Reference Portal

In response to Ella’s suggestion, I searched the CBE archives for possible connections to our article. The theme of our paper is pretty unique, i.e. not a lot of work in CBE on questions.  Possible connections to our paper include:

CBE 2007. Using the Web to Encourage Student-generated Questions in Large-Format Introductory Biology Classes.

Students rarely ask questions related to course content in large-format introductory classes. The use of a Web-based forum devoted to student-generated questions was explored in a second-semester introductory biology course. Approximately 80% of the enrolled students asked at least one question about course content during each of three semesters during which this approach was implemented. About 95% of the students who posted questions reported reading the instructor’s response to their questions. Although doing so did not contribute to their grade in the course, approximately 75% of the students reported reading questions posted by other students in the class. Approximately 60% of the students reported that the Web-based question-asking activity contributed to their learning of biology.

CBE 2002. Approaches to Cell Biology Teaching: Questions about Questions.

We should probably spend some time talking about this paper… I wish we more clearly mapped to Bloom’s as they do, but we have some good points. They analyze teacher-generated questions, whereas we analyze student-generated questions. We also report changes in category frequencies over time. We provide multiple opportunities for practice, etc. I’d like to argue that our paper adds to the collection of papers that rank questions in the hopes that a more unified question-ranking system can be generated and become more applicable across sciences. (Maybe?)

In terms of gender and questioning, our best bet might be Pearson and West 1991 [pdf] who describe the question-asking behaviors of male and female college students in communication classrooms with male or female instructors. They find that, in general, students ask very few questions. On page 29 they note: “students need instruction and modeling in effective and appropriate question-asking.”

Also interesting, Good and the relationship between passivity and higher-order thinking.

Thomas L. Good, Ricky L. Slavings, Kathleen Hobson Harel, Hugh Emerson Student Passivity: A Study of Question Asking in K-12 Classrooms. Sociology of Education, Vol. 60, No. 3 (Jul., 1987), pp. 181-199.

This study examines the socialization of student question-asking behavior, one aspect of learning how to learn in school. Good (1981) argues that because of differential teacher feedback, some students learn to become intellectually passive in classrooms. The study documents students’ self-initiated questions in an attempt to determine whether high- and low-potential students learn different questioning skills. To examine this question, we developed a coding system to differentiate nine types of questions students in grades K-12 ask. The system also identified target students to allow comparisons of students by ability (teachers’ ratings) and sex across different types of questions. Twelve observations were made in each of 22 classrooms. Findings indicate that students in grades K-12 asked similar numbers of questions; however, the distribution of those questions varied somewhat with grade level. Requests for meaningful explanations were relatively infrequent at all grade levels, and procedural questions were relatively frequent at all grade levels. Male kindergarten students and students perceived by teachers to be low-achieving asked many more questions than female kindergarteners and all high-achieving students. As age increased, female students asked about the same number of questions as male students; however, low-achieving students over time asked fewer questions than students at other achievement levels, which provides some support for Good’s (1981) passivity model.

Good, Thomas L. et al. Learning to Ask Questions: Grade and School Effects. Teaching and Teacher Education, v4 n4 p363-78 1988.

The complexity of social interaction in classrooms leads many students to perform poorly because they do not understand what behavior the teachers expect. It appears that some students learn from their school experience to be less active in obtaining relevant academic information through questioning.

We could also consider Inquiry laboratory increases metacognitive skills.

Heather Kanuka, Liam Rourke, Elaine Laflamme. (2007). The influence of instructional methods on the quality of online discussion. British Journal of Educational Technology 38 (2), 260–271. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2006.00620.x

In this case study, we examined the influence of five groups of communication activities on the quality of students’ contributions to online discussion. The activities were the nominal group technique, debate, invited expert, WebQuest and reflective deliberation. Quality of discussion was operationalised as cognitive presence, a construct developed to investigate the role of critical discourse in higher, distance education contexts. Using the quantitative content analysis technique, the postings of 19 students in an undergraduate university course were assigned to one of the four categories of cognitive presence. Across the five activities, the proportion and number of contributions categorised in the highest phases of cognitive presence was low (20.21%), but was highest during the Webquest and debate activities. There are three advantageous qualities of these two activities, we argue: 1. They were well structured. 2. They provided clearly defined roles and responsibilities for the students. 3. They provoked the students to explicitly confront others’ opinions.

