Clarity Of Instructions Research Articles

ONLINE PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING (PBL) DURING CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC: TRIAL AT THE LIBYAN INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL UNIVERSITY

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a modern strategy used in many higher education institutions. The coronavirus pandemic in 2020 urged universities and other educational institutions around the world to close, leading to the shift to online learning as an alternative in order to overcome delays in the education process. The Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences (BMS) at the Libyan International Medical University (LIMU) has adopted the PBL method as a key element in its teaching strategy. The Faculty started a trial for online PBL sessions during the lockdown period to evaluate the student experience at BMS. Here, we used a binary questionnaire where responses of 293 students were anonymously collected. Overall, there was a positive response of about 76%. Each of the questionnaire elements scored at least 73% which reflects general satisfaction with the online PBL experience. However, there seemed to be considerable variation in the responses of the different year groups. First year students reported the highest overall positive response on the experience whereas third year students were overall less satisfied. In addition, this variation in responses was more pronounced when students were asked about the organisation of the session and problems with internet connectivity. This may be due to the fact that the more senior year groups were interviewed first and there was a continuous adjustment of the online PBL strategy throughout the time for this trial. Our study also showed that among the different online PBL aspects surveyed in the questionnaire, the clarity of instructions was the most important element determining the effectiveness of online PBL. Overall, this questionnaire shows that online PBL can be a decent alternative to traditional PBL during crises.

TP8.2.19 Virtual versus In-Person Education Research (VIPER) in Surgical Skills Teaching: A crossover randomised controlled trial

Abstract Aims To compare effectiveness of virtual versus in-person teaching of one-handed reef knot to medical students. Methodology 20 students were randomised into 2 groups of 10, to learn to tie one-handed reef knot. Group A attended a 15-minute virtual session followed by a 15-minute in-person session; vice versa for Group B simultaneously. For the virtual session, trainer and students used online platform, Zoom, on an overhead webcam-laptop workstation in separate rooms. For the in-person session, trainer and students were in one room. Anonymous written feedback was collected from all students. Results 50% of the students had previous experience in knot-tying. On average, the instruction clarity and support received during the virtual session were reported to be less by Group A than Group B. 30% reported non-inferiority in the virtual method to in-person in fulfilling their training needs to learn this skill. 80% said they could have benefited from more time during the virtual session when compared to learning the same skill in-person. During the virtual sessions, 60% encountered technical difficulties relating to internet (20%), Zoom (25%), trainer availability (10%), and hardware (5%). 35% felt that a fully virtual session is suitable for learning one-handed reef knot. 30% stated they would attend a fully virtual basic surgical skills course whilst 40% would attend a partially virtual one. Conclusion Initial experience with virtual surgical skills teaching revealed promising potential based on student feedback. Further focused studies with targeted optimisation are warranted for it to be a viable alternative to traditional in-person teaching.

Development and Validation 0f Enhancement Activities for Grade 7 Science

This study focused on the development and validation of the enhancement activities for grade 7 science. It was conducted at Morong National High School during the school year 2014-2015 with 50 students per section. Students were taken using stratified random sampling technique and fifteen science experts teaching science served as respondents to determine the acceptability of the developed enhancement activities. The research work used experimental method. Pretest and posttest were utilized to assess the level of performance of the students respondents. Descriptive method was also used to describe and evaluate the acceptability of the developed and validated enhancement activities using the adapted questionnaire checklist about clarity of instructions, design characteristics, aids to instruction and learning activities. The study found out that the developed enhancement activities in science was very effective in teaching different learning areas like cells to organism, plant and animal cells and microscopy. The findings of the study revealed that the group exposed to the developed and validated enhancement activities in science has significantly increase their performance in all learning areas compared to the group which did not use the enhancement activity. All of the mean scores of the control and experimental groups in posttest were higher than the pretest. The experimental group gained more knowledge and perform successful in the topics like cell to organism, plant and animal cell and microscopy after using the developed and validated enhancement activities for grade 7 science. The student in experimental group increased their performance by 68% as compared to the score of the students in the control group. The developed and validated enhancement activities for grade 7 science was evaluated as very much acceptable instructional materials by science experts with respect to clarity of instruction, design characteristics, aids to instruction and learning activities

