The relationships between problem characteristics, achievement-related behaviors, and academic achievement in problem-based learning

This study investigated the influence of five problem characteristics on students' achievement-related classroom behaviors and academic achievement. Data from 5,949 polytechnic students in PBL curricula across 170 courses were analyzed by means of path analysis. The five problem characteristics were: (1) problem clarity, (2) problem familiarity, (3) the extent to which the problem stimulated group discussion, (4) self-study, and (5) identification of learning goals. The results showed that problem clarity led to more group discussion, identification of learning goals, and self-study than problem familiarity. On the other hand, problem familiarity had a stronger and direct impact on academic achievement

Enhancing students’ motivation to learn software engineering programming techniques: a collaborative and social interaction approach

To motivate students to study advanced programming techniques, including the use of architectural styles such as the model–view–controller pattern, we have con-ducted action research upon a project based-learning approach. In addition to collabo-ration, the approach includes students’ searching and analysis of scientific documents and their involvement in communities of practice outside academia. In this paper, we report the findings of second action research cycle, which took place throughout the fourth semester of a six-semester program. As with the previous cycle during the pre-vious academic year, students did not satisfactorily achieve expected learning out-comes. More groups completed the assigned activities, but results continue to reflect poor engagement in the communities of practice and very low performance in other learning tasks. From the collected data we have identified new approaches and recom-mendations for subsequent research.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal, for Ph.D. Grants SFRH/BD/91309/2012 and SFRH/BD/87815/201

Situational interest and learning: Thirst for knowledge

The objective of the three studies presented here was to investigate how situational interest is related to knowledge acquisition. Situational interest is construed as a motivational response to a perceived knowledge deficit. It is triggered in situations where this knowledge deficit becomes manifest, such as in the confrontation with a problem. In Study 1 we manipulated prior knowledge of 32 secondary-school students about a particular problem (i.e., reasons for the conquest of Singapore by the Japanese during the Second World War). Only students who lacked the appropriate knowledge showed an increase in situational interest after the problem was presented. In Study 2 (N = 60), students who showed awareness that they lacked knowledge to understand a problem (i.e., causes of erosion of an island) showed increased situational interest in that problem. In Study 3 (N = 86), situational interest and knowledge acquisition were monitored over the course of a 3-h lesson in a natural classroom. We were able to demonstrate that situational interest decreased with increasing knowledge of the problem-at-hand. We argue that the findings support a knowledge-deprivation account of situational interest. Our findings are at variance with the broadly held conviction that situational interest and knowledge necessarily influence each other positively. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved