimise the link between computers, language use and learning and indicate that computers must be integrated into the social life of classrooms if their pedagogical benefits are to be realised.     

One‐to‐one mobile technology in high school physics classrooms: Understanding its use and outcome

This study examined ways in which high school students used mobile devices in physics classrooms and after school, and the impact of in‐class and after‐school mobile technology use on their physics learning performance and interest. We collected data from 803 high school freshmen in China after they had used mobile devices for over five months. A fixed‐effects model was employed to control the undetected variances. Results indicated that the students frequently used their mobile devices for physics learning in class and after school. Students also perceived the mobile devices as very useful for their physics learning, and their perception of usefulness was positively correlated with their frequency of use. Both the in‐class and after‐school duration and frequency of mobile technology use positively influenced students' physics learning achievement and interest. However, we also found that mobile technology was mainly used to augment rather than to transform instructional practices in physics classrooms. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications and limitations of these results for research and practice.     

Quality Learning of Physics: Conceptions Held by High School and University Teachers

This paper reports an exploration of the conceptions of quality learning held by two samples of physics teachers – final year, high school physics teachers and academics teaching first year university physics. We begin by outlining our view of quality learning, that is a view of learning in which learners take control of their own learning and engage with active construction and reconstruction of their own meanings for concepts and phenomena. This view of quality learning recognises the crucial role of the affective dimension of learning on the extent to which students engage with and maintain such constructivist and metacognitive approaches to learning. The study explored the qualitatively different ways in which individuals conceptualise quality learning in physics, using semi structured interviews that explored aspects of learning that the respondents regarded as worth fostering in their classrooms. The interview approach was a modification of the Interview-About-Instances approach that allowed the possibility of interviewees suggesting instances of particular relevance to their view of quality learning. This process resulted in a considerable quantity of rich and complex data related to a large range of aspects of physics learning. These data are summarised here, and the qualitatively different conceptions of the respondents with respect to four significant aspects of physics learning are discussed. These aspects are: doing experimental work; linking physics to the real world; students taking responsibility for their own learning and being confident/feeling proud of what you can do.     

Motivation in Mathematics: Goals Reflected in Emotions

Students in a mathematics classroom are motivated to do many things, not only the ones we expect them to do. In order to understand student behaviour in classrooms we need to increase our understanding of what motivation is and how it is regulated. Two issues relevant to a critique of mainstream motivation research need consideration: (a) the importance of the unconscious in motivation and (b) focusing on motivational states and processes rather than traits. In the present paper, motivation is conceptualised as a potential to direct behaviour through the mechanisms that control emotion. As a potential, motivation cannot be directly observed. It is observable only as it manifests itself in affect and cognition, for example as beliefs, values and emotional reactions. This potential is structured through needs and goals. Based on this view of motivation and the author's earlier studies, three aspects of motivation regulation are discussed. Primarily, goals are derived from needs: in learning situations, the psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and social belonging are the most significant determinants of goal choices. As a second aspect, this view accepts the influence of students' beliefs about the accessibility of different goals. As a third aspect, the influence of automatic emotional reactions for goal regulation will be discussed. The case of Frank will be used 1) to illustrate how motivation can be inferred from different kinds of data and 2) as an example of how conflicting goals lead to non-straightforward self-regulation.     

Are online communities for young people an issue for education researchers? A literature review of Swedish and international studies within the educational field

Issues concerning children and young people are of interest for the educational field as question about fostering, up-bringing, learning and socialisation are core topics for academic researchers in education. Today many young people in Sweden and around the world spend an increasing amount of their time in online communities or social networking sites. This article aims to investigate whether it also is highlighted by the education researchers. Is it an area to which educational researchers currently contribute? The goal for this article is to present research that is done regarding these issues. My findings show that few academic studies deal with youth and their online environments. Foremost is the research about Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in formal learning situations: in higher education, in schools and classrooms, among professional groups such as teachers and about more general computer use rather than on questions about the fostering or up-bringing of children online. This study implies that online activities for children and young people is a topic currently lying outside the educational research field, resulting in a discussion on why that can be. My work consisted of three parts: a manual search in Swedish research journals at a university library and by searching one Swedish (Libris) and one international (ISI Web of Science) online database. This activity took place in 2009 and covered research conducted between 2003 and 2008. I conclude that this area is one where educational expertise is lacking; hence further research is strongly required.     

