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In this exploratory descriptive study, we use eye-tracking technology to examine teachers’ visual inspection of Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) progress graphs. More specifically, we examined which elements of the graph received the most visual attention from teachers, and to what extent teachers viewed graph elements in a logical sequence. We also examined whether graph inspection patterns differed for teachers with higher- vs. lower-quality graph descriptions. Participants were 17 fifth- and sixth-grade teachers. Participants described two progress graphs while their eye-movements were registered. In addition, data were collected from an expert to provide a frame of reference for interpreting the teachers’ eye-tracking data. Results revealed that, as a group, teachers devoted less visual attention to important graph elements and inspected the graph elements in a less logical sequence than did the expert, however, there was variability in teachers’ patterns of graph inspection, and this variability was linked to teachers’ abilities to describe the graphs. Directions for future studies and implications for practice are discussed.

To identify adolescents who may be at risk for adverse outcomes, we examined the extent of COVID-19-related concerns reported by adolescents and investigated which prepandemic risk and protective factors predicted these concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dutch adolescents (N = 188; Mage = 13.49, SD = .81) were assessed before the pandemic and at eight and ten months into the pandemic. Results demonstrated that adolescents’ most frequently reported COVID-19-related concerns were about social activities and getting delayed in school. Adolescents that have specific vulnerabilities before the pandemic (i.e., higher stress, maladaptive coping, or internalizing problems) experience more concerns during the pandemic, stressing the importance of guiding and supporting these adolescents in order to prevent adverse developmental outcomes.

Contains fulltext : 236305.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) Chronic stress is associated with dysregulations in the physiological stress system, resulting in diverse negative developmental outcomes. Since adolescence is a period characterized by increased stress-sensitivity, and schools are an important environment for the developing adolescent, school-based interventions promoting psychosocial functioning are of particular interest to prevent adverse outcomes. The present study therefore aimed to investigate the effectiveness of such interventions on hypothalamic pituitary adrenal-axis (i.e., cortisol) and cardiovascular (i.e., blood pressure [BP] and heart rate [HR]/heart rate variability [HRV]) parameters of stress in adolescents, and examined moderators of effectiveness. The search resulted in the inclusion of k = 9 studies for cortisol, k = 16 studies for BP, and k = 20 studies for HR/HRV. The results indicated a significant small overall effect on reducing BP, but no significant effect for HR/HRV. For cortisol, large methodological variation in the few primary studies did not allow for quantitative analyses, but a qualitative review demonstrated inconsistent results. For BP and HR/HRV, larger effects were observed for intervention programs with a mindfulness and/or meditation component, for interventions without a cognitive-behavioural component and for interventions with a higher intensity. Providing adolescents with techniques to improve indicators of physiological stress may prevent emerging mental health problems. 23 p.

This systematic review on massive open online courses (MOOCs) in higher education examinedthe research on the assessment of learning outcomes based on 65 peer-reviewed articles publishedbetween 2017 and 2019. This study aims to investigate the learning outcomes, related instruments,and assessment characteristics of these instruments in MOOCs. Learning outcomes thatwere examined in the studies that were reviewed concerned cognitive, behavioral, and affectivelearning outcomes. Twenty-five types of assessment approaches were employed to examine theseoutcomes and to identify the assessment characteristics. The results indicate that a considerationof the assessment of learning outcomes at the beginning of course design could support theformulation of explicit assessment goals and, in this way, instruct learners to work towardlearning outcomes. A combination of knowledge tests and skill tasks can be used to examinecognitive outcomes in a particular MOOC. Outcome-oriented feedback rubrics are beneficial tosupport learner essay performance and interpretations of the utilization of rubrics could betterguide providers to give peer feedback. A variety of behavioral and affective outcomes reflectmultiple aspects of participant learning in MOOCs, which might contribute to better understandingby teachers and the provision of learning support. Furthermore, assessment tasksthroughout the course may differ in difficulty and complexity, which could align with differentlevels of learner motivation. The findings provide a holistic picture of learning outcomes andrelated assessment instruments in current MOOCs. Curriculum designers and teachers couldbenefit from this study to consider appropriate learning outcome variables and instruments toapply in their MOOC practices. Future research might investigate the motivation of learners toparticipate in a MOOC and how this changes during a MOOC. This could help MOOC designersand teachers to align how learners are motivated, what they want to learn, and what they actuallydo learn.

