Student Cohesiveness Research Articles

Sense of coherence in students while studying abroad

Background: In the 1970s, medical sociologist Aaron Antonovsky developed the concept of salutogenesis, which is the study of health and development focusing on sense of coherence (SOC). Although salutogenesis has been well researched in higher education contexts, the concept has not been studied in depth in intercultural and cross-cultural settings, such as the one provided by semester at sea (SAS), which is a United States (US) study-abroad programme.Aim: The aim was to investigate and compare levels of SOC in students in the SAS study-abroad programme.Setting: The research was conducted during a selected voyage at sea over a period of 106 days.Methods: The authors used a quantitative cross-sectional correlational design and investigated mean score differences in three SOC sub-scale scores measuring meaningfulness, comprehensibility, and manageability. The authors compared US students’ SOC scores to those of students from other countries and compared the scores of women to men. Measurement invariance was firstly established before investigating mean score differences. Data were collected in the form of a survey, using Antonovsky’s 29-item Life Orientation Questionnaire.Results: The study shows that overall scores in meaningfulness were the highest, followed by manageability and comprehensibility, which potentially supports the idea that the motivational component in life of these students is the most important. Finally, women scored higher in meaningfulness than men.Conclusion: The study can provide insights in SOC in students and might provide implications for interventions regarding SOC results across diverse student populations in SAS.Contribution: This article contributes to SOC research in study-abroad programmes.

Sense of Coherence, Self-Efficacy and Locus of Control as Predictors of the Level of Achievement Motivation of People with Dyslexia During Adolescence

The purpose of the article is to learn about and analyse personal resources such as self-efficacy, sense of locus of control, sense of coherence in students with dyslexia in adolescence and their achievement motivation. Four tools were used: KBPK-R Questionnaire for the Study of Sense of Control – revised version, KompOs – Personal Competence Scale SOC-13M Life Orientation Questionnaire and the LMI Achievement Motivation Inventory – short version. This research was carried out from January to June 2023 in Poland. The research sample (n = 225) consisted of adolescents with dyslexia (n = 112) and without dyslexia (n = 113). The results were analysed using hierarchical regression analysis. The study showed that overall sense of coherence correlated positively with sense of strength (r=0.255). Sense of self-efficacy correlated positively with sense of resourcefulness (r=0.196) and sense of strength (r=0.713) and perseverance (r=0.724) All indicators of sense of control correlated positively with each other. Sense of control in the area of success (r=0.374) and overall sense of control (r=0.472) also correlated positively with achievement motivation. The research analyses show that a predictor of achievement motivation is a sense of comprehension and a sense of locus of control on success scale. Students with dyslexia on the self-efficacy scale score low, the sense of locus of control is external, and the sense of coherence ranks low. Students’ knowledge of their own resources is crucial as it allows for increasing motivation for work and adequate response in difficult and stressful situations. These resources are also necessary for determining both shortterm and long-term goals, the achievement of which will depend precisely on motivation.

The Effects of Teaching Conjunctions on the Cohesion of EFL Students’ Compositions

A well-written work is not only grammatically correct but also cohesive and coherent. Conjunctions are fundamental to the cohesion of a text and should be taught in writing classes. This study explores the role of conjunctions in creating cohesive and coherent writing and their impact on EFL students' written production. The research first assessed 62 students' attitudes toward learning and using conjunctions through a questionnaire, revealing their understanding of conjunctions' importance and a willingness to learn. The primary goal was to examine if teaching conjunctions would enhance students' ability to write cohesive texts. A pre- and post- test design with 50 students from an English center in Ho Chi Minh City showed improved conjunction use and higher mean scores after instruction. The study's findings offer recommendations for teaching conjunctions and suggest further research into cohesion elements in language instruction.

