Group Instruction Research Articles

Challenging Global Group Audits: The Perspective of US Group Audit Leads*

ABSTRACTRegulators are concerned about the quality of group audits because of poor inspection results, recent enforcement actions against component auditors, and the significance of these audits to the global economy. Yet research in this area is nascent. In response, we survey and interview US‐based global group audit leads to better understand the group audit process and their perceptions of challenges that arise on such engagements. Our findings indicate that group auditors organize their audits consistent with the client's structure, which drives component auditor selection, scoping, and fees. Group auditors routinely find fault with component auditors, perceiving that work performed and/or documentation provided is not sufficient, not appropriate and/or not communicated timely, to comply with US standards and reporting deadlines. In some cases, they perceive that the component auditor is unable and/or unwilling to comply and in others, that the component auditor misunderstands group instructions due to language proficiency or differing interpretation of the standards. Notably this perspective is ethnocentric, as group auditors almost exclusively attribute issues to component auditors. While ethnocentric tendencies appear myopic, they provide insight into unrecognized or overlooked aspects of the global firm model of cooperative arrangements. This study highlights the significance of the global firm's network structure to global group audits. Thus, we encourage intercommunity research, among (quantitative and qualitative) scholars and standard setters, to consider group audits in the broader context of firm networks.

Effects of Group Behavioral Skills Training on Teacher Candidates’ Acquisition and Maintenance of Active Listening

This study examined group-delivered behavioral skills training (BST) as a method for preparing special education teacher candidates to demonstrate active listening communication skills. Results indicated that: (a) BST was effective for instruction, (b) all instructional groups maintained communication skills across probes, and (c) participants felt prepared to talk to general education teachers and parents after BST in communication skills. Results offer evidence that BST can be implemented in group settings and can be used to teach communication skills to teacher candidates. Teacher preparers should consider BST as a method for communication skills training in university classrooms as a way to support preservice teachers.

Examining the impacts of the structures writing intervention for teaching fourth-grade students to write informational text

Expository writing may be especially difficult for elementary grade students due to lack of background knowledge and unfamiliar text structures. A text structure writing intervention aimed at teaching students to write informational text using text structures has been shown to have promise for improving the informational text writing of upper elementary grade students using small group instruction (Reading and Writing, 31, 2115–2145; Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 31, 2165–2190; Learning Disabilities: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 23, 35–55. ). There are disadvantages to small group instruction, however, because it requires additional resources. In the current study, 41 students in grade 4 were randomly assigned to receive the Structures Writing intervention or BAU narrative writing instruction. Both groups received instruction in a large group setting. At posttest, students who received the Structures Writing intervention statistically significantly outperformed the control group on researcher-created measures of simple description, compare/contrast, sequence, problem–solution, and cause-effect writing. Results indicated no differences between on distal reading outcomes. The intervention components completed within the allotted time-frame were completed with a high degree of fidelity (97%), providing an indicator of usability. However, students only fully completed 57% of lesson activities, indicating that it is not feasible to complete the lessons within a 30-min time frame. The discussion highlights the Structures Writing intervention as a promising approach for improving informational text writing skills of fourth grade students with moderate to large effect sizes that support findings of a prior pilot test. A larger efficacy trial is warranted following revision of the lessons to shorten lesson duration.

Effect of the 5E Instructional Model on Physics Academic Achievement Based on Gender and Students’ Ability: A Case of Berekum Senior High Schools in Ghana

