Teaching Period Research Articles

Perception and production of L2 Arabic emphatic consonants: The role of communicative and traditional form-based approaches

This study examines the extent to which the communicative and traditional form-based approaches play a role in the perception and production of Arabic emphatic consonants by native English speakers. To this end, 19 English-speaking learners of Arabic from the University of Kansas participated in two experiments: perception and production. The experiments were followed by a 90-min period of instruction. The perception and production experiments included pre and posttests. The results of the experiments showed that there is a positive correlation between both approaches, i.e., communicative and traditional form-based in the perception and production of the Arabic emphatic consonants. The results also showed that the Arabic plain consonants were assimilated to their English counterparts and the emphatic consonants were not assimilated to any category in English. Further, the contrast between plain and emphatic consonants was found to be perceptually salient; both the control and experimental groups’ overall performance on the perception tasks was excellent in both the pre- and post-tests. In closing, the theoretical and pedagogical implications of the findings are discussed.

Using Literacy Strategies to Support a Preservice Teacher Candidate in Becoming an Effective Teacher

This qualitative investigation used a case study approach to collect data to answer this question: Did a preservice teacher candidate enrolled in a content literacy course while seeking initial middle-level teacher certification find literacy strategies useful in the instruction of seventh-grade science students? This study reports findings collected from one preservice teacher candidate, along with course peers, seeking initial certification for middle-level instruction. Data collection included an interview, member checking, and observations. Over the fifteen-week period of instruction in an undergraduate content literacy course, data provided evidence that literacy strategies used by a preservice teacher candidate in the instruction of science for middle-level students provided effective acquisition of instructional content.

The effect of self-evaluation skills in developing the quality of individual performance Action Research

Grade 12 students participated in a study that looks to answer the question" does use of self-assessment skills as teaching technique improve student the quality of individual achievement and performance and their attitudes in grade 12 science courses in our schools? Attitudes were measured with a Likert Scale survey "Questionnaire"; while achievement was measured with pre-posttest. The unit included in this study is " Chemical Calculations of the Elements" which is one of the most difficult subjects for the students. The main sources of information were teachers and grade 12 student's book. Students took both a unit test and Likert scale following the instructional period. The results show that using self-assessment skills enhanced and improve the test scores. The Likert scale survey shows that students in the first group like the way of using self-assessment skills and enjoy it. In contrast, the second group which subjected to the traditional way did not like it. Keywords: self-assessment skills, individual performance, quality, schools. DOI: 10.7176/JPCR/55-07 Publication date: November 30 th 2022

Redistribution of Basic Medical Science Content During Undergraduate Medical Education Curricular Reform: An Expert-Derived List of Recommendations.

