bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Inferences about teacher expectations from national assessment at key stage one
Authors: Plewis Ian 
Published: May 2011

Background. Concern has been expressed about whether the relatively low achievements of, for example, boys and African Caribbean pupils, might be due, in part, to teachers having low expectations for pupils from these groups. Developments in national assessment provide a way of looking further at this question.Aims. To show how the two measures of attainment used in national assessment—teacher assessment and Standard Assessment Tasks (SATs)—relate, and thus to draw inferences about whether and how teacher expectations vary systematically across socio‐demographic groups. Also, to show that there are different statistical approaches to this question.Samples. Data from pilot studies of national assessment at Key Stage One (ages 6 to 7); between 6000 and 7000 pupils in England; background data on gender, ethnic group and social class.Methods. Differences between the ideas of individual mismatch between teacher assessments and SATs, group mismatch and a measure of bias are elaborated, and these different ideas are linked to different statistical models for categorical data.Results. No evidence of systematic individual mismatch but some evidence of group mismatch by gender and ethnic group. The results for bias suggest that teachers might have expectations for boys, ethnic minority pupils and pupils from less advantaged backgrounds which are too low.Conclusions. Care is needed in defining aspects of mismatch and bias when studying teacher expectations. Possible teacher biases against some groups of pupils merit further investigation.
A longitudinal study of beginning reading achievement and reading self‐concept
Authors: Chapman James W. , Tunmer William E. 
Published: May 2011

Background. Although achievement‐related self‐perceptions are causally related to academic performance, it is not clear at what age this relationship starts to form, especially in terms of learning to read.Aims. The aim of this longitudinal study was to examine the emerging causal interplay between reading self‐concept and beginning reading performance.Sample. One hundred and twelve children who started school at the age of 5 years participated in the study over a two and a half‐year period.Method. Path analyses were used to examine the relationships between reading‐related skills and reading self‐concept at the start of Year 1, the middle of Year 2, and the middle of Year 3.Results. Reading performance emerged as causally predominant over reading self‐concept between the middle of Year 2 and the middle of Year 3.Conclusions. Initial reading‐related experiences in school are associated with the development of reading self‐concepts within the first two and a half years of schooling. This period may mark the time during which negative ‘Matthew effects' develop for those who experience initial difficulties in learning to read.
Investigating the influence of achievement on self‐concept using an intra‐class design and a comparison of the PASS and SDQ‐1 self‐concept tests
Authors: Hay Ian , Ashman Adrian , van Kraayenoord Christina E. 
Published: May 2011

Background. The formation and measurement of self‐concept were the foci of this research.Aims. The study aimed to investigate the influence of achievement on academic self‐concept and to compare the Perception of Ability Scale for Students (PASS, Boersma & Chapman, 1992) with the Self‐Description Questionnaire‐1 (SDQ‐1, Marsh, 1988).Sample. The participants were 479 grade 5 (mean age 126.6 months) coeducational Australian students, located in 18 schools.Method. An intra‐class research design was used to investigate the influence of frame‐of‐reference on self‐concept development.Results. As students' academic scores rose above their class mean their self‐concepts increased and as students' academic scores fell below their class mean their self‐concepts decreased. Students' difference from class mean predicted their self‐concept scores. This finding was consistently shown across the reading, spelling, and mathematics domains using test and teaching rating data. A comparison between the PASS and the SDQ‐1 demonstrated concurrent validity across self‐concept domains.Conclusion. The findings support the notions that the social environment is a significant agent that influences self‐concept, and that teacher ratings and standardised tests of achievement and the PASS and the SDQ‐1 are valid measures for self‐concept research.
Developmental differences in addition strategies: a comparison of mathematically disabled and mathematically normal children
Authors: Ostad Snorre A. 
Published: May 2011