An ORACLE chronicle: A decade of classroom research

This article describes a decade of classroom research carried out in the United Kingdom at the University of Leicester. The ORACLE Project (Observational Research and Classroom Learning Evaluation) began in 1975 and consisted of two main projects. The first concerned a longitudinal process-product study of teaching and learning in the junior-age (7–11) classrooms while the second study concentrated on one particular aspect of the organization of these classrooms, collaborative group work. The major findings of both studies are described including the categorization of teaching styles and pupil types and the relationship between them. Evidence concerning the effectiveness of different teaching styles is also presented. More importantly, the article explores some of the possible reasons which might explain both teachers' and pupils' behaviour. It is suggested that process-product research still has an important part to play in the study of classrooms but that the outcome measures might, more usefully, concentrate on social factors affecting pupils' learning and the ways in which teachers can create supportive classroom climates rather than on the traditional measures of achievement.     

Crossing divides: The legacy of Graham Nuthall

Graham Nuthall's work cuts across methodological and conceptual divides that have worked against the development of a theory of learning and teaching that is at once predictive and practical. The micro-genetic approach to research on learning in classrooms that he developed with Adrienne Alton-Lee successfully transcends the unhelpful dichotomy between qualitative and quantitative methods. Crossing the borders between the individual focus of cognitive psychology and the central role of social activity of sociocultural theory, he has suggested a synthesis that is both grounded in social context and predictive of individual learning. His theoretical contribution can become still more useful by extending it to the larger realities of students’ lives outside of the classroom by relating it to dynamic notions of culture and identity.     

Taking Up Opportunities to Learn: Constructing Dispositions in Mathematics Classrooms

This article presents an analysis of how students' dispositions toward learning shift and change over time through their engagement with particular classroom practices and identifies classroom practices that support the development of more productive dispositions. An analysis of 4 purposefully selected students from 2 different classrooms reveals that membership in a classroom activity system does not determine one's emergent disposition toward learning. However, it is likely that similar types of dispositions might emerge within a single classroom activity system. The analysis further seeks to understand the mechanisms that underlie the ways in which dispositions are enacted in moments of interaction, and how aspects of classroom practice impact this enactment. The findings support the argument that social, affective, and motivational factors are not simply influences on learning but are, instead, central to and inseparable from the learning process.     

Perspectives on preservice teachers’ attitudes toward technology

Abstract

Technology, specifically the use of computers, is becoming more prevalent in K—12 classrooms. Constructivist and social learning theory were used to understand the way preservice teachers view technology and the extent of its influence on their current and future lives. This study employed both quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniques to investigate the attitudes of a group of undergraduate education majors toward their use of technology. Survey and follow‐up interview data were used to explore changes in attitudes of competence, comfort, and knowledge regarding the instructional use of technology. Data revealed that preservice teachers’ comfort with the technology and attitude of competence did improve over time but that perceptions of knowledge about computers remained the same. Suggestions for further study are provided.     

Do Junior High School Students Perceive Their Learning Environment as Constructivist?

The purpose of this study is to examine the manner in which the features of a constructivist learning environment, and the mechanisms at its base, are expressed in junior high school students’ conceptions. Our research is based on an integration of quantitative and qualitative approaches, deigned to provide a wider ranging and deeper understanding. Eight hundred and forty eighth- and ninth-grade students from over 15 schools participated in the study. Of the 840 students who completed the questionnaire, the explanations of 200 well-written questionnaires were further analyzed qualitatively. The findings of the study are presented in terms of the four scales employed in the CLES, namely the autonomy scale, the prior knowledge scale, the negotiation scale, and the student-centeredness scale. The quantitative results achieved here concur with parallel studies conducted around the world. The findings indicate that a considerable portion of the students perceive their learning environment as a constructivist one and report positive attitudes toward the way they are being taught. In terms of the qualitative results, however, it appears that in some cases, the students’ explanations reveal that in fact, and contrary to the bare quantitative results, some students do not perceive their learning environment as being constructivist. This raises the question of whether the fact that students recognize the factors associated with constructivist teaching is indeed an indication that such teaching exists in practice. This finding emphasizes the importance of combining qualitative and quantitative methods for arriving at a balanced view of classroom occurrences.     

New Challenges for Educational Research: studying the individual within learning environments

Human behavior cannot and should not be studied independently of the social and cultural context in which it occurs. This is particularly true when it comes to the study of classroom projects or to the implementation of new technologies, since their true target is the whole classroom ‐‐ the cloud of interrelated activities, curricula, social interactions, teacher's actions, learning tasks and more. To understand learning in innovative classrooms one needs to study the whole classroom learning environment and the way it and the individuals in it interactively change. Unfortunately, due to tradition, to the absence of a coherent theory of classrooms as units of analysis, and the absence of a rigorous methodology, the target of research is still the individual. I present here a systemic view of classrooms and a tentative list of its seven generic components. The emphasis, though, is on their interrelations, that is on their configuration. The approach proposed here complements the one commonly employed. Whereas research is usually concerned with patterns of differences among group means or individuals, I propose to examine differences in patterns, whereby interventions affect the configuration of components, not just their isolated contents. To do that, I propose the employment of Guttman's Small Space Analysis, and illustrate the case with a science teaching project and some of its ‘systemic’ data. The challenge I present is to shift our foci from the sole study of the individual to the rigorous study of individuals in interaction with whole learning environments.     

