Implicit Theories of Ability and Self-regulation Strategies in Physical Education Classes

Previous research has shown that cognitive processing and achievement strategies are important for motor learning and achievement. Despite this, there are few studies identifying the role of motivational beliefs in the cognitive self-regulation of students' learning in physical education classes. This study reports the results of multivariate analyses of the relationships between thirteen to fourteen-year-old secondary school pupils' (n=343) implicit theories of ability and their self-regulated learning in PE. Self-regulation measures included metacognitive/elaboration strategies, effort regulation and adaptive help seeking. Results revealed consistent relationships between motivational beliefs and pupils' use of self-regulation strategies. The results underscore the educational value of reappraising pupils' implicit theories of ability, making them believe in the modifiability of ability through effort and hard work and learning. The results illustrate the importance of linking pupils' motivational and cognitive characteristics to provide a fuller understanding of their self-regulation of learning in physical education.     

Instructional approaches to foster third graders’ adaptive use of strategies: an experimental study on the effects of two learning environments on multi-digit addition and subtraction

The adaptive use of strategies, that is selecting a strategy which allows an efficient solution for a given problem, can be considered as an important individual ability relevant in various domains. Based on models of subjects’ skills of adaptive use of strategies, two idealized instructional approaches are suggested to foster students in their strategy development. The explicit approach aims at reducing cognitive load by demonstrating and practicing strategies combined with an explicit identification of criteria for strategy efficiency by contrasting problem solutions. The implicit approach capitalizes on the generation effect and stimulates students to generate their own strategies and efficiency criteria based on the analysis of task characteristics and the comparison of problem solutions. In a 1-week experimental study (16 lessons) with 73 third-graders, we examined the effectiveness of these instructional approaches in the domain of multi-digit addition and subtraction. Results from post- and two follow-up tests after 3 and 8?months did not yield different effects of the two approaches on students’ skills in adaptive use of strategies. A comparison of strategies used by the students showed that the students of the explicit approach more frequently applied complex strategies whereas the students from the implicit approach showed a more sustainable use of self-generated strategies. Hence, for the adaptive use of those strategies students are able to generate, the implicit approach turned out to be more effective than the explicit approach. However, this generation effect does not hold for strategies which are too complex to be generated by students.     

Processes Involving Perceived Instructional Support,Task Value,and Engagement in Graduate Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relations among perceived instructional support (provision of relevance and involvement), subjective task value beliefs (utility, attainment, and intrinsic value), and engagement (behavioral and emotional) over the course of a semester for graduate students enrolled in an introductory research methods course in a college of education (N = 217). Structural equation modeling (SEM) results suggested that each source of perceived support exerted unique influence on students' beliefs about utility value, intrinsic value, and attainment value of their research methods coursework. In turn, midsemester value beliefs predicted semester-end student reports of behavioral and cognitive engagement. Direct and indirect effects between perceived provisions of support and engagement were inconsistent. This study supports the notion that different patterns of predictors and outcomes may occur for different aspects of value beliefs and that multiple sources of instructional support are important for supporting student motivation for adult learners.     

Interactive Multimodal Learning Environments

What are interactive multimodal learning environments and how should they be designed to promote students’ learning? In this paper, we offer a cognitive–affective theory of learning with media from which instructional design principles are derived. Then, we review a set of experimental studies in which we found empirical support for five design principles: guided activity, reflection, feedback, control, and pretraining. Finally, we offer directions for future instructional technology research.     

The differential influence of instructional context on the academic engagement of students with behavior problems

The teacher–student interactions of 39 students exhibiting high externalizing behavior problems and 59 students exhibiting average behavioral adjustment from urban elementary schools were directly observed. Comparisons between these students within four different instructional contexts indicated that levels of student engagement were significantly related to both behavior and classroom context. Although teachers’ use of behavioral management strategies was minimal, it was significantly related to the type of instructional context in which it occurred. Findings are discussed in terms of how different instructional contexts place unique demands and offer distinct affordances for students with behavior problems. A more comprehensive understanding of the influence of these environmental contexts can allow teachers to scaffold task demands to bring them within the domains of the student's ability.     

