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).     

Empowering Students in Leading their Education and Practice: The Design Workbook

How does education prepare future designers for current and future requirements of the field? An attempt to respond to this question is presented through the Design Workbook: a curricular project that has been proposed and developed over the course of three phases. In Phase One, the objectives, structure and format were defined: an online interface containing activities organised under five chapters that aim at building students’ creative confidence and sensitivity to surrounding contexts, and prepare them to lead their career path. In Phase Two, the website was developed to its first usable version, and content applied into live classes. Phase Three was marked with content refinement for the activities, navigation and feature redesign in the interface, and new ways of conducting the course. The article summarises learning points from the first two phases, and provides new findings and analyses from the final phase. It also includes a sample of the activities content, student works and feedback as well as the interface development stages. The methodology utilised throughout consisted of active research, as well as learning outcomes assessment using direct and indirect measures. Assessment results and classroom observations confirmed that students benefit greatly from visualising ideas, hands on activities, design thinking workshops, as well as from collaborative experiences, to avoid facing designer's block and to practise empowerment of self and others. Finally, challenges, opportunities and future implications are discussed, alongside implementation possibilities: The Design Workbook can run as a sole course, spread across the curriculum, and expand into the community.     

Supporting Science Teachers in Alignment with State Curriculum Standards through Professional Development: Teachers’ Preparedness, Expectations and Their Fulfillment

Since A Nation at Risk was released in the 1980s, standards-based reform has been the most dominant trend in American educational policy, and the No Child Left Behind Act pushed the trend further by requiring states to develop rigorous curriculum standards. Though much has been said about these new standards, less has been said about whether or how well professional development helps teachers link their instruction to these standards. This study examined the impact of a professional development program for K-12 science teachers in helping teachers meet state curriculum standards. Seventy-five science teachers in Michigan participated in a 2-week summer workshop that used Problem-Based Learning for improving teachers’ content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. Researchers surveyed participating teachers about the change of teachers’ preparedness for standards-based teaching, their expectations to meet state curriculum standards, and whether their expectations were met. In addition, the usefulness of workshop activities was examined. Data analysis showed that to align teaching with state curriculum standards, participating teachers expected to learn instructional strategies and enhance science content knowledge through professional development, and by and large their expectations were well met. Collaboration with colleagues and facilitators helped teachers achieve their goals in terms of teaching within state curriculum standards. These findings have important implications for designing professional development to help teachers align instruction with curriculum standards.     

Predictors of well‐structured and ill‐structured problem solving in an astronomy simulation

This study compared the problem‐solving skills required for solving well‐structured problems and ill‐structured problems in the context of an open‐ended, multimedia problem‐solving environment in astronomy. Two sets of open‐ended questions assessed students' abilities for solving well‐structured and ill‐structured problems. Generalized, rubric scoring systems were developed for assessing problem‐solving skills. Instruments were also developed and administered to assess cognitive and affective predictors of problem‐solving performance. By regressing the scores on the cognitive and affective predictors onto students' scores on the well‐structured and ill‐structured problems, we concluded that solving well‐structured and ill‐structured problems require different component skills. Domain knowledge and justification skills were significant predictors of well‐structured problem‐solving scores, whereas ill‐structured problem‐solving scores were significantly predicted by domain knowledge, justification skills, science attitudes, and regulation of cognition. Implications for problem solving in science education are presented. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 40: 6–33, 2003     

Heterogeneous Effects of Charter Schools: Unpacking Family Selection and Achievement Growth in Los Angeles

Disparate findings on whether students attending charter schools outperform peers in traditional public schools (TPS) may stem from mixing differing types of charters or inadequately accounting for pupil background. To gauge prior family selection and heterogeneous effects, we distinguish between conversion and start-up charter schools, along with a third site-run model operating in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). We find that TPS campuses converting to charter status (conversions) attracted more experienced and consistently credentialed teachers, and served relatively advantaged families, compared with newly created charter schools (start-ups), after tracking 66,000 students over 4 years, 2007–2011. Charters overall attracted pupils achieving at higher levels as they began a grade cycle (at baseline), relative to TPS peers, most pronounced among conversions that remained affiliated with the district. After matching students on their propensities to enter a charter school, we find that pupils attending charters outperformed TPS peers over the 4-year period. These benefits are most consistent and moderate in magnitude for middle school students. We observed significant though small effects in English language arts for pupils attending charter high schools. Latino students, mostly attending start-ups, enjoyed consistent benefits from attending a charter school.     

