Sustainable teaching strategies to teach Indigenous students : Their relations to students’ engaged learning and teachers’ self-concept

To help Indigenous Australian students engage with academic work, educators and teachers alike need to understand what teaching strategies are beneficial for Indigenous students’ learning. This study examines the predictions of the three types of Indigenous teaching strategies, namely, integrative teaching (integrating Indigenous perspectives in teaching), community linking (utilising Indigenous community input), and culture sharing (encouraging Indigenous students to share cultural values), to Indigenous students’ engaged learning and teachers’ self-concept in teaching. With 208 teachers surveyed from 52 Australian urban and rural primary schools, we found that culture sharing had positive contributions to Indigenous students’ engaged learning, whereas integrative teaching and community linking positively predicted teachers’ self-concept in Indigenous teaching. These differential patterns suggest useful strategies for enhancing student- or teacher-focused outcomes, respectively. How to successfully integrate these Indigenous teaching strategies is a key to successful teaching practice, as these strategies cannot only improve Indigenous students’ engaged learning but, at the same time, may foster teachers’ confidence in teaching Indigenous students

Antimicrobial Susceptibility, Genotypic Characterization, and Molecular Detection of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus from Louisiana Oysters

Members of the genus Vibrio are Gram-negative, halophilic bacteria that inhabit warm coastal and estuarine waters worldwide. Among pathogenic vibrios, Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the leading cause of seafood-related illnesses and Vibrio vulnificus causes the highest number of seafood-related deaths in the United States. Moreover, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the incidence of infections of the two vibrios due to the consumption of oysters has shown a sustained increase since 2001, indicating further measures are needed to prevent human Vibrio illness. In this dissertation research, a total of 622 Vibrio isolates, consisting of 252 V. parahaemolyticus and 370 V. vulnificus, were recovered from 82 Louisiana Gulf and retail raw oysters between 2005 and 2006. A selected subset of the isolates (168 V. parahaemolyticus and 151 V. vulnificus) was determined for antimicrobial susceptibility profiles. In addition, V. vulnificus isolates (n = 349) were characterized by the presence/absence of a viuB-associated fragment and genotypes of three biomarkers: the virulence-correlated gene (vcg), 16S rRNA, and the capsular polysaccharide operon (CPS). Then multiplex PCR assays using three biomarkers: vcg, 16S rRNA and CPS, as well as species-specific vvhA were developed to simultaneously detect and characterize V. vulnificus. Finally, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays were developed and evaluated to detect total or virulent-type V. vulnificus in raw oysters. Compared to PCR, LAMP assay developed were highly specific, sensitive and quantitative. The dissertation research provided comprehensive information on the genotypes, population dynamics, and antimicrobial resistance profiles of the two important vibrios. The rapid, specific, sensitive, and cost-effective molecular detection assays developed provided invaluable tools for the regulatory agencies and seafood industry to facilitate better control of Vibrio in seafood, therefore reducing the incidence of foodborne illnesses and deaths resulted from the consumption of raw oysters

Uso de estrategias para hacer exámenes por parte de jóvenes estudiantes chinos de inglés como lengua extranjera en un auténtico examen de inglés estandarizado internacional

