Data in Motion: Sports as a site for expansive learning

ABSTRACT

Background and Context

Sports and technology are often pitted as being at odds with one another. While there are several educational activities that make reference to sports we seldom see sports used as an authentic context for learning computing.     

Teachers’ beliefs about inquiry-based learning and its impact on formative assessment practice

ABSTRACT

Background

Inquiry pedagogy has been advocated as means to engage and motivate students to learn science. The development of teacher formative assessment practice in inquiry is key for a successful implementation of student-centred inquiry pedagogy in the classroom.     

Learning by progressive inquiry in a physics lesson with the support of cloud-based technology

ABSTRACT

Background

Inquiry-based learning has been widely adopted in educational practice especially in science education. Scaffolding plays an important role in fostering learning in sophisticated inquiry. Meanwhile, it is important not to undermine the open-endedness of inquiry activities and the nature of student-centred learning.     

The effects of prior informal science and math experiences on undergraduate STEM identity

ABSTRACT

Background

Recent reports have noted a need for increasing both the recruitment and retention of young people into the STEM disciplines. While many studies have reported on the benefits of classroom reform in formal education environments, less is known about the role of informal education programs in young people’s academic aspirations, interest and competence in science and math domains.     

A supportive tool for principals in guiding professional group discussions

ABSTRACT

Background

Developing collective professional capacities in schools is important for school improvement, and principals can initiate such developments. That is, by initiating and leading professional group discussions on teaching and learning, principals can influence teaching practices and, thereby, indirectly affect student outcomes and school improvement. However, research indicates that leading such discussions in communities of professionals can be a challenge for principals.     

The complementarity of formative intervention research,action research and action learning

ABSTRACT

Background

This article focuses on the complementarity between formative interventions research conducted within the framework of cultural historical activity theory, action research and learning, as well as how this complementarity influences the researcher’s role.     

Exploring pre-service primary teachers’ progression towards inquiry-based science learning

ABSTRACT

Background

An in-depth understanding of pre-service primary teachers’ progression towards teaching science through inquiry is critical for improving teacher education programmes and, ultimately, improving the quality of science teaching and learning in the classroom.     

How autonomy support mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and approaches to learning

Abstract

The significant interplay between self-efficacy, autonomy support and approaches to learning in adolescent students is widely recognized. However, less is known about whether substantial differences exist between early and middle adolescent students from schools with different environments. To close this research gap, this study used latent mean comparison and multigroup structural equation modeling with questionnaire data from a sample of German adolescent students (N?=?1153; M_AgeT1?=?13.97, SD = 1.37; M_AgeT2?=?14.27, SD = 1.25) in two waves. Multigroup structural equation modeling reveals that autonomy functions as a mediator in the association between self-efficacy and approaches to learning only for students from schools with a student-centered learning environment based on competence-matrices in contrast to a teacher-directed learning environment, particularly for early adolescent students. More specifically, adolescents’ approaches to learning can be enhanced through autonomy-supportive learning independently of their self-efficacy.     

Effects of implementation support on children's reading outcomes following an online early reading programme: A cluster-randomised controlled trial

Well-designed computer or app-based instruction has a number of potential benefits (eg increasing accessibility and feasibility of high-quality instruction, reducing time and resources required for training expert delivery, saving instructional time). However, variation in implementation can still affect outcomes when using educational technology. Research generally suggests that without follow-up support after training, implementation of educational interventions is often poor and outcomes reduced. However, the extent to which this is the case when the core element of an intervention is computer or app-delivered is not yet clear. This study investigated the effects of providing ongoing implementation support for Headsprout Early Reading (HER, an early reading programme accessible via a computer or an app), to determine whether such support leads to better outcomes. Twenty-two primary schools (269 learners) participated in a cluster-randomised controlled trial. Eleven schools received initial training followed by ongoing support across the school year, whereas the other 11 schools received initial training and technical support only. Pre- and post-measures of reading skills were conducted using the York Assessment of Reading for Comprehension. We found no effect of implementation support on outcomes, and no effect of implementation support on delivery of the core element of HER. However, there were some effects of implementation support on the implementation of other HER elements relating to the responsiveness of educators to learners' learning within HER. These findings have implications for providing access to high quality online instruction in early reading skills at scale, with minimal training. More broadly, the current study suggests that well-designed computer or app-based instruction can yield positive outcomes with minimal implementation support and training. However, further research is required to ensure the interplay between learners' app-based learning and teacher intervention functions as intended to provide additional support for those who need it.

Practitioner notes

What is already known about this topic

• Well-designed computer or app-based instruction has a number of potential benefits (eg increasing accessibility and feasibility of high-quality instruction, reducing time and resources required for training expert delivery, saving instructional time).
• Implementation can still affect outcomes when using educational technology, and without follow-up support after training, implementation of educational interventions is often poor and outcomes reduced.
• The extent to which this is the case when the core element of an intervention is computer or app-delivered is not yet clear.

What this paper adds

• We found that providing implementation support for teachers and teaching assistants delivering Headsprout Early Reading (HER; an early reading programme accessible via a computer or an app) did not affect the reading outcomes of learners.
• We also found the implementation support did not affect delivery of the core, app-delivered element of the programme.
• However, there were notable differences in implementation of other aspects of the programme, particularly in relation to the role of the teacher or educational practitioner in managing the interplay between the app-based learning and teacher intervention for learners who require further support.

