Book Review: Mentimeter: A Tool for Actively Engaging Large Lecture Cohorts

Management schools worldwide have seen substantial student growth compared to other disciplines (Cameron, 2017). Resulting from this ongoing massification (Trow, 1973), lectures due to their scalability in teaching students, continue to be the main form of teaching in higher education. Lectures with large cohorts tend to be didactic in nature (Huggins & Stamatel, 2015), resulting in numerous authors (Howard, 2002) deeming them to be ineffective at engaging students in academic knowledge (Laurillard, 2002). This is particularly problematic for the current generation Z students who enjoy interactive learning (Hussin, 2018)

Attitudes of Public Primary School Students in Jordan towards using Interactive Boards in Classroom: Empirical Study

The present study aimed to explore the attitudes of public primary school students in Jordan towards employing interactive boards in classroom.  The researcher used a descriptive analytical approach.  She selected a purposive sample that consisting from 20 female and male 6th grade students. Those students were selected from two public primary schools in Amman, Jordan. Those two schools use interactive boards in classrooms. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with those students during the first semester of the academic year (2020/2021). Descriptive statistical methods (percentages and frequencies) were used. Several results were concluded. For instance, public primary school students in Jordan have positive attitudes towards employing interactive boards in classroom. Keywords: Attitudes, public primary school, Jordan, interactive boards, classroom. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-31-10 Publication date: November 30th 2020

Technological Use in EFL Instruction: Investigating Teachers’ Pedagogical Beliefs and Students’ Learning Engagement

This research aimed to find out the influence of EFL teachers’ pedagogical beliefs with regard to using technology on EFL students’ learning engagement in the classroom and also to find out which pedagogical belief dimension most influences EFL students’ learning engagement in the classroom. This is quantitative research with survey method. Data were collected from two online questionnaires. Data analysis methods in this research used descriptive statistics and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Respondents in this research were 125 EFL teachers and 125 EFL students in several secondary schools in the second semester of the 2019/2020 academic year in Gresik, East Java, Indonesia. This research found that EFL teachers’ pedagogical beliefs with regard to using technology have a positive and significant influence on EFL students’ learning engagement in the classroom (t-value is 10.840 > 1.96) and the pedagogical belief dimension most influences EFL students’ learning engagement in the classroom is “Teachers’ Practices with Regard to Using Technology” (t-value is 9.953 > 1.96)

Do optional activities matter in virtual learning environments?

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) provide students with activi-ties to improve their learning (e.g., reading texts, watching videos or solving exercises). But VLEs usually also provide optional activities (e.g., changing an avatar profile or setting goals). Some of these have a connection with the learn-ing process, but are not directly devoted to learning concepts (e.g., setting goals). Few works have dealt with the use of optional activities and the relation-ships between these activities and other metrics in VLEs. This paper analyzes the use of optional activities at different levels in a specific case study with 291 students from three courses (physics, chemistry and mathematics) using the Khan Academy platform. The level of use of the different types of optional ac-tivities is analyzed and compared to that of learning activities. In addition, the relationship between the usage of optional activities and different student be-haviors and learning metrics is presented

Estrategias interactivas y cooperativas para reducir el impacto de la estacionalidad en el aprendizaje de fundamentos de economía

Este trabajo se enmarca en el paradigma pedagógico de un proceso enseñanza-aprendizaje centrado en el alumnado. Su objetivo era aumentar la motivación y participación de los estudiantes, de forma que la experiencia de la asignatura del primer cuatrimestre, sirviera de atractivo para evitar que en el segundo, se abandonara el estudio de la materia desmotivado por los resultados obtenidos en el primero y por el absentismo debido al denominado “efecto calendario” del cuatrimestre de primavera. Para ello se ha puesto en práctica una combinación de dos metodologías docentes, el ABP y Educlick, para realizar una evaluación continua. Los datos han sido recogidos mediante encuestas realizadas a la población objetivo. La metodología se basa en un modelo probit bivariante, con el que se ha intentado medir los efectos de la evaluación continua sobre el rendimiento académico. Los resultados obtenidos no encuentran evidencia alguna del carácter predictivo de las pruebas de Educlick

The use of clickers to assess knowledge in foreign language classes and their failure to increase reading compliance

