Emmanuel Manalo

The Use of Process Mnemonics in Teaching Students with Mathematics Learning Disabilities.

This study investigated the effects of process mnemonic (PM) instruction on the computational skills performance of 13- to 14-year-old students with mathematics learning disabilities. Two experiments are described. In Experiment 1, 29 students were randomly assigned to one of four instruction groups: PM, demonstration-imitation (DI), study skills (SS), or no instruction (NI). In Experiment 2, instructors with no vested interest in the outcomes of the study were employed to teach 28 students who were assigned to PM, DI, or NI groups. Both PM and DI students made significant improvements in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. However, improvements were often greater for PM students. More importantly, the improvements made by PM students maintained better than those of DI students over six-week (Experiment 1) and eight-week (Experiment 2) follow-up periods.

Elucidating the mechanism of spontaneous diagram use in explanations: how cognitive processing of text and diagrammatic representations are influenced by individual and task-related factors

Although diagrams are considered effective tools for communication, students have been reported as lacking sufficient spontaneity in using diagrams when explaining what they have learned. This study examined the possible mechanism that relates text to diagram production in the process of providing written explanations. It puts forward the hypothesis that the production of text and diagrammatic representations shares the same cognitive processing resources, the allocation of which is influenced by individual factors like language ability and task-related factors like imageability of what needs to be explained. This hypothesis was tested on Japanese university students who were administered a passage (two versions varying in imageability) to read and subsequently explain in English or Japanese. A significant correlation was found between diagram use and English language competence (measured by TOEIC scores) - but only among students asked to explain the passage with lower imageability, and in English, providing support for the hypothesis.

Effectiveness of an Intensive Learning Skills Course for University Students on Restricted Enrolment.

ABSTRACT Prior to the commencement of the 1994 academic year, University of Auckland students who had failed one‐half or more of their papers in the previous year were invited to attend a four‐day intensive learning skills course conducted by the Student Learning Centre of the University. The course covered various topics such as effective time management and study organisation, preparing for and taking tests and exams, memory and concentration, and writing skills. A total of 74 students attended the course. After final examinations, the results of these students were analysed. As a group these students significantly improved on their previous years pass rates. Furthermore, their pass rates were significantly better than those of a randomly selected group of students who were in a similar situation with regard to their previous years academic performance, but who did not attend the course.

Science and engineering students' use of diagrams during note taking versus explanation

The use of diagrams in learning and communication is generally considered efficacious and an important skill to cultivate, especially among science students. At the same time, previous research has revealed many problems in student diagram use, including a lack of spontaneity in such use, but the extent to which these problems persist into the tertiary level had not been investigated. The present study examined science and engineering university students’ use of diagrams in note taking to learn information from a written passage, and in a subsequent task of constructing an explanation of that information for another person. The results showed that the students used significantly fewer diagrams in explaining compared to when they were note taking, suggesting that many students may lack awareness of the usefulness of diagrams in effectively communicating information to others. The results also revealed that the students used significantly more diagrams in taking notes from and explaining a passage with higher imageability (i.e. easier to visually imagine) compared to one with lower imageability. Educational implications of the findings are discussed.

Medical Students in Early Clinical Training and Achievement Motivation: Variations According to Gender, Enrollment Status, and Age

The purpose of this study was to examine the achievement motivation perceptions of medical students in early clinical training, to find out if variations in such perceptions may relate to students’ gender, age, ethnicity, or enrolment status (domestic or international). The participants were 272 4th and 5th year medical students who voluntarily completed the short version of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. The students’ scores in self-efficacy, intrinsic value, test anxiety, cognitive strategy use, and self-regulation, derived from the questionnaire, were analyzed in relation to the students’ gender, ethnicity, and enrolment status, along with their age as a possible covariate. Female students evidenced lower self-efficacy and higher test anxiety compared to their male counterparts. Likewise, international students were found to have lower self-efficacy and higher test anxiety compared to domestic students; the international students also scored lower in intrinsic value perception. Age was found to significantly correlate with self-efficacy, test anxiety, and intrinsic value perception. The findings suggest a need to use strategies like role-modeling to counteract the possible detrimental effects of negative gender stereotyping on female students’ self-efficacy — especially female students from non-Western cultural backgrounds. The higher levels of test anxiety evidenced by some groups may be understandable in the context of clinical training, but nevertheless indicate a need for the formulation and provision of appropriate forms of skills training and support for students — including communication skills training and support for international students.

