Type Of Education Research Articles

Read or listen? Effects of different kinds of instruction on the learning of a sport motor skill

The present study investigated the effects of different instruction types (verbal and written) in the motor learning of a sport skill. Methods: Twenty-three volunteers, from both sexes, 12,96 ± 1.1 years of age, were distributed in two groups: verbal instruction (GIV) and written instruction (GIE). The task was to perform the basketball layup without the ball touching the hoop. All participants performed five baseline trials on the free-throw for balancing initial group performance between groups. Then, they performed 32 practice trials and a retention test of 8 trials a week later on the basketball layup. T-tests were used to compare the groups in baseline and retention tests. Results: The results showed, in both practice and retention, superior performance for GIE compared to GIV. Conclusion: We conclude that providing written instructions benefited the performance and learning of a sport motor skill.

The effect of internal, external, and holistic focus of attention on standing long jump performance in novice and skilled karatekas.

An important application for training instructions is found in directing one's attentional focus. This direction can occur in different internal, external, or holistic forms. However, comparison between these three forms of instructions is a relatively recent development rarely reported at different skill levels or various sports including karate. Therefore, the present study attempts to investigate the effects of three forms of instructions on standing long jump performance in skilled and novice karatekas. The participants were 60 skilled and novice karatekas (all females; mean age: 21.32±1.65) who completed 12 standing long jump trials under different focus conditions (3 trials for each condition: internal, external, holistic and control condition) in a counterbalanced order. Our findings suggested significant main effects, indicating that skilled karatekas outperformed the novices. The findings also showed that regardless of skill levels, the participants exhibited similar performance under external and holistic focus conditions while performance in both of these conditions was superior compared to performance under internal focus and control conditions. No difference was observed between the control and internal focus conditions. It seems that skilled and novice karatekas may benefit from holistic and external focus of attention instructions which enhance their motor performance. Thus, it is recommended that coaches should incorporate these two types of attentional focus instructions into their training sessions.

ACADEMIC SUCCESS IN UNIVERSITY FROMSTUDENT'S PERSPECTIVE

The process of ensuring the quality of education for the development of each country requires the modernization of specialist training in accordance with its priorities, labor market demands, educational needs and characteristics of students, where the most relevant and decisive is the focus on students, in particular on their academic success.The purpose of the study was to monitor and analyze students' educational activities to determine its impact on academic success.The scientific and practical significance of the study lies in the study and analysis of the academic success of students based on their experience in order to determine strategies for improving the activities of universities in order to improve the quality of the educational process.A quantitative method was utilized and the tool for collecting data was a questionnaire on the Qualtrix and the results were processed on the R-Studio. The empirical basis of the study was a stratified sample of 500 students from three Kazakhstani universities, which was divided into 4 groups (courses), and then respondents from each group were randomly selected for inclusion in the sample. The article presents the results of a study indicating the presence of functional differences in student experience. A review and comparative analysis revealed the following results and conclusions: the educational component of academic success varies depending on the type of educational activity; weak scientific communication involvement of students of all courses in many types of scientific activities; self-education experience is presented at a fairly average level; performing practical work for students of all courses is important, and the dominant motive is the cognitive motive, then professional, social and self-affirmation.The research results, conclusions and recommendations have practical significance, allowing teachers and university staff to use them in the educational process to improve student success.

A survey of cancer patients’ interest in undertaking exercise to promote relaxation during radiotherapy for breast cancer and metastatic cancer

