Self-regulated learning: the role of motivation,emotion, and use of learning strategies in students’ learning experiences in a self-paced online mathematics course

Enrollment in online remedial mathematics courses has increased in popularity in institutions of higher learning; however, students unskilled in self-regulated learning (SRL) find online remedial mathematics courses particularly challenging. We investigated the role of SRL, specifically motivation, emotion, and learning strategies, in students’ learning experiences in a remedial online mathematics course. With an online survey of 229 college students, we found that student motivation explained a small portion of variance in achievement; whereas student motivation and emotion explained a significant portion of variance in satisfaction. In addition, significant differences in motivation and emotion were found in passing and nonpassing students; however, learning strategies did not influence student achievement and satisfaction. Implications for teaching and learning in self-paced online remedial mathematics courses are discussed.     

Writing as a learning tool: Testing the role of students’ writing strategies

The claim that writing facilitates students’ learning, although widely accepted, has little support from empirical research. A possible explanation for the lack of empirical evidence is that writing-to-learn research has disregarded that students use different writing strategies. The purpose of the present experimental study is to test whether it is effective to adapt writing-to-learn tasks to different writing strategies when teaching literature. A course “Learning to write argumentative texts about literature” was developed in two different versions: one adapted to a planning writing strategy, the other to a revising writing strategy. Participants were 113 tenth-grade high school students in the Netherlands. Our hypothesis is an adaptation hypothesis: we expect that the more a student will use a planning writing strategy, the more the student will profit from the lessons in the planning condition, and that the more a student uses a revising writing strategy, the more beneficial the revising condition will be. However, results show that for improving literary interpretation skill, a course adapted to the planning writing strategy is more effective for almost all students.     

The use of citations in educational research: the instance of the concept of ‘situated learning’

This article provides a citation analysis of Lave and Wenger’s work on ‘communities of practice’ and ‘situated learning’ over the period 1991–2001. The data relate to educational research in the UK, although comparisons are made with the USA. The findings indicate that although the text was incorporated and heavily used within educational research over the period of the study there were very few citations that could be identified as cumulative. The discussion considers the value of using citations as an indicator of quality within any research excellence framework and argues the case for taking a broader, more qualitative approach to assessing research quality in the social sciences.     

Still motivated? The motivation for teaching during the second year in the profession

This article presents the results from the third study in a longitudinal research project examining newly qualified teachers’ (NQTs) motivation for teaching and how they retrospectively value their teacher education. The findings indicate that teachers enjoy the profession one-and-a-half years after graduation. They are motivated both by working with their subject matter and by teaching. Retrospectively, NQTs criticize parts of the post-graduate certificate in education (PGCE) course. Although the teachers seem content in their profession, this study reveals a high rate of attrition, with 40 percent having left the profession, and a prevalent ambivalence about their professional future.     

On the origins of helpless behavior of students with learning disabilities: avoidance motivation?

The purpose of the present study was to examine the presence of helplessness in students with learning difficulties (LD), and evaluate the role of goal orientations as antecedents of helplessness, negative affect, and psychopathology. Following induction of failure, results suggested that students with LD displayed increased negative affectivity, lower positive affectivity, lower self-esteem and hopelessness, compared to typical students. Mastery orientation was a positive indicator of academic growth and a negative predictor of helplessness and the opposite was true for performance avoidance orientation. A performance-approach orientation did not contribute significantly to academic achievement but was consistently a negative predictor of attributes of helplessness.     

The power of self-directed journals: being a temporary ‘other’ for learning to teach

This case study investigates how an ESL teacher’s activity of self-directed journal writing can facilitate learning and function as a mediational tool for teacher professional development. The participant for this study is a native English speaker who taught an ESL freshman writing course in an American university. Since he had little time to consult with teaching experts, he decided to engage in his self-directed journal for reflecting on his teaching practices. A sociocultural perspective on human cognitive development is utilized as an analytical framework for tracing his development and capturing the transformative power of narrative within his developmental trajectory. Using grounded theory, his journal entries are analyzed to identify a series of stages that trace his professional development, supported by face-to-face interview data designed to co-construct an interpretation of his journal and to serve as a member check. The data analysis suggests that his journal became a powerful mediational space where he critically reflected on and systematically examined his teaching practices. By externalizing his thoughts and feelings, as he first recognizes his loss of self-regulation and then works toward regaining his sense of professional expertise, he begins to develop alternative ways of thinking about his current teaching practices and starts to embrace new modes of engagement in his L2 classroom.     

The role of teacher behavior in adolescents’ intrinsic reading motivation

Given the weak intrinsic reading motivation of many adolescents on the one hand and the importance of this type of motivation for reading competence on the other hand, the aim of the present study is to identify the related role of teacher behavior. To pursue this aim, a secondary analysis was carried out on PISA 2009 data. More particularly, data of a subsample of 4,269 Flemish 15-year olds were examined by means of multilevel modeling. In line with self-determination theory, the results provide evidence for the significance of perceived autonomy-supportive, structured, and involved teacher behavior. Teacher involvement was most strongly associated with adolescents’ intrinsic reading motivation. Further, students’ perception of teachers’ autonomy support was particularly related to girls’ intrinsic reading motivation.     

