Assessing metacognition in an online community of inquiry

Metacognition is an important aspect of human intelligence and higher learning. There is the recognition that metacognition is not just a private internal activity but also socially situated. In this context, the purpose of this research is to develop and validate a metacognitive construct that provides the opportunity to assess metacognition in online discussions. Furthermore, the Community of Inquiry (CoI) theoretical framework provided the conceptual coherence to construct, operationalize and interpret metacognition in an online collaborative inquiry. The results provided evidence of metacognition indicators in student discussion postings and the frequency of these indicators increased over time.     

Good,now keep going: challenging the status quo in STEM pipeline and access programs

Cultural Studies of Science Education - This contribution engages in conversation with McMahon, Griese, and Kenyon (this issue) to consider how the SURE program they describe represents a pragmatic...     

Supporting Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Research studies have shown the importance of early intervention services for young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families. However, most attention has been given to the effectiveness of treatments solely for children with ASDs. Because the family centered practice has been emphasized and supported by many researchers and legislation, involving family members other than children with ASDs and their parents in the assessing, planning, and implementing interventions is seen as crucial. The purpose of this article is to review what sibling relationships look like for a typically developing sibling of a child with an ASD and what resources are available for parents and specialists to support siblings of children with ASDs.     

IQs ARE VERY STRONG BUT IMPERFECT INDICATORS OF PSYCHOMETRIC g: RESULTS FROM JOINT CONFIRMATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS

The most global score yielded by intelligence tests, IQs, are supported by substantial validity evidence and have historically been central to the identification of intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, and giftedness. This study examined the extent to which IQs measure the ability they target, psychometric g. Data from three samples of children and adolescents (Ns = 200, 150, and 135) who completed varying pairs of individually administered, multidimensional intelligence tests were analyzed using a joint confirmatory factor analysis to generate correlations between IQs and general factors representing psychometric g. The resulting values, expressed as g loadings, for the six IQs ranged from .88 to .95 (M = .92). The accuracy of IQs in measuring psychometric g, the meaning of reliable specific ability variance in IQs not accounted for by psychometric g, and the use of IQs in schools and related settings are discussed.     

Children''s Beliefs about Listening: Is It Enough to Be Still and Quiet?

This study examined children's conception of listening and their performance as listeners, 7-, 9-, and 11-year-old children were interviewed for their conceptions of good listening, their beliefs about appropriate actions for confused listeners to take, their attributions of responsibility for a listener's confusion, their reports of how speakers and listeners feel during communication breakdown, and their ability to detect inconsistencies during a comprehension-monitoring task. Results indicated that older children relied less on behavioral orientation and more on attempts to comprehend and other criteria in their definitions of good listening. Children believed that appropriate listening responses depend on the situation, and there was a developmental increase in asking the speaker a question and listening more carefully. With age, children also tended to report more complex negative emotions for listeners and speakers experiencing a breakdown in understanding. Children recalled incongruent material more than congruent material on the comprehension-monitoring task.     

Effects of Response Format on Difficulty of SAT-Mathematics Items: It's Not the Strategy

Problem-solving strategy is frequently cited as mediating the effects of response format (multiple-choice, constructed response) on item difficulty, yet there are few direct investigations of examinee solution procedures. Fifty-five high school students solved parallel constructed response and multiple-choice items that differed only in the presence of response options. Student performance was videotaped to assess solution strategies. Strategies were categorized as "traditional"–those associated with constructed response problem solving (e.g., writing and solving algebraic equations)–or "nontraditional"–those associated with multiple-choice problem solving (e.g., estimating a potential solution). Surprisingly, participants sometimes adopted nontraditional strategies to solve constructed response items. Furthermore, differences in difficulty between response formats did not correspond to differences in strategy choice: some items showed a format effect on strategy but no effect on difficulty; other items showed the reverse. We interpret these results in light of the relative comprehension challenges posed by the two groups of items.     

Instructional support and implementation structure during elementary teachers’ science education simulation use

This investigation sought to identify patterns in elementary science teachers’ computer simulation use, particularly implementation structures and instructional supports commonly employed by teachers. Data included video-recorded science lessons of 96 elementary teachers who used computer simulations in one or more science lessons. Results indicated teachers used a one-to-one student-to-computer ratio most often either during class-wide individual computer use or during a rotating station structure. Worksheets, general support, and peer collaboration were the most common forms of instructional support. The least common instructional support forms included lesson pacing, initial play, and a closure discussion. Students’ simulation use was supported in the fewest ways during a rotating station structure. Results suggest that simulation professional development with elementary teachers needs to explicitly focus on implementation structures and instructional support to enhance participants’ pedagogical knowledge and improve instructional simulation use. In addition, research is needed to provide theoretical explanations for the observed patterns that should subsequently be addressed in supporting teachers’ instructional simulation use during professional development or in teacher preparation programs.     

Developing and dealing with controversial issues in criminal justice courses

One of the most stimulating but trying aspects of teaching criminology and criminal justice courses centers on the controversial issues that so frequently arise in our courses. In this paper we discuss five models or approaches to dealing with controversial issues in the classroom: the due process approach, the peacemaking approach, the academic controversy approach, the devil's advocate approach, and the avoidance approach. These models are intended as ideal types to be used by instructors find them useful, not as models to be compared critically. Strategies to prevent or cool down heated discussions are also suggested.     

Understanding cable television community access viewership

This study updates and extends our knowledge of cable television community access viewership, a little researched topic of the past decade. Results of a random telephone survey are reported that reveal community access viewership has increased in recent years. Program viewership preferences and sources of program information are discussed. Community access viewing motivations and satisfaction are examined as predictors of channel viewership. Possible factors explaining the high level of reported viewership are suggested and recommendations for future research are proposed.     

An explanation of reading comprehension across development using models from Cattell–Horn–Carroll theory: Support for integrative models of reading

The purpose of this research was to investigate the cognitive abilities that explain reading comprehension across childhood and early adulthood. Drawing from the standardization sample of the Woodcock–Johnson III, analyses were conducted with large samples at age levels spanning early childhood to early adulthood: 5 to 6 (n = 639), 7 to 8 (n = 720), 9 to 13 (n = 1,995), 14 to 19 (n = 1,615), and 20 to 39 (n = 1,409). Using a model including factors representing general intelligence, Cattell–Horn–Carroll broad abilities, and reading decoding skills, results revealed significant direct effects for reading decoding skills and Crystallized Intelligence on reading comprehension across all age levels. Memory‐related abilities, processing speed, and auditory processing demonstrated indirect effects on reading comprehension through reading decoding skills. The magnitude of direct and indirect effects varied as a function of age. The results provide support for integrative models of reading that include both direct and indirect effects of cognitive abilities on reading comprehension and for consideration of developmental differences in the cognitive aptitudes predicting reading comprehension. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.