Explaining different types of computer use among primary school teachers

In order to identify differences in determinants of supportive and class use of computers, path modelling was applied in a sample of 468 primary school teachers. Independent variables were categorised in three levels: demographics (age and gender), computer experience (computer training, computer experience expressed over time, intensity of computer use), and attitude measures (general computer attitudes, attitudes toward computers in education, and technological innovativeness). Supportive and class use of computers are not related to the same set of variables. Supportive computer use was mainly predicted by computer experience variables and general computer attitudes. Strongest predictors of class use were technological innovativeness and gender. Yet, the degree of explained variance for class use of computer was considerably lower compared to supportive computer use. These results indicate the limitations of explaining complex forms of professional computer use on the basis of both individual determinants and quantitative models. The article concludes with some practical implications and recommendations for further research.     

Social acceptance of students with Down syndrome and students without disability

We investigated the influence of teacher feedback on the social acceptance of peers with intellectual disabilities and peers without disabilities. A computer task was administered to 601 students in grades 3 and 4. Twenty-six per cent of the students attend an inclusive school; the others are in regular schools without students with special educational needs. Participants are introduced to ‘new’ virtual classmates, one student with Down syndrome (DS), and one control student with no obvious disability. Additionally, teacher feedback and feedback about fun playing with the new classmates is given. Social acceptance is evaluated by asking if one would like to sit next to him/her. Both feedbacks showed a strong effect. The child with DS was less socially accepted than the child without disability. No difference regarding the social acceptance of the students with DS was found between students from inclusive and regular classes. Students from regular classes rate the social acceptance of the student without disabilities significantly higher than students from inclusive classrooms.     

Reflection as a core student learning activity in higher education - Insights from nearly two decades of academic development

ABSTRACT

Experiential learning (EL) has great potential to prepare students to work on interdisciplinary and global challenges across traditional boundaries, as well as support them in the development of reflective skills. In this study, we explore reflection as a central element for EL in the university wide interdisciplinary course Experts in Teamwork (EiT). Based upon 17 years of experience with the development of EiT, perspectives from the literature, and critically analyzing current practices, we describe two key findings from this ongoing exploration: the need to develop a framework for such a course and the need for training of teaching staff.     

Students’ use of a rubric for research theses

A rubric for research theses was developed, based on the manual of the American Psychological Association, to be used as an assessment tool for teachers and students. The aim was to make students aware of what is expected, get familiar with criteria, and interpret teacher and peer feedback. In two studies, it was examined whether students use and value these functions. In the first study, a rubric was provided to 105 Educational Sciences students working on their bachelor’s thesis. Questionnaire data indicated that students did value the rubric for the intended functions, although rubric use was not related to ability. In a panel interview, teachers stated that the number of proficiency levels should be increased to be able to distinguish between good and excellent students adequately, and that a criterion concerning student’s role during supervision should be added. Therefore, in the second study, 11 teachers were interviewed about their motives to give high grades and about the supervision process. This lead to an extra criterion concerning student’s role during supervision and an additional proficiency level to assess excellent performance. It is argued that an adequate course organisation is conditional for the rubric’s effectiveness.     

Pädagogisch-psychologisches Wissen von Lehrkräften aus Schule und Erwachsenenbildung: Entwicklung und Erprobung eines Testinstruments

Teachers’ pedagogical/psychological knowledge (PPK) is an important aspect of teacher competence. All conceptualisations developed so far assume that PPK is general and not specific for subjects or educational contexts. The authors take up this assumption and examine empirically whether PPK of school teachers and adult education teachers is general, i.?e. generic for subjects and educational contexts. Based on a conceptualisation validated through an expert survey (N = 44) the development of a digital test instrument with text- and videobased items is described. The article reports on the results of the structure, reliability, and DIF analyses of two PPK-facets on a total of N = 212 school and adult education teachers; analyses showed that both facets can be measured reliably with only small DIF-effects. The results point to the fact that – largely in line with the results of a literature content analysis and the expert survey – PPK is general over educational contexts. Finally, results are discussed with regard to the potentials of videobased instruments to measure teachers’ professional competence.     

