A Meta-analysis of the Effects of Advance Organizers on Learning and Retention

1980 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Luiten ◽  
Wilbur Ames ◽  
Gary Ackerson

Published and unpublished studies (N = 135) of the facilitative effect of advance organizers on learning and retention were examined. Possible influencing variables such as grade level, subject area studied, organizer presentation mode, and subject ability level were also examined in relation to advance organizer effect. Advance organizers were shown to have a facilitative effect on both learning and retention.

2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Elwood Romig ◽  
William J. Therrien ◽  
John W. Lloyd

We used meta-analysis to examine the criterion validity of four scoring procedures used in curriculum-based measurement of written language. A total of 22 articles representing 21 studies ( N = 21) met the inclusion criteria. Results indicated that two scoring procedures, correct word sequences and correct minus incorrect sequences, have acceptable criterion validity with commercially developed and state- or locally developed criterion assessments. Results indicated trends for scoring procedures at each grade level. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison F. Gilmour ◽  
Douglas Fuchs ◽  
Joseph H. Wehby

Federal policies have aimed to improve access to grade-level curriculum for students with disabilities (SWD). Current conceptualizations of access posit that it is evidenced by students’ academic outcomes. In a meta-analysis of 180 effect sizes from 23 studies, we examined access as outcomes by estimating the size of the gap in reading achievement between students with and without disabilities. Findings indicated that SWDs performed 1.17 standard deviations, or more than 3 years, below typically developing peers. The reading gap varied by disability label but not by other student and assessment characteristics. We discuss implications for access to grade-level curriculum and potential reasons for why the achievement gap is so large despite existing policies.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Stenfors ◽  
Stephen Charles Van Hedger ◽  
Kathryn E Schertz ◽  
Francisco Calvache Meyer ◽  
Karen Smith ◽  
...  

Interactions with natural environments and nature-related stimuli have been found to be beneficial to cognitive performance, in particular on executive cognitive tasks with high demands on directed attention processes. However, results vary across different studies.The aim of the present study was to perform a meta-analysis of all our published and unpublished studies testing the effect of different interactions with nature versus urban/built control environments, on an executive test with high demands on directed attention: the backwards digit span (BDS) task. Specific aims were to evaluate the effect of nature versus urban environment interactions on BDS across different exposure types (e.g. being in real environments, or viewing videos, images, or listening to sounds) and disentangle the effects of testing order (i.e. practice with repeated testing) and the role of affective changes on BDS performance. We also reviewed the literature and compared and contrasted our meta-analysis with results from other studies. Results from our meta-analysis comprising 12 studies (N=567 participants) showed significant environment-by-time interactions with beneficial effects of nature compared to urban environments on BDS performance. This effect was magnified after parceling out initial practice effects on the BDS. Changes in positive or negative affect did not mediate the beneficial effects of nature on BDS performance. These results mirrored effects that we reviewed from outside of our laboratories. Uncontrolled and confounding order effects may explain some of the inconsistent findings in the literature. In all, these results highlight the robustness of the effects of natural environments on cognition when confounding order effects have been considered, and also provide a more nuanced account of when a nature intervention will be most effective.


AERA Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 233285842090169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daibao Guo ◽  
Shuai Zhang ◽  
Katherine Landau Wright ◽  
Erin M. McTigue

Although convergent research demonstrates that well-designed graphics can facilitate readers’ understanding of text, there are select situations where graphics have been shown to have no effect on learners’ overall text comprehension. Therefore, the current meta-analytic study examined 39 experimental studies published between 1985 and 2018 measuring graphics’ effects on readers’ comprehension. We first quantified the overall effect on reading comprehension. Then, we considered interactions with learners’ characteristics, graphic types, and assessment formats. Our analysis revealed that the inclusion of graphics had a moderate overall positive effect (Hedges’s g = 0.39) on students’ reading comprehension, regardless of grade level. Regarding graphic type, we did not find a significant difference among pictures, pictorial diagrams, and flow diagrams. Only when compared to mixed graphics, pictures had a greater effect on comprehension. Additionally, compared with true and false assessments, graphics differentially benefited students’ comprehension on open-ended comprehension assessments and mixed format assessments. Implications for future research are presented.


Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan De Vries ◽  
Cindy Le Bourgot ◽  
Wim Calame ◽  
Frédérique Respondek

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the effects of β-fructan supplementation on bowel function in healthy volunteers and patients. The search process was based on the selection of publications listed in the Pubmed and EUPMC database until December 2017, plus two unpublished studies, to identify studies evaluating the impact of β-fructans on bowel movement and stool parameters. Forty-seven publications were selected for inclusion. Primary parameter was frequency of bowel movements, evaluated by the number of defecations per day during the study period. Secondary outcomes were stool consistency, stool dry and wet weights, and transit time. Short-chain (DP < 10) β-fructans contributed to increased stool frequency (0.36 defecation +/− 0.06 per day; p < 0.001), while no significant effect was reported with long-chain (DP ≥ 10) β-fructans (−0.03 +/− 0.11, p = 0.82). A minimal increase in stool wet weight was also statistically demonstrated with short-chain β-fructans. Moreover, the meta-analysis highlighted significant differences in stool consistency in contrast to fecal dry weight after β-fructan supplementation. This systematic review and meta-analysis indicates that short-chain β-fructan supplementation has a positive effect on bowel function by significantly increasing the frequency of bowel movements.


