Teachers’ Facebook use: their use habits,intensity, self-disclosure,privacy settings,and activities on Facebook

This study investigated K12 teachers’ Facebook usage habits, intensity, self-disclosure, privacy settings and activities. A multi-method design was employed by collecting quantitative data from 616 teachers with a Facebook account using an online questionnaire and qualitative data from 32 teachers using online open-ended questions. The results of the study showed that Facebook seems to be part of teachers’ daily routines. Moreover, they revealed that teachers were less likely to share sensitive and potentially stigmatising personal information on Facebook. Teachers were also found to set most of their Facebook privacy settings as “Friends” by taking intimacy, unwanted contacts and potential threats into consideration. Furthermore, the findings indicated that teachers felt themselves less comfortable when parents and students viewed their Facebook profiles. In addition to social engagement, teachers pointed out several ways in which Facebook was used to support educational and professional development practices. Implications, limitations and directions to further studies are discussed.     

Use of Facebook,students’ intrinsic motivation to study writing,writing self-efficacy and writing performance

The study aimed to scrutinise how incorporating Facebook into a conventional writing class might impact on students’ intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy and writing performance, and to uncover how best to provide corrective feedback on students’ writing posted on Facebook. Sixty-four subjects from an intact group were recruited by means of purposive sampling. All participants sat the pre-test measuring intrinsic motivation to study writing, writing self-efficacy and writing performance. Following the pre-test, participants attended a regular conventional writing class incorporating Facebook for four months. At the conclusion of the study, participants sat the post-test and were interviewed regarding their learning experience. Participants were also requested to indicate which type of feedback provided on FB is preferred and to justify their responses. It was found that students’ intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy, as well as writing performance, improved markedly in the post-test and that direct corrective feedback is more favoured by students. Overall, the study suggests that not only does incorporating Facebook into a conventional writing class benefit students academically, but it also helps boost their intrinsic motivation to study writing and writing self-efficacy – two critical variables that dictate success in foreign language learning.     

Students’ educational use of Facebook groups

The aim of the article is to explore educational use of student-managed Facebook groups in upper secondary education (in Denmark). Much research on educational potentials of Facebook has studied groups managed by teachers. However, there is a lack of in-depth research on Facebook groups managed by students and without participation from teachers. As this study shows, students’ use of student-managed groups differs from their use of teacher-managed tools such as learning management systems (LMSs). The article presents an empirical study based partly on a content analysis of 3139 posts and 15,018 replies within five Facebook groups, and partly on a questionnaire answered by 1463 students and 148 teachers. The results of the study show that whereas LMSs were seen by students primarily as institutional systems of the teacher, Facebook groups have an educational potential to be used by students for peer-to-peer learning.     

Children using Facebook: teachers’ discursive constructions of childhood

Conceptualizations of childhood are powerful determinants of adults’ interactions with children, and technology and social networking systems are affecting the nature of teachers’ knowledge of childhood. We analyzed questionnaire responses from 57 elementary-level teachers from Quebec regarding children’s use of Facebook. Through discourse analyses, we found four common images of childhood (child as innocent, evil, future adult, and agent) present in the teachers’ responses; however, the context of social media brought to fore questions about adult surveillance at a time of generational pliability and teachers’ self-understanding in relation to their knowledge of children.     

Shakespeare,adaptation and ‘matters of trust’

This article describes an empirical study of the ways in which one group of adaptors transformed the plays of William Shakespeare into the medium of the comic book for use in school classrooms. It explores the choices, dilemmas, processes and responsibilities they experienced in doing so. These adaptors had to tackle the burden of ‘Shakespeare’ – what he has come to mean in world literature, the popular imagination, and education – as well as attempting to make the text both appealing and understandable to their intended readers – teenagers studying the plays in school. It is argued that they viewed this task as a pedagogic one and saw the notion of ‘trust’ as central to it. The article therefore has a second aim, which is to use these empirical findings to explore the concept of ‘trust’ and, in particular to outline its relevance for educational research. Using the work of the philosopher Katharine Hawley and the literary theorist Umberto Eco, it is shown that the relational concept of trust is a helpful way of articulating the process of adapting Shakespeare’s work. In the conclusion the ways in which the concept might illuminate broader educational issues related to knowledge, assessment and learning are highlighted.     

