M. Elshout-Mohr

The acquisition of word meanings as a cognitive learning process

In Experiment 1 subjects who were relatively high or low in verbal comprehension learned the meaning of neologisms from series of sentences while thinking aloud. Differences between high- and low-verbal subjects were found in the way they use a known word meaning as a model for the neologisms meaning and in the way they transform the sentence contents accordingly. In Experiment 2 these findings were replicated and a corresponding difference in learning products was found. The “analytic” way in which high verbals use a model unit provides them with directions into which to transform the sentence contents, whereas the “holistic” model utilization of low verbals does not. Implications of these results for verbal comprehension from a psychological point of view are discussed.

A PROCESS MODEL FOR INTERACTION AND MATHEMATICAL LEVEL RAISING

In this article we present a process model we have developed for interaction and mathematical level raising. In the process model the focus is on the individual learning process. The model is based on our own research experience and our common interest in individual learning processes. We relate it to other research. The model is meant to show how level raising can be realised by letting students work in small groups on a mathematical problem.

Mapping situations in classroom and research: eight types of instructional-learning episodes

Abstract The results of educational research are relevant for professional teachers. It is difficult however to promote reflective theory and strategy change in professionals. A summary is given of factors that inhibit acceptance, incorporation and application of new ideas that are inconsistent with prior beliefs. This article is focused on one requirement for reflective conceptual change, that is the need to map the situations that teachers are confronted with in their classrooms onto situations that are subjected to educational research. A classification of instructional-learning episodes is presented as an instrument to facilitate this mapping. This instrument is outlined and elaborated. The potential use of the instrument as a tool in teacher training and further research is discussed.

An Instrument for the Assessment of Cross-Curricular Skills

An instrument was constructed to assess the level of competence of students (aged 15-16) on eight cross-curricular skills. The instrument, further to be called the cross-curricular skills test (CCST), consisted of 56 multiple-choice items. In the first section cross-curricular skills are defined as general skills which can be taught and practiced in curricula for different disciplines. In the second section we describe how eight cross-curricular skills were selected for testing. We also explain why we decided to compose the test of multiple-choice items, an item-format that is not a customary one for measuring general skills. In the third section we report administration of the test to 465 students in a pilot study and 9,000 students in the main study. Quantitative data are presented concerning p -values, reliability, internal structure, and construct validity of the CCST. Qualitative data were derived from observations, thinking aloud protocols and analysis of the test content. The data warrant the claim that CCST is a valid and reliable test for cross-curricular skills. It is suitable for students of 15-16 years of age and allows administration in large samples. In the final section we discuss some limitations of the test and suggest directions for future research on assessment of cross-curricular skills.

Conceptual learning in relation to near and far transfer in the secondary school subject of economics

In this study we investigated the effects of two treatments supplementing students’ (16 to 18 years of age and in pre-university education) regular course in economics. One treatment, labelled concept treatment, aimed at the solidification of the students’ knowledge about economic concepts and their interrelations. The other treatment, labeled context treatment, aimed at the solidification of the connections between economic concepts and practical contexts.The aim of the study was to find out which treatment was most effective in meeting two demands that have been made by educators and advisory boards. The first demand is that students should gain competence in analysing practical problems from an economic perspective. The second demand is that students should be prepared for transfer of what they learned in the lessons to problems that are new to them.We expected that near transfer is reached more readily than semifar transfer. This was the case for the solidification of connections between concepts and contexts. The context condition performed better. It was not the case for the solidification of the concepts which was the aim for the concept treatment. There was no difference in the results on the concept test between the two conditions. As to the assumption that a solid conceptual network is a prerequisite for far transfer, the findings are inconclusive.RésuméDans cette étude nous avons étudié les effets de deux types d’instruction, supplémentaires aux classes normales d’économie. (éléves de 16–18 ans, classes préparatoires au bac). La première instruction, du type ‘instruction Concept’ accentue le renforcement des connaissances préalables dans le domaine de l’économie, tandis que l’autre type, appelé ‘instruction Context’, mise à intensifier la relation entre certains concepts économiques et des contextes pratiques.L’objectif de la présente étude consistait à analyser l’efficacité de ces deux types d’instruction. L’expérience devait démontrer laquelle des deux instructions serait la plus efficace pour bien répondre à deux questions posées par les enseignants et par les organismes consultatifs.La première question servait à mesurer s’il y avait une augmentation de la compétence analytique des éléves en ce qui concerne des problèmes pratiques économiques. La deuxième question servait à voir si les élèves étaient préparés à transférer leurs connaissances économiques à des problèmes jusque-là inconnus.Nous nous attendions à ce que le transfert proche serait plus facile que le transfert semi-lointain. Cela était le cas pour le renforcement des relations entre les concepts et les contextes: l’instruction ‘Contexte’ rendait plus de réponses correctes. Mais ce n’était pas le cas pour l’instruction ‘Concept’ qui avait comme objectif d’intensifier les concepts économiques. Il n’y avait aucune différence entre les deux conditions quant aux résultats du test ‘Concept’.Cette étude n’a donc pas confirmé notre hypothèse qu’un réseau conceptuel solide est une condition indispensable pour le transfert lointain.

