Frontline Learning Research (E-Journal - EARLI, European Association for Research on Learning)
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Using eye-tracking to assess sourcing during multiple document reading: A critical analysis
Full text linkDuring the last 15 years, there have been some efforts to extend the use of eye-tracking to researching reading in complex contexts, such as the reading of multiple documents. The research community involved in this extension has been interested in higher-order comprehension processes occurring in complex reading contexts, such as sourcing, defined as the processes of attending to, representing, evaluating, and using available or accessible information about the sources of textual content. In this article, we argue that extending eye-tracking research to investigate more complex reading contexts has been made without critically reflecting on its reliability and validity in those contexts. Specifically, because eye-tracking captures automatic as well as conscious processes, it is currently an open question how reliably and consistently eye-tracking captures the strategic sourcing processes that take place during multiple document reading, in particular compared to subjective methods that mainly target conscious processes, such as interviews. We compared sourcing indicators based on eye-tracking measures to sourcing indicated by a post-reading interview. Results suggested that current eye-tracking indices of sourcing are not universally valid and reliable measures, and that simpler methods, such as interviews, may be more suited to assess strategic sourcing during multiple document reading
A multi-componential methodology for exploring emotions in learning:: using self-reports, behaviour registration, and physiological indicators as complementary data
Full text linkStudies on emotions in learning are often based on interviews conducted after the learning. Therefore, these do not capture the multi-componential nature of emotions and how emotions are related to the process of learning. We see emotions as dimensional and multi-componential responses to a personally meaningful events and situation. In this methodologically frontline study we developed a multi-componential methodology, which provides complementary information about emotions during learning. In this study, by using a within subject design of one person, we focused on emotions during the professional identity learning. In a laboratory setting, the subject was shown personally meaningful video extracts from a learning situation she had participated earlier. The data were gathered by using (i) self-reports of emotions via the Emotion Circle (EC) online assessment, (ii) measures of autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity via Electro-Dermal Activity (EDA) and Heart Rate Variability (HRV), (iii) behavioural registration of facial expression and gaze, and (iv) the Stimulated Recall Interview (SRI). Self-reports of emotions via EC, as well as the emotion-driven SRI were found to be productive, not only in detailing and explaining emotions experienced during watching the videos, but also in bringing about reflective learning and novel insight. EDA and HRV provided complementary information from the subject’s ANS activity during the learning process. EDA seemed to be a valid indicator of active and agentic learning, while HRV was found to be a promising indicator of creative and reflective learning.  
Methodologies for Studying Visual Expertise
Full text linkVisual expertise can be defined as maximal adaptation to the requirements of a vision-intensive task. The process of developing a “good eye” in vision-intensive tasks is proposed, indicated, and elaborated by various measures contingent on diverse methodological arenas, all of which attempt to advance our understanding of what constitutes visual expertise. The aim of this special issue is to provide a reflection on this methodological pluralism and to offer a discussion of the affordances and constraints of some of these methodological approaches. Specifically, grounded on the medical domain, this special issue brings together a selection of nine articles that discuss cognitive-neurosciences, receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis, eye tracking, pupillometry, the flash-preview moving window paradigm, the combination of eye tracking data and verbal report data, the use of interviews and verbal protocols, ethnomethodology, and the expert performance approach. Two commentaries conclude the special issue. As an introduction, this article presents a comparative metaphorical mapping of visual expertise research. Metaphors are a useful tool for mirroring in simple terms the often complex paradigms underlying theory and applied research practice. We first identify four metaphors used in the analysis of visual cognition: activation, detection, inference, and practice. These metaphors are described with an empirical example and discussed to elicit (partly tacit) assumptions associated with prototypical method decisions. We then link the proposed metaphorical mapping to the contributions in this special issue.
