Cross-cultural differences in university students' goals and perceptions of study settings for achieving their own goals

International education and university study exchange programs are now widely established around the world. Yet little is known about possible cultural differences in international and local students' goals and perceptions, and about how international students adapt to the specific academic requirements of the host country. The mediating role of student's goals and perceptions, as well as the dynamic and adaptive nature of those cognitions have been emphasised in theories of self-regulation of learning and empirical research on student learning. The present study examined the extent to which international students' ways of thinking about learning, learning goals and perceptions of the usefulness of typical university study contexts differ from local students at the beginning of their study in the host university, and then become similar to that of local students after a period of time. Comparisons of matched groups of international students (from South-east Asia) and local (Australian) students revealed evidence of cultural/educational differences between their conceptualisation of goals at the beginning of their university study but this difference disappeared after one semester. At the start of their university study, South-east Asian students displayed higher levels of goals than local students, but neither group was certain yet which study settings would be most useful for achieving their personal goals. After one semester, South-east Asian students had become more like local students but the two groups' overall patterns of change over time were similar, providing further support for the view that the specific characteristics of study environments have a strong impact on students' learning. South-east Asian students' clear differentiation of the usefulness of typical study settings for the achievement of high vs low level goals however, contrasted with local students' undifferentiated view that individual study is the most useful form of learning.     

Students' evaluation and instructors' self-evaluation of university instruction

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between students' evaluations of university instruction and self-ratings of instructors. The sample consisted of 52 instructors, from the School of Education at Tel-Aviv University, who taught 93 classes. The instructors, as well as their students, responded to a 20-item instructional-practices questionnaire. Instructor self-ratings had only a modest relationship with the ratings given by students (a median correlation of .28). Discrepancies between instructor ratings and ratings given by the students were further analyzed for (1) varying training in teaching - no difference was found; and (2) number of years of teaching experience - differences were noted; the self-ratings of less experienced instructors were closer to student ratings.     

School psychology students' perceptions of their practicum experiences

We surveyed a national sample of 139 school psychology students to better understand their perceptions of their practicum experiences. Specifically, we examined the students' reports of the types of activities in which they engage during practicum experiences and their perceptions of their school‐based supervisors' activities. This information is potentially important as school psychology engages in a paradigm shift. Although most school psychology programs may teach students the proposed new and expanded roles, it is unclear whether field‐based experiences are congruent with such university‐based training. Results indicate that students spent the majority of their practicum time in assessment‐related activities. They were generally satisfied with their practicum experience and supervisor, although many knew little about the range of their supervisor's activities. Most field‐based practicum supervisors appeared to provide limited modeling of new and expanded roles. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 43: 727–736, 2006.     

Deaf college students' perceptions of their social-emotional adjustment

This study examined differences between deaf and hearing students' perceptions of their social emotional adjustment as they transition to college. The 16PF-Adolescent Personality Questionnaire Life Difficulties Scale was completed by 205 deaf students and 185 hearing students. A multivariate analyses of variance and subsequent univariate tests found that deaf students rated themselves as experiencing significantly higher home life difficulties than hearing students, and deaf students rated themselves as having fewer coping difficulties than hearing students. Results also revealed a hearing status by gender interaction with deaf females rating themselves significantly higher on worry than deaf males, hearing females, and hearing males. An exploratory factor analysis of the Life Difficulties subscales yielded three factors of life difficulties for deaf college students but only two factors for hearing college students. These findings suggest that there are differences between deaf and hearing students who are transitioning to college with regards to their social-emotional adjustment.     

Sociopolitical ideology as a determinant of students' perceptions of the university

The effect of ideological self-identification on students' perceptions and evaluations of three academic stimulus objects is investigated. Sociopolitical ideologies do structure perceptions of the academic milieu; conservative and liberal students view academic objects differently and do not use the same dimensions when describing academic objects. In predicting students' political identifications stimulus objects as well as perceptual dimensions must be taken into account.The research reported here was partially supported by the Illinois Public Interest Research Group. The assistance of IPIRG members and of SIU-C students on this project is gratefully acknowledged. Additional support was provided by the Yale University Political Science Department and the Yale University Computer Center.     

