Classroom Context Research Articles

Preferred problem-solving methods employed by Grade 4 learners for measurement word problems

Background: Problem-solving as a vehicle to develop independent thinking skills is mostly underestimated and is often either overlooked or not given adequate attention within the existing South African mathematics curriculum. Consequently, numerous learners often display limited skills or lack skills to adequately crack Mathematics problems by applying methods put forward in class. This generally results in under-achievement.Aim: This study aims to explore and emphasise the problem-solving methods applied by Grade 4 learners involved in solving measurement word problems, and to reveal what transpires when the selected learners apply these methods to arrive at meaningful solutions.Setting: Data were collected from a class of 42 Grade 4 learners at a primary school in Cape Town South Africa. Learners were conveniently selected.Methods: A qualitative case study research design was adopted. Data gathering instruments of the study included observing learners solving, measurement word problem activities and focus group interviews.Results: The study revealed that singular methods were applied by Grade 4 learners, such as, adding, multiplying, creating a sketch or diagram, grouping, dividing, subtracting, logical reasoning, guessing and tabulating values.Conclusion: Grade 4 learners are prone to applying methods such as clustering or organising into groups, tabulating numerical values and logical reasoning were all applying mathematically sound methods. Such learners, however, needed a degree of supervision and instruction to indicate the way in which such methods were applied successfully as these methods were not necessarily dealt with in classroom context or in textbooks.Contribution: The findings emphasise the need for tackling learners’ limited problem-solving competencies and accentuate the necessity for greater attention to develop and grow methods for optimal and successful solving of problems in context.

Critical Thinking and the Impact on University Education for Sustainable Development

Man by nature is a homo pensantis. This means that he has the capacity to analyze, synthesize, deduce, etc. However, we must question how educational institutions strengthen critical thinking (CP). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze its level in academic tasks assigned in the classroom context based on active methodologies as an integral element of a quality and sustainable education. The methodology was based on a documentary review with a qualitative and bibliometric approach. The corpus consisted of thirty-one articles extracted from the Scopus database. Likewise, the Prisma Technique was used for the exclusion and inclusion of the documents consulted. The writings are from the years 2020 to 2023. The results showed that CP is a limitation for the student, since its exercise demands the use of complex cognitive skills such as analysis, interpretation, inference, evaluation, etc. It was concluded that PC is necessary in the classroom context, since it is important to induce the search for contradictions and assumptions and to question a reasoning accepted as truth, becoming an indispensable requirement for higher education to provide training tools to students to respond to current sustainable needs.

An Analysis of Air Conditioning System Operation Patterns on Droplet Particle Distribution in a Classroom-A CFD Approach

In the classroom context, the transmission of pathogens among students is a significant concern. Therefore, it is important to determine appropriate airflow patterns, the placement of supply and exhaust ventilation, and the optimization of classroom design to reduce the risk of pathogen transmission. This research aims to determine the performance of two air conditioning (AC) operating patterns—low speed and high speed—in six scenarios involving window and door configurations and identify the most effective strategies for minimizing virus exposure to occupants in classrooms. The method used in this research is numerical simulation with the 3D unsteady k-ε RNG model to simulate air flow and the Eulerian-Lagrange approach to capture the movement of SARS-CoV-2 aerosol droplets. The results of this research show that of the six scenarios determined by the researchers, the low-speed AC operating pattern with an incoming air speed of 3.5 m/s occurs in scenario 5, that is, all windows open and doors closed. This is based on the lowest number of students exposed to the virus, which is 22.22%. Meanwhile, the high-speed AC operating pattern with an incoming air speed of 6 m/s occurs in scenario 2, that is, all windows closed and doors open. This is based on the lowest number of students exposed to the virus, which is 22.22%, so it can be concluded that increasing the air flow speed originating from the AC will speed up the droplets to leave the room through the outlet. Meanwhile, increasing the outlet capacity will shorten the particle path, thereby shortening the time when the droplets are in the classroom.

