Student Perceptions of a Summer Robotics Camp Experience

Research on the effectiveness of STEM-focused (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-focused) schools and other learning experiences (e.g., short-term camps) on student outcomes is sparse. This study documented perceptions of STEM content and careers for elementary, middle, and secondary school students participating in university-based summer camps focused on robotics. Attitudes before and after the camp experiences were compared across gender groups and grade levels. Middle school students showed greater growth on the surveys compared to their elementary and secondary school peers. Implications for the design and evaluation of STEM experiences include looking at longer, more intensive experiences.     

Classroom incivilities

The scattered, little-known literature on classroom disturbances depicts their aversive nature and growing costs, but rarely in higher education. Here I summarize a five-year study of classroom incivilities (CI) at a large research university. In systematic observations of large survey courses, I ranked the most problematic CI as (1) teachers displaying aloof, distancing mannerisms; (2) teachers discouraging student involvement with fast-paced lectures; (3) students' noisiness and indifference; (4) students coming late and leaving early; (5) students' sarcastic remarks/gestures; and so on. High levels of CI corresponded to low levels of student attentiveness and note-taking—and to low levels of teacher enthusiasm, clarity/organization, and immediacies (i.e., expressions of warmth and approachability). High CI meant fastpaced lectures, student confusion/annoyance, and perceptions of teachers as uncaring and incompetent. The key initiator of CI may be teachers' deficits in immediacies, particularly during the first few days of classes. Immediacy was coached here with demonstrable reductions in CI.     

A Meta‐Analysis of the Relationship Between Experiential Learning and Learning Outcomes

Experiential learning activities have been used for over 40 years with the hope that they increase students learning. However, a definitive study that showed their overall effectiveness has not been produced. The purpose of this study is to address this gap in the literature. This meta‐analysis examined a 43‐year span and identified 13,626 journal articles, dissertations, thesis articles, and conference proceedings written about experiential learning and found only 89 of these studies contained empirical data with both a treatment and control group. Meta‐analysis of these studies show that students experienced superior learning outcomes when experiential pedagogies were employed. Further, learning outcomes were almost a half standard deviation higher (d = .43) in classes employing experiential learning pedagogies versus traditional learning environments. This review definitively, and quantitatively, shows the importance of experiential learning activities. We use these results to discuss future research areas that need to be addressed based on our analysis of potential moderators and provide recommendations on how to best employ experiential learning pedagogies.     

PISA,policymaking and political pantomime: education policy referencing between England and Hong Kong

Since the mid-1980s, a number of East Asian societies have consistently performed well in international tests, and their education systems have emerged as models of ‘best practice’, including Hong Kong, which has been extensively referenced by politicians and their advisers in England. In parallel, local dissatisfaction with the education system in Hong Kong has prompted major education reforms. This mismatch between the perceptions of the Hong Kong education system of the two policy communities is explored using documentary analysis and interviews with policymakers and other key stakeholders. We analyse the ways in which features of Hong Kong’s education system are reconstructed and projected in policymaking in England and argue that the referencing to Hong Kong in England is akin to a form of political theatre, reminiscent of a pantomime, with stereotyped villains, heroes and fairy godmothers, narratives of good conquering evil, and comical set-pieces. We argue that these elements provide the means for both constructing and validating simple causal claims and their associated policy actions.     

Gudaga goes to school study: methods used in understanding school transitions and early education experiences of an urban Aboriginal cohort

The Gudaga Goes to School Study described the transition to school and early education experiences of 117 urban Aboriginal children and their families. This paper outlines the methods and design of the study. A life course approach, employing multidimensional and multi-theoretical frameworks was used to capture the complexity of issues surrounding the transition and early school experiences with multi-methods used to collect data from children, parents and teachers. Quantitative data included questionnaires, checklists and educational assessments to track children’s academic progress, school attendance, and social/emotional/behavioural development. Qualitative data consisted of semi-structured interviews and focus groups to gain the perspective of stakeholders. Children also participated using photography and drawing mediums. The community controlled study was conceived, designed and conducted in close consultation with the local Aboriginal community.     

Causes of Educational Failure among Elementary School Students in Brunei Darussalam as Perceived by Mathematics and Science Teachers

This study investigated causes of school failure among elementary school students in Brunei Darussalam. Fifty-two specialist mathematics and science teachers were involved in the investigation using a questionnaire. The student factor identified to be the most important was related to students' poor command of the English language. Lack of interest in learning was another important influencing factor in students' failure. Parental factors perceived to be the most important were lack of supervision of their children's activities at home and reluctance to make school visits to see teachers about their children's academic progress. The influence of teacher factors on educational failure was perceived to be less important.     

Enriching educational accountabilities through collaborative public conversations: Conceptual and methodological insights from the Learning Commission approach

Journal of Educational Change - This article describes the use of a Learning Commission to experiment with conceptualising and implementing richer modes of educational accountability. A Learning...     

Leadership and collaboration in implementing curriculum change in Hong Kong secondary schools

Task-based learning (TBL) was a methodological innovation in the 1999 English Language syllabus for secondary schools and the 2006 curriculum for senior secondary schools in Hong Kong, designed to replace teacher-centred, grammar-focused approaches that were identified as previously prevalent. This two-year longitudinal study analyses the implementation of TBL in three schools. It focuses on teachers’ conceptions of TBL and classroom practice, and the support provided by senior management. It finds that TBL is enacted differently by individual teachers, and that the lack of senior leadership is significant in causing the innovation either to wither or to become diffuse. In some cases, problems associated with implementing TBL were addressed through the determined commitment of pioneering teachers and the collaborative efforts by staff, but change was nonetheless hampered.     

Can Boards of Directors Think Strategically? Some Issues in Developing Direction‐givers' Thinking to a Mega Level

ABSTRACT The author argues that current corporate government legislation and practice is weighted too much in the direction of “board compliance.” It is, therefore, in danger of reducing the risks taken by boards of directors. In the long term this could slow significantly the growth of capitalism. He proposes a rebalancing of the fundamental board dilemma—how to strike a dynamic balance between driving the enterprise forward and keeping it under prudent control—in favor of “board performance” and raising the competence of “Mega‐thinking” on the board. This requires integrated board developmental activities so that their directorial accountabilities and liabilities are differentiated from the executive's, and that the requirement for rigorous strategic thinking has total commitment. Often fear and irritation by newly‐promoted executives has to be overcome here. The author introduces the “Learning Board” model and its associated annual rhythm for a board's year. Three approaches to developing strategic thinking are discussed including the Thinking Intentions Profile, and an updated version of the PPESTT analysis.