Some implications of cognitive theory for instructional design

This article examines some of the implications of recent developments in cognitive theory for instructional design. It is argued that behavioral theory is inadequate to prescribe instructional strategies that teach for understanding. Examples of how instructional designers have adopted relevant aspects of cognitive theory are described. However, it is argued that such adoption is only a first step. The growing body of evidence for the indeterminism of human cognition requires even further changes in how instructional designers think and act. A number of bodies of scholarly research and opinion are cited in support of this claim. Three implications of cognitive theory for design are offered: instructional strategies need to be developed to counter the reductionism implicit in task analysis; design needs to be integrated into the implementation of instruction; designers should work from a thorough knowledge of theory not just from design procedures.     

Motivation and Lifelong Learning

In this article, I review the diverse ways in which perceived self-efficacy contributes to cognitive development and functioning. Perceived self-efficacy exerts its influence through four major processes. They include cognitive, motivational, affective, and selection processes. There are three different levels at which perceived self-efficacy operates as an important contributor to academic development. Students' beliefs in their efficacy to regulate their own learning and to master academic activities determine their aspirations, level of motivation, and academic accomplishments. Teachers' beliefs in their personal efficacy to motivate and promote learning affect the types of learning environments they create and the level of academic progress their students achieve. Faculties' beliefs in their collective instructional efficacy contribute significantly to their schools' level of academic achievement. Student body characteristics influence school-level achievement more strongly by altering faculties' beliefs in their collective efficacy than through direct affects on school achievement.     

General pedagogical knowledge,self-efficacy and instructional practice: Disentangling their relationship in pre-service teacher education

Teachers’ professional competence is composed of cognitive (professional knowledge) and affective (professional beliefs) components. These components are generally assumed to be related and to impact instructional practice. However, studies simultaneously relating cognitive and affective components to instructional practice are scarce. The present study investigates the relationship between general pedagogical knowledge (GPK), self-efficacy beliefs (SE), and reported instructional practice based on a sample of 342 pre-service teachers. No significant association was observed between GPK and SE. Furthermore, SE significantly predicted all investigated reported instructional practices, although GPK only predicted reported instructional practices that dealt with student support and provision of structure.     

The Relationship between Motivational Beliefs and Learning Strategy Use among Norwegian College Students

We studied how motivational beliefs were related to learning strategy use in 176 Norwegian college students who were in the second year of their teacher training. Students' implicit theories of intelligence, self-efficacy beliefs, and learning strategy use were assessed by self-report instruments. It was found that students who conceived of intelligence as a relatively modifiable quality reported using more strategies than students who had doubts about the modifiability of intelligence. However, the relation between students' theories of intelligence and their learning strategy use varied with the way their theories of intelligence were assessed, with only indirect questions about the modifiability of intelligence yielding a positive relation. Regression analysis and group comparisons suggested that beliefs in the modifiability of intelligence may override the contribution of self-efficacy to students' use of learning strategies. With this study, relations previously emphasized within American theory and research are extended to college students in a different cultural context.     

The Influence of Teacher Expectations about Twice-Exceptional Students on the Use of High Quality Gifted Curriculum: A Case Study Approach

Twice-exceptional students show evidence of high academic performance or potential and also have a disability that impedes their ability to learn. Twice-exceptional students remain under-represented in gifted programs, and some researchers attribute such under-representation to the negative beliefs and low expectations about twice-exceptional students held by teachers. While researchers have begun to investigate the curricular models and instructional strategies that are effective for twice-exceptional students, little research addresses how teacher beliefs and expectations about student ability are reflected in the ways teachers implement such models and strategies for twice-exceptional students in gifted classrooms. Even less research addresses gifted students with emotional and behavioral disabilities. We used a case study of a third-grade teacher using a structured, model-based language arts curriculum to better understand how her expectations about a gifted student with an emotional disability influenced her instructional choices. Using observational and interview data, the case study approach allowed the researchers to personalize the experiences of this teacher and provided a context in which to examine the subtleties of teacher expectations when teaching a gifted student with an emotional disability. Implications for educational practice, particularly the need for comprehensive school-based support systems for students with emotional disabilities, are discussed.     

