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An essential skill for STEM undergraduates is the ability to understand the world by manipulating, visualizing, and analyzing data to make or evaluate claims. Current online debate, without peer-reviewed literature, explores which of two common R syntax environments (base R or tidyverse) is best for teaching novice R users. In an in-person undergraduate course on evolutionary biology, we implemented two coding curricula: one using base R (n = 49 students) and the other using tidyverse (n = 58 students). We compared these two curricula using several dimensions of student success: interpretation of syntax, creation of appropriate data visualizations and analyses, and an absence of sex bias in performance. A linear model revealed prior experience had the largest estimated effect, followed by syntax environment; sex had the smallest effect. Pedagogical approaches that ensure students have repeated opportunities for practice and that implement techniques to overcome student frustration and anxiety are likely more important than syntax environment when learning coding in biology classes. Furthermore, the small effect of sex combined with the high proportion of females in the biological sciences suggests introducing computer programming in biology may allow females to discover interest and ability that they may not have had if computer programming was the sole propriety of computer science departments.

In order to compensate for a demise in New Zealand's pre-service teacher training, particularly in health and physical education (HPE), a work-integrated learning (WIL) course was added to a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise curriculum. This exploratory research provides insights into the outcomes of twenty-nine final year undergraduate PE students' involvement in teaching, coaching and management of school sports events and activities. The impact of initiatives resulted in enhanced participation, opportunities and engagement in physical education and sport activity for a range of children. Themes emerged from content analysis of student perceptions of individual's learning outcomes. WIL opportunities enabled students to build self-efficacy and career capability despite the COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns. Findings indicated that from the students' perspectives, school-based initiatives enriched career capability, whilst also requiring adaptability, flexibility and resilience. The WIL experience enabled development of transferable skills and attributes in preparation for pre-service teacher training.

Young people's confidence in their creative abilities, as well as their beliefs about whether these abilities are fixed or malleable, play potentially important roles in educators' efforts to foster creativity. This study explores a multidimensional model of young people's creative self-beliefs that comprises creative self-efficacy, growth-creative mindsets, and fixed-creative mindsets. It operationalizes and tests this model via a new three-factor instrument appropriate for young samples. Drawing on data from 2980 children and adolescents (mean age 12-13 years), confirmatory factor analysis established the construct validity of the scales, and hence, the multidimensional concepts underpinning creative self-beliefs. All measures evinced suitable levels of reliability, and invariance analysis supported configural, metric, and scalar invariance across gender, language background, and school type. Findings supported the convergent and divergent validity of scales against Big Five (openness and conscientiousness) personality measures. Implications of this three-factor creative self-beliefs model for researchers, educational practitioners, and youth are discussed.

This investigation comprised two studies that sought to identify the role of COVID-related disruptions in Australian university students' academic motivation and engagement. Study 1 involved a dataset of 500 university students and examined the links between COVID-19 pandemic disruptions (remote and hybrid learning modes, lockdown, isolation) and students' adaptive (e.g., planning and monitoring) and maladaptive (e.g., disengagement) dimensions of the Motivation and Engagement Scale (MES). Study 2 compared the mean motivation and engagement of Study 1 participants with mean levels from four published pre-COVID-19 Australian studies (N = 55, N = 233, N = 420, N = 941 university students) that also used the MES. Study 1 showed that lockdown and isolation (and not remote/hybrid learning) were associated with problematic motivation and engagement--with lockdown and isolation effects particularly noteworthy for maladaptive motivation and engagement. Study 2 showed that relative to the four pre-COVID-19 samples, the COVID-19 pandemic sample experienced difficulties with motivation and engagement, and again particularly so on maladaptive dimensions.