Elementary and Middle School Students’ Conceptions of Knowledge,Information, and Truth

Although the study of epistemic beliefs has received growing interest in the past decades, this research tends to focus on high school and undergraduate students, and does not address beliefs about information and truth, concepts that have been regarded as critical for learners in 21st-century educational contexts. In this study, the authors examined 87 elementary and middle school students’ beliefs about the definitions of and relations among knowledge, information, and truth through the use of a graphical and justification task, and addressed the consistency of beliefs across contexts and domains. Results indicated that students tended to regard knowledge, information, and truth as interrelated, and the majority of students described their beliefs as consistent across contexts and domains.     

Portrayals of science and scientists,and ‘science for citizenship’

There are increasing calls in the science education community for ‘science for citizenship’ as an important goal for the school science curriculum of the 21st century. The potential influence of portrayals of science and scientists in popular culture on the achievement of this goal is explored in this paper through a review of the literature. We develop a framework of important questions citizens ask in considering personal and social decision making in relation to science and technology issues, and how portrayals of science and scientists might contribute to this decision making process.     

‘Hardworking,determined and happy’: first-year students’ understanding and experience of success

While all agree student success in higher education is important, there is less agreement on what it means to be a successful student. Student success is often measured by institutional reports of grades, student retention and qualification completion. More recently, broader definitions have emerged; however, these do not incorporate student perceptions of success. The current study addresses this gap by exploring how first-year students talk about their success. Drawing from weekly interviews of students at an Australian regional university, the data are analysed through the lens of a conceptual framework of student engagement. The findings demonstrate that success is inextricably linked with student engagement as well as other dimensions of the student experience. As expected, students assess their success extrinsically with institutional measures such as grades and feedback. In addition, their behavioural engagement was seen as a more immediate measure of their success, while happiness and satisfaction were necessary for some students to feel successful. Perceptions of success have important consequences for students in terms of increased positive emotions, self-efficacy and course belonging. Success for these students has multiple dimensions. These findings give rise to suggestions for a staged approach to supporting first-year student success. However, the student experience is complex and multifaceted and further research is needed with different student cohorts who may define and experience success in other ways.     

Effects of Strategy Training and Incentives on Students’ Performance,Confidence, and Calibration

This study examined the effect of strategy instruction and incentives on performance, confidence, and calibration accuracy. Individuals (N = 107) in randomly assigned treatment groups received a multicomponent strategy instruction intervention, financial incentives for high performance, or both. The authors predicted that incentives would improve performance, while strategy instruction would improve performance, confidence, and calibration accuracy as a result of better monitoring and self-regulation of learning. The authors compared pre- and posttest items and 20 new posttest-only items. They found significant effects for strategy training on performance, confidence, and calibration accuracy, as well as the interaction between strategy training and time on calibration accuracy. Incentives improved performance and calibration accuracy, either directly, or through an interaction with strategy training. Implications for future research are discussed.     

Pre-service teachers’ motivation,sense of teaching efficacy,and expectation of reality shock

The present study investigated how pre-service teachers’ motivation and their sense of teaching efficacy influence their expectation about reality shock during the first year of professional teaching. A total of 533 pre-service teachers at a state university in the US Midwest participated in this study. The results showed that the pre-service teachers’ expectation of reality shock was negatively related to teacher efficacy and intrinsic motivation while it was positively related to introjected and external motivation. The results of a hierarchical regression analysis revealed that pre-service teachers’ sense of efficacy and introjected motivation were strong predictors of their expectation of reality shock, when gender difference was controlled for. There was an interaction effect between intrinsic motivation and teachers’ sense of efficacy in predicting the reality shock expectation. We discussed the educational implications for future research in an endeavour to reduce the reality shock among novice teachers.     