BackgroundApproximately 25–50% of patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT) experience psychological distress and anxiety, which can detrimentally affect both their quality of life and treatment outcomes. While previous research has demonstrated that relaxation exercises can enhance the tolerability of RT and alleviate associated stress and anxiety, the specific needs for such therapies in radiation oncology remain under-explored. This study aims to investigate the demand for and preferences toward relaxation exercises among radiotherapy patients, addressing a critical gap in patient-centered care.MethodsA prospective pseudonymized survey study using a one-time paper-based questionnaire was conducted from 2022 to 2023 among patients undergoing curative-intent RT for breast cancer or patients undergoing palliative RT for bone metastases. Patients were asked in a 11-item questionnaire about their anxiety, pre-existing practice of relaxation exercises/interventions, their interest in relaxation exercises, and preferences on the type and format of instruction. Data were analyzed descriptively.Results100 patients (74 female and 26 male) responded, of whom 68 received curative-intent adjuvant RT and 32 palliative RT. Median age was 62 years. 78% of patients indicated a desire to be actively involved in their radiotherapy, but only 27% had used relaxation exercises prior to RT. 44.8% of both curatively and palliatively treated patients who wanted to be actively involved in their therapy desired to learn how to best relax. 56.4% of respondents were willing to spend extra time learning offered exercises.ConclusionThe survey indicates that patients undergoing RT, both for curative or palliative intent, desire relaxation exercises to relieve stress and anxiety from RT. It is therefore important to assess the need for relaxation interventions in individual patients and to develop suitable programs or collaborate with other healthcare professionals to meet these needs.

Teaching diagnostic radiology to radiology majors: Implementation and evaluation of a flipped classroom model

Purpose Radiology instruction focuses on cultivating medical students’ diagnostic thinking skills and practical competence, and lecture-based learning (LBL) is the most commonly used teaching approach. While fact-based, this type of traditional instruction is often non-engaging, leading to a shift toward student-centered models, one of which is the flipped classroom (FC). However, studies involving a comprehensive evaluation of students’ experiences using the FC approach and its effects on their learning are lacking. Therefore, this study analyzed the teaching efficacy of the FC approach based on data of large groups of radiology students, accumulated over time. Methods Data from 636 medical radiology students taught using the FC and LBL models from 2012 to 2021 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Results The test scores of the FC group were significantly higher than those of the LBL group, and improvements in learning initiative and learning ability were notably higher in the FC than in the LBL group. The two groups showed no significant difference in the critical thinking disposition indicator, and the proportion of students with positive critical thinking tendencies was higher in the FC than in the LBL group. The academic and social self-perception scores of the FC group were significantly higher than those of the LBL group, and there was a significant difference in Kolb’s learning style. Conclusions Based on evidence of completing pre-, in-, and after-class work, the FC approach improved students’ academic performance, learning initiative, diagnostic ability, and satisfaction with learning and the teaching institution. Our findings suggest that FC instruction promotes students’ assimilation and convergence of learning styles, and cultivates positive critical thinking.

The associations between individual differences in language aptitude and working memory, and the effectiveness of input and output based instruction

Despite previous research having demonstrated the comparative effects of processing instruction and output-based instruction, further investigation is required to examine the relationships between individual differences in cognitive abilities and these instructional types. This study investigated the associations among three instructional approaches and learners’ language aptitude and working memory in acquiring four Chinese classifiers. Eighty-six second language (L2) Chinese learners from one Chinese university were divided into three experimental groups – processing instruction (PI), meaning-based output instruction (MOI), combined instruction (CI) – and a control group. Tests measuring treatment effects included an untimed grammatical judgment test and an oral elicited imitation test. The LLAMA test and a counting span task were employed to assess learners’ language aptitude and working memory respectively. Multiple regression analysis suggested that phonetic coding ability was significantly predictive of the effects of PI and CI groups. Language analytic ability and working memory were not predictive of the effects of any experimental groups. The findings suggest that providing metalinguistic explanations followed by output-based language activities may mitigate learners’ cognitive differences in language analytic ability and working memory.

