486 Comparison Between Online and In-person Instruction in a Laboratory-based Animal Science Course

Online teaching has been rapidly integrated into laboratory-based learning environments across all disciplines due to the 2019 pandemic. With such an abrupt transition to online instruction, the quality of traditional instruction in laboratory-based courses is in question. The objective of this study was to determine if a hands-on laboratory could be effectively taught online. This study compared the academic achievement and perception of students (n = 163) in an Introduction to Animal Science course where half the course instruction was online, and half was in-person. Student achievement was measured from weekly quizzes, and two major exams, a midterm and final, testing material covered online and in-person, respectively. All statistics were analyzed using JMP Pro 14. Exam scores were correlated to quiz scores to assess output to input, and were strongly correlated. A 10% increase in quiz performance resulted in a 1% increase in exam performance for both types of instruction (P < 0.01). There is no difference in this effect between material delivered online, and in-person. The efficacy of the method of instruction was measured by student surveys. Meeting style preference of students was different between instruction methods, where student preference shifted from asynchronous (40% to 11.6%) to hybrid instruction (39.6% to 69.5%), with no change in virtual preference (P < 0.01; P = 0.14). Student perception of quiz and exam question fairness was different where students thought question fairness increased between online and in-person instruction for quizzes and exams, respectively (P < 0.01; P < 0.01). In conclusion, there are no differences in student performance based on grades between online and in-person instruction; however, student perception of meeting style and assessment question fairness improved when students were taught in-person. As a result, laboratory-based science courses can be successfully transitioned to online instruction.

Developmental Sequences in Second Language Phonology: Effects of Instruction on the Acquisition of Foreign sC Onsets

This study investigates the effects of three types of instruction on the acquisition of foreign /s/-initial onset clusters (/sl/, /sn/, and /st/-sC clusters), a process characterized by a developmental sequence in which /sl/ is acquired before /sn/ and /st/. 118 native speakers of Brazilian Portuguese participated in a 4-week language course to learn a set of vocabulary and associated pronunciation of Taki, a self-constructed miniature linguistic system. The participants were divided into three groups, each corresponding to one of the hypotheses that characterize three types of explicit second language instruction: Teachability, Projection of Markedness (Projection), and a combination of the two (Mixed). A mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis of the participants’ production of sC clusters revealed that, in one of the tasks employed (read aloud), the group that focused exclusively on the more marked/st/ (Projection Group) had the best overall performance in the acquisition of the three clusters: this group was able to generalize their knowledge to the sC clusters they were not taught. In general, the results support Zobl’s Projection Model of Markedness for explaining the phonological development of syllable structure, wherein the instructional effect of a focus on the most marked /st/ projects to knowledge of the less marked structures.

Mathematics Instruction for Students With Disabilities: Applied Examples Using Virtual Manipulatives

Technology has changed the practices related to teaching and learning mathematics in schools. The demand for learning mathematics in virtual environments is imminent and increasing in the 21st century classroom. There has been widespread expansion of the use of technology in education. The following article reviews three types of instruction—synchronous, asynchronous, and blended instruction—and provides applied examples regarding the use of virtual manipulatives in teaching mathematics to students with disabilities in the virtual environment.

Mathematics Instruction for Students With Disabilities: Applied Examples Using Virtual Manipulatives

Technology has changed the practices related to teaching and learning mathematics in schools. The demand for learning mathematics in virtual environments is imminent and increasing in the 21st century classroom. There has been widespread expansion of the use of technology in education. The following article reviews three types of instruction—synchronous, asynchronous, and blended instruction—and provides applied examples regarding the use of virtual manipulatives in teaching mathematics to students with disabilities in the virtual environment.

EXPLORING ESP TEXTBOOKS FOR COMMERCE AND MEDICINE: AN ANALYSIS OF SKILLS AND TYPES OF INSTRUCTION

The present study explores the communicative potential of two ESP textbooks. It examines a sample of activities of English for Commerce and English for Medicine textbooks with an instrument of analysis consisting of three parts: (1) a section for the metadata of the activities, (2) a checklist which assesses the presence and distribution of language skills and systems, and (3) a scale devised by Criado (2016) which measures the weight of meaning-focused and form-focused instruction found in activities. To study these elements, a framework describing and illustrating each component was designed. Inter-rater reliability tests were carried out to ensure the validity of the results. The findings of the study suggest that these textbooks are mainly meaning-focused, although some differences as regards the extent to which each of these elements is promoted can be found. Moreover, several methodological issues are raised in order to improve future research concerning materials analysis.