What determines whether teachers enhance self-regulated learning? Predicting teachers’ reported promotion of self-regulated learning by teacher beliefs, knowledge, and self-efficacy
No full textIn this study, the predictive value of three aspects of teacher beliefs for teachers’ promotion of self-regulated learning (SRL) is modelled by means of structural equation modelling: teacher beliefs on (1) instructing SRL, (2) regarding their own self-efficacy towards the promotion of SRL, and (3) teachers’ epistemological beliefs regarding learning. 173 primary school teachers participated in the study. Path analysis revealed that teachers’ beliefs on instructing SRL and self-efficacy beliefs regarding the promotion of SRL were predicting teachers’ promotion of SRL most positively. The results offer new insights into teacher beliefs and how they account for teacher behavior regarding the promotion of SRL. This study is particularly innovative as it is the first study in the field of teachers and SRL to investigate teacher beliefs and teacher self-efficacy as potential determinants of teachers’ promotion of SRL in the classroom. These results can serve to construct a model of teachers’ promotion of SRL as well as provide ideas on how to help teachers supporting SRL. This study is frontline as to my understanding no other research has been published on teachers’ beliefs, in particular self-efficacy beliefs towards promoting SRL, and how these are related to teachers’ promotion of SRL. Most research on teachers and SRL has so far focused on training teachers, but no model of teachers’ professional competence in this area exists yet
School Alienation: A Construct Validation Study
Full text linkEarly identification of school alienation is of great importance for students’ educational outcomes and successful participation in society. This study examined the psychometric characteristics of a newly developed assessment instrument, the School Alienation Scale (SALS), to measure school alienation among primary and secondary school students. The SALS consists of three school-related domains, namely, classmates, teachers, and learning. Based on the responses of Swiss (1) and Luxembourgish (2) students from two school-specific cohorts — primary (grade 4; n1=486, n2=503) and secondary schools (grade 7; n1=550, n2=534), we assessed instrument reliability, validity, and cross-cultural equivalence. The scale showed evidence of reliability and internal validity across two samples, confirming that the hypothesized first-order three-factor model fits the data better than several alternative models. The results of measurement invariance tests revealed that the measurement model operated equally well for primary and secondary school students in both countries. The construct validity of the SALS was additionally supported by demonstrated criterion-related validity. Specifically, school alienation domains were negatively associated with positive attitudes to and enjoyment in school; social problems in school were positively related to alienation from classmates and teachers. Our key contributions to the measurement of school alienation are the disclosure of the core domains of school alienation, development of a reliable and valid instrument, and justification for its use. Therefore, the results of this study have important implications for further theoretical work in alienation research and contribute to comparative research by examining the construct of school alienation in different educational settings
Generation of student interest in an inquiry-based mobile learning environment
Full text linkA declining trend in adolescents’ interest in science learning and attitudes towards science-related careers has been reported during recent years. There has been a call for more motivating learning environments that inspire students to develop interest towards science. This study examines students’ interest development in STEM subjects in an ecologically valid setting during one school year and how features of the learning environment affect students’ generation of interest. In a quasi-experimental study design, one class of 7th grade (aged 12 to 13 years) students (N = 18) studied in an inquiry-based mobile learning environment that had a special emphasis on integrated curriculum. Interest variables were measured three times and focus group interviews were held twice during the school year. From a group of 113 students studying in an ordinary learning setting, a propensity score-matched control group of 18 students was selected based on general self-efficacy, intrinsic goal orientation, interest in technology, and web-user self-efficacy. Results from the quantitative analyses revealed only minor differences between the two groups. Results from the qualitative analyses indicate that students found the new environment to be interest generating, thus ascribing to the general idea and aim of the new environment, but also that the implementation was in many cases far from ideal, indicating that much of its potential was unrealized
From Theory of Mind to Epistemic Cognition. A Lifespan perspective
