Effect of Self-assessment Practices on Students’ Academic Performance during their Elementary Schooling

Background and Aim: One of the basic issues and problems of the educational life of people and the educational system of any country is the issue of academic decline and the low level of academic performance of the students of that country. Therefore, the aim of the research was to investigate the effectiveness of strength-based training on students' academic performance. Methods: The present research was quasi-experimental with an experimental group and a control group and a pre-test, post-test design. For this purpose, 16 people were selected from the statistical population of undergraduate students of Islamic Azad University of South Tehran Branch (Valiasr Complex) by random sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental (8 people) and control (8 people) groups and their academic performance Evaluated. These people participated in Smith's (2004) strength-based training sessions individually in 10 90-minute sessions. The data were analyzed using the univariate analysis of covariance test using SPSS statistical analysis software. Results: The findings showed that academic performance (P<0.001, F=41.018) increased significantly in the experimental group. Conclusion: The results showed that the use of strength-based training can help improve students' academic performance.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of critical reading (CR) practices in science courses on academic achievement, science performance level, and problem-solving skills. The experimental method and factorial design were used. The study was conducted with 102 seventh-grade students from a public school in Turkey during the 2014–2015 academic year. Experimental and control groups were formed. CR practices were followed in the experimental group and teaching practices appropriate to the curriculum were used in the control group. Data were collected with the “Multiple-Choice Academic Achievement Test” to determine the students’ academic level in the “Human and Environment Unit: The Science Performance Level Test” to determine their science performance level and the “Logical Thinking Group Test” to determine the level of their problem-solving skills. The variables of academic achievement and science performance levels were labeled “Academic Performance.” Independent samples two-way ANOVA was applied to analyze the data using SPSS 18.0 software. The results revealed that the students in the experimental group, who were taught science using CR practices, were significantly more successful than the students in the control group, whose teaching was appropriate to the current curriculum in terms of academic achievement, science performance level, and problem-solving skills. It is of critical importance to use such innovative practices, which combine various disciplines, to allow students to excel at reading, which is a basic skill, at all educational levels in order to raise contemporary and social individuals.

This study sought to investigate the effect of project-based learning method on students’ academic performance in educational psychology in Benson Idahosa University, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. To guide the study, three hypotheses were formulated and were tested at 0.05 alpha level of significance. The pre-test post-test non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental research design used for the study. The population of the study consisted of all level 300 education students in the two campuses of Benson Idahosa University. There are 42 level 300 students in education department as at the time of this study. Twenty six (26) comprising 7 males and 19 females in the heritage campus while sixteen (16) comprising 6 males and 10 females are in the legacy campus of the university. The sample for the study consisted all the forty-two (42) level 300 education students in both campuses of the university. This was because the total number was few and could be manageable. The instrument used for the study was a teacher-made test titled “Educational Psychology Test” (EPT), drawn from the pool of test items on educational psychology from 2020-2022 and was validated by three experts, with reliability index of 0.82. During treatment procedures, the two groups were pretested, the experimental group was taught using the Project-based Learning (PBL). method while the control group was taught using the traditional lecture method and after treatment administration, both groups were post tested and the findings showed that there was no significant difference in the academic performance of students in Educational Psychology in the experimental and control groups before treatment; there is a significant difference in the academic performance of students in Educational Psychology in the experimental and control groups after treatment and there is no significant difference between male and female students’ academic performance in Educational Psychology in the experimental group after treatment among secondary school students in Benson Idahosa University, Edo State. Based on the findings therefore, it is recommended that teachers should employ Project-based Learning (PBL) method for effective teaching and learning of educational psychology concepts and all other courses in Benson Idahosa University, Benin City, Edo State.

