Relationship Between Peer Orientation and Achievement in Cooperative Learning-Based Research Methodology Courses

Abstract

The capability of the relationship between peer orientation and achievement to remain in research methodology courses when cooperative learning techniques are introduced was investigated. Participants comprised 159 students enrolled in 7 sections of a graduate-level research methodology course at a southern university over 2 semesters. The students, who were administered a learning-style instrument, were enrolled in sections in which cooperative-learning groups were formed to undertake the major course requirements. Findings revealed a small but statistically significant relationship between peer orientation and achievement; students who were more oriented toward cooperative learning attained lower levels of achievement than did those who did not have an orientation toward cooperative learning. Further research is warranted.     

Using active learning in criminal justice: Twenty-five examples

Active learning strategies may overcome the weaknesses of the traditional lecture approach. This paper outlines some of the main strengths and weaknesses of the lecture approach and reports research which illustrates why active learning strategies should be used in the classroom. The paper concludes with a presentation of twenty-five active learning strategies to be used in the criminal justice classroom, along with a discussion of how these strategies meet the goals of higher education.     

Students’ perceptions of learning about qualitative inquiry in online contexts

ABSTRACT

This paper reports findings from a 2-year study of online coursework in a graduate certificate program in qualitative research methods in the USA. Thirty-four interviews with students enrolled in coursework offered over a 2-year period were analyzed to explore their perceptions of engagement with the course content and one another. Findings are related to student perceptions of their learning to (1) value the course design and structure, (2) make authentic connections in the absence of physical proximity, and (3) appreciate feedback from others.

These themes are considered in light of principles of qualitative pedagogy outlined by scholars of qualitative methods, and the community of inquiry (CoI) model, in which social, cognitive, and teacher presence support student learning. Findings provide insight into the processes by which students’ engagement with course content and interactions with instructor and peers contribute to the development of a CoI involving cognitive, social, and teacher presence. Although the learning context described in this study pertains to teaching graduate-level qualitative research methods, findings are relevant to teachers of other subject areas.     

Feminist Epistemology and Qualitative Research

Abstract

This paper presents and evaluates an approach to teaching practicing social workers in Hong Kong qualitative research from a feminist perspective. Using a problem-based format, graduate social workers in Hong Kong were taught critical appraisal skills while learning to do qualitative interview research in their practices. While the problem-based design supports models of adult learning and is a successful method for teaching new research skills to a diverse student body, linking epistemology with methodology and practice was a challenge in the cross-cultural context for both students and instructor.     

Cooperative Learning: A Motivational Tool to Enhance Student Persistence,Self‐Regulation,and Efforts to Please Teachers and Parents

ABSTRACT

The effects of cooperative group learning on students’ persistence, self‐regulation, and efforts to please teachers and parents were examined. Eighty‐one high school geometry students were randomly assigned to either a cooperative learning or traditional lecture group. Twenty‐seven students received cooperative group instruction for nine weeks and then received traditional classroom instruction for nine weeks. Twenty‐five students received traditional instruction for nine weeks and then received cooperative group instruction for nine weeks. Twenty nine students received traditional classroom instruction for 18 weeks. Participants completed pre, post, and post‐posttest motivation questionnaires at each phase of the project. Students in the cooperative group classrooms exhibited significantly greater gains in persistence, self‐regulation, and efforts to please their parents and teacher. The implications of these findings for motivation theory and cooperative group structures are discussed.     

Computer-Assisted Instruction Augmented with Planned Teacher/Student Contacts

This paper discussed a study of the differences in student learning achievement and retention in a college-level statistics course taught in a variety of teaching/learning environments. Statistical test results revealed that students experiencing a CAI environment performed no differently on achievement or retention tests than students experiencing a traditional lecture/discussion environment. However, students experiencing an “enriched” CAI environment (CAI plus planned teacher/student contacts) performed significantly better on achievement tests than students experiencing any of several other environments, including: lecture/discussion, lecture/discussion supplemented with planned teacher/student contacts, PI texts, PI texts supplemented with planned teacher/student contacts, and CAI.     

Changes in the Attitudes of Young Women Toward Child Guidance Over a Two-Year Period

Abstract

A non traditional model for teaching composition has extensive teaching and research value. The purpose of this research was to test the effect of oral discourse in teaching written discourse. The control group went from stimulus to problem to written discussion; the experimental group went from stimulus to problem to controlled oral discussion to written discussion on the model. Teachers evaluated unidentified papers of both pretest and posttest of control and experimental groups. With the use of the chi-square statistic, it was shown that the use of controlled oral discourse produced more grade increases and fewer decreases in written discourse in the experimental group than in the control group at the .01 level of significance.     

