Student Estimates Research Articles

Technology‐mediated outdoor learning for primary school student teachers: Focusing on biodiversity

AbstractBackgroundTechnologies may successfully be used to mediate, aid, and diversify learning, but several studies indicate that technologies cannot substitute outdoor learning and its experiential nature. To halt human‐induced biodiversity loss, teachers should acquire a deep understanding of the principles of ecology, including the challenging concept of biodiversity. Only few studies have investigated learning about biodiversity outdoors guided by technology.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to examine student teachers' current knowledge of the concept of biodiversity, to test how well technology‐mediated mobile learning in outdoor settings affects their understanding of the concept, and to determine the students' ability to estimate biodiversity in situ.MethodsStudent teachers (N = 121) participated in a technology‐mediated nature trail. Research data was gathered through open‐ended questions in pre‐ and post‐test questionnaires and an assignment during the trail. Data were analysed using both qualitative and quantitative methods.Results and ConclusionsResults showed that significantly, more students included species and ecosystem diversity in their definitions of biodiversity after the trail, but the inclusion of genetic diversity remained low. Student's estimations of biodiversity in situ and related arguments indicate that they had difficulties in connecting their observations with their assessments of biodiversity.ImplicationsThe study indicates that biodiversity is still a challenging concept, but also that outdoor learning mediated by technology has potential to untangle the concept. Understanding the importance of genetic diversity for species survival should be given special attention.

СТАТИСТИЧНИЙ АНАЛІЗ СУЧАСНИХ ТЕНДЕНЦІЙ РОЗВИТКУ ТУРИЗМУ ВИШЕГРАДСЬКОЇ ЧЕТВІРКИ

The paper presents the research results of tourism state and patterns development in the Visegrad Group. The regional grouping of Central and Eastern Europe, the Visegrad Group, has become a separate subsystem of the European Union, which has received economic, logistical, cultural and political content. These processes are important for Ukraine. The experience of the Visegrad Group, the ability to quickly solve current issues and face the challenges, understanding the real hierarchy of priorities while preserving the national identity of the Visegrad Group (VG) are significant for Ukraine. Tourism is an area that can positively influence both the development of the integrated structure as a whole and the socio-economic development of its member countries. The article carries out a comparative analysis of tourism development trends in the Visegrad Group countries, Europe and the world, as well as develops recommendations for assessing the cooperation prospects between Ukraine and the VG using econometric methods. To achieve the goal of the study, a comparative analysis of global, European and Visegrad trends in tourism was developed, arrivals of international tourists on the amount of income from international tourism by conducting a correlation-regression analysis, substantiated and developed applied aspects for forecasting the potential mutual benefit from cooperation between Ukraine and the VG. According to the World Trade Organization, the forecast of the number of international tourists in the world for 2020-2021 was made. Based on the impact assessment of the number of international tourist arrivals on the amount of income from international tourism, a linear regression model was built, the adequacy and reliability of the regression coefficient was confirmed by Fisher's and Student's estimates. During the analysis (from a priori analysis, proving the quantitative and qualitative homogeneity of the two sets, to the construction, evaluation and analysis of the obtained model) a regression model was built, which can be recommended to be used in the impact analysis of tourist arrivals on international tourism. A comparative analysis of the dynamics of international tourist arrivals and revenues from international tourism in Poland and Ukraine was done. As a result of Poland's experience research, a model of revenues from international tourism is recommended, the factors of which are gross investment (% of GDP) and the number of tourist arrivals.

The Magnitude Response Learning Tool for DSP Education: A Case Study

Many concepts in digital signal processing are intuitive, despite being mathematically challenging. The lecturer not only has to teach the complicated math but should also help students develop intuition about the concept. To aid the lecturer in this task, the Magnitude Response Learning Tool has been introduced, a computer-based learning game addressing the connection between the pole/zero chart of a discrete-time linear time-invariant (LTI) system and its magnitude response. In each game round, the student has to draw a magnitude response given only the poles and zeros of the LTI system. The accuracy of the student's estimate acts as a game score, allowing leaderboards and player-versus-player comparisons on the tool's webpage. This paper analyzes how the tool affects student performance. While the qualitative results show that the students are satisfied with the tool and consider it a useful supplement to the available teaching material, the quantitative part of the study suggests a strong positive correlation between the number of rounds played and the student performance in related tasks.

ModeMaker and ModeQuiz: Tools for Enhancing Student Learning Estimation Skills of Rock-Component Abundance

ABSTRACT Mode estimation, the visual determination of the proportions of the components of a rock, is a valuable tool in geology, providing one of the most efficient means of describing rock mineralogy and chemistry. However, current methods of teaching mode estimation suffer from the often-mediocre mode-estimation skills of the instructors. Fifty-nine academic and professional geologists was surveyed online to assess their mode estimation skills, and they scored 65.9 ± 7.5 (SD) out of a possible 100. Instructors with poor skills cannot provide the correct answers to mode questions and, thus, cannot create valid assessments of student mode-estimation skills. Two computer programs may help address this problem. ModeMaker is a tool for the instructor to use to create images with up to five phases, each with known modes. Each phase can have a number of additional specified properties, such as shape, size, and orientation. The instructor can, thus, provide valid assessments of student abilities to estimate modes. ModeQuiz is an interactive training application for the student. It creates images of the sort ModeMaker creates but randomizes the properties. The student makes mode estimations on the computer, and the program reveals the correct modes and scores the student's estimates. By repeating this process, the student may improve his or her mode-estimation skill over time. Assessments of ModeQuiz show that as little as 2 h of practice with the program may lead to improvement in student skill at mode estimation.

