Enhancing Support Staff Self-Efficacy in Supporting Neurodiverse Students’ Classroom Engagement

Executive Summary Background: Neurodiverse students often face many challenges within their classroom environment due to a mismatch of the environmental demands and the student’s unique processing. This mismatch is often not understood by school support staff which can lead to adverse student outcomes in academic achievement and graduation rates. Support staff are often undertrained and unsupported in meeting the complex needs of neurodiverse students and OTs are often underutilized in this deficit. Purpose: The purpose of this capstone project was to measure the knowledge and self-efficacy gained by an evidence-based training module for school support staff that promoted increased classroom engagement and regulation of neurodivergent students. Objects for this project included increasing staff competence, self-awareness, and confidence in how to support the regulation of neurodivergent students. Methods: A quasi-experimental cross-sectional quantitative survey design was utilized to assess the effectiveness of a one-hour training on supporting the regulation of neurodivergent students. The data results obtained were de-identified. The survey was created and data results were analyzed through Qualtrics Software. Results: A total of 26 district-employed special education support staff completed the posttraining survey. Most participants (81%) strongly agreed the training was helpful and none of the participants disagreed that the training was helpful. Many of the participants, (76.9%) strongly agreed the training increased their confidence in supporting neurodivergent students and reported many strategies they felt comfortable implementing including co-regulation and sensory-based strategies, and environmental supports. Paraprofessionals gained the most new knowledge and least reported gained confidence. The data showed there was not a direct correlation between increased experience and increased confidence gained. Overall, paraprofessionals were more willing to change their interactions with their neurodiverse students compared to teachers. Theoretical Framework: This capstone project supports reducing the disparity students with disabilities face within their educational environments by addressing environmental barriers and changing attitudes and interactions of special education staff as described in the social model of disability within the PEOP model. Results of this study also indicated other variables impacting confidence levels beyond years of experience supporting the humanistic learning theory of how individuals have their own lived experiences, values, and attitudes that can shape their personal learning. Conclusions: In conclusion, this capstone project supported the research gap and demonstrated the benefit of OTs supporting school-wide diversity training in promoting increased inclusion and optimum engagement of neurodivergent students

Professional Learning in Massive Open Online Courses

This study explores the role of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in supporting and enabling professional learning, or learning for work. The research examines how professionals self-regulate their learning in MOOCs. The study is informed by contemporary theories of professional learning, that argue that conventional forms of learning are no longer effective in knowledge intensive domains. As work roles evolve and learning for work becomes continual and personalised, self-regulation is becoming a critical element of professional learning. Yet, established forms of professional learning generally have not taken advantage of the affordances of social, semantic technologies to support self-regulated learning. MOOCs present a potentially useful approach to professional learning that may be designed to encourage self-regulated learning. The study is contextualised within ‘Fundamentals of clinical trials', a MOOC for health professionals designed and run by the Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health, and Harvard Catalyst, the Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center, and offered by edX. The research design builds on the authors' previous studies in the areas of Technology Enhanced Learning and Professional Learning and in particular, research which explored the learning behaviours of education professionals in the Change 11 MOOC. The previous studies demonstrated a link between individual learners SRL profile and their goal setting behaviour in the Change 11 MOOC as well as uncovering other factors which influenced their engagement with the MOOC environment. The present study extends the original study by further focusing on specific aspects of self-regulation identified by the Change11 studies and our parallel studies of self-regulated learning in knowledge workers. The analysis of learner behaviour in the Fundamentals of Clinical Trials is complemented by additional exploration of the design considerations of the MOOC, to determine the extent to which course design can support or inhibit self-regulation of learning. The study poses three research questions: How are Massive Open Online Courses currently designed to support self-regulated learning? What self-regulated learning strategies and behaviours do professionals adopt? and How can MOOCs be designed to encourage professionals to self-regulate their learning? Validated methods and instruments from the original study will be adapted and employed. The research is unique in providing evidence around two critical aspects of MOOCs that are not well understood: the skills and dispositions necessary for self-regulated learning in MOOC environments, and how MOOCs can be designed to encourage the development and emergence of SRL behaviours