Learner motivation for MOOC registration and the role of MOOCs as a university ‘taster’

Despite the widespread adoption of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), no business model has emerged to make them sustainable from an institution standpoint. Using MOOCs as a marketing platform shows promise; but for this to succeed, it is necessary to understand the motivations of those who undertake them and to demonstrate how these same motivations can be better satisfied through enrolment in a fee-paying university course. We discuss the motivations for students as they progress through a MOOC and the factors that might lead to subsequent university enrolment. Our arguments are informed by MOOC statistics, the AIDA (attention, interest, desire, action) marketing model, and the literature on adult education, technology adoption, goal seeking and consumer value. We argue that most students are led to MOOC enrolment through close alignment of the course topic and subject matter with their personal goals and through the establishment of an attractive value proposition. Progress in the MOOC depends on whether this goal alignment is maintained, and whether the value assumptions of students are met or exceeded. We predict that subsequent university enrolment will most likely occur when the MOOC experience is both satisfying and representative of the university experience, and where the increased time and financial commitment demanded by formal study is offset by the greater likelihood of attaining the focal goal. For this strategy to succeed, it will be necessary for the host institution to actively work with MOOC students to create an awareness of appropriate fee-paying courses and to promote the benefits of university study. This has implications for the way institutions market their courses to MOOC students.     

The associative field as a diagnostic instrument in assessing the breadth of multi‐contextual concepts: the concept ‘development’

A free‐association approach was used to identify the connotative meanings of the concept ‘development’ in respondents' cognitive structure. The study was carried out at three levels in schools (6th, 9th and 11th grades) and in comparison with groups of student‐teachers and teachers of biology. Analyses of subjects' association‐spectrum revealed a paucity of multi‐contextuality, indicating a non‐inclusive concept‐formation. The great majority of subjects' associations referred to biology only. This was especially so in first (when compared with residual) associations. A very large proportion of subjects did not differentiate between the concepts of ‘development’ and ‘growth’. Most biological associations of ‘development’ referred to ontogeny, with very few phylogenetical associations.     

The University as a community of selves: Johan Vilhelm Snellman's “On Academic Studies”

Nowadays we tend to regard the idea of a university as an outdated subject. The world of universities is today so complex and diverse that no general doctrine of the university seems possible. In a recent article Alasdair MacIntyre challenges this view and points out that by giving up the question “What is university?” we also give up the question “What is an educated mind?” In this article I will return to the old discussion on the idea of a university. I will go all the way back to Plato, but my main theme is J. V. Snellman’s essay On Academic Studies (1840). There Snellman, a young university lecturer at the time, defends his view that the university is a community of selves. The essay strongly emphasises that students should not only learn to know but also to act in a responsible way as selves. However, the text also reflects on Snellman’s own activity before the publication. He had defended academic freedom against the rector of the Imperial Alexander University of Finland. As a result, Snellman was in the end sentenced in an open court and forced to leave the university. Snellman’s view is certainly not the final definition of the university, but as it, besides presenting a theoretical view on the essence of the university, also reflects on activity in a university community, it gives us elements for reflecting on the idea of a university and an educated mind.     

The role of language and learning models in student-directed CALL

The development of CALL has been accompanied by a debate about which theoretical foundations it should be built upon. This paper will ask what the relationship between CALL and models of language and learning has been, and consider what it should be. Research undertaken using ICT in order to identify issues relevant to second language acquisition (SLA)will be examined, and its implications noted. The application of interactionalist models of SLA will be considered and the contribution that task-based language learning could make to CALL investigated. The concept of "student-directed" CALL is used in order to distinguish the SLA-based interactionalist models proposed from the many CALL approaches based on gap fills, drilling, etc. and from the many tutor-led programmes in areas such as EAP.     

The Nurses Memorandum of 1938: a first step in the development of action learning?

This article concerns the origins of the idea of action learning, especially the claim by Revans that his Memorandum on ‘The Entry of Girls into the Nursing Profession’ in Essex hospitals written in 1938 was the first step in the development of action learning. Whilst Revans repeatedly made this claim, there is no evidence in the actual words of the Memorandum to support it, and he never explained the basis for his belief. Why Revans saw this paper as a first step is therefore a mystery. In this paper we examine the circumstances of the production of the Memorandum to find possible answers. After discussing the evidence we conclude that Revans’ claim is based on the ideas and insights which occurred to him in 1938 in his research and thinking, rather than upon what he actually wrote. We also suggest some defining aspects of action learning can be traced back to ideas first stimulated in the research and production of the 1938 Memorandum, including the importance of first-hand knowledge in tackling organisational problems; the limitations of expert knowledge in complex conditions; the impact of hierarchy on the flow of knowledge; the importance of problem ownership in bring about action for improvement and the primacy of learning in the processes of problem-solving and innovation.     

