Effect of Gamified Mobile Applications and the Role of Player Types on the Achievement of Students

The purpose of this study was to examine a gamified mobile application’s effect on students’ achievement, and whether the player types of the students predicted their achievement scores. A “pretest-posttest control group design” research was conducted with 65 undergraduate students taking a compulsory online course. In the study, a gamified mobile app was developed by the researchers and then applied within an online History I course. The results of the study showed no significant difference between the achievement scores of the Experimental Group and Control Group students. However, multiple linear regression analysis results showed that the Experimental Group’s students’ achievement scores were significantly predicted by the player types they used and their mobile app performance. It is argued, therefore, that this result underlines the importance of player type in designing effective mobile gamification apps for the purpose of learning. Suggestions for further studies are also provided.

Quality of Nutrition Environments, Menus and Foods Served, and Food Program Achievement in Oklahoma Family Child Care Homes

Child care environments foster children’s healthy eating habits by providing exposure to healthy foods and feeding practices. We assessed the healthfulness of nutrition environments, menu/meal quality, and the achievement of Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) guidelines and best practices in Oklahoma CACFP-enrolled family child care homes (FCCHs) (n = 51). Two-day classroom observations were conducted. Healthfulness of classroom nutrition environments was assessed using the Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation (EPAO). Foods served to and consumed by children were quantified using the Dietary Observations in Child Care (DOCC) tool. Nutrient analysis was performed to determine total energy for foods listed on menus, served to, and consumed by children. Menu and meal food variety and CACFP Guideline Achievement Scores were determined. Average nutrition environment score was 11.7 ± 1.2 (61.5% of maximum possible score). Energy (kcals) from menus and consumed by children was insufficient to meet two-thirds of their daily reference intake. Children were exposed to 1.7 vegetables and 1.3 fruits per meal. CACFP Guideline Achievement Scores were 66.3% ± 7.8 for menus and 59.3% ± 7.6 for mealtimes. Similar to previous research, our findings indicate a need for improved FCCH nutrition practices. Tailored interventions for FCCHs are needed.

The Teaching of General College Physics in Jolo

The purpose of this study is to record, examine and describe the common teaching strategies employed by college faculty members teaching general college physics in the five colleges in Jolo and to know as well what combination of teaching strategy employed by physics teacher in Jolo enhances achievement scores of students. Likewise, the evaluation on the learning facilities used in teaching physics was also taken into consideration. The study utilized the descriptive method of research and the normative survey technique was used for data gathering Purposive sampling was utilized and the respondents taken were composed of all faculty members handling college physics subjects and their respective students enrolled during the second semester of school year 2010 to 2011. The findings showed that the top three most common teaching strategies employed by teachers in teaching general college physics in Jolo are: problem solving, lecture, and board work. These strategies enhanced achievement scores of students. On the other hand, as far as learning facilities are concerned they were inadequate as most important equipment and tools necessary in the teaching of physics subjects were not available and if existing they were not functioning. However, despite the inadequacy of learning facilities, majority of the students have higher probability of passing the course based on their midterm exam. It is highly recommended that physics teachers must be exposed to various teaching strategies in order for them to be abreast with the latest methods in teaching physics. Furthermore, administrators are urged to upgrade school laboratories by procuring equipment, materials and other learning facilities indispensably needed in the teaching of general college physics.

Predicting Physics Achievement of 11th - grade Students through Critical and Logical Thinking Skills

The purpose of this study was to measure the extent to which critical thinking skills and logical thinking skills predicted the achievement in physics of 11th - grade students in Gaza. To this end, (215) students participated in the study. California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) and Test of Logical Thinking (TOLT), were used as data collection tools in the study. Data were analyzed by multiple stepwise regression analysis. Results indicated that the students’ scores of probabilistic reasoning and proportional reasoning (as logical thinking skills), and inference (as critical thinking skill) were significant predictors of physics achievement scores, explaining (15.7%) of the variance of physics achievement scores. In addition, findings indicated that the best predictor was probabilistic reasoning, explaining (9.2 %) of the variance. The study recommended that a physics curriculum should involve thinking skills, which predict students’ achievement in physics.

Dual Language Instruction: Teaching Civics in Three Public Primary Schools in Tanzania

It is a widely shared hypothesis in Tanzania among educators and the general public that low academic achievement scores are typically due to pupils’ deficiencies in English comprehension. Although in most public primary schools kiSwahili is the language of instruction, while a select few use English, there is evidence showing that even where monolingual instruction is on offer in Tanzania, lessons are held most of the time in both languages concurrently. Much of the research into dual language instruction is driven by the question of whether using English as the language of instruction is superior to using another language, leaving open the question of whether learning in both kiSwahili and English concurrently delivers a better pedagogical result than classroom usage of either language in isolation from the other. In this study, experimenting with the use of Dual Language Instruction (DLI) in three public primary schools indicates that when students are taught in two languages they perform better on tests than those who receive the same lesson content through monolingual instruction.

SUMMATIVE EVALUATION SCORE IN HALAL NUTRITION COURSE: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF WRITTEN REPORT AND WRITTEN TEST

Summative assessment is a type of assessment that is commonly used in the teaching and learning process of an academic course. Nevertheless, the variety of summative assessment methods prevalently exhibits different levels of achievement. The objective of this study was to compare academic achievement scores involving summative assessment in halal nutrition courses. The study involved final year students of a halal nutrition course at the diploma level (n = 65) at Universiti Teknologi MARA. Statistical comparisons through t-test was made using IBM SPSS Statistics software. The results of the analysis showed significant differences in the Written Report (M = 24.02, SD = 2.32) compared to the Written Test (M = 23.22, SD = 2.53) with; t(64) = 1.999, ρ = 0.05. In conclusion, this study suggests that the achievement of the Written Report is higher than the Written Test is due to the support of ICT as an online learning facility.