Training,experience, and child care providers’ perceptions of inclusion

Teachers’ perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs have been shown to affect their behavior. This study investigated center- and home-based child care providers’ perceptions of inclusion-related needs and barriers and (a) the providers’ participation in disability-related training, and (b) their current experience working with children with disabilities. A mailed survey was used to gather demographic data, information on training and experience, and to rate a list of needs and concerns. Younger and African American caregivers working in center-based programs were more likely to attend training and serve children with disabilities. Participating in training and serving children with disabilities was positively associated with caregivers’ perceptions of needs and barriers, but not with child care providers’ attitudes. Results indicate that program and provider characteristics are related to participation in disability-related training and serving children with disabilities that, in turn, are related to perceptions of needs and barriers. Further investigation of the mechanisms associated with training and its influence on attitudes, beliefs and practice of parents and special education teachers, as well as child care providers is indicated.     

Consistency of Students’ Ideas across Evaporation, Condensation, and Boiling

Existing research on students’ conceptions contain competing philosophical positions concerning the nature of students’ ideas—whether those ideas are coherent, systematic and theory-like, or fragmented and incoherent. Existing research has also focused primarily on studies of individual conceptions rather than investigating multiple, related conceptions. Nevertheless, there is wide agreement among researchers and teachers alike that the ideas students bring to a learning situation are fertile ground for investigation, and that students’ ideas should be taken into consideration when planning science instruction. The purpose of this study was to examine the representational, conceptual framework, and contextual consistency aspects of two students’ ideas across concepts of evaporation, condensation, and boiling. Knowing the consistency students express for each specific concept, and how well they integrate these related concepts, would offer insights that could potentially impact student learning. We present two case studies here that highlight the degree of consistency expressed by two students across different representations for each target concept and in instances where these conceptions are related to one another. Findings from this study highlight the need for attention to the consistency of students’ ideas across multiple, related concepts. Implications from this study support our recommendation for metaconceptual teaching strategies that would help students examine different representations for the same concept and also to examine the consistency of their ideas across multiple conceptions.     

Students’ awareness of science teachers’ leadership,attitudes toward science,and positive thinking

There appears to be a complex network of cognitive and affective factors that influence students’ decisions to study science and motivate their choices to engage in science-oriented careers. This study explored 330 Taiwanese senior high school students’ awareness of their science teacher’s learning leadership and how it relates to the students’ attitudes toward science and positive thinking. Initial results revealed that the optimism of positive thinking is highly and positively correlated with the future participation in science and learning science in school attitudes toward science and self-concept in science. Moreover, structural equation modelling (SEM) results indicated that the subscale of teachers’ leadership with idealised influence was the most predictive of students’ attitudes toward science (β = .37), and the leadership with laissez-faire was predictive of students’ positive thinking (β = .21). In addition, the interview results were consistent with the quantitative findings. The correlation and SEM results indicate some of the associations and potential relationships amongst the motivational and affective factors studied and students’ attitudes toward and intentions to study science, which will increase their likelihood of future involvement in science careers.     

Adolescents’ definitions of bullying: the contribution of age,gender, and experience of bullying

The aim of the present research was to examine adolescents’ definitions of bullying in a nationally representative sample of adolescents in Ireland. Definitions of bullying were examined according to age, gender, and bullying experiences. A sample of 4358 adolescents aged 12–19 years (M?=?14.99 years, SD?=?1.63) provided their definitions of bullying as part of the My World Survey-Second Level. The definitions were explored using content analysis. Adolescents differed in terms of their definition of bullying, with younger students frequently describing the nature of bullying as mean, while older students displayed a heightened awareness of the feelings associated with being a victim of bullying. Older females and those who had experienced bullying were more likely to discuss the emotions associated with bullying compared to males and those who had not been bullied. Adolescent definitions of bullying were not in line with widely accepted researcher definitions. Recommendations are made for researchers and those designing anti-bullying interventions and educational programmes.     

A world I don’t inhabit: disquiet and identity in Second Life and Facebook

The authors use their own experiences with social software to argue for the need for caution in its uses in education. They particularly draw attention to difficulties in engagement, the effects on identity, an emphasis on superficial issues, lack of coherence, and problems with authenticity and trust. While Facebook and Second Life appear to have potential for educational applications, the disquiet associated with them may need to be taken into account: and this can affect both students and their teachers. One of the authors is a student on an online course and extracts from her blogs and journal capture the emotional and psychological effects of engaging in these new worlds at the time it happened. Both authors have noticed changes in their responses over time and point to the need for integration and coherence for “virtual identities” to play an appropriate part in higher education. The paper raises more questions than it answers and suggests that there is an urgent need to theorise online identity, the roles of academics and students, and the codes of practice in such environments. If social software has a serious place in academic life, these issues will need to be widely debated.

