Terms Of Student Outcomes Research Articles

Effectiveness of Using a Self-Directed Learning Program to Teach Physical Examination and Health Assessment Skills: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Conducting health assessments and physical examinations are essential skills for independent practice. Exploring how to teach these skills effectively is essential. This study was designed to validate the effectiveness of a self-directed learning program in improving nursing student outcomes in terms of their learning health assessment and physical examination skills. A quasi-experimental design was used, and second-year nursing students enrolled in a health assessment and physical examination course at a university of science and technology in central Taiwan were recruited using purposive sampling. Both the control and experimental groups were taught using a traditional teaching method. The experimental group additionally participated in a self-directed learning program. Structured questionnaires, including the Chinese version of the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale, Scales of Motivation and Learning Strategies, Interpersonal Skills Assessment Tool, the Course Satisfaction Evaluation Scale, and the Perception of Health Assessment and Physical Examination Competence Scale, were used to collect data at three time points. After controlling for the effects of pretest scores, after the intervention, the experimental group achieved significantly higher scores than the control group for self-directed learning (creative learning and love of learning), learning motivation (goal orientation, work value, expected success, and test anxiety), and cognitive strategies (total score, elaboration strategy, recitation strategy, and monitoring strategy). In addition, the health assessment exercise improved interpersonal and communication skills, and learning satisfaction was significantly higher in the experimental group than the control group. A physical examination and health assessment course designed using the self-directed learning framework can effectively improve student competence in related skills to enhance their ability to assess patient health problems in clinical settings. This study presents an alternative approach to teaching health assessment and physical examination courses and validates the positive effect of this approach on student learning outcomes.

Using social network analysis to investigate sociocultural competence among kindergarteners in a two-way immersion classroom

ABSTRACT Sociocultural competence is the third goal of TWI programs, yet there is a lack of consensus on what it looks like in terms of student outcomes in the classroom. As an inherently social construct, sociocultural competence leads to successful interactions with people who are different from each other along various dimensions. Sociocultural competence in TWI classrooms, specifically, may manifest in successful friendship formation among students across different language and cultural groups. We use Social Network Analysis to investigate a friendship network in one TWI kindergarten classroom in Costa Rica using a measure of “homophily” – the tendency for people to create ties with people who are similar to themselves. Findings from the data in this study reveal patterns of friendship that indicate higher levels of sociocultural competence for bilingual students, both individually and as a group, in that they more regularly establish friendships across language groups in their classroom (showing less homophily) than do English or Spanish dominant students. A major contribution of this paper is to show how social network theory can be leveraged to help better specify and measure sociocultural competence in the TWI classroom by looking across different levels of analyses.

Investigating the effectiveness of blended learning in English foreign language classroom

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced educational institutions worldwide to explore new learning modes, including blended learning, which combines face-to-face instruction with online learning. Despite the potential benefits of blended learning, its effectiveness is influenced by several factors that can pose challenges, particularly in terms of student outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the attitudes of third-year English students toward blended learning. A total of 45 students completed an online questionnaire, and three teachers participated in interviews. Results indicated that students had mixed attitudes towards blended learning and generally preferred face-to-face instruction over online learning. Additionally, the study found that while some teachers expressed negative attitudes toward blended learning, others recognized its potential effectiveness and importance. These results highlight the need for educators to consider the challenges and advantages of blended learning and provide appropriate support and resources to help students adapt to this new mode of learning.
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 Keywords: Attitude; blended Learning; Covid-19; E-learning; face-to-face instruction; learning English.