Metacognition in joint discussions: an analysis of the patterns of interaction and the metacognitive content of the networked discussions in mathematics. Metacognition and Learning. 1 (2)/ August, 2006. DOI 10.1007/s11409-006-9792-5

The aim of this study was to examine metacognition in computer-supported collaborative problem solving. The subjects of the study were 13-year-old Finnish secondary school students (N = 16). The Knowledge Forum learning environment was used to support student pairs’ problem-solving task involving polygons in a geometry course. The data consist of the student pairs’ posted computer notes (n = 95). To examine metacognition in a social context in the networked discussions, the features and patterns of networked interaction, the metacognitive content of the computer notes and their relations were examined. To examine the features of networked interaction, the social network analysis measures were used. The patterns of networked interaction were displayed with the multidimensional scaling technique. In the analysis, metacognitive contents of the computer notes were categorized as metacognitive knowledge, metacognitive skills, and not metacognitive. Further, with the correspondence analysis, we examined how the student pairs’ metacognitive activity was distributed. The results of the study revealed that the metacognitive activity varied among participants, although some aspects of metacognition such as planning were never encountered. It was found that there is a relation between metacognitive activity and the features of interaction. The student pairs who monitored and evaluated the ongoing discussions had a strategically optimal position in the communication network. Keywords Metacognition - Socially shared cognition - Social network analysis - Correspondence analysis - Mathematics

LISA = (DE=”content analysis”) and (DE=”web sites”)

School library Web sites: 1996-2002. Clyde, Laurel A. Electronic Library; 22 (2) 2004, pp.158-167

In 1996, a content analysis of 50 school library Web sites from nine countries, provided an overview of the then current “state of the art”. In 1999 and 2002, the remaining sites were again subjected to content analysis. This article reports on trends and changes through the six-year period. While school library Web sites have remained very diverse, there has been considerable development, though that development has been uneven both across the Web sites and through the time period. More than half the sites became more sophisticated in terms of the number of pages and the resources made available through them. A major change since 1996 has been the use of the school library Web site to provide access to electronic resources such as for-fee online information services, the catalogues of other libraries, and the school library’s own OPAC.

Offering distance education in health informatics: the state of the web sites. Handzel, Ruth; Lazinger, Susan. Information Services and Use; 23 (1) 2003, pp.19-34.

Within the framework of a bi-national project, a prototype database of programs and courses in Health Informatics was implemented. More than 100 sites of programs and courses in institutions in several countries were examined. While the database included courses delivered both on-site, as distance learning and as a combination of both methods of delivery, we expected that in particular the Web sites of courses for which the method of delivery was distance education exclusively would supply all the information needed by potential customers, all of whom were presumably dependent on the site for information about the course. This assumption was not borne out by the Web sites we retrieved. A content analysis of the sites was conducted, using 13 questions/criteria, and recommendations were drafted based on the data of the analysis.

A content analysis of university library Web sites in English speaking countries. Still, J M. Online Information Review; 25 (3) 2001, p.160-4.

In a study of university library Web sites in four English speaking countries (Australia, Canada, UK, USA), the visual display of information was found to be similar across all countries. However, there were some differences in the content supplied. All of the 150 library Web sites examined provided access to their own catalogue and some databases. Most also provided access to other library catalogues, a description of services and an update date. There was much less information provided on instructional material and remote access, and there were discrepancies in the availability of encyclopaedias, request forms and pathfinders.

