Learning Traits Research Articles

Do basic psychological needs affect student engagement in medical school?

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to verify the effect of basic psychological needs of learners on student engagement in medical school.MethodsA total of 91 first-year and second-year medical students participated in this study. Their basic psychological needs were determined. Student engagement scales were utilized to determine their engagement. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were conducted.ResultsBasic psychological needs showed a total explanatory power of 13% for student engagement (F=5.27, p<0.01). Competence (β=0.295, p<0.01) had statistically significant effect on student engagement.ConclusionResults of the present study verified that student engagement could be determined by learner’s traits. Among psychological traits of learners, student engagement was significantly affected by competence. Thus, medical school should provide various experiences to satisfy competence as a basic psychological need of learners.

Effect of faculty personality, rating styles, and learner traits on student assessment in medical education: A mixed-method study from the Aga Khan University, Karachi.

Medical colleges invest considerable effort in developing assessment programs to effectively evaluate students across attributes of knowledge, skills, and behavior. While assessment by direct observation is designed to be objective, "soft characteristics" such as personality, demeanor of student, and assessor may make assessment more subjective. The effect of such attributes in medical education remains unclear and needs exploration. The objective of this study was to explore non-cognitive traits of assessor and learner to understand their roles in student assessment. A mixed-method study was conducted during March to June 2015. All clinical faculty members at the Aga Khan University were invited to participate in this study. A questionnaire was designed and completed by the study participants. Two focus group discussions (FGDs) with faculty members explored teacher and learner traits influencing student assessment. A documentary analysis of the yearly student feedback report with a focus on the section on assessment was also utilized. Data triangulation was achieved by combining three sets of data. Fifty-four (28%) clinical faculty members completed the questionnaire and 11 participated in the FGDs. About 68% reported rating students leniently. More than 50% reported their personality as a factor influencing assessment and 76% reported student appearance influencing assessment. The documentary analysis identified faculty personality and rating styles as key issues affecting the validity of student assessment during ongoing observation. In the FGDs, traits such as eagerness, intuition in students, and body language were reported to influence faculty members during the assessment. Softer attributes of trainer and trainee increase the subjectivity of student assessment. Ongoing faculty training and rater feedback are required for a robust and objective assessment.

Case study of Creative Thinking Methods: Effects of Creative Thinking Methods on Students’ English Writing Ability and Creative Disposition

이 연구는 발산적 사고기법 중 하나인 브레인스토밍 기법과 수렴적 사고기법인 P.M.I. 기법을 영작문수업에 적용하여 대학생의 영어쓰기능력과 창의적 성향 향상에 효과적인지, 그리고 창의적 성향과 학습자 특성과 관계가 있는지를 확인하는데 목적을 두었다. 이에 따라 창의적 사고기법을 수업 설계의 중심에 두고 교수학습모형을 설계하여 서울 모 대학의 여대생을 대상으로 실험연구를 진행하였다. 실험기간은 2017년 9월 5일에서 10월 31일까지였으며, 사전, 사후검사로 영어쓰기능력 검사와 창의적 성향검사, 학습자 특성검사를 실시하였다. 실험반은 창의적 사고기법을 6주간 적용한 반면, 통제반은 교재 중심의 일반적인 영작문수업을 진행하였다. 연구 결과에 따르면, 첫째, 6주 후 두 집단 모두 쓰기능력에서 향상이 보고되었지만, 집단 간 사후점수 비교를 통해 실험집단에서만 통계적으로 유의미한 향상도 차이를 보이고 있음이 확인되었다. 둘째, 창의적 사고기법이 창의적 성향 향상에 효과적인지 여부를 설문조사를 통해 확인한 결과, 학습자들의 창의적 성향 중 인지 영역을 제외한 나머지 정의 영역, 행동 영역에서 긍정적인 영향을 주는 것으로 나타났다. 마지막으로, 창의적 성향과 학습자 특성 간에 상관관계가 있는 지 설문조사를 통해 확인한 결과, 3가지 하위변인 모두에서 보통 이상의 상관관계가 있는 것으로 드러났다. 결론적으로 창의적 사고기법훈련은 학습자들의 영어쓰기능력 및 창의적 성향 향상에 긍정적 영향을 미치며, 창의적 성향과 학습자 특성 또한 상관관계가 있는 것으로 확인되었다.The main purpose of this study is to identify the effects of creative thinking methods- i.e., brainstorming and P.M.I. - on English writing competence and creative dispositions of female university students. Corelation between creative dispositions and learner traits was also analyzed. For this study, an instructional learning model was constructed, adapting Wallas’s creative thinking model for the experimental group taking an English Composition class. Two groups of 20 students were assigned as an experimental group and control group respectively. In this study, this instructional learning model urging more frequent use of brainstorming nd P.M.I. was proved to be effective in improving English writing competence among experimental group students. Second, it was also identified to be effective in fostering creative disposition, especially in affective and ehavioral domains. Moreover, correlation between creative dispositions and learner traits was reported to be statistically significant. These results indicate that we should foster the use of creative thinking methods to enhance English writing competence and creative dispositions of university students.

