Fostering Students’ Retention in Photosynthesis Using Concept Mapping and Cooperative Mastery Learning Instructional Strategies

<p style="text-align: justify;">The performance in biology at the secondary level has not been as good as expected. This has been a matter of concern. Thus, there has been a continuous focus on exploring newer innovative learner-centered and friendly instructional strategies to enhance understanding and retention in biology. This study, therefore, determined the effects of Concept Mapping (CM) and Cooperative Mastery Learning (CML) on fostering retention in photosynthesis among secondary schools in Nyamagabe district, Rwanda. A pre-test and post-test non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental design was used. Data were obtained from 151 students taught with CM, 144 students taught with CML, and 154 students taught with Conventional Teaching Methods (CTM). The Photosynthesis Retention Test (KR-21= 0.82) was used for data collection. The data were mainly analyze d using mean and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The results showed that the CM and CML treatment groups outperformed the CTM group in retention in photosynthesis. There was a statistically significant difference in favor of the CM between the two experimental groups. The male and female students taught using CM retained equally in photosynthesis while gender difference was revealed in the mean retention scores of the students exposed to the CML, with females retained significantly higher than males. The study concluded that the CM and CML strategies were more effective than CTM. It was suggested, among other things, that teachers should be encouraged to apply CM and CML strategies when teaching biology.</p>

Enhancing the learning and teaching of public speaking skills

<div> <div> <div> <div> <p> </p><div> <div> <div> <div> <p>Various pedagogical strategies promote the development of communication skills that enable graduates to leave their mark and make positive changes in society. This article focuses on instructional lessons learned from undergraduate student perspectives of the pedagogy of the lightning talk, a three-minute oral presentation delivered without the use of supporting materials and without audience engagement in a noncompetitive environment. Drawing from the data of a mixed-methods study conducted at a metropolitan university, this article highlights key pedagogical lessons. Students’ responses indicate that instructors can implement instructional strategies that enhance students’ preparatory work and accessibility. Students also shared that they developed valuable public speaking-related skills. Overall, the findings can inform how instructors can enhance learners’ communication skills with inclusive teaching strategies. </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p></p> </div> </div> </div> </div>

Enhancing the learning and teaching of public speaking skills

<div> <div> <div> <div> <p> </p><div> <div> <div> <div> <p>Various pedagogical strategies promote the development of communication skills that enable graduates to leave their mark and make positive changes in society. This article focuses on instructional lessons learned from undergraduate student perspectives of the pedagogy of the lightning talk, a three-minute oral presentation delivered without the use of supporting materials and without audience engagement in a noncompetitive environment. Drawing from the data of a mixed-methods study conducted at a metropolitan university, this article highlights key pedagogical lessons. Students’ responses indicate that instructors can implement instructional strategies that enhance students’ preparatory work and accessibility. Students also shared that they developed valuable public speaking-related skills. Overall, the findings can inform how instructors can enhance learners’ communication skills with inclusive teaching strategies. </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p></p> </div> </div> </div> </div>

Students’ Behavior of Asking Questions Through Narrative and Informative Texts

By asking questions, students can practice many cognitive processes, and these processes may reflect clues about their thinking skills. In order to understand students’ cognitive levels in thinking, questions can be used as agents. Doing so, this study focuses on examining students’ questions in terms of cognitive levels of Bloom’s revised taxonomy, namely, remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create. For this purpose, the study followed a qualitative research design with 106 high school students and eight language and literature teachers. To capture the relevant data, students were given two types of texts (narrative and informative), then asked to generate text-based questions as well as their answers. Along with students, teachers were interviewed to find out how they direct students to ask comprehension questions according to instructional strategies they used in asking questions. The data were analyzed through descriptive and content analysis. The results showed that participant students mainly asked questions addressing at the analyze level for the narrative text, and at the understand level for the informative text. These levels are assumed as lower-order thinking skills according to the taxonomy, and possible reasons were discussed with further recommendations.

