Till följd av den enorma digitalisering av både samhälle och skolväsendet som skett sedan 90-talet är det allt större konkurrens om individens uppmärksamhet och impulskontroll. En till synes ökande trend i bristande koncentrationsförmåga uppmärksammas nu inom utbildnings-väsende och forskning. Arbetets syfte är att finna, utveckla, sammanställa och testa enkla studietekniska metoder som elever i studieförberedande program kan använda för att öka andelen produktiv tid vid självstudier, till den grad eleven själv önskar att uppnå. I första hand bör de studietekniska metoderna vara relativt lätta för eleverna att komma ihåg.  I studiens första led undersöktes lärarnas uppfattning av vilka studietekniska metoder och lösningar som potentiellt har positiv inverkan på elevernas framgång och studieförmåga.  De identifierade studieteknikerna; Pomodoro och Do Not Disturb-läge, lärdes därefter ut på gymnasiets teknik-, naturvetenskapliga- och International Baccalaureate-program, och elevernas uppfattning av dessa mättes kvantitativt och jämfördes med univariatanalys. Som resultat uppdagades och analyserades relativ elevnöjdhet med studieteknikerna. / As a result of the considerable digitization of society and school systems that has been occurring since the 90s, the competition for people’s attention and impulse control has become fierce. An apparently increasing trend in lackluster abilities to concentrate is now under observation in education and research. The purpose of this work is to find and test recognized study techniques for high-school students in university-preparatory programs. Techniques they are able to use during their times of self-study, to keep from getting distracted by their digital devices. The first section of this study investigates which study techniques teachers consider to have a potentially positive effect on student success.   The identified study-techniques Pomodoro and Do Not Disturb-mode were subsequently taught in a high-school’s technology, natural science- and International Baccalaureate programs, and students’ appreciation of these underwent quantitative measurements using univariate analysis. Some student satisfaction with either study technique was found and analyzed.

Las investigaciones en torno al aprendizaje de los estudiantes en la Educación Superior están siendo objeto de especial atención, dado que la calidad del aprendizaje de los estudiantes se erige como uno de los indicadores más importantes de la calidad de las Instituciones Universitarias. El proceso de Convergencia Europea, que culminará en 2010, requiere estudiantes con un perfil del estudio muy diferente al actual. El hecho de ser gestores de su tiempo de estudio, autorregular su aprendizaje, trabajar autónomamente, requiere muchos cambios en las habilidades necesarias para superar los estudios universitarios. Partiendo de esta premisa, diseñamos un programa de intervención denominado PDHE, Programa de Desarrollo de Habilidades en el Estudio. Este trabajo novedoso, complejo y útil, está avalado por numerosas investigaciones y amplia experiencia práctica impartiendo cursos para la mejora de la calidad del estudio y el incremento del rendimiento académico. Resultados del análisis de necesidades de aprendizaje realizado con los estudiantes de la UMU, arroja unos resultados en los que el 45% de estos estudiantes emplean predominantemente el enfoque superficial en sus tareas de aprendizaje.La aplicación práctica de este programa se orienta hacia a la formación personal para la carrera, en dos aspectos tan básicos como fundamentales: incrementar la motivación por el estudio y promover el desarrollo y adquisición de habilidades para superar las tareas de aprendizaje con las mayores garantías de éxito, empleando los recursos organizados en torno a once unidades didácticas en las que se abordan contenidos como:. Los factores que inciden en el estudio, gestión del tiempo, rendimiento lector, método de estudio EPLEMER, entrenamiento de la memoria, toma de apuntes, realización y presentación de trabajos, acceso a las fuentes de información, preparación y superación de exámenes, etc. / Research on Higher Education student learning is drawing particular attention since learning at this level is regarded as one of the most relevant indicators of quality at University level. The European Convergence Process, which will reach its climax by 2010, demands students with a learning profile other than the profile shown at present. Being responsible for one´s own time management and learning and working independently requires changes in the skills necessary to succeed at University. Bearing this in mind, we designed an intervention programme, namely the PDHE (Programme for the Development of Study Skills). This original and useful piece of research is backed up by a large number of research studies and broad practical experience on teaching how to improve the quality of learning and by an improvement of academic performance. Outcomes of the learning needs analysis carried out on students at the University of Murcia (UMU) showed that 45% of participants used predominantly a surface approach in their learning tasks. The practical application of this programme is focused on personal training to be applied at University degree in two basic and fundamental aspects: increasing the motivation for learning, and fostering the development and acquisition of adequate skills to succeed in learning tasks with best results using structured resources around eleven didactic units in which the following contents are covered: factors that influence student study, time management, reading performance, EPLEMER study method, memory training, note-taking, assignment writing and presentation, access to information sources, and exam revision among others.