LISTA ( s1 and s2 ). S2 website* or “web site*” S1 “content analysis”

A Content Analysis of Art Library Web Sites. Michalec, Mychaelyn. Art Documentation: Bulletin of the Art Libraries Society of North America; Fall2006, Vol. 25 Issue 2, p46-54, 9p.

The article focuses on a study conducted by Mychaelyn Michalec which analyzes the functionality and effectiveness of electronic art libraries. Based on the study, only 82 of the 166 web-based art libraries surveyed provide satisfactory contents. The Web sites are graded in terms of the availability of critical information about the library, web site design, number of related web links and graphic images.

Technical Services on the Net: Where Are We Now? A Comparative Study of Sixty Web Sites of Academic Libraries. Wang, Jianrong. Gao, Vera. Journal of Academic Librarianship; May2004, Vol. 30 Issue 3, p218-221, 4p, 4 charts.

This study examines sixty academic libraries’ Web sites and finds that 80 percent of them do not have a technical services’ homepage. Data reveal that institution’s status might be a factor in whether a library has such a page. Further content analysis suggests there is an appropriate and useful public service role that technical services departments can play by means of such a Web presence.

Readers, Authors, and Page Structure: A Discussion of Four Questions Arising from a Content Analysis of Web Pages. Haas, Stephanie W. Grams, Erika S. Journal of the American Society for Information Science; Jan2000, Vol. 51 Issue 2, p181-192, 12p, 5 charts.

Examines questions arising from a content analysis of Web pages. Basis for examination of questions; Review of data collection and coding process from earlier papers; Description on types of research necessary for complete answers to questions; Incorporation of results gathered to questions.

Web of Science

Self-Regulation in the Classroom: A Perspective on Assessment and Intervention.  Applied Psychology. Special Issue: Self-Regulation Across Domains of Applied Psychology: Is there an Emerging Consensus?. 54(2):199-231, April 2005.

There is no simple and straightforward definition of the construct of self-regulated learning. Theorists in educational psychology have narrowed the scope of students’ capability to self-regulate through a focus on the academic side of education, namely on learning and achievement goals. However, the messy world of classroom learning creates a situation in which different goals compete for students’ attention. Boekaerts’ dual processing self-regulation model describes how learning goals interact with well-being goals. We propose that when students have access to well-refined volitional strategies manifested as good work habits, they are more likely to invest effort in learning and get off the well-being track when a stressor blocks learning. Shifting definitions of SRL have led to changing measurement procedures; researchers moved away from decontextualised measures of SRL to domain-specific measures and then on to context-sensitive measures. The validity and reliability of the first generation of SR assessment has been limited and several issues remain. Recently, researchers have designed assessment packages including new instruments that better capture self-regulation as a process (including for example traces of mental events, situational manipulations, and records of student work strategies). A combination of instruments is preferable over a single instrument for assessing self-regulation as a process and the effects of interventions to improve students’ self-regulatory capacity. At present, many sound SRL interventions exist and some general lessons can be learned about classroom intervention research.

An Evolutionary Approach to Harnessing Complex Systems Thinking in the Science and Technology Classroom Susan A. Yoon. International Journal of Science Education. 24 April 2007.

Educational efforts to incorporate ethical decision-making in science classrooms about current science and technology issues have met with great challenges. Some research suggests that the inherent complexity in both the subject matter content and the structure and dynamics of classrooms contribute to this challenge. This study seeks to investigate the viability of an educational heuristic based on a complex s ystems evolutionary approach to both harness complexity inherent in the learning system of the classroom and to improve student knowledge of a complex scientific issue. The evolutionary mechanisms of variation, interaction, and selection were used to construct a 10-day curriculum and instruction unit on the topic of genetic engineering. Eleven Grade 9 students participated in the study. The data analysis was completed using three data sources: daily database discussions and ratings and rationales provided over four time-points, probing student opinions and understanding of genetic engineering research. A repeated-measures analysis of variance conducted on 43 student rationales indicated a continuing trend of increasing understanding of complex systems concepts over time. There is also evidence to show that students as a whole group operated as a complex system in their patterns of decision-making. A number of themes identified in student database discussions reveal processes students themselves believed influenced change at the social and conceptual level, including the evolutionary mechanisms upon which the program was designed.