Beliefs about learning and enacted instructional practices: An investigation in postsecondary chemistry education

While research on and development of evidence‐based instructional practices (EBIPs) in STEM education has flourished, implementation of these practices classrooms has not been as prolific. Using the teacher‐centered systemic reform model as a framework, we explore the connection between chemistry instructors’ beliefs about teaching and learning and self‐efficacy beliefs, and their enacted classroom practices. Postsecondary chemistry faculty present a unique population for the study because of their role in teaching prerequisite courses, such as general and organic chemistry, which are key to many science major fields. A measure of teacher beliefs and self‐efficacy was administered to a national survey of postsecondary chemistry faculty members. Instructional practices used in a chemistry course were also collected via self‐report. While instructional practices were not directly observed, a cluster analysis of our data mirrors patterns of instructional practices found in observation‐based studies of chemistry faculty. Significant differences are found on teacher thinking and self‐efficacy measures based on enacted instructional practices. Results support the hypothesized connection between beliefs and instructional practice on a larger scale than in previous studies of this relationship, bolstering the evidence for the importance of this relationship over previously criticized results. These results present a call for reform efforts on fostering change from its core, that is, the beliefs of those who ultimately adopt EBIPs. Dissemination and design should incorporate training and materials that highlight the process by which faculty members interpret reformed practices within their belief system, and explore belief change in the complex context of education reform.     

ID Expert™: A second generation Instructional Development System

This paper describes ID Expert, an intelligent computer-based multimedia interactive instructional development and delivery system. This paper illustrates the following features of this system: Instructional design principles can be built into reusable instructional strategy computer algorithms (instructional transaction shells). This feature significantly reduces the programming task and insures more effective instructional strategies than often results when a strategy must be rebuilt for every lesson or course. A decoupled knowledge base makes it possible, at the click of a button, to attach or unattach a given knowledge object to a reusable preprogrammed instructional strategy. This feature significantly reduces the instructional development effort. Instructional strategies specified by parameters makes it possible, at the click of a button, to change an instructional strategy. This feature significantly reduces the effort required for designing or redesigning a lesson or course. Instructional strategies specified by parameters makes it possible to design multiple strategies for a given course or lesson and makes it possible, at the click of a button, to change from one strategy to another. When implemented for modification during instruction, based on student performance, this feature makes possible adaptive instruction.     

Theoretical beliefs and instructional practices used for teaching spelling in elementary classrooms

The current study aimed to examine teachers’ reported spelling assessment and instruction practices. Analysis of the match between teachers’ theoretical beliefs about spelling and their reported pedagogy was conducted to elucidate factors that may support or impede the use of evidence-based teaching strategies in the classroom. An electronic survey was completed by 405 randomly selected (stratified by region and socioeconomic status) elementary school teachers in New Zealand. The survey examined the following areas: spelling assessment, spelling instruction, beliefs about spelling, preparing teachers to teach spelling, and teachers’ perceived strengths and weaknesses of their spelling program. There was large variability in spelling assessment and instructional practices across teachers. Most respondents reported implementing some aspects of a developmental approach to spelling instruction through analysis of children’s spelling errors (64 %) and/or individualization of the spelling program (60 %). There was a large dissociation between teachers’ beliefs about spelling and their frequency of use of specific instructional practices associated with those beliefs (e.g., phonological awareness, orthographic knowledge). The mismatch between beliefs and reported practice appeared to be due to lack of professional knowledge regarding implementing explicit spelling instruction and finding time to teach spelling within the curriculum. Increasing teachers’ knowledge about language structure, practical implementation of key assessment and instruction activities, and the links between spelling and other areas of the curriculum are important factors in improving spelling pedagogical practices.     