The current study examined language test-taking strategies used by Chinese young learners of English as a foreign language (EFLs) in an authentic international standardized English test–Cambridge Young Learners English Test: Flyers Test. It adopted a mixed-methods approach: the quantitative part was a survey administered to 138 participants, and the qualitative part consisted of think-aloud sessions and retrospective interviews with six participants (three were high-achievers and three were low-achievers). The quantitative results show that in general, children adopted metacognitive test-taking strategies more frequently than cognitive test-taking strategies irrespective of language skills; and the high-achievers used test-taking strategies more frequently than their low-achievers. The two-way interaction effects between levels of test performance ☓ strategy type and between language skills ☓ strategy type were also significant. The qualitative results demonstrate that the high-achievers not only used a broader range of cognitive strategies than low-achievers, they also used the same metacognitive strategies at an in-depth level and in a more sophisticated way than low-achievers. The results of the study suggest that expanding Chinese young EFL learners’ repertoire of test-taking strategies and modeling desirable ways of using strategies may help them improve their test-taking strategy use.El estudio actual examinó las estrategias de realización de pruebas de idioma utilizadas por los jóvenes estudiantes chinos de inglés como lengua extranjera  en una prueba de inglés estandarizada internacional auténtica: Cambridge Young Learners English Test: Flyers Test. Adoptó un enfoque de métodos mixtos: la parte cuantitativa fue una encuesta administrada a 138 participantes, y la parte cualitativa consistió en sesiones de pensamiento en voz alta y entrevistas retrospectivas con seis participantes. Los resultados cuantitativos muestran que, en general, los niños adoptaron estrategias de realización de pruebas metacognitivas con más frecuencia que estrategias de realización de pruebas cognitivas, independientemente de las habilidades lingüísticas; y los de alto rendimiento utilizaron estrategias para tomar exámenes con más frecuencia que los de bajo rendimiento. Los efectos de interacción bidireccional entre los niveles de rendimiento de la prueba ☓ tipo de estrategia y entre las habilidades lingüísticas ☓ tipo de estrategia también fueron significativos. Los resultados cualitativos demuestran que los de alto rendimiento no solo utilizaron una gama más amplia de estrategias cognitivas que los de bajo rendimiento, sino que también utilizaron las mismas estrategias metacognitivas a un nivel más profundo y de una manera más sofisticada que los de bajo rendimiento

Comparison of English teacher feedback and automated writing feedback on the quality of English language learners' essay revision

This study compared the effects of teacher feedback (TF) and online automated feedback (AF) on the quality of revision of English writing. It also examined the strengths and weaknesses of the two types of feedback perceived by English language learners (ELLs) as a foreign language (FL). Sixty-eight Chinese students from two English classes participated the study. The two classes received TF and online AF (Scoring Network) respectively upon completion of their draft essays. While the two classes did not differ on the English writing proficiency, the class receiving TF obtained significantly higher scores on essay revision, indicating the better effect of TF. Students’ responses showed that, overall, TF was more positively commented upon because the encouraging words motivated students to revise. In contrast, the students receiving online AF criticized the Scoring Network for their difficulty to comprehend the feedback they were provided. The results suggest that English teachers may consider using TF as a major source of feedback in English writing for ELLs in China

Personalised learning networks in the university blended learning context

In researching student learning experience in Higher Education, a dearth of studies has investigated cognitive, social, and material dimensions simultaneously with the same population. From an ecological perspective of learning, this study examined the interrelatedness amongst key elements in these dimensions of 365 undergraduates’ personalised learning networks. Data were collected from questionnaires, learning analytics, and course marks to measure these elements in the blended learning experience and academic performance. Students reported qualitatively different cognitive engagement between an understanding and a reproducing learning orientation towards learning, which when combined with their choices of collaboration, generated five qualitatively different patterns of collaboration. The results revealed that students had an understanding learning orientation and chose to collaborate with students of similar learning orientation tended to have more successful blended learning experience. Their personalised learning networks were characterized by self-reported adoption of deep approaches to face-to-face and online learning; positive perceptions of the integration between online environment and the course design; the way they collaborated and positioned themselves in their collaborative networks; and they were more engaged with online learning activities in the course. The study had significant implications to inform theory development in learning ecology research and to guide curriculum design, teaching, and learning

The relations between self-reported perceptions of learning environment, observational learning strategies, and academic outcome

This study investigated the relations between students’ self-reported perceptions of the blended learning environment, their observed online learning strategies, and their academic learning outcomes. The participants were 310 undergraduates enrolled in an introductory course on computer systems in an Australian metropolitan university. A Likert-scale questionnaire was used to examine students’ perceptions. The digital traces recorded in a bespoke learning management system were used to detect students’ observed online learning strategies. Using the data mining algorithms, including the Hidden Markov Model and an agglomerative hierarchical sequence clustering, four types of online learning strategies were found. The four strategies not only differed in the number of online learning sessions but also showed differences in the proportional distribution with regard to different online learning behaviors. A one-way ANOVA revealed that students adopting different online learning strategies differed significantly on their final course marks. Students who employed intensive theory application strategy achieved the highest whereas those used weak reading and weak theory application scored the lowest. The results of a cross-tabulation showed that the four types of observed online learning strategies were significantly associated with the better and poorer perceptions of the blended learning environment. Specially, amongst students who adopted the intensive theory application strategy, the proportion of students who self-reported better perceptions was significantly higher than those reporting poorer perceptions. In contrast, amongst students using the weak reading and weak theory application strategy, the proportion of students having poorer perceptions was significantly higher than those holding better perceptions

