Academic Well-Being in Higher Education: A Cross-Country Analysis of the Relationship Between Perceptions of Instruction and Academic Well-Being

The purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between university students’ perceptions of the overall quality of instruction (PQI) they experienced since COVID-19 and their academic well-being. This relationship was examined in the context of a moderated moderation with students’ household income and the cultural value of power distance (PD), which measures the extent to which less powerful members of an organization expect and accept that power is unequally distributed. Two countries with societally moderate levels of PD (South Africa and the United States) were assessed. Moderated moderations between PQI, income, and PD were found for the academic well-being of students from both the United States and South Africa. The patterns of interactions were in some ways similar and other ways different, highlighting the complexity of how students may react to potential stressors in their academic environment. Potential explanations and implications of these results are discussed.

A Turkish adaptation of a framework for evaluating the mathematical quality of instruction

A structured assessment tool on the quality of mathematics instruction is considered to be important. It is believed that such a tool could play an important role in providing feedbacks to the preservice teachers during their trainings as well as in evaluating the quality of in-service teachers’ practices. From this point of view, firstly, it has been performed a comprehensive examination of the relevant frameworks developed to evaluate the quality of mathematics instruction. As a result, it was observed that the Mathematical Quality of Instruction (MQI) framework differed from the others with respect to both functional and structural features. Within the scope of this study, the adaptation of the MQI framework to Turkish language has been realized. In this study, the characteristics, usage, components and theoretical background of the MQI framework are shared with the reader. In addition, the adapted version of MQI framework was shared and the performance indicators to help potential users were elaborated. ​Extended English summary is in the end of Full Text PDF (TURKISH) file. Özet Matematik öğretiminin niteliğine ilişkin yapılandırılmış bir değerlendirme aracı oldukça önemlidir. Bu türden bir araç gerek öğretmen yetiştirme sürecinde öğretmen adaylarına geri dönüt vermek gerekse halen hizmet veren matematik öğretmenlerinin uygulamalarının niteliğini değerlendirerek uygulamaların geliştirilmesine katkıda bulunabilecektir. Bu düşüncelerle öncelikle matematik öğretiminin niteliğine ilişkin değerlendirme yapmak için kullanılabilecek çerçevelere ilişkin kapsamlı bir tarama yapılmıştır. Bu tarama neticesinde kullanışlılığı ve yapısal özellikleri nedeniyle Mathematical Quality of Instruction (MQI) çerçevesinin diğerlerinden ayrıldığı görülmüştür. Bu makale çalışması kapsamında matematik öğretiminin niteliğine ilişkin işlevsel bir değerlendirme yapmak amacıyla geliştirilen MQI çerçevesinin ülkemizde kullanılabilmesi amacıyla Türkçe’ye adaptasyonu gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu çalışmada söz konusu çerçevenin özellikleri, kullanım şekli, bileşenleri ve kuramsal arka planı okuyucuyla paylaşılmıştır. Ayrıca adaptasyonu yapılan çerçeve paylaşılmış ve potansiyel kullanıcılara yardımcı olacak performans göstergeleri detaylandırılmıştır.

University students experience the COVID-19 induced shift to remote instruction

The COVID-19 pandemic required an abrupt shift from face-to-face to online instruction for many students in higher education in the United States. Prior research has raised some concerns about both equitable access to online courses, and the quality of instruction in online courses compared to face-to-face courses. This survey study included a retrospective pretest approach to comparing students experiences before and after the transition to online instruction. The sample of 1731 students ranged across all available topics of study and all class standings from first-year students to doctoral students at a R1: Doctoral Universities—Very High Research Activity university according to the Carnegie classifications. Quality of instruction was addressed through the three principles of Universal Design for Learning. Students reported that most areas of quality of instruction were poorer after the transition, with having Engagement dropping by the largest effect size. However, Representation showed a small effect of improvement following the transition. Students who preferred online instruction reported less loss of instructional quality. Similarly, students eligible for disability services also reported less loss of instructional quality. Doctoral students reported significantly poorer access on multiple measures compared to all four years of undergraduate students’ standings. Results are discussed in terms of patterns, exceptions, effect sizes, and recommendations for future research.