Transdisciplinary Approach in Middle School: A Case Study of Co-teaching Practices in STEAM Teams

A call for educational reform motivated this school system to devise an enhanced version of STEM in their middle school. This case provides rich descriptions of how eighth grade middle school teachers, from multiple disciplines, enacted a STEAM team model that integrated Language Arts into STEM. These STEAM team teachers were systematically studied during field observations of 100+ class sessions using what they referred to as transdisciplinary co-teaching, flexible scheduling, and multiple types of physical spaces to further engage students. Different dimensions of co-teaching were observed. The most frequently observed was reconstructed, followed by predisciplinary, correlated, and shared. Types of instruction other than reconstructed, did not fit the school’s proposed definitions of transdisciplinary co-teaching. Thoughts are shared on lessons learned.

The use of eye-tracking in experimental approaches in second language acquisition research: the primary effects of Processing Instruction in the acquisition of the French imperfect

ABSTRACTDespite the ample database of research findings on the benefits of Processing Instruction (PI), research thus has primarily made use of offline measures to establish how L2 learners comprehend and process sentences. Using online methodology, such as eye-tracking, allows research to more directly measure implicit knowledge. The sensitivity of these measures requires meticulous design choices to ensure validity and replicability. This study provides an overview of the linguistic and physical design considerations necessary for creating eye-tracking materials in SLA research. The present study demonstrates the application of these design considerations in an eye-tracking study, comparing the changes in processing patterns between two types of instruction: PI and Traditional Instruction (TI) on low intermediate L2 adult learners’ acquisition of the French imperfect aspect. The results of the experimental study show beneficial gains made by L2 learners who received PI on the French imperfect tense, this was seen in both a significant increase in accuracy scores from pre-test to post-test and change in their cognitive processing as shown by eye-movement data. The present study emphasizes the need for future studies to consider methodological reflections and key design principles in eye-tracking research.

Reflections on 7 Years of Strategy Instruction

Most investigations of literacy programs are relatively short-term endeavors. Here, we reflect on what we have learned in 7 years of studying a program to teach word-learning strategies. The program was developed with a 3-year Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant and is currently being studied in a 4-year IES Efficacy grant. Here, we describe our choice of a topic; describe the curriculum, instruction, and teacher preparation in the program; and reflect on positive aspects of the program and aspects of it that could be improved. We believe that much of what we discuss is relevant to various types of instruction.

Impact level of entry on completion rates and GPA of technical education students at a Midwest community college

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Technical education is a method for training a skilled workforce. Dual enrollment allows high school students to start a college program early. The intersection of these two types of instruction, dual enrollment technical education, offers high school students an opportunity to begin training for a skilled career before high school graduation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate students who began a technical education program before and after high school completion. There is a lack of research that considers completion rate and grade points average by the level of entry into a technical education program that offers dual enrollment. This study found that students who entered as dual enrollment juniors were much more likely to complete a certificate of achievement than other levels of entry. Students entering as juniors or seniors were found to complete significantly fewer associate degrees than the two post-secondary levels of entry. This study contributes to the current body of knowledge within these areas.

How to Teach Grammar to Adult ESP Learners at Technical University More Communicatively: Task-Based Approach

<p class="Abstract">The article is devoted to comparison of the effectiveness of grammar acquisition by adult learners in two types of instruction – based on the traditional PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production) approach and TBL (Task-Based Learning) approach – in ESP university classes. We conducted a qualitative research in which we tried to incorporate grammar instruction in communicative language teaching and for that purpose selected two groups of students (the PPP group and the TBL group). They were taught five topics, each with a focus on particular grammar items. The comparison of the results we obtained showed that students’ achievement in the TBL group increased more substantially than in the PPP group. Also, the majority of students in the TBL group liked learning grammar at the point of need, which we consider particularly important, since it stimulated their motivation and contributed to the acquisition of grammatical structures. When considering the positive aspects of our experience of using TBL and task-based grammar learning in particular, we should first of all point out its learner-centeredness which provides a number of advantages in teaching adult students: the focus on real communication, addressing the students’ needs by putting them into authentic communicative situations, encouragement of students’ responsibility for their own learning, exposure of students to a wide variety of language, including grammar, ability to motivate students.</p>