An Age-Progression Intervention for Smoking Cessation: A Pilot Study Investigating the Influence of Two Sets of Instructions on Intervention Efficacy

Abstract Background Research on age-progression facial morphing interventions for smoking cessation has not investigated the effect of different instructions for intervention delivery. The objective of this pilot study was to investigate the influence of two instruction types used to deliver the intervention on efficacy of the intervention. Method Women were recruited and randomly allocated to an age-progression intervention session with (i) neutral instructions; (ii) instructions designed to reassure; or (iii) a condition that controlled for participant engagement (“control”). The conditions were delivered in a one-time procedure, after which primary (quitting intentions) and secondary (cigarettes/week, quit attempts) outcomes were measured immediately post-intervention, and at 1 and 3 months. Results Seventy-two women (M = 25.7; SD = 0.9) were recruited and randomly allocated to condition (Neutral n = 27, Reassuring n = 22, Control n = 23). Quitting intentions were higher in the Reassuring versus Control arm (3 months post-intervention, F = 4.37, p = 0.016, 95% CI [0.231, 2.539], eta2 = 0.11); quit attempts were greater in the two intervention arms (58%) versus Control (1-month post-intervention, 15%) (χ2 = 9.83, p < 0.05, OR 1.00 [0.28, 3.63]). Conclusions Findings highlight the importance of optimising instructions to enhance intervention efficacy. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Record: NCT03749382.

International cooperation in radiology training: A multipronged approach

IntroductionMedical imaging has undergone significant technical advancements in recent years, posing a considerable challenge for radiologists to stay up-to-date with emerging modalities and their applications in daily practice. This challenge is even more daunting in developing countries with limited resources compared to the US and other developed nations with greater economic assets. The collaboration between the United States and other advanced nations with radiological institutions in Latin America has been a significant achievement in the pursuit of new opportunities for continuous medical education. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of international collaborations among Spanish-speaking Latin American institutions and radiologists through a survey. Materials and MethodsA group of radiologists and institutions from various countries, including the USA, Spain, and Argentina, who have been working together for several years to improve Radiology education across Latin America, were selected. An online survey was conducted. The survey included questions about interest in the activities, participation, and impact of radiologic education during these educational efforts. ResultsThe survey received responses from 166 participants, all of whom reported knowledge of at least one type of educational activity. The most well-known activity was ALAT Webinars. The primary motivators for participation were the quality of the content and the opportunity to learn new information. Additionally, improving local education in radiology and receiving expert advice on radiology issues were identified as priorities for participation in international collaborations. The Cronbach alpha coefficient was calculated for individual and global Likert questions, resulting in a global score of 0.96. ConclusionThe study confirms the significance of a multifaceted approach to address gaps in radiology education. While traditional models have relied on hosting international visitors or sending US teachers abroad, the results suggest that using a variety of methods will have a greater impact than relying on a single technique for those who benefit most from collaborative efforts.

ESL teaching methods and approaches: Essential strategies for encouraging effective language acquisition.

The present study contributes to the field of English as a Second Language education by examining the effectiveness of different teaching methods, including interactive techniques, technology integration, and culturally responsive teaching strategies. By relying on a mixed-methods research methodology that relied on a triangulation of classroom observations, literature review, and ESL teacher surveys, this study identified several strategies that may have a positive impact on language learning. In particular, the results suggested that interactive activities improve student engagement and promote hands-on practical language application, technology use in classrooms ensures inclusivity and supports the diverse needs of learners via multimedia supports, and culturally responsive teaching that integrates students’ social and cultural backgrounds into the learning process increases relevance and motivation. The current paper also addresses the implications of these findings for ESL practitioners and lists potential avenues for further studies that could help advance ESL pedagogy in the future. The results of the study serve as a call to ESL teachers to employ these methods in their classrooms and modify them to fit their specific teaching and learning context to promote the effectiveness of this type of language instruction and inclusivity within classrooms.

ВИКОРИСТАННЯ ЗАСОБІВ ШТУЧНОГО ІНТЕЛЕКТУ ДЛЯ ПІДТРИМКИ ГРУПОВОЇ ДИНАМІКИ ПРОЄКТНИХ КОМАНД: ВПЛИВ НА САМОЕФЕКТИВНІСТЬ ТА ЗАЛУЧЕНІСТЬ СТУДЕНТІВ