Two Replication Studies of the Relationships between Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching, Mathematical Quality of Instruction, and Student Achievement

In this paper, we share two conceptual replications of Hill et al.’s (2012c) study linking Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT), Mathematical Quality of Instruction (MQI), and student assessment scores. In study 1, we share data from 4th and 5th grade teachers in an urban school district. In study 2, we share data from middle school teachers in a school district with a relatively high proportion of emergent bilingual students. By varying contexts, we found that Hill et al.’s (2012c) suggested use of the MKT cutoff points was not warranted in our differing settings. Further, we found some significant relationships between MKT, MQI, and student assessments; however, we were not able to reproduce these consistently with our data. We suggest that the relationship between teaching practice and MKT may be quite sensitive to contextual factors including grade level, demographics, school effects, and assessments. We recommend that policymakers and researchers take caution when using such instruments to evaluate program initiatives and identify teachers for remediation or leadership positions. The impact sheet to this article can be accessed at 10.6084/m9.figshare.16610080.

Teacher-Student’s Instructional Communication: A Case Study of Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (SwADHD) in Inclusive Classroom

The purpose of this study is to explore the types of instructional communication between general teacher (GT) and ADHD students (SwADHD) during activities of the: pre-instructional, instructional process, and instructional evaluation. Data collection was carried out by observation and interviews. The data analysis used was thematic analysis. The results showed that the types of instructional communication between GT and SwADHD were: verbal, non-verbal, and verbal-non-verbal. The three types of instructional communication aim to: improve the socio-emotional relationship between GT and SwADHDs, reduce negative behavior that often appears in SwADHDs in the classroom, and improve quality of instruction; to achieve quality educational goals according to their characteristics and needs. The type of communication used between GT and SwADHDs has a significant impact on teachers in developing individual education programs. These result in a more humane experience for SwADHDs both academically and non-academically.

ANALISIS PENGARUH E-LEARNING MENGGUNAKAN SPADA TERHADAP EFEKTIVITAS BELAJAR MAHASISWA STMIK PRIMAKARA

ABSTRAKTujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui tentang pengaruh e-learning menggunakan SPADA terhadap efektivitas belajar mahasiswa STMIK Primakara. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode mixed methods convergence model. Objek dari penelitian ini adalah 85 orang mahasiswa semester 2, 4, dan 6. Dalam penelitian ini, dilakukan identifikasi pengaruh e-learning menggunakan platform SPADA yang dikembangkan oleh STMIK Primakara berbasis Moodle terhadap efektivitas belajar mahasiswa. Peneliti menggunakan observasi, kuesioner tertutup, kuesioner terbuka, dan studi literatur sebagai teknik pengumpulan data. Empat indikator efektivitas pembelajaran yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini, yaitu quality of instruction, appropriate levels of instruction, incentive, dan time. Peneliti menggunakan analisis data kuantitatif dan analisis data kualitatif. Analisis data kuantitatif menggunakan skala Likert untuk menghitung data dari kuesioner tertutup sedangkan analisis data kualitatif menggunakan data dari kuesioner terbuka. Dalam penelitian ini ditemukan bahwa persentase persetujuan dengan indikator quality of instruction menunjukkan hasil 86,35% (sangat efektif). Selanjutnya indikator appropriate levels of instruction dengan hasil 87,82% (sangat efektif). Indikator ketiga, incentive dengan hasil perolehan 88,94% (sangat efektif). Terakhir indikator time dengan hasil persentase persetujuan 89,56% (sangat efektif). Selain itu data kualitatif yang diperoleh juga menunjukkan bahwa penggunaan SPADA dapat mendukung proses belajar mahasiswa.Kata Kunci: e-learning, efektivitas belajar, metode campuranABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to determine the effect of e-learning using SPADA on the learning effectiveness of STMIK Primakara college students. This research uses a mixed methods convergence model. The object of this research is 85 college students in semester 2, 4, and 6. In this study, the identification of the effect of was conducted to identify the e-learning using the platform SPADA developed by STMIK Primakara based on Moodle was conducted to identify the effectiveness of college student learning. Researchers used observation, closed questionnaires, open questionnaires, and literature studies as data collection techniques. Four indicators of learning effectiveness are used in this study, namely quality of instruction, appropriate levels of instruction, incentive, and time. Researchers used quantitative data analysis and qualitative data analysis. Quantitative data analysis used a Likert scale to calculate data from a closed questionnaire, while qualitative data analysis used data from an open questionnaire. In this study, it was found that the percentage of approval with the indicator quality of instruction showed the result of 86.35% (very effective). Next is the indicator for appropriate levels of instruction with a result of 87.82% (very effective). The third indicator, incentive with the result of 88.94% (very effective). Finally, the indicator time with the percentage of approval is 89.56% (very effective). In addition, the qualitative data obtained also shows that the use of SPADA can support college student learning processes.Keywords: e-learning, learning effectiveness, mixed methods