Eine Welt, die ich nicht bewohne: Unruhe und Identität in Second Life und Facebook

Die Autoren lenken die Aufmerksamkeit auf Schwierigkeiten beim Engagement, der Wirkung auf Identität, die Betonung auf oberflächlichen Angelegenheiten, dem Mangel an Kohärenz und Probleme mit Authentizität und Vertrauen beim Verwenden von Facebook und Zweiten Leben. Während Facebook und Zweites Leben Potenzen für Bildungsnutzung zu haben scheinen, sollte die mit ihrer Nutzung entstehende Unruhe sowohl von Studenten als auch ihren Lehrern als Beeinflussung in Betracht gezogen werden muss. Beide Autoren weisen auf die Notwendigkeit nach Integration und Kohärenz hin, damit “virtuelle Identitäten” einen angemessenen Anteil in der höherer Bildung spielen können. Das Papier wirft mehr Fragen auf, als es beantwortet und weist auf die dringende Notwendigkeit hin, Online‐Identität theoretisch zu klären und die Rolle von Akademikern und Studenten sowie die verwendeten Codes in einer solchen Umgebungen zu analysieren.

Un Monde dans lequel je n’habite pas: inquiétude et identité dans Second Life et Facebook

Les auteurs attirent l’attention sur les difficultés à s’engager, les effets sur l’identité, l’accent mis sur les problèmes superficiels, le manque de cohérence et les problèmes d’authenticité et de confiance qui surgissent lorsqu’on utilise Facebook et Second Life. Bien que Facebook et Second Life semblent offrir des possibilités pour des applications éducatives il est peut‐être nécessaire de tenir compte de l’inquiétude qu’ils suscitent: cela peut en effet affecter aussi bien les étudiants que les professeurs. Les deux auteurs insistent sur le besoin de cohérence et d’intégration pour que les « identités virtuelles » jouent un rôle approprié dans l’enseignement supérieur. Cet article soulève plus de questions qu’il n’apporte de réponses et avance l’idée qu’il y a un besoin urgent de théorisation de l’identité en ligne, du rôle des professeurs et des étudiants et des codes de pratique dans des environnements de ce type.

Un Mundo en el cual no vivo: inquietud y identidad en Second Life y Facebook

Los autores llaman la atención sobre la dificultades de comprometerse, los efectos sobre la identidad, el énfasis en las cuestiones superficiales, la falta de coherencia y los problemas de autenticidad y de confianza que surgen cuando se utiliza Facebook y Second Life. Aunque aparentemente Facebook y Second Life tienen cierto potencial para ofrecer aplicaciones educativas, puede ser necesario tomar en cuenta la inquietud que conllevan; esto puede afectar tanto a los estudiantes como a los profesores. Ambos autores indican que hay una necesidad de integración y coherencia para que las « identidades virtuales » puedan desempeñar un papel adecuado en la enseñanza superior. Est artículo plantea muchas preguntas y no responde a todas y apunta la idea de una necesidad urgente de teorizar la identidad en línea, los respectivos papeles de los profesores y estudiantes así como los códigos de actuación en esos entornos.     

Limitless provocations of the ‘safe’, ‘secure’ and ‘healthy’ child

This paper arose amongst the making and showing of a film and questions whether there are possibilities for interrupting powerful discursive frames that work at producing ‘the normal child’. Traditionally there has been a lack of interest in the use and critique of visual culture in educational research. Perhaps this lack of interest provides fertile opportunities to know something of the structure of education as a discipline, the rules that structure it and its deep grammar; it may also open up opportunities for disciplinary boundary-crossings where fields that embrace visual culture, such as photography and filmmaking, can bring their playfulness across binaries, including notions of certainty/ambivalence, to qualitative research in education. By turning to art theory, our aims are to interfere with our utopian longings that steadfastly cling to educational notions of the child.