Improve speaking skills with Duolingo’s mobile game-based language learning

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of Duolingo's game-based methodology in improving speaking proficiency within mobile language learning, while also examining the specific attributes and strategies contributing to its success and exploring implications for language education and learner optimization. Given the growing prevalence of mobile language learning platforms, the research meticulously scrutinizes the specific attributes and strategies employed by Duolingo that contribute to the refinement of oral fluency. This study employs a mixed methods design, integrating phenomenological and experimental approaches through a pre, post and attainment speaking tests with a control group design supported with metaphorical perceptions. The findings underscore the pivotal role of assimilating technological advancements and gamified pedagogical approaches within language education to expedite effective intercultural communication across multifarious linguistic landscapes. Furthermore, the results emphasize the importance of continuously adapting language learning methodologies to leverage emerging technologies and gamification strategies in order to foster effective communication skills in diverse linguistic contexts. The implications for prospective inquiries advocate for longitudinal investigations delving into the enduring implications of mobile game-based language learning on comprehensive linguistic acquisition, necessitating comparative inquiries to ascertain the comparative efficacy of diverse mobile applications in fostering distinct language proficiencies. Additionally, probing the influence of individual learner attributes and predilections in optimizing the utilization of mobile language learning applications could yield valuable insights for tailoring language acquisition paradigms

Mobile learning for delivering health professional education (protocol)

© 2015 The Cochrane Collaboration.This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: The objective of this review is to evaluate the effectiveness of mLearning educational interventions for delivering pre-registration and post-registration healthcare professional education. We will primarily assess the impact of these interventions on students knowledge, skills, professional attitudes and satisfaction

Pedagogy, curriculum, teaching practices and teacher education in developing countries

This rigorous literature review focused on pedagogy, curriculum, teaching practices and teacher education in developing countries. It aimed to: 1. review existing evidence on the review topic to inform programme design and policy making undertaken by the DFID, other agencies and researchers 2. identify critical evidence gaps to guide the development of future research programme

What are the impacts and cost-effectiveness of strategies to improve performance of untrained and under-trained teachers in the classroom in developing countries?

What are the impacts and cost effectiveness of strategies to improve performance of untrained and under-trained teachers in the classroom in developing countries

Student profiling in a dispositional learning analytics application using formative assessment

How learning disposition data can help us translating learning feedback from a learning analytics application into actionable learning interventions, is the main focus of this empirical study. It extends previous work where the focus was on deriving timely prediction models in a data rich context, encompassing trace data from learning management systems, formative assessment data, e-tutorial trace data as well as learning dispositions. In this same educational context, the current study investigates how the application of cluster analysis based on e-tutorial trace data allows student profiling into different at-risk groups, and how these at-risk groups can be characterized with the help of learning disposition data. It is our conjecture that establishing a chain of antecedent-consequence relationships starting from learning disposition, through student activity in e-tutorials and formative assessment performance, to course performance, adds a crucial dimension to current learning analytics studies: that of profiling students with descriptors that easily lend themselves to the design of educational interventions

Examining the Relationship Between CBI Methods and Student Academic Achievement Scores in Higher Education

The international tertiary community continues to experience a substantial growth in ESL students, which represent a significant portion of total enrollment. To meet this demand for bilingual education EAP (English for Academic Purpose) programs such as CBI (content-based instruction) curriculum have been widely adopted as the preferred pedagogical approach to address this growing trend in higher education. Despite this popularity, there is a lack of longitudinal research on the efficacy of CBI courses, that link this approach to sustained improvement on student academic achievement scores. This study incorporates a mixed- methods design that investigates the academic performance of two sample groups over a three- year (2014-2016) period, by using ex post facto academic GPA scores. The quasi-experimental sample is compared to the control group after receiving the CBI intervention in the second semester of the participants 2014 freshmen year. The findings suggest a positive sustained relationship between CBI curriculum and increased academic performance post intervention. Additionally, a survey and semi structured interviews were conducted on students and faculty to evaluate perceptions of CBI’s efficacy to promote enhanced L2 proficiency and improved long- term academic achievement scores. The results of this effort support the quantitative analysis, and indicate the majority of participants strongly consider CBI methods as a suitable pedagogical technique, to acquire language and content knowledge while enhancing long-term academic performance. This study was unique because it investigated the longitudinal impact of CBI methods on student performance in Mainland China. This research may inform future practitioners, administrators, and policy makers when developing ESL programs in the higher education environment