This longitudinal study set out to improve the retention and achievements of diverse students on computing courses in one wide access university, firstly by early identification of students at risk of poor performance and secondly by developing and implementing an intervention programme. Qualitative data were obtained using the ASSIST questionnaire, by focus group discussions and an open-ended questionnaire on students’ experiences of the transition to higher education (HE). Quantitative data on student characteristics and module results were obtained from Registry. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 10. The study comprised two phases where phase one sought to enable the early detection of students at risk of poor performance by investigating the data set for patterns that may emerge between student achievement at Level 1 and entrance qualification, feeder institution, approaches to learning, conceptions of learning, course and teaching preferences and motivation. Phase one findings showed a trend of poorer performance by students who entered computing courses in HE with an AVCE entrance qualification. It was also shown that mature students scored more highly on the deep approach scale compared to their younger counterparts. Phase two investigated the data set for patterns that may emerge between student achievement at Level 2 and entrance qualification, approaches to learning, conceptions of learning and course and teaching preferences. Phase two, using action research, also sought to develop an intervention programme from the findings. This intervention programme was designed to improve aspects of information delivery to students; the personal tutor system, assessment régimes, Welcome Week, and teaching and learning. Piloting, evaluation and refinement of the intervention programme brought changes that were seen as positive by both staff and students. These changes included the Welcome Week Challenge which involved students in activities that sought to enhance students’ interactions with peers, personal tutors and the school and university facilities. These findings have shown that, for staff in wide access HE institutions, some knowledge of the previous educational experiences of their students, and the requirements of those students, are vital in providing a smooth transition to HE. A model of the characteristics of a successful student on computing courses in HE and a model for enhanced retention of diverse students on computing courses in HE were developed from the research findings. These models provide a significant contribution to current knowledge of those factors that enhance a smooth transition to HE and the characteristics of a successful student in a wide access university.

abstract: The dissertation focuses on one Truku (Indigenous) village in eastern Taiwan and aims to understand the processes and possibilities of bottom-up language revitalization. In 2012, the National Geographic Genographic Legacy Fund supported the village to start a community-driven language revitalization initiative. Drawing on scholarship guided by critical Indigenous research methodologies, critical sociocultural approaches to language policy and planning, and sociocultural approaches to learning, this study is an attempt to generate qualitative ethnographic research to facilitate local praxis. The major findings are four: Firstly, after decades of colonialism, villagers' lived experiences and language ideological standpoints vary significantly across generations and households, which constraints the possibility of collective endeavors. Secondly, building on previous scholars' emphasis on "ideological clarification" prior to language revitalization, I identify the dimension of embodied ideological differences, using cultural historical activity theory to illustrate how certain "mainstream" artifacts (e.g. orthography) can confine orally dominant elders' capacity to contribute. In a similar vein, by closely examining children's voices and language performances, I highlight children's theory of language as relationship-building and a theory of learning as participation in communities of participation, which stand in stark contrast to adult educators' constructs of acquisition and proficiency in traditional SLA. Finally, inspired by children and elders' voices, methodologically I argue for a relational conceptualization of agency and propose a relationship-oriented language revitalization framework. Such framework values and incorporates existing social relationships in praxis, and requires researchers and practitioners to humbly recognize the work of power in social relations and develop a trusting, reflective bond with the villagers before rushing to impose agendas. This dissertation contributes to the scholarship of language policy and planning by incorporating sociocultural learning theories designed to generate praxis-oriented analysis. By contextualizing identity and SLA processes in an Indigenous context, the study also illuminates the affective dimension of language learning and education. Overall this study offers valuable insights for scholars, educators, and practitioners interested in community-based language education. Equally important, this research represents the voices of multiple generations of Truku people, deeply committed to ensuring that future generations remain connected to their heritage language, knowledge system, and ways of being. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. English 2014

No description available.