"The Influence of Schools’ Principal Management Profile on Students’ Achievement "

"The expectations of the services provided by schools and the managerial skills and competencies of educational leaders are constantly undergoing changes. Educational management has proven to play a key role both in terms of student outcomes and in influencing teachers’ motivation and professional performance by creating and consolidating the climate and the organizational culture in each school. There are real concerns in all the OECD countries that the skills and occupational profile designed previously for the school’s principal, today no longer meet the current needs of the educational environment, which is strongly influenced by social dynamics and is characterized by unpredictability. On the other hand, the pandemic coronavirus crisis has further deepened the crisis of school governance, triggered by heavy workload, lack of interest from young human resources in moving to positions of principals or deputy principals due to the exhausting responsibilities, insufficient initial training, limited career prospects after the end of the manager’s term and unattractive wages. Within this context, educational management, governance adjustment and professionalization have become essential. This study aims to identify, within the educational network in Iași County, which are the data that can shape the competence profile (what they can do) and the occupational profile (what they have to do) of a successful manager, so that the managerial behaviour of the principal generates positive effects on students’ school achievement."

Rediscovering Teaching in University: A Scoping Review of Teacher Effectiveness in Higher Education

Although teacher effectiveness plays a critical role in the learning process, little is known about its conceptualization and assessment, particularly in higher education (HE). This review aims to fill this gap by (a) listing the literature on teacher effectiveness, (b) identifying the instruments that have been used to assess teacher effectiveness (HE), and (c) highlighting the most effective teaching approaches based on the relevant literature. The selection process considered studies published since 1990 and conducted in higher education contexts with students. The research articles measured instructional processes and faculty effectiveness in terms of student outcomes, focusing on student achievement and student satisfaction. In reviewing the international research, special attention was paid to Southeastern Europe and Greece in particular. After a thorough review, the analysis revealed 26 studies. The results show that there is no universal definition of effective higher education teaching. Effective teaching may manifest itself in high scores on student performance assessments or in rewarding classroom interactions. Based on this principle, the way teacher effectiveness is defined is closely linked to proposed solutions in educational policy. Furthermore, research has shown that student-centered teaching styles are perceived by students as more effective, engaging, and performance-enhancing. However, several studies have not clarified why different teachers use different teaching styles in similar contexts. This review represents a step forward in our understanding of teacher effectiveness in HE. Nonetheless, effective teaching strategies could be better conceptualized through future research aimed at assessing the contextual nature of teaching along with student perceptions of effectiveness and expectations for an effective classroom climate.

A Qualitative Case Study of Gulf Coast Countries’ e-Learning Policies in the Era of COVID-19

Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, there had been numerous disruptions of learning in recent history. In addition, educational systems are in crisis due to low-quality learning in terms of student outcomes in STEM fields, limited digital instructional resources for teacher training, and generally limited resources in low income countries. However, as of April 2020, nearly 85% of students worldwide were out of school; that is 1.6 billion children kept home due to school closures in 180 countries. This paper explores how the Gulf Coast Countries (GCC) reacted to the disruption of education in order to understand the deeper issues of the rules and operations of educational systems and to provide recommendations to improve current education policies.The COVID 19 pandemic has significantly affected day-to-day life in general and the learning setting in particular; this comes with temporarily closing schools, shutting down different campuses and learning institutions to maintain social distancing as has been advised by the national public health institutes and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The new health measures have been forced on the world due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. Most schools have integrated different types of technologies as an alternative method to facilitate the learning process.

Teachers’ Beliefs about Memory: A Vignette Study of Trainee and In-Service Teachers

Previous research has indicated that laypeople, students and legal professionals often hold flawed beliefs about memory, and the present study sought to extend this area of research to the teaching profession. Are teachers' beliefs about learning in line with the scientific consensus? A set of vignettes with contrasting options for classroom practice were presented to trainee (n = 77) and in-service (n = 44) teachers, and in each case a 7-point Likert scale prompted them to predict which would be the best course of action in terms of student outcomes. As hypothesized, responses were often out of line with research on 'desirable difficulties' in memory and learning such as retrieval practice, spacing, and interleaving, with choices indicating a lack of awareness of these evidence-based approaches, although they were more accurate than previous studies of students. Surprisingly, accuracy of response did not correlate with the duration of a teachers' classroom experience; trainee teachers outscored in-service teachers in certain areas, suggesting that recent familiarity with technical literature on learning could be advantageous.