Gender differences in classroom emotional climate and attitudes among students undertaking integrated STEM projects: a Rasch analysis

ABSTRACT Background To address declining enrolments in science and other STEM subjects in high school and university, particularly disproportionately low enrolments of females in physics, engineering and computer sciences, integrated STEM programs are becoming more popular. However, few studies have investigated classroom experiences or gender differences in the effects of participation in integrated STEM projects on students’ attitudes towards continuing to study STEM subjects. Purpose This study compared male and female students’ perceptions of classroom emotional climate and their attitudes towards STEM after completing integrated STEM projects. Methods For a sample of 246 Years 7–10 students participating in integrated STEM projects in 24 co-educational government classrooms, we investigated gender differences using a seven-scale classroom emotional climate questionnaire and an attitude scale. Responses to items in each scale were converted to interval data using Rasch modelling. Differential item functioning between male and female students was investigated and MANOVA was used to compare genders on responses to each scale. Findings When MANOVA was used to identify gender differences in Rasch student measures of each scale, statistically-significant differences of modest magnitude (0.25–0.50 standard deviations) were found for Clarity, Motivation, Consolidation and Attitudes, but not for Care, Control, Challenge and Collaboration. Relative to males, females had more-negative views for each climate and attitude dimension for which differences were significant. Compared with boys, girls were undermotivated by their STEM projects and perceived less clarity of instruction and feedback. Conclusions Greater support for female students through clarifying and giving specific feedback on tasks could improve their perceptions of the classroom emotional climate when carrying out integrated STEM projects. Further research is needed to determine the types of projects that motivate females to study STEM.

Mapping Users’ Experience of a Family History and Genetic Risk Algorithm Tool in Primary Care

Introduction: The development of a family history (FH) questionnaire (FHQ) provides an insight into a patient’s familiarity of a trait and helps to identify individuals at increased risk of disease. A critical aspect of developing a new tool is exploring users’ experience. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine users’ experience, obstacles and challenges, and their views and concerns in the applicability of a new tool for determining genetic risk in Slovenia’s primary care. Methods: We used a qualitative approach. The participants completed a risk assessment software questionnaire that calculates users’ likelihood of developing familial diseases. Audio-taped semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted to evaluate their experience. There were 21 participants, and analyses using the constant comparative method were employed. Results: We identified 3 main themes: obstacles/key issues, suggestions for improvements, and coping. The participants were poorly satisfied with the clarity of instructions, technical usability problems, and issues with the entry of relatives’ data. They expressed satisfaction with some of the characteristics of the FHQ (e.g., straightforward and friendly format, easy entry, and comprehension). They suggested simpler language, that the disease risk should be targeted toward the disease, that the FHQ should include patient-specific recommendations, and that it should be part of the electronic medical records. When discussing what would they do with the results of the FHQ, the participants used different coping strategies: active (e.g., seeking information) or passive (e.g., avoidance). Discussion/Conclusion: User experience was shown to be a synthesis of obstacles, overcoming them with suggestions for improvements, and exploration of various coping mechanisms that may emerge from dealing with the stressor of “being at risk.”

Teacher educators’ teaching styles: relation with learning motivation and academic engagement in pre-service teachers

ABSTRACT Teaching styles that satisfy students’ needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness have been found to influence various types of learning outcomes in school and college contexts. However, little is known about how these teaching styles are associated with pre-service teachers’ learning motivation and academic engagement. This study examined the relationship between pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their teacher educators’ teaching styles (i.e. instructional clarity, support and feedback, autonomy support, and support for cooperative learning) and their learning motivation and academic engagement. Data were collected from 601 first-year pre-service secondary teachers randomly selected from regional teacher training centres in Cambodia. Structural equation analyses revealed that perceptions of teacher educators’ teaching styles have significant associations with pre-service teachers’ intrinsic motivation and academic engagement. This study provides more scientific evidence concerning determinants of pre-service teachers’ learning motivation and academic engagement. In addition, practical implication is recommended for teacher educators.

