Computer-Mediated Peer Support of Consultation: Case Description and Evaluation

In this article we describe the design, implementation, and outcomes of a computer-mediated peer support group. Four school psychologists used an enhanced version of electronic mail (e-mail) referred to as groupware. The purpose of the e-mail messages was to provide two of the school psychologists with support in regard to their consultations with teachers. During the 15-week project, the school psychologists exchanged 65 e-mail messages. Their perceptions of the learning and social outcomes of the group were assessed. The school psychologists indicated that the majority of the messages contributed to their becoming more knowledgeable about consultation and knowing what support to offer the other school psychologists. Overall, the computer-mediated group experience seemed to meet or exceed the school psychologists' preproject high expectations in regard to learning about classroom-based interventions and receiving social support. Moreover, they also perceived their computer-mediated group to be highly cohesive.     

Learning as Participation in Social Practices: Interpreting student perspectives on learning

This article explores a small group of students' observations on their learning as they come to the end of an A-level Politics course. It draws on the insights of Vygotsky and other theorists influenced by him, such as Lave, Wenger, Rogoff and Engestro¨m, who have made important contributions to study of the social and participatory nature of learning, particularly, but not exclusively, in contexts outside the school environment. These ideas illuminate the 'communities of practice' found within educational institutions. The students' perspectives reveal perceptions about the learning process and provide a sense of what they have valued during this phase of their studies. Whilst education in formal environments may be criticised for the constraints on learning, classrooms may promote activity that encourages learners to identify their problems with existing knowledge, to question and speculate in ways that transform understanding. Collaborative practices have enabled students to enhance understanding of subject knowledge and to develop skills.     

Exploring the participation and agency of students with special education needs in a Macau-Chinese secondary school

The research explores the perceptions of five secondary school students with special education needs (SEN) about their participation in learning, group membership, and agency within an inclusive school in Macau SAR. This goal is achieved by using students' voices documented in open-ended interviews and is underpinned by the conceptual framework of heutagogy. The aim is to shed light on students' perceptions on school effectiveness in supporting their needs through successful participation and agentic possibilities. Findings showed that students were more prone to social rejection and being isolated or bullied than their peers. They were struggling to feel included or participate, their needs were only partially being met, and they had few opportunities to exert influence on their educational trajectories. Recommendations are provided to assist educators and schools in enhancing students with SEN to connect to the learning process and community, with the provision of appropriate learning adjustments and more active approaches to ensure their acceptance by mainstream students, including the formation of coaching peers to assist in developing social and academic skills under teacher's scaffolding practices. This study highlights the contribution of the heutagogical perspective to advance research on the participation and agency of students with SEN in mainstream schools.     

Positive error climate promotes learning outcomes through students’ adaptive reactions towards errors

Errors are an integral part of the learning process and an opportunity to increase skills and knowledge, but they are often discouraged, sanctioned and derided in the classroom. This study tests whether students' perceptions of being part of an error-friendly classroom context (i.e., a positive classroom error climate) is positively related to students' learning outcomes via students' adaptive reactions towards errors. A total of 563 Italian middle school students from 32 mathematics classes completed a questionnaire on their perceptions of classroom error climate and their reactions towards errors. Students' math grades were used as indicators of their level of learning outcomes. A multilevel model showed that perceived classroom error climate was positively related to math grades via increased adaptive reactions towards errors. Our findings revealed that an error-friendly classroom context is associated with students’ adaptive adjustment to errors and to better learning outcomes in mathematics.     

Do you know what I'm thinking? A comparison of teacher and parent perspectives of underachieving gifted students' attitudes

The Achievement Orientation Model posits students are motivated to do well in school when they believe they have the necessary skills to perform a task (self-efficacy), find the task meaningful (goal valuation), and see their environment as supportive. When these factors are present, students self-regulate and achieve. We examined these factors from underachieving gifted students', their parents', and teachers' perspectives. Results indicated teachers recognize students who are confident and not confident about their abilities to be academically successful; however, they are less able to recognize when students value the work they are encountering in school. Parents' perceptions of students' attitudes more closely correlated with students' perceptions than teachers' perceptions correlated with students' perceptions. Teachers and parents appeared to base their perception of the importance students hold for school on their perception of students' self-regulation. Furthermore, gender differences existed in students' perceptions. Females' self-efficacy scores were statistically lower than males' self-efficacy scores, and males' self-regulation scores were lower than females' self-regulation scores. We provide suggestions for how school psychologists may use these findings to (a) collect important information from students, teachers, and parents, (b) interpret these data to identify underlying influential factors, and (c) guide the development of appropriate interventions to address student underachievement.     

