Metacognition research and theory: Analysis and implications for instructional design

Metacognition, a construct with strong empirical and theoretical foundations, is integral to successful learning. Research on metacognition has provided convincing evidence supporting its importance in the instruction and learning processes. In this article, research on several aspects of metacognition are briefly reviewed and analyzed, examples of metacognitive strategies are provided, and implications for instructional design are described.     

Comparative education and sociological thought in the Arab region,with special reference to the work of ALECSO

This paper examines the work done in the field of comparative education in the Arab region and analyses its conceptual and theoretical assumptions. It also analyses the work done by the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALESCO). The author argues that there is very little influence from sociology on the comparative education research carried on in the Arab region, though there is some influence from the functionalist school. There is heavy reliance on the economics of education, especially in the work of those utilising the concept of human capital. Most of the research carried out is practice-oriented research, aiming at policy formation and the provision of factual data for policy-makers, and mainly concerned with the internal working of educational systems in the Arab region.

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Zusammenfassung Dieser Artikel untersucht die auf dem Gebiet der vergleichenden Erziehungswissenschaft in der arabischen Region geleistete Arbeit und analysiert ihre konzeptuellen und theoretischen Voraussetzungen. Außerdem werden die Tätigkeiten der Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation der arabischen Liga (ALECSO) analysiert. Es wird festgestellt, daß die Soziologie sehr wenig Einfluß auf die vergleichende erziehungswissenschaftliche Forschung in der arabischen Region ausgeübt hat; nur die funktionalistische Schule hat sich bis zu einem gewissen Grade ausgewirkt. Starker Nachdruck liegt auf der Bildungsökonomie, vor allem in der Arbeit von Wissenschaftlern, die das Konzept menschliches Kapital benutzen. Überwiegend ist die betriebene Forschung praxis-orientiert. Ihr Ziel ist, zur Erarbeitung einer Bildungspolitik beizutragen und den Bildungspolitikern faktisches Material zu liefern. Daher befaßt sie sich hauptsächlich mit dem internen Erziehungswesen der betreffenden Länder in der arabischen Region.

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Résumé Cet article examine le travail effectué dans le domaine de l'éducation comparée dans les Etats arabes et analyse ses présomptions conceptuelles et théoriques ainsi que le travail de l'Organisation Arabe pour l'Education, la Culture et la Science (ALECSO). L'auteur soutient que la sociologie n'exerce qu'une influence très restreinte sur la recherche concernant l'éducation comparée menée dans les Etats arabes, quoique l'on y constate une certaine influence de l'école fonctionnelle. On place une grande confiance dans l'économie de l'éducation, surtout dans le travail de ceux qui utilisent le concept de capital humain. La majeure partie de la recherche est orientée vers la pratique, visant à l'élaboration d'une politique d'action, à la fourniture de données factuelles aux décisionnaires, et elle s'intéresse surtout au travail interne des systèmes d'éducation dans les Etats arabes.

     

Toward Educational Requirements Model for Mobile Learning Development and Adoption in Higher Education

Mobile learning (M-learning) is a learning paradigm that utilizes the advantages of mobility and wireless technologies in the learning and education process. It can be characterized by the ability to support and provide strong interaction between learners and instructors, offering high levels of learning motivation, collaboration, and flexibility to the learning activities. Despite the increased popularity of M-learning, there is no complete and well-defined set of educational requirements for M-learning in higher education which considers both instructional design and M-learning design. Therefore, this paper proposes a new educational requirements model for M-learning development and adoption in higher education. This set of requirements has been built from a literature study with focus on standards for learning and mobile application software quality and guidelines. This work presents the results of applying the proposed set of educational requirements on three different M-learning systems. Instructional designers and educational software developers may find the requirements useful in the development of M-learning systems. The effort described is part of an Omani-funded research project investigating the development, adoption and dissemination of M-learning in Oman.     

Engaging Actively with Issues in the Responsible Conduct of Science: Lessons from International Efforts Are Relevant for Undergraduate Education in the United States

Numerous studies are demonstrating that engaging undergraduate students in original research can improve their achievement in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and increase the likelihood that some of them will decide to pursue careers in these disciplines. Associated with this increased prominence of research in the undergraduate curriculum are greater expectations from funders, colleges, and universities that faculty mentors will help those students, along with their graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, develop an understanding and sense of personal and collective obligation for responsible conduct of science (RCS). This Feature describes an ongoing National Research Council (NRC) project and a recent report about educating faculty members in culturally diverse settings (Middle East/North Africa and Asia) to employ active-learning strategies to engage their students and colleagues deeply in issues related to RCS. The NRC report describes the first phase of this project, which took place in Aqaba and Amman, Jordan, in September 2012 and April 2013, respectively. Here we highlight the findings from that report and our subsequent experience with a similar interactive institute in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Our work provides insights and perspectives for faculty members in the United States as they engage undergraduate and graduate students, as well as postdoctoral fellows, to help them better understand the intricacies of and connections among various components of RCS. Further, our experiences can provide insights for those who may wish to establish “train-the-trainer” programs at their home institutions.     