The Organization of Future Translators’ Self-Directed Learning at US Universities

AbstractThe article deals with studying the peculiarities in the organization of future translators’ self-directed learning at US universities. It has been stated that various researches on the problem prove the underestimation of self-directed learning that leads to insufficient professional competency of future translators. It has been found out that to create an environment favourable for self-directed learning educators should consider four factors, namely, autonomy and responsibility, complexity, duration, “voice and choice”. It has been indicated that the system of independent learning and teaching consists of three components – teacher, learner and communication method. The traits of autonomous learners have been listed. The functions of self-directed learning in US higher education institution have been presented. Six ways of supporting autonomy, namely, classroom-based, curriculum-based, teacher-based, learner-based, resource-based, technology-based, have been singled out and analyzed. The experience of the Kent State University in training future Masters of Arts in Translation has been analyzed. Based on the research performed, the positive aspects of the experience have been justified and relevant recommendations to improve the organization of future translators’ self-directed learning in Ukrainian higher education institutions have been outlined.

An evolutionary approach for personalization of content delivery in e-learning systems based on learner behavior forcing compatibility of learning materials

This paper presents an evolutionary approach for personalizing learning content for individual learners from a very large database in an e-learning system. The proposed work improves the quality of the self-learning process in an adaptive e-learning system by providing the most suitable content for individual learners. The paper depicts the results of personalizing the learning process by tuning the compatibility level of the learning objects with respect to the learning style of the learner, the complexity level of the learning objects with respect to the knowledge level of the learner and the interactivity level of the learner based on the satisfaction level of the learner during the learning process using a modified form of genetic algorithm named as Compatible Genetic Algorithm (CGA). The proposed work improves the efficiency of the genetic algorithms by forcing compatibility in the learning objects which has not been implemented so far in existing systems. Forcing compatibility into the search space not only helps to reduce the search space but also fills the search space with better chromosomes. The results show improvement in scores of the learners and also in their satisfaction levels. A comparison with the standard algorithms shows improvement in execution time, number of executing generations and fitness values. The results indicate that personalization of content delivery based on behavioral traits of learners leads to better learning.

Trends of Mobile Learning in Computing Education from 2006 to 2014

The majority of the existing research regarding mobile learning in computing education has primarily focused on studying the effectiveness of, and in some cases reporting about, implemented mobile learning solutions. However, it is equally important to explore development and application perspectives on the integration of mobile learning into computing education and identify practical implications for learning and teaching practices. In this study, the authors performed a systematic review of scientific publications related to mobile learning in computing education. After identifying relevant publications, they analysed them from three main aspects: technology and development, design of mobile learning solutions and applications, and implications for learning. The authors' study reveals that mobile learning in computing education has the potential to increase several affective traits of learners. In addition, mobile learning in computing education has matured enough to be mainly concerned with the mainstreaming of the computing curriculum rather than basic research.

