Learning In Years Research Articles

Effect of changes to the formal curriculum on medical students' motivation towards learning: a prospective cohort study.

One of the factors known to influence performance in the learning process is student motivation. In turn, students' motivation can be regulated by a large number of variables relating to the individual (such as sex, age and socioeconomic status) or to aspects of the academic life. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of curriculum changes involving reduction in content overload and increased early exposure to clinical settings, on motivation towards learning among Year 1 medical students. Secondarily, the aim was to ascertain whether this influence on motivation remained stable until the undergraduate program ended (Year 6). Prospective study on two student cohorts at a Brazilian state-owned university. Two consecutive student cohorts were assessed: one with a traditional curriculum (n = 87) and the other with a reformed curriculum (n = 63), at the same medical school. Participants in both cohorts gave responses on four scales in Years 1 and 6: the Academic Motivation Scale, containing subscales for autonomous and controlled motivation, and lack of motivation towards learning; Beck's Anxiety and Depression Inventories; Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; and the Social Adjustment Scale. In Year 6, 68% of the initial sample (66 students with the traditional curriculum and 36 with the reformed curriculum) was reassessed. No differences between Year 1 cohorts were found regarding demographic and social background, social adjustment, depression or anxiety. Students with the reformed curriculum scored significantly higher regarding autonomous and controlled motivation than those with the traditional curriculum. Comparison between Year 6 and Year 1 showed increases in controlled motivation only for the traditional curriculum cohort. Curriculum changes were associated with increased motivation towards learning in Year 1, which persisted until Year 6.

Case-based learning: Our experience in clinical pharmacology teaching

ABSTRACTMajority of junior doctors struggle to apply the knowledge of pharmacology to prescribing drugs. A paradigm shift in teaching of clinical pharmacology is the need of the hour in medical curriculum. One of the ways to enhance the teaching of clinical pharmacology is to develop and conduct case-based learning for MBBS students instead of didactic lecturing. Case-based learning session can bridge the gap between theory and practice. Case-based learning provides hands-on training in a classroom setting. We tried to develop and conduct case-based learning for year two medical students and evaluated their response via the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure questionnaire. Majority of our students enjoyed learning clinical pharmacology through case-based learning. Case-based learning also provided students the opportunity to embrace the principles of problem solving, critical thinking, and lifelong learning. It helped students to amalgamate the concept of development of P drug list with rationale prescribing habits. Majority of our students also agreed that they understood the content of the subject taught in the session.

Taking a bold step forward for learning in Year 1

Making the move into Year 1 can be a stressful time for children and parents. Marueen Lee describes how Quilters Infant School in Essex has introduced strategies to ensure children transition seamlessly.

A large drawing of a nephron for teaching medical students renal physiology, histology, and pharmacology.

The purpose of this study is to see whether a large drawing of a nephron helped medical students in self-directed learning groups learn renal physiology, histology, and pharmacology before discussing clinical cases. The end points were the grades on the renal examination and a student survey. The classes in the fall of 2014 and 2015 used the drawing, but not those of 2012 and 2013. The Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University is a newly formed Florida medical school, which enrolled its first class in the fall of 2011. The school relies on self-directed problem-based learning in year 1 and changes over to a case inquiry method in the latter part of year 1 and throughout year 2. At the start of the renal course, each student group received a poster of a nephron with the objective of learning the cell functions of the different nephron parts. During the first year of using the drawing, there was no improvement in grades. After a student suggested adjustment to the drawing, there was a statistically significant difference in the total test score in the second year ( P < 0.001). An unexpected finding was lower grades in all 4 yr in the area of acid-base balance and electrolytes compared with the other four areas tested. In the survey, the students found the drawing useful.