There does not appear to be consensus on how to optimally match students during the peer feedback process: with same-ability peers (homogeneously) or different-ability peers (heterogeneously). In fact, there appears to be no empirical evidence that either homogeneous or heterogeneous student matching has any direct effect on writing performance. The current study addressed this issue in the context of an academic writing task. Adopting a quasi-experimental design, 94 undergraduate students were matched in 47 homogeneous or heterogeneous reciprocal dyads, and provided anonymous, formative peer feedback on each other’s draft essays. The relations between students’ individual ability or dyad composition, feedback quality and writing performance were investigated. Neither individual ability nor dyad composition directly related to writing performance. Also, feedback quality did not depend on students’ individual ability or dyad composition, although trends in the data suggest that high-ability reviewers provided more content-related feedback. Finally, peer feedback quality was not related to writing performance, and authors of varying ability levels benefited to a similar extent from peer feedback on different aspects of the text. The results are discussed in relation to their implications for the instructional design of academic writing assignments that incorporate peer feedback.

This paper examines how teachers with experience in teaching culturally diverse classes in Dutch secondary schools characterize their teaching practices. Based on analyses of inductive interviews with 13 teachers at three different culturally diverse schools, teaching practices have been clustered into five facets of teaching: (1) fostering the interpersonal relationship with students, (2) preventing and coping with disturbing behavior, (3) fostering social cohesion, (4) stimulating personal development and (5) supporting the learning process. Each facet of teaching was illustrated with general practices and specific examples. Teachers emphasized the interpersonal relation with students. In addition, the results indicate that teachers made different choices in how to take into account cultural differences in their teaching practices. It seems that educational goals and beliefs about diversity and integration affected their choices. The results of this study can be helpful for teacher educators to prepare their students for teaching culturally diverse classes.

Contains fulltext : 209852.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) In dit artikel wordt beschreven hoe docenten met ervaring in onderwijs aan cultuurdiverse klassen van het voortgezet onderwijs rekening houden met de culturele diversiteit van hun leerlingen, welke onderwijsdimensies zij hierbij betrekken, hoe ze hier invulling aan geven en wat hun overwegingen daarbij zijn. Op basis van inductieve analyses van interviews met dertien docenten uit drie cultuurdiverse scholen konden de uitspraken die docenten deden, geclusterd worden tot vijf onderwijsfacetten: (1) bevorderen van de interpersoonlijke relatie met de leerling, (2) voorkomen van en omgaan met ordeverstorend gedrag, (3) bevorderen van sociale cohesie, (4) stimuleren van persoonlijke ontwikkeling en (5) ondersteunen van het leerproces. Bij elk onderwijsfacet zijn beargumenteerde onderwijspraktijken onderscheiden, aangevuld met concrete voorbeelden. De meeste nadruk legden docenten op een goede interpersoonlijke relatie met de leerlingen. Docenten gaven op verschillende manieren invulling aan deze onderwijspraktijken, waarbij onderwijsdoelen op korte of lange termijn en onderliggende opvattingen over diversiteit en integratie leken mee te spelen. Naast deze inzichten, bieden de resultaten van dit onderzoek tevens aanknopingspunten voor lerarenopleidingen om studenten voor te bereiden op onderwijs aan cultuurdiverse klassen, met name binnen het kader van professionele identiteitsontwikkeling. English abstract: This paper examines how teachers with experience in teaching culturally diverse classes in Dutch secondary schools characterize their teaching practices. Based on analyses of inductive interviews with 13 teachers at three different culturally diverse schools, teaching practices have been clustered into five facets of teaching: (1) fostering the interpersonal relationship with students, (2) preventing and coping with disturbing behavior, (3) fostering social cohesion, (4) stimulating personal development and (5) supporting the learning process. Each facet of teaching was illustrated with general practices and specific examples. Teachers emphasized the interpersonal relation with students. In addition, the results indicate that teachers made different choices in how to take into account cultural differences in their teaching practices. It seems that educational goals and beliefs about diversity and integration affected their choices. The results of this study can be helpful for teacher educators to prepare their students for teaching culturally diverse classes. 26 p.