This study was conducted to show whether or not using rubrics as an assessment tool has an impact on pupils’ academic performance in Mathematics at senior secondary school level. The problem of poor performance of Grade 12 pupils in Mathematics has been a matter of concern, especially at Malela secondary school. In this study, a rubric served as an assessment tool to gather information about pupils’ achievement levels in demonstrating both knowledge and skills. The study sample population included two (2) grade 12 classes, were one class was the experimental group (N=55) and the other one was a control group (N=55) and Six (6) teachers of Mathematics. The two (2) grades twelve (12) classes were selected from the target population of the five (5) grade twelve classes using simple random sampling, and the six (6) teachers were selected purporsively.The study was based on three (3) research questions and two hypotheses. The research method used was a mixed approach and the research design was a quasi-experimental design. Three topics were taught to both the experimental and control groups which included probability, geometrical transformations and linear programing using problem based learning strategies. The experimental group was assessed using rubrics while the control group was assessed using conventional forms of assessment. The two groups were subjected to a pre-test, end of topic tests and a post-test. Data was also collected using teacher questionnaires and classroom observations. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS version 20, where an independent sample t-test was conducted at alpha (α) = 0.05 significance level and qualitative data was analyzed by categorizing, describing and explaining. The study revealed that using rubrics for assessment was found to have a positive impact on pupils’ academic performance as the experimental group outperformed the control group. The study also revealed that Mathematics teachers had a limited way of assessing pupils in class. Hence the reason to recommend that alternative assessment tools (rubrics) should be made mandatory to teachers of Mathematics at senior secondary school level. Keywords: Rubric, Assessment, Assessment tools, Conventional forms of assessment, academic performance. DOI : 10.7176/MTM/9-7-02 Publication date : July 31 st 2019

A significant body of the literature has documented the potential of Augmented Reality (AR) in education, but little is known about the effects of AR‐supported instruction in tertiary‐level Medical Education (ME). This quasi‐experimental study compares a traditional instructional approach with supplementary online lecture materials using digital handout notes with a control group ( n = 30) and an educational AR application with an experimental group ( n = 30) to investigate any possible added‐value and gauge the impact of each approach on students' academic performance and training satisfaction. This study's findings indicate considerable differences in both academic performance and training satisfaction between the two groups. The participants in the experimental group performed significantly better than their counterparts, an outcome which is also reflected in their level of training satisfaction through interacting and viewing 3D multimedia content. This study contributes by providing guidelines on how an AR‐supported intervention can be integrated into ME and provides empirical evidence on the benefits that such an approach can have on students' academic performance and knowledge acquisition. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic Several studies have applied various Augmented Reality (AR) applications across different learning disciplines. The effects of AR on students' perceptions and achievements in higher education contexts is well‐documented. Despite the increasing use of AR‐instruction in Medical Education (ME), there has been no explicit focus on AR's effects on students' academic performance and satisfaction. What this paper adds This quasi‐experimental study compares the academic performance and training satisfaction of students in an experimental group (AR) and a control group (handout notes). This study provides instructional insights into, and recommendations that may help students achieve better academic performance in AR‐supported ME courses. The experimental group reported greater training satisfaction than their counterparts. Implications for practice and policy Students who followed the AR‐supported instruction achieved better academic performance that those in the control group. AR‐supported interventions encourage active learning and lead to significant performance improvement. The experimental group outperformed the control group in academic performance and training satisfaction measurements, despite the lower experimental group's lower pre‐test performance scores.

This study investigated the effectiveness of computer simulations on students’ academic performance in the topic of evolution in the Biology subject in secondary schools in Tanzania. A quasi-experimental research study design was employed, involving two schools with a sample of 191 students that were divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental groups received instructions using computer simulations while the control groups were taught using traditional teaching methods. Pretest and posttest scores were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics, and paired samples t-test and independent samples t-test were used to measure performance variations. The results showed a significant gain in the posttest scores for both the control and experimental groups; however, the magnitude of the t-value (t = -32) for the experimental group was higher, reflecting a much stronger effect on students’ performance compared to the control group (t = -16), the gain in the experimental group is attributed to the additional advantage of the experimental group suggests that the computer simulations provided a unique learning benefit by fostering understanding through visualization of various topic phenomena. The gain in the control group may also be attributed for by teacher explanations, practice effects, increased familiarity with the test content, the use of various classroom activities, and individual teacher creativity. The study found no significant disparity in the performances based on gender. These findings show the potential of integrating computer-assisted instruction in science education, especially in areas with limited resources. The study recommends the adoption of Computer technologies in educational contexts to foster dynamic learning.