The development of a questionnaire on metacognition for students in higher education

Background Interest in the role of metacognition has been steadily rising in most forms of education. This study focuses on the construction of a questionnaire for measuring metacognitive knowledge, metacognitive regulation and metacognitive responsiveness among students in higher education and the subsequent process of testing to determine its validity. Purpose The aim of the study was to construct an original instrument for measuring features of metacognition, henceforth referred to as the Awareness of Independent Learning Inventory (AILI), and further to establish the similarities and differences between this model and existing instruments for measuring metacognition. Sample The AILI questionnaire was distributed to 1058 students in various types of Teacher Training Institutes in the Netherlands and Belgium. The abridged English version of the questionnaire was administered to another sample of 729 students reading Economics and Business Administration at the University of Maastricht in the south of the Netherlands. Design and methods The AILI instrument was constructed on the basis of a facet design along two dimensions: components of metacognition and topics of concern to students in higher education. The data gathered with the instrument was analyzed by means of a generalisability study and a decision study, respectively. The validity of the instrument was investigated by using confirmatory factor analysis. Results The generalisability study showed that the reliability of the instrument was satisfactory. The decision study revealed that the number of items included in the questionnaire could be reduced substantially by leaving out two components of one of the dimensions in the facet design, without losing too much generalisability. The validity study showed that there was a considerable level of congruity between parts of the AILI questionnaire and the relevant parts of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Conclusions The AILI questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring metacognitive knowledge, regulation and responsiveness. It is suitable for use in the evaluation of the effects of interventions that purport to increase metacognitive knowledge, regulation and responsiveness of students in higher education.

Working Together on Assignments

In this chapter we address questions of the interrelationship of the processes involved in working together and learning, mainly in the field of mathematics. In the first section we present a process model, which is suitable to analyse episodes in which students collaborate on tasks that aim at level raising. The model focuses on key activities in the level raising process and incorporates social activities that affect the occurrence of these key activities. In the second section we present a multiple analysis of a collaborative learning episode in a broader context. We analysed the episode from three different perspectives: social interaction, division of time and mathematical level raising. Integrating the three perspectives brings into focus the complexity of settings, in which students regulate their social and cognitive activities

The Topic-Comment Technique to Study Expository Text

AbstractThe topic-comment technique fosters deep processing and also functions as a support strategy. Its effect, appreciated during study skills courses, was tested under experimental conditions in the present study. Training in the technique improved the quality of the notes taken by the subjects while studying a text; subjects also reported a perceived change in text studying abilities. Taking into account the results of a placebo training, it was concluded that the topic-comment technique derives its effect partly from more general characteristics of study skills training and partly from the specific instrumental value of the technique. The readiness of freshmen in higher education to adopt a new study technique to replace obsolete ones is discussed.