Background: While there has been a strong national and international emphasis on social inclusion over the past 15 years, many people with intellectual disabilities remain socially isolated in their communities. Mobile technology has the potential to support social inclusion and there is great interest among adults with intellectual disabilities in using technologies such as computers, smartphones, tablets and the internet. This study aimed to investigate the use of mobile technology by people with intellectual disabilities, and its capacity to improve their social inclusion. Methods: Data were collected using individual interview, group interviews or interviews using Photovoice with 32 adults with intellectual disabilities and analysed using inductive content analysis. Findings: Findings indicated that adults with intellectual disabilities use various mobile technology and apps for multiple purposes, including social activities, work, support, productivity, navigation and entertainment. Enabling inclusion, increasing convenience and accessibility were viewed as advantages of mobile technology, while disadvantages were related to social issues and dangers resulting from the use of mobile technology and the practical limitations and ubiquitous nature of mobile technology. Barriers to using mobile technology included having limited access to the technology itself in certain contexts and difficulties with its use. Receiving support from others and awareness of safety measures enabled the use of mobile technology among the participants. To facilitate the use of mobile technology among people with intellectual disabilities, there needs to be greater education about this and other technologies including their features, design and apps. Importantly, people with intellectual disabilities need to be involved in the design of apps. Conclusions: To fully harness the potential of using mobile technology for the purpose of developing social relationships and sense of belonging in the community, people with intellectual disabilities should be supported in developing an awareness of the limitations of mobile technology and practicing appropriate safety measures.

Motivation and instruction are two major substantive domains in educational psychology. Theory and research relevant to each of these domains tend to be diffuse and fragmented. This presents challenges for scholars and practitioners seeking to implement parsimonious and cohesive approaches to help students to learn. This review articulates a two-step integration process that is an illustrative effort towards tackling these challenges and unifying two psycho-educational domains: intra-domain integration (within each of motivation and instruction) and inter-domain integration (between motivation and instruction). With respect to motivation, the Motivation and Engagement Wheel (Martin, 2007) is presented as an example of intra-domain integration of key facets of motivation (Step 1a). With respect to instruction, Load Reduction Instruction (LRI; Martin, 2016; Martin & Evans, 2018) is an example of intra-domain integration of explicit instruction and guided independent learning (Step 1b). The review then proposes an inter-domain integration of motivation and instruction (Step 2), arguing that each domain is tied to the other. The joint operation of intra- and inter-domain integration of motivation and instruction holds potential for more coherent theorizing, measurement, and practical application.

We used latent profile analysis to identify major behavioral self-regulation profiles among children who were assessed as developmentally vulnerable in terms of hyperactivity and inattention. We examined three domains of behavioral regulation: (a) cognitive--behavioral regulation by way of learning behaviors; (b) social-behavioral regulation by way of socially responsible behaviors; and (c) emotional-behavioral regulation by way of aggressive-disruptive behaviors. We employed data from the population of New South Wales (NSW) children who were in their first year of school (viz., kindergarten) and who had been assessed as developmentally vulnerable in terms of hyperactivity and inattention in the Australian Early Development Census in 2009 (Cohort 1; N = 10,223) and 2012 (Cohort 2; N = 9,360). In both cohorts, we identified six similar profiles: the "well-regulated" (12%), "moderately-regulated" (25%), "aggressive-regulated" (7%), "mixed-unregulated" (32%), "nonaggressive-unregulated" (10%), and "aggressive-unregulated profiles" (14%). Sociodemographic characteristics were significantly associated with profile membership. For Cohort 1, we also found that the profiles differed in the extent to which children went on to receive a formal Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. Together, the findings have implications for early intervention for various behavioral self-regulation profiles among developmentally vulnerable children.

The present study examined the associations between school-average teacher well-being (emotional exhaustion and behavioral engagement) and school-average student achievement (literacy and numeracy) among a sample of 486 teachers in 39 elementary schools. Multilevel structural equation modelling was used to assess a two-level model, with teachers at level 1 (L1) and schools at level 2 (L2). Results revealed a significant negative association between school-level emotional exhaustion and school-level academic achievement, such that schools with higher levels of emotional exhaustion among teachers were also lower in school-average student achievement. School-level behavioral engagement among teachers was not significantly associated with school-level student achievement; however, the effect size was large highlighting the need for additional research with greater power at L2 (school-level) to examine this further. These findings hold important implications for the way in which emotional exhaustion is addressed among staff at a whole-school level and extends prior knowledge of the role teachers play in school-level academic achievement.