The issue of maintaining group dynamics in flexible remote teams is currently in the focal point of attention not only of commercial companies and government agencies as a response to the changing conditions of work organisation, including those associated with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also of higher education institutions that train future professionals. Since intragroup dynamics is a key factor affecting team performance, this paper is the result of the study conducted as part of the Group Dynamics and Communications course at National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NULES) to determine the potential of using AI tools as tools to support the group dynamics of self-organised teams during the implementation of educational projects. Based on the results of the free choice of project and team management tools, we categorised three groups among the 56 participants of the experiment according to the use or non-use of AI tools to enhance group dynamics, followed by self-assessment of the effectiveness of the selected tools in increasing their levels of self-efficacy and social engagement. The survey was based on a Likert scale measurement, and non-parametric methods of analysis and statistical hypothesis testing were used to process the results. The self-assessment confirmed that the incorporation of AI tools in the implementation of a team-based learning project did not influence the improvement of students' social engagement and the dynamics of self-efficacy for both effective and ineffective students. The authors identified the positive impact of using AI tools on its development for students with the average level of self-efficacy. We also presented an example of the use of Notion AI for enhancing group dynamics at each stage of team development according to B. Tuckman. The authors suggest that the impact of using AI tools in the process of implementing a group learning project depends more on personal characteristics of team members than on the choice of a specific AI model. Determination of application specifics of individual AI tools in the process of training future specialists in the implementation of various types of educational activities, particularly ethical considerations is recognised as an area for further research.

Who benefits most from language-responsive learning materials in mathematics? Investigating differential effects in heterogeneous classrooms

Students’ proficiency in the language of instruction is essential for their mathematical learning. Accordingly, language-responsive instruction, which includes adapting teaching material to students’ language needs, is thought to promote mathematical learning, particularly for students with lower levels of proficiency in the language of instruction. However, empirical evidence for the effectiveness of this type of instruction in heterogeneous classrooms is scarce, and potential differential effects for learners with different learning prerequisites still need to be studied. The present study examines whether language-responsive instructional materials can promote students’ learning of fractions. We conducted a quasi-experimental intervention study with a pre- and posttest in Grade 7 (N = 211). The students were assigned to one of three instructional conditions: fraction instruction with or without additional language support or to a control group. The results showed that both intervention groups had higher learning gains than the control group. However, students with lower proficiency in the language of instruction benefited more from fraction instruction with additional language support than without it. The opposite was true for students with higher proficiency in the language of instruction. Moreover, learning gains depended on students’ levels of mathematics anxiety. Our study contributes to a more detailed understanding of the effectiveness of language-responsive instruction in heterogeneous classrooms.

Understanding dyslexia guidance for parents and teachers: A review of states’ handbooks

Most U.S. states have laws related to supporting students with dyslexia, including dyslexia screening, intervention, and teacher training. Additionally, 40 states have published dyslexia handbooks that include information about defining dyslexia, screening, core instruction, intervention, and progress monitoring. This study utilized a qualitative content analysis to identify the major topics and themes included in these handbooks. Results showed that most of the handbooks included details about the intended audience, defining dyslexia, methods of assessment, types of instruction and intervention, information for parents, and additional resources. Dominant themes in the handbook content were translating research to practice, educator focus, intervention over instruction, and a lack of information related to multilingual learners. The findings suggest that the current handbooks offer consistent information about the definition and features of dyslexia but do not always include information from research-based practices to support students with dyslexia.

Conflict-free coordination planning for multiple automated guided vehicles in an intelligent warehousing system

With the rapid development of intelligent manufacturing, the application of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) in intelligent warehousing systems has become increasingly common. Efficiently planning the conflict-free paths of multiple AGVs while minimizing the total task completion time is crucial for evaluating the performance of the system. Distinguishing itself from recent approaches where conflict avoidance strategy and path planning algorithm are executed independently or separately, this paper proposes an improved conflict-free A* algorithm by integrating the conflict avoidance strategy into the initial path planning process. Based on the heuristic A* algorithm, we use the instruction time consumption as the key evaluation indicator of the cost function and add the turning consumption in the future path cost evaluation. Moreover, the expansion mode of child nodes is optimized where a five-element search set containing the “zero movement” is proposed to implement a proactive pause-wait strategy. Then the prediction rules are designed to add constraints to three types of instructions based on the timeline map, guiding the heuristic planning to search for conflict-free child nodes. Extensive simulations show that the coordination planning based on the improved conflict-free A* algorithm not only effectively achieves advanced conflict avoidance at the algorithmic level, but also exhibits lower computational complexity and higher task completion efficiency compared to other coordination planning methods.