Quantitative evidence of the occurrence of a motivational dip in language learning in Year 7

ABSTRACTThis article presents selected findings from a study of the motivation of UK school pupils to learn a modern foreign language. The study involved 345 year 7 pupils (i.e. 11–12-year-old children) learning either French or German in a large inner-city school based in an urban area in central England. Anecdotal evidence suggested a widespread decrease in motivation for modern language learning during the course of year 7. The purpose of the study was to seek evidence substantiating or refuting the hypothesis of a motivational dip and to investigate factors that might account for any changes in motivation. Two questionnaires were used to collect data in the autumn of 2007 and spring/summer of 2008. The data were analysed employing quantitative methodology and the findings suggested that there was indeed evidence of an overall trend towards demotivation, though when data were analysed in class groups very different profiles emerged. Contrary to suggestions in the literature and wider society the drop in motivation could not be explained through the impact of individual factors, such as the teacher, nor did any combination of factors seem to suggest predictable outcomes. However, reference to Dörnyei’s [2005. The Psychology of the Language Learner: Individual Differences in Second Language Acquisition. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum; 2009a. The L2 motivational self system. In Motivation, Language Identity and the L2 Self, ed. Z. Dörnyei and E. Ushioda, 9–42. Bristol: Multilingual Matters] L2 Motivational Self System could be made in order to provide a careful interpretation of the trends observed in the data.

Identifying the Need of Early Learning Children Readiness among Standard one Teachers in School

When children enter year one, teachers will administer the test whether the KIA2M (Early Reading & Writing Intervention Course) which was introduced in 2004 or LINUS (The Literacy and Numeracy Screening) which was introduced by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in 2010. These two tests tend to be more focused on cognitive measurements of children ('Munirah, Nadirah, Fazielah, Hidayat, & Syafiq, 2009; Haslina, 2008). This method is differed from the concept of preschool education and the concept of school education, as it does not help the development of children as a whole which covers six aspects namely the development of communication, language, cognition, spirituality and morals, socioemotion, physical as well as creativity and aesthetics ('Munirah, et al ., 2009; Saayah Abu, Samsuri, & Zaidon, 2006). According to Janus and Offord (2007) the efficiency in all these areas will ensure that children are ready to benefit from learning activities conducted in the school environment. The study was initiated by analyzing the needs and domains of teachers who taught year one at the national school in Besut District. This study uses the Delphi Method entirely because the study related to the readiness of learning for year one children have not yet done in Malaysia. This study is a primary study to develop Early Childhood Preparation Instruments that will be implemented at the end of the year in preschools and will be used in schools by year one teachers for their students' excellence.

Implementation of team-based learning in year 1 of a PBL based medical program: a pilot study.

BackgroundA traditional and effective form of teaching within medical education has been Problem Based Learning (PBL). However, this method of teaching is resource intensive, normally requiring one tutor for every ten students. Team-based learning (TBL) has gained recent popularity in medical education, and can be applied to large groups of up to 100 students. TBL makes use of the advantages of small group teaching and learning, but in contrast to PBL, does not need large numbers of teachers. This study sought to explore the efficacy of using TBL in place of PBL in Year 1 of a medical program.MethodsIn Year 1 of the medical program, two iterations of TBL, with 20 students, were run following four iterations of PBL within the Cardiology teaching block. Student feedback following PBL and TBL was collected by questionnaire, using closed and open ended questions. Additionally, individual and team tests were held at the beginning of each TBL class, and results of each week were compared.ResultsAll students (n = 20) participated in the test in week 1, and 18/20 students participated in week 2. In total, 19/20 (95 %) of students completed the questionnaires regarding their PBL and TBL experiences. The use of small groups, the readiness assurance tests, immediate feedback from an expert clinician, as well as time efficiency were all aspects of the TBL experience that students found positive. The clinical problem-solving activity, however, was considered to be less effective with TBL. There was a significant improvement (p = 0.004) in students’ score from the week 1 assessment (median = 2) to the week 2 (median = 3.5) assessment. Interestingly, all teams but one (Team 1) achieved a lower score on their second week assessment than on their first. However, the lowest performing team in week 1 outperformed all other teams in week 2.ConclusionStudents favoured many aspects of the TBL process, particularly motivation to do the pre-reading, and better engagement in the process. Additionally, the application of TBL principles meant the sessions were not reliant upon a large teacher to student ratio. Students, however, highlighted the need for more time within TBL for clinical problem-solving.