Inclusive Practices in the Existing School Environment: Parental Perceptions and Concerns

Purpose: This qualitative research paper explores the factors affecting parental perceptions and concerns about inclusive education. It also investigates the factors influencing the access and participation of children with disabilities in mainstream schools. Design/Methodology/Approach: Ten parents (n=10) of children with and without disabilities were selected through purposive sampling from inclusive primary schools of Punjab. Semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis were employed for data collection and analysis. Findings: Findings revealed that parents of children with disabilities are more inclined towards inclusive education. Reactions of parents, quality of instruction and institutional support have created a feeling of un-certainty and dissatisfaction amongst the parents of children with disabilities about inclusion. Large class sizes and time constraints have been established as barriers to inclusion. Implications/Originality/Value: The study would be beneficial for the school department to consider the factors adversely affecting the process of inclusion. Parents’ guidance and counselling may be made mandatory to make inclusive education successful.

Keynote: Accountable assessment

There is widespread agreement about the importance of accounting for the extent to which educational systems advance student learning. Yet, the forms and formats of accountable assessments often ill serve students and teachers; the summative judgements of student performance that are typically employed to indicate proficiencies on benchmarks of student learning commonly fail to capture student performance in ways that are specific and actionable for teachers. Timing is another key barrier to the utility of summative assessment. In the US, summative evaluations occur at the end of the school year and may serve future students, but do not help teachers better support the students who were tested. In contrast, formative assessments provide actionable grounds to improve the quality of instruction on the basis of both the granularity and specificity of their content and their timing. Unfortunately, the psychometric qualities of formative assessments are often unknown. I describe an innovative approach to assessment that aims to blend the productive characteristics of both summative and formative assessment. The resulting assessment system is accountable to students and teachers by providing actionable information for improving classroom instruction, and at the same time, it addresses the demands of psychometric quality for purposes of system accountability as it is currently practiced (in the US). The innovative assessment system relies on partnership with teachers to generate (1) a shared conceptual frame for describing instructional goals and valued forms of teaching and learning; (2) a set of electronic tools to help teachers detect, share, analyse, and interpret student learning data; and (3) classroom and school-level community professional development structures to support and sustain a widespread practice of assessing to guide instruction. These features are coupled with new psychometric models, developed by the Berkeley Evaluation and Research Center, that provide more robust estimates of student learning by linking information from multiple sources, including student classroom work, student responses to formative assessments, and summative evaluations. (Mark Wilson will address the psychometric modeling during this conference.) Here I describe challenges and prospects for this innovation with a case study of its implementation in a K–5 elementary school that is seeking to improve the quality of instruction and students’ understandings of measure and rational number arithmetic.