A systematic approach to the design of secondary school lessons in Guyana

Selected physics and geography classes in Guyanan secondary schools received four different instructional treatments. Three experimental groups received (A) a systematically designed curriculum unit implemented by the designer of the unit (B) the same unit implemented by another teacher and (C) a lesson utilising the aims and objectives defined in the curriculum unit. A fourth (control) group received the conventional lesson for this aspect of the curriculum. Pre- and post-test data revealed significant learning gains in experimental groups. The implications of these results are considered for curriculum development and the training of teachers in Guyana.     

Multidimensional and Hierarchical Assessment of School Motivation: Cross‐cultural validation

This study examines the multidimensional and hierarchical structure of achievement goal orientation measured by the Inventory of School Motivation. The instrument consists of eight different scales with 43 survey items (ranging from three to seven items each). Each scale reflects one of eight specific dimensions: task, effort, competition, social power, affiliation, social concern, praise, and token. The study also examines the ability of these eight first‐order factors to define four general second‐order factors—mastery, performance, social factors, and extrinsic factors—as well as one third‐order factor, general motivation. Participants came from seven different cultural groups in high schools in Australia (n = 4,787), Hong Kong (n = 697), the United States (n = 2,660), and Africa (n = 819). Nested confirmatory factor analyses support a multidimensional, hierarchical school motivation construct. The model was invariant across cultural groups. The findings provide a strong theoretical structure and tool for further school motivation research.     

Student perception of instructors: the effect of age,gender and political leaning

Abstract

Students were asked to rank instructors, who differed by age, gender and political leaning, by their expected helpfulness, and how much a student expected to learn. Students selected older instructors as those from whom they would learn the most, but chose young instructors as the most helpful. Overall, male instructors were preferred over female instructors, especially when emphasis was placed on learning. The political leaning of the instructor was a discriminating factor in humanities classes, with liberal instructors preferred over conservatives. The preferred age, gender and political leaning patterns were distinctly different for instructors who were helpful, and from those from whom students thought they would learn the most, indicating a dichotomy between perceived helpfulness and learning. The stereotypic images of instructors did not differ significantly by the students’ own gender and academic major, except for male students ranking conservative instructors higher than females. Students do have stereotypical images of instructors based on the instructor’s age, gender and political leaning.     

Balance in the forest

Imagine waking up one day and finding yourself walking through a foggy green scene. As the scene clarifies, you see tall columns, trees. The trees have ridges, groves, and holes on their sides. Some are rough, others smooth. Getting closer, it's possible to smell differences between each of the trees. On the surface of the trees, insects are found, some hiding in holes and crevices, some on the surface. A bird alights halfway up a tree chasing some insects.Dennis W. Sunal and Cynthia Szymanski Sunal are Associate Professors at the University of Alabama in the area of Curriculum and Instruction.     

Tuition-Setting Authority and Broad-Based Merit Aid: The Effect of Policy Intersection on Pricing Strategies

The notion of merit-aid is not a new development in higher education. Although previous researchers have demonstrated the impact of state-adopted merit-aid funding on student decision-making, fewer studies have examined institutional pricing responses to broad-based merit-aid policies. Using a generalized difference-in-difference approach, we extend previous empirical work by examining the impact of merit-aid on institutional pricing strategies while considering both the institution’s tuition-setting authority and the relative strength of the merit-aid program. In this study, we find that colleges and universities with the authority to set their own tuition increased their in-state tuition and fees following broad-based merit-aid policy adoption; however, institutions with state-controlled tuition-setting authority respond to broad-based merit-aid policies by lowering their in-state tuition and fees. Our findings suggest that the incentives and dynamics of each state’s policy environment are significant determinants of institutional responses to state-level policy adoptions.