Background. Several studies concerned with task‐specific strategies in addition have suggested that, when compared with the performance of mathematically normal peers (MN pupils), the performance of mathematically disabled pupils (MD pupils) is characterised by frequent use of inefficient problem‐solving strategies. These studies, however, have focused more or less exclusively on single age‐groups and on the youngest age‐groups in particular. What characterises strategy use, as this develops year by year during the primary school stage, has not been adequately studied.Aims. The major purpose of the present study was to investigate the character and extent of differences between the MD pupils and the MN pupils as reflected in the use of task‐specific strategies for solving elementary addition problems as the pupils move up through primary school, i.e., from grade 1 to grade 7. Particular concern was with the variability within the groups of MD pupils, especially in light of the general literature showing substantial heterogeneity in the performance characteristics of the mathematically less able children.Sample. The sample included 32 MD pupils in grade 1, 33 MD pupils in grade 3, 36 MD pupils in grade 5 and a corresponding number of MN pupils in each of the grades.Methods. The pupils were asked to solve 28 single‐digit addition problems on two different occasions separated by an interval of two years. The task‐specific strategies used by the pupils were recorded on a ‘trial‐by‐trial basis' and were classified as defined single variants of backup strategies and retrieval strategies, respectively.Results. The pattern of development as it emerged in a longitudinal perspective in the present study showed the mathematically disabled pupils as being characterised by: (a) use of backup strategies only, (b) use of the most primary backup strategies, (c) small degree of variation in the use of strategy variants and, (d) limited degree of change in the use of strategies from year to year throughout the primary school.Conclusions. Compared with the mathematically normal pupils, the mathematically disabled exhibited a divergent pattern of development, with unexpectedly little variability within the group itself.
The influence of the educational context on student nurses' conceptions of learning and approaches to learning
Authors: Eklund‐Myrskog Gunilla 
Published: May 2011

Background. In previous research a quite similar variety of conceptions and approaches has been identified. However, while context does seem to influence which aspects of the experience and approach are accentuated and which are left in the background, the question is to what extent conceptions and approaches are contextually dependent.Aim. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the educational context on student nurses' conceptions of learning and approaches to learning, i.e., to investigate in what sense and to what extent conceptions and approaches are contextually dependent.Method. The phenomenographic approach, expanded towards grounded theory, was taken as the point of departure.Sample. Data for the cross‐section study were collected through individual interviews with student nurses (N=60) both at the beginning and at the end of nursing training.Results. As a result of the analysis, qualitative similarities and differences in students' conceptions and approaches were found. In comparing the two groups of student nurses, a trend of development could be identified since students used more developed conceptions and approaches at the end than at the beginning of the educational programme. These differences found between the student groups could largely be explained in terms of the nursing training.Conclusions. The results thus showed that conceptions and approaches are to some extent contextually dependent.
Reading, vocabulary and language preference in 7‐ to 8‐year‐old bilingual Asian children
Authors: Beech John R. , Keys Alison 
Published: May 2011

Background. Children who have a second language at home and report more usage of this language in various contexts ought reciprocally to be less proficient in English as frequency of exposure to English is reduced. Similarly there should be a two‐way directional influence between oral vocabulary and reading development.Samples. A group of 40 bilingual Asian children was compared with an age‐matched mixed race (but with only one Asian child) monolingual group of 24 children. Mean age was 8 years for both groups (range 7; 6 to 8; 6 years) and socioeconomic status was low. Group allocation was based on a specially devised Language Preference Questionnaire (LPQ) examining different contexts of language use (e.g., during numerical analysis).Method. Standardised tests of non‐verbal intelligence, vocabulary, basic reading, reading comprehension and the LPQ were given.Results. Controlling for non‐verbal intelligence, there was a marked difference in receptive oral vocabulary and a weaker difference in reading ability between the two groups. The LPQ showed that bilingual children who reported thinking in their parental language had poorer English vocabulary development than bilingual children who preferred to think in English.Conclusions. These findings are discussed in terms of either an effect of frequency of exposure to language or in terms of differences in phonological development between the two groups. The contrasting differences in the effects of bilingualism on vocabulary and reading suggest that in this particular socioeconomic setting parents of both groups do not have substantial impact on reading, but they do have an influence on the development of English oral vocabulary.
Cognitive‐metacognitive training within a problem‐solving based Logo environment
Authors: Kramarski Bracha , Mevarech Zemira R. 
Published: May 2011

Background. The present study investigated the effects of metacognitive training implemented within a problem‐solving based Logo environment on students' ability to construct graphs and reflect on their learning.Aims. (1) To compare achievement outcomes of students who learned to construct graphs within a problem‐solving based Logo environment that was either embedded with or with no metacognitive training; and (2) To examine the differences in students' cognitive‐metacognitive behaviours under the different conditions.Samples. Participants were 68 students who studied in four computer classrooms.Methods. Intact classrooms were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: one was exposed to a problem‐solving based Logo environment with metacognitive training (N=34) and the other to the same Logo environment with no metacognitive training (N=34). All students were examined at the beginning and at the end of the study on the Graph Construction Examination. In addition, at the end of the study students were interviewed to assess their cognitive‐metacognitive behaviours. Furthermore, to examine possible differences (if any exist) between the two conditions prior to the beginning of the study, students were administered the Raven Advanced Matrices Examination, and the Graph Interpretation Test.Results. Although no significant differences were found between groups prior to the beginning of the study on all pretreatment measures, at the end of the study the students who were exposed to the metacognitive treatment tended to construct graphs better than their counterparts who were not exposed to such treatment. The metacognitive group was also better able to reflect on their learning than their counterparts who were not exposed to such training. In addition, structured interviews indicated the positive effects of the metacognitive training on students' information processing, social‐cognitive interaction, and error detection.Conclusions. Being exposed to metacognitive training exerts positive effects on students' achievement outcomes and cognitive‐metacognitive behaviours.
Teachers' conceptions of understanding historical and scientific events
Authors: Newton D. P. , Newton L. D. 
Published: May 2011