Traditional teaching approaches are often criticized for their limited effectiveness, especially in helping students improve their academic performance. Cooperative learning, where students interact in small groups to meet learning objectives, has been proposed as a more effective alternative approach. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the impact of cooperative learning on students’ achievement in the Vector Calculus (VC) course by comparing two groups: the experimental group that uses the cooperative learning approach and the control group taught using traditional methods. Data were collected through pre-tests and post-tests for both groups. An independent t-test analysis was conducted to test the study’s hypothesis. The t-test results for the pre-test showed no significant difference between the experimental group (M = 52.90, SD = 2.834) and the control group (M = 57.15, SD = 6.746), p = 0.5001, indicating that students from both groups had similar initial performance levels. However, the t-test results for the post-test revealed a significant difference between the two groups, with the experimental group using cooperative learning showing a marked performance improvement compared to the control group. Additionally, the comparison between the pre-test and post-test in the experimental group also showed a significant increase in student achievement. Conversely, the control group showed a significant decline in performance from the pre-test to the post-test, indicating that traditional teaching methods may be less effective in this course. In conclusion, the findings of this study suggest that the cooperative learning approach has a positive and significant impact on student achievement in the VC course compared to traditional teaching methods. Therefore, cooperative learning is recommended to improve students’ academic performance. Educators may consider incorporating group activities, collaborative discussions, and joint problemsolving to optimize the effectiveness of this approach in their teaching.

Mnemonic instructional strategies, such as PEMDAS, enhance learning and retention of the fundamental knowledge and mathematical skills essential for learning high school Mathematics. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the PEMDAS mnemonic instructional strategy on learners’ academic performance in Mathematics and their attitude towards the subject of Grade 8 learners by comparing pretest and post-test results; determine if there was a significant effect of the strategy on learners' academic performance in Mathematics; and analyze the implications of the study's findings in teaching Mathematics. The quasi-experimental research design and purposive sampling technique, consisting of 100 respondents from two groups (control and experimental), were employed. A modified survey questionnaire on the attitude toward Mathematics and the learners’ proficiency tests questionnaire was used to gather data. The data were analyzed using statistical techniques such as mean, standard deviation, t-test, and f-test. The findings showed that learners from the experimental group performed better in the posttest than those from the control group. There was a significant difference in the results of posttest mean rating scores between the control and experimental groups. The instructional strategy was found to have a significant effect on learners’ academic performance in the experimental group. This concludes that using PEMDAS mnemonic instructional strategy effectively improves learners’ academic performance and attitudes towards the subject. It is recommended that effective instructional strategies such as PEMDAS mnemonics be integrated into teaching and minimize the use of teacher-centered approach to improve learners’ fundamental skills, conceptual understanding and procedural fluency in Mathematics

Video magazines can make students' learning experience more effective by adding a different dimension to the learning process. This learning experience can create changes in students' attitudes and behaviors. This study aimed to investigate the impact of video magazines in the experimental group. It printed magazines in the control group on middle school pupils' academic performance and attitudes toward digital technology. The research study group comprises 5th-grade children enrolled in a state-affiliated secondary school in the Arnavutköy district of Istanbul during the academic year 2023-2024. One of the two identical fifth-grade classes at the school was designated as the control group, while the other was given the experimental group. Both the control group and the experimental group consisted of 27 students each. The study employed a quasi-experimental approach and used quantitative analysis protocols. An examination of the accomplishment test revealed a notable disparity in the post-test scores between the experimental and control groups. Consequently, it was concluded that the experimental group received instruction using video magazines and achieved superior scores. Upon analysis of the post-tests of the attitude scale between the experimental and control groups, a notable disparity was observed in the sub-dimensions of "social networks," "instructional technology use," "technology for personal use," and "use for entertainment purposes." The use of video magazines in teaching is of significant importance. The results were deliberated over in relationship to the existing body of knowledge, and recommendations were put forward.