Cognitive ability has a strong and important relationship with academic performance. Numerous factors, however, affect a student’s performance, including among others; learning style, or the way in which students typically receive and process information, and learning strategies, or the level at which students approach learning and studying. Current studies are, however, divided in their findings regarding the relationship between learning styles and strategies and academic performance as well as the mediatory role they may play. The study sought to investigate the role of students’ learning styles and strategies in the relationship between cognitive ability and academic performance, in order to advance an understanding of the role that they play in this relationship. The study was conducted using a correlational research design within a cognitive psychology framework. Using convenience sampling, a total of 172 university students completed cognitive tests (Raven's Progressive Matrices and the Letter-N-Back) and a learning style and strategy survey. Structural equation modelling (SEM), specifically path analysis in combination with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), was then used to test relationships between constructs. Results from the first model suggest that higher cognitive abilities and the use of rehearsal (the surface learning strategy) each play a unique role in predicting academic performance (÷2 (67, N = 172) = 145.31, p < .001). It, in additio, seems as if various components of learning style and strategy do not predict academic performance at all. A refined model of the relationship between constructs confirmed this (÷2 (64, N = 172) = 70.51, p < .05). Learning styles along with the deep and metacognitive learning strategies were found to have no meaningful relation with academic performance. Cognitive abilities and rehearsal however were key predictors of performance. Mediation analysis further identified rehearsal as a mediator in the relationship between cognitive ability and academic performance (÷2 (65, N = 172) = 74.10, p >.05). Results show that cognitive ability indirectly affects academic performance through the surface learning strategy rehearsal). Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Psychology / unrestricted

<p>Iskustvo u radu sa studentima pokazalo je da studenti nedovoljno ĉesto ostvaruju zadovoljavajuće ishode uĉenja na lingvistiĉkim predmetima na studijama engleskog jezika, &scaron;to je takoĊe opisano i u stranoj literaturi. Kao jedan od razloga navodi se nastava koja upućuje studente na pasivnost, te oni pribegavaju memorisanju i reprodukciji materijala kao najĉe&scaron;ćim ishodima uĉenja. Biggs (1999) razraĊuje koncepte dubinskog i povr&scaron;inskog pristupa uĉenju, koje relevantna literatura smatra kljuĉnim faktorima za kvalitet ishoda uĉenja. Dubinski pristup uĉenju korelira sa kvalitetnim ishodima uĉenja i funkcionalnim znanjem, a karakteri&scaron;u ga motivacija, zadovoljstvo usled uĉenja, studentska aktivnost i to aktivnost visokih kognitivnih funkcija. Visoke kognitivne funkcije (Bloom i dr. 1956, Anderson i dr. 2001) i povezane kognitivne radnje (re&scaron;avanje problema, analitiĉko, kritiĉko i kreativno razmi&scaron;ljanje) jesu najvaţniji ciljevi visokog obrazovanja jer samo one, usled primene transfera uĉenja, govore o steĉenom i primenljivom, tj. funkcionalnom znanju. Obuka i razvoj visokih kognitivnih funkcija omogući će studentima da uĉenju pristupe dubinski &scaron;to je jo&scaron; jedan razlog da budu osnovni nastavni cilj svih predmeta na ustanovama tercijarnog obrazovanja. U skladu sa ovim teorijskim postavkama postavljene su osnovna i pomoćna hipoteza: upotreba posebno konstruisanih veţbi za aktivaciju vi&scaron;ih kognitivnih funkcija u nastavi lingvistiĉkih predmeta dove&scaron;će do sticanja funkcionalnog znanja na teorijskom i praktiĉnom nivou; steĉeno znanje kroz ovakvu eksperimentalnu nastavu i upotreba tog znanja odraţavaće kognitivne funkcije ne samo niţeg nego i vi&scaron;eg reda: primeniti, analizirati, proceniti, stvoriti, kao i kritiĉko i kreativno razmi&scaron;ljanje i re&scaron;avanje problema. Kako bi