Chang Zhu

Organizational culture and instructional innovations in higher education Perceptions and reactions of teachers and students

This study examines teachers’ and students’ perceptions of the organizational culture of their universities and their views about and reactions to instructional innovations with regard to student-centred learning, collaborative learning and use of innovative educational technologies. Six Chinese universities were involved and in total 1051 students and teachers participated in a survey study. The results show that features of organizational culture affect students’ and teachers’ perceived need for innovation, their views about innovative approaches to instruction, responsiveness to instructional innovations and the perceived implementation level of educational innovations. In addition, differences among teachers and students and among the institutions were examined and discussed.

Challenging science teachers' beliefs and practices through a video-case-based intervention in China's primary schools

The present study aims to challenge primary school science teachers beliefs about education and teaching efficacy, as well as their teaching practices, through a video-case-based intervention programme in a Chinese educational setting. A total of 46 in-service teachers were involved in this study (experimental group = 23, control group = 23). Pre- and post-intervention surveys were administered to examine possible changes in the participants beliefs about education and science teaching efficacy. Video data were gathered through classroom observations of 9 participants from the experimental group and 9 participants from the control group. The results of one-way analysis of covariance indicate that the reported post-intervention beliefs of teachers who participated in the programme differed significantly from their pre-intervention beliefs. More specifically, teachers in the experimental groups reported fewer traditional and more constructivist beliefs after the intervention, as well as stronger personal science teaching efficacy beliefs. One exception included beliefs about science teaching outcome expectancy. The video data showed that teaching practices became more constructivist in terms of both practical activities and student ICT use.

Who or what contributes to student satisfaction in different blended learning modalities

Different blended learning (BL) modalities and the interaction effect between human and technological factors on student satisfaction need adequately researched to shed more light on successful BL implementation. The objective of the present article is three-fold: (1) to present a model to predict student satisfaction with BL programs, (2) to examine the interaction effect between the instructor expertise and the learning management system (LMS) on student satisfaction in different BL modes, and (3) to investigate if different modes of BL will exert an influence on students perceived achievement goals and satisfaction, their evaluation of the instructors, and the LMS quality. Results show that the instructor expertise, students perceived task value and achievement goals are the most influential factors, followed by the LMS quality, instructor support, and students general self-efficacy. Contradictory to previous studies, the LMS quality only has an indirect effect on student satisfaction, via perceived achievement goals. In different BL conditions, the LMS quality has significantly different effect on student satisfaction, when interacting with the instructor expertise. The two modalities of BL programs also yield differences in students perceived achievement goals and their demand for the LMSs functionality and design, hence crucial implications for pedagogical practices and institutional policy addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examining school culture in Flemish and Chinese primary schools

The aim of this research is to gain understanding about school culture characteristics of primary schools in the Flemish and Chinese context. The study was carried out in Flanders (Belgium) and China, involving a total of 44 Flemish schools and 40 Chinese schools. The School Culture Scales were used to measure five school culture dimensions with regard to goal orientation, leadership, innovation orientation, participative decision making and formal relationships. The School Culture Scales were validated in both contexts, and within-group agreement indexes were calculated. The results show that on average, the Flemish schools scored higher than the Chinese schools in four dimensions of the school culture features. Within-group differences were also found. The differences between and among the Chinese and Flemish schools are discussed.

A Holistic Model to Infer Mathematics Performance: The Interrelated Impact of Student, Family and School Context Variables

The present study aims at exploring predictors influencing mathematics performance. In particular, the study focuses on internal students characteristics (gender, age, metacognitive experience, mathematics self-efficacy) and external contextual factors (GDP of school location, parents educational level, teachers educational level, and teacher beliefs). A sample of 1749 students and 91 teachers from Chinese primary schools were involved in the study. Path analysis was used to test the direct and indirect relations between the predictors and mathematics performance. Results reveal that a large proportion of mathematics performance can be directly predicted from students metacognitive experiences. In addition, other student characteristics and contextual variables influence mathematics performance in direct or indirect ways.