Introducing the Flipped Classroom Strategy in the Learning of Year Nine Factorization

Introducing the Flipped Classroom Strategy in the Learning of Year Nine Factorization

False-belief understanding at age 5 predicts beliefs about learning in year 3 of primary school

This study examined the concurrent and longitudinal relationships between children's theory of mind (ToM) and their beliefs about learning. A sample of 63 children was tested for theory of mind and verbal ability at four time points: 5, 6, 7 and 8 years of age. In addition, at Time 4, children were administered a questionnaire investigating their beliefs about learning. Results showed longitudinal and concurrent relationships between ToM and constructivist, but not reproductive, beliefs about learning. Crucially, false-belief understanding at age 5 predicted unique variance in constructivist beliefs about learning at age 8, when controlling for subsequent levels of ToM. This relationship was not due to verbal ability. The authors discuss theoretical and practical implications of the longitudinal effect of theory of mind ability on constructivist beliefs about learning.

A Study of Listening Training Materials for Chinese Colleges Students in Second Language Acquisition

In classroom, students do more listening than reading. Listening competence is “larger” than speaking. The significance of listening in second language acquisition can never be overestimated. Listening comprehension has been a focus for college English learning for years in China. With the information obtained from listening, learners build up their own linguistic system and are ready to retrieve whatever they want when they speak and write. There are many factors that affect listening, among which materials play a key role in facilitating listening comprehension. In order to achieve the final goal of promoting listening competence, teacher must realize that listening materials should be tailored to the needs of individuals. Based on the exploration of the nature of listening comprehension, this paper verifies the elements hindering learners’ listening competence on the basis of the need analysis and Krashen’s input hypothesis. With a questionnaire conducted at Wuhan Polytechnic University ，and the author accordingly concludes that a feasible materials should meet the learners’ requirements so that the enhancement of listening comprehension can be achievd.

Motivation and attitudes for learning English among year six students in primary rural school

Learning has to be active so that students can make links between their schemata and what they are about to learn. Many students attend to class presumptuous a passive mindset. Teachers tend to reinforce learning as an observer. The result is that a classroom and generally the learning environment is mostly limited to transmission of information rather than the meaningful construction and function of knowledge. A group of teachers from Hulu Langat Primary school set out to change this, within the context of their own classrooms. The teachers formed a community of practice which began with discussions on how to stimulate active learning in year six classrooms. For most members of the community, the teachers-based method has been the dominant approach. This paper will explain the process, successes and challenges based on the understanding and data collected by this community of practice functioning as an action research team. O 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

How does the use of role-play affect the learning of Year 4 children in a predominately EAL class?

This paper investigates role-play activities and how they can be used within learning for English as an Additional Language (EAL) pupils in a Key Stage 2 setting in England. Through observations, results showed effective role-play activities can be beneficial to EAL pupils, allowing them to practice words and phrases in a relaxed atmosphere supported by peers, teachers or bilingual assistants. Findings suggested that staff required specific training to provide them with strategies for teaching the very varied mixture of language needs and abilities. Recommendations included the use of role-play by teachers and the provision of additional support, thereby enabling staff to feel confident when incorporating role-play.

Teaching critical thinking in psychiatric training: a role for the social sciences.