Student affective reactions and the teaching and learning of foreign languages

This chapter argues for the recognition of the importance of student affective reactions in discussions of second language learning and teaching. It is argued that language learning is a particularly intense and ego-involving undertaking which requires a positive emotional stance on the part of the learner. The chapter reviews literature on how affective reactions — particularly motivation for language learning, foreign language anxiety, and student beliefs about language learning — impact on the language learning process and makes suggestions as to how teachers can promote positive affective characteristics. As affective variables represent the learner's willingness to engage in the activities necessary to develop second language proficiency, it is essential that teachers make the emotional needs of their students an instructional priority.     

Single-Case Experimental Designs in Educational Research: A Methodology for Causal Analyses in Teaching and Learning

Current legislation requires educational practices be informed by science. The effort to establish educational practices supported by science has, to date, emphasized experiments with large numbers of participants who are randomly assigned to an intervention or control condition. A potential limitation of such an emphasis at the expense of other research methods is that evidence-based practices in education will derive only from science in the hypothetico-deductive tradition. Such a process omits practices originating from and tested through an inductive approach to understanding phenomena. Single-case experimental designs, developed by experimental and applied behavior analysts, offer an inductive process to identify and alter the lawful relations between the behavior of individual organisms and the environmental variables that are causally related to the occurrence or nonoccurrence of the behavior. Such designs have been essential in the development of effective instructional practices for students with disabilities and have much to offer the broader educational population as well. The purpose of the present paper is to provide an overview of single-case research methodology and the process by which this methodology can contribute to the identification of evidence-based instructional practices.     

Perfectionism,Implicit Theories of Intelligence,and Taiwanese Eighth-Grade Students’ Academic Engagement

ABSTRACT

The authors attempted to examine how Taiwanese junior high school students’ perfectionistic tendencies and implicit theories of intelligence were related to their academic emotions and approach versus avoidance self-regulation, and to determine differences in contingent self-worth, emotions, and self-regulation among students with different subtypes of perfectionism. A total of 481 8th-grade Taiwanese students completed a self-reported survey assessing their perfectionistic tendencies, implicit theories of intelligence, academic emotions, behavioral self-regulation, and use of self-handicapping strategies. Results suggested that adaptive perfectionism enabled adolescents to experience positive emotions and to engage in behavioral self-regulation, whereas maladaptive perfectionism was positively associated with negative emotions and self-handicapping. In addition, the incremental theory of intelligence predicted positive affect and constructive coping. By contrast, the entity theory was positively correlated with negative emotions and self-handicapping. The authors also documented profiles of students with different perfectionistic tendencies. Findings showed that in general adaptive perfectionists displayed the healthiest emotions and self-regulatory styles. Implications for education and further research are discussed.     

An adaption of Gagné’s instructional model to increase the teaching effectiveness in the classroom: the impact in Romanian Universities

Gagné’s instructional events are more focused on the human internal learning process than on the learning context. This study fills this gap because it presents certain instructional events that are focused on the construction of a positive learning context through the teacher–student relationship. Therefore, it’s proposing an adaption of Gagné’s instructional model to the learning context derived from observation of the instructional activities performed in the Romanian educational system. This paper added two new events (Learning organization and Final appreciation) to Gagné’s original nine instructional events. Out of these eleven, it’s considered that three in particular should be regarded as essential events in every teaching activity. These three particular events are categorised and defined in the first part of this study. The effectiveness of this newly proposed theoretical model was tested on a sample of 894 university teaching activities, using a systematic observational grid. The results indicated a significant correlation between the adapted model and students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the teaching activity. It is therefore suggested that this proposed model provides operational guidance for the development of instructional approach. The implications and the limitations of these findings are discussed and possible directions for new research are suggested.     

重庆市区域体育旅游发展研究

运用文献资料法、调查法、访谈法等研究方法,挖掘重庆市区域体育旅游资源,对区域体育旅游发展所有的优势、面临的劣势、拥有的机遇与面临的威胁进行分析,提出区域体育旅游发展的五大策略：定位体育旅游发展产业模式;打造少数民族体育旅游圈;加大媒体宣传,创新旅游主题,打造体育旅游套餐;与乡村体验游共融,加强城乡交流;‘引进来走出去’策略实施;定向培养专业人才.并以此促进重庆市区域体育旅游的快速协调发展.