This study examined the effect of the 5E instructional model on Physics students’ academic achievement based on gender and students’ ability. The study employed a quasi-experimental design using the pre-test, post-test and delayed-post administered instruments to the experimental and control groups. The study involved two instructional strategies (5E instructional model and traditional teaching). Instruments known as Physics Students’ Academic Achievement Test (PSAAT) and Delayed Post Test (DPT) were used to gather data for the study. Mean scores, standard deviations and normalized gains were used to analyses data while ANCOVA and independent-sample t-test were used to test the hypothesis at the 0.05 level of significance. A significant difference was found between Physics students instructed with the 5E instructional model and those taught through the traditional classroom. Similarly, a significant difference was found between Physics high-ability student in the 5E instructional group and those in the traditional group. However, a non-significant difference was found between Physics low-ability students in the experimental and the control groups. Similarly, a non-significant different was found among gender concerning pre-test and post-test means scores. However, a significant difference was found among gender in favor for the male students. The study recommended that Physics teachers wanting to improve their students learning outcomes should adopt the 5E instructional model.

Flipping the Classroom to Optimize Clinical Decision-Making in the Didactic Setting.

Deliberate inclusion of clinical decision-making nursing skills in the didactic setting will assist students in potentially making better patient care decisions. This can be optimized through use of the flipped learning andragogy. Flipped learning promotes an interactive classroom environment. It fosters teamwork and collaboration. Direct content instruction is the responsibility of students. This cohort pilot study investigated how the flipped and nonflipped approach to teaching impacted clinical decision-making and student participation. The Clinical Decision-Making in Nursing Scale (CDMNS) was administered to the students in the flipped classroom and the nonflipped classroom on week 1 and week 6. A student participation checklist was used to observe class activities at three separate intervals (baseline, mid-semester, and end-semester). A repeated measures analysis of covariance was conducted with Instruction Group as the between subjects factor (Flipped and Nonflipped) and Time (preinstruction and postinstruction) as the within subjects factor, and covarying age. The Time by the Instruction group was significant. The Flipped group showed an increase in Clinical decision-making scores (p < .001) after instruction while the Nonflipped group did not (p = .40). The Flipped group (n = 24) showed an increase in Clinical decision-making scores (p < .001) after instruction while the Nonflipped group (n = 23) did not (p = .40). The Flipped classroom showed 100% participation at baseline, mid-semester, and end of semester. The Nonflipped classroom showed overall lower levels of participation, with 42%, 33%, and 39% at each point respectively. Students who were taught using the flipped instruction were able to apply what they learned in relevant case studies, virtual simulations, and practice National Council Licensure Examination RN (NCLEX-RN) type questions. Through teamwork and collaboration, students had time to practice clinical decision-making skills. This was evident in the increased CDMNS scores and increased levels of participation over time in the flipped group when compared to the nonflipped group.

Testing Phase of Reinforcement learning System designed for Quranic Education for Non-Native Arabic Children

In this research, school teachers and religious scholars got involved in designing a system for quranic education for non-native Arabic children. To the best of our knowledge, we believe our study is one of the first to explore the potential of technology for Quranic Education through qualitative discussions with two groups of instructors, namely school teachers and religious scholars, despite the fact that reinforcement learning has not been used for such purposes. The designed system is based on reinforcement learning mechanism and speech recognition system [4]. Discussion and open interviews conducted with both types of instructors before building and implementing the system. After implementation, we provide the system to both types of instructors to collect their feedback and examine it one children. In this paper, we show the outcome of the testing phase from both rounds of testing. As for the results, both types of instructors think that the system is outstanding to overcome many challenges in the classroom with children. Also, after teachers examine the system on children, they found significant improvement on children’s repeating the whole verse after trying the system as well as performance improvements before and after using the system. Surprisingly, teachers think they know the students very well, however, they discover new weakness and strength points on children after using the system.

Structured Input vs. Structured Output Task’s Effects on the Acquisition of the English Causative Forms: Discourse-Level. Structured Input vs. Structured Output Task’s Effects on the Acquisition of the English Causative Forms: Discourse-Level.

