The cross-cultural validation of the technology-enhanced social constructivist learning environment questionnaire in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region

This study’s primary aim is to validate a research instrument in Iraqi Kurdistan middle and secondary schools to explore learners’ perspectives concerning social construc tivist learning environments and e-learning outcomes. The research instrument was updated and devised based on Aldridge, Fraser, Taylor, and Chen’s (Aldridge et al., International Journal of Science Education 22:37–55, 2000) Constructivist Learning Environent (CLES) Survey. Additionally, it also contains two newly developed rating scales that have been taken from Luckay and Laugksch (Luckay and Laugksch, Research in Science Education 45:1–22, 2015), and a perceived e-learning outcomes scale adopted from Sultan, Woods, and Koo (Sultan et al., Educational Technology and Society 14:149–163, 2011). The instrument included seven prominent social constructivist learning dimensions and plus perceived e-learning outcomes, namely: Respect for Difference, Learner Investigation, Critical Voice, Learner Negotiation, Individual Relevance, Shared Control, Uncertainty and Perceived e-Learning Outcomes. For this study, empirical data were gathered from 1289 upper primary and secondary school students in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. The research instrument possessed factor structure, discriminant validity, and internal consistency reliability based on the results of data analysis. Conse- quently, the validity and reliability of Arabic language and Kurdish language versions of the survey were verified. Hence, the principal data are sufficient for additional empirical research involving path model evaluation in order to discern any correlations between the variables included in the research model

Evaluation of inquiry-based Learning in high school earth science and biology classrooms: learning environment and attitudes

This evaluation of inquiry-based teaching involved 1396 high-school biology and earth science students from Los Angeles County. Inquiry teaching was perceived by students to be more effective than traditional methods in terms of greater teacher support and student involvement. Also inquiry-based instruction was equally effective for male and female student

Effectiveness of student response systems in terms of learning environment, attitudes and achievement

Most past research on the effectiveness of Student Response Systems (SRS) has focused on higher levels of education and neglected consideration of the learning environment. Therefore, this study is unique in its focus on Grade 7 and Grade 8 students and on the effect of using SRS on students’ perceptions of the learning environment, as well as on the student outcomes of attitudes and achievement. This study also validated a new questionnaire, the How Do You Feel About This Class? (HDYFATC), which incorporates a new learning environment scale (Comfort) developed by the researcher. As schools incorporate technology such as SRS into the classroom, it is important to evaluate its effectiveness in terms of students’ perceptions of the learning environment, attitudes, and achievement.Student perceptions of the learning environment and their attitudes were assessed with the HDYFATC, which combines four learning environment scales (Involvement, Task Orientation, Equity, and Cooperation) from the What Is Happening In this Class? (WIHIC) questionnaire with one created by the researcher (Comfort) to assess how comfortable students are in their science class, and an attitude scale (Enjoyment) from the Test of Science Related Attitudes (TOSRA). Students’ achievement was assessed using the average of their examination scores for the duration of the study.The HDYFATC was administered to a sample of 1097 Grade 7 and Grade 8 students from 47 classes in three schools in New York State. Data analyses supported the HDYFATC’s factorial validity, internal consistency reliability, and ability to differentiate between the perceptions of students in different classrooms. All items had a factor loading of at least 0.40 on their a priori scale and less than 0.40 on all other scales. The total variance was 76.13%, with the largest contribution from the Enjoyment scale. Eigenvalues ranged from 1.29 to 25.62. When the individual was used as the unit of analysis, the internal consistency reliability for different scales of the HDYFATC ranged from 0.94 to 0.95. ANOVA revealed significant differences between students’ perceptions in different classes for each learning environment scale, with eta² values ranging from 0.50 to 0.60 for different scales.To determine the effectiveness of SRS in terms of learning environment, attitudes, and achievement, data obtained from the HDYFATC and achievement scores were subjected to a MANOVA. The dependent variables were the five learning environment scales and two student outcome scales, while use or non-use of SRS was the independent variable. Because the multivariate test using Wilks’ lambda criterion yielded a statistically significant result overall for the whole set of seven dependent variables, the univariate ANOVA results were interpreted separately for each individual dependent variable. The F value for between-group differences was statistically significant for every scale. Very large effect sizes ranged from 1.96 to 2.46 standard deviations for the learning environment scales and were 2.19 and 1.17 standard deviations for attitudes and achievement. For every scale, the SRS group had higher scores than the comparison group.A two-way MANOVA was used to determine if the use of SRS was differentially effective for males and females. The independent variables were the use/non-use of SRS and gender, and the dependent variables were the seven learning environment and student outcome scales. Although both males and females benefited from the use of SRS, Task Orientation was the only scale for which a statistically significant interaction emerged. However, the degree of differential effectiveness found for males and females when using SRS was small and of very little educational importance. Females appeared to benefit slightly more than males from the use of SRS.Simple correlation and multiple regression analyses were used to investigate the relationships between students’ perceptions of the learning environment and the student outcomes of attitudes and achievement. All five learning environment scales correlated positively and significantly with both student attitudes and achievement. The multiple correlation of the five learning environment scales with student attitudes and achievement was, respectively, 0.79 and 0.45. Involvement, Task Orientation, and Comfort were statistically significant independent predictors of student attitudes, while Involvement, Equity, and Comfort were statistically significant independent predictors of achievement