Supporting quality of learning in university mathematics : Contrasting students' approaches to learning, self-efficacy, and regulation of learning in two student-centred learning environments

During the last decades of higher education research, new student-centred learning environments have emerged with the emphasis on students’ own activity, responsibility, and independence for learning. Still, in the context of university mathematics, teacher-led instruction remains the most frequent instructional practice. Although the urgent need for developing more student-centred university mathematics learning environments is acknowledged in the literature, research focusing on this area is scarce. This doctoral dissertation addresses the research gap by creating new knowledge on how student-centred learning environments can support mathematics students’ quality of learning at university. To offer a holistic perspective, quality learning is conceptualised with three theoretical concepts, namely students’ approaches to learning, academic self-efficacy, and self-regulation of learning. The students’ approaches to learning (SAL) tradition comprehends an approach to learning as a combination of students’ aims for learning and the processes used to achieve them. Typically, two distinctive approaches are considered, a deep approach aiming to understand, and a surface approach aiming to reproduce knowledge. The tradition values a deep approach to learning and its development during university studies. The notion of academic self-efficacy refers to a person's belief in their ability to perform a specific task in a specific context. Self-efficacy has been identified as the strongest indicator of study success in higher education. In addition, self-efficacy has a central role in the disciplinary context of mathematics, as it increases especially women’s retention in mathematics-related majors. The notion of self-regulation of learning (SRL) characterises how students regulate their cognition, behaviour, motivation, and emotions to enhance their personal learning processes. In this doctoral dissertation, self-regulation of learning is viewed as both an individual and a social practice, and in this vein, the notion of co-regulation refers to a transitional process of acquiring self-regulation skills. Learning environment refers to “the social, psychological and pedagogical contexts in which learning occurs and which affect student achievement and attitudes” (Fraser, 1998). In this doctoral dissertation, the same students are investigated in two parallel student-centred mathematics learning environments, offering an opportunity to address the role of the context on students’ quality of learning. The two learning environments were chosen for their well-established but different student-centred instructional practices; Course A functioned within a typical lecture-tasks-small groups framework with the inclusion of student-centred elements, and Course XA was implemented with Extreme Apprenticeship, a form of inquiry-based mathematics education with a flipped learning approach. The results of this doctoral dissertation are based on both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data consists of students who answered an electronic questionnaire in both courses (N=91). The questionnaire included items measuring students’ approaches to learning, self-efficacy, self-regulation of learning, and experiences of the teaching-learning environment. In addition, data collected during the courses (number of completed tasks, participation, and course exam results) were merged with the questionnaire data. All participants of the prior quantitative data collection point were invited for an interview on a voluntary basis. The qualitative data consists of 16 semi-structured interviews where the students reflected on their