Defining Vaso-Occlusive Crises in Sickle Cell Disease from the Perspective of the Patient: Development of a New Toolbox to Measure Treatment Outcomes

Defining Vaso-Occlusive Crises in Sickle Cell Disease from the Perspective of the Patient: Development of a New Toolbox to Measure Treatment Outcomes

The Application of Solo Taxonomy in Writing Module Based on Self and Peer Assessment for Primary Level in Malaysia: A Pilot Study

Students need to know their current levels of thinking and how to progress to the next level by self-assess themselves. Otherwise, they would constantly demand teachers to spoon-feed them to achieve a specific level. This is due to the students’ failure to master the lower order thinking skills level that hinder them from making systematic and strategic progress in their learning. The aim of this study was to evaluate a feedback of writing module based on SOLO taxonomy which apply self and peer assessment in their construction of writing development. To test the reliability of the module, a pilot study for the implementation of the module was conducted with the help of the English Language teacher who teach the remedial class in the selected school. The purpose of this pilot study is for ensuring the suitability of the module in terms of time allocation, clarity of instruction, suitability distribution of sub modules and organized activities. A total of 30 Year 5 low achiever learners (LAL) in a primary school have been selected for the pilot study. A set of questionnaires with five constructs consisting of 20 items has been distributed and the means score showed significant accuracy. The item verification process based on the agreement of seven experts using the Content Validity Index (CVI) approach received experts (n=7) consensus reliability value (?) = 0.92. The results indicated that the LAL can adapt the self and peer assessment approach based on SOLO taxonomy in a short time and proves that the self- peer assessment process can be taught to the low achiever primary level if supported by opportunities to practice it regularly in an organized and supportive classroom environment.

An Augmented Reality Online Assistance Platform for Repair Tasks

Our augmented reality online assistance platform enables an expert to specify 6DoF movements of a component and apply the geometrical and physical constraints in real-time. We track the real components on the expert’s side to monitor the operations of an expert. We leverage a remote rendering technique that we proposed previously to relieve the rendering burden of the augmented reality end devices. By conducting a user study, we show that the proposed method outperforms conventional instructional videos and sketches. The answers to the questionnaires show that the proposed method receives higher recommendation than sketching, and, compared to conventional instructional videos, is outstanding in terms of instruction clarity, preference, recommendation, and confidence of task completion. Moreover, as to the overall user experience, the proposed method has an advantage over the video method.

An examination of the relationship between the perceived instructional behaviours of teacher educators and pre-service teachers’ learning motivation and teaching self-efficacy

ABSTRACT Recent research has reported that prospective teachers fail to acquire sufficient content knowledge and develop strong teaching self-efficacy. According to a large and growing body of literature, instructional behaviours that result in “autonomy support, structure, and involvement” significantly contribute to student outcomes at all levels of education. However, there remains a paucity of evidence on how these instructional behaviours influence pre-service teachers’ learning motivation and teaching self-efficacy, which are robust predictors of their learning and teaching effectiveness. This study examined the relationship between the perceived instructional behaviours of teacher educators (i.e. instructional clarity, instructional support and feedback, instructional support for student autonomy, and instructional support for cooperative learning) and pre-service teachers’ learning motivation and teaching self-efficacy. Data were collected from randomly-selected first-year pre-service secondary teachers (N = 601) at regional teacher training centres in Cambodia using adapted scales on instructional behaviours, learning motivation, and teaching self-efficacy. Structural equation analyses revealed that perceptions of teacher educators’ instructional behaviours were significantly associated with pre-service teachers’ intrinsic learning motivation and teaching self-efficacy. This study extends the understanding of antecedents of learning motivation and teaching self-efficacy among pre-service teachers as well as highlights the need for incorporating these instructional behaviours into pre-service instruction in order to encourage the establishment of effective teachers for the education system.