Relations of middle school students' perceptions of family and school contexts with academic achievement

The purposes of this study were to examine the relations of both family and school contexts on students' academic achievement and to explore the mediating effects of students' perceptions of their motivations and academic self‐competence between the family and school contexts and achievement. Participants were 230 fifth‐ and sixth‐grade students. Students' perceptions of parenting style (demandingness and responsiveness), parental involvement (parental values and involvement in school functions), teaching style (teacher control and responsiveness), and school atmosphere (school responsiveness and supportive social environment) significantly predicted their school achievement; however, students' motivations and self‐competence mediated the relations between students' contexts and their academic achievement. Furthermore, parental values, teacher responsiveness, school responsiveness, and supportive social environment predicted students' motivations and academic competence above and beyond parenting style, parental involvement, and teacher control. The importance of students' supportive relationships and the internalization of the messages conveyed to them underscore the need for a contextual view by school psychologists when consulting with parents and education staff regarding achievement concerns. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Influences on students' perceptions of their personal development during the first three years of college

This study sought to determine whether students' perceptions of their personal growth are related to their college experiences after controlling for their precollege characteristics, whether the amount of reported development varies over the first three years of college, and whether the influences on students' perceived personal development vary from one year to another. Results indicate that students' self-reported personal development is unattributable to their precollege traits and is remarkably constant from the freshman through junior years. Differences between men and women in reported growth are, however, evident. The sources of influence on reported growth vary over the three years; the only common influence is informal contact with faculty.An earlier version of this paper was presented to the annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research, Toronto, May 1983.     

Indian mothers' perceptions of their roles in their daughters' university course choices

This paper presents new findings on the experiences of Indian mothers in the roles they play in their daughters' higher education (HE) subject choices. Whilst there are existing studies on White British mothers and parents more generally in terms of parental involvement in education, and a growing number of papers presenting results on Bangladeshi and Pakistani parents, evidence on Indian parents (and students) is relatively sparse. In particular, there is a lack of research where Indian parents are given space to voice their own narratives in their own words. In the main, existing studies focus on parents from the viewpoint of their children as students. This qualitative study involved semi‐structured interviews with nine Indian mothers from different areas in England. Commonalities and disparities between the experiences of Indian mothers presented here and accounts of White mothers of similar class and educational backgrounds presented in existing literature are analysed using an intersectional lens. Results show that working class Indian mothers could be making up some of their disadvantage in terms of social and cultural capital through family and community networks. Furthermore, mothers regard younger relatives as potential sources of important knowledge and resources that could help them and their daughters navigate the HE landscape. This has not been found in studies on White mothers where the emphasis instead has been on the exchange of knowledge from adults to the younger generation. This article arises out of an ESRC funded doctoral study of choice at university for British South Asian women.     

Assessing the impact of a university teaching development programme

Four different indicators are used to assess the impact of a year‐long university teaching development programme in an Australian research‐led university. All four indicators show small positive outcomes. Teachers who complete the programme have higher rates of receipt of teaching awards and teaching development grants than their colleagues who do not participate in the programme. Students in the classes of teachers who complete the programme report, on average, higher satisfaction scores than students in the classes of the same teacher before she/he completed the programme. Students in the faculties where the programme is completed by a higher proportion of academic staff report greater change to levels of satisfaction in the quality of their degree over the seven‐year period of the study. The methodology adopted involves several new approaches to evaluation and confirms the need for the use of an evaluation framework and multi‐indicator strategy.     

TPACK视角下的高中物理翻转课堂实践探索

信息技术与学科教学深度融合下的翻转课堂,应在课程技术化的基础上,理解翻转课堂的内涵,加强"技术—教学—学科知识"体系的创新性运用,整合Ji TT(Just-in-Time Teaching,适时学习)和PI(Peer Instruction,同伴教学)教学模式,才能发挥翻转课堂应有的教学功效。文章以"外力作用下的振动"教学实践为例,从TPACK理论框架出发,应用有着先进教学理念、良好教学效果、信息技术融合度高等特点的Ji TT和PI教学方法作为翻转课堂的基本教学框架,构建了能有效实施的中学物理翻转课堂。     

The development of an instrument for assessing students' perceptions of teachers' knowledge

The purpose of this study was to describe the development and validation of an instrument on Student Perceptions of Teachers' Knowledge (SPOTK) in relation to their pedagogy. Features of teachers' knowledge from the research literature related to instruction, representation, subject matter knowledge, and knowledge of how to assess students' understanding were used to generate categories in the SPOTK. The result of a pilot study with 634 Taiwanese junior high school students showed high reliability of the scales, a good factor structure, and provided suggestions to delete weak items. In the main study, for which nine to ten items under each category were generated making a total of 37 items in the SPOTK, the instrument was administered to 1879 Taiwanese and 1081 Australian junior high school students varying in grades, sex and ability levels. Reliability and validity measures of the instrument were established based on Cronbach alpha and factor analysis. After the validating process, 28 items remained in the final instrument and reliabilities of the scales ranged from 0.97 to 0.82. Comment is made about the differences between Australian and Taiwanese students' responses and suggestions for using the instrument in future research.     

