title: The effects of reinforcement context on the effectiveness of social consequences

authors: Osborne, Morton John

subjects: real-time video recording

abstract: The current study analyses the classroom social context; the rate of teacher task talk with respect to social consequences (praise and reprimand), in relation to the rate of on-task and unwanted behaviour of a target student in the classroom. Teacher behaviour talk (talk related to student conduct), social talk (social, non-academic talk) and proximity to the target student are also assayed.  Teacher verbal behaviour was recorded towards whom it was addressed: to the whole class, to a target student, to other students, and analysed severally and combined (summed) in relation to student on-task and unwanted behaviour.  Data were obtained by continuous recording of classroom behaviour and collated in to 60 second intervals.  All correlations were calculated on seconds of occurrence of that behaviour per minute.  This allowed for lagging the independent variable relative to dependent variables to better reflect the subsequent nature of the independent variable, such as praise and reprimand, rather than assaying contiguous relationships alone.  Results indicated that teacher verbal behaviour directed toward the target student did not relate significantly with student on-task behaviour or student unwanted behaviour.  The teacher verbal behaviour that related most significantly with both student on-task behaviour and student unwanted behaviour was teacher task talk to the whole class, followed by teacher task talk to the whole class, to the target student and to other students combined.  Teacher reprimand and behaviour talk directed toward the target student did not relate significantly with student on-task or unwanted behaviour.  Teacher reprimand and behaviour talk to the whole class, to the target student and to other students combined was significantly related to the decrease in student unwanted behaviour and increase in on-task behaviour given lag analysis for those teachers maintaining a high (greater than 50% of available time) rate of task talk. For teachers that did not do so, teacher verbal behaviour did not maintain significant relationships with student on-task or unwanted behaviour.  Results for this lower rate of teacher task talk were characterized by variability both in student behaviour and teacher verbal behaviour.  A case study was conducted increasing the general rate of teacher task talk which supported the above findings.  These results indicate that there is substantial commonality between student behaviour within the classroom and that teacher talk to the whole class and combined (i.e. the sum of addressing the whole class, the target student and other students) is significantly more predictive of individual student behaviour than is teacher talk directed to a target student alone. Teacher social talk was significantly related to teacher reprimand and behaviour talk.  Teacher proximity to the target student was not significantly related to student on-task or unwanted behaviour. The findings are discussed in relation to previous research findings and teaching practice.

text: The effects of reinforcement context on the effectiveness of social consequences The current study analyses the classroom social context; the rate of teacher task talk with respect to social consequences (praise and reprimand), in relation to the rate of on-task and unwanted behaviour of a target student in the classroom. Teacher behaviour talk (talk related to student conduct), social talk (social, non-academic talk) and proximity to the target student are also assayed.  Teacher verbal behaviour was recorded towards whom it was addressed: to the whole class, to a target student, to other students, and analysed severally and combined (summed) in relation to student on-task and unwanted behaviour.  Data were obtained by continuous recording of classroom behaviour and collated in to 60 second intervals.  All correlations were calculated on seconds of occurrence of that behaviour per minute.  This allowed for lagging the independent variable relative to dependent variables to better reflect the subsequent nature of the independent variable, such as praise and reprimand, rather than assaying contiguous relationships alone.  Results indicated that teacher verbal behaviour directed toward the target student did not relate significantly with student on-task behaviour or student unwanted behaviour.  The teacher verbal behaviour that related most significantly with both student on-task behaviour and student unwanted behaviour was teacher task talk to the whole class, followed by teacher task talk to the whole class, to the target student and to other students combined.  Teacher reprimand and behaviour talk directed toward the target student did not relate significantly with student on-task or unwanted behaviour.  Teacher reprimand and behaviour talk to the whole class, to the target student and to other students combined was significantly related to the decrease in student unwanted behaviour and increase in on-task behaviour given lag analysis for those teachers maintaining a high (greater than 50% of available time) rate of task talk. For teachers that did not do so, teacher verbal behaviour did not maintain significant relationships with student on-task or unwanted behaviour.  Results for this lower rate of teacher task talk were characterized by variability both in student behaviour and teacher verbal behaviour.  A case study was conducted increasing the general rate of teacher task talk which supported the above findings.  These results indicate that there is substantial commonality between student behaviour within the classroom and that teacher talk to the whole class and combined (i.e. the sum of addressing the whole class, the target student and other students) is significantly more predictive of individual student behaviour than is teacher talk directed to a target student alone. Teacher social talk was significantly related to teacher reprimand and behaviour talk.  Teacher proximity to the target student was not significantly related to student on-task or unwanted behaviour. The findings are discussed in relation to previous research findings and teaching practice.

