Factors affecting hispanic student transfer behavior

Few studies examine transfer of nontraditional-age Hispanic community college students to four-year institutions. The present study examined attitudes, cognitive and noncognitive experiences, and transfer-related behaviors of students (N=277) who graduated from one two-year institution, in order to determine factors associated with successful transfer and make appropriate policy recommendations. An undergraduate survey based on Tinto's (1975, 1987) conceptual framework and Cabrera, Nora, and Castaneda's (1993) integrated model of student retention provided measures of family concerns, encouragement, social and academic integration, English communication skills, and educational and institutional commitments. Structural equation modeling via LISREL gave parameter estimates of causal links among variables in the hypothesized model. Variables significant for Hispanic transfer students were mathematics ability, academic achievement, and an intent to transfer.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Association for Institutional Research Forum, Chicago, Illinois, May 1993.     

Transitioning in higher education: an exploration of psychological and contextual factors affecting student satisfaction

In view of recent changes in the higher education sector, such as increased tuition fees, a greater focus has been placed on widening participation initiatives and monitoring student satisfaction. The aims of the current study were twofold: (1) to explore whether pre-entry programmes foster successful transition to higher education, and (2) to examine longitudinally the factors associated with course satisfaction. Eighty-eight first-year psychology students completed a questionnaire measuring academic self-efficacy, social identity and student satisfaction at the start (Time 1, November 2015) and end (Time 2, March 2016) of the academic year. Findings indicated that students who participated in a pre-entry programme reported higher academic self-efficacy and satisfaction compared to typical route students. Moreover, academic self-efficacy predicted student satisfaction at the start of the academic year, whereas in-group affect (a facet of social identity) predicted this at the end of the academic year. The current findings indicate that pre-entry programmes may have a positive impact on students’ sense of academic self-efficacy. On a more general level, the findings also suggest that academic self-efficacy and social identity may be key indicators of student satisfaction. This highlights the complexities of the concept of ‘student satisfaction’, and demonstrates the utility of examining multiple factors relating to student satisfaction across different time points.     

Linguistic and pedagogical factors affecting children's understanding of arithmetic word problems: A comparative study

2493 children aged from 5 to 15 years in 114 classes in 25 primary schools were asked to do a similar set of 22 arithmetic word problems. 1195 of the children were in Grades K through 6 in Victorian schools (Australia) and 1298 were in Grades 4 through 6 in Papua New Guinea (PNG) schools. For both samples the questions were posed in English. This was the first language for most children in the Victorian sample but, for the PNG sample, English was usually the second, third, or even fourth language (even though it is the language of instruction in PNG schools). While the test instrument was based on widely accepted information processing models of how children solve arithmetic word problems, the data obtained were not so much in accord with these models as with psycholinguistic theories on children's acquisition of polarised comparative pairs (like more and less). The data also indicate that children from the two samples used similar strategies and made similar errors, with the order of relative difficulty being the same for both samples, the main factor determining difficulty being the semantic structure of the questions. Differences in performance between corresponding grades from the two samples can be attributed to differences in the degree of English language competence rather than to numerical facility.     

The economics of student time

A major feature of almost all of the recent national calls for educational reform has been the recommendation to increase the amount of instructional time through lengthening the school day and school year, assignment of more homework, and expanding the proportion of the school day devoted to instruction. The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the allocation of student time from the perspective of economic theory. Under a reasonable set of assumptions, the economic model that is employed predicts a rather small increase in educational achievement relative to rather substantial increases in instructional time. These predictions are found to comport well with the available empirical evidence. The policy consequences of the analysis are also examined.     

文科研究生学术忠诚现状调查及影响因素分析

用学术忠诚概念反映研究生学术研究的态度、努力和积极行为,并从实证角度探讨研究生学术忠诚的影响因素.调查发现,在研究生学术忠诚各维度中,学术认同得分最高,学术努力居中,学术理想得分最低.进一步研究发现,导师、管理、亚文化、专业因素对研究生学术忠诚均有显著影响;导师、管理因素对学术认同有显著影响,亚文化、专业因素影响不显著:导师、亚文化、专业、管理因素对学术努力和学术理想均有显著影响.     

Cognitive skill development in adult student advising

Student advising in the University Without Walls (UWW) program at the University of Minnesota centers on helping students develop the cognitive skills described in Bloom's taxonomy as knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Program advisors assist students in designing their degree programs and oversee students' progress through the graduation process. Each phase of student advising incorporates one or more of the cognitive skills. Advisors assess students' skill development in the early stages of their programs and then help students further develop the skills throughout the UWW program.     

Putting meat on the bones: factors affecting student teachers’ confidence to teach reading

Teacher training, especially in the teaching of reading, has come to the forefront in policy making and teacher training institutions are now subject to even more rigorous inspection procedures than schools, much of this inspection focusing on the preparation of teachers of reading. Yet much of this development has rested on very little research evidence. We still do not know exactly what constitutes effective teacher training for reading teaching. Gill Scrivens’ study reported here makes a significant contribution to this area in that it highlights the fact that some earlier research studies have taken too simplistic a view of the training process. It also suggests practical ways forward in this area.     

