Jean-Louis Berger

Group assessment of learning potential of pupils in mainstream primary education and special education classes

The authors present a Rasch scaled instrument for the standardized assessment of children’s learning potential. The test was constructed on the basis of theoretical and empirical considerations regarding the evaluation of general cognitive abilities in children with learning difficulties. It can be administered both individually and in groups. The results of the first two studies show that the pretest—training—posttest procedure allows discriminating between learners with and without learning disorders. Significant training effects are found in the experimental group and the posttest scores of these children improve the prediction of school related criteria. The test appears less related to non-cognitive factors that may influence performance than a classical intelligence testing procedure.

Strategy acquisition by children with general learning difficulties through metacognitive training

Children with general learning difficulties commonly show lower school success and have a slower rate of learning. They show limited and inefficient strategy use in all kinds of tasks. Efficient strategy use requires a certain degree of metacognitive knowledge and executive control. A sample of 16 children (ages 8 to 12) with learning difficulties participated in a 3-month metacognitive training intervention that alternated between curriculum-related and curriculum-unrelated tasks. The children were indirectly taught cognitive and metacognitive strategies by means of guided prompting. The application of the strategies and the childrens metacognitive knowledge were evaluated through observation of their behavior and verbalizations. Children showed progress in strategy use and metacognitive knowledge in both types of tasks, but it was only in the more concrete strategies that a positive correlation was found between application and quality of reflection. It is hypothesized that children perceived these concrete strategies to be of most practical value and they were therefore able to reflect most accurately on their use.

The Influence of Achievement Goals on Metacognitive Processes in Math Problem Solving

The relations between achievement goals in mathematics and task-specific metacognitive experiences and control were analyzed using path analyses. A sample of vocational students (n = 253) completed a set of scales on their motivational beliefs in mathematics, a test of numerical reasoning ability, and a math problem. Before and after solving this problem, the participants reported their subjective metacognitive experiences and metacognitive control. Different achievement goals were found to have unique effects throughout the solution of the problem. For example, mastery-approach goals predicted effort related to metacognitive experiences and mastery-challenge goals (Grant & Dweck, 2003) explained feelings of difficulty and liking. Metacognitive control was found to be indirectly predicted by achievement goals, with their effects mediated by metacognitive experiences. The results paint a complex picture of achievement goals’ effect on metacognitive processes.

Effects of Metacognitive Intervention in Low-Performing Vocational Students

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a teacher-administered metacognitive training module on the performance and strategy-use of vocational students considered as “slow learners.” Prior to the experiment all experimental teachers underwent an extended training. Moreover, they received all didactic materials of the training module as well as several mediation guides. The progress made by the trained students was controlled by a quasi-experimental design including a pretest, an immediate posttest, and a delayed posttest. The training module, both composed of decontextualized and school-related tasks, was taught in a class setting. The experimental group 1 (EG1) applied the whole training module in a prescribed way. The efficacy of this training is compared to that of an experimental group 2 (EG2) whose teachers received the same training as the teachers of the EG1, but they were free to choose only specific parts of the module, instead of the training in its entirety, and to follow the mediation guides in a less rigorous fashion. Both experimental groups were compared to a control group that did not follow any specific training. The results show that the training module had significant effects on the students’ performance in multiple domains and on the quality and quantity of strategies used. An analysis in terms of gain scores revealed an association between improvement in performance and improvement in strategy use, suggesting that the acquisition of strategies may be responsible for better performance.

Teaching Experience, Teachers’ Beliefs, and Self-Reported Classroom Management Practices: A Coherent Network:

Classroom management is an important topic in teacher education, as it has a strong impact on students’ engagement. However, untangling the concepts influencing teachers’ classroom management practices is a question that needs further investigation. Using data from a survey of 154 vocational teachers participating in teacher education, this study examined associations between classroom management practices, teaching experience, and teachers’ beliefs (general pedagogical beliefs, beliefs about student motivation, and self-efficacy beliefs). Results highlighted associations between the different types of beliefs, and between teachers’ beliefs and practices. Teaching experience was positively related to self-efficacy and beliefs in constructivism but did not impact practices.

The Determinants of VET Educators' Occupational Choice.

Purpose – Potential teacher shortage and low esteem of vocational education and training (VET) educator profession, together with the importance of attracting individuals best suited for the profession, lead to concerns about the reasons why people become VET educators as a second career. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of career choice in Swiss VET educators using an adaption of the Factors Influencing Teaching Choice framework (Watt and Richardson, 2007). Design/methodology/approach – With a sample of 605 VET educators undergoing initial teacher training, the authors first provide a description of the determinants of career choice at the sample level, based on a motivational model and analyze differences in these determinants between three types of VET educators. Then, the authors contrast it to the conclusions of other studies on teachers’ career choice. Findings – There are somewhat different determinants driving this career choice depending on the type of edu...