Students' out-of-school science participation has been identified as a factor that supports adaptive science outcomes. Researchers have largely investigated students' out-of-school science participation in terms of structured science activities (e.g., attending a science camp), with far less consideration of how students' involvement in unstructured out-of-school science activities (e.g., using at-home science kits) may also be associated with students' aspirations and achievement in science. Research in this area has established a conceptual framework by which activities can be categorized by the activity's level of interaction (i.e., whether receptive or active). Although this conceptual framework is useful to understand the types of unstructured activities in which students engage, this research has tended to overlook the fact that students often participate in more than one out-of-school unstructured activity. The present investigation addressed this dearth of research by examining the extent to which different typologies of student participation in out-of-school receptive and active unstructured activities existed. The study also examined if these profiles were uniquely associated with students' aspirations and achievement in science above and beyond the effects of their current level of in-school participation. The study employed a latent class analysis of N = 996 Australian high school students (40.60% girls) from six schools serving predominately above average socioeconomic status Australian high school students. Four distinct profiles of out-of-school participation in unstructured activities were found: Optimal, Receptive, Active, and Minimal Out-of-School Participation (OSP). The Optimal OSP and Receptive OSP profiles were associated with the higher aspirations (beyond students' in-school participation), and both were significantly higher than the Active OSP and Minimal OSP profiles. Students' in-school participation was most strongly associated with students' achievement. These findings suggest that encouraging students' participation in unstructured activities, especially receptive unstructured activities, and their in-school participation may be viable avenues by which to improve students' science aspirations and achievement.

Objectives: In the USA, 18% of school-aged young people are classified as obese, and rural populations appear to be particularly at risk. Achieving high levels of fitness reduces the risk of obesity and underlying health conditions. To better understand youth obesity trends and fitness levels, annual fitness testing ([FT], that is, surveillance) in schools has been recommended. Although many K-12 schools conduct FT, surveillance programmes that compile unified standardised test results are rare. Design: Qualitative design. Setting: Physical education teachers from 11 schools (n = 13; n = 4 men) participated in remote training about conducting FitnessGram FT. Methods: Data included two semi-structured interviews per teacher on experiences with distance fitness training, implementing FitnessGram, and data entry for annual surveillance. Results: Inductive analysis using axial and open coding identified four themes--(1) barriers prior to study, (2) study training, (3) implementation challenges and suggestions and (4) teacher feedback. Teachers had an interest in FT but lacked the recommended training and equipment needed to implement it annually. Conclusion: Teachers believed the training they received (as part of this study) prepared them to collect reliable and valid data, and that FT had benefits for their students and programmes. Every teacher expressed interest in reporting annual surveillance data. Efforts to train teachers for FT through virtual professional development may be a viable means of establishing a unified surveillance system.

This paper examines how five students within a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise university WIL course developed learning opportunities that resulted in WIL being moved from the workplace to create authentic online initiatives during the COVID-19 restrictions. This exploratory research provides insights into the students' learning outcomes from creating online WIL initiatives that developed and promoted activities for a range of stakeholders involved in sport organizations, schools, and fitness industry businesses. The impact of these initiatives resulted in enhanced participation opportunities and engagement in physical activity for a range of sport teams, school children, and fitness clients. Themes are presented from content analysis of student perceptions of individual's learning outcomes from moving WIL online. The findings indicated that from the students' perspective, their online initiatives enriched capability but required adaptability, flexibility, and resilience. The period of online WIL also enabled the development of transferable skills and graduate attributes.