In 1969, a psychiatric resident admitted a young woman who confessed to her doctor that, “twenty-percent of the time I see reality, and the rest of the time I am in my dream world.” Six months later, near the end of her treatment with antipsychotic medications and psychotherapy, her resident summarized how he understood her illness: There is no question that the psychosis continues…Yet, within the overall personality there is… an ego-adaptive, coping, observing, trying to judge—albeit from a weak, uncertain and tenuous position…[often] overwhelmed in the face of inner chaos and psychosis. But there are islands of strength within the psychotic seas, and when the seas diminish, seemingly of their own accord, one can see these islands more clearly than ever before…One can only wonder if all these islands are not somehow connected beneath the sea, and if so, how does one continue to raise the land mass, that is, capacity to cope and adapt above the level of the waters of the raging impulses of her psychosis. Compare this record to one written nearly 40 years later at the same institution. Here, a psychiatric resident describes the hospital course of a man with the identical diagnosis as the woman: This is a 25 yo Hispanic male with a past psych hx of schizophrenia who brought himself to the ER with the chief complaint of command AH telling him to hurt himself and hurt his brother. ….Pt also endorsed depressed mood, decreased appetite, and insomnia. He did not have any other active SI or HI. Pt admitted that he had been off his psychotropic medications for the past 30 days.…Pt was restarted on his previous medications. On day 2, pt reported feeling improved after treatment. He denied having suicidal thoughts or homicidal thoughts. His AH frequency decreased. On day 3, pt reported improved mood, denied suicidal or homicidal thoughts. Case manager contacted the patient's brother, who stated that pt didn't get along with his family members and family members would not be willing to provide housing. The patient agreed to be discharged to a shelter. The two patients experienced nearly identical troubles, including failure to live independently, a paucity of social relationships, and persistent psychosis. In the first case, the resident took little interest in the patient's symptoms (despite the fact that antipsychotic medications had been in widespread use for over 15 years) and spent many hours learning about her life outside of the hospital and her inner psychological world. The second resident dearly cared about the patient's symptoms and viewed them as unrelated to the scarcity and loneliness that characterized his social life. These divergent representations of the patient with schizophrenia reflect dramatic changes in the social, cultural, and scientific contexts in which psychiatry is practiced. Much of what we do as clinicians is not a consequence of the natural world but, instead, results from our contingent social and cultural context and, as such, deserves critical scrutiny. Historical and anthropological approaches provide tools with which psychiatrists-in-training can reckon with the clinical challenges raised by a complex world. For the last three years, the authors have conducted a course on the social sciences and psychiatry for second-year psychiatric residents with these aims in mind. Through lectures, readings, and homework, the course engages residents in discussions about the psychiatric task. Social science is taught not as a set of abstract theories, but as a set of tools with which to be thoughtful about the responsibilities, complexities, and uncertainties of clinical work. The aim is to teach residents to critically engage the knowledge they use as psychiatrists and to make an intellectual investment in the future of their profession. This article describes the conceptual foundation of the course, its structure, and impact.

Curtain Down on Act One: Practice Learning in the First Year of the New Social Work Award

The curtain has come down on the first year of the new social work degree in England. This paper presents the findings of a survey of social work educators in academic and practice settings to find out how practice learning in this year has been experienced and the shape of plans for the rest of the new degree. The paper reflects on the enormous diversity of arrangements for practice learning, in terms of patterns of delivery, assessment, funding, and service user and carer involvement. One pattern that is emerging strongly is a more experimental flavour to this first year, with new practice learning sites being developed, and the use of group arrangements to supervise and support students. However, there is also the potential for inconsistency in standards, especially in the ways that students are judged as ‘fit for practice learning’. There are concerns that the new partnerships are increasingly driven by universities and colleges, with some agency partners unclear about what is happening and why. There are also indications that the postgraduate programmes will have less room for experimentation than the three‐year undergraduate courses and this may become a source of divergence between the two routes.