This research paper presents a quasi-experimental empirical study investigating the effects of structured input and structured output tasks on the acquisition of English causative forms. This research is framed on VanPatten’s (1996) input processing theory. The grammatical form chosen for this investigation is affected by a processing strategy called the First Noun Principle. There are three variables included that make this study significant. These variables are having participants that are young learners who speak Arabic as an L1 and using discourse-level instrumentation. These variables make this study significant because the studies that investigated the effectiveness of structured input practice with these variables are in the minority. The study’s main questions are: (i) What are the short-term effects of structured input and structured output on the acquisition of English causative forms as measured with discourse-level interpretation tasks? (ii) What are the short-term effects of structured input and structured output on the learners’ ability to acquire the English causative forms as measured with discourse-level production tasks? Participants were school-age learners (aged 12-13) from an Arabic background with Arabic as an L1 who studied English as a second language in Kuwait. A pre and post-test procedure was adopted in this study. Two instructional groups were created, which are: (i) structured input; (ii) structured output. Discourse-level tasks were used in the study to assess the effectiveness of the two instructional treatments. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ANOVA. The main findings support the view that discourse-level structured input tasks are a useful pedagogical intervention in helping young L2 learners from an Arabic background with Arabic as an L1 to process, interpret and produce accurate English causative forms. The main findings have theoretical and pedagogical implications for language learning and teaching.

Occupational Lead Exposures among University Police Officers and Instructors at an Outdoor Shooting Range in Southcentral Kentucky

There is a potentially high risk of lead exposure among police officers and instructors at an outdoor firing range. In the United States, occupational lead exposure remains an important and significant public health problem. Lead causes both acute and chronic adverse health effects in multiple human organ systems. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has promulgated a Permissible Exposure Limit and Action Level of 50 µg/m3 and 30 µg/m3 for lead averaged over an 8-hour period, respectively (general industry standards). Excessive lead exposures have been previously reported in several studies that evaluated groups of firearm shooters and instructors at firing ranges. Many of those studies focused mainly on personal lead exposures at either indoor or covered outdoor firing ranges. The present study was conducted with a sample of 17 university police officers (14 shooters and 3 instructors) to assess their occupational lead exposures at an uncovered outdoor firing range in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The study occurred over a period of three days during the months of June and July. The results showed that personal exposures to lead ranged from a concentration of 5.5 to 146 µg/m3. In addition, personal exposures reported for some police officers significantly exceeded OSHA’s general industry lead standards, without consideration of the use of personal protective equipment. The use of copper-jacketed ammunition and personal protective equipment combined with adequate work practices are highly recommended for this group of police officers and instructors. The effective implementation of proactive control measures is necessary to reduce airborne lead levels and invariably minimize potential inhalation and absorption of lead by police officers at firing ranges.

The Impact of Game-Based, Modeling, and Collaborative Learning Methods on the Achievements, Motivations, and Visual Mathematical Literacy Perceptions

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of geometry instruction activities conducted in nature based on modeling, game-based, and cooperative learning methods on achievement, mathematical motivation, and visual mathematical literacy perceptions of third-grade elementary school students. The present study is a quantitative study conducted with a pre-test/post-test experimental design with a control group. The study was conducted with 61 students (35 students in the experimental group and 26 students in the control group). Modeling-, game-, and collaborative learning-based activities were conducted with the students in the experimental group. It was determined that the achievements of students who were instructed with modeling-based activities in geometry were high when compared to that of the students instructed with collaborative learning- and game-based methods, and those in the control group where no intervention was applied. This group was followed by the game-based and collaborative learning groups. Based on the variable of motivation, the mean motivation of the students in the modeling group was higher when compared to that of the students in the collaborative learning, game-based, and conventional instruction groups. This group was followed by the collaborative and game-based learning groups. Also, based on the visual mathematical literacy perception variable, the mean visual mathematics literacy perception of the students in the collaborative learning group was higher when compared to that of the students in the groups where the modeling, game-based, and conventional instruction methods were used. This group was followed by the modeling and game-based learning groups.