There does not appear to be consensus on how to optimally match students during the peer feedback phase: with same-ability or different-ability peers. The current study explored this issue in the context of an academic writing task. Adopting a quasi-experimental design, 94 undergraduate students provided anonymous peer feedback on each other’s draft essays. The relations between students’ ability match, feedback quality, and writing performance were investigated. Surprisingly, neither individual ability nor students’ ability match directly related to writing performance, and feedback quality did not depend on students’ ability match. Also, peer feedback quality was not related to writing performance, and authors of varying ability levels benefited to a similar extent from peer feedback on different aspects of the text.

The Vietnamese education system before 2013 struggled with many emerging issues, including achievement obsession, inflexible teaching strategies, student passivity, and cumbersome and lacking practice curriculum (see Le et al., 2022). Against that background, a comprehensive educational reform was initiated in 2013, emphasising students’ social and emotional learning and civic learning (Le et al., 2022). Vietnamese educational policymakers believe that promoting a democratic school environment would benefit students’ civic learning by empowering them to engage deeply in school decision-making (CPV, 2013; Ngo, 2015). Hence, the latest Education Reform in Vietnam focuses on promoting democracy in education which aims to make democratic acts of stakeholders (i.e., school leaders, teachers, students, and parents) feasible. The grassroots democracy regulation in Vietnamese schools requires decision-making based on consensus and deliberation of stakeholders (MOET, 2020). Thereby, the voice and leadership spirit of teachers and students in school affairs have been encouraged (Truong & Hallinger, 2017). Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training- MOET considers promoting a democratic learning environment as a fundamental mission in the latest educational reform in Vietnam. Yet, the policymakers still seem to squirm: what does a democratic school look like? How do we promote a democratic learning environment at the grassroots? As Gutmann (1987) has argued, democratic acts only occur when citizens can conceive the nature of the democracy they commit and pursue. However, the stakeholders in Vietnam have not been equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to implement and reach democratic commitment in their schools (Mai & Hall, 2017; Thanh, 2017). Therefore, having insights into stakeholders’ democratic beliefs and democratic practices is essential to sketch and adjust the current education strategy of democratisation education in Vietnam. This dissertation aims to provide a critical view of Vietnamese secondary school stakeholders’ awareness of democratic education regarding the core educational democratic values and democratic acts within either the ‘physical’ or digital learning environment.

MOOCs are large-scale (Massive), Open to all, Online Courses. As universities invested substantially in MOOCs, (re)use in campus education manifested.In MOOC integration, it is currently unclear how to design for high-quality teaching and learning. We questioned: 'What do medical MOOCs offer for integration into campus education?' (H2 and H3); ‘What does creating and integrating a MOOC entail?’ (H4 and H5); and 'How can learning in integrated MOOCs be supported?' (H6, H7 and H8). For high-quality teaching we conclude: (1) Medical MOOCs offer numerous opportunities for integration, including high-quality, innovative options; (2) Medical MOOCs do not share one profile for teaching modes or quality principles, and each MOOC should be examined; and (3) the practice of MOOC integration is not a simple process and requires time, several steps and specific knowledge. For high-quality learning we conclude: (1) Monitoring motivation and self-regulated learning is essential for support, and personalized motivation support can be linked to integration designs; (2) Trust in the teacher is important for students, and can be the key to promote motivation; and (3) Learning goal acceptance can bridge the gap between the desire to allow students to set personal goals and the practical preference to assign learning goals.

