Positivist and constructivist persuasions in instructional development

Constructivism has been an influential theoretical persuasion in recent years in the field of instructional design and development. Yet the theoretical tenets and applications of constructivism in instructional development (ID) have been often discussed outside the context of the long-standing paradigmatic pursuits from which constructivism stems. Efforts to continue an intellectual journey, exploring how different theoretical bases lead to different implications for ID, must be based on a clear understanding of different paradigms. Hence, constructivism is discussed here in the context of the underlying paradigm debate involving the old positivist paradigm and the new constructivist paradigm. This article explores how these different paradigms have shaped different theories and practices in ID. Specifically, three versions of constructivism and how they have influenced ID are critically examined. Finally, it is recommended that the two paradigms, positivism and constructivism, can be applied in a complementary way in ID.     

A case study of collaboration with multi-robots and its effect on children's interaction

Learning how to carry out collaborative tasks is critical to the development of a student's capacity for social interaction. In this study, a multi-robot system was designed for students. In three different scenarios, students controlled robots in order to move dice; we then examined their collaborative strategies and their behavioral interactions. The following three scenarios were used: three students to three robots, three students to two robots, and two students to three robots. The experimental samples comprised sixth-grade students in elementary schools, 16 groups in total, and each group comprised three students. The results revealed three collaborative strategies for solving problems that emerged from the three scenarios: (1) independent-control (like cooperation), (2) mutual-control (like collaboration), and (3) coordinator-directed (like collaboration with coordinator). This study also found that students completed a task better with the least required time when they adopted the mutual-control strategy. In addition, coordination in the mutual-control and coordinator-directed strategies was generally regarded as helpful to task completion. With respect to behavioral interactions, students understood the importance of coordination yet still recognized that the skill of negotiation had to be learned. Our results suggest that the mutual-control and coordinator-directed collaborative strategy increased the frequency of task related interactions. Because collaboration inevitably entails conflicts, we should guide students not only in preventing these conflicts but also in learning how to cope with conflict and communicate and coordinate with others. By working together, learners had to figure out how to reduce conflicts, which was both a benefit to the completion of their collaborative tasks and an important skill for their socialization.     

Effectiveness of ontology-based learning content generation for preschool cognitive skills learning

During early childhood, children start developing their cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioural skills, laying the foundation for life-long learning. Cognitive skills are usually taught in traditional classrooms through the use of textbooks and worksheets. The learning content in these textbooks and worksheets is static pre-authored content that is repeatedly used for teaching and learning. This repetition jeopardises the child's learning of individualised and cognitive skills. Preschool cognitive skills learning content comprises facts of everyday life. Similarly, the Semantic Web attempts to model these facts through ontologies. From this, a relationship appears between preschool cognitive skills learning content and the ontologies. The present work focuses on the stated problem and presents the theoretical and development details of a child-friendly tutoring application that dynamically generates cognitive skills learning content using ontologies as domain knowledge. The proposed application was evaluated in a preschool environment for its learning effectiveness and the correctness of the generated content. Three groups of preschool children participated in the study for preschool cognitive skills learning through the use of the proposed application. The first group learned the cognitive skills through the traditional method with textbooks and the teacher's teaching. The second group learned the skills through the proposed application at school in classroom sessions. The third group experienced the proposed application both at school and at home, along with regular classroom sessions. The results show significant gains by the third group over the other two groups, and hence support the use of the proposed application in practice. However, the enhanced learning by the third group disappears if the additional application usage time is removed. Moreover, the results of the expert evaluation show that a great deal of the learning content was correctly generated, thus justifying the true modelling of the domain ontology.     

Enhancing Mathematical Problem Solving for Secondary Students with or at Risk of Learning Disabilities: A Literature Review

Requirements for reasoning, explaining, and generalizing mathematical concepts increase as students advance through the educational system; hence, improving overall mathematical proficiency is critical. Mathematical proficiency requires students to interpret quantities and their corresponding relationships during problem‐solving tasks as well as generalizing to different contexts; both requirements are particularly challenging for many students with learning disabilities. An in‐depth review of research was completed to (1) demonstrate how interventions targeting mathematical problem solving are categorized into heuristic, semantic, or authentic approaches; (2) explore the degree to which generalization is presented in each approach; and (3) determine the efficacy of each intervention approach. Experimental studies (n = 17) demonstrating the effects of interventions designed to enhance mathematical problem solving for secondary students with or at risk of learning disabilities were analyzed. Findings indicate that the efficacy of the three intervention approaches varies, and that the real‐world connections differ. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Conceptual coherence,comprehension, and vocabulary acquisition: A knowledge effect?