An Empirical Study of Business Student Engagement with Active Teaching Strategies: A Comparison of First Year and Senior Students

The quantitative evaluation of student engagement has been difficult to achieve. This study uses Kahu’s (2013) conceptual framework to investigate the effectiveness of active teaching strategies and how they influence Business students’ engagement in a blended learning environment. First, we quantify the influence of various in-class active teaching activities and out-of-class support tools upon student engagement. The link between engagement and student outcomes in terms of academic results and personal and professional skills development is then captured in our empirical modelling. Results are compared between first year and senior students to understand significant differences in their engagement and experience. Our findings suggest that first year students display a higher propensity to utilize in-class learning activities and out-of-class support tools. This in turn, establishes a strong link with their engagement patterns. However, there is a weaker link between first year student engagement and outcomes compared to senior students. Overall, this study reinforces the usefulness of Kahu’s framework to guide curricula developments that cater for learners’ different needs.

A primer on gathering and analysing multi-level quantitative evidence for differential student outcomes in higher education

A significant challenge currently facing the higher education sector is how to address differential student outcomes in terms of attainment and continuation gaps at various stages of students’ transitions. Worryingly, there appears to be a ‘deficit’ discourse among some university staff in which differential outcomes are perceived to be due to student deficiencies. This may be exacerbated by institutional analyses placing an over-emphasis on the presence of the gaps rather than the causes. The purpose of this primer is to provide advice about how institutions can carry out far more nuanced analyses of their institutional data without requiring specialist software or expertise. Drawing on a multi-level framework for explaining differential outcomes, we begin with guidance for gathering quantitative data on explanatory factors for attainment and continuation gaps, largely by linking sources of internal data that have not previously been connected. Using illustrative examples, we then provide tutorials for how to model explanatory factors employing IBM SPSS Statistics (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) to perform and interpret regression and meta-regression analyses of individual- and group-level (aggregated) student data, combined with data on micro- and meso-level factors. We propose that university staff with strategic responsibilities could use these approaches with their institutional data, and the findings could then inform the design of context-specific interventions that focus on changing practices associated with gaps. In doing so, institutions could enhance the evidence-base, raise awareness, and further ‘embed the agenda’ when it comes to understanding potential reasons for differential student outcomes during educational transitions.

Epistemic justice during a global pandemic: Transforming curricula and pedagogical practices to improve student experiences of innovation studies

Current pedagogical approaches to science and technology policy studies in southern African universities may fail to provide students with the necessary capabilities to be effective as innovation policy practitioners. This study investigated whether consideration of epistemic diversity and the situatedness of knowledge could enhance student outcomes in terms of agency and self-efficacy. A pedagogical intervention was designed and implemented for a postgraduate course in engineering economics, following which the students rated their experiences through an online questionnaire. The COVID-19 pandemic partly disrupted the intervention, but also accelerated the use of blended learning as a means of mitigating the harmful effects of the consequent lockdown. The study revealed that most respondents felt that the intervention had helped them to feel more confident, respected and included. However, blended learning could not prevent the stressful experiences due to forced sheltering at home. The results support the importance of finding innovative ways to transform curricula and teaching methods in science and technology studies. Pedagogy based on the principles of epistemic justice, essential to ensure that students from different backgrounds have equal opportunities for personal growth, is challenging under remote learning conditions.

Racial Representation and Socialization in Bureaucratic Organizational Structures

Organizational scholars employing the theory of representative bureaucracy in their research have found that when public school teacher demographics mirror those of their students, teachers positively affect student performance. Little is known, however, about how organizational socialization affects positive representational effects on student outcomes. Teachers, however, are socialized differently into the organizational structure, largely through organizational social norms based on various professional aspects. This article analyzes the impact of professional socialization on representativeness by teachers’ credentials, employment status, and education levels. Using Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) elementary school data during the 2012–2014 school years, results show that representational effects differ depending on dimensions of student outcomes, and socialization moderating effects vary on the relationship between teacher representation and performance outcomes. Socialization positively moderates the teacher’s representational effect on student outcomes in terms of teachers with advanced degrees, full credentials, and tenure, which depend on the type of school. Charter schools exhibit the positive socialization effect of tenure status, whereas traditional schools show the positive effect of advanced degrees and full credentials. This research enhances our knowledge of the different socialization aspects and how they differ between charter and traditional schools as well as its impact on representation in highly diverse urban elementary schools, contributing to both theory and practice.