This thesis asked the research question of how a peer educator intervention about LGBT peers can impact the social acceptance of LGBT people among students in pre-vocational secondary education. It answered the question by conducting two studies about the intervention’s impact on attitudes towards LGB people and its impact on reflections about democratic acting and the relationship between these two concepts. Furthermore, it used process evaluations with peer educators and students to shed light on which activities and content most influence students' attitudes towards LGBT people. Although there were often small or no effects on the relationships between reflections on citizenship and attitudes towards LGB people, the process evaluations show that a peer educator intervention creates conditions of openness and safety. Thus, students feel free to exchange opinions about a contested topic similar to how they would in daily life. Students find this a good way to become aware of their attitudes towards LGBT people and learn new information on an intimate subject.

This dissertation intended to examine how the multidimensionality of learner–learner interaction data and the multifacetedness of learner–learner interaction itself impact the measurement of learner–learner interaction in digital learning environments. The studies reported in this dissertation demonstrate that, on the one hand, the impact is reflected in the degree of variability with which learner–learner interaction is measured in research. The variability is determined both by the variety of the types of data on learner–learner interaction and by the variety of approaches that can be taken to the measurement of learner–learner interaction based on the different types of data. On the other hand, the impact is reflected in the intricacy with which the different aspects of learner–learner interaction, captured by the different approaches to the measurement of learner–learner interaction, interdepend in learning in digital learning environments. The studies, presented in this dissertation, taken collectively fulfil the triple function of (a) refining our understanding of learner–learner interaction; (b) guiding and improving our interpretation of research findings on learner–learner interaction; and (c) providing guidance and pointers for research and practice, together with identifying the potential pitfalls in researching learner–learner interaction.

This dissertation intended to examine how the multidimensionality of learner–learner interaction data and the multifacetedness of learner–learner interaction itself impact the measurement of learner–learner interaction in digital learning environments. The studies reported in this dissertation demonstrate that, on the one hand, the impact is reflected in the degree of variability with which learner–learner interaction is measured in research. The variability is determined both by the variety of the types of data on learner–learner interaction and by the variety of approaches that can be taken to the measurement of learner–learner interaction based on the different types of data. On the other hand, the impact is reflected in the intricacy with which the different aspects of learner–learner interaction, captured by the different approaches to the measurement of learner–learner interaction, interdepend in learning in digital learning environments. The studies, presented in this dissertation, taken collectively fulfil the triple function of (a) refining our understanding of learner–learner interaction; (b) guiding and improving our interpretation of research findings on learner–learner interaction; and (c) providing guidance and pointers for research and practice, together with identifying the potential pitfalls in researching learner–learner interaction.

Contemporary professional music performance and teaching practices demand the ability to engage in a variety of collaborative settings with a broad range of competencies and skills. According to various studies, offering a wider variety of pedagogical approaches and implementing collaborative learning activities in conservatoire education would be beneficial for students' preparation for their prospective careers. However, collaborative learning has not yet been broadly and widely implemented in conservatories around the world. The aim of this research project was to increase understanding of which collaborative learning approaches already exist, and how implementation of collaborative learning could be supported. Four studies were conducted, including students, teachers, and leaders as stakeholders. Collaborative learning was found to support experiences and feelings of trust, safeness, friendship, and reinforced the development of collaborative and metacognitive skills. Also, learning activities and content of lessons appeared to be suitable for implementation of collaborative learning. A purposeful design of lessons is necessary, including a change to a student-centred learning environment. Yet, aspects of culture and tradition sustaining teacher-centred approaches, were found to hinder the process of implementing collaborative learning. Better connections to professional practice and society require a paradigm shift in teaching and learning in conservatoire education.