2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
William H. Jeynes

An extensive meta-analysis, including 52 studies, was undertaken on the relationship between character education and student achievement and behavioral outcomes. Additional analyses were done to determine whether the effects of character education differed by student grade level, locale, race, and so on. The results indicated that character education is associated with higher levels of educational outcomes, no matter what type of standardized or nonstandardized measure was employed. Character education was also related to higher levels of expressions of love, integrity, compassion, and self-discipline. Overall, character education had somewhat greater effects for children in high school rather than those who were in elementary school. The effects of character education did not differ by the race of the children. The significance of these results is discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Nuradin Abusha Katiso ◽  
Getachew Mullu Kassa ◽  
Gedefaw Abeje Fekadu ◽  
Abadi Kidanemariam Berhe ◽  
Achenef Asmamaw Muche

Introduction. Low birth weight (LBW) is the most significant risk factor for neonatal and infant mortality. It is one of the major public health problems in developing countries. Although there are various studies on low birth weight, findings were inconsistent and inconclusive. Therefore, this study was conducted to estimate the national-pooled prevalence of low birth weight and its associated factors in Ethiopia. Method. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline was followed. This meta-analysis employed a review of both published and unpublished studies conducted in Ethiopia. The databases used were PubMed, Google Scholar, CINAHL, and African Journals Online. Relevant search terms for prevalence and determinants of LBW were used to retrieve articles. The meta-analysis was conducted using STATA 14 software. Forest plots were used to present the findings. The Cochran Q test and I2 test statistics were used to test heterogeneity across studies. Egger’s test was used to assess the publication bias of included studies. The pooled prevalence and the odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed and were presented using forest plots. Results. A total of 28 studies, 50,110 newborn babies, were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of LBW in Ethiopia was 14.1% (95% CI = 11.2, 17.1). Higher variation in the prevalence of LBW in different regions across the country was observed. Significant association of LBW with sex of the newborn baby, higher odds among female babies (OR = 1.5 (95% CI = 1.2, 1.7)), prematurity (OR = 4.7 (95% CI = 1.5, 14.5)), not attending prenatal care (OR = 1.7 (95% CI = 1.4, 2.2)), pregnancy-induced hypertension (OR = 6.7 (95% CI = 3.5, 12.9)), and newborn babies whose mothers were from rural areas (OR = 1.8 (95% CI = 1.2, 2.6) were the factors associated with low birth weight. Conclusions. The prevalence of LBW in Ethiopia was high. LBW was associated with several maternal and newborn characteristics. The large disparity of LBW among the different regions in the country needs targeted intervention in areas with higher prevalence. Particular emphasis should be given to mothers residing in rural areas. Community-based programs are important to increase the use of prenatal care.


Author(s):  
Janice Langan-Fox ◽  
Jennifer Waycott

Recent advances in technologies designed for general population use (eg. autobank, mobile phone, video recorder) necessitate users to acquire information quickly and easily, about how a particular device should be oeprated. However it is often the case that technological devices and accompanying instructions, are not ‘user-friendly’, and are difficult to operate for ‘lay learners’, since learning must often occur individually, without verbal instruction, or assistance from experts or teachers. The current study set out to investigate the usability of a mobile phone network in an experiment lasting 4 hours with 94 student participants. It aimed to investigate (a) how advance organizers might affect performance and (b) the interaction between cognitive ability and effects of advance organizers. Participants were allocated to three experimental conditions: control, ‘text’ advance organizer, and ‘graphic’ advance organizer. Results showed that the ‘text’ group performed better than the ‘graphic’ group, and that as predicted, both advance organizer groups performed better than the control group. Further, low ability groups (associative memory and verbal reasoning) performed better in advance organizer groups, especially the text condition, than the control group suggesting that the effect of an advance organizer can ameliorate the influence of low ability, on performance. High ability groups were relatively unaffected by the influence of advance organizers. Further research is needed with common technological devices, into the effects of advance organizers on different ability groups amongst the population at large.


2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 141-148
Author(s):  
Nicole S. Fenty

Students with learning disabilities (LD) in reading often struggle to succeed due to difficulties with reading comprehension. Comprehension difficulties can impact access to a variety of text types, including informational texts. Researchers suggest that students with LD in reading require explicit comprehension supports before, during, and after reading. This article outlines the use of a comprehension tool, anticipation guides (AGs), a type of advance organizer especially suited for use with informational text. A brief summary of the literature surrounding the use of advance organizers in elementary settings is provided. General steps for planning and adapting instruction using AGs are also included. In addition, planning and instructional steps are contextualized using a science illustration. Finally, conclusions are offered.


2001 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leanne R. Brecklin ◽  
David R. Forde

Meta-analysis of evaluation studies of rape education programs aimed at college students examined which program characteristics were related to participants’ rape-supportive attitude change. Linear regression analyses revealed that: (a) published studies yielded greater attitude change than dissertations, presentations, or unpublished studies; (b) attitude change declined over time; and (c) men in mixed-gender groups experienced less attitude change after interventions than men in single-gender groups. Implications for the development of effective rape education programs are discussed.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document