A Cognitive-behavioural Measure of Student Goal Setting in a Tertiary Educational Context

This study investigated the psychometric properties of a newly developed measure, the Student Goals and Behaviour Questionnaire (SGBQ). The SGBQ is a unique measure in that it assesses both students' goal setting attitudes and behaviour within a tertiary education context. In other words, the SGBQ measures students' actual, rather than preferred academic goals. To date, no such instrument exists in the psychological and educational literature. The SGBQ, a modified version of Locke & Latham's (1990) Goal Setting Questionnaire (MGSQ), and Wood & Locke's (1987) measure of academic self-efficacy (ASEQ) were administered to 100 first-year Psychology students. With regard to construct validity, predicted moderate levels of convergence were found between the SGBQ factors, and MGSQ and ASEQ. It was also found that the SGBQ had predictive validity with respect to subsequent academic performance. Furthermore, a number of demographic characteristics, such as course of study and age were found to be associated with goal setting attitudes and behaviour. The SGBQ would seem to have some promise as an instrument for the assessment and monitoring of student goal setting.     

A theory of change for student-led academic integrity

Breaches in academic integrity are a pervasive and enduring international concern to the overall quality of higher education. Despite students being the group most affected by academic integrity policies, organisational culture is such that students tend to be passive recipients of change initiatives, rather than the drivers. To deliver a paradigm change, a theory of change framework was designed, implemented and applied to explore the viability of a student-led academic integrity society. To achieve this, a national research project involving three stages of data collection (surveys, interviews and focus groups) was conducted to obtain the perspectives of students and student representatives. The key outcome of the project has been the recent launch of an academic integrity student society, a novel initiative outside the United States of America. The theory of change framework presented here seeks to offer guidance to other institutions contemplating the viability of student-led change to academic integrity and the establishment of academic integrity student societies, in particular.     

Families with children conceived by donor insemination: a follow-up at age twelve

Growing public awareness of the use of donor insemination (DI) to enable infertile couples to become parents has been accompanied by increasing concern regarding the potentially negative consequences for family relationships and child development. Findings are presented from a prospective study of the quality of parenting and psychological adjustment of DI children at age 12. Thirty-seven DI families, 49 adoptive families, and 91 families with a naturally conceived child were compared on standardized interview and questionnaire measures administered to mothers, fathers, children, and teachers. The differences between DI families and the other family types reflected greater expressive warmth of DI mothers toward their children and less involvement in the discipline of their children by DI fathers. The DI children were well adjusted in terms of their social and emotional development. The findings are discussed with respect to the secrecy surrounding DI and the imbalance in genetic relatedness between the parents and the child.     

Study support and the development of academic literacy in higher education: a phenomenographic analysis

This article seeks to understand the process employed, across a university in England, to support the acquisition of academic literacy. Whilst this offers a very specific UK focus, this article draws upon related work in Australian, American and African contexts around study support, academic literacy and academic development. A phenomenographic analysis is used to interpret variation in lived experience of study support of three participant groups: students, tutors and support staff, and the resulting ‘outcome spaces’ are analysed with respect to the role of a variety of study support mechanisms in the development of academic literacy. This study concludes with an examination of how the tensions and conflicts that arise through a lack of shared meaning and aspiration can serve as an indicator of the need for a deeper understanding of both the range of student profiles in higher education and of what we mean by study support.     

Cross-Case Study of Self-Regulated Learning as a Series of Events

This exploratory cross-case study: (a) examined self-regulated learning (SRL) during 3 studying episodes, and (b) explored ways 8 students of varying proficiencies productively self-regulated their learning. Profiles of SRL were constructed by examining traces of studying activity, test performance, and student reflections. Profiles were used to: (a) identify individual strengths and weaknesses, (b) compare pairs of High, Low, Average, and Improving students, and (c) construct a model of SRL proficiency. SRL proficiency (skill, will, and adaptation) was not consistent with performance. This study illustrates the importance of collecting multiple measures of SRL as a series of events over time.     