Optimizing Instructional Video for Preservice Teachers in an Online Technology Integration Course

This study assessed the effect of design instructional video based on the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning by applying segmentation and signaling on the learning outcome of students in an online technology integration course. The study assessed the correlation between students’ personal preferences (preferred learning styles and area of specialization) and their learning outcomes. A three-group pretest–posttest design was employed to assess whether there were significant differences in students’ test scores after they watched an instructional video. The results of the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) analysis indicate that instructional design had a significant effect on students’ learning outcome. This effect was demonstrated by the statistically significant differences in students’ learning outcomes, with the highest scores achieved by students in the segmented and signaled video group and the lowest scores in the no-segmentation and no-signaling group. Moreover, results indicate that students’ learning preferences and area of specialization related significantly and positively to their learning outcomes. These findings suggest that the use of educational video in online courses has the potential to effectively improve students’ learning outcome; however, it requires design manipulation. The results also emphasize the importance of rethinking the one-size-fits-all approach in developing online course content and include consideration of the students’ learning preferences and area of specialization to optimize their learning.     

Study on Urinary Candidate Metabolome for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer

A metabolomic study for determination of certain urinary metabolomes, 1-methyladenosine (1-MA), 1-methylguanosine (1-MG), and 8-hydroxy-2′ deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in urine specimens of breast cancer patients. The accuracy of these metabolites and their combined score with cancer antigen 15-3 (CA15-3) was developed to improve the early detection of breast cancer. This study recruited 52 healthy individuals, 47 benign breast tumors, and 167 malignant breast tumor patients. Urine samples were handled to adjust the creatinine concentrations to 8 mg/dL (0.7 mmol/L) and analyzed using GC–MS to detect and quantify the selected urinary metabolomes in urine samples of all participants. The accuracy of individual urinary metabolomes and their combination with CA15-3 were evaluated using multivariate statistical analysis. The cutoff value of CA15-3 was 32.5 U/mL. Cutoff values of 1-MA, 1-MG, and 8-OHdG were 2.19, 2.1, and 7.3 µmol/mmol creatinine, respectively. The concentrations of 1-MA, 1-MG, and 8-OHdG were significantly higher in breast cancer patients, especially in the early-stage. The combination of three urinary metabolomes with CA15-3 improves the diagnostic sensitivity of breast cancer. For the combined score, the area under the curve (AUC) value of combined score ranged from 0.820 to 0.950, with high accuracy, ranged from 77.0 to 95.5%. The most significant AUC (0.973), sensitivity (90.1%), selectivity (94.0%) was recorded at comparing the healthy control with the early-stage of malignant breast cancer. In conclusion, the combination of three urinary metabolomes with serum CA15-3 improves the diagnostic sensitivity of breast cancer.     

Evaluation of Apoptotic Marker Bcl2, CD4+, Human Hepatocyte Growth Factor and Metalloproteinase-9 as Tumor Markers for Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

To examine the possible involvement of human B cell leukemia/lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), CD4+ cells, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), as biomarkers in early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), activities of these biomarkers in serum were demonstrated by the method of Enzyme Linked Immunosorbant Assay. Two groups of subjects (60 for each), were examined in this study; healthy controls and patients with HCC. The present results declare that, significant decrease in Bcl-2 (p ≤ 0.0001), and CD 4+ (p ≤ 0.001), while significant increase in HGF and MMP-9 (p ≤ 0.05). These findings imply an influence of these biomarkers by the existence of hepatic carcinoma that might reflect the progression of disease and a distinction between the pathological mechanisms involved in hepatic carcinoma. Since, the serum MMP-9 activity was significantly varied between each stage of HCC. An individual profile of the present investigated parameters was detected that might serve as an easy accessing serum marker to monitor the progression of hepatic cell disorders.     

Modalités de prise de décision chez les filles et les garçons en la présence ou en l’absence de l’enseignant

How girls and boys take decisions in the presence and absence of a teacher – This work is part of an innovative approach to physical and sports education in Tunisia, and team sports in particular. It uses language studies carried out within the framework of this teaching both to generate a reflective attitude on the part of students, and to identify the effect of gender as a variable in the ways in which they make decisions. Discourse analysis highlights the importance of language output by girls and boys in football teaching when a teacher is present or absent. The teacher is an institutional authority who imposes specific uses of language, and when he/she is absent, emotional tensions predominate and may reflect the repression of ideas that occurs when the teacher is present. Although girls appear to take part in the discussion, their utterances are fewer in number, and their analytical statements less effective than those of boys. Girls never gain the upper hand over boys. The study also suggests a redefinition of social role divisions on the basis of gender – masculinity and femininity.