Classroom environment and engagement in the EFL writing context: The mediating role of goal orientations

Although second language (L2) engagement has received increasing attention, L2 writing engagement has been rarely investigated. Based on the social-cognitive theory, environmental sources could influence individuals’ motivations which in turn affect their engagement. However, factors contributing to L2 writing engagement have not been thoroughly understood. The present study investigated the associations between three dimensions of classroom environment (teacher support, student cohesion, and task orientation) and L2 writing engagement as well as the mediation roles of mastery and performance approach goals among 721 Chinese learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). Structural equation model analysis suggested that task orientation was the most influential environmental factor; it could not only directly influence EFL writing engagement, but could also indirectly influence it through mastery and performance goals. Teacher support could only indirectly influence engagement through mastery and performance goals. With dimensions of EFL writing engagement disentangled, teacher support negatively predicted agentic engagement but not the other three dimensions. However, mastery and performance goals fully mediated the path from teacher support to behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement. Task orientation had positive effects on all aspects of writing engagement and most of the effects could be carried by the two types of goal orientations. Implications and future directions are also discussed.

Penerapan Model Pembelajaran Role Playing terhadap Keterampilan Berbicara Peserta Didik di SMPN 1 Ampek Angkek

The aim of this research is to describe: 1). Learning problems at SMPN 1 Ampek Angkek 2). Application of the Role Playing model in PAI and Character learning at SMPN 1 Ampek Angkek 3). The impact of the Role Playing model on PAI and Character learning at SMPN 1 Ampek Angkek. The method used in this research is a qualitative library research approach and interviews with teachers at SMPN 1 Ampek Angkek. In this method, data is also collected through sources related to personal models from various literature such as Google Books, journals, repositories and various other literature that supports the discussion of this article. The results of the research show 1). Teachers still use conventional models so that students feel bored when learning takes place 2). The Role Playing model has been implemented well, which focuses more on social interaction and student cohesion 3). The role playing model makes students active in speaking and enthusiastic about learning.

The Effectiveness of Role-Playing Training on Emotional Self-disclosure and Sense of Coherence in Students with Hearing Loss

Background: Hearing loss can lead to various complications, including difficulties in language and speech development, as well as cognitive, psychological, social, occupational, educational, and learning impairments. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of role-playing training on emotional self-disclosure (ESDS) and sense of coherence in students with hearing loss. Methods: The study was a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest approach and a control group. The statistical population included all students with hearing loss in the first and second high schools for the exceptional in Ahvaz City in 2023. A sample of 30 individuals was selected using the convenience sampling method and randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group (15 participants each). Students completed the Emotional Self-disclosure Scale and Sense of Coherence Questionnaire in both pretest and posttest phases. The experimental group received role-playing training in ten 90-minute sessions. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance. Results: Role-playing training had a significant positive effect on both emotional self-disclosure and sense of coherence in students with hearing loss (P = 0.001). The post-test results showed that the experimental group scored significantly higher than the control group in emotional self-disclosure (147.73 ± 15.11 vs. 102.60 ± 16.18) and sense of coherence (97.40 ± 13.86 vs. 67.80 ± 8.14) (P = 0.001). Conclusions: Role-playing training can be a valuable intervention for enhancing the emotional well-being of students with hearing loss. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on interventions aimed at improving emotional well-being in students with hearing loss. Role-playing training emerges as a promising approach with the potential for implementation in educational and therapeutic settings.

Фактори ефективності кооперативного навчання: теоретичні підходи і емпіричні дослідження