AN EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH TO TESTING THE TECHNIQUE OF CREATIVE WRITING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING AT A UNIVERSITY

This article delves into the investigation of the effectiveness of integrating creative writing activities within the context of foreign language classrooms at the university level. The primary objective is to scrutinize the conditions and outcomes associated with the implementation of creative writing techniques in foreign language instruction and its impact on language acquisition processes. Drawing inspiration from the theories of Noam Chomsky on first language acquisition and Stephen Krashen on second language acquisition, this study adopts an experimental approach to explore the influence of creative writing on language learning.Employing methods such as contrastive analysis, descriptive analysis, and comparison, the study unveils the pivotal role of creative writing across different proficiency levels, ranging from intermediate to advanced fluency stages. It is observed that students, particularly during these stages, exhibit a heightened need for linguistic expression, transcending conventional academic written outputs.Furthermore, the article categorizes and reviews various types of activities involving creative writing, shedding light on their potential outcomes. The experimental aspect of this research involves the implementation of creative writing techniques in university foreign language classes, yielding promising results. Through this experimental endeavor, students demonstrated enhanced engagement, improved language proficiency, and heightened creativity in linguistic expression.The scientific novelty of this article lies in its unique exploration of the intersections between foreign language acquisition and creative writing, a topic relatively underexplored in local pedagogical inquiries. Theoretical significance is derived from the comprehensive analysis and systematization of a technique that is not yet widely integrated into foreign language teaching practices in Kazakhstan's higher education institutions. The practical implications of the study extend to pedagogical and academic contexts, providing valuable insights for educators and researchers alike.

Code-Switching in a Legal English Class for Egyptian Learners: A Conversation Analysis Case Study

This article addresses how code-switching facilitates language acquisition in an online legal English classroom for Arabic-speaking learners. The study aims to describe and analyze the use of code-switching as a facilitative resource for second language acquisition, particularly within the context of the online classroom. The article holds significance in two key areas: first, it contributes to the existing literature on code-switching between Arabic and English in language learning contexts. Second, it addresses a gap in research by focusing on an underexplored context: online legal English classes for Arabic-speaking learners, a topic which has not been widely researched. Applying Conversation Analysis to fragments from the online class, the findings reveal that code-switching serves as a vital resource for learners in comprehending complex legal concepts by drawing on their first language (L1) knowledge (in this case, Arabic). It also facilitates word searching, collaborative learning, and effective negotiation of meaning, aiding in the overall second language (L2) acquisition process.

Problem Faced by Indonesian Internship Students in Thai English Language Teaching Classroom Context

What are the problems faced by Indonesian internship students in Thai English Language Teaching Classrooms Based on the problem statement, the proposed objective is to find out the problem or the obstacles experienced by internship students in English language teaching classrooms while teaching in Thailand School. Considering the different cultural backgrounds, this research is expected to explore the internship problems and whether internship students experience any cultural issues. This research uses a qualitative method that explores cross-cultural communication issues in participants, according to Creswell (2018, p. 294) In most cases, qualitative research presents the data, interprets the data, validates it, and shows the potential of the research results in order to expand the steps of data analysis and the methods used. In qualitative research, the social context is taken into consideration while examining events from the perspectives of the individuals being studied. This includes research that uses interpretative naturalistic techniques (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005 Kihlgren, 2016). The findings of the interviews from the three domains of problems faced by the internship students during the teaching internship program are based on the findings of the interview results that have been conducted by the researcher. 1. Teaching Learning Aspects as the Problem in ELT Classroom, 2. Personal Aspects as the Problem in ELT Classroom, 3. Communication Aspects as the Problem in ELT Classroom. Based on the findings that the researcher has found, the difficulties experienced by internship students during the internship program are quite varied, so it is in accordance with the problems found by the researcher that the main problems experienced by internship students in the internship program come from the cross-cultural problems that occur in English language teaching classrooms.