Person-Oriented Approaches to Profiling Learners in Technology-Rich Learning Environments for Ecological Learner Modeling

Technology-rich learning environments (TREs) provide opportunities for learners to engage in complex interactions involving a multitude of cognitive, metacognitive, and affective states. Understanding learners’ distinct learning progressions in TREs demand inquiry approaches that employ well-conceived theoretical accounts of these multiple facets. The present study investigated learners’ interactions with BioWorld, a TRE developed to guide students’ clinical reasoning through diagnoses of simulated patients. We applied person-oriented analytic methods to multimodal data including verbal protocols, questionnaires, and computer logs from 78 task solutions. Latent class analysis, clustering methods, and latent profile analysis followed by logistic regression analyses revealed that students’ clinical diagnosis ability was positively correlated with advanced self-regulated learning behaviors, high confidence and cognitive strategy use, critical attention to experts’ feedback, and their positive emotional responses to feedback. The study results have the potential to contribute to a theory-guided approach to designing TREs with a data-driven assessment of multidimensional growth. Building on the study results, we introduce and discuss an ecological learner model for assessing multidimensional learner traits which can be used to design a TRE for adaptive scaffolding.

Modeling Unproductive Behavior in Online Homework in Terms of Latent Student Traits: An Approach Based on Item Response Theory

Homework is an important component of most physics courses. One of the functions it serves is to provide meaningful formative assessment in preparation for examinations. However, correlations between homework and examination scores tend to be low, likely due to unproductive student behavior such as copying and random guessing of answers. In this study, we attempt to model these two counterproductive learner behaviors within the framework of Item Response Theory in order to provide an ability measurement that strongly correlates with examination scores. We find that introducing additional item parameters leads to worse predictions of examination grades, while introducing additional learner traits is a more promising approach.

Virtual World-Based Information Security Learning: Design and Evaluation

There has been a growing interest and enthusiasm for the application of virtual worlds in learning and training. This research proposes a design framework of a virtual world-based learning environment that integrates two unique features of the virtual world technology, immersion and interactivity, with an instructional strategy that promotes self-regulatory learning. We demonstrate the usefulness and assess the effectiveness of our design in the context of information security learning. In particular, the information security learning module implemented in Second Life was incorporated into an Introduction to Information Security course. Data from pre- and post-learning surveys were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the learning module. Overall, the results strongly suggest that the virtual world-based learning environment enhances information security learning, thus supporting the effectiveness of the proposed design framework. Additional results suggest that learner traits have an important influence on learning outcomes through perceived enjoyment. The study offers useful design and implementation guidelines for organizations and universities to develop a virtual world-based learning environment. It also represents an initial step towards the design and explanation theories of virtual world-based learning environments.

Structural Relationships of Environments, Individuals, and Learning Outcomes in Korean Online University Settings

&lt;p&gt;This study examines relationships of instructional environments, learner traits, and learning outcomes in the context of an online university course in Korea which has an advanced information technology background and rich e-learning experiences. However, the educational heritage of the country adheres to directive instruction with little interaction in the classroom. Based on the literature review, specific research variables are as follows: the environmental variables include learner-learner interaction, learner-instructor interaction, and content/system quality. Regarding learner traits, intrinsic/extrinsic motivation and computer/academic self-efficacy were investigated. Academic achievement and class satisfaction were identified as potential determinants of online learning outcomes. A total of 937 valid responses from online university students were used to establish structural relationships among the variables. Most of the structural associations among the factors were significantly positive, although some variables reflected Korean cultural and educational contexts specifically. The findings suggest a need for a synthetic approach towards e-learning and that further research should be conducted concerning context-specific variables.&lt;/p&gt;

An empirical analysis of the determinants of mobile instant messaging appropriation in university learning

Research on technology adoption often profiles device usability (such as perceived usefulness) and user dispositions (such as perceived ease of use) as the prime determinants of effective technology adoption. Since any process of technology adoption cannot be conceived out of its situated contexts, this paper argues that any pre-occupation with technology acceptance from the perspective of device usability and user dispositions potentially negates enabling contexts that make successful adoption a reality. Contributing to contemporary debates on technology adoption, this study presents flexible mobile learning contexts comprising cost (device cost and communication cost), device capabilities (portability, collaborative capabilities), and learner traits (learner control) as antecedents that enable the sustainable uptake of emerging technologies. To explore the acceptance and capacity of mobile instant messaging systems to improve student performance, the study draws on these antecedents, develops a factor model and empirically tests it on tertiary students at a South African University of Technology. The study involved 223 national diploma and bachelor’s degree students and employed partial least squares for statistical analysis. Overall, the proposed model displayed a good fit with the data and rendered satisfactory explanatory power for students’ acceptance of mobile learning. Findings suggest that device portability, communication cost, collaborative capabilities of device and learner control are the main drivers of flexible learning in mobile environments. Flexible learning context facilitated by learner control was found to have a positive influence on attitude towards mobile learning and exhibited the highest path coefficient of the overall model. The study implication is that educators need to create varied learning opportunities that leverage learner control of learning in mobile learning systems to enhance flexible mobile learning. The study also confirmed the statistical significance of the original Technology Acceptance Model constructs.