Giving feedback on peers’ concept maps as a learning experience: does quality of reviewed concept maps matter?

Learning Environments Research - Giving feedback to peers can be a powerful learning tool because of the feedback provider’s active cognitive involvement with the products to be reviewed. The...     

Technology’s role in learning at a commuter campus: The student perspective

Patterns of technology ownership and usage, as well as skills with and preferences for various technologies, affect the college experience (Educause 2012). Students at a commuter campus of a large Midwestern public university were surveyed about technology and the learning process: 94% of the respondents believed that technology had the potential to benefit learning and 85% thought it was central to their academic success. Students credited technology-enhanced courses with increased and more effective communication with instructors, the ability to better manage course activities and expanded opportunities for practice and reinforcement. Students’ prior experiences with a course management system affected their perceptions of the role of technology and their subsequent beliefs about the benefits of its use in their university courses. Implications for administrators who make decisions about faculty development, student retention and funding for technology-enhanced course offerings are discussed.     

Wayfinding as a concept for understanding success among Native Americans in STEM: “learning how to map through life”

Cultural Studies of Science Education - This paper discusses findings from 40 ethnographically inspired interviews with 21 Native science professionals conducted in two iterative phases (21 in...     

‘Being in the World’: The event of learning

This paper employs an eclectic mix of paradigms in order to discuss constituting characteristics of young children's learning experiences. Drawing upon a phenomenological perspective it examines learning as a form of ‘Being’ and as the result of learners’ engagement with the world in their own, unique, intentional manners. The learners’ intentions towards their world are expressed in everyday activity and participation. A social constructivist perspective is thus employed to present learning as situated in meaningful socio‐cultural contexts of the everyday, lived world and as a form of participation in those settings. These characteristics of learning are brought together into a holistic, synthesised model, a Gestalt of learning. The proposed synthesis has relevance for and is applicable to educational contexts as a means of making sense of children's learning experiences and of promoting and facilitating them.     

The impact of curriculum developed in line with authentic learning on the teacher candidates’ success,attitude and self-directed learning skills

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of the curriculum developed in line with authentic learning on the teacher candidates’ success, attitudes towards courses and self-directed learning skills. The study, that is quantitative in nature, is carried out with 64 teacher candidates studying at Near East University and taking the course of “curriculum development”. During the implementation which lasted 12 weeks, while the experimental group was implemented with the curriculum developed in line with authentic learning, the control group was implemented with a traditional curriculum. The results obtained from the research have indicated that the curriculum developed in line with authentic learning has increased the success of the teacher candidates. Also, there has been a meaningful difference in the attitudes of teacher candidates towards the course of curriculum development. Yet, the same developed curriculum has increased the self-directed learning skills of teacher candidates from a moderate level to a high level.     

The changing role of the academic journal: the coverage of higher education in History of Education as a case study, 1972–2011

This article briefly reviews the coverage of higher education in the pages of this journal since its inception. It reflects on the changing role of the academic journal during this period, on some of the related changes which have taken place in academia itself as well as changing fashions in the study of history of education. Its central arguments are that the ways in which the history of universities and higher education have been treated in History of Education are, at one and the same time, both a reflection of these developments and a commentary on them. It concludes with a call for new and wider approaches to the study of higher education which go well beyond the narrow institutional and national accounts which have dominated recent writing to reflect contemporary globalisation and the swiftly changing world in which we live now.     

The online learning environment—A new model using social constructivism and the concept of ‘Ba’ as a theoretical framework

Organisations that provide education are businesses and, as such, are not immune from the impact that the Internet has had in recent years, both on the way organisations conduct their business and as a business supporting technology. Indeed, the use of the Internet as a facilitating mechanism for educational course delivery has been growing steadily over the last 5–8 years and, although there are some significant issues that have arisen in that time in relation to the quality of learning that can be achieved, there is no doubt that it will continue to be developed as an educational tool. The real issue for educators is, therefore, not whether the Internet will be used in course delivery, or if it is a useful tool, but rather how can a teacher make best use of it to enhance learning? This article documents a study that has analysed five years of student reflections on the scaffolding mechanisms used to promote and encourage learning in five Internet-based courses at the University of Queensland run between 2001 and 2005. The courses involved include three Internet-delivered Masters coursework courses and two Internet-delivered undergraduate courses in three different discipline areas. The outcomes of the study are: (1) a Report Card documenting student evaluations of the scaffolding mechanisms used; (2) a What, Why, How, Where framework of scaffolding mechanisms that are best suited to enabling deep learning through the online environment, and (3) a proposed new model of knowledge acquisition in online learning environments entitled ESCIE, which is based on Nonaka’s SECI and Ba models of knowledge creation.     

“We are much closer here”: exploring the use of WhatsApp as a learning environment in a secondary school mathematics class

Learning Environments Research - In this study, we examined a mathematics teacher’s communicative acts on an instant messaging tool, WhatsApp, and its role in creating a sustained learning...