Teaching as Inquiry: Teachers Understanding and its Implication for Teaching and Learning

Teaching as inquiry (TAI) is described as a component of effective pedagogy that has significant impact on learning outcome. Based on this premises, the study sought to examine TAI and its implications for teaching and learning in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study and a sample of 160 basic school teachers was selected from three circuits within the Cape Coast Metropolis. A questionnaire and an interview guide were used in collecting the data for the study. Data obtained from the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency count, percentages and means and standard deviations) whereas the interview data was transcribed and presented by doing thematic analysis. The study revealed that majority of the respondents had knowledge about TAI. In addition, the study showed that the teachers engaged in TAI practices such as reflecting and questioning their methods of teaching, identifying the academic needs of students before planning instruction and engaging in projects and research concerning the subject and content to be delivered. Findings from the study showed that teachers who participated in the study have embraced the concept of TAI very well and considering how they can mentor and lead others. It was recommended that the Cape Coast Metropolitan education office should organize intermittent workshops and training for teachers on TAI to help teachers build specific skills and refinements for reflection and action and planning strategies to support learners to learn specific things (content or skills) that teachers can specifically monitor in terms of student outcomes.

Enhancing Student Learning in Removable Partial Denture Design by Using Virtual Three-Dimensional Models Versus Traditional Two-Dimensional Drawings: A Comparative Study.

To compare the use of virtual 3D casts as an alternative to paper-based exercises in preclinical removable partial denture (RPD) design in terms of student outcomes (as evidenced by exercise evaluation scores), as well as student attitudes related to the 2 formats. The first hypothesis of this study is that virtual 3D digital models in the exercise will result in better student outcomes as evidenced by the final exercise score compared to the 2D drawings. The second hypothesis is that virtual 3D digital models in the exercise will result in greater student acceptance compared to the 2D drawings. Students were divided into 2 equal, randomly assigned groups Both groups were made to solve 2 exercises: a class II exercise and a class IV exercise. Group 1 received the first exercise (exercise #1) as a Kennedy class IV design exercise in virtual 3D and the second exercise (exercise #2) as a Kennedy class II design exercise in traditional format. Group 2 would receive the opposite exercise #1 as a Kennedy class IV in traditional format and exercise #2 as a Kennedy class II in virtual 3D format. Virtual 3D casts were made to be identical to the traditional exercises. Students were then asked to complete a short survey to assess their preferences. The Wilcoxon Rank Sum test was used to compare the distribution of scores of exercises using the virtual 3D format with the scores when students used the traditional 2D format. Preference comparisons for the 2 formats were accomplished using exact binomial tests. There was no difference in learning outcomes based on the distribution of student scores for either exercise independent of presentation format (p > 0.52). There was also no difference in individual student score between 2 identical exercises, independent of whether the exercise was using 3D virtual models or 2D drawings. A greater proportion of students agreed with the statements that favored the use of the virtual 3D models than disagreed with respect to all 7 questions asked, based upon the sign test (comparing agreement vs. disagreement with the statement, p < 0.0003 in all instances). Despite there being no difference in learning outcomes (final scores), the students showed an overwhelming preference in having the virtual 3D casts part as part of the curriculum.

