The Dimensions of Argumentative Texts and Their Assessment

The definition and the assessment of the quality of argumentative texts has become an increasingly crucial issue in education, classroom discourse, and argumentation theory. The different methods developed and used in the literature are all characterized by specific perspectives that fail to capture the complexity of the subject matter, which remains ill-defined and not systematically investigated. This paper addresses this problem by building on the four main dimensions of argument quality resulting from the definition of argument and the literature in classroom discourse: dialogicity, accountability, relevance, and textuality (DART). We use and develop the insights from the literature in education and argumentation by integrating the frameworks that capture both the textual and the argumentative nature of argumentative texts. This theoretical background will be used to propose a method for translating the DART dimensions into specific and clear proxies and evaluation criteria

Understanding Communication Patterns in MOOCs: Combining Data Mining and qualitative methods

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) offer unprecedented opportunities to learn at scale. Within a few years, the phenomenon of crowd-based learning has gained enormous popularity with millions of learners across the globe participating in courses ranging from Popular Music to Astrophysics. They have captured the imaginations of many, attracting significant media attention - with The New York Times naming 2012 "The Year of the MOOC." For those engaged in learning analytics and educational data mining, MOOCs have provided an exciting opportunity to develop innovative methodologies that harness big data in education.Comment: Preprint of a chapter to appear in "Data Mining and Learning Analytics: Applications in Educational Research

Helping education undergraduates to use appropriate criteria for evaluating accounts of motivation

The aim of the study was to compare students in a control group with those in a treatment group with respect to evaluative comments on psychological accounts of motivation. The treatment group systematically scrutinized the nature and interpretation of evidence that supported different accounts, and the assumptions, logic, coherence and clarity of accounts. Content analysis of 74 scripts (using three categories) showed that the control group students made more assertions than either evidential or evaluative points, whereas the treatment group used evaluative statements as often as they used assertion. The findings provide support for privileging activities that develop understanding of how knowledge might be contested, and suggest a need for further research on pedagogies to serve this end. The idea is considered that such understanding has a pivotal role in the development of critical thinking

Self- and Socially-Regulated Learning in Middle School Science Classrooms: A Multiple Case Study

Students must employ self-regulated learning (SRL) and socially-regulated learning (soRL) in the science classroom, which includes a wide array of independent and collaborative learning activities. However, little is known about how student SRL and soRL co-occur in students’ learning and how the classroom teacher influences that regulation in situ (Cabrera et al., in preparation; Panadero et al., 2015). This explanatory, sequential case study analyzes classroom video data from six middle school science classrooms. The study uses an integrated coding scheme that captures SRL and soRL behaviors, soRL modes, and targets of regulation (Greene & Azevedo, 2009; Hadwin et al., 2018; Heirwig et al., 2019; and Zimmerman, 2002). Results show that student SRL and soRL behaviors are influenced by the activity structure and physical layout of the classroom, regulatory behaviors mostly manifest as behavioral and cognitive regulation in the performance phase, and teachers impact student regulation by prompting behavioral monitoring and comprehension monitoring. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in addition to future directions for SRL and soRL research

Autonomy of English language learners : a scoping review of research and practice

Learner autonomy is a vibrant and diverse field. In its approximately 40-year history, it has drawn liberally on theoretical constructs and research methodologies from other disciplines. In turn, it has contributed to the field of applied linguistics by drawing attention to the fundamental importance of understanding the language learner as an active agent in the learning process. To understand the role of autonomy in, and its connections with other areas of study, it is important to ask how it has been conceptualized and operationalized. In addition, given its elusive and amorphous nature, it is timely to ask if and how (the development of) learner autonomy has been evaluated. In this article we conducted a scoping review, or a systematic and comprehensive literature review, of 61 empirical studies in this field. The results show a rich array of conceptualizations and numerous operationalizations, in addition to a somewhat limited use of evaluations. We draw from this a number of implications for research. In particular, we encourage learner autonomy researchers to make explicit their theoretical frameworks, extend their investigation to the role of language learning beyond the classroom in promoting learner autonomy, and diversify their use of research methods.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