Dancing the Cross-Lateral: Variations on a Brain Dance Theme

ABSTRACT This article reflects on observations as a dance pedagogue, adapting Gilbert’s BrainDance to a range of learning and teaching opportunities in intergenerational classroom contexts. Initially applied in an early childhood education context, BrainDance provided a point of departure into conversations and observations with teachers on how the children moved, took risks or not, within their Early Childhood Center. Findings from the initial project inspired my adaptation of BrainDance elements into an entire lesson for undergraduate dance students, as a structure for a primary school drama class warm-up, and for a circle-based warm-up for a class of adults age 65+ in their fitness and training program. Using Schön’s praxis of reflection-on-action, this article proposes the intergenerational links that may inspire or inform dance teachers, educators, curriculum designers, or physical activity facilitators. I propose that crossing the midline, the lifespan line, parallels moving with young and old—spanning generational dance praxis.

Unlocking Listening Proficiency: Integrating English Movies in Thai EFL Secondary Education

This study investigates the impact of integrating English movies on the listening comprehension and attitudes of tenth-grade EFL students at a school in Kalasin Province, Thailand. Despite the pivotal role of listening skills in language acquisition, EFL learners often face limited exposure to listening materials, leading to challenges in comprehension. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study explores the relationship between English movie usage and students’ listening comprehension and evaluates their perceptions of movie integration in the classroom. The participants, consisting of 33 tenth-grade students, underwent pre-tests and post-tests to assess listening proficiency, followed by questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to examine attitudes toward integrating movies in the classroom context. Following instruction through English movies, the findings indicate a significant improvement in students’ English listening comprehension. Moreover, students displayed positive attitudes toward integrating movies as a learning tool, recognizing their potential to create an enjoyable and enriching learning experience.

Students’ perceptions of online peer feedback in process-oriented L2 writing: A qualitative inquiry

Peer feedback has been of paramount importance in second language (L2) writing given that L2 learners especially need the facilitative role of feedback in improving their writing skills. Despite recent research highlighting the benefits of peer feedback in L2 writing, there is a call for more qualitative studies situated in classroom contexts to explore the continuous flow of peer feedback in a social community including technology-enhanced interactive social settings. This case study takes the students at a university in Turkey as the center of the peer feedback process and explores how L2 writers (n = 35) using student blogs for online peer evaluation in the naturalistic setting of an academic writing course perceive online peer feedback in L2 writing. This qualitative study adopted a case study design using the data from students’ essays (210 essays), blog-mediated peer comments (on 35 student blogs), and self-reflection papers (105 reflections). The data was analyzed through Braun and Clarke’s inductive thematic analysis. The analysis resulting in four themes revealed that peer feedback experienced in an online writing community improved students’ ability to perceive and use feedback effectively by creating opportunities for a shared understanding of peer feedback and establishing a writing community and also enhanced students’ critical thinking skills as an essential aspect of the writing process. This study provides insights into the student experience of online peer feedback in L2 writing, highlighting the importance of creating a supportive and collaborative learning environment to foster effective feedback practices and enhance the students’ L2 writing skills.

MUSIC LISTENING IN EDUCATIONAL CONTEXTS: REPRESENTATION OF MUSIC THROUGH LANGUAGE AND VISUAL ARTS BY FOURTH GRADE PRIMARY STUDENTS

This study focuses on exploring fourth grade (9-year-old) primary students’ (N=11) reflections on the opportunities they were given to externalise their emotions and thoughts induced by music by participating in music listening activities, in a general primary classroom context. The students worked in pairs; they first listened to four short musical excerpts, and they were then invited to represent them verbally, through writing, and visually, through painting. The participants recorded their ideas on worksheets. Data were collected over a 6-week period through participant observation/observational notes, a questionnaire with closed-ended questions, semi-structured interviews as well as on the basis of the students’ produced work. Overall, the primary students were positive towards the activities expressed regarding the activities, as they had the opportunity to express themselves, to escape from the routine of everyday school life and the stress of classes, to enhance their imagination and creativity, to interact with their peers and to participate in something that they enjoyed and wished to be repeated in the future.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0710/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Exploring cooperative learning as a tool in civic education