The Effects of Situational Teaching on Preschool Children’s Originality Development

Preschool education is a critical stage in a child's life. Several studies have confirmed that the pivotal moment for the development of creativity is between the ages of three and five. Through cultivation, training, and learning development ability, preschool children's creativity can be amplified through the presence of nature and the imagination of instructional strategies. The purpose of this research is to look into the effect of situational learning in physical education on preschool children's creativity. This study's methodology begins with a pre-test of the child's creativity performance, followed by a six-week program of situational physical learning lessons. The data is compared to show how children's learning abilities have changed and how effective situational learning training has been in increasing creativity.

A Systematic Review of Research Syntheses for Students with Mathematics Learning Disabilities and Difficulties

The purpose of this document is to provide readers with the coding protocol that authors used to code 36 research syntheses (including meta-analyses, evidence-based reviews, and quantitative systematic reviews) focused on mathematics interventions for students with learning disabilities (LD), mathematics learning disabilities (MLD), and mathematics difficulties (MD). The purpose of the systematic review of mathematics intervention syntheses was to identify patterns and gaps in content areas, instructional strategies, effect sizes, and definitions of LD, MLD, and MD. We searched the literature for research syntheses published between 2000 and 2020 and used rigorous inclusion criteria in our literature review process. We evaluated 36 syntheses that included 836 studies with 32,495 participants. We coded each synthesis for variables across seven categories including: publication codes (authors, year, journal), inclusion and exclusion criteria, content area focus, instructional strategy focus, sample size, methodological information, and results. The mean interrater reliability across all codes using this coding protocol was 90.3%. Although each synthesis stated a focus on LD, MLD, or MD, very few students with LD or MLD were included, and authors’ operational definitions of disability and risk varied. Syntheses predominantly focused on word problem solving, fractions, computer- assisted learning, and schema-based instruction. Syntheses reported wide variation in effectiveness, content areas, and instructional strategies. Finally, our results indicate the majority of syntheses report achievement outcomes, but very few syntheses report on other outcomes (e.g., social validity, strategy use). We discuss how the results of this comprehensive review can guide researchers in expanding the knowledge base on mathematics interventions. The systematic review that results from this coding process is accepted for publication and in press at Learning Disabilities Research and Practice.

Fostering an entrepreneurial mindset: A typology for aligning instructional strategies with three dominant entrepreneurial mindset conceptualizations

Entrepreneurship education in higher education institutions (HEIs) increasingly aims at fostering an entrepreneurial mindset (EM) in students. However, large heterogeneity exists in conceptualizations of EM. This is a challenge for educators as it is difficult to develop instructional strategies to foster students’ EM when there is no clarity about what this mindset is. The purpose of the article is to address this challenge. It does so by analysing and synthesizing current literature in the field of entrepreneurship education in HEIs and develops a taxonomy that depicts three dominant conceptualizations of EM, their theoretical origins and the type of attributes typically associated with each conceptualization. The article goes beyond the integrative literature review by reflecting on the consequences for the design of entrepreneurship education of the simultaneous existence of these three dominant conceptualizations. The author develops a typology for aligning instructional strategies with the EM conceptualizations and thus contributes to practice by providing a better understanding of how to achieve coherence between learning outcomes and instructional choices. The article advances the field’s conceptual knowledge about EM and thereby facilitates future theory generation.

Motivation of Management Information Systems Students Towards Online Learning in the COVID-19 Pandemic

The rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic made it necessary to take serious precautions in the field of education, so schools were closed in many countries and switched to online education. The pandemic has caused similar changes in higher education institutions in Turkey. The motivation of the students is an important component in achieving the targeted success of the rapidly adapted online education. This study aims to investigate the factors that affect the motivation of management information systems students towards online education conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings reveal that the role of instructor, system support, and time management come to the fore in students' positive motivation. On the other hand, ineffective group work, failure to achieve career goals, prolonged pandemic period, and breakdown in social relationships have influence on students' negative motivation. It is expected that this study will guide policy developers for distance education and instructional strategies to be developed in the field of management information systems.