Effective Dutch School Improvement Projects

This article describes 2 effective school improvement projects in primary education. In The Netherlands, there is a long history of failing innovations in education. The 2 programmes are selected because they are known to be effective. They have almost the same goals (strengthen the school's capacity for managing change, improving teachers' capacity to adapt instruction to student's needs, and prevent and reduce disadvantage, especially in reading and arithmetic) and theoretical background (a balanced mix of the school and class effectiveness knowledge and the concepts of school improvement). They use, however, partly different strategies for school improvement. The characteristics (aims, theory, design, implementation, improvement, outcomes) of both programmes are described. These data are used to discuss what lessons are learned for effective school improvement.     

Computer-aided Hypermedia for Learning and Self Studies

A complete coverage of the course content does not lead the student to explorative curiosity and to a scientific attitude to knowledge and learning. Interactive hypermedia use will lead to an epistemological quality raising since in that way students’ independence in planning, knowledge acquisition and problem solving might be facilitated and since at the same time tutorial supervision and guidance can be included. Hypermedia have possibilities to provide students with large quantities of information. With network interfacing learning can take place independent of time and place and individualized education will be possible. Combined with CMC (computer mediated communication) and educational software the student has a tool for life-long education within the classroom. At the Växjö University text, images and simulations have been integrated within a hypertext system: Hyperbook (for Macintosh). At the Royal Institute of Technology we develop this concept to use it with computer-based self-study material in mechanics, a project which started in autumn 1990 using HyperCard. At the University of Lund a development of hypertext material in the form of computer illustrated text for a thermodynamics textbook has just started. An example of limits of models will be demonstrated by a computer simulation of a linearized and a non-linearized pendulum.     

On the Effectiveness of Teaching: Direct Versus Indirect Instruction

ABSTRACT

The literature about the effectiveness of teacher behaviour shows that the teaching style described as ‘direct’ increases academic learning time and therefore learning gain. In the Netherlands, a study was carried out to predict learning gain after the use by teachers of different behaviours. This was done in the elementary school in grade 4, 6 and 8 (students respectively 8, 10 and 12 years of age) for the subjects mathematics and world‐orientation. No significant correlations were found between teacher behaviour and learning gain in world‐orientation. With regard to mathematics, especially in grade 4, correlational analysis showed that learning gain can be well predicted by the behavioural categories ‘giving instruction’, ‘soliciting response’, ‘corrective feedback’, ‘organizing the learning situation’ and ‘monitoring’. These categories describe direct instruction adequately.     

IN SEARCH OF MEANING: A REMINISCENCE PROGRAM FOR OLDER PERSONS

A pilot evaluation is reported of a reminiscence program aimed at increasing personal meaning. Fifty-seven older persons completed both a sentence completion questionnaire measuring personal meaning and a depression scale administered before and after the program. In comparison to a group from a representative survey that was matched on life contexts, the personal meaning profile of the intervention group was more negative and more focused on self. Hence, a group with impoverished meaning was participating in the program. After the intervention, the personal meaning profile was more positive, in particular with regard to self-evaluations and evaluations of social relations. The group that improved most on depression also improved most on personal meaning. Further research on the program is warranted.     

The quality of student ratings of teacher behaviour

In a research project into the effectiveness of mathematics teaching in the first year of secondary education, external observers and students rated teachers' behaviour. The reliability and validity of both methods were established. The results show that teacher behaviour is assessed well when student ratings are aggregated at the classroom level. The quality of aggregated student ratings is as good as the quality of data from external observers. The predictive validity of aggregated student ratings is higher than the predictive validity of external observations when subject motivation is taken as a dependent variable.     

Homework and Student Math Achievement in Junior High Schools

In the school year 1994/1995 homework characteristics and effectiveness in math education among secondary schools were compared. The study examined the 1st year of secondary education (average age level: 12.3 years). The sample consisted of 28 schools, 56 classes and 1,394 students. The results show a lack of policy directed at the co-ordination of and increase in the amount of homework in Dutch schools. Nevertheless most math teachers give homework every lesson. Multi-level analysis shows that the amount of homework was the only homework variable related to achievement. It explained 2.4% of the variance. Frequency of homework and homework time were not related to achievement. There is a sharp contrast between Dutch and US teachers in ‘checking and grading’ of homework. However, in this study this variable was not related to math achievement.