Education Commons^™

Utilizing Mixed Methods In Teaching Environments To Reduce Statistics Anxiety, Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Nancy L. Leech, Mari Murtonen, Juhani Tähtinen

Nancy Leech

Many students deem statistics courses to be the most difficult in their programs of study, providing mostly negative experiences characterized by high levels of anxiety. Recent research on statistics anxiety has identified several teacher characteristics that help reduce students’ statistics anxiety levels. However, little attention has been placed on the role that the research-based curriculum plays in reducing anxiety levels. Thus, the present paper introduces a curricular framework for alleviating students’ negative feelings towards statistics. Building on the works of Onwuegbuzie and Leech (2004, 2005a), we contend that the best way to accomplish this is by eliminating statistics courses from …

Students' Voices : Learning With Technologies : Students' Expectations About Learning With Technologies : A Literature Review, Kathryn Moyle, Susanne Owen

Professor Kathryn Moyle

This literature review is concerned with studies published since 2002 that take the perspectives of students in relation to learning with information and communication technologies. Students in schools, vocational education and training and in preservice teacher education, as well as early career teachers and other higher education students are included. The review examines published literature to: ascertain what recent research has already been undertaken in the field within Australia and overseas; ascertain the research methods used to underpin existing research; determine the gaps in existing knowledge; and consider the implications for determining what next steps could be undertaken. [Executive summary, …

Monitoring And Improving Student Engagement, Ali Radloff, Hamish Coates

Ali Radloff

Higher education is a co-produced activity. The time and effort students devote to learning and broader developmental activities is critical for productivity and the quality of outcomes. This chapter looks at how Australian universities monitor students' engagement in education, and reviews empirical insights relevant to emerging policy directions. It discusses how institutions can respond to new and emerging patterns of engagement, and approaches that institutions are using to improve how students learn and what they achieve.

Peer Relationships In The Mathematics Classroom : A Social Network Approach To Understanding Anxiety And Motivation, Sarah Buckley

Dr Sarah Buckley

The influence of the social context on learning and the motivation to learn are neglected areas of educational research. Peer relationships, particularly in early adolescence, are an important part of this social context and shape school development. In the present project, a social network approach was adopted to explore peer influences on adolescent students' motivation and anxiety in mathematics. Two types of relationships were investigated – time spent between peers in class and specific help-seeking interactions. Two hundred and twenty-three Year 8 students from two schools completed measures of mathematics anxiety and motivation, and a social network questionnaire. Social Influence …

Are Learning Technologies Making A Difference? A Longitudinal Perspective Of Attitudes, Katherine Dix

Dr Katherine Dix

Laying The Foundations For Educational Foundations: Working Backward From Evaluation To Preparation., Mark Storz, Cindy Meyer Sabik

Mark G. Storz

Addresses the challenge of asking students to become political within the context of educational foundations. Description of the structure and purpose of foundations courses; Discussion on the goal of the project; Details of the students' assumptions, experiences and understandings of their foundations courses through excerpts of conversations; Reactions and reflections on the interactions and contradictions.

Learning Technologies Project 2000 Student Data : Executive Report, Katherine Dix

Dr Katherine Dix

Measuring Attitude To School With A Latent Trait Model, Geoff Masters, N Hyde

Prof Geoff Masters AO

A latent trait model for rating scales is used to ana lyze responses to an attitude-to-school questionnaire as part of an evaluation of projects operating in 10 West ern Australian schools under the Australian Priority Schools Program. The invariance of item parameter estimates over the 10 schools is examined, and varia tions in item estimates from school to school are stud ied in the light of the different projects operating in these schools. Results show how the investigation of items that do not retain their difficulties from group to group can provide valuable insight into the ways in which calibration …