se proverile hipoteze, sproveden je eksperiment sa studentima prve godine engleskog jezika (N=34) na Fakultetu za pravne i poslovne studije dr Lazar Vrkatić u Novom Sadu. U istraţivanju sa paralelnim grupama, eksperimentalna grupa je imala veţbe sa aktivnostima koje razvijaju vi&scaron;e kognitivne funkcije na predmetu uvod u op&scaron;tu lingvistiku tokom zimskog semestra &scaron;kolske 2012/2013. godine. UporeĊeni su kvantitativni rezultati kolokvijuma eksperimentalne i kontrolne grupe na kraju semestra, a potom je sproveden intervju sa po pet studenata iz svake grupe radi utvrĊivanja kvalitativnih razlika u kognitivnim procesima kod ove dve grupe. Obe grupe su ostvarile podjednak uspeh na kolokvijumu, te je osnovna hipoteza odbaĉena. Kodirani podaci iz intervjua pokazali su da obe grupe podjednako koriste kognitivne funkcije po broju i distribuciji, te je i pomoćna hipoteza odbaĉena. Kao obja&scaron;njenje za odsustvo većeg uspeha EG navedena su metodolo&scaron;ka ograniĉenja istraţivanja: duţina eksperimentalne nastave, problem dokazivosti transfera i problem kodiranja intervjua. Drugi faktori koji mogu objasniti neuspeh su: prethodno steĉene navike u uĉenju, neshvatanje svrhe izuĉavanja predmeta i dr. UporeĊeni su rezultati boljih i slabijih studenata, te je utvrĊeno da bolji studenti pokazuju veći stepen samostalnosti, da upotrebljavaju vi&scaron;e kognitivne funkcije kao i duţe nizove kognitivnih radnji. Posmatrajući kvalitativne podatke, bolji studenti eksperimentalne grupe pokazali su promenu gledanja na svet usled izuĉavanja lingvistike i izrazili su zadovoljstvo zbog uĉenja ovog predmeta. Oni pokazuju i upotrebu najduţih nizova vezanih kognitivnih radnji. Iz ovoga se moţe zakljuĉiti da su oni pristupili uĉenju dubinski i zbog toga ostvarili kvalitetnije ishode uĉenja. U cilju dono&scaron;enja ĉvrstih zakljuĉaka neophodno je sprovesti dugotrajniji i obuhvatniji multidiciplinarni istraţivaĉki projekat, s obzirom da bi pozitivni rezultati bili od velikog znaĉaja za pobolj&scaron;anje ishoda uĉenja na tercijarnom nivou obrazovanja. Ključne reči: uĉenje i nastava na tercijarnom nivou, taksonomija obrazovnih ciljeva, pristupi uĉenju, vi&scaron;e kognitivne funkcije, transfer uĉenja, funckionalno znanje.</p> / <p>The experience of working with university students has shown that the learning outcomes of linguistic courses are infrequently satisfactory, which is also described in literature worldwide. Teaching philosophy in which students are forced into passives roles is one of the causes since such teaching results in low motivation with memorizing and reproduction of learned materials as the most frequent outcomes of learning. Biggs (1999) develops the concepts of deep and superficial learning approaches which have been declared in the relevant literature as key factors for the quality of learning outcomes. Deep approach to learning correlates with high quality learning outcomes, and is characterized by high motivation, satisfaction with learning and student activity of appropriately high cognitive levels. Higher cognitive functions (Bloom et. al. 1956, Anderson at al. 2001) and related cognitive activities (problem solving, analytical, critical and creative thinking) are the most important goals of higher education since these thinking skills are transferable and therefore represent applicable and functional knowledge. The training and development of the higher cognitive skills enables students to use deep approaches to learning, which is an additional reason to consider them as fundamental teaching goals in all courses in tertiary education. Based on this theoretical framework the main hypothesis and sub-hypothesis were formulated as follows: the use of specially designed practices which activate higher cognitive functions (HCF) will result in acquiring functional knowledge at both theoretical and practical levels; the knowledge gained through such teaching will reflect the use of higher cognitive functions: apply, analyze, evaluate, create, as well as show problem solving skills and critical and creative thinking. To test the hypotheses an experiment was conducted with the first year English language