ABSTRACT Background Civic participation is a fundamental element of democracy; therefore, upholding and supporting civic participation, especially among the upcoming generation, is important. Political efficacy – an individual’s understanding of their capacity to participate in civic life – has been found to exert an important influence on the expected civic participation of adolescents. The study reported in this article considers how civic participation can be supported through educational efforts to promote students’ political efficacy. Purpose The study is based on a formative intervention project in the tradition of cultural−historical activity theory (CHAT). Cooperative learning techniques were used in a Norwegian social studies classroom with students aged 13 and 14 to explore how the experience was connected to the students’ political efficacy. Methods The data underlying the research were drawn from focus group interviews with 14-year-old Norwegian students, in which the students evaluated and elaborated on their experiences in the cooperative learning period. Findings Cooperative learning has the potential to enhance students’ political efficacy, mainly by providing students with opportunities to practice democratic skills and through peers functioning as political role models. However, the students’ responses point towards tensions within the student group and between the classroom as a unit of learning and the expectations of the classroom as a unit of individuality and evaluation. These key contradictions may hinder the realisation of cooperative learning classrooms and limit the rehearsal space that could be favourable for political efficacy. Conclusions The study illustrates how using cooperative learning in the social studies classroom can be a way to enhance students’ political efficacy. Simultaneously, the classroom context contains historically developed contradictions that shape the students’ understanding of their classroom experiences.

Factors impeding implementing CALL-based instruction: A mixed-methods study

As an innovative approach to language pedagogy, Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) research has been gaining traction in recent decades. However, the novel incorporation of technology in the classroom context presents some unique challenges unprecedented in conventional language learning contexts. The present study is an attempt at identifying the factors prohibiting the successful implementation of CALL, with particular attention on the context of Iran. To this end, an exploratory mixed-methods sequential design was adopted. Fifteen Iranian EFL instructors were interviewed and the data were analyzed through thematic analysis. Built upon the findings of the interviews, a questionnaire was developed to assess the generalizability of the interview findings. The 33-item questionnaire was developed and distributed online among 200 EFL teachers. It was revealed that certain factors, including EFL teachers and learners' knowledge of computers, cultural and religious background, institutional support policy, and human factors such as learners' learning style and age could hinder the successful incorporation of CALL in language learning contexts. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) confirmed the generalizability of the identified prohibitive factors. The findings are discussed under the light of Rogers’ (2003) Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DIT) to further contextualize the implications of the study for macro- and micro-level policymakers, curriculum developers, and language teachers.

When ethnic-racial discrimination from math teachers spills over and predicts the math adjustment of nondiscriminated adolescents: The mediating role of math classroom climate perceptions.

Ethnic-racial discrimination is a pernicious experience that affects discriminated adolescents' healthy human development, but the spillover consequences of discrimination on the nondiscriminated adolescent population are less clear. Adolescents who vicariously witness their classmates experience ethnic-racial discrimination from educators may question their educators' authority and classroom rules, and educators who perpetuate discrimination may engage in other practices that disadvantage the entire classroom. Thus, we posed three research questions: Did classmates' ethnic-racial discrimination from teachers predict adolescents' classroom adjustment outcomes (e.g., class grades, test scores, and engagement), did classroom climate mediate the link between classmates' ethnic-racial discrimination and adolescents' classroom adjustment outcomes, and did the results differ between early versus middle adolescents? To answer these research questions, the present study leveraged longitudinal data among 1,539 adolescents (Mage = 13.81, SDage = 1.49; 60% Black, 30% White, 9% other, 1% Asian; 49% female, 51% male) nested in 104 math classrooms, as math is a subject domain with pervasive ethnic-racial stereotypes about students' abilities and opportunities to succeed in class. Results illustrated that direct and vicarious ethnic-racial discrimination from math educators in the fall semester predicted worse math course grades, state-administered standardized test scores, and classroom engagement across the fall and spring semesters. Math classroom climate perceptions mediated the longitudinal relations between ethnic-racial discrimination and their math adjustment outcomes, and the role of ethnic-racial discrimination varied across different developmental stages of adolescence. Implications for the measurement of ethnic-racial discrimination in the classroom context and the social contagion linked to ethnic-racial disadvantage are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Links between instructional quality and classroom composition in classes taught by the same teacher