An alternative model for textbook formation

My Masters research project is a discourse analysis of physics textbooks. I am using the term ‘discourse’ in its sociological sense rather than its linguistic sense. I have interpreted my endeavours to date as showing that there is a basic confusion underlying the writing of textbooks. Whilst authors believe that they are revealing the universe to the student/reader, they understand tacitly that more is required than just revelation. I wish to argue that the ‘more that is required’ would be more readily constructed by authors if they understood that what they are doing is arguing a case: a case that scientific knowledge is an effective and appropriate way of interpreting the world. Specializations: physics education, physics textbooks, physics teacher education.     

Judy constructs a genuine question: a case for interactional inclusion

This case study offers teachers and teacher educators a sociocultural view of inclusion, showing how it was accomplished for a student who had long been segregated in special education classrooms. Judy, a student classified as learning disabled, participated and learned in collaboration with her peers in a diverse classroom environment. Through close analysis of segments of instructional discourse, the study illustrates how her general education teacher enacted “interactional inclusion”. By making particular discourse moves, he supported the building of an inclusional culture that repositioned Judy and her classmates. She achieved social affiliation and academic success, without limiting other students’ learning opportunities. The study provides guidelines for the implementation of classroom inclusive practices suggested by this profile; offers evidence of the benefits of this kind of research; and, argues for why we need more if it.     

Examining Noddings’ “Educational Malpractice” Assertion: Serious Considerations for Local-Global Issues in Social Studies Education

The article utilizes a decolonizing theoretical lens to advocate for the need to engage in a more nuanced approach to conceptualizing local/global aspect of social justice discussions within social studies education. The article engages with questions of social justice by utilizing Noddings’s (2006) argument that “educational malpractice” (p. 250) is a daily occurrence in US classrooms because students are expected to reproduce textbook answers, rather than generate their own questions and reasoned research and deliberation. Kumashiro’s (2004) writings on antioppressive education speak of how the repetition of mainstream narratives normalize what ought to be taught and learned in schools. We propose that educators cannot avoid questions of racism and Islamophobia as critically important issues within social studies classrooms. Therefore, through engaging in critical inquiry on the prevalence of racism and Islamophobia, educators can disrupt the continued educational malpractice within the social studies.     

深度学习研究：发展脉络与瓶颈

深度学习研究在国际上历经40余年,经历了蛰伏期、萌发期、新兴期,目前正处在迅发期,已得到政府、学校、社会机构、媒体前所未有的关注和推崇。国内外的深度学习研究态势呈现出各自特色:国外偏向深度参与学习以及高阶学习策略研究,国内注重学生高阶知能的发展与迁移应用。40余年里,深度学习发生了两个方向的转变:从索求理解到追求迁移、从注重过程到侧重结果。深度学习已不再仅仅是为了理解基本知能而采用的学习方式,它更多的是一种基于理解、追求迁移应用的有意义学习。它通过促使学生深度参与学习、适性地采用高级学习方略来促进高阶知能的发展,实现这些知能在全新情境中的应用或新高阶知能生成。目前国内外尚无研究关注深度学习的灵活性问题,而灵活性却是深度学习的诉求。这种诉求触及到顶层框架结构的变化并且需要一种认知灵活性,其实现极具挑战,可通过学习架构并借助智慧课堂的赋能作用尝试解决。     

The impact of teaching in a one-to-one computing classroom on teachers’ work outside the classroom

ABSTRACT

One-to-one computing programmes – that is, when each student has a personal, portable computer to use while learning – have been studied extensively, mostly regarding their actual classroom implementation. In this quantitative study, the authors take a broader perspective, exploring the impact of teaching in one-to-one computing programmes on teachers’ beliefs regarding their job outside the classroom. Participants were middle school and high school teachers who had taught in both one-to-one and traditional classrooms – and hence could reflect upon the differences between the two settings. The methodology included questionnaires based on Danielson’s comprehensive Framework of Teaching. The results suggest more positive attitudes towards teaching in one-to-one programmes than in traditional classrooms in all domains tested; however, the one-to-one instruction applied portrays a rather shallow, instrumental use of the digital devices in a way that supports existing teaching practices and beliefs, rather than a transformative effect of such programmes on teaching.