以科学发展观引领大学生价值观教育

加强和改进大学生价值观教育一直都是党和国家高度关注的问题.目前大学生价值观教育总体状况是好的,但由于多种原因影响,出现了一些新问题.现阶段,我们应以科学发展观为指导引领大学生价值观教育,寻求解决价值观教育存在问题的途径,从而更好的促进大学生价值观教育的全面协调可持续发展.     

基于TPACK框架的大学物理实验教学设计与应用

文章基于整合技术的学科教学法,从教学内容、教学方法、教学技术三个方面探讨大学物理实验教学设计。教学内容方面包括:实验内容系列化、专题化,开设综合性、设计性实验;教学方法方面包括:开展探究式学习,基于PBL的学习;教学技术方面包括:基于虚拟仿真技术的大学物理实验教学,建设大学物理实验网络教学平台、选课和排课系统。通过准实验研究发现,整合技术的大学物理实验教学能够提高学生的学习成绩、信息素养和协作能力等。     

Student outcomes and perceptions of instructors' demands and support in online and traditional classrooms

In this study, seven graduate students were interviewed and 187 (91 online; 96 traditional) graduate students were surveyed about perceptions of differences in instructors' demands and support and student' motivation, self-regulation, satisfaction, and perceptions of learning in these environments. Results indicated significant differences in students' perceptions on all variables except self-efficacy. Results indicated a strong effect for differences between perceived instructor affective support in online and traditional classrooms. Although students in traditional classrooms ranked instructors' affective support higher, the variable had a stronger relationship with online students' satisfaction. Differences between online and traditional students' reports of instructors' academic support, instructors' demands, and students' satisfaction were significant with medium effect sizes. Results are important because they provide information about students' perceptions of the differences in environments created by instructors that relate to students' affective outcomes.     

A comparative study of students' and their teacher's perceptions of laboratory work in secondary schools

This article reports on a study of student and teacher perceptions of the purpose and effectiveness of laboratory work in science at the Year 10 level of secondary school. The main focus of the study was a comparison between the perceptions of one class of students and their teacher at each of six different schools with regard to the aims, regularity, conduct and assessment of laboratory work. The study identified a number of areas of mismatch between students and their teachers. The findings of the study will be of use to teachers in developing and improving their science curriculum, particularly with regard to laboratory work.     

Recent changes to students' perceptions of their key skills on entry to higher education

Students arrive in higher education (HE) with a range of generic and subject‐specific skills which they are expected to use and build upon during their degree courses. In order to ensure that undergraduates are able to make a successful transition to HE, it is important that teachers and course designers understand the level and range of skills with which they arrive, and where support and remediation may be required.

For the last nine years, 2065 first‐year undergraduates entering Leeds medical school have completed a questionnaire asking them to self‐assess the number of opportunities to practise a range of 31 generic skills experienced in the previous year, and how confident they feel about their ability to perform these skills. Over this period, a number of trends have become evident. Increased reported practice in a range of information technology (IT) skills might have been expected as a result of improved availability of technology. However, a significant decrease in both practice and confidence in laboratory, data handling and numeracy skills would suggest that changes to post‐16 education are adversely affecting the skills with which undergraduates arrive at university. Other skills, particularly those which relate to students' experience in managing their own learning, have shown no consistent change in reported levels of practice during the period of study, despite increased emphasis on these skills within post‐16 qualifications since the introduction of Curriculum 2000. These observations have implications for course design across a range of courses, particularly in science programmes with significant practical and numerical components.     

University students' self‐efficacy and their attitudes toward the Internet: the role of students' perceptions of the Internet

The attitudes and the self‐efficacy that characterize learners relative to the Internet have been identified as important factors that affect learners’ motivation, interests and performance in Internet‐based learning environments. Meanwhile, learners’ perceptions of the Internet may shape learners’ attitudes and online behaviours. This study investigates university students’ attitudes and self‐efficacy towards the Internet, and explores the role that university students’ perceptions of the Internet may play in their Internet attitudes and self‐efficacy. The results indicate that university students demonstrate positive attitudes and adequate Internet self‐efficacy and that these students are more inclined to view the Internet as a functional tool—a functional technology. Gender differences exist in university students’ attitudes towards, and perceptions of, the Internet; that is, male students demonstrate Internet attitudes that are more positive than those of their female peers. Furthermore, students who perceive the Internet as a leisure tool (e.g. as a tour or a toy) show more positive attitudes and communicative self‐efficacy than students who use the Internet as a functional technology. Educators and researchers need to be aware of these differences and to take them into consideration in their instruction. Lastly, this study serves as a starting‐point for research that more broadly explores learners’ perceptions of the Internet.