Encouraging and analyzing student questions in a large physics course: Meaningful patterns for instructors

In a large introductory physics course, structured weekly journals (weekly reports) regularly encouraged students to ask questions about the material. The resulting questions were collected for one quarter and coded based on difficulty and topic. Students also took several conceptual tests during the quarter. The reports contained more questions than typically observed in a college classroom, but the number of questions asked was not correlated to any measure of conceptual performance. Relationships among different types of questions and performance on these tests were explored. Deeper‐level questions that focus on concepts, coherence of knowledge, and limitations were related to the variance in student conceptual achievement. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 40: 776–791, 2003     

Approaches to Study of Distance Education Students

The'Approaches to Studying'inventory of Ramsden and Entwistle (1981) was administered to groups of external and internal students at Capricornia Institute and the Tasmanian College of Advanced Education. Factor analysis revealed a similar factor structure for external students to that of the total sample. This finding, together with analysis of variance data, is taken as evidence that it is valid to use the inventory and the associated theories on learning styles with distance education students. Analysis of variance data showed differences in learning styles for older students. The implications of this finding for the design of distance education courses are discussed.     

Metacognition as a Basis for Learning Support Software

In order to understand the task of instructional designers who produce learning support software, this paper reviews the influence of learning theory on instructional design, recent developments in computer technology, and the evolving role of the instructor as a facilitator of higher-order thinking. Constructivist principles of learning and an appreciation for the fact that the learner must become more independent and skilled in metacognitive self-assessment and self-management are fundamental to this changing role. Two cognitive tools that provide learner/user support for personal construction of knowledge systems are “MindMap” and “Learning FourMat Processor.” These tools are examined in the light of current learning theory and a recent study comparing the work of novice and expert writers using different forms of performance support. Recommendations are made for the development of a more complete set of cognitive tools that enables users to construct their own multimedia knowledge systems based on higher-order thinking and problem solving.     

Texts

Made in America: Immigrant Students in Our Public Schools. Laurie Olsen, New York: The New Press, 1997, 276 pages, $25.00 (hardcover), ISBN 1–5658–4400–9, and $14.95 (softcover), ISBN 1–5658–4471–8.

The Power of Their Ideas: Lessons for America From a Small School in Harlem. Deborah Meier, Boston: Beacon Press, 1995, 190 pages, $12.00 (softcover). ISBN 0–8070–3111–9.

Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow: Meeting the Challenge of Our Multicultural America & Beyond. Paul D. Christiansen and Michelle Young, San Francisco: Gaddo Gap Press, 1996, 376 pages, $29.95 (softcover). ISBN 1–8801–9218–7.     

Movement and Measurement: The Case of the Incompatible Marriage

This paper contains an in-depth, three-part overview of the literature and ideas pertaining to professionalization of attitudes toward play. The first section focuses on the popular ideology which assumes that similar values are operative in both the sport world and the adult work world. The second part of the paper consists of a review and critique of the research and theory centering on value orientation and its relationship to age, athletic status, and gender. The last section contains an examination of the properties and assumptions of the Webb Scale and suggestions for scale improvement. The author attempts to show that thus far the existing research has failed to prove empirically (a) that significant differences in value orientation can be attributed to participation in athletics, and (b) that involvement in competitive sport socializes an athlete into the value system of the work world. The author also argues that the professionalization of attitudes is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon, a concept which has not been reflected in the measurement of such attitudes.