experiences in both learning environments. This doctoral dissertation summarises four studies, each articulating the quality of learning in the university mathematics context from different perspectives. Study I quantitatively contrasts students’ approaches to learning, self-efficacy, and perceptions of the learning environments in the two learning environments. In addition, the study identifies three student subgroups: 1) students applying a deep approach to learning, 2) students applying a surface approach to learning, and 3) students applying a context-sensitive surface approach to learning. Study II is a follow-up of Study I and takes a qualitative approach when contrasting the student subgroups and their aims for learning and the actualised learning processes in the two learning environments. Study III quantitatively examines gender-specific differences in self-efficacy, and Study IV takes a mixed-methods approach when contrasting students’ self- and co-regulation of learning in the two learning environments. The results of this doctoral dissertation show that there can be substantial variation in students’ quality of learning between different student-centred learning environments. The central elements of the learning environment contributing to the quality of learning were tasks, lectures, scaffolding, and student collaboration. In particular, student collaboration was focal in supporting students to move away from undesired learning practices, such as applying a surface approach to learning or unregulated learning. Moreover, the results demonstrate that disrupting the typical course structure by a flipped learning approach elicited various benefits for the quality of students’ learning. In this vein, this doctoral dissertation argues for a holistic approach to design university mathematics learning environments and promotes pedagogical development as a significant factor in supporting students to learn mathematics within higher education. Overall, this doctoral dissertation demonstrates how discipline-based higher education research can advance both the fields of university mathematics education and higher education towards the development of research-based student-centred learning environments.Viime vuosikymmenten yliopistopedagoginen tutkimus on korostanut opiskelijakeskeisten oppimisympäristöjen eli opiskelijan oman aktiivisuuden ja vastuun ottamisen tukemisen etuja. Silti opettajajohtoinen opetus on säilynyt käytetyimpänä opetusmenetelmänä mm. yliopistomatematiikan kontekstissa. Vaikka tutkimuskirjallisuus tunnustaakin välittömän tarpeen kehittää opiskelijakeskeisiä yliopistomatematiikan oppimisympäristöjä, näihin keskittyvä tutkimus on pysynyt vähäisenä. Vastatessaan tähän tutkimusaukkoon väitöskirja tuottaa uutta tietoa siitä, miten erilaiset opiskelijakeskeiset oppimisympäristöt voivat tukea matematiikan oppimisen laatua yliopistossa. Väitöskirjassa oppimisen laatua tarkastellaan kolmen teoreettisen käsitteen kautta. Nämä käsitteet ovat oppimisen lähestymistavat, minäpystyvyys ja oppimisen säätely. Oppimisen lähestymistapa ymmärretään opiskelijan oppimiselle asettamien tavoitteiden ja niiden saavuttamiseen käytettyjen prosessien yhdistelmänä. Tutkimuskirjallisuudessa tarkastellaan tyypillisesti kahta oppimisen lähestymistapaa, tiedon ymmärtämistä painottavaa syväsuuntautunutta lähestymistapaa sekä tiedon toistamista painottavaa pintasuuntautunutta lähestymistapaa. Korkeakoulutuksen tulisi tukea syväsuuntautuneen lähestymistavan kehittymistä. Minäpystyvyyden käsitteellä viitataan henkilön omaan suoriutumiskykyyn liittyviin kontekstisidonnaisiin uskomuksiin. Minäpystyys on keskeisin yksittäinen korkeakouluopinnoissa menestymisen indikaattori, minkä lisäksi se tukee erityisesti naisopiskelijoiden pysyvyyttä luonnontieteellisillä aloilla. Oppimisen säätelyllä tarkoitetaan oppimiseen