Purpose: Over the past 2 decades, calls for medical school curricula reform have emphasized earlier student exposure to the clinical environment, resulting in shortened classroom time before students begin clinical rotations and compelling careful examination of the context and redistribution of basic medical science instruction across the preclinical, clerkship, and postclerkship periods. 1 Educators aim to both focus preclinical content on that which is crucial for clinical care of patients and to integrate basic science education into clinical experiences. 2 However, there are no clear guidelines on how traditional preclinical instructional topics are best redistributed within this new undergraduate medical education (UME) curricular model. Method: A modified Delphi process was used to produce recommendations that guide redistribution of basic medical science instruction during UME curriculum reform. We performed semistructured inte;, rviews with national UME experts (from institutions that previously underwent curricular reform with a shortened preclinical instructional period) to elicit perspectives on how decisions were made at their institutions. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically assessed. The findings were then condensed into a list of guidelines and distributed to a larger group of national UME educators to gauge their level of agreement with each recommendation. The guidelines were revised based on level of agreement and comments associated with each recommendation, and subsequent versions were redistributed amongst participants for feedback. Guidelines with which at least 70% of participants somewhat or strongly agreed (based on a 4-point Likert scale) were included in the final list of recommendations. Results: We recruited 40 UME educational leaders from 16 institutions in the United States. Initial interviews were conducted with 9 of these participants, after which 31 guidelines were compiled and distributed in survey format. 17/40 (42.5%) participants completed the initial survey, after which 3 guidelines were removed, 5 were added, and 5 were revised based on feedback. 22/38 (58.0%) participants responded to the second survey, after which 33/33 (100%) guidelines reached the inclusion threshold, defined as having at least 70% of participants somewhat or strongly agree. These guidelines were categorized by curriculum decision makers, general design strategies, and topic placement specific to the preclinical, clinical, and postclerkship curriculum phases. Twelve of the guidelines were considered “major” recommendations based on at least 70% of participants indicating strong agreement. Discussion: Amongst the guidelines, there was an overarching emphasis that basic science instruction should be vertically integrated into all curricular phases (preclinical, clinical, and postclerkship) with evidence-based teaching strategies including deliberate spiraling. This vertical integration has known impacts beyond knowledge acquisition including boosts to student motivation, professional identity development as doctors, and transition to independent practice, although these were not explicitly explored in this study. 3 With regard to specific teaching topics, the recommendations emphasize that basic science be taught within clinical context, with acknowledgment that faculty may lose some personal autonomy and historically taught concepts may no longer have relevance in the reformed curriculum. Instructional topics chosen for the preclinical phase should focus on need-to-know topics with an emphasis on the development of critical thinking skills, understanding that more advanced basic medical science topics will be revisited post clerkship. Approaches to accomplishing these goals may include limiting science course teaching to faculty with pedagogical expertise. 4 Significance: While medical schools widely recognize the need to redistribute basic medicine science content across a 4-year curriculum, specific strategies to accomplish this are not currently described. We compiled 33 expert-derived recommendations on how instructional topics can be redistributed during UME curriculum reform when preclinical classroom time is shortened. These recommendations can guide decisions on where components of instruction are best served during curriculum reform at any institution.

A Meta-Analysis of Instructional Management Models Affecting Creative Thinking Development

<p style="text-align: justify;">The main objective of this research was to study the effects of instructional management models and nominal variables on the development of students’ creative thinking. The researchers used the research synthesis of 400 studies on the development of students' creative thinking by a meta-analysis of research according to Cohen. The meta-analysis results revealed that the average effect size of the instructional management model (d = 3.43; [3.10, 3.17]) was positive and had a very high effect size with statistical significance. The most significant influence on the creative thinking development model was creative development theory (d = 4.217; [3.32, 5.11]). In addition, effect sizes varied with the attribute variables of the research, particularly the attribute variable of the research on instruction with the highest effect consisted of research with the focus on language, at the primary level, applied Torrance's creativity theory, designed between one to six lesson plans. Moreover, there was less than one hour per plan, the instructional period including the experiment conducted more than 31 hours and there were four weeks of instruction. In addition, there were six steps for instruction, there had quiz as an assessment tool, number of exams varied between 30 and 39 questions, and knowledge sheets were used as instructional materials. In the context of the meta-analysis, the findings indicated that the teachers should apply creative development theory in developing the students’ creative thinking for more effective instructional management.</p>

High-Intensity Functional Training For Children With Autism Improves Social Skills, ASD Symptoms And Physical Performance

PURPOSE: This study assessed the feasibility and effectiveness of a 10-wk high intensity exercise program offered after-school for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) without intellectual disability. METHODS: Children with ASD (n = 11, M age: 9.53 ± 2.1 yr) engaged in a 1 hr after-school high intensity functional training exercise session, 2 d/wk for 10 wks that targeted social skills, ASD symptoms, and physical performance. Each group exercise session included an instruction period, warm-up, high intensity workout, related game, and cool-down. Social skill and symptom outcome measures included the Adapted Skillstreaming Checklist (ASC) and Social Responsiveness Scale 2nd Edition, School Age Form (SRS-2). Physical performance data (i.e., strength, flexibility, PACER aerobic fitness, power) were also collected. Paired t-tests were used to assess pre to post program performance differences. Participant and parent/guardian satisfaction surveys (7-point Likert scale) were administered following completion of the program. RESULTS: Feasibility and safety were supported in high levels of fidelity (96%), participant and parental satisfaction (4.66, 6.53 out of 7, respectively), and attendance (90% of all sessions), and there were no adverse events or injuries. Pre-post comparisons indicated significant improvements and large effects in social skills (ASC = 87.5 to 118.73; d = 1.95) and ASD symptoms (SRS-2 = 83.6 to 71.36; d = .98) and medium-to-large effects on tests of physical performance (PACER [6.9 to 9.9 laps; d = .86], 60 sec max sit-ups [13.3 to 23.5 reps, d = .58], 60 sec max body weight squats [19.5 to 29.6; d = .61]). CONCLUSION: This after-school high intensity exercise program for children with ASD without intellectual disability was feasible (high fidelity, satisfaction) and improved social functioning, ASD symptoms and physical performance.