BackgroundAs instructional quality is crucial for successful learning, its conditional factors are of particular interest for research and practice. Research showed that distal as well as proximal class composition factors are related to instructional quality. However, it is still unclear to what extent these aspects explain differences in instructional quality between classes of the same teacher. AimThis study investigates differences in instructional quality (cognitive activation, classroom management, student support) between classes taught by the same teacher and how these differences are related to distal (gender ratio, SES, proportion of multilingual learners) and proximal (self-concept, interest, mathematics grade) classroom composition factors. SampleAnalyses are based on 3566 students in 219 classes taught by 106 teachers in 9th-grade mathematics classrooms in Germany. MethodsWe estimated three-level doubly-latent linear mixed models regressing instructional quality on class composition factors with students at level 1, classes at level 2, and teachers at level 3. ResultsRoughly 7–13 % of the variance in instructional quality perceived by the students can be attributed to class characteristics. Higher class-mean interest and a lower proportion of multilingual learners are related to higher cognitive activation. Class-mean self-concept is negatively and interest is positively related to student support. Higher discipline can be significantly explained by higher mean mathematics grades and more female students in the class. ConclusionsOur results underline the importance of considering the classroom context when striving for high instructional quality, highlighting the importance of promoting proximal factors such as student interest.

Open Resources for Biology Education (ORBE): a resource collection.

In undergraduate life sciences education, open educational resources (OERs) increase accessibility and retention for students, reduce costs, and save instructors time and effort. Despite increasing awareness and utilization of these resources, OERs are not centrally located, and many undergraduate instructors describe challenges in locating relevant materials for use in their classes. To address this challenge, we have designed a resource collection (referred to as Open Resources for Biology Education, ORBE) with 89 unique resources that are primarily relevant to undergraduate life sciences education. To identify the resources in ORBE, we asked undergraduate life sciences instructors to list what OERs they use in their teaching and curated their responses. Here, we summarize the contents of the ORBE and describe how educators can use this resource as a tool to identify suitable materials to use in their classroom context. By highlighting the breadth of unique resources openly available for undergraduate biology education, we intend for the ORBE to increase instructors' awareness and use of OERs.

Learning strategy regulation processes with rubrics for learning assessment

Learning assessment can be done with the help of the development of rubrics. Rubrics are used to evaluate a wide variety of aspects of the pedagogical process; they are even very efficient for standardizing assessment and creating feedback. The adoption of rubrics helps establish educationally appropriate criteria and performance levels for both metrics and performance measurements, including complex learning structures such as the pedagogical framework. Regulated learning frameworks has come to be cornerstone for examining learning forms of regulation. Despite recent advances in the area of self-regulated and co-regulation, more research is still needed on how groups of students regulate their learning in learning environments in the classroom context. In this work we apply, we re-designed Pintrich’s self-regulation framework, placing a special emphasis on the crucial role of performance measurement in learning with the aid of rubrics, providing a more holistic view of regulatory processes. The extended framework presented here has implications for practice, being especially beneficial in creating strategies for facilitating students’ self-regulation and co-regulation. This study provides valuable information for educators regarding instructional design and the selection of appropriate regulatory processes to shape and measure learning activities within a framework. It was developed a complete prototype called the Learning Assessment System by Rubrics.

Game theory in the classroom: low cooperative relationships identify bullying patterns in elementary schools

Cooperation and bullying have a subtle yet important interaction that influences the social dynamics in elementary school classrooms. We investigate this interplay in a large sample of 1112 students across 47 public primary classrooms in Chile. Using a video game interface to create a dyadic, non-anonymous social dilemma, we map the cooperative social network within each classroom. In addition, we collect peer nomination data and use the Illinois Bullying Scale to categorize students as bullies, victims, or bully victims. Our results indicate that low levels of received cooperation significantly increase the likelihood of students being identified with the dual role of both bully and victim, known as the bully-victim profile. This negative relationship remains robust even after controlling for demographic and classroom context variables using multilevel regression models and is consistent when employing causal inference techniques such as statistical matching. We propose that the relationship between received cooperation and the bully-victim profile stems from the capacity of received cooperation to capture key factors influencing social relationships among students, such as popularity, prosociality, GPA, and aggressiveness. Our study contributes to the understanding of human interaction in educational settings and it offers a new framework for targeted interventions in primary education, providing insights for future educational policies and practices.