A new framework for the design and evaluation of a learning institution’s student engagement activities

In this article we explore the potential for attempts to encourage student engagement to be conceptualised as behaviour change activity, and specifically whether a new framework to guide such activity has potential value for the Higher Education (HE) sector. The Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) (Michie, Susan, Maartje M van Stralen, and Robert West. 2011. “The Behaviour Change Wheel: A New Method for Characterising and Designing Behaviour Change Interventions.” Implementation Science : IS 6 (1): 42. doi:10.1186/1748-5908-6-42) is a framework for the systematic design and development of behaviour change interventions. It has yet to be applied to the domain of student engagement. This article explores its potential, by assessing whether the BCW comprehensively aligns with the state of student engagement as currently presented in the HE literature. This work achieves two things. It firstly allows a prima facie assessment of whether student engagement activity can be readily aligned with the BCW framework. It also highlights omissions and prevalence of activity types in the HE sector, compared with other sectors where behaviour change practice is being successfully applied

e-Pedagogy: the pedagogies of e-learning

The aim of this research was to establish effective e-learning practice in higher education. This was achieved by looking at examples of different pedagogic techniques employed in several cases. The effectiveness of these techniques was established by looking at the students' outcomes on these courses. This study has adopted a sequential mixed methodology characterized by an initial phase of qualitative data collection and analysis, which was followed by a phase of quantitative data collection and analysis. The first phase of the study involved collecting a year of data from a postgraduate programme. A grounded approach was used to analyse one million words of online conferences or discussions, and led to the emergence of 29 pedagogic behaviours. These pedagogic behaviours were then developed into a coding instrument. The second phase, hypothetico-deductive analysis, confirmed their presence in three other cases, five million words of online interactions, and established their associations with students' learning and outcomes. The findings suggest seven clusters of pedagogies correlated with students' grades and the effect size calculation revealed an educational significance for all of them. This indicates that if they are employed in online classrooms they are likely to enhance students' learning and outcomes

“Take the plunge and give it a try” : Primary school teachers’ perceptions of their role and pedagogical practices in technology-rich classrooms

