The Effects of Liberal Arts Experiences on Liberal Arts Outcomes

Despite scholars’ praise of liberal arts education as a model form, very little research has examined the actual impact of liberal arts education on learning outcomes. The elaborate rhetoric and anecdotal support, long used to advance liberal arts education as the premier type of education with value for all, is no longer sufficient. The practices and conditions that lead to outcomes of a liberally educated student remain an empirical black box. Guided by the work of Pascarella et al. [2005, Liberal arts colleges and liberal arts education: New evidence on impacts. ASHE Higher Education Report, 31(3)], this study examined the extent to which an institutional ethos, that values student–student and student–faculty interaction within a supportive environment characterized by high expectations for developing the intellectual arts, manifests in the lived experiences of students and predicts the development of outcomes theoretically associated with the liberal arts. Specifically, we investigated the construct and predictive validity of the liberal arts experience scale relative to liberal arts outcomes. Using data from the first phase of the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education, net of student background characteristics and institution attended, we found liberal arts experiences had a positive effect on four of six liberal arts outcomes, including intercultural effectiveness, inclination to inquire and lifelong learning, well-being, and leadership.

A comparison of methods of observation in preservice teacher training

Summary This study tested the hypothesis that different techniques of classroom observation result in different degrees of learning by teachers-in-training. Specifically, it was predicted that kinescope recordings (prepared in advance) provide a more effective medium of observation than closed-circuit television and that TV observation is in turn more effective than the traditional procedure of direct observation in the classroom. The logical theoretical basis for this hypothesis and the special conditions of experimentation used in this study were elaborated. Measures of two dependent variables were used to test this hypothesis. One measure of the students’ response to these observational techniques, an objective multiple-choice measure of information about methods of teaching, failed to confirm the hypothesis, but did show systematic variation with several other experimental variables. The other measure, an essay examination assessing ability to evaluate an observed classroom lesson critically, revealed strong confirmation of the hypothesis. Several other results emerged. One significant finding indicated that when used by certain instructors, the differential effect of the observational condition can outweigh the very great importance of general scholastic ability as a correlate of gain in learning. Interpretations of these data were made to clarify the role of classroom observation in the teacher training process. This research was supported by a grant from the Educational Media Branch of the U.S. Office of Education.     

Latent Postsecondary Persistence Pathways: Educational Pathways in American Two-Year Colleges

Latent trajectories of credit hour accumulation were modeled using three independent samples of community college students. Five qualitatively distinct patterns of persistence emerged from these samples: Full-time, long-term; 2 years and out; long-term decliners; part-time, long-term; and one term and out. Follow-up analyses using measures on the Community College Student Report indicated that long-term decliner group; the part-time, long-term group; and the one term and out-group were less engaged than full-time students. In particular, the long-term decliner group was the least engaged group. The models illustrate the utility of latent trajectory modeling in higher education research and provide the basis for an empirically based typology of postsecondary persistence pathways. This study was supported by a grant (2890) from the Lumina Foundation.     

Technical documents as rhetorical agency

This research argues that documents can become intermediaries which affect the relationships between disparate groups. Through a critical analysis of materials distributed during an online protest, the author traces the life of a single technical document, simultaneously describing how it was described during deliberation between several groups. Marcusean critical theory and rhetorical criticism framed the analysis. It is suggested that certain documents act as a locus between otherwise unaffiliated groups and that those documents become agents who can mediate deliberation. Further, it is suggested that document analysis can become an important aspect for interpreting group relationships. Future research examining the agency of documents is suggested.     

Promoting Early Literacy Through Professional Development For Childcare Providers

This study investigated the potential benefits of offering childcare providers professional development to promote preliteracy skills in young children. It was hypothesized that direct instruction to providers, through rigorous training and mentorship, would increase children's opportunities for reading success and thus, enhance their preliteracy skills. The BUILDING BLOCKS for Literacy program followed recommendations made by the National Research Council, which included shared book reading, phonological awareness, and relationships between speech and print. Sixty-seven providers from 44 settings were trained and mentored over six months. Preliteracy skills of 88 children from those settings were assessed before and after the training. A control group of children was also assessed during the same time frame. Results demonstrated that target children showed significantly greater preliteracy gains than did controls. More importantly, a larger proportion of target children rose from below to above a level considered at risk for reading failure. Implications and recommendations are discussed.     

Segmentation’s failure to improve software video tutorials

Segmentation reduces learners’ cognitive load by inserting system-controlled pauses into instructional animations and video. However, many previous studies focus on conceptual knowledge, and do not allow users control over the pacing of instruction. This two-part experiment attempted to validate segmentation in the context of procedural software instruction by applying it to an Excel conditional formatting tutorial. Learners assigned to segmented video failed to show either improved knowledge transfer or decreased cognitive load. Instead, learners using the videos were able to successfully use the pause and rewind features to manage their own cognitive load. This study shows the importance of providing users with control over the pacing of instruction, and with testing educational theories when applying them in a new context.     

Long-Term Effects of Institutional Care and Enhanced Attachment Relationships on Close Adolescent Friendships

This study examined whether early institutional rearing and attachment security influence the quality and quantity of friendships at age 16 in 138 participants, including children abandoned to institutions in Bucharest, Romania, who were randomized to care as usual (n = 45, 26 female), or foster care (n = 47, 25 female), and a never-institutionalized group (n = 46, 18 female). Adolescents in the foster care group with secure attachment to their foster mothers at 42 months were comparable to never-institutionalized adolescents in having more friends and more positive behaviors with their friend during dyadic interactions, compared to the foster care group with insecure attachment and care as usual group. Interventions targeting early child–caregiver attachment relationships may help foster the ability to build positive friendships in adolescence.     

The Educational Relevance of Research in Cognitive Neuroscience

The benefits of incorporating findings from cognitive neuroscience into the field of educational psychology are considered. The first section begins with arguments against the idea that one can ignore the brain when positing a model of student learning or motivation. The second section describes limitations in the methods used to reveal brain-cognition relations. In the third section, properties of the brain and brain development are described. The fourth section summarizes the cognitive neuroscientific research on attention, memory, reading, and math. Finally, areas of future research in cognitive neuroscience are suggested that would help answer important questions about individual and developmental differences in student learning.