Universities globally have continued to strategically increase work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities for students to enhance graduate employability. However, meeting the needs of the increasing number of placements in industry settings places challenges on employers and academic programme coordinators. This paper examines an innovative teaching and learning initiative demonstrating non-placement WIL practice on-campus and online through an exercise prescription clinic (EPC). The benefits provided by these opportunities have not only been for student learning, but for clients, in particular those impacted by neurological and/or muscular skeletal problems. The development of the on-campus EPC has focused on key elements of good practice in WIL highlighted by Agnew, Pill and Orrell (2017). The recent Covid-19 pandemic and the related government restrictions have resulted in the on-campus EPC being flipped online, requiring adaptability and flexibility of both students and clients. This paper reinforces the importance of developing WIL experiences that enhance the learning outcomes for both the student and the client. It also highlights the transferability of authentic industry non-placement WIL clinical experiences for future health professionals to both on-campus and online settings, which enable students the opportunity to engage with a range of clients in a safe environment, enhancing both personal and professional learning outcomes.

Positive psychosocial adjustment is considered critical to adaptive student development and academic growth. Theories of positive youth development argue that psychosocial adjustment is a form of thriving and can be understood via multiple academic indicators, including achievement. To better understand the factors that support students' psychosocial adjustment, the present investigation took a resource-based approach, examining intrapersonal (i.e., coping) and interpersonal (i.e., parent support, school belonging) resources. The present investigation used multilevel latent profile analysis to identify how resource levels differed by student groups and whether these differences were associated with divergent achievement outcomes at both the student and school levels-something that prior variable-centered research has been unable to capture. The present investigation examined data from the 2018 Australian PISA cohort (N = 10,997, clustered in 662 schools). Results of the single-level LPA indicated that there were five distinct resource profiles. Students in the Multi-Resourced and Intra-Oriented Resources profiles had the highest levels of achievement, indicating a preponderance of intrapersonal resources may be critical to achievement. Results of the multilevel LPA indicated that there were two distinct school profiles: Supportive versus Unsupportive Adjustment School Climate profiles. The Supportive Adjustment School Climate profile was characterized by a higher proportion of Multi-Resourced, and Intra-Oriented Resources student profiles and had higher school-average achievement. Taken together, findings indicate that teacher and schools may consider implementing programs that specifically focus on building students' intrapersonal resources (i.e., coping). Additionally, policymakers may consider how to better support schools in their implementation of evidence-based programs that support intrapersonal resources.

The present longitudinal study examined the reciprocal relationships among students' academic buoyancy, their perceptions of school support (learning support, teacher relational support, school belonging, and classroom management), and their motivation and engagement (perseverance, perceived competence, valuing of school) across 1 year of school. Using information from a large sample of secondary school students (Grades 7-11) in New South Wales, Australia (N = 71,681 students, K = 292 schools), the current study examined a series of single-level (students) and doubly-latent multilevel (students and schools) cross-lagged structural equation models. At the student level, results revealed a reciprocal relationship among students' sense of school belonging and academic buoyancy. There were also several significant directional paths at the student level, such that academic buoyancy predicted students' motivation, engagement, and perceptions of school support 1 year later. At the school level, there were no significant reciprocal effects, but there were significant directional effects such that schools with higher average classroom management and school belonging tended to also have higher average academic buoyancy 1 year later. These findings contribute to ongoing research into ways researchers and educators may support and optimize student- and whole-school academic buoyancy.

This research is based on the T-shaped professional model (Gardner, 2017), which advocates developing a breadth of knowledge and skills, and exhibiting boundary-spanning competencies such as teamwork, communication, organizational perspective and networks. This paper describes a thematic content analysis of 271 students' reflections about their main tasks during their sport management and coaching work-integrated learning (WIL) placements. The findings highlight a breadth and depth of WIL activity, which reinforces the notion of developing T-shaped professionals (Gardner, 2017), who are characterized by their deep disciplinary knowledge in at least one area (e.g., event management), and their ability to function as 'adaptive innovators' across boundaries between disciplines (e.g., various business activities). In developing students as 'reflective practitioners', a key finding is the importance of the WIL learning process that facilitates reflective work-based experiences. It provides an ideal environment for encouraging the individual student to develop self-efficacy, analytical, systems and critical thinking skills, and a problem-solving mind-set/approach.