Strengthening the societal position of at-risk youth is challenging though necessary in order to create better opportunities for them to participate in society. Work is an important means to that end, enabling young people to live independently. Work also plays a role in the psychological need to express your vocational identity: who you are as a worker. Having a vocational identity means that you are aware of your capabilities, ambitions and values concerning work. A strong vocational identity helps to make choices and acts as a guide throughout working life. At-risk youth have vulnerable school careers and are at risk of dropping out. They attend programs at a low educational level and are at greater risk of unemployment. A strong vocational identity may counterbalance these risks as it can ensure these young people to learn about the work they could and want to do, and can provide for better work prospects. Special curricula and social programs for at-risk youth seek approaches to fostering vocational identity. This dissertation focuses on the relationships between individual characteristics of at-risk youth and their vocational identity, concentrates on the possible contribution of malleable characteristics, and provides insights into the treatment by mentors during individual mentoring.

The current dissertation presents a review study and three empirical studies, focusing on the understanding of the state of the art of research about PjBL in higher education and the investigation of the relation between PjBL and student outcomes in the context of Chinese higher education. Insights into the design and the implementation of PjBL curricula and their potential impact on student learning are informative for a broad array of higher education teachers and educational advisors.

The research project focuses on teachers’ learning motivation and learning performance in professional learning activities. Three assumptions as follows: (1) the quality of teaching has been significantly improved after a period of study in professional learning activities (2) teachers’ teaching quality and their learning motivation are interrelated, (3) teacher personal characteristics and school working conditions are important for their learning motivation. To explore these topics, students and supervisors from professional learning activities are invited to evaluate teaching quality, teachers who differed in the experience with the programme from primary education participated in this project to explore their perceptions of learning motivation. The final results indicated that teachers' learning motivation is not related to teachers' teaching quality.

The number of transnational students is quite substantial in Oman. In the Gulf Region, it is common to recruit non-Anglophone expatriate staff to teach on these programmes while they rarely have prior experience in a Western university. In Oman, expatriate academics form a considerable majority of the teaching staff in transnational education (TNE). This means that for practically all of them the environment in which they teach is academically, culturally and sometimes also linguistically new to them. The same holds for the students as the vast majority come from the local government schools where Arabic is the medium of instruction in both primary and secondary school, and the British academic system is new to them.This raises the questions of how a TNE teaching and learning environment can be created that is in line with the expectations of the British programmes so that students can succeed academically, and secondly, how academics who teach on these programmes can be supported in their professional practice towards creating such an environment. The study took a holistic approach by investigating this environment from the points of view of an observer, the teachers and the students, and considered how these different perspectives informed a long-term continuing professional development (CPD) programme.

This thesis explored the question whether Scrum methodology might function as an appropriate scaffold to enhance students’ learning and to support teachers in context-based secondary chemistry education. Context-based approaches have been designed and implemented to address several problems, including passive involvement of students and perceived irrelevance of chemistry.Scrum methodology is a project management framework which consists of specific ceremonies and artefacts to monitor the workflow of complex projects in businesses and industries.The Scrum characteristics were adjusted to the specific situation of a context-based learning environment. Five studies were conducted to reveal its impact on students’ learning as well as on teachers’ teaching. The results show that students participating in Scrum classes outperformed students participating in the control condition with regard to both cognitive and metacognitive learning outcomes. Moreover, the impact of Scrum methodology on students’ learning increased when teachers were able to apply a rich repertoire of didactical and pedagogical expertise, indicating that the role of a teacher remains invaluable.The findings provide evidence that the implementation of a project-management framework in an educational context scaffolds and strengthens students in their learning process, which in turn is beneficial for learning outcomes.

This dissertation focused on teachers’ comprehension of student progress graphs from a progress-monitoring system called Curriculum-based Measurement (CBM). CBM is designed for teachers to monitor the progress of students with learning disabilities and to evaluate instructional effectiveness for these students (Deno, 1985, 2003). Within CBM, short measures are administered to students frequently, and scores on those measures are depicted in individual progress graphs. Teachers inspect the graphs to evaluate student progress and effects of instruction. When teachers use CBM to monitor student progress and when they respond to the data by making instructional changes, student achievement improves; however, teachers often do not use the data (Stecker, Fuchs, & Fuchs, 2005). One potential reason might be that teachers have difficulty reading and interpreting the graphs. This dissertation focused on teachers’ ability to read and interpret – to comprehend – CBM graphs. We employed think-aloud and eye-tracking methodologies to examine how teachers described and inspected CBM graphs. We also examined approaches for improving teachers’ CBM graph comprehension. Results revealed that teachers experience difficulties with inspecting CBM graphs, and with reading, interpreting, and linking CBM data to instruction, but that teachers’ CBM graph comprehension can be improved via relatively short CBM instructional videos.

