Direct and indirect effects of online learning on distance education

This paper presents an exploratory study that investigates the effects of online learning on distance education students in an open university context. Two hypotheses are posited: (1) a direct relationship exists between students’ involvement in online learning and distance learning outcomes, and (2) an indirect relationship exists between these two domains via the mediating variable of an institutional Transactional Presence (TP), that is, a student's sense of the availability of and connectedness with an educational institution. Student learning achievement, satisfaction and intent‐to‐persist are used as indicators of outcomes of distance learning. The analysis of data garnered from 285 distance students reveals multifaceted relationships between students’ engagement in online learning, their perceptions of institutional TP and the three learning outcome variables. Besides the findings, the paper will discuss factors affecting students’ engagement in online learning in relation to different requirements, that is, optional or compulsory online use as well as the level of the course (undergraduate or postgraduate).     

The Construction,Reliability and Validity of a Stress Inventory for Children

A universally acceptable definition of stress has so far remained elusive (e.g. McMichael, 1978; Rutter, 1981), though a widely accepted, general definition is that of McGrath (1970), who suggested that stress is “a (perceived) substantial imbalance between demand and response capability, under conditions where failure to meet demand has important (perceived) consequences” (p. 20). In his definition of occupational stress, Kyriacou (1980, p. 3) referred to “the experience... of unpleasant emotions, such as tension, anxiety, anger or depression”.

Evidence of stress among sixth formers and older students (e.g. Dobson, 1980; Dobson & Alban Metcalfe, 1982) is consistent with the suggestion that it is multidimensional in nature, and not exclusively related to examination pressures. The relatively sparse evidence concerning stress in children suggests that life events such as admission to hospital, birth of a sib, or parental divorce, may be associated with subsequent conditions requiring medical or psychiatric treatment (e.g. Rutter, 1981).

The research reported here was concerned with determining sources of perceived stress among 13‐year‐old boys and girls attending ‘normal’ schools, and the reliability and validity of an inventory designed to measure such stress.     

Computer-Assisted Writing of Achievement Test Items: Toward a Future Technology

Five appproaches to writing test items with computer assistance are descibed. The authors propose a scheme for modeling knowledge by a set of structures and outline a system for implementing it.     

Teaching-for-Learning (TFL): A Model for Faculty to Advance Student Learning

In light of the widespread recognition of the enduring challenge of enhancing the learning of all students—including a growing number of students representing diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds—there has been an explosion of literature on teaching, learning, and assessment in higher education. Notwithstanding scores of promising new ideas, individual faculty in higher education need a dynamic and inclusive model to help them engage in a systematic and continuous process of exploring and testing various teaching and assessment practices to ensure the learning of their students. This paper introduces a model—Teaching-for-Learning (TFL)—developed to meet this need. Clifton F. Conrad received his bachelor’s degree in History and his master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Kansas and his Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Michigan. He is Professor of Higher Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and his research focus is on college and university curricula with particular emphases on program quality, liberal education, and teaching and learning. Jason Johnson received his bachelor’s degree in Comparative History of Ideas and his master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Washington. He is nearing completion of his Ph.D. and working as a Teaching Assistant in Higher Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his research focuses on rhetoric in higher education. Divya Malik Gupta received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Human Development and Family Studies from Maharaja Sayajirao University in Gujarat, India. She is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.     

Protective and vulnerability factors for physically abused children: effects of ethnicity and parenting context

OBJECTIVE: Although social maladjustment appears to be common among abused children, negative outcomes are not inevitable. This investigation was designed to determine whether ethnicity and features of the parenting context predicted children's social adjustment, and whether the strength and direction of these relations differed for abused and nonabused children. METHOD: Participants included 78 physically abused and 75 demographically matched nonabused children and one of their parents. Observations of parenting were used to measure parental sensitivity, and parent self-reports of depression were obtained using the SCL-90-R. Children's peer social adjustment was measured by teacher report. RESULTS: Using regression analysis, we tested whether each potential protective or vulnerability factor interacted with abuse status in prediction of social adjustment. Results indicated main effects of ethnicity and sensitivity for prosocial behavior, and a main effect of sensitivity for aggression. In addition, there was a significant interaction of ethnicity and abuse status for aggression such that there was a significant difference between abused and nonabused European American children but not between abused and nonabused African American children. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate that risk for aggressive behavior among abused children might be culturally specific rather than universal. In addition, results point to beneficial effects of parental sensitivity for maltreated children.     

Disability Studies, Cultural Analysis, and the Critical Practice of Technical Communication Pedagogy

This article critically analyzes how technical communication practices both construct and are constructed by normalizing discourses, which can marginalize the experiences, knowledges, and material needs of people with disabilities. In particular, the article explores how disability studies theories can offer critical insights into research in two areas: safety communication and usability. In conclusion, the article offers ways that disability studies can intervene in the pedagogy of usability, communication technology, linguistic bias, narrative, and discourse communities.     

Hybrid structures: Faculty use and perception of web-based courseware as a supplement to face-to-face instruction

The researchers examined responses from 862 faculty members at 38 institutions nationwide using the blackboard Learning Management System (LMS) to supplement their face-to-face instruction. The four research questions addressed the primary uses that faculty make of blackboard, perceptions that faculty have of how certain blackboard features enhance or elevate (or might enhance or elevate) their assessment of student work and instructional capabilities, and how faculty use of blackboard might positively affect the psychosocial climate within the face-to-face classroom setting. Additional analysis sought to identify the factors that predict use and positive perception of blackboard as a supplement to face-to-face teaching activities. The results indicate that faculty primarily used blackboard as a course management/administration tool to make course documents available to students and manage course grades. Few faculty used blackboard for instructional or assessment purposes, and even fewer utilized blackboard to foster a more positive sense of community within their face-to-face classes. Faculty attitudes, on the whole, were positive when it came to the classroom management functions of blackboard, but neutral or otherwise undecided in terms of its instructional or psychosocial benefits. The main factor in determining blackboard usage—whether for course administration or instructional purposes—was experience with the tool. In addition, women had more positive attitudes than men did in terms of blackboard's potential to enhance classroom management and foster a positive relational climate. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are discussed before concluding.     

Self-Regulation and Task Engagement as Predictors of Emergent Language and Literacy Skills

Research Findings: A growing emphasis in the literature on children’s self-regulation signals the need for increased understanding of the ways in which young children become active players in the acquisition of knowledge. In particular, self-regulation may be linked to subsequent academic achievement through greater engagement with the learning tasks and activities made available in the preschool classroom. This study tested preschoolers’ (N = 603) observed task engagement in the classroom as mediating the relations between directly assessed self-regulation and changes in their language and literacy outcomes during the preschool year. Findings indicate that self-regulation is directly related to observed task engagement as well as changes in a host of language and literacy skills. Engagement with tasks and activities in the classroom also partially mediates the association between self-regulation and changes in expressive vocabulary. Mediation through task engagement was not found for receptive language or early literacy skills. Practice or Policy: Findings suggest that the development and evaluation of clearly articulated preschool curricula designed to promote academic achievement by fostering self-regulation is an important direction for future research.     

Model conversion and digital redesign of singular systems

Design procedures are proposed for model conversion and digital redesign of a singular system, which is controllable at finite and impulsive modes. In order to attain a standard regular problem, we use some techniques to decompose the singular system into a reduced-order regular subsystem and a nondynamic subsystem. As a result, some well-known design methodologies for a regular system can be applied to the reduced-order regular subsystem. Finally, we transform the results obtained back to those of the original coordinate system.