The development and validation of the Teachers' Self‐Efficacy Beliefs for Literacy Instruction in the 21st Century (TBLI21c) scale: a pilot study

BackgroundThis study presents the findings of the first administration of a revised Teachers' Sense of Efficacy for Literacy Instruction (TSELI) scale that reflects the changing landscape of 21st‐century literacy instruction. Items include such aspects as reading, writing, viewing, listening, communicating using visual, audible and digital materials, vocabulary, comprehension strategies, motivation, differentiated instruction, assessment, diversity culturally responsive teaching and professional literacy learning and leadership.MethodsThe survey was reviewed by a panel of seven experts in the field of reading and literacy instruction for content, construct and face validity and then field tested with 12 graduate students to assess the clarity of item wording and instructions, appropriateness of the response scale and ease of administration. The survey was then administered to 476 teacher candidates in two countries.ResultsThe survey demonstrated moderate inter‐rater reliability (0.62) and very high internal reliability (0.95). The 42 items were factor analysed, which demonstrated construct validity and provided an eight‐factor scale. Teacher candidates reported having higher self‐efficacy regarding 21st‐century competencies and lower self‐efficacy in early literacy skills.ConclusionsThe findings revealed in this paper underscore the importance of measuring pre‐service and in‐service teacher efficacy for literacy instruction as it relates to contemporary 21st‐century literacies, given that the methods and tools addressed in the Teachers' Self‐Efficacy Beliefs for Literacy Instruction in the 21st Century (TBLI21c) scale are not reflected in previous literacy self‐efficacy instruments, such as reading, writing, viewing, listening, communicating using visual, audible and digital materials, comprehension strategies, motivation, differentiated instruction, diversity, assessment and professional literacy learning and leadership. Results suggest that the TBLI21c scale could be a reliable and useful tool to measure in‐service and pre‐service teacher efficacy for literacy instruction in the 21st century.

EFL students’ perceptions of blended learning in English language course: learning experience and engagement

The importance of blended learning has been emphasised during the current restriction caused by the coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19). But there is a scarcity of studies on students’ learning experience in blended learning, particularly using WhatsApp as one of the learning tools. A combination of classroom meetings and online learning is implemented in a vocational university in Indonesia. The research reported in this article aims to examine students’ perceptions of their learning experience in a blended method of learning incorporating social media WhatsApp and Google Classroom application as learning instruments. The dataset includes a questionnaire consisting of a four-point Likert scale and open-ended questions, a recording of WhatsApp chat history, and students' work in Google Classroom. Data analysis uses a multi-methods approach. Descriptive analysis is used for the closed-ended questions using the Excel program and content analysis for the open-ended questions. Results show that students positively perceive their learning experience in blended learning. Students also articulate their concerns of the internet connection and instruction clarity on the online learning materials. This paper highlights some implications of the research findings including the lecturer's need for professional development that may enable them to help students succeed in blended learning.

Implementation and acceptance rates of a specially designed vacuometer for the vacuum bell treatment of pectus excavatum.

Background / PurposeTo report the implementation of a specially designed vacuometer for the ambulatory measurement of the exact negative pressure self-applied by the patient when using the vacuum bell for the treatment of pectus excavatum and to analyze patient satisfaction with the device, by conducting a survey. MethodsBetween October 2018 and June 2020, all patients with pectus excavatum who received a vacuum bell at our Pectus Clinic were provided with a specially designed pectus vacuometer for their personal use. We described the vacuometer, the fundamentals of its development, and the utilization protocol. A survey was conducted evaluating comfort, clarity of instructions, usefulness, simplicity of connection, and likeability. The level of satisfaction was assessed using a Likert scale ranging from 1 (very negative experience) to 5 (very positive experience). The occurrence of skin lesions provoked by the application of the vacuum bell was registered. ResultsFrom 72 submitted surveys, 54 patients answered. Patient demographics comprised 44 (81.5%) males and a mean age of 12.6 ± 6.0 years. The mean initial external pectus depth was 2.0 ± 0.7 cm and the mean duration of treatment was 13.2 ± 8.6 months. No skin lesions were detected while using the vacuum bell and the vacuometer. The mean general satisfaction score was 4.4 ± 0.7 and 83.3% of the respondents did not have any inconvenience with the vacuometer. A patient who considered himself cured was the only dropout during the study. ConclusionsIn this study, we described the feasibility and fundamentals of the application of a specifically designed vacuometer for ambulatory use as an adjunct to the treatment of pectus excavatum with a vacuum bell, and demonstrated a high satisfaction level with the device. In addition, the vacuometer might help avoid skin lesions secondary to the vacuum bell and foster adhesion to treatment. Type of studyTreatment study. Level of evidenceIV