Development and Assessment of a Learner Traits Visualization System Using a Self-Diagnosis Test

Development and Assessment of a Learner Traits Visualization System Using a Self-Diagnosis Test

Changing Trends in English Second Language Writing Research in English Teaching

This study surveys a total of 127 L2 writing-related articles published in English Teaching over the past 50 years (1965-2015) with reference to research methodology, participants, and themes. The key outcomes are as follows. These articles on L2 writing in English successfully embrace diverse methodological approaches, not displaying a heavy reliance on quantitative methods. Among the study participants, those in higher educational settings maintain a comfortable lead, calling for more articles with elementary and secondary school students. A notable proliferation has been observed since the mid-l990s along with a numerical grow山 in articles on L2 writing. The research theme of classroom instruction appears most often over the journal's 50-year history, followed by learner traits and characteristics of Korean students' writing. The topics of assessment and technology use have gradually evolved into two of the major content areas in L2 writing research, while the theme of skill integration has remained under-researched. Overall, L2 writing research produced in English Teaching seems to exhibit diversity in methodology, participants, and themes.

Proposing a novel approach for classification and sequencing of Learning Objects in E-learning systems based on learning style

Learning is a cognitive activity which differs from person to person and hence needs personalization. When learning is performed online, the system needs to understand various traits of learner and deliver Learning Objects (LO) suitable for them to achieve personalization. Many research works have been developing personalization strategies based on various learner traits such as knowledge level, learner characteristics and preferences. However, there are quite few works which consider the relationship between the learner traits and the attributes of LOs that are defined by major standards. This paper focuses on personalization strategy based on Felder and Silverman learning model and proposes a novel approach for classifying and sequencing learning objects according to the learning styles adhering to IEEE LOM metadata standard. The learning styles of the learners are identified and a fuzzy classification scheme maps the IEEE LOM Metadata to the identified learning styles. A pilot study on the research work is performed and the evaluation of the system has given an encouraging result.

Learning culture and feedback: an international study of medical athletes and musicians.

Feedback should facilitate learning, but within medical education it often fails to deliver on its promise. To better understand why feedback is challenging, we explored the unique perspectives of doctors who had also trained extensively in sport or music, aiming to: (i) distinguish the elements of the response to feedback that are determined by the individual learner from those determined by the learning culture, and (ii) understand how these elements interact in order to make recommendations for improving feedback in medical education. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 27 doctors or medical students who had high-level training and competitive or performance experience in sport (n=15) or music (n=12). Data were analysed iteratively using constant comparison. Key themes were identified and their relationships critically examined to derive a conceptual understanding of feedback and its impact. We identified three essential sources of influence on the meaning that feedback assumed: the individual learner; the characteristics of the feedback, and the learning culture. Individual learner traits, such as motivation and orientation toward feedback, appeared stable across learning contexts. Similarly, certain feedback characteristics, including specificity, credibility and actionability, were valued in sport, music and medicine alike. Learning culture influenced feedback in three ways: (i) by defining expectations for teachers and teacher-learner relationships; (ii) by establishing norms for and expectations of feedback, and (iii) by directing teachers' and learners' attention toward certain dimensions of performance. Learning culture therefore neither creates motivated learners nor defines 'good feedback'; rather, it creates the conditions and opportunities that allow good feedback to occur and learners to respond. An adequate understanding of feedback requires an integrated approach incorporating both the individual and the learning culture. Our research offers a clear direction for medicine's learning culture: normalise feedback; promote trusting teacher-learner relationships; define clear performance goals, and ensure that the goals of learners and teachers align.