중등 영어 학습부진 학생 교수⋅학습 처치 효과에 관한 메타분석

Objectives The purpose of this study was to specify the effects of English language instruction for underachievers in secondary schools through a quantative meta-analysis. Methods 68 experimental studies were collected and analyzed in terms of dependent variables (English proficiency, affective domain), controlled variables (research type, region, school type, group size, instructional period and duration), and independent variables (10 types of instructional methods and approaches). Results The result of the meta-analysis was that the overall mean effect size was .741. The effect size of English proficiency was .787, and the effect size of affective domain was .949. Some statistical differences were found in some subcategories of each variable. Conclusions Almost all teaching types and methodologies were effective to some extent in English language instruction for underachievers in secondary schools, however the effect size was different depending on the variables.

Absence of a COVID-induced academic drop in high-school physics learning

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of secondary instruction in the United States transitioned to an online environment. In many parts of the country, online schooling continued for upwards of two years. Many experts have hypothesized an “academic slide”—a reduction in student learning—following this period of online instruction. We investigated the change in student preparation for introductory college physics in incoming Stanford University students between the fall term of 2019 to the fall term of 2021. We did this by looking at the performance on a validated physics diagnostic exam that all Stanford students intending to take a physics course took before enrolling in an introductory physics course. We found no statistically or educationally significant change in scores. Despite many anecdotal faculty reports, at least for this population, the level of student preparation in physics and related math appears to be unchanged.Received 6 June 2022Accepted 13 July 2022DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.18.023102Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.Published by the American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasStudent preparationProfessional TopicsLower undergraduate studentsPhysics Education Research

How Elementary In-School Play Opportunities Relate to Academic Achievement and Social-Emotional Well-Being: Systematic Review.

Play is essential for child growth and development, and may have academic and social-emotional implications. To understand the relationship between in-school play opportunities and academic achievement (AA) and social-emotional well-being among elementary school students, a systematic review of the current in-school play literature was conducted. Keywords were input across 7 search engines. After screening, 20 peer-reviewed publications related to play, AA, and social-emotional well-being met the inclusion criteria for this review. Across the included publications, recess was the only in-school play opportunity assessed. Overall, student behavior and social-emotional outcomes benefited from more recess while mixed results were found between recess participation and academic outcomes. However, more recess was not detrimental to AA. The findings from this review support the need for recess as part of a whole child approach to education that may mitigate the negative outcomes of sitting through long periods of instruction. More research is needed on the AA and social-emotional effects of other types of in-school play opportunities (ie, centers, play stations, and other breaks). Findings from this review indicate that recess is a necessary part of the elementary school day.

Voice Load in a Music Student Teacher: A Quantitative Case Study in Voice Dosimetry

ABSTRACT The authors examined the voice use of a student teacher in vocal music in the initial 20 instructional meetings of a choir class over two months in a high school choir class. The purpose was to explore voice load during one daily period in the music classroom at the beginning of the student teaching placement to evaluate how and whether voice use changes in the early stage of teacher preparation. Results indicated that measures of fundamental frequency (F0), phonation time, phonation volume, and background noise level varied across measurement periods and according to student teacher activities. As a percentage of the instructional period, phonation time ranged 1.9% to 42%, and was largest in measurement periods beyond the initial days of student teaching. Teacher volume increased modestly across the data collection. Implications are suggested including increased confidence in the student teacher or increased voice misuse by the student teacher.

