Warm elaborated feedback. Exploring its benefits on post-feedback behaviour

Abstract

This study provides evidence on the impact of including warm messages in elaborated feedback. These messages are aimed at the motivational process that can be mobilised by feedback and that which can condition its reception and the way students face the task (post-feedback behaviour). In a task where secondary school students had to learn a new strategy for improving their reading skills in a computer-based environment, we compared the use of elaborated feedback with the use of elaborated feedback enhanced with motivational messages (warm elaborated feedback) and a control condition (without feedback). The results showed that students receiving warm elaborated feedback revisited the text more often than those receiving only the elaborated feedback, and that both groups revisited the text more than the control group. This finding suggests that controlling the motivational aspects in feedback messages may increase the effectiveness of elaborated feedback.     

Tracking and the effects of school‐related attitudes on the language achievement of boys and girls

In this study we examined whether the underachievement of boys in language at the end of secondary education is related to school‐related attitudes. Data were drawn from the LOSO project, a longitudinal research project in secondary education. The results showed that there were gender differences in language achievement in favour of girls in the lower tracks, but not in the highest track. The underachievement of boys was associated with boys’ less positive relationships with teachers, less positive well‐being at school and less positive attitude towards schoolwork. Furthermore, the results showed that—in the lower tracks—boys who were the least attentive in the classroom, the least interested in learning tasks and the least motivated towards learning tasks achieved better than expected. Post‐hoc analyses revealed that these are the more intelligent boys. Possible explanations of the demotivation of the more intelligent boys in the lower tracks are discussed.     

Behavior of Infants with Iron-Deficiency Anemia

This study tested the hypothesis that infants with iron-deficiency anemia show behaviors, such as increased proximity to caregivers, increased wariness or hesitance, and decreased activity, that could contribute to “functional isolation.” The behavior of 52 Costa Rican 12- to 23-month-old infants with iron-deficiency anemia was contrasted with that of 139 comparison group infants with better iron status during free play and mental and motor testing and in the home. Infants with iron-deficiency anemia maintained closer contact with caregivers; showed less pleasure and delight; were more wary, hesitant, and easily tired; made fewer attempts at test items; were less attentive to instructions and demonstrations; and were less playful. Adult behavior also differed. The results indicate that iron-deficiency anemia in infancy is associated with alterations in affect and activity, suggesting that functional isolation is a useful framework for understanding poorer developmental outcome in iron-deficiency anemia, the world's most common single nutrient deficiency.     

The Predominance of the Linear Model in Secondary School Students' Solutions of Word Problems Involving Length and Area of Similar Plane Figures

Linear (proportional) functions are undoubtedly one of the most common models for representing and solving both pure and applied problems in elementary mathematics education. But according to several authors, different aspects of the current culture and practice of school mathematics develop in students a tendency to use these linear models also in situations in which they are not applicable. This article reports two closely related studies about this phenomenon in 12–13- and 15–16-year old students working on word problems involving lengths and areas of similar plane figures of different kinds of shapes, as well as about the influence of drawings in breaking this improper use of linearity. Generally speaking, the results provide a convincing demonstration of the predominance of the linear model in secondary students' solutions of this kind of mensurational problem.     

An International Study of Prospective Teachers’ Initial Teaching Conceptions and Concerns: the case of teaching ‘combustion’

An important task of science teachers should be to take pupils’ (pre)conceptions and learning difficulties into account and to negotiate about the meanings of specific concepts. In this context, teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge plays an important role. This article presents an international study of Dutch, Finnish, English and Greek pre-service teachers’ conceptions and concerns of how to teach the concept of combustion. The prospective science teachers were invited to prepare a lesson about this concept for pupils of junior secondary school level. The prospective teachers were not allowed to consult any textbook. Research data were obtained from audio-taped semi-structured interviews with the prospective teachers. In addition, their written lesson plans and their answers to an accompanying questionnaire were collected and analysed. The results reveal a number of important characteristics of prospective teachers’ views and concerns regarding the teaching of combustion. The implications of the study for science teacher education will be presented.     

The Story of Phoenix Quest: How girls respond to a prototype language and mathematics computer game

This article describes a case study of six girls' experiences with the Phoenix Quest computer game. In addition to the case study, a supplementary large-scale study of the reactions of both boys and girls to the same computer game was conducted for comparative analysis. Phoenix Quest (PQ) was designed not only to encourage children to explore language and mathematics, but also to offer game features that would especially appeal to girls. Participants in the case study were given opportunities to become acquainted with PQ for several months before being observed and interviewed. Four issues that emerged as being important to the participants were (a) presentation of the story in a non-linear format, (b) appreciation for the problem-solving elements of PQ, (c) identification with the main character (female), and (d) lack of awareness of the mathematics embedded within the game. The findings provided evidence that PQ appealed to girls because the protagonist was of their age and gender, and because the puzzles and searches were engaging throughout the game. Some aspects of the game, however, were less successful; for instance, the non-linear story format was disconcerting to all but one of the participants, and only one student identified the mathematics in the game structure. The large-scale study involved 41 boys and 57 girls, aged 8-12, from four junior school classes (Grades 4, 5 and 6). The aggregate data collected showed that more girls than boys used the postcard-writing feature of PQ and appreciated following the adventures of a female protagonist. More boys than girls were reported to offer advice to other students, discuss the game during their free time, and observe others playing the game. Some boys even formed groups to exchange information and game-playing strategies. Also, more boys than girls recognised the mathematics embedded within the game. Although these studies did not focus on teacher-student interaction, the finding that more than 25% of participating students were not able to identify the mathematics embedded in PQ, supports supplementary instruction on the part of a teacher as a requirement for making the mathematics more salient. Further research to address this issue is strongly recommended. Both the case study and the large-scale study revealed that among computer games, PQ's uncommon approach of celebrating and challenging a female protagonist is important to girls. This does not suggest that the presentation of a female protagonist will discourage boys from playing and enjoying the game. On the contrary, our findings showed that boys were also engaged by PQ, a game that encourages cooperative play and group problem-solving. In the realm of computer games, gender identification plays a key role, in first capturing the attention of girls, and then sustaining their interest, enjoyment and participation.     

National Assessment of New Standards for Mathematics in Elementary Education in Flanders

A baseline assessment of the new curriculum standards of mathematics for elementary education in Flanders is presented and discussed. A total of 24 measurement scales, each representing a cluster of standards, covered the whole mathematics curriculum. A total of 5,763 6th-grade students participated in the study. Performance on each scale was summarized by estimating the proportion of students who were nonmasters, intermediate, and good masters. Overall, the more innovative curriculum standards were mastered worse. Few gender differences in performance were observed.     

Influence of the difficulty of the Matching Familiar Figures Test-20 on the assessment of reflection–impulsivity: An item analysis

This study is an item analysis of the Matching Familiar Figures Test-20. We examined error scores in the Matching Familiar Figures Test-20 to determine the influence of the difficulty of the test on the assessment of reflection–impulsivity. The sample included 700 participants aged between 6 and 12 years. The results obtained from the corrected item–total correlation showed moderate but significant values for the discrimination index in all age groups, although the lowest values were found in the 6-year-old group. The item difficulty data show that the test is quite difficult for 6-year-old participants and quite easy for 12-year-old participants, and more likely to show individual differences between these ages. The results suggest that the difficulty of the MFFT20 is appropriate for children between 6 and 12 years. However, because of some floor and ceiling effects, the results of this test for ages 6 and 12 should be interpreted very cautiously, especially for the 6-year-old group.