The Blended Learning Experiences Of Students With Specific Learning Difficulties: A Qualitative Case Study Located In One British Higher Education Institution

ABSTRACT Blended learning (BL) has been widely adopted across the higher education (HE) sector, with a growing body of literature exploring its impact on both students and faculty. However, to date, few studies have examined how students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs) experience BL. This paper presents the results of a qualitative case study investigating the BL experiences of students with SpLDs in a British HE institution. A thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted with six participants revealed five major themes regarding the BL experience of students with SpLDs: (1) clarity of purpose and instruction; (2) ease of use; (3) accessibility; (4) fear of ‘getting it wrong’ in online spaces and (5) interaction and staff engagement. The findings underscore the significance of addressing these areas in order to increase the efficacy of BL to meet the learning needs of students with SpLDs.

The mediating role of achievement emotions in the relationship between instructional clarity, English proficiency, and reading strategies

Reading ability has had a prominent role in English language education in Taiwan. The comprehension of materials and teacher instruction in English depends on students’ English proficiency, and their achievement emotions regarding competence-related activities may influence how they read and complete tasks in English. This study aims to investigate the mediating role of positive and negative achievement emotions in the relationship between instructional clarity, English proficiency, and reading strategies. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 640 university students in Taiwan. The findings corroborated control-value theory. The structural model revealed that the participants’ use of reading strategies was strongly influenced by teachers’ instructional clarity and students’ English reading proficiency. Only positive emotions mediated the relation between instructional clarity, English proficiency, and reading strategies. Negative emotions, though correlated with the two predictors and the reading strategies, did not mediate the relationship between them.

When teaching must go on: ESP teachers’ strategies and challenges during COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract. Online classes have been rampant since the global spread of COVID-19. ESP teaching in higher education institutions is no exception, following the national government’s call to employ an online mode of teaching. Although technology has been long used to facilitate the teaching-learning process, the practice of online teaching is not without problems. Thus, this study was aimed at investigating ESP teachers’ strategies to make effective lessons delivery, optimize students class participation, and what challenges were emergent during their online teaching. The participants of this study were six ESP teachers in five private and one state universities who teach in various non-English departments. Data were gathered through interviews via WhatsApp. The findings showed that the strategies employed by ESP teachers were among others: ensuring instruction clarity, employing various learning platforms, virtual grouping, using authentic materials, etc. To optimize students’ online class participation was done by scoring students’ active participation, not giving non-doable tasks, using more asynchronous than synchronous method, etc. The challenges are having inconsistent internet connection, teaching while taking care for children, difficulty in monitoring students’ progress, etc. The findings imply the need of serious attention from higher education institutions in conducting ESP online teaching during this pandemic as it requires not only technical preparedness, but also most importantly the human aspect involved in it. Keywords: strategies, challenges, online teaching, ESP, pandemic

Qualitative evaluation of the Autism Behavior Inventory: use of cognitive interviewing to establish validity of a caregiver report scale for autism spectrum disorder