Integrating ICT in Kenyan secondary schools: an exploratory case study of a professional development programme

This study explores the introduction of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Kenyan secondary schools. Specifically, it is a case study of four schools with no previous access to ICT. The professional development programme from which data for this study were drawn was designed to support teachers learning to integrate ICT in the curriculum. Using a mixed-method research approach, the authors collected data from multiple sources and triangulated the views of various stakeholders: questionnaires with teachers, focus groups with teachers, school leaders and ICT coordinators, field observations and document analysis. While the broader programme focused on the use of ICT, the results highlighted in this study focus on the development of the four schools with respect to 1) vision building, 2) leadership, 3) collaboration, 4) expertise and 5) access to adequate resources. The discussion centres on the challenges and opportunities inherent in understanding how to prepare schools in developing countries to integrate ICT in education.

An in-depth analysis of adult students in blended environments: Do they regulate their learning in an ‘old school’ way?

Abstract Separation in time and place during the learning process reduces the ability of teachers to observe their students learning behaviours and provide tailored support. This occurs in blended adult education, which challenges students to learn independently. Possessing self-regulation skills is crucial for success in this context. Therefore, the current study aims to address the self-regulation strategies used by adult students in blended environments. A qualitative study that included framework analysis with 16 semi-structured interviews was conducted to explore how students regulated their cognition, behaviour, context and motivation. Results show that they 1) learn by using organising and rehearsal strategies; 2) are flexible regarding time, effort and environment and; 3) report diverse help-seeking strategies. Nevertheless, they preferred offline learning materials and applied few self-motivation strategies. The findings provide tips for teachers to support and promote the students self-regulation skills and includes tactics such as being an involved role model on forums to facilitate help-seeking processes.

Context-based blended learning models and implementation in Sub- Saharan Africa: A literature review

Technological innovations such as learning management system (LMS), content management system (CMS) and Internet use in higher education have changed the previous teaching and learning pedagogies. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), such innovative pedagogies have opened a new era as such LMS and CMS are used to support blended learning. Though innovative pedagogy has opened significant queries among researchers on how well student acquires knowledge and skills, how student-centered learning and cognitive beliefs are merged and how the use of instructional technologies engages students in active learning and how collaborative learning via LMS has benefited student learning. Moreover, recent educational policies and blended learning novelties are refocusing on teaching and learning models, implementation, practices and more specific knowledge delivery and accessibility. The article surmises that the innovative pedagogies in higher education like mobile learning, e-learning and smart classrooms stimulate adoption, deployment and implementation of blended learning beyond expectations in SSA higher education.

Acceptance and usage of mobile assisted language learning by higher education students

Research on mobile learning indicates that students perceive mobile devices mainly as communication and entertainment tools. Therefore, a key factor in successful mobile learning implementation is the initial measurement of students’ acceptance of those devices into their learning. Countless language applications available suggest that mobile devices can be ideal tools for language learning. Surprisingly, there are few studies reporting students’ acceptance of mobile assisted language learning (MALL), let alone MALL acceptance in developing countries. By adapting and extending the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model, the study assesses the dimensions affecting behavioral intentions and actual use of MALL. Data were collected and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results show that performance expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions influence students’ attitudes towards using MALL. Accordingly, attitude is the factor that affects behavioral intention the most. The model also shows that behavioral intention has an effect on MALL use. The study concludes that students enrolled in higher education in developing countries such as Colombia have a positive attitude towards MALL. However, an improvement of facilitating conditions, along with a more influential role of the educational community is needed for a successful MALL integration in education.

Teaching, social, and cognitive presences and their relations to students’ characteristics and academic performance in blended learning courses in a Tanzanian University

This study examines teaching, social, and cognitive presences in relation to students’ academic performance in blended learning courses in a Tanzanian university. The study involved 353 stu- dents and examined several aspects of blended learning including face-to-face lectures, online and offline group assignments, online feedback, discussions, and online messaging via Moodle. A community of inquiry survey was used to measure students’ perceptions of teaching, social, and cognitive presences. Performance scores consisted of students’ coursework and final exami- nation grades. The results showed no statistically significant differences in the reported scores of teaching, cognitive, and social presences based on gender and age groups. Students with more advanced ICT skills reported higher teaching, social, and cognitive presences. Reported teaching presence was significantly different among the blended learning courses. Teaching, social, and cognitive presences showed a positive correlation with each other. The conclusion shows that although positively correlated, social and cognitive presences were not predictors of students’ performance; however, ICT skills were important in the studied courses. nKey words: teaching presence, social presence, cognitive presence, academic performance, blended learning