The Influence of Language Contact and Vocabulary Knowledge on the Speaking Performance of Japanese Students of English

This study examined the influence of language contact and vocabulary knowledge on the speaking performance of 73 Japanese students in English language schools in New Zealand. The participants completed a language contact pro- file questionnaire and a vocabulary test, and were administered a story retelling task (which constituted the measure of speaking performance). The results revealed that vocabulary knowledge correlated with fluency, accuracy, complexity, and global impression aspects of speaking performance. Time spent on the following were also found to correlate posi- tively with various aspects of speaking performance: studying English, staying in English-speaking countries, speaking English outside of school, speaking English with non-native English speakers, and reading. In contrast, time spent watch- ing television was found to negatively correlate with speaking accuracy.

Students’ Spontaneous Use of Diagrams in Written Communication: Understanding Variations According to Purpose and Cognitive Cost Entailed

This study examined the amounts of information that students represented in diagrams compared to text when taking notes (self-directed communication) and when constructing explanations for others (others-directed communication). The participants were 98 Japanese university students who read one of two passages (differing in imageability) in Japanese (L1) and in English (L2). While reading, they could take notes, and were subsequently requested to produce an explanation of the passage using L1 or L2. The students represented more information in diagrams in notes they took from the passage of higher imageability in L1. However, in their explanation of that same passage for others – still using L1 – they represented more information in text. This finding suggests perceptual differences about the functions of diagrams in self- and others-directed communication. Results also confirmed that passage imageability and students’ language proficiency affect cognitive processing cost, which in turn influences the extent to which diagrams are used.

How Communicative Learning Situations Influence Students’ Use of Diagrams: Focusing on Spontaneous Diagram Construction and Protocols during Explanation

Although diagrams have been shown to be effective tools for promoting understanding and successful problem solving, students’ poor diagram use has been identified as a serious issue in educational practice-related reports. To enhance students’ diagram construction skills and to address problems in diagram use, creating learning situations that make it inevitable for students to use diagrams would likely be helpful. To realize this, communicative learning situations can be considered a viable option, as students would feel a greater necessity to use diagrams as a consequence of feedback they receive while explaining. Thus, this study examined the hypothesis that an interactive peer instructional learning situation would better promote students’ spontaneous diagram use compared to a non-interactive situation. Eighty-eight university students were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: interactive and non-interactive. After reading a passage relating to the science and engineering area, participants in the interactive condition were requested to explain the content of the passage to another participant next to them. In contrast, participants in the non-interactive condition were asked to record an explanation using an IC recorder by imagining that they were explaining to another person. A sheet of paper was provided to participants during the explanation, and diagram use on the paper was analyzed. The results revealed that students’ diagram use in the interactive condition was higher than in the non-interactive condition. This indicates that teachers’ provision of interactive communication situations can effectively promote students’ likelihood of using diagrams spontaneously.

Do Students from Different Cultures Think Differently about Critical and Other Thinking Skills

In this chapter, we explore what students from different cultural backgrounds think “good” thinking skills are, including the skills they perceive as being necessary in their studies. We report on findings from focus group interviews we conducted with undergraduate university students from Kyoto and Okinawa in Japan, and from Auckland in New Zealand. What the students said during the interviews shows important similarities in views about what “good thinkers” possess, including many qualities associated with critical thinking such as consideration of different or alternative perspectives. However, when we specifically asked about the meaning of “critical thinking,” many of the students from Okinawa indicated uncertainty in their responses, and the students from Auckland and Okinawa also referred to thinking approaches that are not commonly associated with critical thinking such as intuition and positive thinking. The findings from our investigation suggest that students need more explicit instruction to promote critical thinking skills development, and that they should be provided clearer, more transparent explanations of the thinking skills they are expected to demonstrate in their courses of study.

Global-local processing impacts academic risk taking

Research has shown that academic risk taking—the selection of school tasks with varying difficulty levels—affords important implications for educational outcomes. In two experiments, we explored the role of cognitive processes—specifically, global versus local processing styles—in students’ academic risk-taking tendencies. Participants first read a short passage, which provided the context for their subsequent academic risk-taking decisions. Following which, participants undertook the Navons task and attended to either global letters or local letters only, i.e., were either globally or locally primed. The effects of priming on academic risk taking were then assessed using a perception-based measure (Experiment 1) and a task-based measure (Experiment 2). Experiment 1 provided preliminary evidence, which Experiment 2 confirmed, that globally focused individuals took more academic risk than did locally focused individuals after controlling for participants’ need for cognition (how much they enjoy effortful cognitive activities). Additionally, the inclusion of and comparisons with a control group in Experiment 2 revealed that locally focused participants drove the observed effects. The theory of predictive and reactive control systems (PARCS) provides a cogent account of our findings. Future directions and practical applications in education are discussed.