Using Explicit Instruction versus Incidental Learning in Enhancing Lexical Collocational Knowledge and Quality of Writing

This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of using explicit instruction versus incidental learning in enhancing lexical collocational knowledge among third-year English majors at the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Translation, Misr University for Science and Technology. For the purposes of this study, 60 students were divided into two experimental (i.e. explicit instruction and incidental learning) and one control group. A lexical collocation test which consists of two parts, namely, receptive and productive, and a writing quality test were administered for three groups after the treatment. A 10-session treatment was administered for the experimental groups’ students, while the control group students followed their regular method. Results revealed a clear advantage for explicit instruction as the explicit instruction group significantly outperformed the incidental learning group and the control group both in receptive and productive lexical knowledge. Results also indicated that the explicit instruction group students outperformed both the incidental and the control groups in the quality of writing. The incidental learning group also reflected some collocation gains with better performance than the control group.

Small Group Instruction to Improve Student Performance in Mathematics in Early Grades: Results from a Randomized Field Experiment

Small Group Instruction to Improve Student Performance in Mathematics in Early Grades: Results from a Randomized Field Experiment

Early Childhood Education in the United States: What, When, Where, Who, How, and Why

This chapter concerns the state of the literature on early childhood education (ECE) – formal programs offering group instruction for children younger than the standard eligibility age for public education. I describe how ECE programs can be convincingly evaluated and why they may or may not work to narrow gaps in well-being across the lifecycle. The methods, the findings from their application, and their proper interpretation rest critically on who participates and when and where that participation is situated. Because there is a great deal of variation in the answers to these questions even within the United States, I focus on the U.S. experience. Over the past two decades, we have made considerable progress understanding the impacts of large-scale ECE participation in the U.S., as the literature has moved away from – despite being still strongly influenced by – small-scale model interventions. And yet, there is still much to be learned about the long-term effects of participating in ECE programs operating at scale, the mechanisms linking large-scale ECE interventions to later-life well-being, and the effects of ECE quality conditional on ECE participation.

Examining the Academic Contribution of Non-native and Native Language Instructors in College English Courses

In the context of English as a foreign language (EFL) education, native-English-speaking teachers (NESTs) have long been considered more valuable than non-native-English-speaking teachers (NNESTs). As a growing number of people around the world are becoming English learners, however, NNESTs now outnumber NESTs. This fact calls for greater attention to how the two groups of language instructors are perceived and what they actually bring to the EFL language classroom. This study examines how the predominance of NESTs in Korean EFL contexts affects Korean EFL learners and Korean college education. Grouping students according to change in their TOEIC scores over one semester (increase, decrease, no change), the study investigates the influence of NNESTs versus NESTs on (1) their students’ academic sincerity and (2) their students’ academic achievement. The study finds no meaningful difference between NNESTs’ and NESTs’ students in academic sincerity or achievement, which suggests that English teachers’ status as native or non-native speakers is irrelevant. It concludes that such labeling is no indication of the quality of language education provided by these groups.

Comparative study of game-based learning on preschoolers’ English vocabulary acquisition in Taiwan

ABSTRACT This is a comparative study that explores preschoolers’ English vocabulary acquisition in Taiwan and tries to look for a better pedagogy. After Taiwan’s government announced the policy of developing a “Bilingual Nation,” English is the second language in Taiwan. The reforming of English instruction is in urgent need. Under this background, this research aims to investigate whether English vocabulary acquisition will occur in a variety of GBL. In this study, we grouped participants into four instructional groups. Two groups are designed as instructional groups of “flashcard game” in learning 2 words or 3 words per day. Another two groups are designed as groups of “driving games” in learning 2 words or 3 words per day. Without explicit instruction, the study’s result showed that preschoolers’ English vocabulary acquisition can occur autonomously by GBL, and “2 words per day” is the best and suitable vocabulary size for preschoolers to acquire English in their memory. We found that games can produce children's autonomous learning, and the numbers of children’s vocabulary memory can be taken into consideration. Besides, the appropriate amount of information can train children to enter long-term memory. The above findings will benefit language learning, game-based learning (GBL), and interactive learning.

