Research Annotations

Records: 322

Student Engagement and Student Learning: Testing the linkages

Robert M. Carini     George D. Kuh     Stephen P. Klein

APA Citation

Carini, R. M., Kuh, G. D., & Klein, S. P. (2006). Student engagement and student learning: Testing the linkages. Research in Higher Education, 47, 1-32.

Annotation

The purpose of this study was to look at the relationship between student engagement and academic performance (critical thinking and performance) through comparisons of SAT scores with critical thinking measurements conducted by the RAND corporation, prompts on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and GPA. 1,058 students from a variety of college settings were recruited and completed data, 940 completed the RAND tests and 506 completed the GRE tests. Results suggest students who scored in the . . . lowest SAT quintile had more beneficial self-reported outcomes from engagement than students in the higher SAT quintiles. In these students, higher levels of self-reported quality of relationships, a supportive campus climate, integration of diversity into coursework, student-faculty interaction concerning coursework, and reading and writing correlated with a relatively minor, yet statistically significant, increase in performance in both the critical thinking measurement and in grades.

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The Concentric Support Model: A model for the planning and evaluation of distance learning programs. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 9(3). https://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall93/osika93.pdf

Elizabeth Osika

APA Citation

Osika, E. (2006). The Concentric Support Model: A model for the planning and evaluation of distance learning programs. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 9(3). https://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall93/osika93.pdf

Annotation

This qualitative research article offers the “Concentric Support Model” as a tool for institutions to use throughout all stages of their distance learning efforts. To develop the model, the author reviewed literature on distance learning programs, and identified seven support areas (i.e., faculty, student, content, course management system, technology, program,, and community) necessary for a distance learning program. Additionally, each major support area in the model has additional . . . components. The goal in this research was to “validate” the most important components in supporting a distance learning program. The research utilized a three round “Delphi process,” where 23 experts completed online surveys in order to “validate” the most important components for the model through consensus. Most experts included in the “Delphi process,” were located in the United States, though one was from Germany and one was from Great Britain. The experts worked in a variety of roles at colleges and universities including as faculty, and as instructional designers. The author notes that the seven major support areas of support and the additional 46 components, “validated” in the research and included in the Concentric Support Model, highlight the entire institution’s importance in supporting a distance learning program.

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The Demographics, Motivations and Derived Experiences of Users of Massively Multi-User Online Graphical Environments

Nick Yee

APA Citation

Yee, N. (2006). The demographics, motivations, and derived experiences of users of massively multi-user online graphical environments. Presence: Teleoperators and virtual environments, 15(3), 309-329.

Annotation

Research shows that there is a high level of emotional attachment to the environment.
there is a strong amount of leadership development involved.
These environments are uniquely social

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A Framework for Teaching Software Development Methods

Yael Dubinsky     Orit Hazzan

APA Citation

Dubinsky, Y. & Hazzan, O. (2005). A framework for teaching software development methods. Computer Science Education, 15(4), 276-296.

Annotation

The article discusses a pilot study that relies upon a “studio-type of class” and an academic coach. In the study, a qualitative methodology is applied. Both students and academic success coaches are interviewed. The authors describe the responsibilities of the “coach”: “Coordinates and solves group problems, checks the web forum and responds on a daily basis, leads some development sessions.”
The article might be helpful for understanding one way in which academic success coaches might be . . . studied. This particular study focused in on how effective the training for coaches was in assisting them to help the students succeed in the course.

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An Investigation of Broad and Narrow Personality Traits in Relation to General and Domain-Specific Life Satisfaction of College Students

John Lounsbury     Richard Saudargras     Lucy Gibson     Frederick Leong

APA Citation

Lounsbury, J. W., Saudargas, R. A., Gibson, L. W., & Leong, F. T. (2005). An investigation of broad and narrow personality traits in relation to general and domain-specific life satisfaction of college students. Research in Higher Education, 46(6), 707-729.