Full text linkAlthough a sizeable body of research now exists in epistemic cognition, it tends to stand apart to other aspects of cognition and cognitive development. Here it is proposed situating epistemic cognition in a context of its roots and development as a dimension of cognitive development more generally. The present paper draws a strong continuous link between the earliest understanding of other minds, examined under the Theory of Mind, and the tasks that confront adults throughout the lifespan – that of interpreting evidence and coordinating it with what they already take to be true. The primary focus is the How question of knowledge change. To gain insight into this question, it is proposed focusing on epistemic activity in action. It is suggested here that the standards for knowledge formation and revision, which are closely connected with epistemic understanding of theory-evidence coordination, change developmentally. Another major change, proposed, is that the process increasingly comes under conscious control
Pupillometry as a tool to study expertise in medicine
Full text linkBackground Pupillometry has been studied as a physiological marker for quantifying cognitive load since the early 1960s. It has been established that small changes in pupillary size can provide an index of the cognitive load of a participant as he/she performs a mental task. The utility of pupillometry as a measure of expertise is less well established, although recent research in the fields of education, medicine and psychology indicates that differences in pupillary size during domain-specific tasks allows differentiation between experts and novices in appropriately designed experiments.Purpose The goal of this review is to explore the existing body of evidence for the use of pupillometry as a measure of expertise and to identify its strengths and constraints within the context of expertise research in the medical sciences.Results Pupillometry is a robust metric that allows researchers to better understand cognitive load in medical practitioners with varying levels of expertise. In medical expertise research, it has been used to study surgeons, anesthetists and emergency physicians. Its strengths include its ability to provide quantitative and objective outputs, to be measured unobtrusively with new technology and to be precisely computed as cognitive load changes over the course of completion of a task. Constraints associated with this methodology include its potential inaccuracy with changes in ambient light and pupillary accommodation as well as the need for relatively expensive equipment. Conclusion With recent technological advances, pupillometry has become a simple and robust method for quantifying physiological changes attributable to cognitive load and is increasingly being utilized in medical education. It can be used as a reliable marker of mental effort and has been shown to differentiate levels of expertise in medical practitioners
Contrast and Assimilation Effects on Task Interest in an Academic Learning Task
Full text linkInformation on social comparison is one of the major factors used to evaluate academic achievement. The presence of Big-Fish-Little-Pond (BFLP) and Basking-In-Reflected-Glory (BIRG) effects of academic achievement on the self-concept have been extensively researched in various observational studies. Recent research suggests that these effects can also be transferred to motivational variables such as task interest. This paper uses an experimental paradigm to take a closer look at the mechanisms expected to be behind BFLP and BIRG effects: contrast and assimilation effects of task performance. The analyses are based on N = 129 primary education students who completed a computer-based learning task. During this task, participants received social comparative feedback that was experimentally manipulated based on 2x2 conditions: social position (high vs. low) and peer performance (high vs. low). Task interest was measured both before the start of the learning task and after it was finished. Results indicate a positive influence of high social position and high peer performance on the development of task interest from pre- to post-test compared to the low social position and peer performance conditions. Further, the hypothesized positive association between self-concept, task interest and performance in the academic learning task could also be shown
Within-student variability in learning experiences, and teachers’ perceptions of students’ task-focus
Full text linkIn order to advance models of educational processes (intraindividual, intensive longitudinal), we propose a model in which we specify state and trait constructs, and an intraindividual variability construct. In our ecological momentary assessment study, we investigated how trait-level and intraindividual variability of students’ learning experiences (intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, task difficulty, effort exertion, help-seeking and competence evaluations) converged with teacher-reported student task-focus. 285 primary school students’ (Years 5 and 6) completed the Learning Experience Questionnaire using handheld computers, on average 13.6 learning episodes during one week (SD = 4.6; Range = 5-29; nepisodes = 3,433), and these were linked with teacher-reports. We defined mean squared successive differences (MSSD) for each indicator. We specified uni- and multivariate models of state, trait and intraindividual variability constructs of students’ learning experiences using multilevel structural equation models (MSEM). Teacher reported task-focus converged with trait constructs (from |r| = .22 to .42), and with intrapersonal variability constructs (from r = -.12 to r = -.36), higher task-focus being associated with less variability. Intraindividual variability formed a higher-order construct, and teachers’ negative wording bias was also associated with variability. Overall, our study provides support for intraindividual variability as a construct in its own right, which has the potential to provide novel insight into students’ learning processes