Investigating the Use of Mathematics Games and a Second Mathematics Class for Struggling High School Students

Only one-third of middle school students in Hawai‘i demonstrated proficiency in grade-level mathematics in 2019. This means that most students enter high school without a strong knowledge of foundational mathematics concepts that are essential for success in high school mathematics courses. This case study investigated two instructional intervention tools designed to help high school students who were struggling in mathematics strengthen their knowledge of and skill in foundational mathematics content. This study utilized two intervention tools, a double dose program where students received two full periods of mathematics instruction, and conceptual mathematics games. The tools were implemented to ninth grade students in a mathematics classroom at private high school in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. The primary focus of the study was to investigate the effects of the intervention tools on progress monitoring assessment scores for struggling learners. However, this study also investigated the effects on the assessment scores for non-struggling learners. While the findings showed that the use of games had a positive effect on scores for struggling learners, the double dose program did not show strong positive results for either struggling or non-struggling students. Implications for a future study are to analyze scores on games and observe the conditions of the supplementary course to investigate the effect on assessment scores.

Code-switching in English classrooms and its Impact on undergraduate learning in a public university in Afghanistan

The alternate use of two different languages as code-switching is situated in the field of bilingualism and it is considered a common feature of those who speak two or more languages. The occurrence of code-switching in English classrooms is considered a conducive linguistic resource to be exploited and practiced sensibly. This study aims to highlight the current situation of code-switching in EFL classrooms, the motives for EFL lecturers’ code-switching during their instruction to facilitate the teaching and learning process, and the measures for avoiding the use of code-switching. A qualitative study based on interviews followed by classroom observation was conducted. Eight EFL learners in a public university participated in this study. Four instructional periods of classroom observations were carried out. The results indicated that code-switching is predominantly employed and learners perceive it positively and lecturers use it for content clarification and building rapport with learners. Moreover, it can be also considered as impeding language skills. Keywords: Code-switching; EFL; EFL classroom; language.

Exploring Protein Structures of SARS‐CoV‐2 Variants of Concern within an Undergraduate Research Course

Lane College is a Historically Black College with a legacy of educating underserved minority students. As a primarily undergraduate teaching college, faculty and students have limited opportunities to engage in undergraduate research. To address this concern, the biology department created the undergraduate research course sequence (Undergraduate Research I and II) to provide course‐based undergraduate research experiences for students. During the Spring 2021 semester, to limit the spread of COVID‐19, the College began the first few weeks with complete online instruction before switching to hybrid or face‐to‐face modality. For the biology undergraduate research students, the projects were redesigned based on input from the students to explore the viral protein structural changes in newly emerging SARS‐CoV‐2 variants of concern (VOC). First, students explored the virology of SARS‐CoV‐2 and structures of key viral proteins using curriculum available from Rutgers University on the Protein Data Bank during the online instruction period. Then the students selected a variant of concern, B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), or P.1 (Gamma), and a specific viral protein containing at least one mutation for further study. During the hybrid instruction period, using open‐source bioinformatics tools, including NCBI SARS‐CoV‐2 genome sequences, PANGO Lineage VOC data, UCSC Genome Browser and SNAP Gene, the students mapped the location of the VOC mutation on their chosen protein’s known structure. They then modeled the effect of the mutation on the protein structure using Chimera or iCN3D, since Chimera is not compatible with Chromebooks. Students determined that the mutations found in nsp3 in Alpha variant and ORF8 in Gamma variant did not have a large impact on the overall structure of the proteins and predicted that there would not be significant effects on protein function. In contrast, several mutations found in Beta variant spike protein likely impact receptor binding domain interactions with angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptor. The methods developed here will be useful for further investigations of protein structures from emerging variants of concern. This experience demonstrates the utility of bioinformatics research projects in online and hybrid courses and the importance of consideration of compatibility of various open‐source tools with student devices.