This article reports of a study of workplace supervision and student experiences and outcomes through insights from semi-structured interviews with 21 graduates who had previously supervised work placement students. The study focused on questions framed from the perspective of the interviewees' work placement experiences as a student and then as a supervisor (e.g., impact, motivation, insights for future students/supervisors, and graduate attributes). The findings from this study indicate importance of workplace supervisors setting expectations and engaging in initial planning and organizing for effective management of the work placement. Findings also suggest that the supervising can usefully take the form of mentoring, and that this provides the supervisor with professional development in self-management, effective communication and leadership. Implications for future WIL practice include utilizing workplace supervisors, particularly those who are themselves WIL graduates, to help further enhance student WIL experiences, learning outcomes, and legacies.

Portfolios are widely used to document and assess professional development in tertiary teaching. This paper examines a self-reflective approach to critically evaluating practice and developing an evidence-based teaching portfolio through an emergent, evolving continuum of initial, life-story biography, evocative auto-ethnography and, finally, analytical auto-ethnography. This learning journey of a work-integrated-learning (WIL) academic supervisor highlights the development of an effective 'reflective practitioner' through a cyclical experiential learning process of 'learning through reflection on doing'. An holistic flexible approach to teaching and supervision is presented, that advocates student centered course design and facilitates strategies to engage and enhance students' learning. Effective leadership and mentoring utilizing coaching strategies and the development of intuitive good practice through peer feedback aim to improve the quality of tertiary teaching practice in WIL, and result in better scaffolding of student learning outcomes, enhanced self-efficacy and employability and a breadth and depth of graduate attributes.

Work-integrated learning (WIL) has attracted considerable attention as an instrument for enhancing professional practice and developing work-readiness in graduates. It is widely considered as a point of difference in developing graduate employability by enhancing skill outcomes through an authentic learning experience. This paper focuses on student insights of the added value of WIL and their development of personal and professional graduate attributes. Thematic content analysis was undertaken of students' reflections (n=271) of their perceived learning outcomes and overall experiences from their sport management and coaching WIL experiences at Massey University, New Zealand. The findings show that enjoyment, achievement and reinforcing career decisions added value to the student's experiences. Gratitude for the support and mentoring of workplace and academic supervisors was also evident. Development of personal attributes involving self-management, enterprise, and effective communication were important learning outcomes. Professional development of a community of practice and leadership responsibilities were also highlighted.

The present investigation examined the role of teachers' instructional support (student reports of relevance, organization and clarity, feedback-feedforward) in predicting students' growth goal setting and, in turn, the roles of instructional support and growth goal setting in predicting students' academic engagement (perseverance, aspirations, school attendance, homework behavior). Also examined was the question of whether the relationship between students' background attributes and engagement is moderated by their growth goal setting (e.g., whether growth goal setting attenuates negative effects of low socioeconomic status). The sample comprised N = 61,879 students in grades 7-10 from schools across New South Wales, Australia. The results of structural equation modeling showed that perceived instructional relevance and feedback-feedforward from teachers positively predicted students' growth goal setting; that growth goal setting predicted gains in students' perseverance, aspirations, and homework behavior; and that growth goal setting significantly mediated the relationship between perceived instructional support and engagement. Additionally, growth goal setting appeared to significantly bolster some outcomes for low achieving students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. These findings add to the growing body of literature about the positive role of growth goal setting in students' outcomes and provide direction for educational practice.