Paramedic Identification of Ecg J Point and St Segments: A Pilot Study

Objective To identify if undergraduate paramedic students are accurate at identifying J Point and ST segments on electrocardiograms. Methods A prospective single-blinded observational pilot study asking students to identify ST segment and J point location on four different ECG complexes Results Of 32 students that participated in the study the findings demonstrated variations in students’ accuracy with both J Point and ST segment identification. Undergraduate paramedic students in most cases were able to recognise ST segment elevation; however, definition of the amount of ST segment elevation varied greatly. A quarter of students did not complete all 4 J Point estimations. Overall the student's estimations varied considerably. Conclusion Results from this pilot study have identified significant variation in students’ interpretation of J Point and ST Segment in ECG analysis.

Confidence intervals for the activation energy estimated by few experiments

Arrhenius parameters are usually estimated by substituting data of 3–5 experiments into a linearized kinetic equation. The use of both small population and linearization invalidates the normal hypothesis. The study focuses on estimating valid confidence intervals for the activation energy computed by the isoconversional method. For this method, a comparison of confidence intervals estimated by using Student's distribution and a nonparametric (distribution-free) method has shown that Student's estimates tend to be oversized. Realistic 95% confidence intervals can be constructed by using corrected Student's percentiles ϑ n−2, 0.975 of 4.0, 2.5, and 2.3 for 3, 4, and 5 heating rates experiments, respectively.

Student Perceptions as Predictors of Academic Performance in College Developmental Studies

The investigation examined (a) perceptions held by students of their preparation to do college-level work, (b) attitudes towards the Developmental Studies program and the university, and (c) knowledge of Developmental Studies as predictors of academic performance. In addition, the high school grade point average (GPA) and the College Board Scholastic Aptitude Test scores were employed as predictors in order to provide a standard by which to compare the predictive efficiency of the student-perception variables. The academic variables, in comparison with those associated with student perceptions, accounted for more variance in first-quarter GPA. Of the student-perception variables, those related to a student's estimation of preparation for college-level courses appeared to have the most direct relationships to first-quarter GPA.

Improving instructional systems through confidence testing

Confidence testing is a probabilistic measurement technique which provides the teacher a mechanism for maximizing information about the student's current state of knowledge by examining the degree of confidence he has in his answers. The student's estimate of his level of knowledge provides valuable diagnostic information for assessing the effectiveness of instruction. This report outlines four operational levels of a student's knowledge ranging from true knowledge to pure chance. The confidence testing formats described permit students to select and weight test items making both the student and the teacher active participants in the testing process.

College Students’ Ability to Evaluate Their Performance on Objective Tests

RECENT DISCUSSIONS in the literature concernI ed with student evaluation emphasize the desirabil ity of allowing the student to participate in the eval uation process. Most of these discussions have ei ther been philosophical in nature or have dealt with the apparent consistency of this practice with cer tain psychological principles (3). To allow the stu dent to participate in evaluating his own perform ance is held to be more democratic. It is further reasoned that the ability to look realistically at the results of one's own endeavors is an important part of the problem-solving process, and if the student is to develop problem-solving ability, he must have some direct experience in evaluating his own pro gress. In spite of this accent in theoretical discussions, there seems to be a scarcity of research bear ing directly on the use of this technique in school sit uations. As Russell points out in his review, there is more lip service than practice and there are many unanswered questions concerning the useful ness and practicality of self-evaluation(7). A few reports have been published describing the use and advantages of self-evaluation (1, 8). Some re searchers have been concerned with the accuracy of student estimates of their own performance. Bear and Levin investigated awareness of vocabulary size among college students and its relation to class standing and sex. They c o n eluded that a student's estimate of performance is an uncertain guide to his actual performance, and that the accuracy of his estimate is related to class standing but not to the sex of the individual (2, 6). That several variables are related to this accuracy has been demonstrated by Brim, Gilinsky and Sumner (4, 5, 9). Among these variables are past performance, IQ, and the group with which the individual is c o m paring him self. Young found that college students pred i c t e d their academic success more a c c u r a tely than did college counselors (10). It is frequently implied that students should par ticipate in evaluating themselves even in areas in which the criteria are rather nebulously stated, such as progress toward broad behavioral goals. If students can do this, it certainly must be assumed that they would be able to estimate the accuracy of their responses on more objectively stated tasks. In the light of the above r e s e a r ch, it would seem that this assumption needs further investigation. This study seeks to discover w h e ther college students can accurately assess their own perfor mance on objective test items and whether this a bility changes over a semester's duration. Specif ically it attempts to answer the following questions: 1) What percentage of the test items for which stu dents say they are certain of the answers do they actually answer correctly? 2) Do they answer a greater percentage of these items correctly than they do items for which they say they are doubtful of the answers or are guessing on the answers? 3) Does the percentage of the accurately answered certain questions change significantly over a se mester's duration?

Interest and Ability in Educational Guidance

This investigation is a study of the relationship between interest and ability in educational subjects. Ability is measured in two ways, first as estimated by the student and second as based upon school grades. As an allied problem the relation of the student's estimates of ability to school grades has been measured. In their application to the practical aspects of educational guid ance or adjustment, the problems of the investigation may be stated in the form of questions as follows: (1) Is an individual's expres sion of educational interests predictive of ability in educational subjects? Does an individual feel most interested in the subject in which he has the greatest ability? (2) Are the individual's esti mates of ability in educational subjects predictive of ability in these subjects as measured by school grades? Does an individual think he has the greatest ability in the educational subject in which he receives the highest grades?