An examination of the association between MTSS implementation fidelity measures and student outcomes

PBIS is has been consistently correlated with reductions in student exclusion including suspensions, expulsions, poor attendance, and high school dropout rates. However, school-wide strategies that do not specifically involve effective instruction in academic areas are unlikely to result in increased academic achievement. To address this reality, multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) involving tiered intervention for both academic and behavior have become commonplace. The Academic and Behavior Response to Intervention School Assessment (ASA) was developed to assess the fidelity with which schools are implementing MTSS for Reading, Mathematics, and behavior. Using the ASA to assess MTSS fidelity across 29 schools and four years, analyses were conducted to determine the predictive validity of sub-group domain scores. The question was whether ASA scores were predictive of student outcomes in terms of suspension and of state academic achievement scores in the areas of reading, math, and language. Results show that schools with higher fidelity in the behavior domain had significantly fewer suspension events than matched comparison schools. In comparison, higher fidelity in the reading domain was associated with more students at or above proficient on both the Language Mechanics measure and the Mathematics measure, but not in Reading; and higher fidelity in the math domain was also associated with more students at proficient or above on the Language Mechanics, but not in math or reading. Results are discussed in terms of implications for the further development of fidelity assessments and future research.

Inovasi Pendidikan Keahlian Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan Berbasis Pesantren di Kabupaten Banyuwangi

Kertas kerja ini menganalisa inovasi pendidikan yang dijalankan Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan (SMK) berbasis pesantren di Kabupaten Banyuwangi. Dengan menggunakan cultural and micro politics of school theory sebagai kerangka baca, kekuasaan (politik) dapat menjadikan perencanaan inovasi berjalan lebih luas dibandingkan bila dilaksanakan dengan pendekatan kultural, struktural, atau rasional pimpinan lembaga. Inovasi yang behubungan dengan kualitas proses pelaksanaan pendidikan vokasi sangat ditunjang oleh atribusi guru profesional dan latar pengalaman pendidikan. Selanjutnya, dalam kaitannya dengan student outcomes dan public relation dengan dunia usaha, kepemimpinan dan interrelasi kuasa kiai serta pesantren menjadi penentu sebuah efektifnya inovasi pendidikan vokasi di bawah naungan pesantren.

Using Mind Maps to Make Student Questioning Effective: Learning Outcomes of a Principle-Based Scenario for Teacher Guidance

Student questioning is an important learning strategy, but rare in many classrooms, because teachers have concerns if these questions contribute to attaining curricular objectives. Teachers face the challenge of making student questioning effective for learning the curriculum. To address this challenge, a principle-based scenario for guiding effective student questioning was developed and tested for its relevance and practicality in two previous studies. In the scenario, which consists of a sequence of pedagogical activities, mind maps support teachers and students to explore and elaborate upon a core curriculum, by raising, investigating, and exchanging student questions. In this paper, a follow-up study is presented that tested the effectiveness of the scenario on student outcomes in terms of attainment of curricular objectives. Ten teachers and their 231 students participated in the study. Pre- and posttest mind maps were used to measure individual and collective learning outcomes of student questioning. Findings show that a majority of students progressed in learning the core curriculum and elaborated upon it. The findings suggest that visualizing knowledge construction in a shared mind map supports students to learn a core curriculum and to refine their knowledge structures.

University praxis. On exchange between professional and academic practices in architectural education

&lt;p&gt;This paper records and reflects on two architecture design studios situated between academic and professional practice contexts. It is motivated by the level of both student and external engagement generated by the studios, which occurred at a significantly higher level than that generated by similar studios that regularly run at VUW School of Architecture and other schools of architecture. The objective is to retrospectively understand the unique or special aspects of these studios for future reference. &lt;br /&gt;As a working method, the Cuba Street studios are first described in terms of the motivation, the context, the community engagement set up, their brief and their modus operandi. Outcomes of the studios are then evaluated through our observations and critical reflection on the ways engagement between University and professional practices occurred, and how these interactions affected the student learning and external engagement. Reference is made to the relevant literature, the critical intents of the studios, the immediacy of both the proximity and the seriousness of the motivating problem, the inputs of external bodies, and the detail of the student outcomes in terms of both expectations, and the nature of the outcomes. &lt;br /&gt;The paper argues that clarity about characteristics, strengths and weaknesses of academic practices, can augment the potential effectiveness of future architecture design teaching associated with professional engagement, and that the collective framing of student research-led design can deliver research outcomes with a significance greater than the sum of their parts.&lt;/p&gt;