Infants’ experience with ‘near and clear’ educator talk : Individual variation and its relationship to indicators of interaction quality

This study investigated the quantity of audible and intelligible (‘near and clear’) educator talk directly experienced by under-two-year-old infants attending early childhood education and care (ECEC) programmes and examined whether the quantity of educator talk was related to characteristics of quality in their ECEC room. Participants were 57 infants attending separate infant rooms in and around the Sydney metropolitan area, Australia. Each infant was observed for 3 h, wearing a small, custom-designed digital language processor (DLP) which digitally recorded and generated measures of ‘near and clear’ adult talk, unclear talk and infant vocalisations. Structural quality indicators include educator qualification, group size and educator-infant ratios, and Interaction Quality was assessed using the ITERS-R Interaction and Listening and Talking subscales. Infants’ experience with ‘near and clear’ talk was predicted by Interaction Quality, the presence of a degree-qualified teacher and group size. ‘Near and clear’ talk was also significantly and positively related to the quantity of infant vocalisation and, negatively, to their level of exposure to unclear talk. Findings are discussed in terms of conceptualisations of quality in infant ECEC rooms, as well as the potentials and limitations of the ‘near and clear’ talk measure for use in future studies of language development in this context

Patterns of students' collaborations by variations in their learning orientations in blended course designs: How is it associated with academic achievement?

Background While a number of learner factors have been identified to impact students' collaborative learning, there has been little systematic research into how patterns of students' collaborative learning may differ by their learning orientations. Objectives This study aimed to investigate: (1) variations in students' learning orientations by their conceptions, approaches, and perceptions; (2) the patterns of students' collaborations by variations in their learning orientations and (3) the contribution of patterns of collaborations to academic achievement. Methods A cohort of 174 Chinese undergraduates in a blended engineering course were surveyed for their conceptions of learning, approaches to learning and to using online learning technologies, and perceptions of e-learning, to identify variations in their learning orientations. Students' collaborations and mode of collaborations were collected through an open-ended social network analysis (SNA) questionnaire. Results and Conclusions A hierarchical cluster analysis identified an ‘understanding’ and ‘reproducing’ learning orientations. Based on students' learning orientations and their choices to collaborate, students were categorized into three mutually exclusive collaborative group, namely Understanding Collaborative group, Reproducing Collaborative group and Mixed Collaborative group. SNA centrality measures demonstrated that students in the Understanding Collaborative group had more collaborations and stayed in a better position in terms of capacity to gather information. Both students' approaches to learning and students' average collaborations significantly contributed to their academic achievement, explaining 3% and 4% of variance in their academic achievement respectively. The results suggest that fostering a desirable learning orientation may help improve students' collaborative learning

Self-Concept and Achievement in Math Among Australian Primary Students: Gender and Culture Issues

While gender stereotype on math learning and achievement is consistently reported among existing research, these studies predominantly focus on mainstream students with Western cultural backgrounds. There is a dearth of study, which investigates gender effect among Australian Indigenous students. To fill this gap, the present study adopted a multiple-indicator-multiple-indicator-cause approach to structural equation modeling to investigate effects of gender, culture (Indigenous vs. non-Indigenous), and the interaction of the two on students’ self-concept of competence and affect in math, as well as math achievement among Australian primary school students. We found gender stereotype effect not only on students’ self-perceptions of their competence in math but also their actual math performance reflected in their math achievement scores in a standard math test. Boys had higher ratings on math competence and scored more highly on math test than girls. However, the gender stereotype was not found for self-concept of affect. Instead, culture was significantly impacted on self-concept of math affect, indicating that Indigenous students had less enjoyment toward learning math compared with their non-Indigenous peers. Furthermore, significant interaction effects between gender and culture were observed on both self-concept of math competence and math affect. In practice, to enhance Indigenous students’ interest and enjoyment in math learning, educators are suggested to incorporate Indigenous students’ values, beliefs, and traditions when delivering new math knowledge