From Gatekeeping to Engagement: A Multicontextual, Mixed Method Study of Student Academic Engagement in Introductory STEM Courses

The lack of academic engagement in introductory science courses is considered by some to be a primary reason why students switch out of science majors. This study employed a sequential, explanatory mixed methods approach to provide a richer understanding of the relationship between student engagement and introductory science instruction. Quantitative survey data were drawn from 2,873 students within 73 introductory science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses across 15 colleges and universities, and qualitative data were collected from 41 student focus groups at eight of these institutions. The findings indicate that students tended to be more engaged in courses where the instructor consistently signaled an openness to student questions and recognizes her/his role in helping students succeed. Likewise, students who reported feeling comfortable asking questions in class, seeking out tutoring, attending supplemental instruction sessions, and collaborating with other students in the course were also more likely to be engaged. Instructional implications for improving students’ levels of academic engagement are discussed.     

A longitudinal assessment of adolescent student-athletes’ school performance

In Germany, extraordinarily talented student-athletes are offered the special school setting of elite schools of sport (ESSs). These schools seek to optimally adjust the daily affordances of athletic high-performance training with those of regular school education. The aim of the present analysis was to empirically explore whether elite student-athletes’ school grades develop differently than those of fellow students who dropped out of the ESS’s athletic program. One cohort of student-athletes (N?=?260) was tracked from the moment of their enrollment in the ESS until the end of lower secondary school (from school level 7 to 10). Multilevel modeling was used to analyze this longitudinal dataset. Elite student-athletes who manage to still meet their school’s athletic standards after class level 10 (n?=?158) came to their ESSs with better school grades in mathematics and German from primary school than program dropouts (n?=?102). Additional comparisons show that after class level 10, all ESS students’ school grades in mathematics and German were not significantly different from the federal state’s general average at schools without high-performance sport programs. Findings are interpreted against the background of the hypothesis that the system of high-performance sports tends to produce an instance of total commitment and that educational disadvantages for ESS student-athletes could follow as a consequence.     

The role of inhibitory functioning in children’s reading skills

Executive functions, including inhibition, have been implicated in children’s reading ability. This study investigates whether children’s performance on an inhibition task is more indicative of reading ability than a measure of another executive function, that is, planning. Fifty‐three male participants were administered a reading test and tests of inhibition and planning not requiring a verbal response. Regression analyses revealed that only inhibition significantly predicted reading. Previous inconsistencies may reflect the modality of the tasks used to measure inhibition. Therefore non‐verbal measures may have highest utility for educational psychologists.     

The validity and intra-tester reliability of markerless motion capture to analyse kinematics of the BMX Supercross gate start

The aim of this study was to quantify the validity and intra-tester reliability of a novel method of kinematic measurement. The measurement target was the joint angles of an athlete performing a BMX Supercross (SX) gate start action through the first 1.2 s of movement in situ on a BMX SX ramp using a standard gate start procedure. The method employed GoPro® Hero 4 Silver (GoPro Inc., USA) cameras capturing data at 120 fps 720 p on a ‘normal’ lens setting. Kinovea 0.8.15 (Kinovea.org, France) was used for analysis. Tracking data was exported and angles computed in Matlab (Mathworks®, USA). The gold standard 3D method for joint angle measurement could not safely be employed in this environment, so a rigid angle was used. Validity was measured to be within 2°. Intra-tester reliability was measured by the same tester performing the analysis twice with an average of 55 days between analyses. Intra-tester reliability was high, with an absolute error <6° and <9 frames (0.075 s) across all angles and time points for key positions, respectively. The methodology is valid within 2° and reliable within 6° for the calculation of joint angles in the first ~1.25 s.     

Reflecting on three creative approaches to informed consent with children under six

In an era when children’s rights are paramount, there are still few practical examples to guide us when seeking informed consent from children. This article therefore makes a significant contribution to the field by examining three practical approaches to negotiating informed consent with young children under 6 years old. We draw on researcher field notes, images and observations from four research projects that employed creative methods for seeking informed consent from young children. We take a reflexive approach, considering how successful the three techniques have been in facilitating young children’s decision-making around research participation. Our findings suggest that innovative approaches to informed consent create spaces for children to engage in dialogue and questioning about the research project. However, in order for the approaches to be meaningful, they need to be pedagogically appropriate to the maturity and capabilities of the children. We also demonstrate that, irrespective of the approach devised, researchers have a responsibility to ensure consent is continuously negotiated throughout the project through reflexive questioning.     

Make my life easier

Included in this section are a number of self‐narratives uttered by a new generation of Taiwanese transgenders who have been forming/negotiating their transgender identity and trajectories of trans life amidst the rigidity of the gender binary as well as the complexities of emerging gender/sexuality movements and identity politics in Taiwan. These self‐narratives, spoken not as conciliatory attempts to win medical approval but as honest efforts to communicate with kindred spirits on friendly occasions, provide us with a rare opportunity to glimpse not only the inner struggles of varied transgender lives, but also the unspoken fluidity and multiplicities of identity and desire that gender/sexuality theories as well as movements have yet to grasp.     

Students’ Perceptions of Classroom Behaviour Problems and the Effectiveness of Different Disciplinary Methods

The purpose of the present study was to examine students’ perceptions of troublesome behaviour and the effectiveness of different disciplinary methods. To this end, 350 secondary school students completed the Classroom Behaviour Problems and Attitude Towards Disciplinary Methods questionnaire, and the results indicate that ‘talking out of turn’ was the only behaviour perceived by both teachers and students to be most troublesome and most frequent. Deterrents that were perceived as most effective included being sent to the principal’s office, detention, and getting an unfavourable report sent home. Regarding incentives, free time, a positive letter home, receiving a good mark, and getting a favourable academic report sent home were perceived to be most effective, while private praise and reprimands were also seen as an effective means for increasing appropriate behaviour. However, previous research suggests that teachers are choosing to use other strategies that are not seen by students as effective. Therefore, it was concluded that both teachers and students need to be educated regarding the results found in the current study, so that effective management strategies can be developed and used by teachers.