Analyzing student interactions and meaning construction in computer bulletin board discussions. Source Computers & Education. Volume 42 , Issue 3 (April 2004) 243 - 265. Judith B. Pena-Shaff. Craig Nicholls

This case study, based on social constructivist learning theory, investigated the communication patterns and the knowledge construction process of students who used a computer bulletin board system (BBS) to discuss course-related content. Collected data included the outline of BBS postings and transcripts of the BBS messages from three selected weeks during the semester in an advanced communications class. Quantitative analysis was used to examine participation and interaction rates, and qualitative procedures were used to analyze knowledge construction processes and to refine a category system of indicators and descriptors. Results showed that students engaged in a knowledge construction process that was characterized chiefly by clarification, elaboration, and interpretation, and that produced more reflective monologues than dialogical interactions. Findings were related to constructivist theories and to previous analyses of computer conferencing systems, and were used to develop a list of recommendations for practitioners interested in incorporating such systems in their courses.

To do:

misc other:

• 85,000 total holdings
• 270+ serials
• 6,000+ reference volumes; w/o multivolume sets, ~5,000+
• have computer services identify the computing resources across campus for students, including math lab, student union, library, etc.
• Lamm, Kathryn, 10,000 ideas for term papers, projects, and reposts. 1991. link to this?
• what type of citations are used by departments? paralegal = ? Anthropology = ?\

completed:

• Library resource guide for HDEV 240: Research paper topics/ideas.
• created collection development suggestions of law enforcement dvd.

Dallimore, Elise J.; Hertenstein, Julie H.; Platt, Marjorie B. (2004). Classroom Participation and Discussion Effectiveness: Student-Generated Strategies. Communication Education, v53 n1 p1-1 Jan 2004. (EJ681525)

Classroom discussion is one of the most frequently used and often embraced pedagogical strategies. In attempting to enhance participation quality and discussion effectiveness, there is concern over what to do about students who are less inclined to participate voluntarily. We examined the context of intensive graduate business classes–in which the instructor had high expectations for participation, placed significant weight on the participation grade, and cold called (i.e., called on students whose hands were not raised). In a questionnaire, we asked students to identify what enhanced the quality of participation and the effectiveness of discussion in this class. Qualitative content analysis indicated that student responses clustered in several areas: (1) required/graded participation, (2) incorporating ideas and experiences, (3) active facilitation, (4) asking effective questions, (5) supportive classroom environment, and (6) affirming contributions/constructive feedback. The results strongly endorse the practice of cold calling. The class instructor utilized student responses to formulate future teaching strategies.

Revisit these ERIC Descriptors: Classroom Techniques; Classroom Communication; Student Attitudes; Student Participation; Business Administration Education; Graduate Study; Feedback; Classroom Environment; Content Analysis; Instructional Effectiveness

Google Scholar: classroom “content analysis”

Sweitzer, Gary L. (1982). A Meta-Analysis of Research on Preservice and Inservice Science Teacher Education Practices Designed to Produce Outcomes Associated with Inquiry Strategy.

The discrepancy between educators’ expectations for inquiry behavior and the actual status of such behavior (teachers feeling more comfortable teaching facts and feeling ill-prepared to guide students in inquiry learning) prompted a quantitative assessment of the existing research (reported between 1965 and 1980 in doctoral dissertations and journals) on training outcomes associated with inquiry teaching behaviors and the techniques and procedures used to obtain them. Meta-analysis accomplished this assessment and studies (N=68) were selected that had at least one outcome associated with inquiry strategy (knowledge of science processes, inquiry instructional strategy, indirect verbal behavior, accepting interpersonal behaviors, increased wait-time questioning behavior, higher cognitive level questioning, and discovery instructional strategy). Relevant variables were identified and coded into six major categories: 1) study form/design characteristics; 2) teacher/teacher trainee characteristics; 3) student characteristics; 4) treatment characteristics; 5) outcome characteristics; and 6) effect size characteristics (standardization of mean differences between treatment and control groups). Results among others indicated the teacher outcome most frequently measured was knowledge of science processes followed by indirect verbal behavior. ED219231

