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.     

Using Wikipedia to Teach Information Literacy

ABSTRACT

Today's college student often starts his research by using a search engine. Because of this, Wikipedia is increasingly becoming the go-to reference resource for the newest generation of students. However, many students do not know about the problems (e.g., vandalism) associated with this tool other than ambiguous warnings from librarians and faculty who say that it should not be used for research. Librarians and faculty should help remove the stigma associated with Wikipedia by embracing this Website and its imperfections as a way to make information literacy instruction valuable for the twenty-first-century student.     

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.     

Resource and Technology: A beacon for change in the reform of Jamaica’s secondary education system – or a “pipedream”?

Different strategies are being employed worldwide to prepare school-leavers for the world of work. Central to the Reform of Secondary Education (ROSE) in Jamaica in the 1990s was the achievement of goals of access, equity and quality through the implementation of a common curriculum in all schools. Within this reform, Resource and Technology (R&T) was an innovation designed to develop the creative potential in technology and to transform pedagogical practices from being teacher-centred to being student-centred. This paper examines how teachers and principals involved in the implementation of R&T perceive its attributes, such as need and relevance and observability. The findings reveal how the achievement of goals was frustrated and which challenges the users faced, including a lack of clarity of the means for implementing R&T.     

Oral versus written assessments: a test of student performance and attitudes

Student performance in and attitudes towards oral and written assessments were compared using quantitative and qualitative methods. Two separate cohorts of students were examined. The first larger cohort of students (n = 99) was randomly divided into ‘oral’ and ‘written’ groups, and the marks that they achieved in the same biology questions were compared. Students in the second smaller cohort (n = 29) were all examined using both written and oral questions concerning both ‘scientific’ and ‘personal development’ topics. Both cohorts showed highly significant differences in the mean marks achieved, with better performance in the oral assessment. There was no evidence of particular groups of students being disadvantaged in the oral tests. These students and also an additional cohort were asked about their attitudes to the two different assessment approaches. Although they tended to be more nervous in the face of oral assessments, many students thought oral assessments were more useful than written assessments. An important theme involved the perceived authenticity or ‘professionalism’ of an oral examination. This study suggests that oral assessments may be more inclusive than written ones and that they can act as powerful tools in helping students establish a ‘professional identity’.