students (N=34) at the Faculty of Legal and Business Studies dr Lazar Vrkatić in Novi Sad. In the parallel groups design, the experimental group (EG) was involved with activities which develop HCFs in the course of Introduction to General Linguistics during the winter semester of the 2012/2013. Quantitative data were collected at the end of the semester (the final test) and compared between the two groups to determine whether the EG scored better results than the control group (CG). This was followed by interviews with five respondents from each group to qualitatively compare the cognitive processes. No statistically significant difference between test results in the two groups was found and so the main hypothesis was rejected. The coded data from the interviews showed an equal number of identified CFs with both groups with similar distribution patterns, thus the sub-hypothesis was also rejected. The absence of better scores of the EG can be explained by some methodological limitations of the experiment, such as the length of the experimental activities, the problem of proof of transfer and the coding of the interview data. Other factors include the existing learning habits of students, the inability to grasp the purpose of studying linguistics, etc. The results of better students were compared to those of the weaker ones, which showed that better students are more autonomous, use a greater number of HCFs and string more CFs into a complex response. Qualitative data also showed that better students of the experimental group expressed a change in how they see the world around them and express satisfaction because of studying linguistics. They also string the longest chains of cognitive activities. These findings lead to a conclusion that better students of the EG used deep approaches to learning which resulted in higher quality learning outcomes. In order to achieve conclusive results, a comprehensive long-term multidisciplinary research project should be carried out, since its results would have a significant impact on the quality of learning outcomes in tertiary education.</p>

Siguiendo el marco teórico de Students´ Approaches to Learning y respondiendo a los objetivos del Proceso de Bolonia sobre la importancia de la formación docente, esta investigación analizó la fiabilidad y validez de dos instrumentos para medir los enfoques de enseñanza y de aprendizaje; describió la muestra (estudiantes de Máster en Formación del Profesorado de Secundaria) según sus enfoques, y observó que se habían producido cambios significativos en los enfoques de enseñanza; analizó la relación entre los enfoques de enseñanza y de aprendizaje; y presentó una nueva versión en español del cuestionario Approaches to Teaching Inventory (ATI) para medir los enfoques de enseñanza. En general los resultados apoyan estudios previos. Se observó que los enfoques se hicieron menos centrados en el profesor. Una mejora en los enfoques de enseñanza hacia tendencias centradas en el estudiante podría redundar positivamente en los enfoques de aprendizaje de los alumnos de educación secundaria. / Educational research has yielded a large number of studies on how university students accomplish a learning task, and how teachers approach their teaching profession. Following the Students´ Approaches to Learning (SAL) theoretical background under the new European framework, this doctoral dissertation analysed reliability and validity of two instruments to measure approaches to teaching and to learning; identified pre-service teachers´ approaches to learning, and to teaching at the beginning and upon completion of an initial teacher training course, in order to assess any changes; explored the relationship (correlation) between approaches to learning and approaches to teaching; and presented a revised Spanish version of the Approaches to Teaching Inventory. Overall, results support previous studies. Towards the end of the programme, participants became less teacher-focused, which highlights the positive effects teacher training might have, as identified in previous research, and hints towards how pre-service teachers might teach in the near future.

