Effects of the Learning Opportunities Task Force (LOTF) Programs on Postsecondary Students with Learning Disabilities

This study examined the effects of participation in the Learning Opportunities Task Force (LOTF) programs on postsecondary students with learning disabili-ties (LDs). Data regarding 969 students from 6 colleges and 4 universities in Ontario were evaluated to investigate rates of academic success and increased self-awareness. Participants had a significantly lower rate of failure or drop out compared with the national average. Comparison of pre- and post-participation data from 450 of these students demonstrated improved understanding of their own LD, ability to explain their disability to others, and ability to self-advocate following participation in the LOTF programs. Overall, the majority of partici-pants reported that participation in the LOTF program contributed significantly to their academic success and would participate again in such a program. Inten-sive learning supports during the first year of postsecondary studies like those provided by LOTF may increase retention rates and improve key skills for those with LD

Investigating the associations of early numeracy activities and skills with mathematics dispositions, engagement, and achievement among fourth graders in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract The present study aimed to examine the relations of early numeracy activities and skills to mathematics dispositions, engagement, and achievement among 26,859 fourth graders in the United Arab Emirates who took part in the sixth cycle of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 2015. The study also explored the mediating effects of mathematics dispositions and engagement on the relations between early numeracy activities and skills and mathematics achievement among these fourth graders. Results of path analyses, after controlling for participants’ demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, indicated that early numeracy activities and skills were significantly and positively related to mathematics dispositions, engagement, and achievement. Further, results of mediational analyses suggested that confidence in mathematics had a significant mediating effect on the relations between early numeracy activities and skills and mathematics achievement. The findings of the study highlight the crucial role that early numeracy activities and skills play in enhancing fourth graders’ mathematics dispositions, engagement, and achievement in the United Arab Emirates

The quest for comparability: Studying the invariance of the teachers' sense of self-efficacy (TSES) measure across countries

Teachers’ self-efficacy is an important motivational construct that is positively related to a variety of outcomes for both the teachers and their students. This study addresses challenges associated with the commonly used ‘Teachers’ Sense of Self-Efficacy (TSES)’ measure across countries and provides a synergism between substantive research on teachers’ self-efficacy and the novel methodological approach of exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM). These challenges include adequately representing the conceptual overlap between the facets of self-efficacy in a measurement model (cross-loadings) and comparing means and factor structures across countries (measurement invariance). On the basis of the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2013 data set comprising 32 countries (N = 164,687), we investigate the effects of cross-loadings in the TSES measurement model on the results of measurement invariance testing and the estimation of relations to external constructs (i.e., working experience, job satisfaction). To further test the robustness of our results, we replicate the 32-countries analyses for three selected sub-groups of countries (i.e., Nordic, East and South-East Asian, and Anglo-Saxon country clusters). For each of the TALIS 2013 participating countries, we found that the factor structure of the self-efficacy measure is better represented by ESEM than by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) models that do not allow for cross-loadings. For both ESEM and CFA, only metric invariance could be achieved. Nevertheless, invariance levels beyond metric invariance are better achieved with ESEM within selected country clusters. Moreover, the existence of cross-loadings did not affect the relations between the dimensions of teachers’ self-efficacy and external constructs. Overall, this study shows that a conceptual overlap between the facets of self-efficacy exists and can be well-represented by ESEM. We further argue for the cross-cultural generalizability of the corresponding measurement model

Standardized Factor Loadings, Factor Correlations, and Fit Indices of the CFA and ESEM Approaches for the Total TALIS 2013 Sample.

<p>Standardized Factor Loadings, Factor Correlations, and Fit Indices of the CFA and ESEM Approaches for the Total TALIS 2013 Sample.</p

Correlations among the three Factors of Teachers’ Sense of Self-Efficacy for CFA and ESEM.

<p>Correlations among the three Factors of Teachers’ Sense of Self-Efficacy for CFA and ESEM.</p

Measurement Models of the CFA and ESEM Approaches.

<p><i>Note</i>. CM = Self-efficacy in classroom management, IN = Self-efficacy in instruction, SE = Self-efficacy in student engagement. Dashed lines indicate cross-loadings.</p

Fit Indices and Comparisons of CFA Invariance Models (32-countries group and country clusters).

<p>Fit Indices and Comparisons of CFA Invariance Models (32-countries group and country clusters).</p