Two-stage exams have gained traction in education as a means of creating collaborative active-learning experiences in the classroom in a manner that advances learning, positively increases student engagement, and reduces test anxiety. Published analyses have focused almost exclusively on the increase in student scores from the first individual stage to the second collaboration stage and have shown clear positive effects on gains in student scores. Missing from these analyses is a comprehensive evaluation of the effects of individual preparation, the characteristics of questions, and small group composition on the outcomes two-stage exams. I developed a simple quantitative framework that provides a flexible approach for estimating and evaluating the effects of individuals, questions, and groups on student performance. Additionally, the framework yields statistics appropriate for making inferences about productive collaboration, consensus-building, and counter-productive interaction that happens within small groups. Analyses of 12 exams across two courses and 2 years using the quantitative framework revealed considerable variation for all three of these effects within and among exams. Overall, the results highlight the value of quantitative estimation of two-stage exams for gaining perspective on the effects of individuals, questions, and groups on student performance, and facilitates data-driven revision of assessments, curricula, and teaching strategies towards achieving gains in students' collaborative skills.

Student engagement in mathematics in the early secondary years can be fragile. Engagement in learning fluctuates in response to students' mathematics experiences and is underpinned by numerous adaptive and maladaptive factors. Thirty-seven 11-12 year old students (grades 6-7) responded twice to a questionnaire to measure shifts in their engagement and motivation over a 1-year period as they transitioned from primary to secondary school. When plotted on spider graphs, the results of specific adaptive and maladaptive factors visually demonstrate "in and out" movements as students' engagement levels shifted from time 1 to time 2. Subsequent semistructured interviews complemented questionnaire data by eliciting student beliefs about their achievement, feelings and behaviours towards mathematics. Interview data shed light on the reasons for individual student shifts in motivation and engagement during the transition. Together, data reveal four unique engagement/achievement characteristics. Significantly, students who were more alike in terms of their engagement reported similar factor patterns regardless of their achievement level. Findings draw attention to the importance of addressing mathematics engagement for students of all achievement levels.

Among a sample of 2,071 Australian high school students nested within 188 science classrooms, the present study explored the role of science teachers' "load reduction instruction" (LRI; instruction that seeks to reduce cognitive load by appropriately balancing explicit instruction with guided autonomy) in student- and classroom-level science engagement and the role of engagement in student- and classroom-level science achievement. Using doubly latent multilevel structural equation modeling, results showed that, at the student- and classroom-level, student reports of their teacher's LRI was significantly and positively associated with self-reported engagement, and engagement was significantly and positively associated with achievement. Thus, (a) LRI was associated with greater individual student engagement, that in turn was associated with greater individual student achievement in science, and (b) beyond student-level effects, LRI was associated with greater classroom engagement that in turn was associated with greater classroom achievement. We also found that the association between LRI and achievement was mediated by engagement. Implications for educational practice in science are discussed.

Background: Mobile technology has the potential to assist adults with intellectual disabilities to initiate and maintain social connections in important areas of their lives, such as family, friends and work/volunteering. Method: The present study investigated how specific aspects of mobile device/app use are associated with the social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities. The study also examined what background attributes were associated with particular patterns of mobile device/app use and social inclusion. Results: The findings revealed that the use of mobile technology among adults with intellectual disabilities was positively associated with their social inclusion with family, friends and work/volunteering. There were also some key background attributes associated with participants' use of mobile technology and the extent to which mobile technology assisted their social inclusion. Conclusions: Implications for practice and policy are discussed.

There is much research into teachers' workplace wellbeing, but very little research investigating teacher assistants' wellbeing in the workplace -- especially those who work in classrooms where students with a disability are present. Research among teachers has identified adaptability as a key to their workplace wellbeing. Following this research, among a sample of 128 teacher assistants who work in classrooms where students with a disability are present, we explored four workplace wellbeing outcomes (workplace enjoyment, participation, self-concept, and motivation) and the role of adaptability in predicting these wellbeing outcomes. Hierarchical path analysis showed that teacher assistants who were adaptable demonstrated significantly higher workplace enjoyment, participation, self-concept, and motivation. Findings suggest workplace adaptability as a critical element of workplace wellbeing for teacher assistants who support students with disability.