Learning environments in English classrooms in Singapore: determinants and effects

This study investigated the learning environment and attitudes among approximately 400 Primary 6 children in Singapore. A modified learning environment and attitude questionnaire, based on the What Is Happening In this Class? (WIHIC), Test of Science Related Attitudes (TOSRA) and Morgan-Jinks Student Efficacy Scale (MJSES), was validated. Sex and ethnic differences were found in learning environment perceptions and attitudes. Associations emerged between students’ attitudes and the classroom learning environment, which replicates past researc

Changes in Learning Environment and Students’ Attitudes and Anxiety Associated with the Transition from Primary to Secondary School Mathematics

This study involving 541 South Australian mathematics students utilised scales adapted from the What Is Happening In this Class? Test of Mathematics Related Attitudes and Revised Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale to identify changes across the transition from primary to secondary school in terms of the classroom learning environment and students’ attitude and anxiety towards mathematics. Secondary students perceived less involvement, less-positive attitudes to mathematical inquiry, less enjoyment of mathematics and greater mathematics anxiety

Early Determinants of Women in the IT Workforce: A Model of Girls’ Career Choices

Purpose – To develop a testable model for girls’ career choices in technology fields based on past research and hypotheses about the future of the information technology (IT) workforce. Design/Methodology/Approach – Review and assimilation of literature from education, psychology, sociology, computer science, IT, and business in a model that identifies factors that can potentially influence a girl’s choice towards or against IT careers. The factors are categorized into social factors (family, peers, and media), structural factors (computer use, teacher/counselor influence, same sex versus coeducational schools), and individual differences. The impact of culture on these various factors is also explored. Findings – The model indicates that parents, particularly fathers, are the key influencers of girls’ choice of IT careers. Teachers and counselors provide little or no career direction. Hypotheses propose that early access to computers may reduce intimidation with technology and that same-sex education may serve to reduce career bias against IT. Research Limitations/Implications – While the model is multidisciplinary, much of research from which it draws is five to eight years old. Patterns of career choices, availability of technology, increased independence of women and girls, offshore/nearshore outsourcings of IT jobs are just some of the factors that may be insufficiently addressed in this study. Practical Implications – A “Recommendations” section provides some practical steps to increase the involvement of girls in IT-related careers and activities at an early age. The article identifies cultural research as a limitation and ways to address this. Originality/value – The paper is an assimilation of literature from diverse fields and provides a testable model for research on gender and IT

The Role of Teacher Training in Beginning Teachers’ Self-Efficacy, Job Satisfaction, and Turnover Motivation: Findings from the 2011-2012 Schools and Staffing Survey

Providing high-quality education to students is always the ultimate goal of public schools in the United States. However, the high ratio of teacher turnover has always been the barrier that impedes the achievement of that goal. The turnover ratio is particularly high among beginning teachers due to the unique characteristics of this population. For instance, beginning teachers’ self-efficacy usually sharply declines during the first year of teaching. Therefore, research on this population could be critical, as the success of beginning teachers is important. Using the 2011-2012 Schools and Staffing Survey, the dissertation included three studies to investigate beginning teachers’ training profiles and the relationships among teacher training, self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and turnover motivation. The three studies relied on latent mixture modeling, which enabled the examination to be conducted at the individual levels. Results suggested that beginning teachers’ preservice training profiles were differentiated by the undergraduate majors and the completion of teacher education. Meanwhile, their in-service training profiles were featured by several types of developmental activities, especially common planning time. The association between preservice and in-service training was not statistically significant. Beginning teachers’ training profiles predicted the classification of their teacher self-efficacy profiles, which included three distinctive classes. In addition, teachers from urban schools were more likely to have low-level self-efficacy. Finally, beginning teachers’ self-efficacy profiles were significantly related to their job satisfaction and turnover motivation. At the individual level, beginning teachers who were better supported by teacher training and worked in urban settings were more likely to be associated with high-level self-efficacy, high-level job satisfaction, and low-level turnover motivation