The purpose of this study was: (a) to examine the predictive utility of the achievement goal and Student Approaches to Learning (SAL) frameworks for characterizing Chinese students’ motivation and achievement, and (b) to investigate how Confucian-heritage culture (CHC) may combine with achievement goals or SAL to generate different learning processes and outcomes and to promote optimal motivation. A questionnaire was conducted during a two-week period with over 700 first-year students who took both of the two courses—college English classes for non-English majors and advanced mathematics classes for science students—at a university in northern China. The questionnaire consisted of students’ self-reported demographic information and the instrument that was designed to measure: (a) goal orientations, (b) attitudes towards the specified CHC values, (c) SAL constructs, and (d) two variables widely used in research in this field—metacognitive strategy and school well-being. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted to examine the consistency of the extracted factor solutions with the four goal constructs postulated by the 2 x 2 conceptualization, the two SAL contructs posited by the SAL framework, and the five cultural value contructs derived from the literature review. Standard analysis procedures were used to calculate the reliability of the scales and to determine which items should be retained for further analyses. Then regression analyses were employed to examine the relationship of the goal orientation framework and SAL framework to cultural values, school well-being, metacognitive strategies, and grades. Results indicated that the 2 x 2 achievement goal framework was an appropriate model for characterizing the types of achievement goals these Chinese students pursued and for predicting a number of achievement-relevant processes and outcomes, as was the revised two-factor SAL framework for characterizing the different ways students approached their learning and for predicting these learning processes and outcomes. The results supported Chinese students’ multiple goal pursuit in an additive goal pattern, an interactive goal pattern, or a specialized goal pattern to promote their optimal motivation and achievement. The results also provided evidence that CHC values combined with achievement goals or SAL either in an additive or interactive pattern to facilitate Chinese students’ learning processes and outcomes. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-31 12:20:50.812

Rapid scientific and technological advances in health care mean that nurses need to keep learning and engage in professional education so that they can continue to provide safe and quality care. Education programs which prepare nurses for practice as a registered nurse have a vital role to play in ensuring that graduates are self-directed in responding to the need for ongoing learning throughout their professional career. In many countries, improving students’ readiness for self-directed learning has thus gained increasing recognition as being an important goal of nursing education programs. This level of interest in developing self-directedness in learning is evident in many policy documents and research in Taiwan. The aim of this study was to investigate factors influencing self-directed learning readiness amongst Taiwanese nursing students. A conceptual framework adopted from Biggs’s ‘3P model of teaching and learning’ was constructed to guide this study’s investigation. This study employed a two-staged mixed-method design to obtain a better understanding of Taiwanese students’ experience of SDL in undergraduate nursing programs. Stage one of the present study was a qualitative approach using semi-structured interview to explore students’ experiences with learning activities which they perceived to be self-directed in their undergraduate programs. Eight students were interviewed. Findings from this stage reveal that participants perceived a shift in teaching and learning styles between their previous nursing programs and the university. The more frequent use of student-directed learning activities, in which students were encouraged to be active and to take responsibility for their learning tasks, was one of the changes in teaching and learning approaches perceived by participants. Participants further suggested a number of factors that influenced the outcomes of these learning activities, including teacher-student interaction, facilitation process and learning resources. Stage two of this study used a quantitative approach consisting of two phases: instrument pilot testing and a cross-sectional survey. In the first phase, the instruments were translated into Chinese through a rigorous translation process and tested with a convenience sample of nursing students in Taiwan. Results indicated the translated instruments were reliable and stable. The second phase, a cross-sectional survey, was conducted to examine the conceptual framework of this study. A total of 369 undergraduate nursing students completed the questionnaire. Results of data analysis provides support for the conceptual framework proposed for this study, suggesting that students’ achievement goals and their perceptions of the learning environment significantly influence their adoption of learning approaches and the development of SDL readiness. Based on the results, this study provides practical implications that nurse educators may adopt to enhance students’ SDL readiness. This study also provides theoretical implications and recommendations for future research. It is envisaged that these recommendations may help future researchers focus their research design and further understandings of how to help students develop their ability to become self-directed learners.