Small fish in a small pond: the impact of collaborative learning on academic success for less-prepared students in a highly selective STEM environment

ABSTRACT

This study examines academic outcomes for university students engaged in a supplemental peer learning program in a selective institution. Using a matched sample of 1266 students, half enrolled in the supplemental program and half not enrolled, we find that participating students on average earned higher grades in linked courses. Using a subsample of students in a chemistry course sequence, we find program participants were more likely to remain in the sequence than non-participants, and that the impact was greater for students with lower levels of preparation.     

Bullying and social support: variation by school-type and emotional or behavioural disturbances

The present study analysed whether bullying/victimisation and related social support vary by emotional and behavioural disturbances (EBD) as well as school type. We examined 540 German adolescents with and without emotional disturbances (ED)/behavioural disturbances (BD) attending regular and special schools for students with EBD. Adolescents with BD and co-morbid co-occurring emotional and behavioural disturbances (ED + BD) reported elevated levels of bullying, while students with ED and co-morbid ED + BD reported elevated levels of victimisation. Enhanced levels of overt victimisation were also found in adolescents from special schools. Students from special schools perceived less peer support but more teacher support. Furthermore, adolescents with co-morbid ED + BD were least likely to tell teachers about being victimised. It is concluded that bullying interventions for adolescents with EBD and students from special schools need to be implemented and evaluated.     

Peer assessment in thesis oral presentation

Peer assessment has been studied in various situations and actively pursued as a means by which students are given more control over their learning and assessment achievement. This study investigated the reliability of staff and student assessments in two oral presentations with limited feedback for a school-based thesis course in engineering where the different disciplines ran their own assessment. Staff scores were generally found to be more reliable than student scores, but it was not consistent. The engineering disciplines displayed widely varying differences between the staff and student scores. A large variation in reliability was found for the different disciplines making it difficult to reconcile to a standard school-based overall grading scheme for the course when the reliability of marking was low. The results also showed that the average scores for oral presentations are generally much higher than for written examinations, based on the grade point average. Future research will need to investigate how best to develop a consistent assessment framework for oral presentations and moderation of scores for consistency, particularly for large classes where assessment are done by different groups of staff and students and collated into a single set of marks for the class.     

本科“朋辈导师制”探析

高等院校本科导师制已经成为新形势下大学生培养模式的一大趋势,而本科"朋辈导师制"不但能解决导师资源不足这一问题,而且还能在促使本科生更好成才方面发挥特殊的作用。为了有效地实行"朋辈导师制",必须注意选聘和确定朋辈导师的合理性,朋辈导师"导"的形式和方法的灵活多样性和"朋辈导师制"管理的激励性。     

The relationship among achievement goals,standardized test scores,and elementary students’ focus in school

The study examined whether an academic, social, or both an academic and social focus might relate with achievement goals and academic achievement. Participants were 412 urban elementary school students. Results suggest that students with an academic focus toward school have more mastery‐approach and less mastery‐avoid achievement goals. Academic achievement (standardized test scores) did not relate with boys’ or girls’ focus toward school. These findings suggest that academic motivation, but not achievement, correspond with self‐perceptions of school as being a place to learn or school as a place for social interactions.     

Associations between different forms of peer victimization and school absences: The moderating role of teacher attachment and perceived school safety

Given the significant negative impacts of peer victimization on youth development, studies have sought to understand what buffers against these consequences. To that end, the present study examined whether teacher attachment and perceptions of school safety moderated the associations between different forms of victimization and school absences over the course of an academic year among a sample of 272 high school students. Findings indicated that teacher attachment moderated the associations between relational and cyber victimization and absences, while perceived school safety moderated associations between relational victimization and absences. However, findings pertaining to cyber victimization were not as anticipated. Implications for prevention and intervention efforts in high schools are discussed.     

The impact of alternative authentic assessment outcomes in Palestinian fourth grade math classrooms

Focusing on evaluating students’ performance in basic math classrooms, the researchers in this study examined the impact of alternative assessments on learning outcomes in fourth grade Palestinian classrooms. Representing a large sector of education in the Palestinian territories, fourth grade students were randomly selected to participate in the study in which they participated in various math instructional and assessment activities throughout multiple lessons and cycles. Alternative assessment approaches were used including student self- assessment, peer assessment, and teacher assessment in terms of three main achievement levels to measure the extent to which students learned the math concepts by recall and remembrance, ability to apply, and making inferences. Mixed Design ANOVA measures were used to analyze and interpret the results which showed significant trends and correlations across the four cycles of math instruction and indicated that alternative authentic assessment methods have had a positive impact on students’ learning and application of math. Implications for integrating authentic assessment measures as well as peer and self- assessments were drawn in light of the promising outcomes of augmenting student motivation and developing critical life-long skills.     

技术研发项目中同行专家评议产生非共识的原因分析

各级政府的科技主管部门,因为要指导、资助技术研发活动,常常要组织同行专家对R&D的项目进行评价.而"非共识"在项目立项和对最新研究成果的评价中是普遍存在的.本文认为由于技术本身的不确定性和风险性、评者与被评者之间的信息非对称性和鸿沟以及同行评议自身的弊端是致使非共识技术研发项目出现的根源.     

Using the method of normalisation for mapping group marks to individual marks: some observations

Abstract

The method of normalisation combined with peer ratings is utilised to provide the solution to the biased rating problem of mapping group work marks to individual marks. We critically evaluate the method of normalisation following the findings of an article which argued against the use of self and/or peer rating mechanism. We demonstrate that the findings of that article also hold for the method of normalisation as the influence of human behavioural factors are not accommodated in the designs. Additionally, we argue that the method (and its variants) is rather complicated, where all possible contingencies are not pre-specified. It makes the arrangement between tutors and students in conducting peer assessments incomplete and unverifiable by a third party.     

Peer-Facilitated Learning: Students’ Experiences

This article explores first-year students’ motivation for attending peer-facilitated learning (PFL) sessions at a University of Technology, and how they benefit from it. Studies have shown better academic performance for students attending PFL sessions; however, little attention has been dedicated to questioning what else outside of subject knowledge is being disseminated during these sessions; what motivates students to attend these sessions; and what students benefit from attending these sessions. Research has revealed that the majority of first-year students experience challenges with the transition between high school and university. Consequently, first-year experience has become the focus of higher education institutions worldwide. This situation calls for an effective intervention programme such as PFL to assist first-year students with the challenges of transition. The findings of this study contrary to popular literature that highlights academic success as the focus of PFL, revealed that students demonstrate a strong inclination to soft skills and social interactions as the main motivation for attending PFL sessions. This calls for a re-evaluation on how PFL support should be organised especially for first-year students.