year: 2019

title: A goodness of fit measure related to r² for model performance assessment

authors: Bardsley, W. Earl

subjects: fit

abstract: Checking the predictive worth of an environmental model inevitably includes a goodness of fit metric to quantify the degree of matching to recorded data, thereby giving a measure of model performance. Considerable analysis and discussion have taken place over fit indices in hydrology, but a neglected aspect is the degree of communicability to other disciplines. It is suggested that a fit index is best communicated to colleagues via reference to models giving unbiased predictions, because unbiased environmental models are a desirable goal across disciplines. That is, broad recognition of a fit index is aided if it simplifies in the unbiased case to a familiar and logical expression. This does not hold for the Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency E which reduces to the somewhat awkward unbiased expression E = 2 – 1/r², where r² is the coefficient of determination. A new goodness of fit index V is proposed for model validation as V =  r²/(2-E), which simplifies to the easily communicated V = r4 in the unbiased case. The index is defined over the range 0 ≤ V ≤ 1, and it happens that V < E for larger values of E. Some synthetic and recorded data sets are used to illustrate characteristics of V in comparison to E

text: A goodness of fit measure related to r² for model performance assessment Checking the predictive worth of an environmental model inevitably includes a goodness of fit metric to quantify the degree of matching to recorded data, thereby giving a measure of model performance. Considerable analysis and discussion have taken place over fit indices in hydrology, but a neglected aspect is the degree of communicability to other disciplines. It is suggested that a fit index is best communicated to colleagues via reference to models giving unbiased predictions, because unbiased environmental models are a desirable goal across disciplines. That is, broad recognition of a fit index is aided if it simplifies in the unbiased case to a familiar and logical expression. This does not hold for the Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency E which reduces to the somewhat awkward unbiased expression E = 2 – 1/r², where r² is the coefficient of determination. A new goodness of fit index V is proposed for model validation as V =  r²/(2-E), which simplifies to the easily communicated V = r4 in the unbiased case. The index is defined over the range 0 ≤ V ≤ 1, and it happens that V < E for larger values of E. Some synthetic and recorded data sets are used to illustrate characteristics of V in comparison to E

year: 2013

title: Leadership: Going beyond personal will and professional skills to give life to Ka Hikitia

authors: Berryman, Mere

subjects: education policy

abstract: This paper investigates the Ka Hikitia Māori education policy and its subsequent influence in effecting system change towards Māori students’ achievement. It discusses how a Request for Proposal to the Ministry of Education’s Building on Success was conceptualised to support English-medium secondary schools across New Zealand to address this policy. The result, Kia Eke Panuku, is a professional learning and development response that works with Strategic Change Leadership Teams to create culturally responsive and relational contexts for learning, focused on Māori students enjoying and achieving educational success as Māori. It is argued that neither a political mandate for change nor a set of learned strategies by school personnel will truly bring about a changed reality for Māori students. Rather the reform must be led by transformative leaders who are driven by both the moral imperative to change and a keen sense of urgency to see this happen in our schools for Māori students and their home communities.
The major issues raised in this paper, and the solutions that have been reached thus far, can help inform others who are trying to raise the participation, inclusion and achievement of students who may currently be marginalised from formal education settings.

text: Leadership: Going beyond personal will and professional skills to give life to Ka Hikitia This paper investigates the Ka Hikitia Māori education policy and its subsequent influence in effecting system change towards Māori students’ achievement. It discusses how a Request for Proposal to the Ministry of Education’s Building on Success was conceptualised to support English-medium secondary schools across New Zealand to address this policy. The result, Kia Eke Panuku, is a professional learning and development response that works with Strategic Change Leadership Teams to create culturally responsive and relational contexts for learning, focused on Māori students enjoying and achieving educational success as Māori. It is argued that neither a political mandate for change nor a set of learned strategies by school personnel will truly bring about a changed reality for Māori students. Rather the reform must be led by transformative leaders who are driven by both the moral imperative to change and a keen sense of urgency to see this happen in our schools for Māori students and their home communities.
The major issues raised in this paper, and the solutions that have been reached thus far, can help inform others who are trying to raise the participation, inclusion and achievement of students who may currently be marginalised from formal education settings.

year: 2015