Issues in teaching and learning for older adults in Hong Kong and Australia

ABSTRACT

There has not been ample recent research on teaching older adults. However, as described below, there is mounting research in how and why older adults want to learn. This brief discussion is derived from work undertaken for a workshop in Hong Kong on issues in teaching older adults. It combines recent research on learning and teaching in higher education as it applies to older adults. The paper addresses: learning and ageing, learning choices, an information processing view of learning, deep and surface learning, teaching and learning approaches, formal, non-formal and informal learning, teaching roles, evaluation, and technology. Some sections are exemplified with information from teaching older adults in Australia and Hong Kong     

Online Discussions Improve Student Perceptions of Instructor Efforts to Relate Faith to Learning in Graduate Occupational Therapy Courses

This article presents the results of a retrospective controlled study conducted in a graduate occupational therapy program. The study examined the effect that an online discussion targeting integration of faith and learning had on student perceptions of instructor effectiveness in relating faith to learning. This study addresses the following question: Does the addition of a single online discussion targeting integration of faith and learning in graduate occupational therapy courses significantly increase student ratings on a course evaluation question addressing faith–learning integration? This study also asked two secondary questions:

1. Do online students and face-to-face students both respond favorably to the addition of an online discussion targeting faith–learning integration?

2. Do students in three different courses all respond favorably to the addition of an online discussion targeting the integration of faith and learning?

Data were collected from three different courses taught by the same professor between Fall 2009 and Fall 2013 (four sections of each course; N = 138). The ordinal data were analyzed using nonparametric tests to determine significant differences and effect sizes. The results indicated that the addition of a single online discussion addressing faith–learning integration can significantly increase student perceptions of instructor effectiveness in such integration within graduate occupational therapy coursework, both in face-to-face and online learning environments. These findings provide support for the use of online discussions to challenge students to integrate Christian faith beliefs with what they are learning in their area of study.     

The College Teaching Profession

Abstract

This article describes how a traditional biology lecture course was transformed into an interactive class. A review the activities used, changes made to grading policy, and practical tips for integration of active learning in the classroom are provided. Analysis of student responses to course assessments indicated that active learning experiences helped them focus on and understand key concepts of the course. Students performed as well as, or better than, those in previous classes that used a more traditional lecture technique. Active learning enriches the classroom learning experience and can be incorporated into a large lecture setting with relative ease.     

An Empirical Assessment of Cooperative Groups in Large, Time-compressed, Introductory Courses

We measured student knowledge and motivation at the beginning and end of a three-week general psychology course. Two large lecture sections (N = 215 and N = 154) were compared; one used a cooperative learning process, and one did not. Student knowledge significantly improved in both sections, but there was no additional benefit derived from using cooperative learning. Interestingly, student motivation significantly decreased in the cooperative learning section. With recognition of the study’s limitations, we conclude that cooperative learning has limited efficacy in large enrollment, compressed courses. Dawn Vreven is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. She received her Ph.D. from Brown University. Her research interests include visual perception and cognition. Susan McFadden is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. She received her Ph.D. from Drew University. She co-edits the “Teaching Tips” column for the Association for Psychological Science’s Observer and has published a number of articles on teaching and learning. This work was supported by the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Program.     

The effectiveness of advance organiser model on students’ academic achievement in learning work and energy

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the advance organiser model (AOM) on students’ academic achievement in learning work and energy. The design of the study was quasi-experimental pretest–posttest nonequivalent control groups. The total population of the study was 139 students of three sections in Endabaguna preparatory school in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Two sections with equivalent means on the pretest were taken to participate in the study purposely and one section assigned as the experimental group and the other section assigned as the control group randomly. The experimental group was taught using the lesson plan based on the AOM, and the control group was taught using the lesson plan based on the conventional teaching method. Pretest and posttest were administered before and after the treatment, respectively. Independent sample t-test was used to analyse the data at the probability level of 0.05. The findings of the study showed that the AOM was more effective than the conventional teaching method with effect size of 0.49. This model was also effective to teach male and female students and objectives namely understanding and application. However, both methods were equally important to teach work and energy under the objective knowledge level.     

A pedagogical aid for linking methodological and statistical courses

A critical component in teaching research methods and statistics is linking the data collection with data analysis in such a way that students are engaged and encouraged. Using a strategy congruent with Greek's “active learning” (1995) and Chernak and Weiss's “activity-based learning” (1999), this paper outlines a heuristic mechanism that involves students with data collection, analysis, and utilization of 5 different software programs. To illustrate the process, a case study of my Spring 1999 graduate course in quantitative methods and computer utilization is presented.     

Latin and the Student of English

ABSTRACT

This article describes the development, implementation, and systematic evaluation of a public health pedagogy course for first-time graduate student instructors in a Health Behavior doctoral program at a Midwestern School of Public Health. The pedagogy course focused on intensive pedagogical training in the first 8 weeks of a 16-week semester and then served as a forum for reflection and feedback during the second 8 weeks, when the enrolled graduate students served as either instructors of record or graduate teaching assistants for introductory health courses. Course participants (N = 7) completed anonymous pre-, mid- and post-course online surveys that assessed general teaching skills, discipline-specific teaching skills, and desire to pursue scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) activities. Participants' teaching self-efficacy increased for almost all survey items throughout the semester, particularly related to the instruction of health courses. Participants reported positive perceptions of the course and described it as essential for their teaching practice. This research study contributes to and expands upon the interdisciplinary study of the benefits of graduate level pedagogy courses and offers the first known assessment of a pedagogy course in the public health discipline.     

