Applying the Science of Learning to the Learning of Science: Newton’s Second Law of Motion

Science teaching and learning require knowledge about how learning takes place (cognition) and how learners interact with their surroundings (affective and sociocultural factors). The study reported on focussed on learning for understanding of Newton’s second law of motion from a cognitive perspective that takes social factors into account. A cognitive refinement instructional approach (CRIA) was used to organise and sequence learning activities, while students were engaged through inquiry and group work. Students’ real-life experiences were used as starting point of the learning sequence. The efficiency of the sequence was determined with the aid of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) and complemented with the students’ reflections on the sequence, showing their epistemological preferences. The results indicated that a CRIA aided in constructing more coherent scientific knowledge and enhanced understanding, while reducing misconceptions on the topic. In their reflections, the students acknowledged that experiential and experimental evidence, as well as guided formation of a scientific explanatory framework, are foundational for a deeper understanding of the challenging topic.     

Unterrichtsbezogene Überzeugungen und handlungsleitende Kognitionen von Lehrpersonen

Die hier vorgestellte Studie untersucht den Zusammenhang zwischen unterrichtsbezogenen und handlungsleitenden Kognitionen anhand einer Stichprobe von 20 deutschen und 18 schweizerischen Mathematiklehrpersonen. Die untersuchten unterrichtsbezogenen überzeugungen fokussieren auf das konstruktivistische und das rezeptive Lehr-Lernverst?ndnis der Lehrpersonen, die spezifischen Kognitionen auf das konkrete didaktische Handeln in einer Unterrichtseinheit zur Einführung in die Satzgruppe des Pythagoras. In früheren Untersuchungen zeigte sich, dass sich deutsche Lehrpersonen konstruktivistischer als schweizerische Lehrkr?fte einsch?tzten, ihren Unterricht aber eher als fragend-entwickelnd beschrieben. Ausgehend von diesem Befund werden in der Untersuchung deutsche und schweizerische Lehrpersonen hinsichtlich ihrer überzeugungen und handlungsleitenden Kognitionen vergleichend untersucht. In einem zweiten Schritt wird nach Zusammenh?ngen zwischen beiden Facetten professionellen Lehrerwissens gefragt. Die Ergebnisse verweisen darauf, dass sich die deutschen Mathematiklehrpersonen in ihren überzeugungen st?rker als jene in der Schweiz an einem konstruktivistischen Verst?ndnis von Lehr-Lernprozessen orientieren, dieses sich aber sowohl bei deutschen als auch bei schweizerischen Lehrpersonen kaum in den handlungsleitenden Kognitionen widerspiegelt. Als Erkl?rung für diese geringe Korrespondenz zwischen unterrichtsbezogenen überzeugungen und handlungsleitenden Kognitionen kommen u.a. belastende Rahmenbedingungen und eine geringe Selbstwirksamkeit der Lehrpersonen in Frage. Daher werden in einem dritten Schritt Zusammenh?nge zwischen unterrichtsbezogenen überzeugungen und handlungsleitenden Kognitionen unter Kontrolle belastender Rahmenbedingungen und der Selbstwirksamkeit der Lehrpersonen untersucht. Dabei zeigen sich, allerdings in erster Linie nur bei schweizerischen Lehrpersonen, einige erwartungskonforme systematische Zusammenh?nge zwischen konstruktivistischen überzeugungen und handlungsleitenden Kognitionen.     

Poor performance on serial visual tasks in persons with reading disabilities: impaired working memory?

The present study investigates the performance of persons with reading disabilities (PRD) on a variety of sequential visual-comparison tasks that have different working-memory requirements. In addition, mediating relationships between the sequential comparison process and attention and memory skills were looked for. Our findings suggest that PRD perform worse than normally achieving readers (NAR) when the task requires more than a minimal amount of working memory, unrelated to presentation rate. We also demonstrate high correlations between performance on the task with the most working-memory demands and reading-related skills, suggesting that poor working-memory abilities may be one of the underlying mechanisms of dyslexia. The mediating model analysis indicates that order judgment tasks are mediating to verbal working memory, suggesting that visual sequence memory precedes auditory sequence memory. We further suggest that visual tasks involving sequential comparisons could probe for poor working memory in PRD.     

Student learning behaviours as a means for a cognitive evaluation of a physics program

The formative evaluation model presented here examines the character of classroom interaction by juxtaposing required and performed student learning behaviours. We use the concept of learning behaviours as a tool for the examination of interactions among the commonplaces of learning (students, teachers, and curriculum materials). We define learning behaviours as actions performed by the students as a result of learning stimuli that are presumed to advance the student towards the acquirement of new knowledge. Learning behaviours may have negative as well as positive outcomes. For example, the identification of variables in an experiment, a required learning behaviour, might very possibly lead to the identification of non-relevant as well as relevant variables. This could lead to the development of misconceptions concerning conclusions drawn from the experiment. Hopefully, such student misconceptions arising from the materials would be identified during the process of formative evaluation. The evaluation model described here is an integral part of a curriculum project aimed at the development of learning materials in physics for technical vocational high schools. In particular, the materials are intended to teach basic principles of physics to students of poor motivation and limited ability. They are oriented towards the needs of technical vocational students and present physics and technology as complementary disciplines (Finegold & Reiner, 1984).     

Co-regulation and knowledge construction in an online synchronous problem based learning setting

Learning to monitor and regulate one’s learning in an academic setting is a task that all students must engage in. Learning in “group” situations requires both self- and co-regulation. This research examines a case study of a small group of medical student interactions during an on-line problem based learning activity (PBL) where students learn to co-regulate their performance as they construct their understanding of how best to communicate bad news to patients. This paper introduces an approach for analyzing the group discourse to understand how collective knowledge building facilitates co-regulation. A mixed method analysis was used to analyze the case study data. A qualitative data analysis of verbal interactions was conducted to examine co-regulatory episodes. Collective knowledge building was examined by analyzing the group discourse for indicators of co-regulatory processes. The study follows two quantitative analyses: a frequency count analysis of types of questions asked by facilitators and students; and a sequential pattern mining for patterns of co-occurrences of learners’ discourse and co-regulation.     

Implicit Gender Stereotypes and Essentialist Beliefs Predict Preservice Teachers’ Tracking Recommendations

This study investigated the extent to which differences in implicit and explicit math–language gender stereotypes, and essentialist beliefs among preservice teachers affect tracking recommendations for math/science- versus language-oriented secondary schools. Consistent with expectations, the results suggest that student's gender influences preservice teachers’ school career recommendations: Boys are more likely to be recommended for a math/science-oriented secondary school, whereas girls are more likely recommended for a language-oriented school. Both implicit math–language gender stereotypes and beliefs in genetic determinism (reflecting essentialist beliefs) predicted the stereotypicality of school career recommendations, whereas explicit measures did not. The results suggest that more closely investigating factors contributing to stereotypical behavior in teachers might help to minimize biased actions and decisions in the educational context.     

Evaluation Practices in Teacher Education in Israel

Evaluation procedures and the emphasis on evaluation in teacher education courses in Israel were studied through questionnaires administered to teacher educators, student teachers and practicing teachers. The results show that the emphasis on evaluation is marginal and that evaluation procedures in teacher education have significant effects on practicing teachers.