Assessment of Learning Potential: Construction and First Evaluation of the Psychometric Characteristics of an Analogical Reasoning Test

This master’s thesis (Berger, 2003) concerns a new learning potential test of analogical reasoning, the Hessels Analogical Reasoning Test (HART; Hessels, 2003) aimed at the assessment of pupils from 5 to 15 years of age in a group situation. A frequently emphasized problem of learning potential tests is the time needed for their administration. We intend to be able to assess a whole group of approximately 20 pupils in the context of their classroom, in a relatively short time of about 45 to 60 minutes. The analogies are presented in two different formats: 2 rows x 3 lines with six response alternatives or 3x3 with eight response alternatives. The number of elements varies from one to three, as does the number of transformations. We created nine series of increasing complexity for a total of 70 items. The items were constructed by pairs, meaning that two items had the same number of elements, and the same number and kind of transformations applied. The complexity, that is, theoretical difficulty, was defined by the number of transformations and elements present in the analogy. For example, an item with one element and one transformation is easier than an item with three elements and two transformations. The procedure was divided into two phases. In the first phase, a collective introduction was offered using four example items aimed at familiarizing the pupils with the tasks and the different formats of the matrices. Immediately after, a pre-test combined with training (after each item an explanation was given about the transformations applied) was administered using the first set. The second phase was a static post-test administered a few days after the pre-test/training using the parallel forms of the pre-test/training items. For each degree, a series of items was defined, according to level of difficulty, varying between 12 (1st grade) and 20 items (6th grade) for each phase of the test. We administered the HART to 117 pupils of a primary public school (mean age 8;11). In addition, these pupils took the Standard Progressive Matrices of Raven (SPM) and an arithmetical test in a static and collective administration. Teachers of each class completed a rating scale for each of his pupils about three noncognitive variables (participation in the lessons, application in schoolwork, and behavior in class) and two cognitive variables (school success in French and mathematics). The results showed that the training caused great inter- and intraindividual variation, explained by the learning process taking place during this phase. Due to this variation, internal consistency was low for this phase. Thus, for subsequent analysis, we only considered the reliable results of the post-test. Of main interest were the correlations between the HART and the other variables measured. The noncognitive factors given by the teacher’s judgments showed lower correlations with the HART than with the SPM. For instance, the HART showed a correlation of .08 (ns) with pupil’s behavior, whereas the SPM showed a correlation of .21 (p<.05). This result means that the score offered by the HART is more independent of behavior in class. Moreover, the arithmetic test is more correlated with the learning test than with the SPM. Finally, a stepwise regression analysis demonstrated that the SPM predicted 14.2% (F1,116=19.151; p<.01) of the variance of success in mathematics; the HART predicted an extra 4% (F1,115=5.557; p<.05). For French, the stepwise regression analysis shows that the HART has a slightly superior predictive validity. These first results show that the instrument can be used in a group situation and has promising properties. The research will be extended to different populations, with variations in the procedures and methods.

Motivation to become a teacher: A Norwegian validation of the Factors Influencing Teaching Choice Scale

ABSTRACT The act of newly qualified teachers leaving the profession is a growing challenge, both in Norway and internationally. To address recruitment difficulties, there is a need for further knowledge of prospective teachers’ career motivations. The current study validated a Norwegian translation of the Factors Influencing Teaching Choice (FIT-Choice) Scale. Using a sample of 635 preservice teachers, confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. The results indicated that the translated scale offers a valid measure of Norwegian students’ motivation to become teachers. Self-perception of teaching-related abilities was one of the main motivational sources, together with the desire to shape the future of children and adolescents and an interest in teaching. Findings are discussed in relation to previous studies based on the FIT-Choice Scale in other countries.

Underexplored Contexts and Populations in Self-Regulated Learning and Measurement Issues

This is the second of two special issues presenting innovative research on self-regulated learning (SRL). While the first issue was concerned with illustrating methods aimed at fostering SRL in various populations and learning contexts, this issue constitutes a collection of articles related to two topical and related themes in the field: The extension of studies to a greater number of diversified populations and contexts, and the challenges of measuring SRL. The reader is invited to consult the editorial of the first special issue where these call for papers and selection processes were outlined (Brandmo & Berger, 2013).