From Memory to Curriculum

This essay describes a written exercise of educational autobiography that is conducted with in-service teachers in a graduate course in the social foundations of education. When teachers reflect on their own schooling experiences through educational autobiography, they can see their own personal and professional development in a new light that can enlighten their current work in the classroom. The use of educational autobiography allows teachers a moment of reflection when they can connect their own experiences as students with their social and political work as educators.     

Comparing Student Evaluations of Distance Learning and Standard Classroom Courses in Graduate Social Work Education

Abstract

This study compared the student course evaluations of standard education and distance learning courses in the school of social work of one southern university. The sample included 14 distance learning (DL) and 122 standard education courses. A 20-item quantitative student course evaluation and a 7-item qualitative questionnaire were used to compare differences between social work courses taught in a standard classroom setting with those taught using distance learning technology. Comparisons of identical courses taught in both formats found that students rated distance learning higher than the standard classroom for a course having predominantly lecture content. Conversely, ratings for clinical practice courses were just the opposite with lower ratings for distance learning than the standard classroom. Results of a qualitative survey (n = 39) of students conducted at the end of a course taught by distance learning found that 73% of the students felt that distance learning technology interfered with class participation. However, 73% of the students felt the instructor handled technological problems in a professional and patient manner. Although 54% of the students reported that they would take another course by distance learning, more research is needed to determine what social work courses can be most effectively taught by distance and classroom formats.     

‘Experiencing the Theory': Constructivism in a pre-service teacher preparation program

In two Bachelor of Education courses, students experienced social constructivist principles for teaching Elementary Language Arts. In the first course, they were introduced to the theory upon which curricula, methods, and strategies are based. Implications for instruction were explored through discussion of readings and participation in child-centered activities, later examined from the points of view of the learner and of the theory. In the second course, the seminar group pursued advanced questions about social constructivist theories, methods, and strategies. Students kept informal written responses to readings; shared reactions, ideas, and questions; suggested readings and approaches; and summarized their understanding in final papers. Students evaluated both experiences as being exceptionally useful to their own understanding of instruction. Four pedagogical points are worth consideration. First, despite differences in their undergraduate disciplines, all students demonstrated that they could contribute to their peers' construction of knowledge or meaning making of the concepts and theories examined. Second, the sequence of the two courses seemed to be important for establishing a base of understanding and inquiry for the seminar group. Third, students used metacognitive analysis of their experiences in order to examine their own learning, to investigate learning in general, and to inquire into the use of this understanding in their teaching. Fourth, students' excitement, as expressed in their evaluations, suggests that they began to construct a notion of what a teacher can be, of the obligation that a teacher has to continuous professional development, and of the need to inquire about their own practice.     

Raising the bar: Encouraging high level thinking in online discussion forums

More universities are offering online instruction for students though we know little about effective online learning. Some have found online instruction increases student participation while others have reported that students prefer the traditional face‐to‐face format This study of gifted education graduate students follows the expectation that online students ought to have time to be more thoughtful with online course interactions as compared to the time‐constrained interactions in a face‐to‐face course. Researchers evaluated students’ thinking levels (as per Bloom's Taxonomy) in the online discussion forums required by a graduate course in gifted education. Results indicate there was no relationship between the level of the prompt and the level of the responses. Higher level prompts did not necessarily generate higher level responses. The research‐developed Rubric for Evaluation of Online Discussions can be used both as an instructional guide and as an evaluation rubric to assess the level of online discussions.     

Graduate teaching assistants: motives,difficulties and professional interactions and their relationship to perceived benefits

ABSTRACT

Graduate students play a major role in teaching in higher education, particularly in undergraduate programs. The purpose of the present study was two-fold: first, to identify graduate students’ motives for working as graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), describe some aspects of their work, and ascertain their perceived benefits; second, to predict GTAs’ benefits as a function of their individual background characteristics, motives, job difficulties, and richness of professional interactions with the course instructor. Data were collected from 189 GTAs who led discussion groups at a large research university in Israel by means of an internet questionnaire. Findings revealed that graduate students accepted the position of GTA mainly for extrinsic reasons, such as salary and convenience. They claimed to have faced few difficulties and that their professional interactions with the course instructors focused more on job responsibilities and less on pedagogical issues. They reported having gained a greater understanding of course content and improved teaching skills due to their experience as GTAs. Richness of contact with the course instructor, motives, difficulties, and faculty match significantly contributed to predicting perceived benefits. The implications of the results are discussed.     

Using Your City as a Multicultural Classroom

This paper describes a graduate multicultural education course centered on field experiences in the local community. Personal student interaction with the diversity of cultures found in the city not only modeled relevant curriculum built on local issues, but also promoted self-reflection and growth. A variety of teaching strategies were used including technology, which had unanticipated good results. The course also encouraged student responsibility with flexible scheduling and multiple ways to document learning. Students and instructor took on new roles as they participated in the learning/teaching continuum. Modifications of this course design for use in other locations are also discussed.