‘It is different … because you are getting older and growing up.’ How children make sense of the transition to Year 1

Recent theoretical conceptions of transition have emphasised the key influence of educational transition on young children’s learning. The Foundation Stage was established in England in 2000, creating a distinct phase of education for children aged three to five, which spans the transition to school. In the Foundation Stage children learn through an integrated play‐based pedagogy. When children make the transition to Year 1, they experience a subject‐based curriculum and a more ‘formal’ teaching style. This paper presents findings from a research project conducted in 2004, which aimed to improve understanding about how best to support children’s learning during the transition to Year 1. The paper focuses on data from interviews with children in an attempt to explore the significance of the transition from their point of view. The findings suggest that most children adapted well to the transition but that the changes in curriculum and pedagogy impacted on their enjoyment of learning in Year 1. Les conceptions théoriques récentes des transitions ont mis en évidence l’influence centrale des transitions éducatives sur les apprentissages des jeunes enfants. Le ‘Foundation Stage’, depuis 2000 en Angleterre, a institué une étape éducative distincte pour les enfants entre trois et cinq ans, établissant une passerelle vers l’école. Au cours de la ‘Foundation Stage’, les apprentissages des enfants se font à l’aide d’une pédagogie intégrée qui s’appuie sur le jeu. Lorsque les enfants passent en première année d’école élementaire, ils font l’expérience d’un programme centré sur les disciplines scolaires et sur un style pédagogique plus ‘formel’. Cet article propose les résultats d’une recherche menée en 2004, visant à savoir comment soutenir au mieux les enfants au moment de ce passage. Nous nous centrons sur les données issues d’interviews d’enfants afin de préciser la signification de la transition de leur point de vue. Les résultats indiquent que la plupart des enfants s’adaptent correctement mais que les changements dans le programme et la pédagogie influent sur leur plaisir d’apprendre à l’école. Neuere theoretische Konzeptionen von Übergängen haben die Schlüsselfunktion von Bildungsübergängen für das kindliche Lernen betont. 2002 wurde in England die Grundstufe eingerichtet, in der eine besondere Bildungsphase für die Kinder im Alter von drei bis fünf Jahren geschaffen wurde, die den Übergang in die Schule einschließt. In der Grundstufe lernen die Kinder über eine integrierte spielbasierte Pädagogik. Wenn die Kinder den Übergang in das erste Schuljahr durchlaufen, erleben sie einen auf Fächern basierenden Lehrplan und einen stärker formalen Unterrichtsstil. Der Beitrag präsentiert Ergebnisse eines 2004 durchgeführten Forschungsprojektes, mit dem ein besseres Verständnis der bestmöglichen Unterstützung des kindlichen Lernens im Übergang zum ersten Schuljahr gewonnen werden sollte. Das Papier fokussiert auf Interviewdaten mit Kindern, die die Bedeutung des Übergangs aus deren Perspektive explorieren. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Kinder sich gut an den Übergang anpassten, aber dass die Veränderungen im Curriculum und in der Pädagogik mit ihrer Freude am Lernen im ersten Schuljahr kollidierten. Recientes concepciones teóricas de transición han enfatizado la influencia clave de las transiciones educaciones en el aprendizaje de los jóvenes. “The Foundation Stage” fue establecida en Inglaterra en el 2000, creando una fase distinta para la educación de los niños de 3 a 5 años de edad, periodo que cubre la transición a la escuela. En la “Foundation Stage” los niños aprenden a través de una pedagogía basada en la integración con el juego. Cuando los niños hacen la transición al año 1, elles se encuentran con un currículo de asignaturas y un estilo de enseñanza más formal. Este artículo presenta hallazgos de un proyecto de investigación realizado en 2004, con el objetivo de lograr una mejor comprensión acerca de cómo dar el mejor apoyo a los niños en su transición al año 1. El artículo se concentra en data de entrevistas con niños en un intento de explorar el significado de la transición desde su punto de vista. Los hallazgos sugieren que mayor parte de los niños se adaptan bien a la transición pero que los cambios curriculares y de pedagogía impactan su disfrute del aprendizaje en el año 1.

