Asia Pacific Education Review最新文献

In the study, problem-solving educational software (ProSES) was developed to reduce the challenges and mistakes experienced by primary school third-grade students in mathematical problem solving and to provide scaffolding and hint support for teacher help for the students using mobile technologies. The study aimed to determine the impact of the employment of this educational software on academic achievements and cognitive load of the students. The study was conducted with the experimental design, a quantitative research method, with 130 third grade students during the 2019–2020 academic year fall semester. Based on the study aim, ProSES was employed in two experimental and one control groups. All group members were assigned with simple random sampling method. Mental effort scale, task completion speed and academic achievement test were used to collect the study data. The findings showed that scaffolding was effective in academic achievement. Thus, this study adds to the current literature by showing that mobile scaffolding effective to improve students’ problem solving in mathematical problems of teacher support in primary education.

The expansion of student international mobility has been discussed increasingly with respect to concerns about social inequality. The outbreak of the COVID pandemic has exacerbated the risks of studying abroad. Due to the differences in the ability of students from different social backgrounds to cope with risks, the inequality of opportunities for studying abroad may further expand. Based on the survey of 1256 college graduates between January and March 2021, this study analyses the impact of family background on the choice of studying abroad under the background of the epidemic. The research shows that the inequality in transnational education participation has been intensified by the pandemic. Findings of mediation analysis suggested that family background has powerful influences on students’ willingness to continue with their overseas study plan after the pandemic. It shapes students’ decision on whether go abroad or not directly, via their mentality of the pandemic, and through their past educational choices (field of study) and attainment (university type). Our study provides a more nuanced understanding of the way how COVID pandemic affects students from different backgrounds.

Many studies have examined the effect of argumentation-based instruction methods on student achievement in the literature. However, there was no mixed-research synthesis study providing a holistic overview of quantitative and qualitative research findings of primary studies. To fill this gap in the literature, the study investigated the effects of argumentation-based instructional practices on student achievement. It also aimed to reveal the factors affecting these practices by combining the quantitative and qualitative research findings. Therefore, a mixed-research synthesis was employed to achieve this purpose. The study included 72 quantitative and 22 qualitative studies. The data obtained from the quantitative studies were combined using a meta-analysis method, and the qualitative data were combined using a thematic synthesis method. Several analytical themes were created regarding the factors affecting argumentation-based instruction, and various analytic themes (recommendations/hypotheses) were developed accordingly. According to the data from the thematic synthesis, 13 analytical themes emerged. The meta-analytic results indicated that the argumentation method had a large positive effect on student achievement (g = 0.927, 95% CI [0.789, 1.064]). Also, the moderator analysis revealed that argumentation-based instruction highly affected student achievement in Chemistry and Mathematics than others. Also, the time allocated to courses was influential in increasing student achievement. Lastly, attempts were made to explain the variance between studies included in the meta-analysis using the analytical themes developed in the thematic synthesis. The thematic synthesis results indicated that the learning outcomes and the environment should be taken into consideration in argumentation-based instruction and that some deficiencies should be resolved.

Research in the social and behavioral sciences relies on a wide range of experimental and quasi-experimental designs to estimate the causal effects of specific programs, policies, and events. In this paper we highlight measurement issues relevant to evaluating the validity of causal estimation and generalization. These issues impact all four categories of threats to validity previously delineated by Shadish et al. (Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 2002): internal, external, statistical conclusion, and construct validity. We use the context of estimating the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on student learning in the U.S. to illustrate the important role of measurement in causal inference. We provide background related to the meaning of measurement, and focus attention on the evidence and argumentation necessary to evaluate the validity and reliability of the different types of measures used in statistical models for causal inference. We conclude with recommendations for researchers estimating and generalizing causal effects: provide clear statements for construct interpretations, seek to rule out potential sources of construct-irrelevant variance, quantify and adjust for measurement error, and consider the extent to which interpretations of practical significance are consistent with scale properties of outcome measures.

The study investigated Chinese secondary school teachers’ views on ethicality of teachers’ practices in classroom assessment. Participants included 1,871 teachers from 205 secondary schools in 23 provinces, 4 municipalities, and 4 autonomous regions in China. A survey study with 14 authentic assessment scenarios revealed that there is no evident consensus on ethicality of teachers’ practices in classroom assessment among the participant teachers, and discrepancies exist between teachers’ views and the views of assessment professionals in the literature. Chinese secondary school teachers reported low agreement with the literature in assessment confidentiality, communication about grading, grading practice, and test administration. Gender and subject taught are significantly associated with teachers’ ethical perceptions. The findings suggest that ethical issues in classroom assessment are complicated, and they are often interwoven with other factors including cultural background, educational policy, and institutional guidelines in assessments. The study findings are informative for the development of secondary school teacher education program, teachers’ professional learning, and educational policy making.

This study aims to compare the influence of learners’ self-regulation and sense of presence on online learning. Due to the increasing influence of online learning, self-regulation has received considerable attention. However, it is also claimed that an increased sense of presence can enhance online learning effects. For comparison, a meta-analysis was conducted on correlation studies. A total of 47 studies from 2000 to 2022 that investigated self-regulation or sense of presence in the context of online learning were analyzed. Average effect sizes were used to compare the influence of self-regulation and sense of presence on the levels of satisfaction with online learning. The moderating effects of self-regulation and sense of presence were also analyzed and compared. The results indicate that the average effect sizes of self-regulation and sense of presence were significant. Regarding the relationship between sense of presence and satisfaction with online learning, the type of sense of presence had no moderating effect. In addition, the average effect size of sense of presence was slightly greater than that of self-regulation. Based on these results, we conclude that sense of presence had a stronger influence on satisfaction with online learning. The importance of sense of presence and various ways to increase it in the context of online learning are also discussed.

In response to the urgent need for teachers to be better equipped with strategies for responding to students who suffer the effects of complex trauma (CT), this inter-disciplinary study investigated the lived experiences of professionals (social workers, psychologists, criminal justice workers and community workers) working with school students with CT in out-of-school contexts. The aim of this study was to formulate strategic approaches from the expertise of out-of-school professionals and specialists that might be adapted for use within pre-service teacher education programs to better prepare the next generation of teachers with the skills needed for working with trauma-affected students. Using a phenomenological methodology and working through an ecological-psychosocial theoretical lens, this qualitative study found three key categories of understandings and skills used as a common approach amongst specialists working with students suffering the effects of CT: an applied understanding of child development, a capacity to read and adjust classroom environment and climate; and underpinning theoretical knowledge of the effects of trauma on young people’s behaviour.

This research applied the perspectives of volition theory and goal setting theory to analyze the effects of teachers’ volitional strategies and task value on goal commitment in remedial teaching. The samples were collected from 92 elementary schools and 460 teachers with remedial teaching experiences were invited to participate in this study. There were 296 responses, recovery rated of 64.3%. Multivariate analysis of variance and structural equation modeling were employed to analyze the data. The results revealed, first, significant differences in volitional strategies and goal commitment were observed among teachers with different degrees of teaching experiences. Those who possessed more remedial teaching experiences had better volitional strategies and goal commitment; Second, significant differences were displayed in volitional strategies between remedial teaching teachers from different professional backgrounds. Teachers with a good professional background had shown higher volitional strategies in self-efficacy enhancement dimension. Finally, teachers’ volitional strategies and task value were found with strong and moderate effects, respectively, on the goal commitment of remedial teaching. The findings provided useful information for teacher preparation programs.