Korean Students' Perceptions of Scientific Practices and Understanding of Nature of Science

Korean students have shown relatively little interest and confidence in learning science, despite being ranked in the top percentile in international evaluations of academic achievement in science such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. Although research indicates a positive relationship between student perceptions of science and their science learning, this area has not been sufficiently explored in Korea. Particularly, even though both students' perceptions of scientific practice and their understanding of the nature of science (NOS) are influenced by their science learning experiences at schools, little research examines how this perception, understanding, and experience are related to one another. This study aimed to uncover Korean students' perceptions of school scientific practice through exploring their drawings, writings, and responses to questionnaires. Participants were 500 Korean students in 3rd, 7th, and 10th grades who were asked to complete an open-ended questionnaire. The results indicated that Korean students typically viewed school scientific practices as experimental activities or listening to lecture; and that most participants held an insufficient understanding of the NOS. Overall, no significant relationship emerged between students' perceptions of school scientific practice and their understanding of the NOS. Our findings highlight the need to help both teachers and students understand the potential breadth of school scientific practices, beyond simple ‘activity mania.’ This study also suggests that teachers must balance implicit and explicit instructional approaches to teaching about the NOS through scientific practices in school science contexts.     

Illuminating the ‘boy problem’ from children's and teachers' perspectives: a pilot study

The apparent educational underperformance of boys has received phenomenal attention worldwide for many years. In the UK, it has led to various government reports and policies aimed at raising boys' achievement. This small-scale qualitative-interpretive pilot study, undertaken in one urban primary school in North Wales, reports the findings from exploring boys', aged six to seven years, perceptions of education. It also presents teachers' perceptions of how boys' learn and what they regard to be visible gender differences in the classroom. The research suggests that although many boys within this age group seemed generally positive about school and learning, certain issues were emerging for some boys that, if not addressed, could result in disengagement and/or underperformance. Factors include: issues related to boys' reading and literacy; boys' preference for screen-based, digital devices; gender binaries in relation to learning styles and behaviours; gender-specific syndromes; and teacher concerns about the impact of a ‘feminised’ education sector. The objective of this paper is to examine, after decades of research studies and government reports, what do we really know about the perceptions of young male learners and their experiences within the context of the primary classroom?     

I can assess myself: Singaporean primary students' and teachers' perceptions of students' self-assessment ability

Student self-assessment engages the students in purposeful reflection about what they are learning and how they are learning it. This study investigated the perceptions of students and teachers towards the students' self-assessment ability in two Singapore primary schools. A total of 75 students were taught how to use self-assessment. Eighteen students' self-assessments were randomly selected and compared with an independent panel of teachers' assessment. The results revealed both differences as well as similarities between the students' and teachers' perceptions of students' self-assessment ability. The findings and the implications for students are discussed in concluding the article.     

Facilitators and barriers to African American high school students' self-determination skill expression

We conducted four focus group interviews with 24 high school youth to examine facilitators and barriers to African American high school students' expression of various self-determination skills (e.g., choice/decision making, self-advocacy, goal setting, and attainment etc.). The majority of our research participants were African American, with one student identifying as multiracial (African American and White). Key findings revealed that personal (e.g., desire to graduate from school) and contextual factors (e.g., school counselor and teacher support) influenced the participants' expression of multiple self-determination skills. We also found that some of the participants' motives for utilizing or not utilizing specific skills were influenced by what they perceived as racist, punitive, and restrictive school practices (e.g., teachers holding negative perceptions about African American students and school counselors restricting their access to advanced courses). Findings from this study support ongoing calls for educators to consider students' cultural backgrounds and lived experiences when promoting their expression of self-determination skills.     

Informed Forces for Environmental Quality

The authors expanded on a previous study of students' perceptions of a residential environmental education program. Immediately prior to the students' departure and again 6 months later, they used the minute-paper and muddiest-point assessment techniques to administer an instrument that explored what students found most meaningful about their experience and most confusing about their experience and what aspect of their experience they would like to repeat. Findings revealed that students' perceptions of their experience changed over time.     

Reflecting Caring and Power in Early Childhood Education: Recalling Memories of Educational Practices

This paper examines university social science and education students' views of research methodology, especially asking whether a negative research orientation towards quantitative methods exists. Finnish (n?=?196) and US (n?=?122) students answered a questionnaire concerning their views on quantitative, qualitative, empirical, and theoretical methods, their readiness to use quantitative and qualitative methods in their own research, and the difficulties they experienced in quantitative methods' learning. Students were clustered in groups according to their views. Students had varying combinations of views on the methods, that is different research orientations towards methods were found in both countries. Some of the students had a dichotic attitude towards quantitative and qualitative methods; they seemed to “choose their side” between these methods. In both countries a negative research orientation towards quantitative methods was found. It was connected with either difficulties in quantitative methods' learning or with a lower appreciation of empirical methods than that of other students. Major subject and study year had no effect, so the views were not discipline‐specific and students seemed to already have them on entering university. Views were quite stable during the course. A reduction in difficulties experienced with quantitative methods' learning was connected with a lowered over‐appreciation of qualitative methods at the end of the course.     