Competence in the musculoskeletal system: assessing the progression of knowledge through an undergraduate medical course

Professional bodies have expressed concerns that medical students lack appropriate knowledge in musculoskeletal medicine despite its high prevalence of use within the community. Changes in curriculum and teaching strategies may be contributing factors to this. There is little evidence to evaluate the degree to which these concerns are justified. To design and evaluate an assessment procedure that tests the progress of medical students in achieving a core level of knowledge in musculoskeletal medicine during the course. A stratified sample of 136 volunteer students from all 5 years of the medical course at Sheffield University. The progress test concept was adapted to provide a cross-sectional view of student knowledge gain during each year of the course. A test was devised which aimed to provide an assessment of competence set at the standard required of the newly qualified doctor in understanding basic and clinical sciences relevant to musculoskeletal medicine. The test was blueprinted against internal and external guidelines. It comprised 40 multiple-choice and extended matching questions administered by computer. Six musculoskeletal practitioners set the standard using a modified Angoff procedure. Test reliability was 0.6 (Cronbach's alpha). Mean scores of students increased from 41% in Year 1 to 84% by the final year. Data suggest that, from a baseline score in Year 1, there is a disparate experience of learning in Year 2 that evens out in Year 3, with knowledge progression becoming more consistent thereafter. All final year participants scored above the standard predicted by the Angoff procedure. This short computer-based test was a feasible method of estimating student knowledge acquisition in musculoskeletal medicine across the undergraduate curriculum. Tested students appear to have acquired a satisfactory knowledge base by the end of the course. Knowledge gain seemed relatively independent of specialty-specific clinical training. Proposals from specialty bodies to include long periods of disciplinary teaching may be unnecessary.

Managing mixed-age classes

Arguably, one of the most difficult mixed ages to manage is Reception and Year 1. The approaches to learning and teaching in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 are often viewed as different, with a conflict between the informal and formal. There is a perceived or real pressure for the learning of Year 1 pupils to be driven by assessment at the end of Year 2. Yet most early years practitioners would agree that an early start to more structured or adult directed activities doesn't necessarily provide the solid foundation that will ensure success in later learning.

The place of personal writing in a PhD thesis: Epistemological and methodological considerations

This paper reports on a particular approach to doing a doctorate in which the first author has used personal writing to increase the relevance, autonomy and quality of her learning and to allow her to present her study, her personal reactions to the study, and the experiences that have led her to the study in one thesis. The personal writing consisted of reflective and critical journal and letter writing through which Mary dealt with the affective, social, and moral factors she believed to be an integral part of deep learning in a social science. The paper describes how, as well as having consequences for her research on improving autonomy, motivation and learning in Year 8 science students, this has led her to present her PhD thesis on two levels: science education and narrative.

Implications for Mathematics Education Policy of Research on Algebra Learning

The teaching of algebra in Victorian secondary schools has changed substantially in the last decade. Here we present implications for curriculum policy arising from research into students' algebra learning in Years 7 to 11. Data were collected from approximately 3000 students in 34 schools. Information about programs offered was obtained from teachers, by textbook analysis and by some lesson observation and teaching interventions. Performance varied considerably between schools and classes. Some differences are attributable to teaching methods, the content taught, and the arrangement of the curriculum. Subtle reductions in goals and the isolation of topics in the curriculum were disturbing trends. We discuss findings that have important implications for mathematics education policy Australia-wide.

Improving Learning in Year 9: Making use of personal learning plans

This paper takes an evaluative look at an action-planning initiative which aimed to improve pupils' learning in Year 9. The cornerstone of the process was a one-to-one discussion between pupils and tutors, which focused on their short- and long-term goals and identified targets for improvement. After the dialogue, a personal learning plan was written by the pupil. This was used to monitor development and to inform activities related to Records of Achievement in Year 10. Findings suggested that, overall, this age group benefited from action-planning processes. Pupils gained through greater understanding of their own abilities and improved communication and planning skills. However, links between strategies for lifelong learning and the activities in Year 9 had not been made. There were different effects of the initiative for males and females.