The article deals with the problem of factors and psychological mechanisms of influence of cooperative learning on students' achievement. On the basis of comparative analysis, four approaches to understanding the factors of effectiveness of cooperative learning are distinguished: motivational, socio-psychological, cognitive-genetic, and cognitive-functional. The motivational approach (D. Johnson, R. Johnson, R. Slavin) brings to the fore the motivation of performing joint educational tasks, determining the structure of rewards or group educational tasks that stimulate and direct the activity of students. The socio-psychological approach (E. Aronson, V. Battisch, D. Solomon, K. Delucci, E. Cohen, S. Sharan, Y. Sharan) emphasizes the cohesion of students, their interpersonal relationships, which depend on the success of educational activities: students actively participate in group tasks and help each other if they identify with the group and strive for joint success. Proponents of this approach attach great importance to ways of forming student groups (teams), establishing constructive interpersonal relationships during joint learning, as well as reflecting on the process and results of joint cognitive activity. Proponents of cognitive approaches believe that interaction between students in itself increases their success due to intensive cognitive processing of information, rather than motivation or social cohesion of students. Two slightly different cognitive approaches are distinguished, which developed in parallel ways: cognitive-genetic and cognitive-functional. The cognitive-genetic approach, which was formed in line with the theories of mental development of L. Vygotsky and J. Piaget, is based on the assumption that communicative interaction in the process of performing cognitive tasks contributes to the mental development of students and increases the quality of assimilation of educational material (M. Burns, B. Wadsworth, W. Damon, F. Murray). The cognitive-functional approach arose in the vein of cognitive psychology and claims that the positive effect of cooperative learning on the success of students is ensured by cognitive restructuring (processing) of educational information, which contributes to its preservation in memory and integration into the previously learned system of knowledge (S. Allen, N. Webb, M. Wittrock, D. Dansereau, L. Devin-Sheehan, A. O'Donnell, A. Palincsar, M. Presley, R. Feldman). Summarizing the results of research in the field of cooperative learning makes it possible to create a coherent theoretical model that integrates various approaches and comprehensively considers the main factors of the effectiveness of cooperative learning: motivation, group cohesion, processes of interpersonal interaction that stimulate cognitive development and processing of educational material. In such a model, each of the four approaches considered plays a role and makes an important contribution to understanding the interrelated processes of cooperative learning.

Examining Syntactic Errors in Essay Writing Among EFL Students: A Case Study of ESEF Ibn Tofail University

This article presents a thorough examination of error patterns within essays written by students enrolled at Ibn Tofail University, focusing on four major types of errors: Omission Addition, Mis-ordering, and Mis-formation. Utilizing data collected through essays and coded through content analysis. The data collected were analysed through SPSS, descriptive analysis, the study investigates the prevalence, distribution, and characteristics of these errors across a diverse range of essays. Through frequency distributions and skewness analysis, significant perspectives into error distributions and patterns emerged, revealing varying degrees of writing proficiency among the sample. The findings showed that the most frequent syntactic errors in students’ writings are addition errors and the most infrequent ones are mis-ordering. Professors may need to focus more attention on addressing and correcting addition errors, as they appear to be more prevalent and may have a greater impact on the overall clarity and coherence of students’ writing. Meanwhile, less emphasis may be needed on Mis-ordering errors, although they should still be addressed to ensure students develop strong syntactic skills and produce well-structured compositions.

Teaching mathematics in innovative learning environments—The entangled tensions between the learning environment and pedagogy

AbstractNew school buildings are often designed for flexible innovative learning environments (ILEs) to support learning future skills better than before. However, little is known about the relationship between environment and pedagogy. This article examines the relationship between the environment and pedagogy from the perspective of primary school teachers in the context of teaching mathematics. We interviewed 26 teachers from 10 Finnish ILEs and did a thematic analysis. The relationship between the environment and pedagogy forms a complex network of entangled tensions between teacher's inner space, community's social space and physical space. When the tensions between these spaces were resolved in a positive way, ILEs enabled pedagogy that diversified mathematics education, improved student cohesion and teachers' well‐being at work. However, the ILEs' transformation process often appears to be left unfinished, leading to unsuccessful resolution of tensions. Further, our findings highlight the importance of four‐dimensional environmental competence in exploiting the affordances enabled by ILE.

Grammatical cohesion found in undergraduate student’s thesis writing: A case study at one private university in Indonesia

Writing an excellent and comprehensive text depends on applying appropriate grammatical cohesive devices. This study aims to investigate the types and errors of the grammatical cohesive devices found in the undergraduate student's thesis. The analysis used in the present study applied the framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) proposed by Halliday and Hasan (2014). Through the qualitative design with content analysis, this study examines two undergraduate students' theses, focusing on finding and discussing sections at one private university in Jakarta. The analysis revealed that grammatical cohesive devices in the thesis are not diverse. The data's most dominant grammatical cohesive devices are references and conjunctions—no elliptical and substitution devices are found in the data. Besides, errors in applying grammatical cohesion in the undergraduate students' writing were found, especially in using personal and demonstrative references and extension conjunctions. It indicates that the students still lack understanding in applying the knowledge of grammatical cohesion in their writing, influencing the readers' understanding in capturing information from the thesis. It implies that the knowledge of appropriate grammatical cohesion is essential for students in academic writing, predominantly undergraduate thesis, to convey the ideas and information properly and coherently.