Environmental Values (2-MEV) and Appreciation of Nature

When monitoring the long history of empirical instruments for environmental attitude measurement, the Two Major Environmental Value model (2-MEV) with its two higher order factors: Preservation (PRE) and Utilization (UTL) has repeatedly and independently been confirmed. PRE assesses preferences towards conservation of nature and the environment, whilst UTL measures preferences towards utilization/exploitation of nature. The latter, however, does not yet include the positive aspects of benefitting from the (enjoyable) use of nature. Consequently, besides the established 2-MEV-battery, additional items from an “Appreciation of Nature” (APR) scale were applied to an Irish sample of 289 secondary school students (age: M = 14.3 years). Responses to the altogether 30-item battery were applied on an oblique rotation by using the Promax procedure: UTL and PRE appeared as orthogonally related factors, APR correlated to PRE with 0.283. Based on loading scores, the item number for each subscale was further reduced to make the analysis more manageable in educational outreach sites; on those sites, where completing questionnaires may well be quite unpopular, they are very much needed for planning and fine-tuning educational programs. Therefore, extending the 2-MEV scale with an added scale for Appreciation may help: (i) to judge participants’ feedback for adjusting/balancing program contents better; and (ii) to promote appreciation as a successful strategy for shifting individuals away from their individual exploitative preferences

Observing Language Pedagogy (OLP): Developing and piloting a contexualised video-based measure of early childhood teachers' pedagogical language knowledge

To support responsive decision-making in the classroom, teachers need flexible access to rich, well-organised and integrated pedagogical knowledge (Koehler & Mishra, 2009). The design of teacher programmes which effectively foster such knowledge rests on its successful measurement, so that relationships between teachers’ learning experiences and their knowledge growth can be established. However, existing questionnaire-based assessments have thus far failed to capture dynamic pedagogical knowledge in a manner which allows relationships with practice and child outcomes to be established. This study develops and pilots a contextualised tool for assessing the dynamic pedagogical knowledge of early childhood teachers, in relation to oral language development. Respondents watch three short videos of a practitioner interacting with children, and identify the strategies used which may support children’s language skills. This use of ‘teacher noticing’ as a proxy for pedagogical knowledge is based on the premise that expert and novice teachers perceive classroom events differently (Berliner, 1992), and that noticing effective strategies in others is a precursor to successful application in personal practice (Jamil, Sabol, Hamre & Pianta, 2015; van Es & Sherin, 2002, 2006). The tool is piloted in the context of a wider randomised controlled trial in 117 schools, designed to evaluate an oral language professional development intervention for preschool teachers. Responses from 104 teachers (n=72 schools) are used to explore its psychometric properties. Findings indicate that the tool provides a reliable measure of pedagogical knowledge, and that scores significantly predict observed quality of practice. Teachers with greater explicit procedural knowledge, and those who provided interpretations of the interactions they identified, led classrooms with higher-quality language-supporting practice. Teachers who participated in the intervention showed greater procedural knowledge of language-supporting strategies than teachers in the control group. Implications for the understanding and assessment of pedagogical knowledge, and for the design of relevant professional development, are considered

Early Childhood Education and Care: Working Conditions and Training Opportunities

[Excerpt] The aim of this working paper is to provide information about the working conditions and in-service training opportunities of early childhood education and care (ECEC) workers and to describe how these factors are linked to outcomes for children. This paper is part of the research project ‘Assessing childcare services’ being carried out by Eurofound in 2013 and 2014. The project focuses on the two dimensions of early childhood education and care that have been the main focus of policy initiatives at European level: ensuring that services are accessible and that they are of good quality. This is the main message of the 2011 Council of the European Union conclusions on early childhood education and care; it is also one of the main messages of the 2013 European Commission recommendation ‘Investing in children: Breaking the cycle of disadvantage’