Effects of cooperative versus individualistic learning on cognitive, affective, metacognitive and social processes in students

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of individual versus cooperative learning on different components of students’ functioning. As a theoretical framework to analyse these processes we used CAMS model (Dansereau, 1986; O’Donnell & Dansereau, 1992), which includes four levels of students’ functioning: cognitive (C), affective (A), metacognitive (M) and social (S). 373 fifth grade students (170 in experimental group and 203 in control group) from nine different primary schools participated in the research. In the experimental group cooperative learning was introduced for one in four lessons in two subjects: mathematics and Slovene language. The control group received the traditional way of teaching. Statistical analysis showed strong positive effects of cooperative learning on achievement in both subjects. No other variable showed differential change.     

Novice teachers in the Czech Republic and their drop-out intentions

The current paper presents the results of the first research study of drop-out intentions of novice teachers in the Czech Republic. The study focuses on the reported satisfaction of novice teachers in primary and lower secondary schools with external factors that influence their socialisation and that can be seen as predictors of novice teachers' decision to stay in their current school. In the paper we present the results of quantitative research conducted in 2015–2017. Our main findings include the key significance of factors at the school level, especially the influence of school culture and climate, cooperation with colleagues and leadership. We conclude that in the Czech context teachers tend to stay in schools provided that they work in a well-functioning school, with cooperative colleagues and good head teachers.     

THE INTERNATIONALIZATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MARIBOR

Arguments that universities must be internationalized in order for them to perform their functions at the highest level of expertise are presented. The situation of the University of Maribor in Slovenia, a constituent republic of Yugoslavia, is described. The current participation of this university in international programmes being limited, suggestions are put forward as to how it might be increased, the programmes themselves being expanded and diversified. The top level university administrators should approach the processes of internationalization in a creative frame of mind.     

Talk About Field Placement Within Campus Coursework: Connecting Theory and Practice in Teacher Education

Worldwide, scholars and policymakers have called for teacher education to link fieldwork and coursework. This article examines teacher candidates’ opportunities to talk about field placement within their campus coursework as one way of doing so. It reports on survey data (n?=?270) and observation data (n?=?52 hours) from 3 teacher-education programs in Norway, Finland, and California in the USA. Findings suggest that candidates have extensive opportunities to talk about field placement. However, the characteristics of the talk, the degree of specificity and detail provided, and the level of complexity and connectedness to theory vary extensively. The article argues that, to be generative for professional learning, talk about field placement needs to be systematically scaffolded within a pedagogy of teacher education.     

Recommender system for learning SQL using hints

Today’s software industry requires individuals who are proficient in as many programming languages as possible. Structured query language (SQL), as an adopted standard, is no exception, as it is the most widely used query language to retrieve and manipulate data. However, the process of learning SQL turns out to be challenging. The need for a computer-aided solution to help users learn SQL and improve their proficiency is vital. In this study, we present a new approach to help users conceptualize basic building blocks of the language faster and more efficiently. The adaptive design of the proposed approach aids users in learning SQL by supporting their own path to the solution and employing successful previous attempts, while not enforcing the ideal solution provided by the instructor. Furthermore, we perform an empirical evaluation with 93 participants and demonstrate that the employment of hints is successful, being especially beneficial for users with lower prior knowledge.     

How to Analyze Interpersonal and Individual Effects in Peer-Tutored Reading Intervention

Reading strategy interventions relying upon peer tutoring are a common way to foster poor readers' comprehension skills. Those interventions are based on the assumption that tutees benefit from the (higher) reading skills of their tutors. However, this interpersonal effect has not yet been tested explicitly because the effectiveness of peer tutoring is commonly analyzed separately for tutees and tutors or with aggregated data. The present study illustrates how interpersonal and individual effects of a peer-tutored reading strategy intervention can be estimated using dyads as units of analysis in structural equation modeling. To demonstrate the application of the model, data from an experimental intervention study comparing the effects of a peer-tutored reading strategy training and a control condition in Grade 4 (N = 68 dyads) were analyzed.     

Stories of learning,identity, navigations and boundary crossings in STEM in non-dominant communities: new imaginaries for research and action

Marta Civil’s paper “STEM learning research through a funds of knowledge lens” can be read as a story about her trajectory as a researcher of everyday and school mathematics over time, grounded in sociocultural historical theory. Building on her work, I explore three issues. First, I address the grounding of STEM research in studies of learning and show what this may imply in the context of multilingualism and transculturism. Second, I explore how funds of knowledge can put into question what counts as science. Third, I discuss some of the methodological challenges the article raises. I conclude with some comments to think with for the future of the STEM field and equitable science.     

Cognate Awareness in French Immersion Students: Contributions to Grade 2 Reading Comprehension

Cognate awareness is the ability to recognize the cognate relationship between words in two etymologically related languages. The current study examined the development of cognate awareness and its contribution to French (second language) reading comprehension among Canadian French immersion children. Eighty-one students were tested at the end of Grade 1 and again at the end of Grade 2. Children were administered a cognate awareness task in French, in which they were asked to decide whether a French word had a cognate in English. Overall, performance on the cognate awareness task was significantly above chance at both time points, and it improved overtime. Thus, for the majority of the participants, cognate awareness was evident as early as first grade. Regressions revealed that cognate awareness measured in Grades 1 and 2 made a significant contribution to Grade 2 French reading comprehension, beyond multiple controls. The results of the study suggest that cognate awareness is a unique aspect of second-language reading comprehension in young bilingual children.     

The relationship of morphological analysis and morphological decoding to reading comprehension

The ultimate goal of children's reading development is the full and fluid understanding of texts. Morphological structure awareness, or children's awareness of the minimal units of meaning in language, has been identified as a key skill influencing reading comprehension. Here, we evaluate the roles of morphological structure awareness and two related skills, morphological analysis and morphological decoding, in Grade 3 and Grade 5 children's reading comprehension. Respectively, morphological decoding and analysis refer to the use of morphemes in reading and in understanding words. Critically, our analyses show that, together, morphological structure awareness, morphological decoding and morphological analysis account for 8% of the variance in reading comprehension, after controlling for children's age, phonological awareness, nonverbal reasoning and word reading skill. Further, of these dimensions, each of morphological decoding and morphological analysis makes a unique contribution to reading comprehension. We discuss these findings in terms of current theories of reading development and educational curricula.