Shadow Theatre as a Performative Art for the Development of Uninhibited Corporal Expression and Group Cohesion in Sixth-Grade Students of Primary Education

Shadow theatre is an educational resource based on the use of silhouettes and the body as a means of communication. It allows the incorporation of music and sound effects that help students discover movement possibilities in the stage space. It also encourages collaborative work through the creation of groups. Therefore, the aim of this research is the incorporation of shadow theatre as a performance art for the promotion of uninhibited corporal expression and group cohesion. An action-research methodology is used to define a didactic proposal that incorporates shadow theatre in the field of music education at primary school. The learning situation is carried out in two public schools in the province of Malaga, with a sample of 213 students. The results indicate that shadow theatre effectively improved pupils’ body expression and group cohesion. Some students had initial difficulties, but thanks to the anonymity provided by this resource, fear of ridicule was reduced. It is proposed to compare this resource with theatre in order to define whether the method of incorporating the shadow is really effective.

Implementation of Ice Breaking in Increasing Student’s Spirit of Learning

The application of interesting and unique ice breaking can be a solution to overcome student boredom and saturation in learning activities. Exciting and fun ice breaking activities can strengthen connections, build concentration, improve communication, and create a warmer and friendlier atmosphere. Ice Breaking activities are generally used in several parts of the activity. One of them is when opening a lecture. The implementation of ice breaking in learning to reduce student learning boredom was carried out in the second semester of the Early Childhood Islamic Education Study Program, Al Hikmah Tebing Tinggi Tarbiyah Science College. Based on the research results, it appears that there is an effect of implementing ice breaking in reducing boredom and increasing student enthusiasm for learning. The decrease in learning boredom from the high to low category was inseparable from the influence of the implementation of ice breaking which was carried out over twelve meetings and saw a shift in students' attitudes from what previously looked tense to being cheerful. Ice breaking can foster interest in learning, make the atmosphere more comfortable and can increase student cohesiveness in class and during the lecture process. This research aims to explain the application of ice breaking in student learning activities in class. In this research, qualitative methods and literature study were used. The data obtained is collected, analyzed, and conclusions are drawn in the implementation of learning each week so that it can be seen and compared whether learning uses ice breaking or not.

The Correlations Between Perceived Classroom Environment, Foreign Language Learning Boredom and EFL Achievement: A Full Mediation Model

Abstract The present study adopted a mixed-methods approach to investigate the relationships between EFL (English as a foreign language) learners’ perceived classroom environment (PCE), foreign language learning boredom (FLLB), and English achievement. Two hundred and seventy Chinese high school students participated in a questionnaire survey and 9 students participated in a semistructured interview. The results revealed that: 1) General PCE was negatively correlated with FLLB and positively correlated with achievement. Task orientation was the only component of PCE that significantly related to achievement; all components of PCE except student cohesiveness were significantly related to FLLB; 2) Teacher support, task orientation, and class order negatively influenced FLLB, which negatively influenced English achievement. None of the components of PCE directly influenced English achievement; 3) FLLB fully mediated the influence of teacher support and task orientation on achievement. Responses from the participants triangulated our findings in the quantitative part. According to the research findings, English teachers should adequately support their students and appropriately orient learning tasks to reduce students’ boredom levels and improve their English achievement.

Influence of CUREs on STEM retention depends on demographic identities.

Research has shown that undergraduate research experiences can have substantive effects on retaining students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). However, it is impossible to provide individual research experiences for every undergraduate student, especially at large universities. Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have become a common approach to introduce large numbers of students to research. We investigated whether a one-semester CURE that replaced a traditional introductory biology laboratory course could increase retention in STEM as well as intention to remain in STEM, if the results differed according to demography, and investigated the possible motivational factors that might mediate such an effect. Under the umbrella of the Authentic Research Connection (ARC) program, we used institutional and survey data from nine semesters and compared ARC participants to non-participants, who applied to ARC but either were not randomly selected or were selected but chose not to enroll in an ARC section. We found that ARC had significant effects on demographic groups historically less likely to be retained in STEM: ARC participation resulted in narrowing the gaps in graduation rates in STEM (first vs continuing-generation college students) and in intention to major in STEM [females vs males, Persons Excluded because of Ethnicity or Race (PEERs) vs non-PEERs]. These disproportionate boosts in intending STEM majors among ARC students coincide with their reporting a greater sense of student cohesiveness, retaining more interest in biology, and commenting more frequently that the course provided a useful/valuable learning experience. Our results indicate that CUREs can be a valuable tool for eliminating inequities in STEM participation, and we make several recommendations for further research.