Background. Teachers of younger children commonly teach a range of subjects. Those with a science degree, for instance, may also teach subjects like history. Conversely, those with a history degree may also teach science.Aims. Do such differences in academic background affect teachers' conceptions of understanding? The aim was to compare teachers' conceptions of understanding of scientific events and historical events, particularly when their degree was in one or the other of these subjects.Sample. A total of 178 primary school teachers (58 with science degrees, 61 with history degrees, and 59 with other degrees) were tested in the main part of the study.Method. Teachers rated 36 statements on a 1 to 5 scale for relevance to understanding historical and scientific events.Results. Teachers generally discriminated between the relevance of the statements for understanding these events. At the same time, teachers with different degrees also disagreed about the level of relevance for understanding of a number of statements. Differences in the balance of subject experience could account for this.Conclusions. Differences in academic backgrounds can affect conceptions of understanding of a subject. This could have consequences for the support for understanding that teachers provide.
Learning to read at home and at school
Authors: Stuart Morag , Dixon Maureen , Masterson Jackie , Quinlan Philip 
Published: May 2011

Aims. Social class differences in reading achievement are well documented in the literature. The present study looked for social class differences in home literacy activities, such as reading to children, hearing children read, teaching children about the alphabet, and fostering phonological awareness through nursery rhymes and games of ‘I Spy’, which might underlie these.Sample. Sixty‐one parents of children in Reception and Years 1 and 2 in a North London primary school were interviewed. Two social class groups were identified, by mother's occupation.Methods. A structured questionnaire was used in the parental interviews: thus data collected relied on self‐reports. Children's reading ages and alphabet knowledge were measured, with the latter used as an indicator of reliability of parental self‐report.Results. Mean reading age was significantly higher in middle class children, who knew significantly more letter‐sound correspondences. No social class difference was found in parents' reports of time spent hearing children read, but middle class parents reported spending more time reading to children: however, this did not relate to reading age. No social class difference was found in estimates of children's nursery rhyme knowledge, but middle class parents were more likely to report frequently playing ‘I Spy’. Both social class groups were equally likely to report teaching children letter names and sounds, but middle class parents reported using a wider variety and more materials than working class parents. When letter‐sound knowledge was used as a predictor of reading achievement, social class was no longer a significant determiner.Conclusions. Very few differences were found by social class, and those found did not relate clearly to reading achievement.
Is self‐explanation while solving problems helpful? The case of analogical problem‐solving
Authors: Neuman Yair , Schwarz Baruch 
Published: May 2011

Background. Explanations people give themselves (or what are called self‐explanations) while learning have been shown to be positively associated with various learning measures. However, the effect of self‐explanation on analogical problem‐solving has not been investigated.Aim. The aim of this study is to investigate the relation between self‐explanation and analogical problem‐solving.Sample. Twenty‐four university students from the social science faculty. All the students were in their early twenties, 75 per cent of them being females.Method. The students were asked to solve three analytical reasoning problems (one learning problem and two test problems). The students were prompted either to self‐explain or to think‐aloud. During the problem‐solving, verbal protocols were tape‐recorded.Results. Students prompted to self‐explain performed better in the test phase. The analysis of verbal protocols from good and poor solvers allowed us to identify four categories of self‐explanation. Three categories were positively associated with analogical problem‐solving. However, one category pertaining to the ‘surface structure’ of the problems studied had detrimental effects on further problem‐solving.Conclusions. In contrast to previous findings, only certain kinds of self‐explanations improve analogical problem‐solving. We suggest, therefore, that the role of certain self‐explanation is to support better the representation of solution schemes.
A comparative study of approaches to studying in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom
Authors: Sadler‐Smith Eugene , Tsang Florence 
Published: May 2011

