The influence of a peer-tutoring training model for implementing cooperative groupings with elementary students

This study examined the effects of peer-tutoring training on elementary school student communication and collaboration skills when used in conjunction with cooperative learning. Within six classes (grades 2–6) in an inner-city school, cooperative learning pairs were randomly assigned to two groups (control and training). Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) of quantitative data from a systematic observation instrument used over an entire year showed that, in general, the training group surpassed the control group in both communication and collaborative skills. Students in grades 2–3 showed substantially more improvement than students in grades 4–6; also, students with average or below-average reading levels required more time to acquire these skills than did above-average students. The qualitative data further substantiated these findings while revealing a large variation among teachers in implementing cooperative learning. and is Editor of the Research section of this journal.     

The Development of Aggression within Sibling Conflict

Sibling physical aggression and parents' and children's responses to such aggression were observed in 40 families when children were approximately 2% and 4% years of age, and two years later when they were 4% and 6%. Aggression occurred in all families, with first-born siblings being more aggressive than second-borns, and second-born siblings being more likely to cry, especially at the first time period. Parents responded to half of their children's aggression, and were more likely to respond if victims had cried. Only when parents intervened did the conflict resolution indicate to the children that physical aggression was not acceptable. Most responses by both parents and child victims were simple commands to stop aggression, and discussion of issues that gave rise to the aggression. Less frequent parent and child responses, such as physical reactions or approval of aggression by parents, and discussions of feelings or rules, or crying by first-born children were related to only the aggression of second-born siblings at Time 1. Furthermore, the only variables that predicted aggression at Time 2 were the levels of aggression that the children exhibited at Time 1, with relatively aggressive first-born children and relatively unaggressive second-born children predicting higher levels of sibling aggression two years later. Results were discussed in terms of family influences in the development of relatively aggressive or unaggressive sibling relationships over time.     

Personalizing context in teaching mathematical concepts: Teacher-managed and computer-assisted models

The present paper examines a strategy intended to facilitate mathematics learning by adapting the context of instructional material to students’ backgrounds and interests. In four validation studies, the strategy was implemented through teacher management, using college students learning statistical probability rules as subjects. Achievement and attitude outcomes consistently favored treatment groups who received the adaptive contexts over control groups. The culmination of this research is the development of a computer-assisted model to increase the strategy’s practicality and sensitivity to learner differences. The computer model uses stored information about each student to personalize explanations and story examples on a fractions unit.     

Measuring the international standing of universities with an application to Australian universities

Globalisation has meant an increased demand from students, employers, and academics for indicators of the international academic standing of universities. In this paper we examine the broad methodological issues involved in measuring international academic standing and apply our conclusions to data for 38 Australian universities. Determinants of the international academic standing of universities are grouped into six broad categories: standing of academic staff, quality of undergraduate intake, quality of undergraduate programs, quality of graduate programs, resources, and peer opinion. The relative importance of each of these attributes is ascertained though a worldwide survey of university presidents, rectors and vice-chancellors plus Australian deans, thus reducing the need for subjective weighting by the researchers. The empirical findings are used to weight quantitative performance data for Australian universities and the results compared with two other recent worldwide rankings of universities.     

Student use of PeerWise: A multi-institutional,multidisciplinary evaluation

This study explores the relationship between engagement with an online, free-to-use question-generation application (PeerWise) and student achievement. Using PeerWise, students can create and answer multiple-choice questions and can provide feedback to the question authors on question quality. This provides further scope for students to engage in discussion about the question with their peers. Data on PeerWise use and examination performance were collected from over 3000 students across six large undergraduate courses (in physics, chemistry and biology) over three academic years in three research-intensive UK universities. A reliable and valid measure of overall PeerWise activity was created and a multilevel model developed describing the relationship between PeerWise activity and student performance in end of course examinations. Using this approach, a significant positive association was found between students’ engagement with PeerWise and their academic attainment in end of course exams, even controlling for prior ability. The implications of these findings for educators are discussed.     