Young Children's Directed Question Asking in Preschool Classrooms.

Question asking is a prevalent aspect of children's speech, providing a means by which young learners can rapidly gain information about the world. Previous research has demonstrated that children exhibit sensitivity to the knowledge state of potential informants in laboratory settings. However, it remains unclear whether and how young children are inclined to direct questions that support learning deeper content to more knowledgeable informants in naturalistic classroom contexts. In this study, we examined children's question-asking targets (adults, other preschoolers, self-talk) during an open-play period in a US preschool classroom and assessed how the cognitive and linguistic characteristics of questions varied as a function of the intended recipient. Further, we examined how these patterns changed with age. We recorded the spontaneous speech of individual children between the ages of 3 and 6 years (N = 30, totaling 2875 utterances) in 40-min open-period sessions in their preschool day, noting whether the speech was directed toward an adult, another child, or was stated to self. We publish this fully transcribed database with contextual and linguistic details coded as open access to all future researchers. We found that questions accounted for a greater proportion of preschoolers' adult-directed speech than of their child-directed and self-directed speech, with a particular increase in questions that supported broader learning goals when directed to an adult. Younger children directed a higher proportion of learning questions to adults than themselves, whereas older children asked similar proportions of questions to both, suggesting a difference in younger and older children's question-asking strategies. Although children used greater lexical diversity in questions than in other utterances, their question formulation in terms of length and diversity remained consistent across age and recipient types, reflecting their general linguistic abilities. Our findings reveal that children discriminately choose "what" and "whom" to ask in daily spontaneous conversations. Even in less-structured school contexts, preschoolers direct questions to the informant most likely to be able to provide an adequate answer.

The Metaphor of AI in Writing in English: A Reflection on EFL Learners’ Motivation to Write, Enjoyment of Writing, Academic Buoyancy, and Academic Success in Writing

Several barriers hinder students from producing clear and impactful written work. Writing assignments are often given on an individual basis, similar to homework, and without any assistance. Students in a classroom context have access to both their classmates and the teacher while they are working in groups or pairs as part of their assignments. The majority of students, however, are clueless about how to begin their homework assignments. The introduction of artificial intelligence in education may help solve this problem. The current research intended to demonstrate the effects of employing automated writing evaluation (AWE) in fostering learners’ writing skills, motivation to write, enjoyment of writing, and academic buoyancy in open and distributed English as a foreign language (EFL) learning. The participants were 86 intermediate EFL students from China. The participants in the experimental group (n = 44) received instruction and feedback from their teachers only; participants in the control group (n = 42) were exposed to their teachers’ instruction as well as AWE. The results of data analysis via one-way multivariate analysis of variance indicated that the participants in the experimental group outperformed their peers in the control group in motivation to write, enjoyment in writing, academic buoyancy, and academic success in writing. Further in-depth discussions proceed regarding the implications of the study.

The effect of ADHD-type behaviours on language skills development in the classroom context from the perspective of Polish EFL teachers

This study investigated the effect of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on language skills development in English as a foreign language (EFL) from the teacher perspective. The focus was the ADHD effect on the learning of the individual with the condition and their classmates. The participants were 51 pre-school, primary and secondary school teachers in Poland. Data were collected using an online questionnaire with closed- and open-ended questions. The findings suggest various effects of ADHD on skills development in the EFL context. Statistical analysis also found a more significant impact of ADHD-type behaviours on the EFL learning of the classmates of the individual with ADHD and in upper grades of primary school and secondary school. The findings are discussed in the context of foreign language school curricula and inclusive classroom practices.