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Full-Text Articles in Education

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (Wels): Fall, 2005, Baseline Survey Of In-Coming Freshmen, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney, Richard Bulcroft, Sara Jones Apr 2006

Western Educational Longitudinal Study (Wels): Fall, 2005, Baseline Survey Of In-Coming Freshmen, Gary (Gary Russell) Mckinney, Richard Bulcroft, Sara Jones

Office of Institutional Effectiveness

INTRODUCTION The Western Educational Longitudinal Study (WELS) was conceived as a process to obtain data more relevant to Western and its mission than survey data had been able to obtain previously. Rather than continuing to rely on outside survey forms, researchers developed a Western-specific survey form. Development of this survey took about three years, with researchers soliciting input from dozens of individuals, departments and offices. Along the way, WELS researchers also noted where data was already being collected so that doubling up on survey questions was minimized. The final survey form was considered by all participants to be as thorough …


Asian Students’ Perceptions Of Group Work And Group Assignments In A New Zealand Tertiary Institution, Jacqui Campbell, Mingsheng Li Jan 2006

Asian Students’ Perceptions Of Group Work And Group Assignments In A New Zealand Tertiary Institution, Jacqui Campbell, Mingsheng Li

EDU-COM International Conference

Globalisation, cultural diversity, and structural reconfiguration in organisations of all types, have led to academics in New Zealand tertiary institutions embracing changes in their course delivery approaches. One of these changes is the emphasis on collaborative learning, featuring group work and group assignments. This study examines Asian students‘ perceptions of the much-promulgated collaborative learning concepts in the form of group work and group assignments. The research was conducted in 2005 in a New Zealand tertiary institution. Twenty-two Asian students participated in one-hour individual semi-structured interviews. The study found that Asian students valued highly the significance of classroom group discussions where …


Perceptions Of The Value Of Problem-Based Learning Among Students With Special Needs And Their Teachers, Brian Robert Belland, P. A. Ertmer, K. D. Simons Jan 2006

Perceptions Of The Value Of Problem-Based Learning Among Students With Special Needs And Their Teachers, Brian Robert Belland, P. A. Ertmer, K. D. Simons

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

While problem-based learning (PBL) has been found to be effective with gifted and average students (Hmelo-Silver, 2004), little is known about its impact on students with special needs. This study examines the perceptions of middle-school students with mild, moderate, and severe disabilities and of their teachers regarding the value of participating in a PBL unit. The unit focused on the physical accessibility of a low-SES, rural community where the students’ school was located.We used the constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) to analyze interview data, and used observation data and artifacts to triangulate interview comments. Among the noteworthy findings …


Student Perceptions Of Diversity Issues In It, Amy B. Woszczynski, Martha Myers, Janette Moody Jan 2006

Student Perceptions Of Diversity Issues In It, Amy B. Woszczynski, Martha Myers, Janette Moody

Faculty and Research Publications

This study examines student perceptions regarding the desirability of diversity in the IT workplace. Several diversity variables were included: age, disability status, ethnicity, and gender. Participants included upper division students with declared majors in IT fields, as well as upper division students enrolled in an Accounting Information Systems course. We analyzed their perceptions in relation to diversity, along with distinguishing factors influencing the choice of IT as a career. We administered the Diversity Perceptions Inventory (DPI) to 162 undergraduate students from three institutions. Using multivariate analysis of variance, we found no significant differences in a number of areas: gender, age, …