Advocacy for school-based sexuality education: lessons from India and Nigeria

Drawing on evidence from a wider study on the cost and cost-effectiveness of sexuality education programmes in six countries, and focusing on the examples of India and Nigeria, this paper argues that advocacy is a key, yet often neglected component of school-based sexuality education programmes, especially where sex and sexuality are politically or culturally sensitive issues. It also suggests that advocacy is not a one-off activity but needs to be carried out continuously and adapted as contexts and needs change. Overall, this piece recommends that advocacy should be a key component of sexuality education work, and needs to be planned and budgeted for. Without such investment, country-level sexuality education programmes are likely to fail.     

An Australian perspective of a forest school: shaping a sense of place to support learning

There is growing discussion on the use of local outdoor environments to enhance a person’s sense of belonging. Sense of belonging and sense of place are components that can promote positive learning identities and attachments to community and, in turn, address issues of cycles of disadvantage. This article researched the impact of an interpretation of the forest school approach to learning in a primary school in regional Western Australia. Using a case-study approach, the research aimed to develop understandings of experiences with regard to self-esteem, sense of belonging and engagement and how these factors supported learning. Results indicated that strategies such as those suggested by the forest school approach can promote a sense of self, belonging and relational connections. These in turn can help to develop dimensions of place, identified as place attachment and place meaning. This has implications for future planning by providing greater depth in understanding the impact of the forest school approach to teaching and learning within the context of the single case primary school. It also raises questions as to how place-shaped identity nurtured in this approach to learning can be positively transferred back into the school and classroom setting.     

Building student employability through interdisciplinary collaboration: an Australian Case Study

Abstract

Given that graduate employment is a clear outcome of education success, there is an urgent need to conceptualize course design strategically to maximize students’ chances of employment. In this paper, we present an Australian case study in which we used a structured career information literacy learning approach to build employability in a biological sciences capstone course, through collaboration between the university library, academics, and career service. We report the context, method, measurement, outcomes of collaboration, and roles of contributors in this partnership. This case study lends itself to potential ways of incorporating career information literacy into an academic context.     

Biological maturity status,body size,and exercise behaviour in British youth: A pilot study

In this study we examined the performance during, and the physiological and metabolic responses to, prolonged, intermittent, high-intensity shuttle running in hot (～30 C, dry bulb temperature) and moderate (～20 C) environmental conditions. Twelve male students, whose mean (s x ) age, body mass and maximal oxygen uptake (V O 2m ax ) were 22 ± 1 years, 69.8 ± 01.8 kg and 56.9 ± 1.1 ml . kg ?1 . min ?1 respectively, performed intermittent high- and low-speed running involving five sets of ～15 min of repeated cycles of walking and variable speed running followed by 60 s run/rest exercise until fatigue. The total distance completed in the hot and moderate trials was 8842 3790 m and 11,280 214 m respectively (P < 0.01). This decrement in performance occurred even though no differences existed in the level of dehydration, rating of perceived exertion, blood glucose and lactate, plasma free fatty acid and ammonia concentrations between the two trials. However, water consumption was almost twice as great in the hot trial (hot vs moderate: 1.18 ± 0.12 vs 0.63 ± 0.07 l . h ?1 , P < 0.01). Rectal temperature (hot vs moderate: 39.4 ± 0.1 vs 38.0 ± 0.1 C, P < 0.01) and heart rate (hot vs moderate: 186 ± 2 vs 179 ± 2 beats . min ?1 , P < 0.05) were higher at the end of the hot condition than at the same point in time in the moderate condition. The correlation between the rate of rise in rectal temperature and the distance completed during the hot condition was -0.94 (P < 0.01); for the moderate condition it was -0.65 (P <0.05). The reduced performance in the hot condition was associated with high body temperature; the precise mechanisms by which the performance decrement was brought about are, however, unclear.