The effect of stimulant medication on the learning of academic curricula in children with ADHD: A randomized crossover study.

Evaluate whether stimulant medication improves acquisition of academic material in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) receiving small-group, content-area instruction in a classroom setting. Participants were 173 children between the ages of 7 and 12 years old (77% male, 86% Hispanic) who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria for ADHD and were participating in a therapeutic summer camp. The design was a triple-masked, within-subject, AB/BA crossover trial. Children completed two consecutive phases of daily, 25-min instruction in both (a) subject-area content (science, social studies) and (b) vocabulary. Each phase was a standard instructional unit lasting for 3 weeks. Teachers and aides taught the material to small groups in a summer classroom setting. Each child was randomized to be medicated with daily osmotic-release oral system methylphenidate (OROS-MPH) during either the first or second of the instructional phases, receiving placebo during the other. Medication had large, salutary, statistically significant effects on children's academic seatwork productivity and classroom behavior on every single day of the instructional period. However, there was no detectable effect of medication on learning the material taught during instruction: Children learned the same amount of subject-area and vocabulary content whether they were taking OROS-MPH or placebo during the instructional period. Acute effects of OROS-MPH on daily academic seatwork productivity and classroom behavior did not translate into improved learning of new academic material taught via small-group, evidence-based instruction. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Purkinje Cell Activity in the Medial and Lateral Cerebellum During Suppression of Voluntary Eye Movements in Rhesus Macaques.

Volitional suppression of responses to distracting external stimuli enables us to achieve our goals. This volitional inhibition of a specific behavior is supposed to be mainly mediated by the cerebral cortex. However, recent evidence supports the involvement of the cerebellum in this process. It is currently not known whether different parts of the cerebellar cortex play differential or synergistic roles in the planning and execution of this behavior. Here, we measured Purkinje cell (PC) responses in the medial and lateral cerebellum in two rhesus macaques during pro- and anti-saccade tasks. During an antisaccade trial, non-human primates (NHPs) were instructed to make a saccadic eye movement away from a target, rather than toward it, as in prosaccade trials. Our data show that the cerebellum plays an important role not only during the execution of the saccades but also during the volitional inhibition of eye movements toward the target. Simple spike (SS) modulation during the instruction and execution periods of pro- and anti-saccades was prominent in PCs of both the medial and lateral cerebellum. However, only the SS activity in the lateral cerebellar cortex contained information about stimulus identity and showed a strong reciprocal interaction with complex spikes (CSs). Moreover, the SS activity of different PC groups modulated bidirectionally in both of regions, but the PCs that showed facilitating and suppressive activity were predominantly associated with instruction and execution, respectively. These findings show that different cerebellar regions and PC groups contribute to goal-directed behavior and volitional inhibition, but with different propensities, highlighting the rich repertoire of the cerebellar control in executive functions.

The effectiveness of story retelling on junior high school students’ reading comprehension and writing

The poor performance of Nigerian students in the English language, both in internal and external examinations, poses a challenge to scholars of reading. This study sought to find out if story retelling as a technique of teaching reading comprehension and writing will in any way affect the ability of Junior Secondary School (JSS 3) students to comprehend text, retell given stories as well as improve their writing. The quasi experimental method was used to conduct the study. Eighty subjects in two junior secondary schools in Owerri, East of Nigeria, were grouped into Experimental and Control groups. Both groups were taught the same content of the school syllabus; the period of instruction was the same for both. However, while the Control group was taught using the conventional method, the Experimental group was taught through the use of story reading and retelling. At the end of the treatment, a post-test was administered on both the Control and Experimental groups. The transactional theory of learning which sees reading and writing as personal meaning-making processes was used to guide the study. The scores of students from their written retellings constituted the data and were analyzed using means and standard deviation. It was found that the performance of students (both Control and Experimental) in the pre-test were within the same range. But there was a marked difference between the performance of the Control and Experimental groups in the post-test. Noticeably, the Experimental group performed better in the post-test than in the pre-test, as well as better than the Control Group. The paper therefore concluded that the story retelling strategy was effective in improving the comprehension, retelling and writing of students.