Negative thinking versus positive thinking in a Singaporean student sample: Relationships with psychological well-being and psychological maladjustment

This study examines the relationships of positive thinking versus negative thinking with psychological well-being and psychological maladjustment. Three hundred and ninety-eight undergraduate students from Singapore participated in this study. First, positive thinking were positively correlated with indicators psychological well-being – life satisfaction and happiness, and negatively correlated with indicators of psychopathology – stress, anxiety, depression, and anger. In contrast, negative thinking were positively correlated with indicators of psychopathology – stress, anxiety, depression, and anger, and negatively correlated with indicators of psychological well-being – life satisfaction and happiness. Second, hierarchical multiple regression results showed that females were more likely than males to be stressed and anxious at the first step of entry. However, there were no significant differences between the sexes in terms of depression, anger, life satisfaction, and happiness. Age did not significantly predict any of the criterion variables. Third, hierarchical multiple regression results showed that negative thinking accounted for more of the significant incremental unique variance in depression, stress, anxiety, life satisfaction, anger, and happiness in order of effect size. This is also found that positive thinking do accounted for a sizable significant incremental unique variance in happiness and life satisfaction, while a very small percentage of 1% significant incremental unique variance for stress, depression, anxiety, and anger. Implications and limitations of these findings were discussed.     

Environmental Education Course Development for Preservice Secondary School Science Teachers in the Republic of Korea

Abstract

In Summer 1996, an opinionnaire survey was used to evaluate the opinions of Korean professors, in earth science education and geology departments, about the science concepts related to environmental issues that might be important for secondary preservice earth science teachers in the Republic of Korea. The opinionnaire contained 63 items within the 14 major topics being considered. It used a 4-choice, Likert-type scale and was completed by 47 professors (response rate = 51%). There was a good coincidence in opinions on major topics to be included. Respondents favored an environmental earth science course that emphasized the “human impact on the environment” rather than “natural environmental hazards.” Also, they favored study of natural hazards that commonly occur in Korea within a context of worldwide natural hazards.     

End-of-Life Decision Making in Older Korean Adults: Concerns,Preferences, and Expectations

This study explored Korean older adults’ concerns and preferences regarding end-of-life care and the expected role of physicians in the decision making process. The purpose was to assist health care professionals, in particular, physicians, to better understand how to interact with Korean older adults. A qualitative method using in-person interviews was conducted with Korean older adults (N = 54). The seven main themes generated in this study included the following: (a) life-sustaining treatments and hope for quality of life; (b) physician expert status; (c) truth telling and ethics; (d) preferred way to disclose bad news; (e) physician's role to treat, (f) potential misuse of life-sustaining treatments; and (g) priority of patients’ preferences. Overall, study participants generally anticipated a larger role for physicians in their own end-of-life decision making, though some expressed concerns about the outcome of giving such power to physicians, especially in agreeing to life-sustaining treatments. Although culture provides one important clue about expectations, it is always crucial for health care providers to ask about individual preferences and to develop an open communication style to decrease distress. Our findings highlight the importance of understanding concerns and preferences regarding end-of-life care among Korean older adults and the importance of assisting them in planning end-of-life care within a cultural framework.     

Students’ perceptions of parental bonding styles and their academic burnout

This study investigated how parental bonding style affects academic burnout in Korean adolescents. Participants were 447 middle school students, who completed the Parental Bonding Instrument and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey. MANCOVA results confirmed that adolescents reporting the optimal bonding parental style, for both mother and father, have lower scores on three subscales of academic burnout (Exhaustion, Cynicism, and Inefficacy) than do their counterparts who report the affectionless control parental style. We discuss the possible implications for reducing students?? academic burnout rates.     

Connectedness of Korean adolescents: profiles and influencing factors

The purpose of the present study was to identify profiles of Korean adolescent connectedness across multiple contexts (e.g., family, school, neighborhood, etc.), using cluster analysis. In addition, this study examined how the profiles of Korean adolescent connectedness are discriminated by demographic and adjustment-related variables. Data were collected from 538 Korean adolescents aged 13?C19. Participants completed a Korean version of Measure of Adolescent Connectedness (MAC-K). Results from a cluster analysis revealed three profiles of connectedness to parents, siblings, teachers, school, friends, and neighborhood. Results placed participants into categories of Well-connected, Disconnected, and Socially connected. The first two profiles were characterized by reports of either strong or weak connectedness to all contexts. The last profile is characterized by reports of strong connections only to friends and neighborhood. The results also indicated that adolescents?? school adjustment, problem behaviors, self-esteem, and gender were significant discriminators between the three profiles. Implications for counseling practice and future studies are discussed.