Determinants and effects of the learning environment in college classes

This study investigated sex, age, and ethnicity as determinants of classroom environment, as well as the effects of classroom environment on student attitudes at an urban two-year or junior college in Florida, USA. The sample consisted of 544 students in 29 classes that were randomly chosen.The Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES) was used to assess the way in which students perceived their classroom environment, whereas a modified version of the Enjoyment of Science Lessons scale from the Test of Science-Related Attitudes (TOSRA) was used to assess students’ attitudes toward the subject taught in the classes surveyed. Data analyses supported the CLES’s factorial validity, internal consistency reliability, and its ability to differentiate between classrooms when used with adult learners in a post-secondary setting. Similarly, results from analyses conducted on the revised TOSRA scale revealed satisfactory internal consistency reliability.A three-way MANOVA for sex, age and ethnic differences in classroom environment perceptions and enjoyment revealed that: females enjoyed their classes significantly more than did males; students 25 years and older had higher Shared Control and Enjoyment scores, but lower Student Negotiation scores, than did students younger than 25 years; and there were no significant differences between African-Americans and students of other ethnicities for any learning environment scale or for enjoyment. A large effect size of 0.88 standard deviations, suggesting an educationally important sex difference, was found for the attitude scale. However, effect sizes of modest magnitude, ranging from 0.21 to 0.29 standard deviations, were found for age difference.Past research was replicated in that positive and statistically significant bivariate and multivariate associations were found between students’ enjoyment of classes and their perceptions of classroom learning environment. In particular, students enjoyed their classes more when there was a greater emphasis on Shared Control and Student Negotiation. In other words, students responded more positively when they perceived that they had a role to play in the design and management of the learning environment, as well as when opportunities existed for them to explore among their peers the viability of newly developing ideas.Overall, my results suggest that the CLES and the TOSRA are valid and reliable instruments that researchers can use with confidence to measure adult students’ perceptions of learning environment and attitudes, respectively, in the two-year college setting. While no significant sex difference was found for any learning environment scale, females enjoyed their classrooms more than did males. Relative to younger students, older students had higher Student Negotiation and Enjoyment scores. A possible implication is that teachers should make classrooms more appealing and enjoyable to males, while making younger adults feel a greater sense of inclusion in their classrooms

Teacher efficacy, teacher burnout, and attitudes toward students with autism.

Students with autism require a variety of supports to be successful in classrooms. Because of this, special education teachers need additional training to address these needs along with balancing the demands of the rest of their caseload. This daunting task can often lead to lower levels of efficacy (general teaching and personal teacher) and increased levels of burnout. The Teacher Efficacy Scale-Short Form (Hoy & Woolfolk 1993), Teacher Burnout Scale (Seidman & Zager, 1987), and Autism Attitude Scale for Teachers (Olley et al., 1981) were chosen for this study. The Olley et al. work was modified to reflect current trends in language, remove efficacy-based questions, and add several new questions; the scale was renamed the Teachers\u27 Attitudes about Autism Scale. The final questionnaire, Autism Education Survey (AES), consisted of the three scales plus environmental factors. The central research question reflects the purpose of this study: What is the effect of teacher efficacy and teacher burnout on educators\u27 attitudes towards students with autism? After human subjects approval, the survey was administered to the 684 teachers who fit the profile, those special education teachers in a large urban district in a south central state who held LBD and moderate/severe disability certificates; 267 (39%) responded. Descriptive statistics; psychometric work (factor analysis, Cronbach\u27s alpha, and interscale correlations), and multiple regression were conducted. The results for Research Question 1 demonstrated that the environmental factors are essentially independent of attitudes towards autism with the exception of hours spent in an autism workshop. Analysis for Research Questions 2 and 3 revealed that for special education teachers dealing with autism, both general teaching efficacy and personal teacher efficacy were significant for Autism-Inclusion and Autism-Supports. For Teacher Burnout, the Attitudes Towards Students and Coping with Stress were the most significant of the four subscales. In Research Question 3, the hierarchical regressions produced essentially the same results as RQ2, except that the environmental factors (entered first) were basically rendered non-significant when the professional characteristics were added, demonstrating that Teacher Efficacy and Teacher Burnout are the stronger predictors of teachers\u27 attitudes about autism. The implications of the results are discussed

Education for Environmental Citizenship

This Special Issue includes 14 empirical, theoretical, methodological research articles and reviews in various fields considering EEC. It provided a platform for researchers to share their research work on the field of education for environmental citizenship, including aspects of civic engagement and civic participation, democratic action, social and environmental change, individual and collective actions, environmental actions, socio-political actions, environmental justice, inter- and intra-generational justice, and connectedness to nature