tähtäävää kognition, käyttäytymisen, motivaation ja emootioiden säätelyyn liittyvää toimintaa. Väitöskirjassa oppimisen säätelyä tarkastellaan sekä yksilöllisenä että yhteisöllisenä toimintona, ja oppimisen yhteissäätely nähdään siirtymävaiheen prosessina kohti itsesäätelytaitojen kehittymistä. Oppimisympäristön käsite viittaa oppimiseen ja siihen liittyviin asenteisiin vaikuttavaan sosiaaliseen, psykologiseen ja pedagogiseen kontekstiin. Väitöskirjassa tarkastellaan opiskelijoita, jotka osallistuvat yhtä aikaa kahdelle rinnakkaiselle yliopistomatematiikan kurssille. Kurssit valikoituivat mukaan tutkimukseen opiskelijakeskeisten oppimisympäristöjen takia; Kurssilla A noudatettiin matematiikan opetukselle tyypillistä mutta opiskelijakeskeisiä elementtejä sisältävää luento-laskuharjoitukset-pienryhmät-rakennetta, ja Kurssi XA toteutettiin tutkivaan matematiikan oppimiseen ja käänteiseen oppimiseen pohjautuvalla Kisällioppimisen menetelmällä. Väitöskirjan tulokset pohjautuvat sekä määrälliseen että laadulliseen aineistoon. Määrällinen aineisto koostuu opiskelijoista, jotka vastasivat tutkimuskyselyyn molemmilla kursseilla (N=91). Kysely koostui oppimisen lähestymistapoja, minäpystyvyyttä, oppimisen itsesäätelyä ja oppimisympäristökokemuksia mittaavista väittämistä. Tämän lisäksi kurssien aikana kerääntynyt aineisto (tehtyjen tehtävien lukumäärä, opetukseen osallistuminen, kurssikokeen tulokset) liitettiin osaksi tutkimusaineistoa. Kaikki määrälliseen aineistonkeruuseen osallistuneet opiskelijat kutsuttiin vapaaehtoiseen haastatteluun. Laadullinen aineisto koostuu 16 puolistrukturoidusta haastattelusta, joissa opiskelijat reflektoivat kokemuksiaan molemmissa oppimisympäristöissä. Väitöskirjassa vedetään yhteen neljä osatutkimusta, joissa artikuloidaan opiskelijoiden matematiikan oppimisen laatua eri näkökulmista. Määrällisessä Osatutkimuksessa I vertaillaan kurssien A ja XA oppimisympäristöjä opiskelijoiden oppimisen lähestymistapojen, minäpystyvyyden ja oppimisympäristökäsitysten näkökulmasta. Lisäksi osatutkimuksessa tunnistetaan kolme opiskelijaryhmää: 1) opiskelijat, jotka soveltavat syväsuuntautunutta oppimisen lähestymistapaa, 2) opiskelijat, jotka soveltavat pintasuuntautunutta oppimisen lähestymistapaa, sekä 3) opiskelijat, jotka soveltavat kontekstisensitiivistä oppimisen lähestymistapaa. Laadullisessa Osatutkimuksessa II tarkastellaan kurssien A ja XA oppimisympäristöjä näiden kolmen opiskelijaryhmän oppimistavoitteiden ja oppimisprosessien kautta. Osatutkimuksessa III tarkastellaan minäpystyvyyteen liittyviä määrällisiä sukupuolierityisiä eroja, ja Osatutkimuksessa IV tarkastellaan sekä määrällisesti että laadullisesti opiskelijoiden itse- ja yhteissäätelyä molemmissa oppimisympäristöissä. Väitöstutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat, että opiskelijan oppisen laatu voi merkittävästi vaihdella eri opiskelijakeskeisten oppimisympäristöjen välillä. Lisäksi väitöstutkimuksessa tunnistettiin neljä keskeistä oppimisympäristön elementtiä, jotka ovat yhteydessä opiskelijoiden matematiikan oppimisen laatuun. Nämä elementit ovat kurssitehtävät, luennot, ohjaus ja vertaistuki. Erityisesti opiskelijoiden yhdessä työskentely tuki siirtymistä pintasuuntautuneesta oppimisen lähestymistavasta ja ei-säädellystä oppimisesta kohti laadukkaampaa oppimista. Lisäksi tulokset osoittavat, että tyypillisen kurssirakenteen rikkominen käänteisellä oppimisella on oppimisen laadun kannalta hyödyllistä. Väitöstutkimuksen tulokset korostavatkin pedagogisen kehittämisen ja oppimisympäristöjen kokonaisvaltaisen suunnittelun keskeistä roolia yliopistomatematiikan oppimisen tukemisessa. Kokonaisuudessaan väitöstutkimus havainnollistaa, miten tutkimusperustaisten opiskelijakeskeisten oppimisympäristöjen kehittämistä voidaan edistää tieteenalaan pohjautuvan yliopistopedagogisen tutkimuksen kautta

