Measuring the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the classroom

In 2003, the ICT Curriculum Integration Performance Measurement Instrument was developed from an extensive review of the contemporary international and Australian research pertaining to the definition and measurement of ICT curriculum integration in classrooms (Proctor, Watson, & Finger, 2003). The 45-item instrument that resulted was based on theories and methodologies identified by the literature review. This paper describes psychometric results from a large-scale evaluation of the instrument subsequently conducted, as recommended by Proctor, Watson and Finger (2003). The resultant 20-item, two-factor instrument, now called Learning With ICTs: Measuring ICT Use in the Curriculum is both statistically and theoretically robust. This paper should be read in association with the original paper published in Computers in the Schools (Proctor, Watson & Finger, 2003) that described in detail the theoretical framework underpinning the development of the instrument

Elearning and initial teacher education programs: insights from the teaching teachers for the future project

This paper argues that initial teacher education programs (ITE) which build the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) (Mishra & Koehler 2006) confidence and capabilities of future teachers is critical in enabling effective design and implementation of eLearning for school students. Insights are provided through drawing upon selected research and evaluation findings from the Teaching Teachers for the Future (TTF) Project involving all HEIs which provide ITE programs in Australia. The TTF Project, a 15 month long, $8 million project was funded by the Australian Government's ICT Innovation Fund and aimed to develop the ICT capabilities of future teachers. Findings from the TTF Project indicate that the TPACK conceptualisation used to guide the project, and the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership's ICT Elaborations for Graduate Teacher Standards (AITSL 2011a) can inform the design of ITE programs in preparing future teachers for using ICT to support teaching and to support student learning

Measuring problem-based learning's impact on pre-service teachers' mathematics pedagogical content knowledge

Current educational reforms and initiatives are addressing numeracy outcomes for school-age students as a response to concerns regarding their mathematical achievements. In Australia, the Ministerial Council on Education stated, numeracy remains one of the cornerstones of schooling for young Australians (2008). Ultimately, the responsibility for attending to these educational priorities is placed with teachers. Existing literature suggests that student achievement is directly impacted by 'effective teaching' and that effective teaching begins with effective teacher preparation. To address these issues, this pilot study investigated the impact of problem-based (PBL) learning, in a tertiary mathematics education course, on pre-service teachers' mathematics pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and forms the basis for a larger, subsequent study. To measure pre-service teachers' mathematics PCK, a Mathematics Pedagogical Content Knowledge Instrument was developed. The instrument was delivered pre-semester and post-semester to a control group (n=15) who received traditional, 'lecture-based' instruction, and a treatment group (n=15) who were instructed using the problem-based learning approach. The data were analysed using a paired samples t-test to compare the pre-semester and post-semester means from both cohorts. The findings indicate the treatment group made larger gains in their PCK when compared to the gains in PCK development of the control group. In teaching terms, the findings suggest an intervention such as problem-based learning may enhance the development of pre-service teachers' PCK when compared to using a traditional teaching approach

Religious background and language learning: practical suggestions for deriving best practice in ELT

Liyanage (2004) established a significant association between the ethnoreligious affiliations of high school students in Sri Lanka and their learning strategies in practicing English as a Second Language (ESL). The complex nature of affiliations contributing to this association warranted further investigation. Liyanage, Bryer, and Grimbeek (2010, Asian EFL Journal, Vol 12) examined the role of ethnicity and religion in determining the Language Learning Strategy (LLS) choices of ESL students, indicating a significantly stronger prediction from the latter. Here, we suggest implications of these findings for English Language Teaching (ELT) in localised contexts, and use the specific example of Sri Lanka to highlight the importance of accommodating ethnoreligious affiliations in instructional design

Relative cultural contributions of religion and ethnicity to the language learning strategy choices of ESL students in Sri Lankan and Japanese high schools

Ethnicity and religion have been shown to be significantly associated with the use of metacognitive, cognitive, and social-affective strategies by Sri Lankan high school students learning English as a second language (Liyanage, 2004). In order to further examine the role of ethnicity and religion in determining the Language Learning Strategies (LLS) of ESL students, survey responses from a sample of Japanese high school students visiting an Australian school was added to those from the Sri Lankan sample. The composite sample comprised four ethnic groups: Sinhalese, Tamil, Sri Lankan Muslim, and Japanese. Sinhalese and Japanese participants were Buddhists, and Tamil and Muslim participants were Hindus and Islamists respectively. The choices of learning strategies across these four groups appeared to be associated with religious rather than ethnic identity. The notion that language learning strategies are cultural in nature needs to be carefully reviewed to allow for specific preferences associated with learners ethnoreligious affiliations. Further study is needed to investigate the advantages of capitalising on instruction based on natural preferences compared to the culturally broadening educational advantages of exposing children to non-preferred strategie

Using structural equation modeling to examine Mccollough effects (Orientation-contingent color aftereffects): Influence of dissociative experiences and age on illusory aftereffects

Conventional accounts of the McCollough Effect (ME) have focused on strictly bottom-up processing accounts of the phenomenon, most commonly involving the fatiguing of orientation selective neurons; although association-learning mechanisms have also gained acceptance. These lower order accounts do not take into account higher order variables related to key personality traits and/or associated cognitive control processes. This article reports the use of confirmatory factor analysis and follow-up structural equation style regressions that model MEs and also the part played by the personality trait of dissociation. After considering the relative impact of age and dissociative processes, the article concludes that trait dissociation is positively associated with reports of MEsArts, Education & Law Group, School of Education and Professional StudiesFull Tex

Teacher perceptions of the quantity and quality of information and communication technologies (ICT) used by students in Queensland Catholic schools

This Report to the Queensland Catholic Education Commission details the methodology and analytical procedures used to investigate the quantity and quality of use made of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Queensland Catholic schools. The Report contains a summary of the results obtained with the Learning with ICTs: Measuring ICT Use in the Curriculum instrument for the 5 Diocese (Brisbane, Cairns, Rockhampton, Toowoomba, and Townsville), and group of 3 Religious Institute schools. The Report also contains recommendations to assist the Queensland Catholic Education Commission facilitate the use of ICT in classrooms to enhance teaching and learning and possibly transform the curriculum for 21st Century students