Implications for practice and policy

• These findings have implications for providing access to high quality instruction in early reading skills at scale, with minimal training.
• More broadly, the current study suggests that well-designed computer or app-based instruction can yield positive outcomes with minimal implementation support and training.
• However, the findings of this study identify some potential risk of an over-reliance on technology to facilitate the learning of all learners accessing the programme.
• Further research is required to ensure the interplay between learners' app-based learning and teacher intervention functions as intended to provide additional support for those who need it.

     

Dynamics of emotion,problem solving,and identity: Portraits of three girl coders

ABSTRACT

Background and Context

Women are underrepresented in the field of computer science, a trend that in part can be traced to girls’ early experiences with the discipline.     

What influences Australian secondary schools in their efforts to prevent and intervene in cyberbullying?

ABSTRACT

Background

Cyberbullying is a significant problem for young people and secondary schools are the main institutions expected to address it. School anti-bullying measures have only modestly reduced the problem to date.     

Attitudes,perceived competence,and social limitation among older adults with hearing problems

ABSTRACT

Objectives

This study aims to examine the association between attitudes, perceived competence, and social limitation among older adults with hearing impairment.     

The effects of combining simulations and laboratory experiments on Zimbabwean students’ conceptual understanding of electric circuits

ABSTRACT

Background

Information Communication Technologies are increasingly present in the African educational system at all educational levels. However, their integration into pedagogical practices to improve the quality of teaching and learning across disciplines remains the exception.     

Meeting Linnaeus: improving comprehension of biological classification and attitudes to plants using drama in primary science education

ABSTRACT

Background

Children’s interest in science is known to decline around the upper primary age, and botanical topics are unpopular with students. Drama in education has the potential to increase motivation and interest in school science.     

Racial hierarchy and masculine space: Participatory in/equity in computational physics classrooms

ABSTRACT

Background and Context

Computing is being integrated into a range of STEM disciplines. Still, computing remains inaccessible to many minoritized groups, especially girls and certain people of color. In this mixed methods study, we investigated racial and gendered patterns of equity and inequity in high school physics classrooms incorporating computational modeling, with an emphasis on group work.     

Take space,make space: how students use computer science to disrupt and resist marginalization in schools

ABSTRACT

Background and Context

Overlaying Computer Science (CS) courses on top of inequitable schooling systems will not move us toward “CS for All.” This paper prioritizes the perspectives of minoritized students enrolled in high school CS classrooms across a large, urban school district in the Western United States, to help inform how CS can truly be for all.     

Young people’s mental health: Exploring the gap between expectation and experience

ABSTRACT

Background

The proportion of young people suffering from poor mental health is on the increase, including in Scandinavian countries. This increase seems paradoxical, as Scandinavian countries are among those with the lowest degree of material deprivation, economic inequality, and social exclusion.     

Using causal models to bridge the divide between big data and educational theory

An extraordinary amount of data is becoming available in educational settings, collected from a wide range of Educational Technology tools and services. This creates opportunities for using methods from Artificial Intelligence and Learning Analytics (LA) to improve learning and the environments in which it occurs. And yet, analytics results produced using these methods often fail to link to theoretical concepts from the learning sciences, making them difficult for educators to trust, interpret and act upon. At the same time, many of our educational theories are difficult to formalise into testable models that link to educational data. New methodologies are required to formalise the bridge between big data and educational theory. This paper demonstrates how causal modelling can help to close this gap. It introduces the apparatus of causal modelling, and shows how it can be applied to well-known problems in LA to yield new insights. We conclude with a consideration of what causal modelling adds to the theory-versus-data debate in education, and extend an invitation to other investigators to join this exciting programme of research.

Practitioner notes

What is already known about this topic

• ‘Correlation does not equal causation’ is a familiar claim in many fields of research but increasingly we see the need for a causal understanding of our educational systems.
• Big data bring many opportunities for analysis in education, but also a risk that results will fail to replicate in new contexts.
• Causal inference is a well-developed approach for extracting causal relationships from data, but is yet to become widely used in the learning sciences.

What this paper adds

• An overview of causal modelling to support educational data scientists interested in adopting this promising approach.
• A demonstration of how constructing causal models forces us to more explicitly specify the claims of educational theories.
• An understanding of how we can link educational datasets to theoretical constructs represented as causal models so formulating empirical tests of the educational theories that they represent.

Implications for practice and/or policy

• Causal models can help us to explicitly specify educational theories in a testable format.
• It is sometimes possible to make causal inferences from educational data if we understand our system well enough to construct a sufficiently explicit theoretical model.
• Learning Analysts should work to specify more causal models and test their predictions, as this would advance our theoretical understanding of many educational systems.

     

Can we avoid digital structural violence in future learning systems?

ABSTRACT

This paper introduces the concept of digital structural violence and examines the negative role it could have in future learning systems. To address it, we propose a new interdisciplinary research agenda at the intersection of three current but disparate lines of work that:

1. Use the concept of epistemic privilege to theorise the inclusion of marginalised learners in the design of learning systems, and utilise participatory action research and emancipatory methodologies to pragmatically ensure this happens;

2. Support young learners and teachers to understand and build their own artificial intelligence algorithms;

3. Develop sustainable interdisciplinary links with computer science to address digital structural violence at the algorithmic level and to make its societal implications and underlying processes more widely understood, especially by teachers.

Taken together, these provide for a material form of resistance to digital structural violence and a theoretically and methodologically coherent future research agenda for building just learning systems.     

Correlation between concept comprehension and mental semantic networks for scientific terms

ABSTRACT

Background

We adopted a theoretical framework that the acquisition of a scientific concept comprises the development of connections among conceptual elements associated with a scientific term within a mental semantic network. Given this framework, the hypothesis that the surrounding words connected with a scientific term are relevant to the comprehension of that concept was considered.