The goal of this study is to shed light on how primary school teachers perceive their role in technology-rich learning environments and how they enact this role in their pedagogical practices. This thesis consists of an extended abstract and three articles. The extended abstract introduces the background and purpose of the study, research questions, the choice of theoretical framework and other relevant concepts, as well as prior research on the theme. The design of the study, methodological choices, and analysis are explained in detail in the method chapter, before discussing the main findings and their affordances at the end of the extended abstract. At the end of the thesis, the three articles delve into some of the main aspects of the study in greater depth and detail. The majority of previous research regarding the use of digital technologies in teaching and learning has been conducted in schools with no heightened focus on digital elements. In an attempt to make new discoveries, the study was conducted in a school that sets high priority to digital competence of their staff and pupils and takes advantage of the opportunities that digital technologies can offer. Therefore, framing the project as a case study was considered a well-founded approach. Furthermore, the case is defined as intrinsic, because the fundamental goal is to understand the case itself, without greater ambition to generalize from the results. In this context, it required an investigation of the case using several instruments, in order to gain a holistic understanding of how teachers with significant training and experience within digital technologies perceive their role and practice their profession. To have a comprehensive and versatile data base for the study, the project was designed as an exploratory sequential study (Creswell & Guetterman, 2021). In contrast to explanatory sequential design, where the cumulative data collection process proceeds from the quantitative to qualitative, an exploratory sequential design explores the case first through qualitative data. Quantitative data – collected in a survey – was thus used to extend and enrich the findings in qualitative data – individual interviews, observation, and focus group interviews. This step was undertaken to improve reliability of the study by confirming some of the qualitative findings and to develop new aspects of the qualitative findings (Creswell & Guetterman, 2021; Hesse-Biber et al., 2015). As the Norwegian educational system builds heavily on the principles of sociocultural learning, sociocultural views are used as the theoretical base for the study. Most importantly, this theoretical approach highlights that learning happens in interaction with others. This not only emphasizes the importance of communication but also the collective nature of learning: we learn best when we learn together. Vygotsky’s theory of zone of proximal development highlights this, as well as the role that the more knowledgeable other has in the interaction and learning processes. In this study, it was discussed how a teacher as the more knowledgeable other approaches their role managing the classroom and instructing pupils as someone who sets structure and helps pupils scaffold and construct new knowledge. Fruitful interaction and collaboration also require an inclusive learning environment where everyone feels safe and able to participate. This is also an obligation for Norwegian schools, stated in Norwegian national core curriculum and legislation. To create such an environment, a teacher needs to practice authoritative classroom management that ensures social, emotional, and academic growth for all learners. Differentiating instruction and promoting pupil participation are prerequisites for such work. There were many findings that partly confirmed findings from previous research, but also provided interesting new perspectives on the topic. The overall perception of the informants regarding how digital technologies influence teacher’s role and enactment of it in their pedagogical practices can be described as both positive and realistic. The informants were well aware of the ideals related to the new role and practices – such as having a more facilitating, exploratory, and inclusive approach – while being realistic about the change and processes related to it being complex, timeconsuming, and ever-changing. The staff found that the school leadership advocated for and supported the development of teachers’ professional digital competence (PDC) and development of mutual practices at a high level, while they also encouraged teachers to experiment with new things without the fear of failing. This, together with close and systematic collaboration with colleagues, were found to be some of the key elements for finding success in exploring and developing their roles and practices. The results were viewed through the lenses of teacher’s role perception, inclusion, differentiated instruction, communication, and collaboration. One of the most interesting findings was that, in contrast to many previous findings from the field, these teachers experienced very little disruptive behaviour or other inappropriate behaviour related to pupils’ use of their personal devices. Not unexpectedly, but surprisingly clearly, given the overall digital profile of the school, teachers with formal education in PDC at a higher education level had a more positive perception of how digital technologies impact the learning environment. They found more advantages regarding the use of digital technologies and were less concerned about challenges, such as distractions or unexpected technology malfunction, than their colleagues with less formal training. Overall, the teachers found that their role had become that more of a facilitator than a traditional role where teacher is the primary source of knowledge. This was modelled in multiple examples, particularly amongst older learners, where the pupils had many opportunities for influencing the learning process and product. On several occasions, teachers modelled exploratory learning, which seemed to encourage pupils to have a somewhat more adventurous approach to the subject matter and activities, as well. Teachers, particularly in grade one, often focused on teaching and discussing strategies that supported pupils in becoming more independent and efficient learners, for instance in communication and collaboration. Despite high ambition and PDC level, the teachers and school leadership acknowledged that there is still a lot more to learn and develop – and there always will be. While digital technologies were weaved in to almost all aspects of teaching and learning and employed in a variety of ways, the pupils could have used some more guidance in developing their competences when given more autonomy in their learning processes. At grade level 1, there was less pupil participation in the learning designs but significantly more emphasis on learning different strategies. In grade level 5, teachers offered pupils multiple opportunities to participate and influence the learning designs and processes, but with less focus on how to refine and developed strategies learned in lower grades. This was evident, for example, in the collective production of multimodal representations of knowledge and approaches to collective learning models.NORSK SAMMENDRAG: Målet med denne studien er å kaste lys over hvordan lærere i barneskolen oppfatter sin rolle i teknologirike læringsmiljøer, og hvordan de utøver denne rollen i sin pedagogiske praksis. Denne avhandlingen består av en kappe og tre artikler. Kappen introduserer bakgrunnen og formålet med studien, forskningsspørsmål, valg av teoretisk rammeverk og andre relevante konsepter, samt tidligere forskning om temaet. Designet av studien, metodiske valg og analyse blir grundig forklart i metodekapittelet, før hovedfunnene og deres implikasjoner blir diskutert på slutten av kappen. Ved avhandlingens slutt går de tre artiklene mer grundig inn på noen av hovedaspektene ved studien. Det meste av tidligere forskning om bruk av digitale teknologier i undervisning og læring har blitt utført i skoler uten spesiell vekt på digitale elementer. I forsøket på å gjøre nye oppdagelser ble studien gjennomført ved en skole som høyt prioriterer digital kompetanse hos både ansatte og elever, og i stor grad utnytter mulighetene som digitale teknologier kan tilby. Det ble derfor ansett som hensiktsmessig å ramme prosjektet som en case-studie. Videre er «case» i denne studien definert som intrinsisk, da det grunnleggende målet er å forstå denne casen i seg selv, uten ambisjoner om å generalisere fra resultatene. I denne sammenheng betyr dette å undersøke casen ved hjelp av flere instrumenter for å oppnå en helhetlig forståelse av hvordan lærere med betydelig opplæring og erfaring innen digitale teknologier oppfatter sin rolle og utøver sitt yrke. For å ha et omfattende og allsidig datagrunnlag for studien, ble prosjektet designet som en utforskende sekvensiell studie (Creswell & Guetterman, 2021). I motsetning til en forklarende sekvensiell design, der den kumulative datainnsamlingsprosessen går fra kvantitativ til kvalitativ, fokuserer en utforskende sekvensiell design først på kvalitative data. Kvantitative data, samlet inn gjennom en spørreundersøkelse, ble dermed brukt for å utvide og berike funnene i de kvalitative dataene: individuelle intervjuer, observasjon og fokusgruppeintervjuer. Dette steget ble tatt for å forbedre studiens pålitelighet ved å bekrefte enkelte av de kvalitative funnene og bygge nye aspekter ved de kvalitative funnene (Creswell & Guetterman, 2021; Hesse-Biber et al., 2015). [...

