Alvin Y. Wang

Characteristics of Students Who Enroll and Succeed in Psychology Web-based Classes

This study compared the cognitive-motivational and demographic characteristics of students enrolled in 3 Web-based sections of Psychological Statistics with their counterparts in 3 conventional (face-to-face) sections of this course. No demographic differences were found; however, cyberstudents exhibited a greater external locus of control than conventional students. The authors also investigated whether there were any predictors of student performance in Web courses. Measures of on-line course activity (e.g., homepage hit rate), a high need for cognition, and an internal locus of control were predictive of cyberstudent success. The authors discuss the implications of these results for instructors who are considering the design and implementation of Web-based classes.

Predictors of Web-Student Performance: The Role of Self-Efficacy and Reasons for Taking an On-Line Class

This study investigated college students’ personal choices for taking web-based courses and whether their self-efficacy for the course content and technological components would predict their performance in on-line sections of a class. Students (n=122) who enrolled because they enjoyed web-based learning environments or were curious about web courses had higher selfefficacy and better class performance than students who enrolled solely because of course availability. Data are also presented regarding the relationships between self-efficacy,on-line course activity,and the formation of cyber-learning communities. These results are discussed with regard to their implications for educational research and applications for web-based instruction. # 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of keywords on long-term retention : help or hindrance ?

Three experiments assessed the long-term effectiveness of the keyword mnemonic relative to a nonmnemonic (i.e., semantic-context) learning strategy. Following incidental-learning instructions, cued recall was assessed either immediately or after a 2-day delay. The keyword mnemonic produced superior immediate performance relative to the semantic-context strategy. However, after 2 days, there was a marked reversal in performance, with higher levels of delayed recall associated with semantic-context learning. This pattern of findings was obtained when obscure English words (Experiment 1) and second-language vocabulary (Experiment 2) were the learning stimuli. When practice frequencies were manipulated (Experiment 3), increased opportunities for study were more likely to boost the long-term retention of keyword learners compared with semantic-context learners. The implication is that keyword-based memories are especially fragile over time and will benefit from repeated testing and rehearsal.

Keyword Mnemonic and Retention of Second-Language Vocabulary Words.

Use of the keyword mnemonic has been shown to substantially increase learning speed and immediate recall of 2nd-language vocabulary words in comparison with other learning strategies. Although the majority of researchers examining long-term retention of material acquired through the keyword method have concluded that these gains are maintained over time, most have relied on experimental designs based on within-subject comparisons. However, within-subject comparisons of retention over time are confounded by both rates of initial acquisition and level of immediate recall

Integrating Technology and Pedagogy: Web Instruction and Seven Principles of Undergraduate Education

Pedagogical research on Web-based learning and instruction has not kept pace with the proliferation of Web-based courses offered by colleges and universities. Consequently, we encourage the application of the “Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education” (American Association of Higher Education, 1987) to guide the design and implementation of Web-based courses. We offer concrete suggestions on how instructors can apply each principle to maximize the potential of Web-based technologies and promote positive learning outcomes in the virtual classroom.

A Discourse Analysis of Online Classroom Chats: Predictors of Cyber-Student Performance

We applied a discourse analysis (DA) to the electronic chat room discussions of a 16-week, Internet-based section of a class in statistical methods in psychology. This analysis revealed that across the semester, several DA categories (e.g., total number of student comments) were correlated with final grade in the class. An additional analysis involving only the chat room discussion of Week 3 revealed that 2 DA categories (i.e., student response to a problem or example given in lecture and total number of student comments) correlated with final grade in the class. We discuss the pedagogical implication of these results with regard to an instructors ability to identify early warning predictors of student performance in the virtual classroom.

Global Versus Task-Specific Measures of Self-Efficacy

Two studies were conducted in order to reconcile contextualist accounts of self-efficacy with recent evidence supporting its global nature. A correlational analysis (Study 1) indicated that Tipton and Worthington’s (1984) Generalized Self-Efficacy (GSE) Scale was inversely related to Rotter’s Internal-External Locus of Control Scale and Beck’s Hopelessness Scale. In contrast, no discernible pattern of intercorrelations was obtained across six task-specific tests of self-efficacy. A single bipolar factor emerged, however, when the GSE Scale was factor analyzed with task-specific ratings of self-efficacy. Study 2 demonstrated that task-specific, but not GSE scores, were sensitive to actual performance on cognitive tasks. These results were interpreted as evidence for the hypothesis that global and task-specific measures assess relatively distinct aspects of the construct of self-efficacy.

Long-term retention under conditions of intentional learning and the keyword mnemonic

This study was designed to assess long-term retention following either keyword learning or rote rehearsal under conditions of intentional learning. A 2 condition (keyword vs. rote rehearsal) × time (immediate vs. delay) completely randomized design was used, with 24 Tagalog language nouns serving as the learning material. All subjects had uniformly high levels of retention on the immediate test of cued recall. However, on the delayed test of cued recall (2 days later), keyword learners had forgotten almost twice the number of items as had subjects who had rehearsed the same material by rote. Long-term forgetting was also greater for the keyword condition than for rote rehearsal when subjects were assessed by a test of associative matching. This pattern of results replicates earlier research that has revealed a detrimental long-term effect of the keyword mnemonic under conditions of incidental learning.

Looking for long-term mnemonic effects on serial recall : The legacy of Simonides

We investigated three issues with respect to the long-term serial recall of adults. First, retention interval was manipulated to obtain uncontaminated measures of long-term serial recall. Second, we compared serial recall of concrete and abstract nouns to determine how these materials might interact with various learning strategies over time. Third, control group participants were asked to describe the learning strategies used, allowing a comparison of technical mnemonic techniques with the spontaneously generated strategies of adults. We found that the delayed recall performance of participants who spontaneously used organizational or imagery-based strategies was comparable to that of those instructed in the method of loci and pegword technique. Word concreteness did not interact with any other variable. These results are discussed with regard to their implications for serial learning in educational settings.

Cultural-Familial Predictors of Children's Metacognitive and Academic Performance.

Abstract This study explored the interrelations between cultural-familial factors and measures of metacognitive and academic performance in second-grade children (n= 154). Information concerning socioeconomic status (SES), ethnicity, family structure, and parental behavior were collected from each child. In addition, data concerning metacognitive functioning, GPAs, and CTBS scores were also obtained. A MANCOVA revealed that the ethnic differences which were apparent for metacognitive and academic measures completely disappeared when SES was treated as the independent variable with ethnicity as its covariate. Furthermore, the evidence indicated that different cultural-familial backgrounds systematically relate to the variety of metacognitive experiences that are available to children. A multiple regression analysis revealed that SES, family size, and parental assistance on homework (but not ethnicity), all contribute to the development of metacognition. These findings corroborate assertions (e.g., Scarr-Sa...