This study investigated how cooperative learning affected students' academic performance in an online higher education environment. Its specific goal was to find out whether, in comparison to conventional online learning techniques, including cooperative learning activities could improve academic achievement. An experimental control group with a pre-test and post-test design was used. All students enrolled in the Virtual University of Pakistan's Fall semester undergraduate course "Test Development and Evaluation" were included in the population. A sample of seventy-three students was chosen and split into two groups: a control group consisting of 38 participants and an experimental group consisting of 35 individuals. In order to incorporate cooperative learning into the online learning environment, email-based activities were carried out. The purpose of these activities was to promote cooperation and knowledge exchange among the students in the experimental group. Contrarily, the control group followed the typical online learning protocol, finishing the pre- and post-tests but forgoing the cooperative learning exercises. The achievement exam functioned as the pre-test and post-test tool, enabling researchers to evaluate modifications in students' comprehension and knowledge. To compare the gain scores (the difference between pre- and post-test scores) between the experimental and control groups, parametric statistical analysis was used, most especially t-tests. A specified significance criterion of p < 0.05 was established. The outcomes were striking. The results of statistical analysis showed that there was a highly significant difference in the gain scores between the two groups, with a p-value of 0.002. When compared to the conventional online learning strategy used in the control group, this indicates that the cooperative learning activities conducted in the experimental group had a favourable and statistically significant impact on student academic achievement. To sum up, this study offers compelling evidence that using cooperative learning techniques in online learning settings can greatly improve students' academic performance. These results support the use of cooperative learning strategies by teachers in online learning environments in order to provide their students with a more engaging and productive learning environment.

This study was conducted to determine the influence of the FG Vega technique on students' academic performance to address the least learned competency in Science 8. Seventy students from Grade 8 classes served as respondents of the study. The study employed a quasi-experimental method. The mean score of students who took the post-test is 32.03 and 27.57 respectively for the experimental and control group. The results can be gleaned that the score of each student in the experimental group has a little variation of mean with 6.71 as compared to the control group with a variation of 7.52. The results can be observed that the mean score of students in the pre-test under the control group is 8.80 and 11.34 under the experimental group. Thus, the results of the study can be further concluded that the students under the experimental group outperformed the students in the control group. Since the significant level is lesser than the p-value of 0.05, indicates that there is a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test under the experimental group. Hence, there is a significant difference between the post-test of the experimental and control group.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of innovative pedagogical approach compared to conventional instructional method in enhancing students’ academic performance in mathematics. The research involved pre-test and post-test assessments of students in both experimental and control groups. Findings revealed that the students in the controlled group had a mean score of 9.46 for the pre-test and 16.18 in the post-test. The result showed that the scores from pre-test to post-test increase a bit. While the students in the experimental group obtained a pre-test mean score of 9.31 and post-test mean score of 24.14. The result showed that the scores of the students from the pre-test almost doubled their scores in the post-test. The mean scores of pre-test and post-test in both methods have a p-value of 0.000 which is less than the significance level of 0.05. Thus, both methods rejected the null hypothesis. The significant improvement in post-test scores for the experimental group highlighted the effectiveness of the innovative pedagogical method. Additionally, the results indicated that the experimental method was more effective across different mathematical levels, with high-achieving students showing greater improvement. In this study, the researcher was employed the pretest – posttest non comparable quasi experimental design to determine the effectiveness of the innovative created game-based approach in teaching Mathematics 8 on the academic achievement of students. In this design, two groups of students were involved. This design is the same as the classic controlled experimental design except that the subjects cannot be randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. In other words, participants do not have the same chance of being in the control or experimental group, or of receiving or not receiving the treatment. Design. Quasi-experimental design involves selecting groups, upon which a variable is tested, without any random pre-selection processes. The researcher used the mean scores of students in pre-test and post-test of the two methods. The researcher used the One-Way ANOVA to identify if there is a significant difference between the mean gain score of the students in the pre-test and post-test using the conventional and experimental methods.