Building the Next Generation of Researchers: Mentored Training in Dissemination and Implementation Science.

Dissemination and implementation (D&I) science provides the tools needed to close the gap between known intervention strategies and their effective application. The authors report on the Mentored Training for Dissemination and Implementation Research in Cancer (MT-DIRC) program-a D&I training program for postdoctoral or early-career cancer prevention and control scholars. MT-DIRC was a 2-year training institute in which fellows attended 2 annual Summer Institutes and other conferences and received didactic, group, and individual instruction; individualized mentoring; and other supports (e.g., pilot funding). A quasi-experimental design compared changes in 3 areas: mentoring, skills, and network composition. To evaluate mentoring and D&I skills, data from fellows on their mentors' mentoring competencies, their perspectives on the importance of and satisfaction with mentoring priority areas, and their self-rated skills in D&I competency domains were collected. Network composition data were collected from faculty and fellows for 3 core social network domains: contact, mentoring, and collaboration. Paired t tests (mentoring), linear mixed models (skills), and descriptive analyses (network composition) were performed. Mentors were rated as highly competent across all mentoring competencies, and each mentoring priority area showed reductions in gaps between satisfaction and importance between the 6 and 18 months post-first Summer Institute. Fellows' self-rated skills in D&I competencies improved significantly in all domains over time (range: 42.5%-52.9% increase from baseline to 18 months post-first Summer Institute). Mentorship and collaboration networks grew over time, with the highest number of collaboration network ties for scholarly manuscripts (n = 199) in 2018 and for research projects (n = 160) in 2019. Building on study findings and existing literature, mentored training of scholars is an important approach for building D&I skills and networks, and thus to better applying the vast amount of available intervention evidence to benefit cancer control.

Exploring the effects of question generation instruction on attitudes and strategy uses in and out of the classroom

ABSTRACT This study explored effects of question generation instructions on students’ attitudes towards question generation and strategy use. Three hundred seventy-four Japanese college students in two psychology classes participated in lectures after a pre-lecture preparation time and completed questionnaires on attitudes towards question generation and learning strategy use in and outside the classroom. Students in the “instruction group” were instructed on how to develop questions during lecture preparation to better understand the upcoming lecture. In the “connecting group”, in addition to instruction, the questions students generated during preparation were linked to lecture content. The results showed that instruction significantly decreases students’ perception of difficulty regarding question generation and increases learning outside the classroom. The result also suggested that connecting questions to lecture content increased students’ use of micro-understanding focused strategies during preparation and increased positive attitudes towards question generation of students who did not place importance on meaningful learning.

Using behavioral skills training with preservice teachers in the university classroom

AbstractPreservice and novice teachers often identify behavior management as an area of weakness that they attribute to a lack of sufficient instruction during their teacher preparation. Behavioral skills training (BST) is an evidence‐based teaching methodology based on the principles of applied behavior analysis used to teach new skills. This study investigated the use of BST in the university setting to teach undergraduate preservice teachers enrolled in a field‐based special education course to implement a token economy during small group instruction with children. A single‐case research design was used to assess the effectiveness of using BST by evaluating accuracy of implementation before and after BST. Results showed BST was an effective teaching procedure and social validity measures collected from the preservice teachers indicated BST was acceptable to all participants. Limitations and needs for future research are discussed.

Preferred Strategies for Delivering Health Information to Patients With Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Qualitative Study.

