Published Article / This exploratory and descriptive study examines the perceptions of first-year science students regarding their preparedness for the programme, their preferences and their fears as they embark on university education for the first time. A questionnaire was used to collect data from all the first year students enrolled in the programme in 2008. Seventy students answered the questionnaire from a class of 78. Both quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods were used to analyse and present data in the study. The results showed that students differed in their preparedness for the programme, their preferences regarding teaching methodologies, learning methods, and classroom climates, and the kinds of fear or apprehension about the programme and university education. Some recommendations regarding the teaching and learning of science are made.

Research on psychotherapy has consistently revealed that a portion of the variance in positive outcomes can be explained by therapist variables. Examination of clients preferences for certain therapist characteristics has led to inconsistent results further complicated by differences in participant characteristics. This study on therapist characteristics examines relationships between student-preferred therapist characteristics and demographic information provided by participants in their survey responses. Therapist characteristics under investigation include counseling style and approach to treatment, level of experience and training, and demographic information. This study also validates an online survey as a quality method of investigating university students preferences for therapist characteristics through the use of a one-parameter Rasch Item Response Theory model of analysis. Results from this study suggest that the Web-based survey employed was a quality method of collecting data on student preferences for therapist characteristics. Results also indicate that student prefer a well educated therapist of advanced training who is a good listener, makes them feel comfortable and is nonjudgmental. Finally, results suggest that student preferences for certain therapist characteristics are influenced by student demographic information and previous counseling experiences.

Online learning sessions are becoming increasingly common. In this study, we reviewed over 150 studies of online and blended learning, revealing that the factors that affect student preferences for online or in-person learning vary widely and compiled a table of these factors. They can be categorized as either learning preferences or current lifestyle conditions. To better understand these preferences, we implemented an intervention in which college-level engineering students were given the choice to attend either an online or in-person session for a class they normally attended in a different modality. We compared college students' stated preferences with demonstrated attendance for online or in-person instruction. We surveyed approximately 150 undergraduate students from two different courses in engineering who participated in both in-person and online learning experiences. We conducted a pre and post survey, created based on the categories formed from our literature review. Data were analyzed using a paired sample t-test, Phi correlations, and structural equation modeling in order to determine the most salient combination of preferences that affect students' choice to attend either an online or in-person class. Furthermore, this research specifically sought to understand why students' stated preferences may or may not align with their demonstrated attendance for online or in-person learning. Based on survey results, we used targeted interviews to understand student choices from 13 students whose choices did not match their stated preferences. We found that most students in our context of a typical in-person university prefer in-person instruction, but they also want some online class sessions if it is more convenient for them at the time. Through applying The Reasoned Action Approach and Model, we analyzed students' stated preferences and compared these with their demonstrated actions. The analysis revealed that students' self-prediction via a survey about whether or not they would attend an online class session was statistically significant at predicting their actual attendance, whereas stated preference for some online class sessions were not predictive. This finding suggests that preference-based surveys may not reliably predict students' actions in regards to attending online or in-person class sessions. Instead, we recommend using a survey with an appropriate predictive question, which will allow universities and professors to determine if it will be worth investing the time and resources in to creating online class sessions.

No description available.

This thesis focused on students’ cognitive and affective responses to Arabic (L1) and English (L2) used by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers who come from different L1 backgrounds in English (L2) classrooms in an English institute at a university in Saudi Arabia. Consideration of students’ responses to teachers’ use of English was crucial in this study as it helped to shed light on students’ cognitive and affective responses to the Arabic used by teachers. In addition, students’ preferences for EFL teachers in respect of their L1 background (native Arabic speaker teacher, native English speaker teacher and non-native English/Arabic speaker teacher) were examined. In order to be able to investigate the students’ responses and preferences, it was nessesary, firstly, to develop a deeper understanding of what they were responding to, namely the extent to which, and the conditions under which, teachers employ Arabic in the L2 classrooms. In addition, the extent to which teachers’ use of Arabic varies according to their students’ level of proficiency was also explored. Teachers' views on their own use of Arabic were also identified in order to establish the extent to which their views coincided with that of their students. This study adopted a qualitative approach and data were gathered through classroom observations, semi- structured interviews (in form of stimulated recall interviews), and open-ended questionnaires. Classroom observations were used to identify the extent, as well as the functions, of teachers’ L1 use and to examine whether the degree of teachers’ Arabic use varied according to their students’ level of proficiency. In addition, stimulated recall interviews were employed to explore students’ cognitive and affective responses to their teachers’ L1 and L2 use and students’ preferences for their teachers’ L1 background. The open-ended questionnaires were used to understand whether teachers’ and students’ views on the use of L1 by teachers coincided. The findings suggest that the way that Arabic is used by teachers in the Saudi EFL classroom varies according to the teachers’ L1 background in terms of the consistency, frequency, and the functions of the Arabic used by those teachers. Regarding students’ preferences for their EFL teachers, more than one third of the students (37%), the largest group regarding this aspect, preferred to be taught by a competent English teacher irrespective of their nationality or background; this clearly indicates that some students put emphasis on the pedagogy and professional skills of teachers rather than on their native status. The findings also suggest that a number of common cognitive responses are employed by students, mainly comparing English and Arabic grammatical rules, memorising new words, and making connections between Arabic and English. Furthermore, the results indicate that for most students (21 out of 30) Arabic helped to keep the affective filter low, making them feel more comfortable, happy and less anxious, whereas Arabic made the other students uncomfortable and more anxious. Moreover, it was found that the most frequently used strategies when students responded to teachers’ English use were mental translation, use of dictionaries and requesting clarification, while the least frequently used strategies were finding alternative English synonyms or avoidance. Finally, the findings indicate that teachers’ views generally coincide with students’ views about teachers’ use of Arabic. The findings from this study may benefit language teachers and programme designers to help them develop training programmes for teachers that take into account learner preferences regarding the background of their EFL teachers, particularly in the field of teaching EFL in the Saudi context. More importantly, the study suggests that learners should be trained how to use L1 as a successful learning strategy and that teachers should raise students’ awareness, especially those students with low proficiency in English, that Arabic can be used as a cognitive strategy, for example, to compare the similarities and differences between L1 and L2.