PurposeThe Autism Behavior Inventory (ABI) is an observer-reported outcome scale measuring core and associated features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Extensive scale development (reported elsewhere) took place, in alignment with the Food and Drug Administration’s patient-reported outcome guidance, to address the need for instruments to measure change and severity of ASD symptoms.MethodsCognitive interviewing was used to confirm understanding and content validity of the scale prior to its use in clinical trials. Respondents were caregivers of individuals with ASD (N = 50). Interviews used a hybrid of the “think-aloud” and verbal probing approach to assess ABI’s content validity and participant understanding of the instrument, including: item clarity and relevance; item interpretation; appropriateness of response scales; and clarity of instructions. Audio-recordings of the interviews were transcribed for qualitative data analysis. The scale was revised based on participant feedback and tested in a second round of interviews (round 1 N = 38, round 2 N = 12).ResultsIn total, 67/70 items reached ≥ 90% understandability across participants. Caregivers were able to select an appropriate response from the options available and reported finding the examples helpful. Based on participant feedback, instructions were simplified, 8 items were removed, and 10 items were reworded. The final revised 62-item scale was presented in round 2, where caregivers reported readily understanding the instructions, response options, and 61/62 items reached ≥ 90% understandability.ConclusionsCognitive interviews with caregivers of a diverse sample of individuals with ASD confirm the content validity and relevance of the ABI to assess core and associated symptoms of ASD.

University students and their perception of teaching effectiveness. Effects on students’ engagement

This paper is based on a teacher effectiveness model with six teaching behaviour domains (safe learning climate, efficient classroom management, clarity of instruction, activating teaching, differentiation, and teaching–learning strategies). The main purpose was to examine university students’ perceptions of teaching effectiveness and its influence on students’ academic engagement. The sample comprised 782 students from 16 universities. Data was collected using a transversal design and the instruments My Teacher Questionnaire and the Academic Engagement Scale, both using Likert-type response formats and adapted to the study population. The findings suggest differences regarding teacher gender and type of course: students perceived their male teachers as better, and there were more positive perceptions of teachers in arts and humanities, social and legal sciences, and health sciences courses. With respect to student engagement, the results confirmed the predictive power of the effective classroom management, activating teaching and differentiation domains. The percentage of explained variance was greater for emotional engagement than for behavioural engagement. This kind of study gives us very interesting information which can help to identify the aspects of higher education that need to be reinforced and in contrast, those about which students already have positive perceptions.

La percepción de los estudiantes universitarios acerca de la eficacia docente. Efectos sobre el compromiso de los estudiantes

This paper is based on a teacher effectiveness model with six teaching behaviour domains (safe learning climate, efficient classroom management, clarity of instruction, activating teaching, differentiation and teaching – learning strategies). The main purpose has been to examine university student perceptions of teaching effectiveness and its influence on students’ academic engagement. The sample is composed by 782 students from 16 universities. Data have been collected with a transversal design by using the instruments My Teacher Questionnaire and the Academic Engagement Scale, both with a likert format and adapted in the study population. Findings suggest differences concerning teachers’ gender and type of studies: male teachers are perceived by their students as better, and teachers belonging to studies of Arts and Humanities, Social and Legal Sciences and Health Sciences are also perceived more positively. Regarding students’ engagement results confirm the predictive power of classroom management, activating teaching and differentiation domains. The percentage of explained variance is bigger for emotional engagement than for behavioural one. This kind of investigations give us very interesting information in order to identify which aspects of higher education need to be reinforced and which ones, on the contrary, are already positively perceived by students.

Assessing Quality of Teaching from Different Perspectives: Measurement Invariance across Teachers and Classes

ABSTRACT Comparing teachers’ self-assessment to classes’ assessment of quality of teaching can offer insights for educational research and be a valuable resource for teachers’ continuous professional development. However, the quality of teaching needs to be measured in the same way across perspectives for this comparison to be meaningful. We used data from 622 teachers self-assessing aspects of quality of teaching and of their classes (12229 students) assessing the same aspects. Perspectives were compared with measurement invariance analyses. Teachers and classes agreed on the average level of instructional clarity, and disagreed over teacher-student relationship and performance monitoring, suggesting that mean differences across perspectives may not be as consistent as the literature claims. Results showed a nonuniform measurement bias for only one item of instructional clarity, while measurement of the other aspects was directly comparable. We conclude the viability of comparing teachers’ and classes’ perspectives of aspects of quality of teaching.