Learning difficulties in high school physics: Development of a remedial teaching method and assessment of its impact on achievement

Many high school students experience serious learning difficulties in physics. This issue was examined and dealt with, within the context of an introductory physics course in Israeli high schools. Following a detailed task analysis, the cognitive entry requirements for this course were identified, and students tested for them. Secondly, specific difficulties students encountered during the study of the course, and prevailing misconceptions held by many of them, were identified. Based on all the above information, a remedial teaching method was developed. It consisted of supplying students with immediate and frequent feedback, to reinforce their understanding, correct misunderstandings, and fill in gaps in necessary background skills, while teachers could continuously monitor the progress of each individual student. The whole process took place within the natural classroom setting, without additional staff or time requirements. The method was implemented in a large number of schools, and its impact was assessed using an experimental versus control analysis of covariance design. Achievements in the experimental group were significantly higher. The statistical analysis used students' background as the covariate. Of the 47% of the variance, which the model accounted for, 24% were explained by the covariate (background), 16% were the effect of the treatment, and both were highly significant. An additional 7% were the teachers' effect (nested within treatments), but this effect did not reach statistical significance.     

Determinants of Attraction,Retention and Completion for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Degree Research Students: A Systematic Review to Inform Future Research Directions

Expanding the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian (hereafter respectfully Indigenous) talent pool to undertake valuable roles in business, health, education, academia, government, policy development and community development is critical for addressing current disparities between Indigenous and other Australians. Parity of access and engagement with education plays a key role in facilitating participation in these roles but has not yet been attained. This article provides an initial systematic review of literature on the state of the evidence regarding access/attraction, retention and completions for Indigenous Higher Degree Research (HDR) students. This article identifies the quantity (number examined), nature (e.g. focus of study), quality (peer reviewed and evidence of methodological rigour) and characteristics (e.g. publication type, authorship) of the limited publications. Using specific search strings (words or phrases of relevance to the topic), a systematic review methodology was employed to search nine databases and grey (non-peer reviewed) literature from 1995 to 2015. The resultant 12 publications were mined with quality assessed and a predetermined framework used to extract and synthesise the characteristics from individual publications. This research contributes to existing literature about Indigenous Peoples in HDR programs internationally in identifying significant cultural and institutional barriers and highlighting institutional enablers which can contribute to attraction, retention and completion. Building on the prior limited research reported in the review, the article highlights the need for further research and provides an initial agenda of directions for universities and government to redress the disparity in entry and completion of Indigenous Peoples in HDR programs.

     

Creating Respectful Classroom Environments

Creating respectful classroom environments Respect is a critical variable in education. It is critical to each individual child in the classroom environment as well as to the teaching and learning that takes place in the classroom. Children learn by example. Where do they get their examples? This article explores the parameters of teaching and encouraging respect in classrooms for young children. Emphasis is placed on the creation of respectful classroom environments taught by teachers who have themselves been prepared to nurture this kind of environment.     

Reinstatement-induced recovery of a taste-LiCl association following extinction

Water-deprived rats were given a single exposure to saccharin and LiCl, either paired or unpaired. Half the subjects then received three saccharin-only exposures (extinction) in the training enclosure, followed by a single LiCl-only presentation (unconditioned stimulus reinstatement) 8 days after conditioning. The remaining subjects received six saccharin-only exposures, followed by LiCl reinstatement 13 days after conditioning. In both cases LiCl reinstatement occurred outside the training/test context. Appreciable recovery from extinction was observed after the partial loss of taste aversion obtained with three extinction sessions and the 8-day conditioning-reinstatement interval, but not after the asymptotic loss of taste aversion obtained with six extinction sessions and the 13-day conditioning-reinstatement interval. Conditioned taste aversions appear to be similar to more traditional associations with respect to both extinction and reinstatement-induced recovery from extinction. The results are discussed with reference to the event-memory, contextual-conditioning, and facilitated-retrieval hypotheses of postextinction reinstatement effects.     

Online or Face-to-Face: Do Mission-Related Student Learning Outcomes Differ?

This study investigated how an authentic assessment program was used to examine student learning outcomes within the context of a Christian university’s institutional mission, core values, and distinctive qualities. For the purposes of this study, an authentic assessment program is defined as assessing student-produced work within the context of the institutional mission. A sample of 1,814 undergraduate students taking one or more general education courses at the university during the 2007–2009 academic years was examined for any significant differences in student learning outcomes. A univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated the Student Assessment System (SAS) scores for the online students were not significantly different from the SAS scores for the face-to-face (F2F) students after controlling for course grade. These results suggest that online students achieved the same critical mission-related educational outcomes that the university required of its F2F students. An implication of this finding is that the university just as effectively articulated its faith-based mission and vision to the online students as it did to its students taking classes F2F.