International Journal of Instruction
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Connecting Science, Design Thinking, and Computational Thinking through Sports
No full textDespite calls for both research and curricular implementations that support underrepresented students’ exploration of STEM topics, curricula that apply principles of embodied cognition, such as the use of sports to teach science, are still needed. Further research may also serve to clarify how underrepresented students construct knowledge over time and make sense of embodied STEM learning experiences. In order to encourage engagement with science education, the four-week Science Through Sports summer curriculum was designed and implemented at a middle school located in an economically underrepresented urban area. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to explore 15 middle school students' attitudes toward science, design thinking, and computational thinking as a result of engaging in Science Through Sports. Findings revealed growth in students’ attitudes toward science and science identities, as well as development of skills, self-efficacy, and knowledge in relation to science, sports, computational thinking, and design thinking
Individual Vs. Team Based Readiness Assurance Testing in Pharmacy Calculations
No full textTeam based learning in the form of its readiness assurance test (RAT) application is a popular instructional intervention in health professions education. This investigation was conducted to examine the extent to which individual and team readiness assurance tests correlate with conventional assessment outcomes in pharmacy calculations. Students encountered IRAT and TRAT assessments on the Blackboard learning management platform during their pharmacy calculations laboratory course. The RAT assessments addressed topics concurrently with examination topics in the pharmacy calculations lecture course. Students were also assigned self-paced online module assessments pertaining to each lecture topic. Both sets of student lecture assessment scores were compared to their respective RAT performances using Spearman’s rank correlation measurements. Low-tomoderate correlations were observed between students’ IRAT scores and lecture course assessment scores, which includes examinations and online modules. Several correlations were statistically significant among topics. Very low-to-low correlations were observed between students’ TRAT scores and lecture course assessment scores. IRAT scores better correlated to final exam performances than TRAT scores. RAT assessments, particularly IRAT, may serve as indicators of subsequent assessment performance in pharmacy calculations. Use of RAT may also assist students in their preparations for comprehensive assessments in the subject
Effect of Principal’s Technology Leadership on Teacher’s Technology Integration
No full textTechnology has changed the way people live .The role of school leadership, teaching approaches, and school innovation have also changed in the industrial era 4.0 due to advanced technology such as Artificial Intelligence and the internet. Moreover, the challenges facing school administrators today different than their predecessors, since many factors influence the integration of technology in schools some of these are lack of ICT training, teachers ’competence in ICT, and access to ICT resources. Considering Leadership is the key agent in the effective implementation of technology in schools. This research aimed to investigate the influence of principals' technology leadership and professional development on teacher’s technology integration with gender and experience as moderation variables. In this cross-sectional survey, random sampling was carried out to select 442 principals and 953 teachers from Palestinian public schools. Two different questionnaires were used the first one was based on National Education Technology Standards –Administrator, NETS-A (2014) and Survey of Technology Experiences for school principals while the second instrument is Learning with ICT: Measuring ICT Use in the Curriculum for the teachers. Numerical data were analyzed quantitatively using two software the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences SPSS Version 23.0 and Smart PLS. The finding showed that the levels of Technology Leadership of the five constructs (systemic improvement, visionary leadership, excellence in professional practice, digital age learning culture, and digital citizenship), professional development and teacher’s technology integration were at high levels. Based on the results of the data analyses there is a positive significant relationship between the five constructs of technology leadership and professional development with teacher’s technology integration in the Palestinian public schools in the west bank
Investigating Students’ Difficulties and Approaches to Solving Buffer Related Problems
No full textThe subject of buffer solutions in chemistry is a challenging concept for students to learn due to its abstract nature. The difficulties that students face in learning about buffer solutions can lead to poor performance and alternative conceptions about the topic. The development of successful conceptual understanding to solve buffer solution problems requires that students have factual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and conceptual knowledge about the topic. This research project of the City College of New York (a minority-serving, public, urban, commuter institution) investigates difficulties that students experience in learning about buffer solutions and approaches that they rely on to solve buffer-related problems. The research method employed a survey comprised of a Likert-type and openended questions was used to assess the understanding of 102 participants. The research results indicate that the principal barrier to learning about buffer solutions is students’ dependence on formulaic problem solving and calculator use instead of reliance on conceptual understanding. Furthermore, students face difficulties memorizing a significant number of complicated formulas and equations necessary to solving buffer problems. The dominance of student strategies based on plug and chug problem solving likely hinders the development of conceptual understanding. We recommend that instructors need to be familiar with and address difficulties and alternative conceptions students have about buffer solutions
Investigating the Influence of Intrinsic Motivation on Behavioral Intention and Actual Use of Technology in Moodle Platforms
No full textWeb-based course management such as Moodle platforms is gaining popularity in e-learning in higher education. However, there is very little published research that has linked the Self-Determination Theory to technology usage. The purpose of this quantitative study is to examine the influence of UTAUT2 constructs and Intrinsic Motivation (autonomy, competence and relatedness) on behavioural intention and actual use of Moodle in Blended Learning. The questionnaire, based on the adapted Intrinsic Motivation Inventory and the UTAUT2 constructs, was administered to 370 postgraduate students from Universiti Utara Malaysia. PLSSEM was used to analyse the results. Findings of this study revealed that Intrinsic Motivation influenced behavioural intention to use Moodle. All nine latent variables moderately influenced the actual use of technology. The findings of this study have important implications, and further research is suggested to explore the effects of intrinsic motivation on the actual use of learning management systems. Future studies could investigate variables for determining the acceptance of learning management systems such as technological, pedagogical and content knowledge
Teachers’ Perceptions of Critical Thinking in Primary Education