Measuring teacher perceptions of the “how” and “why” of student motivation

In the field of educational psychology, there is diverse and active research in motivation for learning and achievement. Many instruments exist for assessing students' motivation, primarily as self-report. Fewer instruments are available for assessing teachers' perceptions of their students' motivation, and fewer still for assessing teachers' perceptions of reasons for students' lack of motivation. Teachers' intervention strategies for motivation are linked to their causal perceptions. Therefore, it is important to assess those causal perceptions. In this paper, we offer evidence for the Perceptions of Student Motivation questionnaire, a new measure that offers evidence of validity and reliability for this purpose among high school teachers. It offers potential to increase efficiency and clarity of findings regarding teachers' perceptions of students' motivation.     

Going Deeper than Deep and Surface Approaches: A study of students' perceptions of time

This paper supports Paul Ramsden's call to look beyond students' approaches to learning towards their perceptions of the educational context. However, we argue that Rams den's suggestions for an analysis of student perceptions are somewhat limited, and present an method which is more qualitatively and linguistically grounded. In the present study, this method was used to analyse students' perceptions of time in a second year chemical engineering course. Regardless of approach to learning, all students displayed two distinct ways of talking about time, one reflecting a perception of 'being in control' and the other a perception of 'being out of control' of time. Where students using a conceptual approach differed to the others was in the way they used perceptions of 'being in control', specifically in the way they chose to allocate time. For those not using a conceptual approach, the highly time-pressured environment seemed to militate against the adoption of a conceptual approach.     

School is for Meeting Friends: Secondary school as lived and remembered

The present article discusses young people's manifold and ambivalent feelings towards school as an institution, and towards their own school in particular. The questions are explored using different kinds of data: associations and metaphors that students provided on 'school', their reflections on an ideal school and their own school, as well as memories of secondary school a few years later. It draws on an ethnographic research in secondary schools and on a longitudinal life-history study in which the transitions of the same young people to post-16 education are traced. The empirical conclusions concerning students' perceptions on school are presented with four interlikned themes: students' lack of autonomy, the importance of informal relations, the importance of space and time in school, and the complexities of gender patterns. The article also raises a methodological question on nostalgia in memories - especially in ethnographers' memories.     

We Can Decide What to Play! Children's Perception of Quality in an Icelandic Playschool

The study was conducted with a group of 5 and 6 year old children in one playschool in Reykjavík, Iceland. The purpose of the study was to shed light on what life in an Icelandic playschool is like for the children attending the program, finding out their views on why they attend playschool, what they do and learn in playschool, what the adults do there, what they enjoy and what they don't like, and what they can or cannot decide in playschool. The study used varied research methods, such as group interviews, children's photographs, children's pictures, and a questionnaire using a cardboard game, to discover children's perceptions and opinions. The results of the study revealed that the children had strong opinions about their playschool life and expressed them clearly.     

Inquiry Learning in the Singaporean Context: Factors affecting student interest in school science

Recent research reveals that students' interest in school science begins to decline at an early age. As this lack of interest could result in fewer individuals qualified for scientific careers and a population unprepared to engage with scientific societal issues, it is imperative to investigate ways in which interest in school science can be increased. Studies have suggested that inquiry learning is one way to increase interest in science. Inquiry learning forms the core of the primary syllabus in Singapore; as such, we examine how inquiry practices may shape students' perceptions of science and school science. This study investigates how classroom inquiry activities relate to students' interest in school science. Data were collected from 425 grade 4 students who responded to a questionnaire and 27 students who participated in follow-up focus group interviews conducted in 14 classrooms in Singapore. Results indicate that students have a high interest in science class. Additionally, self-efficacy and leisure-time science activities, but not gender, were significantly associated with an increased interest in school science. Interestingly, while hands-on activities are viewed as fun and interesting, connecting learning to real-life and discussing ideas with their peers had a greater relation to student interest in school science. These findings suggest that inquiry learning can increase Singaporean students' interest in school science; however, simply engaging students in hands-on activities is insufficient. Instead, student interest may be increased by ensuring that classroom activities emphasize the everyday applications of science and allow for peer discussion.     

Assessment of learning environment motivational quality from the point of view of secondary and high school learners

There is a growing interest about learning environments enhancing learning motivation. However, two questions need to be answered to improve learning environment motivational quality: how much motivational value do students attribute to each particular component of learning environments? and in what degree is such value mediated by students' motivational orientations? To answer both questions and in an effort to replicate results coming from previous studies, 630 students, 15–17 years old, from three different schools were given two questionnaires. The first included different learning environment characteristics aimed at enhancing learning motivation. Students had to declare how much motivation to learn was arisen in them by these characteristics. The second assessed students' motivational traits and orientations: Learning orientation, Outcome orientation and Avoidance orientation. Mean, correlation and multiple-regression analyses were performed to answer the questions. As in previous studies, results support predictions concerning both questions. Teaching patterns assessed and expected to enhance learning motivation do it. However, the motivational value attached to the different patterns assessed is modulated by students' motivational characteristics. Implications of these results for designing learning environments aimed at enhancing students' motivation and for teachers' motivational training are discussed.     

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.