Optimized Intrusion Detection System in Fog Computing Environment Using Automatic Termination-based Whale Optimization with ELM

In fog computing, computing resources are deployed at the network edge, which can include routers, switches, gateways, and even end-user devices. Fog computing focuses on running computations and storing data directly on or near the fog devices themselves. The data processing occurs locally on the device, reducing the reliance on network connectivity and allowing for faster response times. However, the conventional intrusion detection system (IDS) failed to provide security during the data transfer between fog nodes to cloud, fog data centres. So, this work implemented the optimized IDS in fog computing environment (OIDS-FCE) using advanced naturally inspired optimization algorithms with extreme learning. Initially, the data preprocessing operation maintains the uniform characteristics in the dataset by normalizing the columns. Then, comprehensive learning particle swarm based effective seeker optimization (CLPS-ESO) algorithm extracts the intrusion specific features by analyzing the internal patterns of all rows, columns. In addition, automatic termination-based whale optimization algorithm (ATWOA) selects the best intrusion features from CLPS-ESO resultant features using correlation analysis. Finally, the hybrid extreme learning machine (HELM) classifies the varies instruction types from ATWOA optimal features. The simulation results show that the proposed OIDS-FCE achieved 98.52% accuracy, 96.38% precision, 95.50% of recall, and 95.90% of F1-score using UNSW-NB dataset, which are higher than other artificial intelligence IDS models.

BiGResi: Robust bit-level fault injection framework for assessing intrinsic software resilience against soft errors

Radiation-induced soft errors, despite rare, pose a significant threat to the reliability of systems. Assessing the intrinsic resilience of software to soft errors is therefore essential for building fault-tolerant systems cost-effectively. Analytical models, while fast, can be imprecise. In contrast, Fault Injection (FI) has been successfully applied as a mature method for reliability assessment. While high-level FI offers less accuracy, existing low-level techniques can enhance resilience assessment accuracy by sacrificing some desirable features like fault coverage and intrusiveness. Furthermore, these techniques are often driven by random FI campaigns, making establishing a clear correlation between application characteristics and resilience challenging. This paper presents BiGResi, a versatile software-based framework for assessing software resilience. BiGResi overcomes the limitations of random, instruction type-agnostic FI techniques by evaluating resilience at a low-level granularity, considering instruction type and bit location. Furthermore, it targets the instruction set architecture (ISA), enhancing assessment accuracy by revealing architecturally visible faults. BiGResi employs a timing-based FI mechanism with negligible modifications to the target software, minimizing intrusiveness and ensuring near-native speed. BiGResi’s accuracy is empirically evaluated through many FI campaigns targeting different benchmarks with diverse characteristics. We observed that instruction types, ISA encoding bits, and bit location are key factors to consider when assessing software resilience. Finally, BiGResi’s effectiveness is demonstrated by selectively applying instruction protection, resulting in an average reduction of silent data corruptions (SDCs) by 73.80%, with a performance overhead of 15.46%. Furthermore, allowing a slightly higher overhead of 22% can improve the SDC detection rate by up to 93.83%.