Patients' information needs may differ from what their care providers may perceive to be the patients' needs. This discordance needs to be recognized and addressed. We conducted a qualitative study to explore the perceptions of patients with selected musculoskeletal disorders and those of rheumatologists, on their preferred strategies for delivery of disease management information. Fifty-two patients diagnosed with either rheumatoid arthritis, knee osteoarthritis, or osteoporosis took part in 6 focus groups and 18 individual semistructured interviews. In addition, 11 rheumatologists participated in 2 focus groups and 4 semistructured individual interviews. Data were explored by thematic content analysis. Perceived preferences were identified and compared between patients and rheumatologists regarding (a) media, (b) setting, (c) messengers, and (d) key message content. Patients' preferred media for disease management information were electronic (television and videos delivered as digital optical discs or the Internet), group instruction, and printed material. Patients preferred the information to be delivered in the setting of their homes, doctor's offices, or clinic waiting areas by the rheumatologists and patients with disease experience, addressing healthy lifestyle changes, medication adherence, and consequences of noncompliance. For rheumatologists, the perceived preference for information delivery was through printed material (brochures, booklets, and pamphlets) delivered in waiting areas by nurses and physicians, addressing nature of the disease, complications, and treatment adverse effects. Provider perspectives on strategies for education may differ from those of patients. Our findings highlight the need for considering different stakeholder perspectives in designing educational tools and decision support materials for patients with chronic diseases. Rheumatologists' preferences on strategies for education (mode of delivery, delivery setting, messengers, and topics) differ from those of patients. For example, patients want to learn about lifestyle changes and consequences of compliance versus noncompliance, whereas rheumatologists considered more important for patients to understand their disease, treatment adverse effects, and consequences of noncompliance.

QOL-04. INFLUENCE OF FAMILY, SCHOOL, AND HOSPITAL SYSTEMS IN SUPPORTING SURVIVORS OF PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMORS WITH NEUROCOGNITIVE LATE EFFECTS

OBJECTIVEPediatric brain tumor survivors (PBTS) are at risk for developing neurocognitive late effects that may interfere with academic and adaptive functioning. To mitigate the potential impact, some PBTS may implement strategies independently, while others may rely on system-level support from family, school, or hospital systems. Given the limited knowledge on survivor and family perspectives of these supports, we conducted a mixed-methods study involving PBTS and their caregivers to examine the influence of family, educational, and hospital supports, and identify areas of unmet need. PARTICIPANTS ANDMETHODSPBTS (N=56,Mage=18.12,range=10–25) completed questionnaires on academic accommodations. Medical chart reviews provided diagnosis and treatment information. A subset of families, who did not significantly differ from the larger sample on demographics, completed qualitative interviews (N=25). Three coders identified themes separately for parents and survivors and reached consensus (kappa’s > .78) using thematic content analysis.RESULTSFamilies emphasized the role of family support, including providing individualized help, setting up a structured learning environment, and suggesting metacognitive strategies. Parents also emphasized how they have adjusted their expectations. At school, 53% reported an individualized education plan. Formal accommodations (e.g., modified coursework, small group instruction, extra time) were helpful, yet some noted barriers, including embarrassment and lack of follow-through. Survivors emphasized the value of informal accommodations. Families described unmet needs related to connecting with other survivors, navigating community and educational resources, and transitioning to adulthood.CONCLUSIONSPBTS seem to rely on systems-level supports to mitigate neurocognitive effects. Future work should strengthen communication between systems and adult transition services.

Differentiated Instruction further Realized through Teacher-Agent Teaming

Teacher-agent teams have the potential to increase instructional effectiveness in diverse classrooms. The agent can be trained on previous student assessment data to create a model for assessing student performance and provide instructional recommendations. We propose a conceptual model that outlines how assessment agents can be trained for and used in classrooms to create effective teacher-agent teams. Furthermore, we show how teacher-agent teams can assist in the implementation of differentiated instruction, a strategy which allows teachers to effectively instruct students of diverse backgrounds and understandings. Differentiated instruction is further realized by having an assessment agent focus on grading student work, providing feedback to students, categorizing students, and giving recommendations for instruction so that teachers can focus on providing individualized or small group instruction to diverse learners. This model maximizes the strengths of teachers, while minimizing the tedious tasks that teachers routinely perform.