An Analysis of the Abstracts of EFL Undergraduate Students: Coherence and Cohesion

<div class="WordSection1"><p><span lang="EN-US">Coherence and cohesion play crucial roles in writing an abstract of an undergraduate thesis. By ensuring the coherence and cohesion of the abstract, EFL undergraduate students can enhance its readability, can facilitate the understanding of the research content, and can enable readers to grasp the main points efficiently. However, EFL undergraduate students often need help achieving coherence and cohesion due to their limitations in understanding and practicing academic writing. The research aims to analyze how the sentences in the abstract are related to one another through logical connections and to identify the cohesive devices like conjunction, reference, substitution, or ellipsis to make the abstract coherent. Three abstracts were chosen randomly from 2020 to 2022. Then, the researchers analyzed the data qualitatively in words or sentences using document analysis. The results show that two out of three abstracts are coherent. It is highly suggested for EFL undergraduates whose abstracts must be more readable to improve cohesive devices and use different conjunction and adverbial sentences. Therefore, the suggestion is that EFL undergraduate students use other transitions to link each sentence to make coherent text.</span></p></div>

AN ERROR ANALYSIS OF COHESION IN ENGLISH STUDENTS’ ESSAY WRITING AT STKIP YDB LUBUK ALUNG

One of the English academic writing at college is English essays. Since English essay writing is one skill that should be taught to students, English essays must be mastered by students. Although writing English essays is complete and well organized, it still has a big contribution to developing students’ writing ability. This research aims to describe the students’ errors of cohesion in students' English Essay writing at STKIP YDB Lubuk Alung. The samples of the research were students of the 3rd semester of the English Department of STKIP YDB Lubuk Alung using purposive sampling which consisted of eight students. The instrument of the research was documentation through students’ essay writing. This study explores types of cohesion that are classified into two cohesions, namely grammatical cohesion, and lexical cohesion. The grammatical cohesion involves references, substitutions, ellipses, and conjunctions. Meanwhile, lexical cohesion involves reiteration and colocation. The result of this study shows that there are 299 errors of cohesion in students’ essay writing. The errors found by grammatical cohesion are 203 and the errors of lexical cohesion are 96. Referring to the research findings, it is recommended that English writing lecturers should more attention to discussing, explaining, and analyzing all these errors to overcome the writing English essays problems dealing with grammatical cohesion and lexical cohesion.

Analysis of Cohesion and Coherence of Written Products by Reading Performance and Developmental Levels

Introduction: Reading and writing are academic skills that should be given importance to the acquisition and development of students from the first step of their education life. It is stated in the literature that reading and writing contain similar processes, cognitive skills and contexts, and therefore reading skills have a positive relationship with writing skills. In this study, the cohesion and coherence of students' written products were examined depending on their reading performance and grade level. Method: The research was carried out with a comparative descriptive model, one of the quantitative research methods. In the study, the frequency of using cohesion items and the text coherence scores of 183 poor readers (fourth grade 50, sixth grade 71 and eighth grade 62) and 192 good readers (fourth grade 55, sixth grade 74 and eighth grade 63) in written products were examined by comparison. Informal Reading Inventory, a video prepared to remind the story structure and a silent movie were used to collect the data. In the analysis of the data, Mann Whitney U Tests were used for pairwise comparisons and Kruskal Wallis Tests were used for triple comparisons. Findings: Looking at the cohesion items, it is seen that poor readers in the fourth and eighth grades get lower scores than their peers who are good readers in reading skills. In addition, from the fourth to the eighth grade, it was observed that there was an improvement in the written products of the students with good reading skills in terms of cohesion items, while there was no significant improvement in the poor readers. Considering the coherence scores, it was seen that poor readers got lower scores than good readers at all grade levels, and students in both groups improved in terms of coherence scores in their written products from fourth to eighth grade. Discussion: It is seen that the problems of students with poor readers in using cohesion tools and their inability to create coherence texts may be due to the inadequacy of the students' language skills, that the students prefer to use short sentences in their writing exercises, they do not need to connect sentences, and the level of use of cohesion tools increases with the progress of their grade levels. It can be said that it is a research that has findings consistent with the findings of the studies in the literature.