Genre-Based Instruction and Iranian EFL Learners’ Argumentative Essay writing: Performance, Structure, Perceptions, and Authorial Identity in Focus

Genre-Based Instruction and Iranian EFL Learners’ Argumentative Essay writing: Performance, Structure, Perceptions, and Authorial Identity in Focus

Direct and indirect instruction in educational robotics: a comparative study of task performance per cognitive level and student perception

Educational Robotics (ER) has emerged as one of the tools to improve STEM learning in primary education if students are properly instructed. However, there is a lack of studies that guide teachers on which type of instruction should be used for ER in STEM between direct (DI) and indirect instruction (II). As a result, the present study aims to compare the two types of instructions in terms of their effect on learning outcomes, students’ perceptions, and students’ gender differences. We adopted a quasi-experiment comparative research design involving 100 ninth-grade students (13–14 years old). We collected data through achievement tests and perception questionnaires and analyzed them using Cochran’s Q-test, Mann–Whitney U-test, and independent samples t-test. Results show that the group in which II was used performed better than those from the group where DI was used. Also, the results show that girls performed better with DI than boys. Furthermore, students perceived ER as useful for developing collaboration and interest in STEM. Therefore, teachers should be supported in learning how to use II and DI strategically in ER to enhance STEM learning.

Digital reading comprehension instruction in English for children with English as an additional language: A systematic review

BackgroundDigital literacy instruction is increasingly common in contemporary practices and can accommodate learners with a range of needs. This systematic review explores the use and effects of technology during reading comprehension instruction involving school‐aged children learning English as an additional language (EAL). Our aim was to provide broad, global coverage that reflects the state of research in the field.MethodsWe searched databases using terms related to EAL, reading comprehension and digital literacy instruction to identify relevant studies published on the topic between 2010 and 2023. Data were extracted regarding study context, participant characteristics, methodology, instruction characteristics and outcomes. We quantified the outcomes of instruction using standardised measures of effect size where possible and appraised the research quality of each study.ResultsA total of 4382 studies were identified. Of these, 53 met our inclusion criteria. Studies were conducted across a variety of low‐ and high‐resource environments, including countries where English is a majority language and those where it is a non‐majority language. Learners from kindergarten through 11th grade were included across the studies. A range of reading comprehension strategies were utilised within the context of digital instruction, with multiple‐strategy instruction the most common. Digital instruction resulted in statistically significant gains in reading comprehension in 32 studies (small to large effect sizes). Our research quality analysis revealed variability in terms of rigour, further adding to the diversity across studies. We conducted a sub‐analysis of eight studies that met the highest standards of research quality. Like the full set of 53 studies, these eight studies reported on diverse types of digital instruction and diverse reading comprehension outcomes but tended to result in smaller effect sizes.ConclusionsDigital reading comprehension instruction can result in reading comprehension gains for children learning EAL, though findings are mixed. Further high‐quality research is needed.

Protocol: Strategy instruction for improving short- and long-term writing performance on secondary and upper-secondary students: A systematic review.

This is the protocol for a Campbell systematic review. The objectives are as follows. This review aims to investigate the effectiveness of all types of teacher-delivered classroom-based strategy instruction aimed at students in the general population (all students) including struggling students (with or at-risk of academic difficulties) in ages 12-19 for increasing writing performance. The majority of previous reviews scoped all outcomes presented in the primary studies. This review will solely focus on covering three most common outcomes: story quality, story elements and word count/length.

Specific Instructions Are Important: A Cross-sectional Study on Device Parameters and Instruction Types While Walking With a Robot in Children and Adolescents.

The aim of the study is to evaluate how gait kinematics and muscle activity during robot-assisted gait training are affected by different combinations of parameter settings and a number of instruction types, ranging from no instructions to goal-specific instructions. Robots for gait therapy provide a haptic guidance, but too much guidance can limit the active participation. Therapists can stimulate this active participation either with instructions or by adapting device parameters. How these two factors interact is still unknown. In the present study, we test the interaction of three different parameter settings and four instruction types in a cross-sectional study with 20 children and adolescents without impairment. Gait kinematics and surface electromyography were measured to evaluate the immediate effects. We found that only goal-specific instructions in combination with a low guidance led to a moderate but significant change in gait kinematics. The muscle activity was altered by all instructions, but the biggest effect was found for goal-specific instructions with a 2.5 times higher surface electromyography amplitude compared to no instruction. Goal-specific instructions are a key element of robot-assisted gait therapy interventions and device parameter adjustments may be used to modulate their effects. Therapists should pay close attention to how they instruct patients.