How student teachers develop their understanding of teaching using ICT

Forty-four student teachers' existing understanding of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and the way it changes as they learn to teach is examined. The cohort were taking a postgraduate certificate in education course at the University of Cambridge UK in 2000–2001. Data from assignments, questionnaires and interviews were analysed. The students had a variety of views about teaching using ICT. Their understanding of ICT became more sophisticated over the year in three stages, which involved processes of personalisation, growth of pedagogical sensitivity and the development of contingent thinking. Students valued reflective assignments, university-based tuition and experience of teaching using ICT as ways of developing their thinking and practice. Implications of the findings for those involved in teacher education are suggested.     

Independent learning modules enhance student performance and understanding of anatomy

Didactic lessons are only one part of the multimodal teaching strategies used in gross anatomy courses today. Increased emphasis is placed on providing more opportunities for students to develop lifelong learning and critical thinking skills during medical training. In a pilot program designed to promote more engaged and independent learning in anatomy, self‐study modules were introduced to supplement human gross anatomy instruction at Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University. Modules use three‐dimensional constructs to help students understand complex anatomical regions. Resources are self‐contained in portable bins and are accessible at any time. Students use modules individually or in groups in a structured self‐study format that augments material presented in lecture and laboratory. Pilot outcome data, measured by feedback surveys and examination performance statistics, suggest that the activity may be improving learning in gross anatomy. Positive feedback on both pre‐ and post‐examination surveys showed that students felt the activity helped to increase their understanding of the topic. In concordance with student perception, average examination scores on module‐related laboratory and lecture questions were higher in the two years of the pilot program compared with the year before its initiation. Modules can be fabricated on a modest budget using minimal resources, making implementation practical for smaller institutions. Upper level medical students assist in module design and upkeep, enabling continuous opportunities for vertical integration across the curriculum. This resource offers a feasible mechanism for enhancing independent and lifelong learning competencies, which could be a valuable complement to any gross anatomy curriculum. Anat Sci Educ 7: 406–416. © 2014 American Association of Anatomists.     

Ergonomic factors and student learning

The author reports a survey of computer users in a department of business studies in a college of further education. The survey addressed the human factors problems attendant on computer usage and revealed that 80% of students had experienced problems. Follow-up discussions with students and teachers highlighted a general lack of understanding of the pertinent human factors issues and of realistic preventive measures. These findings are a source of concern since human factors aspects are central to such business courses. Moreover, such findings may have more widespread significance: there may be implications for all teachers involved with computers and for the content of computer-based education curricula. The results show that ergonomic problems are more common than might be imagined, that ergonomic principles are not understood by teachers or students, and the subject is seldom properly emphasised in the syllabus.     

Cognitive correlates of visual speech understanding in hearing-impaired individuals

This study examined the extent to which different measures of speechreading performance correlated with particular cognitive abilities in a population of hearing-impaired people. Although the three speechreading tasks (isolated word identification, sentence comprehension, and text tracking) were highly intercorrelated, they tapped different cognitive skills. In this population, younger participants were better speechreaders, and, when age was taken into account, speech tracking correlated primarily with (written) lexical decision speed. In contrast, speechreading for sentence comprehension correlated most strongly with performance on a phonological processing task (written pseudohomophone detection) but also on a span measure that may have utilized visual, nonverbal memory for letters. We discuss the implications of this pattern.     

A cross-age study of student understanding of the concept of diffusion

This study examined 7th-grade life science students, 10th-grade biology students, and college zoology students for understanding of the concept of diffusion. Responses from 100 students from each grade level were randomly selected for data analysis. Each student responded to a test packet consisting of a biographical questionnaire, two Piagetian-like developmental tasks, and a Concept Evaluation Statement (CES). The CESs were used to measure the students' understandings of the concept of diffusion. None of the 300 students across the three grade levels exhibited complete understanding of the diffusion concept. There was no appreciable difference among the grade levels in sound or partial understanding, misconceptions, or “no understanding.” An analysis of the misconceptions exhibited by the college sample showed that many of the misconceptions could be traced to a misapplication of scientific terminology.     

Exploring student beliefs and understanding in elementary science and mathematics

This study had the goal of investigating the association among elementary students' (N = 276) science and math beliefs and the relationship between those beliefs and teachers' ratings of mathematical and science understanding. Results of structural path analysis indicate that in science, intellectual risk‐taking (IRT; the willingness to share tentative ideas, ask questions, attempting to do, and learn new things) was positively related to teachers' ratings of science understanding, while creative self‐efficacy (CSE) beliefs (i.e., students' confidence in their ability to generate ideas and solutions in science) were indirectly related (working through IRT). Results also indicate that students' scientific certainty beliefs (i.e., the belief that science knowledge is stable, fixed, and represented by correct answers) were negatively related to teachers' ratings of science understanding. With respect to math, results indicate that students' CSE beliefs were positively related to teachers' ratings of math understanding; whereas students' mathematical source beliefs (i.e., believing that math knowledge originates from external sources) were negatively related. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 49: 942–960, 2012