Previous research has documented the role of readers’ existing topic knowledge in supporting students’ comprehension of text; yet, we know less about how to build students’ knowledge in order to support comprehension and vocabulary learning. In the current study, we test the hypothesis that knowledge can be built and leveraged simultaneously in the interest of students’ literacy development through the use of conceptually coherent text sets. Fourth grade students (N = 59) were randomly assigned to read either a set of six informational texts that cohered around a set of concepts related to the topic birds (CC texts) or a set of texts that addressed a range of topics (NCC group texts). After reading, we assessed students’: (1) knowledge of the concepts in the conceptually coherent text set, (2) knowledge of target concept-related words that appeared in their respective text sets, (3) knowledge of general academic words that appeared in both texts sets, (4) comprehension of a novel text on a related topic, and (5) interest in the topic of the conceptually coherent texts. Results revealed that students who read the conceptually coherent texts demonstrated more knowledge of the concepts in their texts, more knowledge of the target words in their texts, and had better recall of the novel text compared to students who read unrelated texts. Findings suggest that there is potential for knowledge and vocabulary to be built during English language arts through a focus on conceptual coherence in the design of reading experiences for students.     

Browsing software of the Visible Korean data used for teaching sectional anatomy

The interpretation of computed tomographs (CTs) and magnetic resonance images (MRIs) to diagnose clinical conditions requires basic knowledge of sectional anatomy. Sectional anatomy has traditionally been taught using sectioned cadavers, atlases, and/or computer software. The computer software commonly used for this subject is practical and efficient for students but could be more advanced. The objective of this research was to present browsing software developed from the Visible Korean images that can be used for teaching sectional anatomy. One thousand seven hundred and two sets of MRIs, CTs, and sectioned images (intervals, one millimeter) of a whole male cadaver were prepared. Over 900 structures in the sectioned images were outlined and then filled with different colors to elaborate each structure. Software was developed where four corresponding images could be displayed simultaneously; in addition, the structures in the image data could be readily recognized with the aid of the color-filled outlines. The software, distributed free of charge, could be a valuable tool to teach medical students. For example, sectional anatomy could be taught by showing the sectioned images with real color and high resolution. Students could then review the lecture by using the sectioned and color-filled images on their own computers. Students could also be evaluated using the same software. Furthermore, other investigators would be able to replace the images for more comprehensive sectional anatomy.     

Enhancing students’ choreography and reflection in university dance courses: A mobile technology-assisted peer assessment approach

Choreography is an important and challenging educational objective in dance courses. However, most previous technology-enhanced learning studies for dance education mainly focused on students’ dance skills, while the issue concerning the approaches to promoting students’ choreographic performance has generally been ignored. To address this issue, the present study developed a mobile technology-assisted peer assessment approach based on social constructivism for use in a university general education dance routine choreography class. A total of 266 university students were divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experiment lasted for 15 weeks and involved two rounds of peer assessment. The results showed that mobile peer assessment could significantly enhance the innovative competence of dance routines and dance skills. In addition, according to the students’ feedback, the dance routine choreography class was conducive to improving social skills, innovative competence, and intrinsic motivation, while mobile peer assessment could assist students in understanding accurate evaluation criteria, reflecting on their own in a more objective way, and broadening the aspects of appreciating the work.     

Home and Motivational Factors Related to Science-Career Pursuit: Gender differences and gender similarities

The purpose of the study was to examine whether gender differences exist in the mean levels of and relations between adolescents’ home environments (parents’ view of science, socio-economic status (SES)), motivations (intrinsic and instrumental motivations, self-beliefs), and pursuit of science careers. For the purpose, the Programmed for International Student Assessment 2006 data of Korean 15-year-old students were analysed. The results of the study showed that girls had lower levels of science intrinsic and instrumental motivations, self-beliefs, and science-career pursuit (SCP) as well as their parents’ values in science less than boys. Gender similarities, rather than gender differences, existed in patterns of causal relationship among home environments, motivations, and SCP. The results showed positive effects for parents’ higher value in science and SES on motivations, SCP, and for intrinsic and instrumental motivations on SCP for girls and boys. These results provide implications for educational interventions to decrease gender differences in science motivations and SCP, and to decrease adolescents’ gender stereotypes.     

Effectiveness of Supervised Intergenerational Service Learning in Long-term Care Facilities on the Attitudes,Self-transcendence,and Caring Behaviors Among Nursing Students: A Quasiexperimental Study

The beneficial effects of service learning on students' attitudes have been well documented; however, few studies have focused on the long-term effect as well as on the caring behaviors and self-transcendence of students. Additionally, few studies have compared the effects of the service learning in different types of facilities. To compare the effectiveness of intergenerational service learning in different types of facilities for nursing college students, this quasiexperimental study performed a questionnaire survey before the intervention and two surveys after the intervention to comprehensively evaluate outcomes. A convenient sample of three groups with 126 students completed the questionnaire (assisted living facilities = 43, nursing homes = 43, veterans' homes = 40). The intervention was administered in one 60-minute session per week for six weeks. The outcome variables were measured before the intervention and after two weeks and 16 months of the intervention. All three groups showed significantly higher caring scores after the intervention. After 16 months of the intervention, scores of nursing students' caring behavior and attitudes toward elders were significantly higher in assisted living facilities than in the veterans' homes. Different facilities do have different effects on nursing students. Students assigned to assisted living facilities were more likely to change their attitudes and behaviors positively. The findings of this study provide a foundation for service learning projects as an educational activity in long-term care courses for enhancing nursing students' caring practices, attitudes towards elders, and self-transcendence.