Teaching is a central role of counselor educators. However, teaching in counselor education lacks guiding standards or best practice recommendations. Existing scholarly dialogue predominantly features the perspectives of educators and addresses content knowledge, techniques, activities, and assignments for courses across the curriculum with relatively less emphasis on foundations of teaching. The purpose of this study was to develop greater understanding of counselor educator dispositions, orientations, and behaviors that students perceive as important to their learning. Q methodology was utilized to gather and distill counselor education students’ (N = 48) preferences for characteristics identified via focus groups and a comprehensive literature review. Factor analysis revealed four distinct factors, upon which 45 participants’ sorts loaded and which accounted for 41% of total variance. The findings of this study support the importance of the person of the counselor educator in the teaching and learning process in addition to behavioral characteristics. Moreover, these findings support the use of student learning style assessments and customization of course facilitation to fit students’ unique preferences and values.

Despite high achievement by many Māori (indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand) students there is still a disparity between the achievements of Māori students and Non Māori students in the New Zealand educational context. Given that over 85% of Māori students are currently in mainstream settings rather than Māori medium settings the Government has initiated and supported teacher professional development approaches in efforts to enhance teacher effectiveness for teachers working with Māori in mainstream settings. This investigation looks specifically at the practice of four teachers who have been on the Te Kauhua/Māori in Mainstream Pilot project in a decile1 5 Intermediate school in the South Island of New Zealand. An important aspect of this investigation is that it listens to and includes the voices and opinions of eight students who are in the classes of these teachers. Early on in the Te Kauhua project teachers at the school articulated that it was the lack of engagement from their Māori students that was the problem and they wanted to look at ways in which they could maximise Māori student engagement in the classroom learning contexts. The particular aim of this investigation was to look at specific strategies and practices that teachers used to successfully maximise Māori student engagement in the classroom curriculum. The results highlighted the importance of the quality of the relationship between the teacher and the students, the positive impact of the extra effort that teachers applied to engage their students and the students’ preferences for working in small groups. Underpinning these aspects of practice was the importance that teachers placed on developing their reflective practice and the participation in small learning professional learning groups.

Denna uppsats handlar om användningen av E-böcker inom högre utbildning vid Malmö Högskola. Syftet är att undersöka studenters attityder när det gäller användningen av E-böcker jämfört med den tryckta motsvarigheten vid akademiska studier. Studien granskar studenternas preferenser vidanvändningen av E-böcker jämfört med tryckta böcker, samt hur dessa media påverkar studenternas läsvanor. Genom att klargöra i vilka situationer E-böcker eller tryckta böcker har mest fördelar, så kan studenterna göra välgrundade val om vilket medium som de har störst nytta av. En nätbaserad enkät och inspelade intervjuer utgjorde metoderna för insamlingen av data, som sedan jämfördes med tidigare publicerade relevanta studier. Det visade sig att studenterna föredrog tryckta böcker för sina studier, och dessa böcker används fortfarande i första hand vid läsning och analys av längre textavsnitt. Däremot befanns E-böcker vara bäst när man skriver forskningsrapporter. Detta betyder att båda dessa media även framgent har en given plats inom denhögre utbildningen. / This thesis is about the use of E-books in higher education, specifically at Malmö University. The purpose of this study is to investigate attitudes students have towards the use of E-books for scholarly purposes in higher education versus their printed counterparts. This study looks at student preferences in the use of E-books compared to printed books, along with the effects these media have on students reading habits. By discovering in which situations E-books or printed books are most beneficial, students can make informed decisions about which medium will benefit them the most. An online survey and recorded interviews were used as methods for collecting data, whichwas then compared to previously published studies related to this subject. Students were found to prefer the printed book for studying purposes, and it still remains as the main source for reading and analyzing longer passages of text. E-books, on the other hand, were found to be most advantageous when preparing research reports. This means that both media still have their place inhigher education, which is likely to continue in the foreseeable future.

No description available.