Background. The study was conducted in the context of a number of comparative studies into student approaches to studying, particularly in an Asian context, and used the Revised Approaches to Studying Inventory (RASI).Aims. (i) Explore the cross cultural validity of the RASI; (ii) compare the approaches to studying of Hong Kong and UK students; (iii) examine the predictive validity of the RASI; (iv) investigate the relationships between age, gender and approach.Samples. The samples consisted of undergraduates at two institutions in Hong Kong (N = 183) and the UK (N = 225) following business studies and related degree programmes.Method. The RASI was administered in the course of a study skills workshop in which co‐operation was voluntary. Learning performance data from summative and formative assessments were used to examine the predictive validity of the RASI.Results. Principal components analysis was generally successful in reconstructing the three RASI scales; however the ‘relying on memorising’ subscale loaded ambiguously. The RASI failed to predict any aspect of learning performance for the Hong Kong sample, whilst for the UK sample there were some low correlations. An interaction of age and gender in their effect upon deep and strategic approaches was observed for the Hong Kong sample.Conclusions. (i) The conception of ‘Asian learners as rote learners' is not supported; (ii) approaches to studying should not be seen in isolation from contextual factors, particularly the demands of assessment regimes; (iii) conceptualisations of memorisation require further theoretical and empirical elaboration.
A Rasch measurement model analysis of the Revised Approaches to Studying Inventory
Authors: Waugh Russell F. , Addison Patricia A. 
Published: May 2011

Background. The Revised Approaches to Studying Inventory (Entwistle & Tait, 1994) comprises 38 self‐report items designed to measure student approaches to learning in a higher education context. The items have been conceptualised and designed from five learning orientations, corresponding to five subscales of the Inventory: ‘a deep approach’, ‘a surface approach’, ‘a strategic approach’, ‘a lack of direction’ and ‘academic self‐confidence’.Aims. The study aims to create an interval level scale for the Inventory and analyse its psychometric properties using a modern measurement model, the Extended Logistic Model of Rasch (Andrich, 1988a, 1988b; Rasch, 1980), and investigate the conceptual design of the Inventory.Sample. The sample was 346 students (170 females, 176 males, 212 less than 23 years and 134 older than 23), studying in first year Faculty of Business, at a university in Perth, Western Australia.Method. A scale was created for the Inventory and analysed for reliability, fit to the model, meaning and validity. The Inventory was analysed separately for each of four subgroups (females, males, younger and older students) to test the invariance of the scale. The five subscales were analysed separately to test the conceptual design and meaning of the Inventory.Results. The Inventory has satisfactory psychometric properties, when items 20 and 33 are deleted. Easier and harder items need to be added to better target the student measures. Its conceptual design from the five learning orientations is confirmed. Only 15 items have satisfactory invariance across the four subgroups. The psychometric properties of three subscales (deep approach, surface approach and strategic approach) are only moderately satisfactory and the item separabilities of the other two (lack of direction and academic self‐confidence) are unsatisfactory.Conclusions. The Extended Logistic Model of Rasch was found to be useful in creating an interval level scale for the Inventory, and for analysing its psychometric properties and conceptual design. It is suggested that the Inventory can be improved conceptually by adding more items relating to attitudes, intentions and behaviour and by adding harder and easier items to target the student measures better.
The regulation of constructive learning processes
Authors: Vermunt Jan D. 
Published: May 2011

Background. Classical instructional design theories and constructivist theories disagree on the issue of how high‐quality learning can be realised. Research on student learning has identified a large number of learning components, but the problems of overlap among conceptualisations and the direction of interrelations among constructs have received little attention.Aims. The main aims of this study were: increasing integration of existing models of student learning; gaining understanding of the regulation of constructive learning processes; and investigating the degree to which these phenomena generalise across contexts.Samples. A total of 717 students from an open university (OU) and 795 students from a regular university (RU), from various academic disciplines, participated in the studies. The mean age of the OU students was 36.2 years and of the RU students 22.5 years.Methods. Based on phenomenographic studies, a diagnostic instrument was constructed that covered four learning components: cognitive processing, metacognitive regulation, mental learning models, and learning orientations. It was administered to all students from the samples. Factor analyses on the data were conducted to achieve a more integrated model of student learning. Regression analyses were performed to study the directionality in the regulation of learning processes.Results. Four learning dimensions were consistently found: an undirected, reproduction‐directed, meaning‐directed and application‐directed style. These styles consisted of typical combinations of learning components. Moreover, students' use of constructive processing strategies was explained much better by self‐regulation of learning than by external regulation. These findings were almost identical at both educational institutions, indicating a high degree of generalisability.Conclusions. The integrated model of student learning developed in this study can reduce the overlap among learning component conceptualisations considerably. The results stress the importance of process‐oriented teaching models for improving the quality of student learning.