[EN] This is the firstquantitative research on reading compliance in FL courses. It investigated theeffect of clickers on learning gains for regularly assigned readings, determinedby 16 quiz grades during a semester. 38 intermediate L2 Spanish studentsassigned to two group conditions also completed a questionnaire at the end ofthe semester about their preparedness for the quizzes and their opinions aboutthe use of clickers. Results indicated that participants in the Clickercondition obtained significantly lower grades in the quizzes than those in thePaper and Pencil one, despite clickers receiving positive feedback andcomments, and even though students in the Clicker condition reported preparingfor class more often than those in the Paper and Pencil condition.Rodríguez Prieto, JP. (2014). The use of clickers to assess knowledge in foreign language classes and their failure to increase reading compliance. Revista de Lingüística y Lenguas Aplicadas. 9:88-96. doi:10.4995/rlyla.2013.1611SWORD88969Beekes, W. (2006). The ‘Millionaire’ method for encouraging participation. Active Learning in Higher Education, 7(1), 25-36. doi:10.1177/1469787406061143Beekes, W. (2009). ""Is that your final answer?" Encouraging student participation using the personal response system", in Enhancing Student-Centred Learning in Business and Management, Hospitality, Leisure, Sport, and Tourism. Oxford: The Higher Education Academy, Oxford Brookes University, 76-86.Burchfield, C., and Sappington, J. (2000). "Compliance with required reading assignments", Teaching of Psychology 27/1, 58-60.Cardoso, W. (2010). "Clickers in foreign language teaching: A case study", Contact 36/2, 36-55.Clump, M., Bauer, H., and Bradley, C. (2004). "The extent to which psychology students read textbooks: A multiple class analysis of reading across the psychology curriculum", Journal of Instructional Psychology 31/3, 227-232.Cutrim Schmid, E. (2007). "Enhancing performance knowledge and self-esteem in classroom language learning: The potential of the ACTIVote component of interactive whiteboard technology", System: An International Journal of Educational Technology and Applied Linguistics 35/2, 119-133.Elliott, C. (2003). "Using a personal response system in economics teaching", International Review of Economics Education 1/1, 80-86.Freeman, M., Blayney, P., and Ginns, P. (2006). "Anonymity and in class learning: The case for electronic response systems", Australasian Journal of Educational Technology 22/4, 568-580.Gass, S. (1997). Input, Interaction and the Second Language Learner. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Gass, S., and Selinker, L. (2008). Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course (3rd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaun Associates.Howe, N., and Strauss, W. (2000). Millennials Rising. New York: Vintage Books.Karp, D., and Yoels, W. (1976). "The college classroom: Some observations on the meanings of student participation", Sociology and Social Research 60/4, 421-439.Oller, J.W., Jr. (1981). "Can affect be measured?", International Review of Applied Linguistics 19/3, 227-235.Prensky, M. (2012). From Digital Natives to Digital Wisdom: Hopeful Essays for 21st Century Learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.Reese, S. (2010). "Teaching languages to the millennial generation", The Language Educator 5/4, 34-38.Rodríguez Prieto, J.P. (2008). "Creación de preguntas de preparación para promover las lecturas asignadas en cursos de contenido en lenguas extranjeras", Revista Iberoamericana de Educación 46/3, 1-10.Ryan, T. (2006). "Motivating novice students to read their textbooks", Journal of Instructional Psychology 33/2, 135-140.Spodark, E. (2010). "Structuring a language course to respond to millennial generation workplace characteristics", The Language Educator 5/4, 39-42

Can clicker use support learning in a dual-focused second language German course?

This study investigated clicker-use impact in a legal German lecture, given to 65 French students of Law in which the learning focus was both language and content. 36 participants who attended the entire course were tested. Upon their introductory session, students took a preliminary two-fold multiple-choice questionnaire involving 16 questions on legal terminology and 16 on course content. Throughout the 10- week semester, the lecturer administered all questions during regular courses. Each weekly session was conducted alternately with or without clickers. Students answered half of the questions about language and content using clickers, whereas the remaining half involved standard conditions with volunteers raising their hands to answer. At the end of their term, students took the same initial questionnaire as a post-test. A quantitative analysis was performed to assess (a) the enhancement of the acquisition of legal terminology and course content through clicker use and (b) the impact of learners’ pre-test scores on learning gains regarding terminology and content with or without clickers. The clicker group outperformed the non-clicker group with regard to a post-test concerning legal terminology. The findings demonstrate that clicker use alleviates the cognitive load induced by learning both new terminology and content