Supporting professional learning in a massive open online course

Professional learning, combining formal and on the job learning, is important for the development and maintenance of expertise in the modern workplace. To integrate formal and informal learning, professionals have to have good self-regulatory ability. Formal learning opportunities are opening up through massive open online courses (MOOCs), providing free and flexible access to formal education for millions of learners worldwide. MOOCs present a potentially useful mechanism for supporting and enabling professional learning, allowing opportunities to link formal and informal learning. However, there is limited understanding of their effectiveness as professional learning environments. Using self-regulated learning as a theoretical base, this study investigated the learning behaviours of health professionals within Fundamentals of Clinical Trials, a MOOC offered by edX. Thirty-five semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed to explore how the design of this MOOC supported professional learning to occur. The study highlights a mismatch between learning intentions and learning behaviour of professional learners in this course. While the learners are motivated to participate by specific role challenges, their learning effort is ultimately focused on completing course tasks and assignments. The study found little evidence of professional learners routinely relating the course content to their job role or work tasks, and little impact of the course on practice. This study adds to the overall understanding of learning in MOOCs and provides additional empirical data to a nascent research field. The findings provide an insight into how professional learning could be integrated with formal, online learning

Scaffolding Reflection: Prompting Social Constructive Metacognitive Activity in Non-Formal Learning

The study explores the effects of three different types of non-adaptive, metacognitive scaffolding on social, constructive metacognitive activity and reflection in groups of non-formal learners. Six triads of non-formal learners were assigned randomly to one of the three scaffolding conditions: structuring, problematising or epistemological. The triads were then asked to collaboratively resolve an ill-structured problem and record their deliberations. Evidence from think-aloud protocols was analysed using conversational and discourse analysis. Findings indicate that epistemological scaffolds produced more social, constructive metacognitive activity than either of the two other scaffolding conditions in all metacognitive activities except for task orientation, as well as higher quality interactions during evaluation and reflection phases. However, participants appeared to be less aware of their activities as forming a strategic, self-regulatory response to the problem. This may indicate that for learning transfer, it may be necessary to employ an adaptive, facilitated reflection on learners' activities

Collaborative trails in e-learning environments

This deliverable focuses on collaboration within groups of learners, and hence collaborative trails. We begin by reviewing the theoretical background to collaborative learning and looking at the kinds of support that computers can give to groups of learners working collaboratively, and then look more deeply at some of the issues in designing environments to support collaborative learning trails and at tools and techniques, including collaborative filtering, that can be used for analysing collaborative trails. We then review the state-of-the-art in supporting collaborative learning in three different areas – experimental academic systems, systems using mobile technology (which are also generally academic), and commercially available systems. The final part of the deliverable presents three scenarios that show where technology that supports groups working collaboratively and producing collaborative trails may be heading in the near future

Autonomy and autonomy disturbances in self-development and psychopathology: research on motivation, attachment, and clinical process

Self-determination theory (SDT) maintains that the adequate support and satisfaction of individuals' psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness promotes the gradual unfolding of individuals' integrative tendencies, as manifested through intrinsic motivation, internalization, identity development, and integrative emotion regulation. At the same time, the thwarting of these same psychological needs and the resultant need frustration is presumed to evoke or amplify a variety of psychopathologies, many of which involve autonomy disturbances. We begin by defining what autonomy involves and how socializing agents, particularly parents, can provide a nurturing (i.e., need-supportive) environment, and we review research within the SDT literature that has shed light on various integrative tendencies and how caregivers facilitate them. In the second part of this chapter, we detail how many forms of psychopathology involve autonomy disturbances and are associated with a history of psychological need thwarting. We especially focus on internally controlling regulation in internalizing disorders; impairments of internalization in conduct disorders and antisocial behavior; and fragmented self-functioning in borderline and dissociative disorders. The role of autonomy support as an ameliorative factor in treatment settings is then discussed among other translational issues. Finally we highlight some implications of recognizing the important role of basic psychological needs for both growth-related and pathology-related processes

Software scaffolds to promote regulation during scientific inquiry learning

This research addresses issues in the design of online scaffolds for regulation within inquiry learning environments. The learning environment in this study included a physics simulation, data analysis tools, and a model editor for students to create runnable models. A regulative support tool called the Process Coordinator (PC) was designed to assist students in planning, monitoring, and evaluating their investigative efforts within this environment. In an empirical evaluation, 20 dyads received a “full” version of the PC with regulative assistance; dyads in the control group (n = 15) worked with an “empty” PC which contained minimal structures for regulative support. Results showed that both the frequency and duration of regulative tool use differed in favor of the PC+ dyads, who also wrote better lab reports. PC− dyads viewed the content helpfiles more often and produced better domain models. Implications of these differential effects are discussed and suggestions for future research are advanced