Using feedback to promote student participation in online learning programs: evidence from a quasi-experimental study

Educational technology research and development - How should learner analytics and different media be used to optimize feedback to increase students’ motivation and sense of learning...     

Measure the Place Before You Measure the People: new alternatives for quality assessment

Enthusiasm for interventions designed to improve organizational quality has far outpaced interest in assessing their effects. This article describes two procedures for systematic quality assessment. First, distributional assessment provides a way to monitor individual, group or unit performance by establishing real and maximum‐feasible parameters. Second, a cost assessment system based on utility analysis provides a way to assign dollar values and benefits to quality interventions targeted at specific jobs and job functions. Both procedures are described and illustrated. They resolve a long‐standing problem with quality assessment, arising from the difficulty of accounting for situational influences which can constrain the effects of interventions designed to improve organizational performance, product or service delivery, and customer satisfaction.     

Developing academics’ assessment practices in open,distance and e-learning: an institutional change agenda

Abstract

Universities across the globe are attempting to change assessment practice to address challenges in student engagement and achievement. Integral to this objective are strategies to develop academics’ assessment practice. These frequently focus on attendance at formal Continuous Professional Development events and/or implementation of institutional blueprints. This editorial article uses a case study from the Open University (UK) to explore an alternative ‘communities of practice’ approach to the improvement of assessment arguing that academics’ professional expertise is best deepened through participation in authentic activities of teaching and scholarship. The discussion identifies what is involved in such an approach including the role of an enabling principles-based framework, the constraints on implementation and the implications for HE leaders.     

Incorporating physical activity‐based interventions in school psychology research and practice: A systematic review

Physical activity provides a myriad of well‐documented social‐emotional, behavioral, and academic benefits for youth. While research suggests that physical activity should be integrated within the school day to support the well‐being of students, an understanding of related empirical work within school psychology research and practice is unclear. School psychologists are well positioned to systematically incorporate physical activity within their intervention practices, particularly given their role and expertise in implementing and evaluating interventions. Authors engaged in a systematic review of 20 years (1998–2018) of physical activity intervention research within 10 peer‐reviewed school psychology journals and six school psychology‐related journals. Authors analyzed 22 studies to glean a comprehensive understanding of the literature base and highlight the ways in which physical activity can be incorporated to support school and student outcomes. Suggestions for research and practice in school psychology are discussed in light of the examined literature.     

The Impact of Speedometry on Student Knowledge,Interest, and Emotions

Given the dearth of high-quality curriculum materials aligned with the new standards (NGSS and CCSS) and low student persistence in STEM fields, we sought to develop and test a STEM curriculum that would improve student knowledge, interest, and emotions. A cluster randomized control trial was conducted to assess the impact of Speedometry, a two-unit STEM curriculum that uses familiar toy cars to explore math and science concepts. A total of 1,615 fourth-grade students across 48 classrooms and 17 schools in an urban district participated in the study. Using a 3-level multilevel model (students nested within teachers and schools) and controls for student and teacher characteristics, we found that Speedometry led to significant increases in student knowledge and positive emotions such as excitement. Speedometry also led to significant decreases in negative emotions such as boredom, frustration, and confusion. The curriculum was implemented with high fidelity as evidenced by classroom observations and teacher self-reports.     

Academic Expectations in Mothers of Preschool Children: A Psychometric Study of the Educational Attitude Scale

This study reports psychometric data on the Educational Attitude Scale, a new instrument designed to tap parental opinions about early academic, artistic, athletic, and social experiences. Mothers of 371 middle class prekindergarten children in 22 different schools completed the 32-item Likert-style survey. Mothers were highly similar in their views about the importance of social experiences, but differed widely in their opinions about early academic instruction for preschoolers. The scale proved to have excellent split-half and test-retest reliability. Correlational analysis and factor analysis supported the general domain structure along which the instrument was designed. Scores on the Educational Attitude Scale were significantly correlated with scores on a Developmental Expectations Card Sort. Highly significant differences were found in parent attitudes on the scale when schools were grouped into those High versus Low in academic emphasis by community reputation and observed classroom practices. Parents had significantly higher academic expectations than their children's teachers, particularly in schools with “Low Academic” emphasis.     