Family cohesion and intuitive eating in Chinese college students: A serial mediation model

Improving intuitive eating can effectively prevent emotional eating, restrained eating, and overeating, and help improve people's physical and mental health. Based on the acceptance model of intuitive eating, ecological systems theory, family stress model, and transactional model of stress and coping, the present study aimed to explore the relationship between family cohesion and intuitive eating and its underlying mechanisms through a cross-sectional study design. A random sample of 702 college students from 29 provinces in China, aged from 18 to 26 years (54.56% male, M age = 21.12 years), voluntarily participated in the survey. Demographic variables, family cohesion, intuitive eating, perceived stress, and coping style were measured. The results indicated that family cohesion was significantly positively correlated with intuitive eating and the direct effect between them was significant. Meanwhile, there was a significant indirect effect of family cohesion on intuitive eating through perceived stress and positive coping styles. Moreover, perceived stress and positive coping styles, rather than negative coping styles, acted as serial mediators in the association between family cohesion and intuitive eating. The findings shed light on the prevention and intervention for disordered eating and obesity and provided a new theoretical perspective for the mental health education of college students. In addition, implications and directions for future research were also discussed.

Socio-emotional support in Higher Education: Evidence from First Year Learning Communities

First-year learning communities (FLCs) are known to improve student integration during the first year at university. The FLC classroom social climate and its potential role in contributing to this positive effect of FLCs have not been studied. The current study wants to elucidate students’ perceptions of the social climate within the Utrecht Undergraduate Pharmacy FLCs by exploring students’ perceptions and perceived value of peer and student-teacher interactions within these FLCs, relate these perceptions to the dimensions of the classroom social climate and clarify which factors help or hinder a positive perceived value. Fourteen first-year students from the cohort 2020-2021 (n=208) participated in semi-structured individual interviews in the first, second, and fourth period of the first year. At year’s end, first year students completed an online questionnaire on the quality of peer and student-teacher interactions. Our results show that FLC interactions are positively valued when students experience academic support from peers and teacher, socio-emotional support from peers and teacher, and active participation in class activities which corresponds to the classroom social climate dimensions student cohesiveness, student involvement and personalisation. Students’ perceived value of interactions was influenced by a variety of factors of which online classes hampered all valued classroom social climate dimensions. Socio-emotional support from peers and teacher was not only one of the most valued classroom climate elements, it also indirectly promoted academic support and active participation. This highlights the importance of socio-emotional support in the classroom, which should receive an increased amount of attention in higher education.

Insights from coherence in students’ scientific reasoning skills

Improving scientific reasoning enables students to navigate the challenges of learning science. Teachers use Lawson's classroom test of scientific reasoning (LCTSR) to measure scientific reasoning. The LCTSR is a two-tiered assessment that uses content-based questions and explanation statements. Researchers have found that if a student answers a knowledge-based question correctly but selects an incorrect explanation statement, there may be an element of guessing or an established misconception. Misconceptions are beliefs that students hold that are not based on scientific evidence. The present study added a confidence variable to the LCTSR, which measures how confident students regarded their responses in both tiers. Selecting a correct response to a knowledge-based question while providing an incorrect explanation and having a high confidence rating indicates an established misconception. The confidence variable is, therefore, a measure of an established scientific misconception and is the basis of the present study. The present study analyzed the responses of 71 first-year university students enrolled in an introductory physics course. The LCTSR results indicate that students performed the best in the conservation reasoning dimension and the worst in the proportional reasoning dimension. In all scientific reasoning dimensions, more than half the students chose the incorrect explanation for each context question. Students' confidence responses surpassed their performance in three of the 14 LCTSR items. The low frequency of correct answers and the statistically significant correlation between LCTSR items and confidence suggest possible misconceptions in students' scientific reasoning skills.