The goals and methods of educational technology research over a quarter century (1989–2014)

This paper presents an analysis of educational technology research with specific emphasis on determining how the research goals pursued and methods used have evolved over the 25-year period from 1989 through 2014. For this study, the contents of the Educational Technology Research and Development journal were analyzed over two six-year periods, first from 1989 to 1994 and second from 2009 to 2014, to identify the goals and methods of the studies specifically designated in the journal as “research papers.” Results indicate trends in the goals and methods employed in educational technology research that have implications for future research directions as well as for the preparation of graduate students and early career scholars to conduct educational technology research.     

Classroom environment and approaches to learning: An investigation of the actual and preferred perceptions of Hong Kong secondary school students

This study is based on the responses of 180 Form 3 Hong Kong secondary students to preferred and actual forms of Chinese versions of the Classroom Environment Scale (Moos & Trickett 1974) and Learning Process Questionnaire (Biggs 1987) with reference to their Science classes. The data tended to support qualitative research indicating that Hong Kong secondary school students perceive their classroom to be relatively competitive and teacher controlled and as encouraging rote learning. The students tended to prefer a friendlier atmosphere where students and teachers collaborated to provide a greater variety of interesting but challenging activities. Such a learning environment, the students indicated, would tend to promote the deeper, more achievement-oriented approach to learning that they would prefer. The relationship was strongest between preferred deep approach and preferred learning environment. Some implications for improvement of student learning are discussed.     

Key considerations in assessing young children’s emotional competence

Abstract

Recent years have witnessed a surge in evidence on preschoolers’ emotional development as crucial for both concurrent and later well-being and mental health, and for learning and academic success. Given the importance of building such strengths, assessing emotional competence skills is important to aid early childhood educators in focusing programming for individuals and classrooms. Based on these assertions, this article is structured as follows: (1) outline important issues regarding developmentally appropriate early childhood assessment, particularly of emotional competence; (2) discuss use of culturally relevant standards of attainment of such skills in assessing student progress; (3) define the skills of emotional competence; (4) describe a model leading from developmentally appropriate emotional competence skills to assessment and programming; (5) suggest some possible tools for schools to use in assessing emotional competence of young children; (6) give guidance for new measurement development, and (7) suggest needed policy and practice in this area.     

Motivational support from digital game-based learning environments (DGBLEs) for scientific topics designed by novice end users

The integration of digital game-based learning environment (DGBLE) enhanced by technology in recent years has been hampered by its complexity and difficulty in realistically addressing teachers’ instructional needs. The pedagogical gap between what teachers think a DGBLE can deliver and what DGBLE can actually offer remains substantial. To preliminarily address the gap, this present qualitative study adopted an end-user-development lens to understand how K-12 teachers as novice end users interpret and design game features in their DGBLEs. The design ideas, situated in teaching scientific subjects, were collected from 19 pre-service teachers in a public university in the United States by semi-structured interviews based on game features identified in the literature. The data analysis, grounded in the ARCS (attention, relevance, confidence, satisfaction) motivational design model, employed the direct content analysis method and revealed the distribution of motivational support among participants’ DGBLEs design ideas. The finding suggested that participants were more likely to incorporate intrinsic motivational support than extrinsic support in their design. This trend could compromise the motivational support of DGBLEs when students need additional extrinsic motives toward the end of learning processes. Further, the study illuminates the importance of incorporating end users’ perspectives early on in the DGBLE design process.     

Parental Involvement in Education: how do parents want to become involved?

Increased parental involvement in schooling is one of the central plans of government policy. The planned integrated schools in Northern Ireland provide direct evidence of high levels of parental participation in action. The experience of the schools suggests, that whilst parental involvement is relatively easy to generate during the initial stages of the setting up of a school it is much more difficult to sustain over the long term. There is also potential for difficulties to arise, both between groups of parents and between parents and staff, over the range of issues which parents wish to influence and the direction of that influence. Parents wish to participate in the running of the schools in many different ways and this leads to the development of the concept of levels of involvement’. Whilst quite large numbers of parents want a direct involvement in the education of their own children only a small number seek the type of wider commitment to policy development implicit in positions such as that of school governor.     