Enhancing the Quality of Argumentation in School Science

The research reported in this paper focussed on the design of learning environments that support the teaching and learning of argumentation in a scientific context. The research took place over two years between 1999 and 2001 in junior high schools in the greater London area. The research was conducted in two phases. In the first developmental phase, working with a group of 12 science teachers, the main emphasis was to develop sets of materials and strategies to support argumentation in the classroom and to assess teachers‘ development with teaching argumentation. Data were collected by videoing and audio recording the teachers attempts to implement these lessons at the beginning and end of the year. During this phase, analytical tools for evaluating the quality of argumentation were developed based on Toulmin‘s argument pattern. Analysis of the data shows that there was significant development in the majority of teachers use of argumentation across the year. Results indicate that the pattern of use of argumentation is teacher specific, as is the nature of the change. In the second phase of the project, teachers taught the experimental groups a minimum of nine lessons which involved socioscientific or scientific argumentation. In addition, these teachers taught similar lessons to a control group at the beginning and end of the year. Here the emphasis lay on assessing the progression in student capabilities with argumentation. Hence data were collected from several lessons of two groups of students engaging in argumentation. Using a framework for evaluating the nature of the discourse and its quality, the findings show that there was an improvement in the quality of students‘ argumentation. In addition, the research offers methodological developments for work in this field

TEACHERS PERCEPTIONS OF USING YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE AS A CATALYST TO DISCUSS SOCIAL JUSTICE IN MISSISSIPPI CLASSROOMS

ABSTRACT Educational inequality and racial injustice are serious challenges that educators continue to face. More educators are seeking social justice teaching practices and implementing culturally responsive pedagogies to address systemic inequities in schools. Literary scholars suggest that books should serve as mirrors and windows for readers. Diverse young adult literature is a powerful medium through which social injustices, racial inequities, and social problems can be addressed in the classroom. This study is designed to help teachers create a more inclusive classroom through using adolescent literature. Four teachers in diverse schools throughout Mississippi used The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas to implement social justice literacies in ELA classrooms. Data was collected through classroom observations, focus groups, interviews, journals, and lesson plans. Collected data was analyzed for recurring themes that relate to social justice issues