DOES COMPUTER ASSISTED INSTRUCTION (CAI) WORK BETTER THAN TRADITIONAL TEACHING IN IMPROVING LEARNING BIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS AMONG TENTH-GRADE STUDENTS?

The present study intended to compare Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) and traditional method of teaching biological concepts to tenth class students in terms of their achievement. Microsoft PowerPoint software was utilized in CAI method to instruct students whereas the traditional method consisted of chalk & talk method with non-electronic teaching aids. The experiment was conducted on 50 students of a tenth class, divided into control and experimental group with a strength of 25 each. To compare the achievement of students Criterion-Referenced Tests (CRTs) were prepared and used before and after the instructional period. The findings revealed that there is a significant difference in means of pre-test scores and post-test scores of both groups, and when comparing post-tests of the control and experimental group, CAI has been favoured significantly in terms of achievement. Moreover, students of the CAI group overwhelmingly appreciated CAI method of teaching.

Instagram-Assisted Learning of Collocations and Colligations: The Case of EFL Learners

Instagram, as a popular social networking platform, allows users to share photos and videos with other users. This research investigated the effect of Instagram-assisted instruction on the learning of collocations and colligations1 by Iranian EFL learners. Fifteen participants who were selected based on a language proficiency test took part in this research. The participants were first pre-tested on their collocational and colligational knowledge. The collocational and colligational items that were answered incorrectly by 50 percent or higher were selected for treatment. Afterwards, the researchers prepared nine videos, containing 41 collocational and colligational items, and posted them on Instagram during a five- week instruction period. The participants were asked to watch the videos, and carry out the related exercises in the caption section of the post, through the usage of the comments sections on Instagram. After posting all the videos, the pre-test was run again as a post-test. The results indicated a significant difference between the mean scores of the pre- and post-test, highlighting the fact that the treatment had been effective. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 participants in order to find out their attitudes towards language learning via Instagram. The learners indicated a positive attitude towards using Instagram for their language learning purposes. In conclusion, the research showed that Instagram-assisted instruction, when properly implemented and designed, can be beneficial to the development of second language learning.

Student Grade Evaluation, Survey Feedback, and Lessons Learned during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Study of Virtual vs. In-Person Offering of a Freshman-Level General Chemistry II Course in Summer at Xavier University of Louisiana

A primary motivation for this study was to compare student perceptions and performance within a virtual learning environment to the traditional in-person learning experience for the General Chemistry II course taught during a 5-week summer session at Xavier University of Louisiana, a minority serving institution. The authors present quantitative and qualitative analyses including the comparison of student performance on exams during the COVID-19 remote learning experience with exam performance over a 3-year period of conventional in-person instruction. In this article, student grades, survey feedback, and learning outcomes are outlined. This study was performed to assist the faculty in improving and enriching the course content and its delivery, as they coped with the transition to a virtual learning environment imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Distance Learning in Language Courses Under the Constraints of the Covid-19 Pandemic: The Impact of Face-To-Face Learning on Student Motivation

The goal of the study is to establish and analyze the opportunities offered by online learning of language courses based on practical experience, what advantages and drawbacks of such learning can be found, and what are its prospects in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. The study provides substantiation for the relevance of studying distance learning of language disciplines in the COVID-19 pandemic and presents various approaches to researching the specific features of online language learning. The article presents the results of a case study of online learning of language courses in different age and professional groups of students of the M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, Russia. The teaching of theoretical courses of the language cycle virtually does not suffer in terms of efficiency and effectiveness from the transition to fully online learning, while the teaching of practical courses should at best be combined, or blended because direct, personalized contact with the teacher is important for the development of students’ learning motivation. That said, being deprived of such contact does not bring any harm to language students, especially when it is preceded by an extended period of instruction with personalized teacher-student contact. Online teaching of language courses offers the students the same opportunities as traditional classroom learning, with the exception of direct contact that results in the development and maintenance of students’ learning motivation.