The academically ‘at risk’ student: a pilot intervention programme and its observed effects on learning outcome

Previous research has indicated that there is a strong relationship between the approaches to studying adopted by individual students and their qualitative perceptions of the context in which learning takes place. This study identified students who were considered to be academically at risk and involved them in an intervention programme whose aim was to produce a qualitative change in perceptions of certain key elements of the learning context.The intervention programme consisted of five forty-five minute sessions in which the focus was on three elements of the learning context, namely, the teacher/student relationship, perceptions of textbooks and notes, and the nature and role of tests and examinations.Subsequent interviews indicated that most of the participating students had experienced a qualitative improvement in their perceptions of these contextual elements and that they perceived an attendant improvement in the quality of their learning. Quantitative analysis of the relative class positions before and after the intervention suggests that these changes were accompanied by improved performance. The implications of these findings for teaching practice in higher education are discussed.     

Issues for the Asia-Pacific region

The Asia-Pacific region has made substantial but uneven advances in education, particularly over the past two decades. The region’s countries must share information on successful and unsuccessful approaches to solving educational problems and join forces to explore topics about which educators and policy-makers know little or nothing. On the basis of a history of successful co-operation and a commitment to respecting cultural difference, they can and must collaborate both to improve their own education systems and to contribute to the development of secondary education around the world.     

Situating graphs as workplace knowledge

We investigate the use and knowledge of graphs in the context of a large industrial factory. We are particularly interested in the question of “transparency”, a question that has been extensively considered in the general literature on tool use and, more recently, by Michael Roth and his colleagues in the context of scientific work. Roth uses the notion of transparency to characterise instances of graph use by highly educated scientists in cases where the context was familiar: the scientists were able to read the situation “through” the graph. This paper explores the limits of the validity of the transparency metaphor. We present two vignettes of actual graph use by a factory worker, and contrast his actions and knowledge with that of a highly qualified process engineer working on the same production line. We note that in neither case the graphs were transparent. We argue that a fuller account that describes a spectrum of transparency is needed, and we seek to achieve this by adopting some elements of a semiotic approach that enhance a strictly activity-theoretical view.     

Can software improve marker accuracy at detecting contract cheating? A pilot study of the Turnitin authorship investigate alpha

Abstract

Contract cheating happens when students outsource their assessed work to a third party. One approach that has been suggested for improving contract cheating detection is comparing students’ assignment submissions with their previous work, the rationale being that changes in style may indicate a piece of work has been written by somebody else. This approach is time consuming, but recent advances in machine learning and natural language processing suggest that it may be well suited to computerization. We trialed an early alpha version of Turnitin’s Authorship Investigate tool, which compares students’ submissions against their previous work. Twenty-four experienced markers from five units of study were asked to make decisions about the presence of contract cheating in bundles of 20 student assignments, which included 14 legitimate assignments and six purchased from contract cheating sites. We asked markers to determine if each assignment was contract cheating, then provided them with an Authorship Investigate report and let them change their decision. Marker accuracy at detecting contract cheating increased significantly, from 48% to 59% after using the report, with no significant difference in false positives. These findings suggest that software may be an effective component of institutional strategies to address contract cheating.     

Training Students to Use Maps to Increase Text Recall

In this study, high school students were trained to use adjunct maps strategically while studying a History text. Subjects were randomly assigned to either a control or map training group which read a lengthy passage which was accompanied by three maps. The control group was instructed to study the materials and write an essay about them. The map training group was instructed to study the materials and to place important event information from the text on their maps; they also discussed how their maps could be used to help them remember the text. One week later multiple choice, probed recall, free recall, and map recall tests were administered. Three weeks after training both groups read a transfer text and were instructed to use the attached map to help them remember the information. Free recalls were gathered after a short delay. Results showed that map training subjects obtained higher scores on all of the training text recall measures and on the main idea level transfer text measures. High ability map training subjects also recalled more details. Maps used in the transfer task showed trained subjects using the strategies they had been taught.     

The Effects of Classwide Self-Assessment on Preschool Children's Engagement in Transition, Free Play and Small Group Instruction

The effectiveness of using a group self-management procedure to increase the on-task behavior of four disruptive preschool boys was studied using a reversal design combined with a multiple baseline across settings design. Measures of child and teacher behavior were obtained through direct observation during free play, transition, and small group instruction activities. The classwide procedure, which included self-assessment by the students, matching the assessments with the teacher, and reinforcement based on a match between teacher and child ratings, was conducted by teachers in two classrooms located at a Head Start center in a large urban area. Results suggest that use of the procedure improved on-task behavior of the target students and decreased off-task and competing behavior. For the teachers, use of a group approach to self-management served the dual purpose of addressing individual student needs while promoting independent and responsible behavior for all members of the class.