Bridging the Gap: 21st Century Media Meets Theoretical Pedagogical Literacy Practices

In this chapter, the researchers used an ethnographic stance to demonstrate how conversation evolved within a social media platform. They investigated the online discussions and face-to-face dialogues between teacher educators and pre-service teachers. They compared the participants’ reciprocal conversations within this case study to analyze patterns in the language used in each forum in order to identify the affordances and constraints of perceived understanding. Through this discourse analysis the authors sought to identify indicators of each participant’s metacognitive development while engaging in an online book discussion through a social media platform. Data analysis indicated that there was metacognitive growth when comparing the initial reciprocal conversations with the final conversations

Indicators of Constructivist Principles in Internet-Based Courses

The purpose of this study was to provide greater assurance of quality in Internet-based courses. Current literature supports the assumption that the inclusion of constructivist principles in online courses adds to course quality. Therefore, identifying indicators of constructivist learning theory is important to the development of online courses. A peer-nominated panel of national experts in constructivism and instructional technology participated in a 3-round Delphi web survey. Through the iterative process, panelists assigned a mean rating of importance of 4.0 or higher (on a 5-point Likert scale) to 40 indicators of constructivist principles in online courses. Three implications for course design were identified; (1) one size (of learning model) does not fit all, (2) the six identified categories and their related indicators provide a framework for course development, and (3) indicators of constructivist principles transcend technology

Undergraduate Education Students’ Perceptions of Effective and Ineffective Course Experiences: What Counts as an Effective Experience?

Pre-service teachers’ conceptions of effective and ineffective instruction stand to inform their personal views of what constitutes effective and ineffective instruction, yet few qualitative studies have examined both conceptions of effective and ineffective instruction. The purpose of this study was to determine whether pre-service teachers described what happens in university courses primarily in terms of teacher characteristics, teaching practices, or instructional context. There were two research questions guiding the study. First, how are the dimensions of effective and ineffective instruction alike and different? Second, how do results correspond to similar qualitative studies? Nine distinct themes were inductively derived through open coding of 34 pre-service teachers’ essays: (a) motivation, (b) student autonomy, (c) meaningful learning, (d) comfortable learning environment, (e) classroom management, (f) student-teacher relationship, (g) teacher’s personal characteristics and manner, (h) lesson organization, and (i) teacher impact/student development. The results of this study support previous findings and add to the small number of studies that have examined pre-service teachers' descriptions of effective and ineffective instruction. Findings have also contributed a new category that has not appeared in previous literature: teacher impact/student development. Pre-service teachers’ descriptions in this study confirm that the theoretical conception of what happens in classrooms must include the teacher’s characteristics, teaching, and the context of instruction. Keywords: education theory and practice, educational psychology, higher education, teacher education, pre-service teacher beliefs, pre-service teacher conceptions, effective instruction, effective teaching. Les conceptions qu’ont les enseignants en formation de l’enseignement efficace et inefficace informent naturellement leurs points de vue personnels de ce qui constitue l’enseignement efficace et inefficace; pourtant, peu d’études qualitatives se sont penchées sur les conceptions de l’enseignement efficace ainsi que sur celles de l’enseignement inefficace. L’objectif de cette étude était de déterminer dans quelle mesure les enseignants en formation décrivent ce qui se passe dans les cours à l’université, notamment en fonction des caractéristiques des enseignants, des pratiques d’enseignement ou du contexte pédagogique. Deux questions ont guidé la recherche. D’abord, qu’est-ce que l’enseignement efficace et l’enseignement inefficace ont en commun et qu’est-ce qui les distingue? Deuxièmement, comment les résultats correspondent-ils à ceux d’études qualitatives similaires? Un codage ouvert de 34 dissertations écrites par des enseignants en formation a permis de recueillir, par induction, neuf thèmes distincts: (a) motivation, (b) autonomie des étudiants, (c) apprentissage significatif, (d) milieu d’apprentissage confortable, (e) gestion de la classe, (f) rapport étudiant-enseignant, (g) caractéristiques et manières personnelles de l’enseignant, (h) organisation des leçons, et (i) impact de l’enseignant/progression des étudiants. Les résultats de cette étude appuient ceux des études antérieures. Cette étude élargit le nombre restreint d’études qui ont porté sur les descriptions par des enseignants en formation de l’enseignement efficace et l’enseignement inefficace. Les résultats contribuent également à une nouvelle catégorie qui n’apparait pas dans les travaux antérieurs : impact de l’enseignant/progression des étudiants. Les descriptions par les enseignants en formation qui ont participé à cette étude confirment la conception théorique selon laquelle ce qui arrive dans la salle de classe doit tenir compte des caractéristiques personnelles de l’enseignant, de l’enseignement et du contexte pédagogique. Mots clés : théorie et pratique en éducation, psychologie de l’éducation; études supérieures, formation des enseignants; croyances des enseignants en formation, conceptions des enseignants en formation, enseignement efficac

Indicators of Constructivist Principles in Internet-Based Courses

The purpose of this study was to provide greater assurance of quality in Internet-based courses. Current literature supports the assumption that the inclusion of constructivist principles in online courses adds to course quality. Therefore, identifying indicators of constructivist learning theory is important to the development of online courses. A peer-nominated panel of national experts in constructivism and instructional technology participated in a 3-round Delphi web survey. Through the iterative process, panelists assigned a mean rating of importance of 4.0 or higher (on a 5-point Likert scale) to 40 indicators of constructivist principles in online courses. Three implications for course design were identified; (1) one size (of learning model) does not fit all, (2) the six identified categories and their related indicators provide a framework for course development, and (3) indicators of constructivist principles transcend technology

