Mapping prior knowledge: A framework for discussion among researchers

This review of the literature had four main aims: to examine several problems associated with usage of prior knowledge terminology; to explore key dimensions of prior knowledge referenced primarily by researchers in the field of cognitive psychology and artificial intelligence; to construct a conceptual map of prior knowledge terminology; and, to draw implications for future research and instructional practice. Overall, the complexity of the construct prior knowledge is articulated from a European and an American point of view and an argument is made for the more thoughtful communication of prior knowledge terminology in future studies.     

Conceptual change strategies and cooperative group work in chemistry

This study conducted at a suburban community college tested a method of conceptual change in which treatment students worked in small cooperative groups on tasks aimed at eliciting their misconceptions so that they could then be discussed in contrast to the scientific conceptions that had been taught in direct instruction. Categorizations of student understanding of the target concepts of the laws of conservation of matter and energy and aspects of the particulate nature of gases, liquids, and solids were ascertained by pre- and posttesting. Audiotapes of student verbal interaction in the small groups provided quantitative and qualitative data concerning student engagement in behaviors suggestive of the conditions posited to be part of the conceptual change process (Posner, Strike, Hewson & Gertzog, 1982). Chi-square analysis of posttests indicated that students in treatment groups had significantly lower (p < 0.05) proportion of misconceptions than control students on four of the five target concepts. Students who exhibited no change in concept state had a higher frequency of verbal behaviors suggestive of “impeding” conceptual change when compared to students who did change. Three factors emerged from qualitative analysis of group interaction that appeared to influence learning: (a) many students had flawed understanding of concepts that supported the target concepts; (b) student views towards learning science affected their engagement in assigned tasks, (c) “good” and “poor” group leaders had a strong influence on group success.     

Translation of representations of the structure of matter and its relationship to reasoning,gender, spatial reasoning,and specific prior knowledge

The purpose of this study was to characterize high school chemistry students' ability to make translations between three representations of the structure of matter, and to determine the degree to which the students' ability to make these translations is related to reasoning ability, spatial reasoning ability, gender, and specific knowledge of the representations. Translation between formula, electron configuration, and ball-and-stick model representations of matter were chosen for study because of their promise for adding to knowledge of students' conceptual ecology, and because they may be of practical use for teaching and evaluation in chemistry classrooms. Representations have the characteristic that they embed selected details of the relevant concept or principle, but permit other details to fade. As one example, the chemical formula for water, H₂O, explicitly conveys the identity of the constituent elements and their ratio, but does not explicitly convey the bond angle or whether the bonds are single or double. On the other hand, the ball-and-stick model of water explicitly conveys the bond angle and bond orders, but does not emphasize the ratio of the elements. Translation between representations is an information processing task, requiring understanding of the underlying concept to the extent that the individual can interpret the information provided by the initial representation and infer the details required to construct the target representation. In this study, the use of the translations of representations as an indicator of understanding of chemical concepts is developed in terms of (a) its relationship to four variables associated with achievement in chemistry, (b) specific representation error types, and (c) its utility in revealing details of students' conceptions and concept formation. Translation of representation performance was measured by administering, audio recording, transcribing, and scoring individual, task-based, think-aloud interviews. The associated interview schedule was entitled Translation of Representations—Structure of Matter [TORSOM]. Reasoning ability was measured by the Group Assessment of Logical Thinking—short form (GALT-s), spatial reasoning ability by the spatial reasoning subtest of the Differential Abilities Test (SRDAT), and prior knowledge of the representations by a test developed by the first researcher (Knowledge of Representations—Structure of Matter). When each of the hypothetical correlates were regressed on TORSOM individually, results indicated the KORSOM and GALT-s but not gender or SRDAT were statistically significant (alpha = .05). The two-predictor model accounts for 28% of the variance in the TORSOM scores. Representation error types are described and exemplified.     

Erratum: Correction to Description of Analytic Method

Erratum. Child Development 76, 841-855.Online publication date: 14-Jul-2005.     

Space matters: framing the New Zealand learning landscape

Learning Environments Research - Significant funding is devoted across the world to transforming traditional classrooms into flexible learning environments. These efforts are&nbsp;often...     

What Professional Responsibility Means to Teachers: national contexts and classroom constants

This article discusses some of the findings pertaining to how teachers see their work which were produced by a comparative study of 360 French and 360 English primary school teachers. The sample was drawn from schools in four different types of matched catchment areas—rural, inner‐city, average suburban and affluent suburban— in Avon, UK and Bouches du Rhone, France. Four major dimensions of difference between the two national contexts are identified in terms of the range of professional activities undertaken; the ambiguity of the teacher's task; the style of pedagogy and the relative importance to teachers of the process as against the products of learning.

Against a background of contemporary policy changes which seem likely to render the teaching context increasingly similar in the two countries, the article argues that attempts to change teachers’ practice without due regard to those conceptions of professional responsibility which are deeply rooted in particular national traditions as well as more general classroom realities, will result in a lowering of morale and decreased effectiveness.     

The relations of regulation and emotionality to children's externalizing and internalizing problem behavior

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation of different types of negative emotion and regulation and control to 55- to 97-month-olds' internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors. Parents and teachers provided information on children's (N = 214) adjustment, dispositional regulation and control, and emotion, and children's regulation was observed during several behavioral tasks. Internalizing was defined in two ways: as social withdrawal (to avoid overlap of items with measures of emotionality) or, more broadly, as anxiety, depression, and psychosomatic complaints. In general, children with externalizing problems, compared with children with internalizing problems and nondisordered children, were more prone to anger, impulsivity, and low regulation. Children with internalizing symptoms were prone to sadness, low attentional regulation, and low impulsivity. Relations between internalizing problems and emotionality were more frequent when the entire internalizing scale was used. Findings suggest that emotion and regulation are associated with adjustment in systematic ways and that there is an important difference between effortful control and less voluntary modes of control.     

Investigating Efficacy,Moderators and Mediators for an Online Mathematics Homework Intervention

Abstract

We report on a randomized controlled trial of an intervention that leverages the availability of laptops for all public-school students in the state of Maine. The intervention, called “ASSISTments,” provides feedback to students as they solve mathematics homework problems and automatically prepares reports for teachers about student performance on daily assignments. Teachers received training and coaching on formative assessment. Data was collected from 43 schools, 87 teachers, and 2769 7th grade students. Planned analyses describe use of the intervention, analyze the impact of the intervention on an end-of-year standardized assessment, and explore variables that may moderate or mediate impacts. Findings indicate that students in the schools assigned to use ASSISTments learned more and the impact was greater for students with lower prior mathematics achievement. Although evidence shows that teachers used the intervention to target instruction to students’ needs, the mediating role of this practice was unclear. We also examined the generalizability of the findings and found generalizability to be limited due to the setting in Maine. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are discussed.