Settlage, John, (2007). Demythologizing Science Teacher Education: Conquering the False Ideal of Open Inquiry. Journal of Science Teacher Education. Volume 18 (4): 461-467.

Jeffrey Weld & Lucas Funk. (2005). “I’m Not the Science Type”: Effect of an Inquiry Biology Content Course on Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Intentions About Teaching Science. Journal of Science Teacher Education. 16(3).

Inquiry Into Life Science is a content biology course expressly for the fulfillment of the General Education life science laboratory course requirement of elementary education majors at this university. The course is modeled on the Teaching Standards and Content Standards of the National Science Education Standards [National Research Council. (1996). The national science education standards. Washington. DC: National Academy Press]. The change in intentions of 61 Fall 2002 enrollees were studied using triangulated quantitative and qualitative techniques to seek specific changes regarding self-perceived effectiveness as a biology teacher, self-perceived subject matter command, curriculum development competence, and pedagogical skills, all linked to developing intentions. Significant growth in all four domains was observed. These findings contribute to the research-based call for inquiry-oriented college science coursework for preservice teachers.

Cole, Donna J.; Ryan, Charles W.; Tomlin, James A. (2003) Inquiry Based Science: A Constructivist Approach in Teacher Education.

This paper presents an integrative model for developing collaborative academic structure between education and science/mathematics content departments. The model was developed through active partnerships with selected professional development schools (PDS PreK-12), College of Science and Mathematics faculty, and teacher educators in a professional College of Education. Survey results indicate that joint faculty appointments between academic departments and education, in tandem with clinical faculty appointments for PreK-12 teachers, lead to strong inquiry-based science courses for preservice teacher education candidates. Joint teaching of science courses was aligned with a constructivist approach and resulted in inquiry based science/mathematics courses taught to interns at PDS. Faculty with joint appointments between education, science, and mathematics successfully achieved tenure. ED473042

Windschitl, Mark. (2003). Inquiry Projects in Science Teacher Education: What Can Investigative Experiences Reveal about Teacher Thinking and Eventual Classroom Practice? Science Education, v87 n1 p112-43

Examines how preservice teachers’ inquiry experiences in a science methods course were influenced by their conceptions of inquiry. Advocates that independent science investigations should part of preservice education and that these experiences should be scaffolded to prompt reflection, specifically about the nature of inquiry, and conceptually linked to ways in which inquiry can be brought into the K-12 classroom. EJ659927

• designed math LI
• weeded 610-619
• ask up and advertised
  • working on why sender is helpdesk.
• took online @ONE desktop seminar distance education photoshop
• design plagiarism page.
• design course guides page.

Latour, B. & Woolgar, S. Laboratory Life: The Construction of Scientific Facts. Princeton University Press, 1986. Sage Publications, 1979.

Lemke, J. Talking Science: Language, Learning, and Values. Ablex, 1990

Wieman, Carl. (2007). Why Not Try a Scientific Approach to Science Education? Change, 39(5): 9-15.

Baxter Magolda, M. (2000). Creating Contexts for Learning and Self-Authorship: Constructive-Developmental Pedagogy. Vanderbilt University Press.

Elrod, S. Genetics Concept Inventory. Bioliteracy.net, 10/2/07.

• releasing students from content. releasing instructors from content.
• knowledge constructed by learner
• content analysis. Wikipedia. Colorado State.
• discourse analysis. Wikipedia. SLIS UTexas course.
• concept inventory. Wikipedia. Bioliteracy BCI.