Just-in-time information presentation: Improving learning a troubleshooting skill

Troubleshooting in a practice situation requires two types of information, namely for reasoning about the problem-cause and for finding an adequate solution (declarative information) and for manipulating the environment (procedural information). It is hypothesized that presenting this information piece-by-piece during practice (i.e., presentation of declarative and procedural information separately) frees up working memory and facilitates learning. Moreover, this effect is augmented when both information types are presented just-in-time (i.e., declarative information before practice and procedural information during practice). This should yield highest test performance and instructional efficiency, which is defined as higher test performance combined with lower mental effort during practice. Eighty-five students (49 male, 36 female; M = 15.2 years, SD = .59) participated in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment with the factors timing of declarative information and timing of procedural information, both before or during practice. Transfer test scores and transfer efficiency scores support the first hypothesis; the second hypothesis was not supported.     

The effects of changeover delays of fixed or variable duration on concurrent variable-interval performance in pigeons

The effects of changeover delays of fixed or variable duration on concurrent variable-interval performance in pigeons were investigated in a series of three experiments. Experiment 1 compared the effects of a fixed, variable, or variable signaled changeover delay on interchangeover times and responding during and after the changeover delay. The duration of the changeover delays was systematically varied in Experiment 2, and the relative reinforcement frequencies were manipulated in Experiment 3. Interchangeover times were found to be shorter when changeover delays of variable duration were compared with those of fixed duration. Changeover delays of fixed duration produced higher response rates during the changeover delay than after the changeover delay had elapsed; changeover delays of variable duration produced such differences to a lesser extent. It was concluded that the changeover delay in concurrent variable-interval schedules of reinforcement functionally acts as a delay period to the next opportunity for reinforcement, possibly serving as a conditioned reinforcer for the behavior preceding it (the interchangeover time) and as a discriminative stimulus for the behavior in its presence (response rates during the delay).     

Primary school pupils’ performances in understanding historical time

This study focuses on the development of the understanding of historical time of pupils in primary school. We present a developmental model with three stages: emergent, initial and continued understanding of historical time. Based on this model, we constructed an instrument to measure how pupils aged 6–12 perform. The participants were 1457 pupils from 7 Dutch primary schools. The analysis of the data showed that in all three stages pupils in higher grades significantly outperformed pupils in lower grades and that pupils’ performances were influenced by the variables gender and parents’ education. In all grades, there seemed to be room for improvement, especially in the lower grades (ages 6–9) where pupils have hardly had any teaching on the understanding of historical time. However, in the higher grades as well (ages 10–12), pupils could improve on the level of continued understanding of historical time.     

Developing pedagogical practices in Myanmar primary schools: possibilities and constraints

This paper presents the findings of a baseline study of pedagogic practices used by Myanmar primary teachers in the teaching of mathematics and Myanmar language at Grades 3 and 5. The main purpose of the baseline study was to inform the design of teacher education programmes and allow for subsequent evaluations of interventions designed to improve the quality of primary education. It found that the majority of observed lessons (n = 728) used a transmission model of teaching in which the teacher often used a chalkboard and/or textbook to transmit recipe knowledge for recall and there was little variation across the teaching of mathematics and Myanmar language at Grades 3 and 5. Drawing on evidence from the baseline, the paper explores the training needs of primary teachers in Myanmar in the light of proposed reforms to teacher education at the pre- and in-service stages.     

Educators in non-formal vocational education and training in Mozambique: a plea for recognition and professionalisation

Interest in vocational education and training (VET) is growing. This can be attributed to global socio-economic developments requiring continuously changing knowledge and skills. Adult education and training, particularly in non-formal education (NFE) contributes to provide these skills and knowledge for youth and adults. This puts pressure not only on programmes and facilities, but also on the educators. How do they cope with the changing demands? This paper focuses on educators in non-formal vocational education and training (NFVET) in Mozambique. It explores the perceptions, experiences and reflections of educators in NFVET working in training centres on the outskirts of Maputo. Semi-structured interviews and observations were used to get insight into the educators’ understandings and into the conditions in which their educational activities took place. The findings point to the need for the professionalisation of NFVET educators. This would contribute to the quality of their activities and to their status as professionals.