No full textTo form critical citizens, it is crucial to thoroughly integrate critical thinking into school curricula. Despite this, there is no consensus among teachers about what the concept entails or how they should be trained to put it into practice, especially in primary education. Therefore, using a qualitative research method, the study’s main aim is to identify how primary school teachers perceive the concept of critical thinking and what aspects within their professionalisation as teachers contribute to fostering pupils’ critical thinking in classroom practice. Twenty-one teachers working in three European Schools in Brussels (Belgium) were questioned through semi-structured interviews. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify, analyse and report on key themes. The results show that teachers consider the mapping of reasoning, group discussion, and active learning as practices that promote critical thinking among pupils. However, respondents indicate that despite previous exposure to the concept through project-based learning and ‘Philosophy for Children’, they still need support through peer learning and exchanges of best practices to fully promote critical thinking among pupils
The Effectiveness of the EIGER Learning Strategy in Promoting Students’ Conceptual and Algorithmic Understanding of Stoichiometry
No full textThis research sought to examine the effect of the EIGER learning strategy on senior high school students’ conceptual and algorithmic understanding in topics of stoichiometry. The research used a quasi-experimental method with a pretestposttest control group design. The research subjects were selected by simple random sampling technique, consisting of two classes of grade 10 out of three existing classes. The experiment class was taught with the EIGER (Engage, Investigation, Guided-connection, Evaluation and Reflection) instructional strategy, and the control class was taught with the verification learning strategy. The research instrument used paired test with multiple-choice items (r = 0.93) to measure conceptual and algorithmic understanding in topics of stoichiometry. The research data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of the research showed that the EIGER learning strategy had a more significant effect on students’ conceptual and algorithmic understanding than the verification learning strategy. The N-gain score for EIGER class students’ conceptual understanding indicated high effectiveness (N-gain = 0.73) and algorithmic understanding indicated high effectiveness (N-gain = 0.76), while the N-gain score for verification class students’ conceptual understanding indicated moderate effectiveness (N-gain = 0.52) and algorithmic understanding indicated moderate effectiveness (N-gain = 0.60). This research’s implication for teachers is that the EIGER learning strategy can be used to enable students to apply not only their algorithmic understanding but also their conceptual understanding
The Effective Use of Digital Storytelling and Flipped Classroom Instructional Approach to Improve Science Subjects
No full textThe current study explores the theoretical and practical knowledge and skills acquisition in teaching physics subject. The proposed approach combined the effects of the flipped-classroom approach and the Digital Storytelling (DST) method on student’s to help them understand the concepts of K-12 Physics subject at the Govt College of Gujrat, Pakistan. For this purpose, the topic content was developed with the Seven critical elements of digital storytelling mapped with TPACK framework-based lectures implemented using the Flipped classroombased model. A Quasi-experimental research design was employed to assess multiple data sources, comprising pre-and post-tests on results. The experiment was performed with 15-18 years old K-12 Pre-engineering science students of the academic year of 2020-2021 (n=77) to discover any disparities in their learning of science subjects. The observations and post-testing results suggested that the individuals boosted their academic achievement in terms of marks and transformed their attitude toward Flipped-Model Learning backed by digital Storytelling based lectures. The findings further revealed that DST-based instruction facilitated the conducive leaning environment of flipped classroom as student academic performance was enhanced. Based on the empirical evidence, it has been recommended for future studies to be considered the collaboration of digital story telling pedagogies and flipped classroom learning environment to overcome the learning difficulties in the subject of physics
Educational Use of Social Media in Primary and Childhood Education Degrees at a Virtual University
No full textThe use of social networks is part of people's daily lives, and university students, in their academic life, make particularly intense use of them on a daily basis for different purposes. This research analyses the nature, intensity, and type of educational use of these social media by childhood and primary pre-teachers who are pursuing their studies online in Spain. To this end, we designed and validated an ad hoc questionnaire, obtaining 268 valid responses to research the specific characteristics of students studying for degrees in early childhood education and primary education and a double degree in early childhood and primary education at a university that is exclusively online. The results show that participants habitually use a variety of social media, but they only use some of them for educational purposes. General social networks offer future teachers versatility, the possibility to develop and leverage social capital, and opportunities to connect formal, nonformal and informal settings. The most used networks were WhatsApp, YouTube and above all Facebook, a reasonably large percentage use Instagram or Pinterest, and, to a lesser extent, Skype, and a lightly under half have Twitter. With regards to how they are used for educational purposes, a majority of respondents reported using them to find classroom activities, new ideas and material that might be of use in their academic work. It was also found that students consumed more information than what they produced, such that social capital is not used in an optimal way. It is concluded that in a university that operates exclusively online, the use of social networks fulfils the function of covering affective and social needs in an optimal way
Experiential Learning in Entrepreneurship Teaching: An Evaluation Based on Importance Performance Analysis
No full textThe quality of entrepreneurship teaching in Vocational High School (VHS) is so low that the use of experiential learning (EL) could be an alternative. To actualize this, a thorough evaluation is imperative as a basis for proper designing of EL. This study aims to analyse the suitability of the implementation of EL in entrepreneurship teaching in VHS using importance performance analysis (IPA). This study was conducted using survey method on four EL components: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. The sample consists of 701 VHS students and graduates from seven districts/cities in West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. The research data were analysed comparatively and the suitability of the IPA quadrant. The study indicated that EL-based entrepreneurship teaching process did not meet respondents’ expectations. All EL components were fully implemented in entrepreneurship teaching. The components in active experimentation aspect are the lowest in implementation. All components in active experimentation and some in other components were categorized as an important aspect of entrepreneurship teaching whose learning achievement are still low. The results of the study are crucial in determining the need to design an entrepreneurship teaching that integrates all four components so as to generate quality graduates