Objective To investigate the case-based learning (CBL) combined with team-based learning (TBL) teaching method for developing critical thinking and independent learning ability of nursing undergraduates. Methods Experimental control method was used. Totally 107 nursing students of grade 2015 of a medical school were randomly divided into experimental group (54 students) and control group (53 students) in 2018. The control group received traditional teaching and the observation group received CBL combined with TBL teaching method. Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory Chinese Version (CTDI-CV) and Self-directed Learning Readiness Scale for Nursing Education were used before and after probation to test the level of critical thinking and independent learning ability of both groups of students. Besides, both two groups had a theory test after the internship. Results After probation the total score of critical thinking in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group [(292.09±28.26) vs (282.47±37.12)]. Both groups of students had a good level of critical thinking. For independent learning preparation, the score of self-management in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group [(49.07±5.57) vs (46.13±7.56), t=2.08, P=0.04]. After probation the total score of critical thinking improved evidently in the experimental group [(292.09±28.26) vs (273.32±28.26), t=3.91, P<0.01 ]. After probation the total score of independent learning preparation improved significantly in experimental group [(158.13±15.25) vs (147.84±14.92), t=3.47, P<0.01]. The score of analytical questions [(45.43±4.00) vs (41.28±9.11)] and the total score [(74.90±4.60) vs (69.77±14.77)] in the theory test in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group after internship (all P<0.05). Conclusions CBL combined with TBL teaching method in the clinical probation of nursing undergraduates can improve the ability to analyze and solve problems and enhance students' academic performance. Besides, it also can develop the critical thinking and autonoruous learning of students. Key words: Critical thinking; Independent learning ability; Nursing students; Gynaecology and obstetrics department; Clinical probation

ABSTRACTExtensive studies have been conducted to diagnose and predict students' academic performance by analyzing a large amount of data related to their learning behaviors in a blended learning environment. But there is a lack of research examining how individualized learning interventions could improve students' academic performance in such a learning context. In this study, a quasi-experiment was designed to investigate the effect of an individualized intervention approach on students’ course performance and learning behaviors in a blended course. Forty-nine Chinese tertiary students undertaking the course were randomly assigned into two groups – the experimental and control groups. During the course, the experimental group received individualized interventions, while the control group received undifferentiated interventions. The data about these participants’ learning behaviors were collected over 15 weeks. The results indicated that, compared with the control group, the experimental group showed significantly better academic performance, a higher level of learning motivation, attitude and self-efficacy, more active learning behaviors, and fewer passive learning behaviors. The control group revealed similar online learning time, but significantly more resource utilization and forum access. It is concluded that personalized learning intervention can effectively improve students’ learning behaviors, attitude, motivation, self-efficacy, and academic performance in a blended learning environment.

Improving students’ academic performance requires the teacher’s knowledge on different classroom instructions based upon how the brain gathers and stores knowledge. One classroom instruction that engages different parts of the brain in an active instructional setting is a method known as Whole brain teaching. This study was conducted to determine the impact of Whole brain teaching or WBT on academic performance of grade 8 students in Algebra. Quasi-experimental research method, specifically, pretest-posttest with control group using matched- subject design was employed in the study. Two heterogeneous classes were randomly selected and assigned as experimental and control groups. Pretest and posttest were used in measuring the academic performance of the students. The experimental group received instructions using WBT techniques whereas the control group underwent the same pacing and content using conventional teaching techniques. Based on the data gathered, the students’ academic performance increased significantly after subjecting them to WBT techniques and conventional teaching techniques. However, results of the posttest comparison of both groups showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the academic performance of experimental and control groups in favor of the experimental group. Thus, Whole brain teaching has a positive impact on academic performance of grade 8 students in Algebra. Article DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.20319/pijtel.2018.22.98114 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.