The Effects of Non-Digital Game-Based Learning on Students’ Mathematical Perspectives and Achievements

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of non-digital game-based learning approach by assessing the students’ achievement score differences of the pre-test with the post-test on the topic of multiplication and division with indices. A paired sample t-test was used to investigate whether there is a significant difference in the students’ achievements after implementing the non-digital game-based learning intervention. A total of 35 students from two Year 9 classes in one of the secondary schools in Brunei Darussalam were involved in the study. Another aim of this study is also to investigate on the students’ perspectives on using non-digital game-based learning approach in their learning process. This was analysed through the questionnaire and interviews. The results showed that the integration of non-digital game-based learning in the mathematics lesson did have a positive effect on the students’ achievement scores. More than half of the students believed that the game has helped them to improve their skills.

Rekonstruksi Desain Kegiatan Laboratorium Kurikulum KTSP dan K-13 Pada Materi Ekosistem Untuk Mengembangkan HOTS Siswa

This study aims to analyze 4 (four) aspects in the Design of Laboratory Activities (DKL/Worksheet) on concept of ecosystem components and echological intearction in different curricula (KTSP 2006 and K-13), which could become a reference in reconstructing new Worksheet. The four aspects tested were relevance to the curriculum, competence, knowledge construction and practical aspect. The instrument developed in this study was a descriptive table refering to the Vee Diagram. This reserach used a qualitative descriptive method and all sampels of worksheets were collected using purposive sampling from various sources. The data were analyzed based on the percentage of total scores gained in the rubric and were categorized based on the tabel of validity criteria.The steps of the research were conducting trial practicum, analyzing worksheets and reconstructing new worksheet. The results showed (1) only the practical aspect fulfilled to the criteria of quite valid, while the others were still less valid. (2) In general, the achievement scores of Worksheets in KTSP 2006 were higher than those of Worksheet in K-13, due to lower Basic Competencies demands. Furthermore, new Worksheet was constructed which is expected to be able to be qualified to the 4 concepts tested.

Effect of assessment for learning method on students’ academic achievement in carpentry and joinery in technical colleges

The problem of the study. The conventional assessment methods used in evaluating the academic achievement of students have been saddled with deficiencies. Research methods. This study examined the effect of assessment for learning method on students’ academic achievement in carpentry and joinery works in technical colleges in Edo and Delta States, Nigeria using quasi-experimental research design. The population for this study comprised of 430 students and the sample size was 68 vocational II carpentry and joinery students from two intact classes randomly drawn from the 12 technical colleges in Edo and Delta States. The instrument used for data collection was Carpentry and Joinery Works Achievement Test (CJWAT) developed by the researcher from NBTE curriculum. The instrument was tested by three experts. The reliability of CJWAT was calculated using Kuder Richardson formulae 21 (KR-21) and a reliability coefficient of .78 was achieved. Mean and standard deviation were used to address study questions whereas one-way and two-way Covariance Analysis (ANCOVA) were used to evaluate hypotheses at a .05 level of significance. Results. The study's findings revealed that the learning method assessment (9.43) had a higher achievement score than the traditional method of assessment (5.25), indicating that the learning method assessment had a greater impact on student achievement in carpentry and carpentry than the traditional method of assessment. One-way ANCOVA result, F(1,77) = 56.75, p = .000 indicates a significant difference between the two assessment methods with regards to students’ achievement in carpentry and joinery trade. Female students (9.34) find the Assessment for Learning Method to be marginally more effective than male students (9.30). On the other hand, the Two-way ANCOVA result, F(1,75) = 1.83, p = .180 shows no significant difference between the academic achievement scores in carpentry and joinery trade of the students’ based on gender. It is therefore concluded that there is a significant difference between the mean achievement scores of students assessed with Assessment for Learning method and those assesses with the conventional assessment method in favour of assessment for learning method and no significant difference between the mean achievement scores of male and female students assessed with assessment for learning method at post-test. Conclusion. It was proposed, among other items, that the government and all stakeholders organize and fund seminars, conferences and workshops for technical teachers on a regular basis to attend and learn how to adopt assessment for learning method in educational institutions through the application of rubrics and portfolios.

The Effects of Bringing Interesting Materials into the Classroom on 4th Grade Students’ Mathematics Achievement: A Comparative Study Using TIMSS Data

The aim of this study is examining the relationship between student achievement and bringing interesting materials to the classroom in 4th grade mathematics in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and Singapore. This study used TIMSS 2015 data to investigate the relationship between student achievement and bringing interesting materials to the classroom in 4th grade mathematics. The frequency of bringing interesting materials to the classroom is the independent variable and student achievement scores is the dependent variable of this study. The study selected four countries, each from different proficiency levels according to the TIMSS 2015 mathematics result, to see if bringing interesting materials to classrooms has different effects in different countries. SPSS in conjunction with the IDB analyzer tool, developed by International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), were used to analyze data. The result shows that a significant relationship between frequency of bringing interesting materials and student achievement in 4th grade. In addition, the study found that bringing interesting materials explains 3% of mathematics achievement in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey; however it does not explain any portion of student achievement in Singapore.