The effectiveness of simulated robots for supporting the learning of introductory programming: a multi-case case study

This work investigates the effectiveness of simulated robots as tools to support the learning of programming. After the completion of a systematic review and exploratory research, a multi-case case study was undertaken. A simulator, named Kebot, was developed and used to run four 10-hour programming workshops. Twenty-three student participants (aged 16–18) in addition to 23 pre-service, and 3 in-service, teachers took part. The effectiveness of this intervention was determined by considering opinions, attitudes, and motivation as well as by analysing students’ programming performance. Pre- and post-questionnaires, in- and post-workshop exercises, and interviews were used. Participants enjoyed learning using the simulator and believed the approach to be valuable and engaging. The performance of students indicates that the simulator aids learning as most completed tasks to a satisfactory standard. Evidence suggests robot simulators can offer an effective means of introducing programming. Recommendations to support the development of other simulators are provided.     

Researching learning outcomes: building confidence in our conclusions

The ESRC Teaching and Learning Research Programme is expected to produce knowledge of high social scientific quality and practical pedagogic value. It faces, in a particularly acute form, the issue of how confidence in its conclusions can be built. This article begins with some conceptual clarification of the notion of a ‘warrant’ for research findings and distinguishes between warrants in social research and warrants for educational policy and practice. It then, in the specific context of research on learning outcomes, proposes an integrated model that recognizes the importance of, and relationships among, criteria associated with research design and empirical work, theoretical coherence, relationship with other research, and user affirmation. It concludes by emphasizing the need for continuing debate about, and development of, the roles and relationships of ‘researchers’ and ‘users’.     

International student security: a view from Beijing

Security is an integral component of the relationships that shape the lives of students hosted by foreign countries. International student security became a source of contention between nations in 2008 when China's Government charged that Australia was failing to adequately provide for the safety of Chinese students. We discuss Beck's theorisation of the ‘risk society’ and Clements' notion of balancing risk with opportunity. We draw on interviews undertaken in Beijing to highlight the importance of student security and the need for hosts to accord attention to the views of parents as well as students. Our findings reveal that parents play a major role in the study‐location decision, tend to accord security greater weight than do students when location is being debated within the family, utilise a range of strategies to keep students secure and believe host governments and institutions have primary responsibility for student well‐being.     

Patterns of psychological state anxiety in public speaking as a function of anxiety sensitivity

Previous empirical studies of anxiety patterns associated with public speaking performance have exhibited major differences between the psychological and physiological waveforms. Moreover, current research indicates that, in physiological studies of public speaking anxiety, several different patterns are embedded in the overall pattern, thereby demonstrating the importance of discovering the proper differentiated pattern for any given speaker. In the present study, the general psychological anxiety pattern for public speakers was examined in order to attempt to discover if independent, differentiated, patterns reside within the global pattern. A primary and a secondary pattern emerged. These sub‐patterns are significantly different from one another at all major moments or milestones of the experience. In a second study, these patterns were identified by differing levels of anxiety sensitivity. Theoretical, pedagogical, and therapeutic implications of the findings are discussed.     

Audience‐perceived anxiety patterns of public speakers

Gray's neurological theory of anxiety (1982, 1990; Gray & McNaughton, 2000) predicts that state anxiety will decrease with continuous exposure to a fear arousing stimulus. Previous studies of psychological and physiological state anxiety patterns during public speaking have reported a pattern of progressively decreasing anxiety levels consistent with this phenomenon, known as habituation. In the current report, the extent to which the state anxiety behaviors of speakers conform to the habituation pattern is examined. In the first of two studies, 30 novice speakers presented informative speeches to audiences of 18 to 20 fellow students. These speeches were videotaped and replayed in their entirety for observers (N=30) who rated the severity of each performer's speech anxiety behaviors. In the second study, each videotaped presentation was divided into one‐minute segments and presented in random order to a new set of observers (N=25). Procedures in the second study were designed to control for rater expectations that state anxiety would decline over time. Overall, behavioral measures of public speaking state anxiety displayed a continually declining pattern associated with habituation.     

NO LIMITS TO AMBITION – WHAT ROLE ADULT EDUCATION?

‘…dreams were more often dashed than realized, prophecies ran awry, and mountainous visions produced mere mice.’ (Whitelock, 1974, p.295).     

Whither the Common Good? A Critique of Home Schooling

This analysis shows home schooling to be part of a general trend of elevating private goods over public goods. The discourse around home schooling centers on issues of individual rights and private benefits, rather than the public good. Yet, the public has an interest in education because there are unavoidable aspects of education that make it a public good. However, home schooling denies this public interest. It undermines the common good in two ways. First, it withdraws not only children but also social capital from public schools, to the detriment of the students remaining behind. Second, as an exit strategy, home schooling undermines the ability of public education to improve and become more responsive as a democratic institution. Thus, home schooling is not only a reaction to, but also a cause of, declining public schools. Therefore, it diminishes the potential of public education to serve the common good in a vibrant democracy.     

‘This is the beginning of my life educationally’: older (50+ years) working class adults’ participation in higher education in Scotland,through the lens of critical educational gerontology

This paper reports on original research where the primary objective was to critically explore the learning experiences of older (50+ years) working class adults in the context of a new university. Semi‐structured interviews with 10 older learners engaged in a range of study in a new university in the west of Scotland were utilised. This methodology was adopted to bring their voices to the fore, in recognition that these have been under‐represented in educational research to date. A main outcome of the study was that theorising of widening participation practice and pedagogy as it relates to older learners may be significantly developed from insights afforded by critical educational gerontology (CEG) (older adult education) and its central concern with empowerment of marginalised older adults. It is concluded that CEG’s theoretical perspectives and pedagogic practices—critical gerogogy—may inform and shape more responsive widening participation practices that aim to support under‐represented groups. This is particularly evident for older working class students whose formative educational experiences were predominantly characterised by severely limited choice and opportunity. CEG has significant implications for widening participation practice in offering a distinctive, holistic educational philosophy and creative pedagogical approach.     

The learning experiences of health and social care paraprofessionals on a foundation degree

Foundation degrees have been developed in the UK as a means of meeting the learning needs of paraprofessionals in health and social care and the services within which they work in a cost‐effective fashion. Workplace learning is an intrinsic component to these degrees. Taking a socio‐cultural perspective, this paper examines how the students’ workplaces, life circumstances and sense of career trajectory shaped their learning experience and motivation. A small‐scale evaluation study, using semi‐structured interviews, focused on the learning experiences of a group of paraprofessionals enrolled in a foundation degree in health and social care. Data revealed fragmented employment patterns, underpinned by consistent vocational drives. While the study resonated with vocation, participants were ambivalent or lacked information about career progression. Workplace conditions, relationships and limited time shaped learning and coping strategies. A strategic and focused approach to student learning is required and includes attention to career pathways, workforce development strategy, the requirements of a range of stakeholders, workplace supervision and support for learning.