How Climate Change Beliefs among U.S. Teachers Do and Do Not Translate to Students

Research suggests climate change beliefs among science teachers mirror those of the general public, raising questions of whether teachers may be perpetuating polarization of public opinion through their classrooms. We began answering these questions with a survey of middle school science teachers (n = 24) and their students (n = 369) in North Carolina, USA. Similar to previous studies, we found that though nearly all (92.1%) of students had teachers who believe that global warming is happening, few (12%) are in classrooms with teachers who recognize that global warming is anthropogenic. We found that teacher beliefs that global warming is happening and student climate change knowledge were the strongest predictors of student belief that global warming is happening and human caused. Conversely, teacher beliefs about human causes of global warming had no relationship with student beliefs, suggesting that science teachers’ low recognition of the causes of global warming is not necessarily problematic in terms of student outcomes. These findings may be explained by previous research suggesting adolescents interpret scientific information relatively independently of ideological constraints. Though teacher polarization may be problematic in its own right, it appears that as long as climate change information is presented in classrooms, students deduce anthropogenic causes.

Description and comparison of pharmacy technician training programs in the United States

ObjectiveTo describe pharmacy technician training programs in the United States and to compare pharmacy technician program characteristics between programs with and without a pharmacist on faculty and between programs with different accreditation status. DesignDescriptive, cross-sectional study. SettingNot applicable. ParticipantsUnited States pharmacy technician programs. InterventionNot applicable. Main outcome measuresStudent class size, faculty credentials, coursework components, program length, tuition rates, and admission criteria. ResultsCurrently, there are more than 698 pharmacy technician programs across 1114 campuses, with complete data available for 216 programs. Programs varied widely in terms of class sizes, faculty credentials, and admission criteria. Programs with pharmacists on faculty were significantly less expensive than were those without pharmacists (P = 0.009). Accreditation had no impact on tuition prices. ConclusionThis is the first study of its kind to describe and characterize pharmacy technician training programs. There is relatively little control of technician training by the profession of pharmacy. The quality of these programs in terms of student outcomes is unknown, and it should be explored. Rigorous debate and discussion is needed regarding the future of pharmacy technician roles and the training required for those roles.

Impact of introduction of blended learning in gross anatomy on student outcomes.

Blended learning has become increasingly common, in a variety of disciplines, to take advantage of new technology and potentially increase the efficiency and flexibility of delivery. This study aimed to describe blended delivery of a gross anatomy course and to evaluate the effectiveness of the delivery in terms of student outcomes. A gross anatomy course for second-year physiotherapy students across two campuses was delivered in traditional face-to-face teaching mode in 2013 (n = 150 students), some online content was introduced in 2014 (n = 160) and the subject was fully blended in 2015 (n = 151). The final 'blend' consisted of one lecture per week with most content delivered using online video resources (prepared by staff using a structured peer-reviewed process) and retention of face-to-face practical classes. Outcomes evaluated included student grades, student engagement with content through online discussion forums and student feedback using both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Grades were higher in 2014 and 2015 than in 2013 (P < 0.01). There were no differences in student engagement with online discussion forums. Student feedback identified some negative comments and lower levels of intellectual stimulation (P < 0.05) with the initial introduction of online content in 2014. The fully blended version in 2015 resulted in more balanced comments about online content but higher perceived workload (P < 0.05). All cohorts listed practical classes as a major factor contributing to learning. Blended learning appears to be well-suited to gross anatomy teaching on the proviso that face-to-face practical classes are maintained, but may result in higher perceived workloads. Anat Sci Educ 9: 422-430. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.