A study on the validity of a four-variant diagnostic learning styles questionnaire

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the use, construct, and pervasiveness of learning styles theory. Whilst extant literature has provided educational theorists with a temporal landscape for promoting or critiquing the surfeit of “models” and “diagnostic tools”, there has been little empirical research evidence undertaken on the adoption and adaptation of learning styles in the e-Learning environment, especially in respect of personalised learning environments (PLEs). In this respect, evidence identifies that the more thoroughly instructors understand the differences in learning styles, the better chance they have of meeting the diverse learning needs of their learners. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a critical review of the development of learning styles inventories and instruments of learning styles. It focuses specifically on the reliability, validity, and rubrics behind these models. A positivist stance was adopted, using a structured case study methodology with learners as the main unit of analysis. This was undertaken to statistically explore and confirm the validity and reliability of a Diagnostic Questionnaire (DQ). Findings – A new Diagnostic Learning Styles Questionnaire was developed based upon the amalgamation of three existing models of learning styles (Kolb; Honey and Mumford; and Felder and Silverman). Research findings identified four principal learning styles categories (A, B, C, D). These are supported by Cronbach's α results ranging from 0.57 to 0.80 for the learning styles within the DQ, which provides new insight into these relationships. Research limitations/implications – This research suggests that improved construct validity can be achieved if relationships are fully understood. However, research findings need to be countered by extending the embedded case study presented in this paper to include other case studies for comparison (within this context). Further research is also needed on examining learner traits in more detail with a wider data set. Practical implications – The DQ can be used to explore different approaches to use in learning environments. Specifically, it allows training providers to understand the nuances and dependencies associated with learner styles, behaviour, learner effectiveness, and motivation. Originality/value – This paper uncovers new understanding on the learning process and how this links to pedagogy and learning styles. It presents a mechanism for embedding a DQ into a PLEs.

A Probabilistic Approach for the Generation of Learning Sessions Tailored to the Learning Styles of Learners

In this paper we present an audacious solution based on Bayesian networks and educational approach for the construction of evolutionary personalized learning paths. We mean by evolutionary learning paths, paths that are composed gradually as learners advance in their learning, i.e in real time. To do this, the system selects the hypermedia units of learning to apprehend based on the results of formative assessments, psychological and cognitive characteristics of learner.&#x0D; The architecture that we propose is based, firstly, on the semantic web, First, in order to model the domain model and to index learning resources so as to maximize their reuse, and then to represent the personal and cognitive traits of learners in a learner model while integrating their learning styles according to the Felder and Silverman model; and secondly, a probabilistic approach based on Bayesian networks that calculates the probability of success of each candidate hypermedia unit, for selecting those who are most appropriate for the construction of evolutionary personalized learning paths. &#x0D; The proposed Bayesian model is validated with real data collected from an experimental study with a specimen of students.

"웹기반 협력학습에서 학습자특성과 학습자 간 상호작용이 학습성과에 미치는 영향"

"웹기반 협력학습에서 학습자특성과 학습자 간 상호작용이 학습성과에 미치는 영향"

Education: An Essential Leg for Anesthesiology's Four-legged Stool!

Education: An Essential Leg for Anesthesiology's Four-legged Stool!

The role of some selected psychological and personality traits of the rater in the accuracy of self- and peer-assessment

Abstract This paper investigates the role of some selected psychological and personality traits of learners of English as a foreign language in the accuracy of self- and peer-assessments. The selected traits were motivation types, self-esteem, anxiety, motivational intensity, and achievement. 78 students of English as a foreign language participated in thirteen-week oral presentation tasks, during which they were asked to assess their own performance and that of their peers. The study concludes that assessment is a multifaceted process, which is affected by various psychological and personality traits of the raters. The results of the study seem to fall in line with the general pattern that learners possessing the positive side of a trait are more accurate than those who have its negative side, with the exception of students with high classroom anxiety. In addition, high reliability indices similar to those reported in the literature are obtained. The study also shows that long periods of practice and sufficient feedback have a positive effect on the accuracy of assessment. Finally, the study demonstrates that students with low self-esteem are the most accurate in assessing their performance, whereas learners with instrumental motivation are the least accurate.