Self‐reported and actual use of proactive and reactive classroom management strategies and their relationship with teacher stress and student behaviour

This study investigated the relationship between primary school teachers’ self‐reported and actual use of classroom management strategies, and examined how the use of proactive and reactive strategies is related to teacher stress and student behaviour. The total sample consisted of 97 teachers from primary schools within Melbourne. Teachers completed four questionnaires which gathered information on demographics, disruptive student behaviour, teacher management strategies, and teacher self‐reported stress. In addition, 20 of the 97 teachers were observed in their classrooms while teaching, with teacher behaviour management strategies and student on‐task behaviour recorded. Observation and questionnaire data were then matched. The findings indicated that teacher self‐reports accurately reflect actual practice, that relatively minor forms of student misbehaviours are a common concern for teachers, and that teachers are spending a considerable amount of time on behaviour management issues. The findings also revealed that the use of predominantly reactive management strategies has a significant relationship with elevated teacher stress and decreased student on‐task behaviour. These findings have important implications for teaching practices and student learning.     

Gender, Psychosocial Dispositions, and the Academic Achievement of College Students

Researchers have recently claimed that there are substantial differences in the psychosocial dispositions and academic achievement of male and female college students. To test this proposition, a sample of 854 undergraduate students were selected from a major Canadian Research-1 university. Multiple regression analyses assessed the effects of gender and several other independent variables on coping strategies, academic control, self-esteem, and grade point averages. Few differences emerged between the genders on the psychosocial dispositions or on academic achievement. The results suggest that both male and female students can improve their coping strategies and academic control, which together directly affect their academic achievement.     

Intensifying instruction: Does additional instructional time make a difference for the most at-risk first graders?

Research is clear on the benefit of early intervention efforts and the importance of intensive instructional supports; however, understanding which features to intensify is less clear. General intervention features of group size, instructional delivery, and time are areas schools can consider manipulating to intensify instruction. Also, each of these features can vary along a continuum making them easier or more challenging for schools to implement. What is unclear is if implementing very intensive interventions early in school (first grade), which require significantly more school resources, provides accordingly accelerated student learning. This article investigates the role of intensifying instructional time for the most at-risk first graders in schools implementing research-based instructional and assessment practices within multitiered instructional support systems. Results indicate that students receiving more intensive intervention made significantly more progress across a range of early reading measures. Intervention features, limitations, recommendations for practice, and implications for treatment resisters are discussed.     

Notions of Cause: Russell's thesis revisited

We discuss Russell's 1913 essay arguing for the irrelevanceof the idea of causation to science and its elimination frommetaphysics as a precursor to contemporary philosophical naturalism.We show how Russell's application raises issues now receivingmuch attention in debates about the adequacy of such naturalism,in particular, problems related to the relationship betweenfolk and scientific conceptual influences on metaphysics, andto the unification of a scientifically inspired worldview. Inshowing how to recover an approximation to Russell's conclusionwhile explaining scientists' continuing appeal to causal ideas(without violating naturalism by philosophically correctingscientists) we illustrate a general naturalist strategy forhandling problems around the unification of sciences that assumedifferent levels of naïveté with respect to folkconceptual frameworks. We do this despite rejecting one of thepremises of Russell's argument, a version of reductionism thatwas scientifically plausible in 1913 but is not so now.

1 Russell'sNaturalistic Rejection of Causation

2 Psychology, Folk Notionsand Intuitions

3 Causes in Science

4 Letting Science HoldTrumps

     

Fighting the 'microbe of sporting mania': Australian science and Antarctic exploration in the early 20th century

The 'Heroic Age' of Antarctic exploration, which occurred during the first 15 years of the 20th century, captured headlines around the world. Australia was no exception, especially as Australian scientists played important roles in several expeditions. Through participation in the British Antarctic Expedition of 1907-1909, two Australian scientists - T.W. Edgeworth David (1858-1934) and Douglas Mawson (1882-1958) - became genuine national heroes, mainly through being members of the first party to reach the South Magnetic Pole area. At a superficial level, the vehicle of Antarctic exploration placed science at the forefront of public awareness, fulfilling David's ambition for greater recognition of science and scientists, especially considering the high level of public interest in sport. However, although David and Mawson gave Antarctic exploration a scientific veneer, simply through their status as scientists, the public viewed them as heroes because they had endured great hardships and conquered a point on the map in the name of science and the Empire.