In Situ Vision: The Student Experience of Collaborative Learning in a Virtual Drawing Class

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the construct of collaboration and the co-construction of knowledge in a distance learning drawing class. Distance learning drawing classes are rare, due to resistance by fine arts departments holding onto traditions that date back to Renaissance times. As a result, there is a paucity of literature on the subject. This multiple method study seeks an understanding of how students collaborate in critiques, form virtual communities and socially construct knowledge about learning how to draw. The study commences with the following three research questions: what social processes facilitate learning to draw from the perspective of the student in a computer mediated drawing class, what factors contribute to collaboration and the formation of a virtual learning community in a computer mediated drawing class as measured by the participative, interactive and social dimensions of a content analysis model, and how can the phenomenon of online collaboration be further delineated, defined or explained? The study consists of a grounded theory dimensional analysis of student and instructor interviews and a content analysis of discussion boards. Two core domains emerged from the dimensional analysis, Visual Learning and Virtual Culture. The content analysis located the frequency and quality of collaboration across three different discussion board forums; asynchronous critiques, synchronous critiques and asynchronous discussion topics. Triangulating the data resulted in three theoretical propositions: drawing is a visual medium, and students need to “see” demonstrations of the process and examples, virtual culture mediates collaboration and the co-construction of knowledge in critiques and finally, the inclusion of both synchronous and asynchronous tools provides students with balanced support for learning to draw. Literature from the domains of art education, distance learning pedagogy and virtual culture support an understanding of the research question. The results are demonstrated in a final model entitled In Situ Vision. The animated version of the model in this document requires a Flash player to view and plays on the page while reading. An author’s video introduction accompanies this dissertation, presented in mp4 format. The electronic version of this Dissertation is at OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/etd

The Use of a Digital Question Board to Facilitate Student Questioning and Engagement in Large Lecture Classes: A Mixed-Methods Study

A lack of student questioning and engagement is faced by many universities, where a large lecture is a common practice. Emerging technologies bring about possibilities to fill this gap. This study applied constructivist learning theories and used a digital canvas as a Digital Question Board (DQB) for students to freely pose questions and respond using mobile technology. A mixed-methods study with a quasi-experiment was conducted to investigate the following research questions (RQs): (1) Do students demonstrate different questioning behaviors when provided access to a DQB from those students who are not provided with access to a DQB in large lecture classes? and (2) How does having access to a DQB during large lecture classes influence students’ level of engagement? The study was conducted in two groups of an introductory research methodology course in a large comprehensive university in eastern China (n = 253). The pre-post quasi-experiment lasted six weeks. The data from surveys, interviews, observation, and online posts (log data) were collected and analyzed. The results revealed that when the instructor discussed student questions after every 20–30 minutes in large lecture classes, students with DQB access had a significantly higher frequency of questioning than those without a DQB. The presence of the DQB enriched the types of questions and responses and encouraged mostly on-task learning questions. Having DQB access also greatly improved students’ behavioral and cognitive engagement and facilitated emotional engagement. With technology, students employed a non-linear, constructivist questioning process and actively contributed to the co-construction of knowledge. The presence of the DQB reduced the social pressure of questioning in large lecture classes. This research might contribute to the educational practices and theories as it depicted the patterns of student questioning in technology-mediated large lecture classes, proposed how to design constructivist instructional strategies better to encourage all students to freely pose questions and receive feedback without fear of embarrassment and being judged

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

Analyzing Social Construction of Knowledge and Social Networks in Online Discussion Forums in Spanish

This mixed methods research project examined social construction of knowledge and social networks in three non-structured student centered online discussion forums, which were part of a graduate online course on web conferencing in Spanish within the Mexican sociocultural context. The purpose of the study was to identify interaction patterns among twenty-one graduate students by analyzing discussion forum posts, measuring student centrality, and generating social network diagrams in order to explain the characteristics of posts and social networks that may contribute to social construction of knowledge. The researcher used a sequential approach, starting with the application of an interaction analysis model and social network analysis, followed by a combination of both analyses to shed light on interaction in online discussion forums carried out in Spanish. The researcher found evidence of interaction patterns that suggest a possible relationship between the centrality measure in-degree and high levels of social construction of knowledge, furthermore results suggest dissonance or disagreement in student-to-student interaction may also contribute to the achievement of more complex phases of social construction of knowledge

Decision Makers\u27 Thinking During the Design and Implementation of a K-5 High-Computer-Access (HCA) Program

As present trends in education indicate, learning with technology is increasingly being considered as a means of instructional delivery for K-1 2 learners. Educational leaders must be informed of how to provide the experiences, skills, and knowledge required of the learners for whom they are responsible. This qualitative study examined the conceptualization of a school district\u27s attempt to design and implement a high-computer-access (HCA) program. Research methodologies included interview, observation, and analysis of related documents. The results comprised the thinking of the HCA program designers and how they viewed learning theory and effective instruction principles in relationship to the HCA environments they were creating. The findings from this study indicated that designing and implementing an HCA program into a school district involves several issues. These issues were organized into the following themes: (a) goals and assumptions; (b) appropriation; (c) transformative teaching; (d) child-centered instruction; and (e) logistics. The goals and assumptions theme addressed the participants\u27 thinking about the organization\u27s and the designers\u27 goals that evolved during the design phase. The appropriations theme encompassed the use of computer as a learning and teaching tool. Reported changes in instructional planning and delivery are represented in the transformative teaching theme. The child-centered instruction theme resulted from participants\u27 numerous references to learning theory. The fifth theme, logistics, included the procurement, maintenance, and knowledge acquisition inherent in HCA environments. Further investigation of these themes may assist educational leaders who would choose to implement HCA environments into their schools