Because the presence of foreign trade and culture in Vietnam has increased, Vietnamese employees feel the need to upgrade their intercultural communication skills to keep pace with this development. In the context of teaching English in Vietnam in general and in the Mekong Delta in particular, most English curriculums for non-major students do not include intercultural communication skills enhancement. Specifically, in the context of Can Tho University of Technology, all the English courses do not touch intercultural communication skills. Students report they need more training of language skills and more knowledge of the cultures of people they are working with or might be working with in the future. Results The results have shown significant differences in work-related attitudes and in intercultural communication problems and concerns between Vietnamese employees and Western higher managers. For example, sense of time and face-concern are the two main grounds for conflicts and misunderstandings between Western and Vietnamese professionals. The findings from the exploration studies made it clear that cross-cultural training is needed to train students in higher education. An experimental study on intercultural communication instruction showed that critical incident open-ended tasks are an effective approach to change a person’s awareness and enhance their skills. With the information collected in the studies in this dissertation, a contribution to the intercultural communication research body can be made by creating a manual for composing intercultural communication curriculums, not only for higher education training but also for employee and employer coaching.

Assessment is an integral part of Higher Education. In addition to final exams, students are often presented with different types of assessment during the semester, which is called intermediate or continuous assessment. Previous research indicated that intermediate assessment is beneficial for student results, but there is no evidence whether specific assessment characteristics may be more beneficial than others. The studies in the current thesis investigate the effects of specific assessment characteristics on grades, and the perceptions about intermediate assessment of teachers and students in first-year undergraduate law, criminology, and psychology courses. From the literature review it could be concluded that intermediate assessment is mostly beneficial to grades, independent specific assessment characteristics. The interview studies show that teachers and students have positive perceptions of intermediate assessment, but teachers value the assess different knowledge or skills and students want intermediate assessments related to the final exam. Furthermore, teachers’ main goal for intermediate assessment is supporting student learning. A questionnaire study with first-year law and criminology studies shows that intermediate assessment can improve the lagging results of male students. In general it can be concluded that using intermediate assessment is effective, regardless of characteristics and that assessment practices of teachers should be supported.

In dit proefschrift is systematisch onderzocht hoe inlevingsvermogen een rol speelt bij verschillende aspecten en fasen van het samenwerkend leren van basisschoolleerlingen. Daarbij heb ik rekening gehouden met methodologische en statistische uitdagingen die betrekking hebben op de complexe aard van samenwerkend leren en de conceptualisering van inlevingsvermogen. Ook heb ik onderzocht in welke mate kinderen en volwassenen van elkaar verschillen in het verwerken van negatieve emoties tijdens het lezen, zowel wat betreft de leessnelheid als hoe zij de Valence en de Arousal dimensies van hun eigen emotional states en die van de hoofdpersoon van een verhaal beoordelen. Deze resultaten zijn gebruikt om een inleefinstructie te ontwerpen welke in één van de andere studies is ingezet. De resultaten uit de empirische studies naar samenwerkend leren laten zien dat de relatie tussen inlevingsvermogen en verschillende aspecten en fasen van samenwerkend leren geen gegeven is, maar afhankelijk is van de conceptualisatie van inlevingsvermogen, het meetniveau, de instructie die leerlingen ontvangen, en de moeilijkheid van de taak waar zij aan werken. De onverwachte resultaten zijn wellicht toe te schrijven aan het ontwikkelingspad van inlevingsvermogen.