Complicating methodological transparency

A historical indicator of the quality, validity, and rigor of qualitative research has been the documentation and disclosure of the behind-the-scenes work of the researcher. In this paper, we use what we call methodological data as a tool to complicate the possibility and desirability of such transparency. Specifically, we draw on our disparate attempts to address calls for transparency about methodological processes in our respective dissertation studies in order to examine how novice researchers can explore transparency as a situated, ongoing, and philosophically informed series of decisions about how, when, and if to be transparent about our work. This work contributes to conversations about how qualitative researchers in education can understand, discuss, and teach qualitative inquiry while continuing to push the boundaries of the field.     

Student Assessment of Self-Efficacy and Practice Readiness Following Simulated Instruction in an Undergraduate Social Work Program

ABSTRACT

The use of simulated instruction is a growing trend in social work education. This study examined the effectiveness of simulated instruction with undergraduate social work students. In this mixed methods study, the extent to which simulated instruction improved self-efficacy and practice readiness was assessed. Results of the study suggest that simulated instruction helps improve key practice skills and increases recognition of diversity in practice. Moreover, students self-reported increased mastery in interviewing, managing emotions, and engaging in culturally competent practice.     

Evaluating the Social Validity of Project TEAM: A Problem-Solving Intervention to Teach Transition Age Youth with Developmental Disabilities to Resolve Environmental Barriers

Project TEAM teaches transition-age youth with developmental disabilities (DD) to identify physical and social environmental barriers and supports, generate solutions to barriers, and request modifications to increase participation. Establishing the social validity of this environment focused intervention with youth and their parents is critical, given the significant shift the intervention represents from rehabilitation’s more traditional focus on body structures and function. University researchers and youth research collaborators conducted a participatory evaluation of the purpose, procedures, and perceived benefits of Project TEAM. Youth with DD (n = 42) provided feedback using three methods: activity voting, a survey, and a focus group. Parents (n = 37) also provided feedback. Results suggest that both youth and parents find Project TEAM acceptable and relevant to youth’s current and future lives. The majority of youth and parents felt Project TEAM fostered independence and empowerment, although some youth and parents reported challenges with the unique environment-focused approach.     

Associative structure of second-order conditioning in humans

Second-order conditioning (SOC; i.e., conditioned responding to S2 as a result of S1–US pairings followed by S2–S1 pairings) is generally explained by either a direct S2→US association or by an associative chain (i.e., S2→S1→US). Previous research found that differences in responses to S2 after S1 was extinguished often depended on the nature of the S2–S1 pairings (i.e., sequential or simultaneous). In two experiments with human participants, we examined the possibility that such differences result from S1 evoking S2 during extinction of S1 following simultaneous but not sequential S2–S1 pairings. This evocation of S2 by S1 following simultaneous pairings may have paired the evoked representation of S2 with absence of the outcome, thereby facilitating mediated extinction of S2. Using sequential S2-S1 pairings, both Experiments 1 and 2 failed to support this account of how extinction of S1 reduced responding to S2. Experiment 1 found that extinguishing S1 reduced responding to S2, while extinguishing S2 had little effect on responses to S1, although forward evocation of S1 during extinction of S2 paired the evoked representation of S1 with absence of the outcome. In Experiment 2, evocation of S2 during S1 nonreinforced trials was prevented because S2–S1 pairings followed (rather than proceeded) S1-alone exposures. Nevertheless, responding to S2 at test mimicked S1 responding. Responding to S2 was high in the context in which S1 had been reinforced and low in the context in which S1 had been nonreinforced. Collectively, these experiments provide additional support for the associative-chain account of SOC.