A portrait of remedial instruction: faculty workload and assessment techniques

Remediation in postsecondary education continues to be an issue that is hotly debated by institutional leaders and state policymakers. The National Center for Education Statistics [The National Center for Education Statistics. (2003). Remedial education at higher education institutions in fall 2000. PEQIS. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education.] estimates that 98% of public 2-year and 80% of public 4-year institutions offered at least one remedial course. The need for remedial courses is also demonstrated by the growing number of students who enroll each year. Studies that examine students and placement are found in the literature, but few examine the faculty who teach in remedial programs [Boylan, H., Bonham, B. S., Jackson, J., & Saxon, D. P. (1995). Research in Developmental Education, 12(1), 42–52.]. The purpose of this study was to examine faculty who teach remedial courses. In particular, we were interested in faculty workload and the assessment techniques employed by faculty based upon type and level of institution. More specifically, data was analyzed using the NSOPF: 99 database on faculty at 2-year and 4-year institutions as well as faculty at private and public institutions. Some comparisons between faculty teaching remedial courses and nonremedial courses are presented.     

Educational Studies And Faith-Based Schooling: Moving From Prejudice To Evidence-Based Argument

Much of the political and public debate about faith-based schooling is conducted at the level of generalised assertion and counter-assertion, with little reference to educational scholarship or research. There is a tendency in these debates to draw upon historical images of faith schooling (idealised and critical); to use ideological advocacy (both for and against) and to deploy strong claims about the effects of faith-based schooling upon personal and intellectual autonomy and the wider consequences of such schooling for social harmony, race relations and the common good of society.
  This paper will attempt to review some of these controversies in the light of recent educational and research studies. Particular attention will be given to research investigations of Catholic schooling systems in various cultural and political contexts, studies which are largely unknown outside the Catholic community.
  In addition to reviewing educational studies of faith-based schooling, the paper will offer critical appraisal of the main arguments in the debate and it will also outline a possible research agenda for future inquiry in this sector of educational studies.     

Acceptability of positive and punitive discipline methods: comparisons among abusive, potentially abusive, and nonabusive parents

The present study compared abusive, potentially abusive, and control group parents' perceptions of commonly used discipline procedures. The clinical samples were obtained from Parents Anonymous (PA) and consisted of both court-referred (abusive) and self-referred (potentially abusive) members. The subjects were presented with case vignettes that described a child with either mild or severe behavior problems and asked to rate four methods of disciplining the child. The discipline methods involved positive reinforcement, timeout, timeout with spanking, and spanking. The findings indicated that (1) overall, the parents generally evaluated positive reinforcement as significantly more acceptable than timeout, timeout with spanking, and spanking; (2) self-referred PA members viewed timeout, timeout with spanking, and spanking as relatively more acceptable than did their demographically similar comparison group; and (3) court-referred PA parents' ratings did not significantly differ from their comparison group, since both groups rated the reinforcement method as significantly more acceptable than the other three discipline methods.     

An examination of the oral language competence of junior infant pupils attending DEIS and Non-DEIS schools

Educational disadvantage remains a serious issue in Irish society. Research has suggested that differing styles and levels of competence in oral language may have implications for educational attainment across socio-economic groups. The current study involved an examination of the oral language competence of Irish children in Junior Infants in DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) and Non-DEIS schools. DEIS schools are those which have been granted entry to DEIS, the most recent governmental scheme for tackling educational disadvantage in Ireland, following identification of a significant level of need. Non-DEIS schools are those which have not gained access to the scheme due to a lower level of assessed need. Two samples of children were assessed. The first sample included 23 children from a DEIS school and 27 children from a Non-DEIS school, located in the East of the country. The second sample included 35 children from 2 DEIS schools located in the Southwest and 28 children from 2 Non-DEIS schools located in the Northwest. Children's receptive language was assessed using the British Picture Vocabulary Scale III, which is a standardised measure of receptive vocabulary. Their expressive language was assessed through the collection of a language sample, which enabled the calculation of variables representing gross language development (Mean Length of Utterance), vocabulary diversity and syntactic development. The results demonstrated that differences between the two groups of children in both samples were largely of small or trivial effect size and not statistically significant, suggesting a negligible to small effect of socio-economic status on oral language competence.