Annotation

In the present study, we looked first at the role of the Big Five
personality traits in relation to life satisfaction of college students
Beyond the Big Five traits, the
following research questions were examined:
(1) Are the Big Five personality traits of Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Extraversion, and Openness as well as
the narrow traits of Aggression, Career Decidedness, Optimism,
Self-Directed Learning, Sense of Identity, Tough-Mindedness, and
Work . . . Drive significantly related to College Satisfaction and General
Life Satisfaction?
(2) When considered as a set, which of the Big Five traits contribute
uniquely to the prediction of General Life Satisfaction?
(3) Do the narrow personality traits add incremental validity beyond
the significant Big Five traits in predicting General Life Satisfaction?
(4) What is the relationship between College Satisfaction and General
Life Satisfaction?
(5) What is the relationship between College Satisfaction and General
Life Satisfaction after controlling for the personality traits (Big Five
and narrow)? Similarly, does College Satisfaction add incremental
validity to the prediction of General Life Satisfaction after controlling for the personality traits (Big Five and narrow)?
(6) Considered as a set, which personality traits significantly account
for variance in College Satisfaction and General Life Satisfaction?
Convenience sample
The present results indicate that the College Satisfaction measure used
in this study is a quite reliable composite of satisfaction-comprised specific, important domains of collegiate experience – and is substantively
related to Life Satisfaction, which provides further support for the approach of other researchers who have used a domain-based composite
measure of the overall student set.

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Do Faculty Serve as Role Models? The impact of instructor gender on female students

Eric Bettinger     Bridget Long

APA Citation

Bettinger, E. P., & Long, B. T. (2005). Do faculty serve as role models? The impact of instructor gender on female students. American Economic Review, 95(2), 152-157.

Annotation

This paper investigate if the presence of female faculty member in female students’ early academic career affect their decision of taking additional course or major in the particular subject taught by female faculty members. Longitudinal data set of 54,000 students allows to estimate impact of faculty on students’ decisions. The authors measured the effect of female faculty role model as (1)additional courses the student took in the subject (2)the total number of subsequence credit hours and (3) . . . major choice (p. 156). The result of ordinary least squares suggest that the early encounter with female faculty members slightly increase the odds of a female student’s major choice in the subject. However, there was inconsistency between academic disciplines. In biology and physics, students who initially had female professors were less likely to take additional courses in the subjects while the effect of female faculty members was positive in geology, mathematics and statistics. In humanities and social science, presence of female faculty members increased the likelihood of either student took additional course (psychology, sociology, journalism, communications, and education) (p. 156). To sum up, female faculty can serve as role model who increase student interest in a subject.

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How College Affects Students: A third decade of research (Vol. 2)

E. T. Pascarella     P. T. Terenzini

APA Citation

Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How college affects students: A third decade of research (Vol. 2). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Annotation

Research on colleges and universities continually changes with passing generations of students entering and leaving college. This book compiles research from the 1990s and outlines theories and models of student change. These changes include subject matter comprehension as well as verbal and quantitative skills changes. Outside of the classroom, students are also studied in psychosocial along with attitude and values changes. The latter half of the book focuses on educational attainment and . . . professional and personal life after college. Pascarella and Terenzini end their piece with an overview of research, practice, and policy implications of their findings.

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Individual Student Characteristics: Can any be predictors of success in online classes?

Amy Wojciiechowski     Louann Palmer

APA Citation

Wojciechowski, A., & Palmer, L. B. (2005). Individual student characteristics: Can any be predictors of success in online classes. Online journal of distance learning administration, 8(2), 13.

Annotation

Various student characteristics were examined to determine their relationship to student grades
(i.e., success) in an online undergraduate business course, including: (1) gender, (2) age, (3)
previous courses completed online, (4) American College Testing (ACT) English Scores, (5)
ACT Reading Scores, (6) ACT Composite Scores, (7) Assessment of Skills for Successful Entry
and Transfer (ASSET) Reading Scores, (8) ASSET Writing Scores, (9) grade point average, (10)
previous withdrawal from . . . other courses, (11) semester format (16-week versus 8-week), (12) student status (full-time vs. part-time), and (13) attendance at an orientation session.
Data were collected from students taking an online business course offered through a small, rural community college in western Michigan . The population included all 179 students registered for this course beginning with fall semester 2000 through summer semester 2003, for a total of nine
different semesters. The same instructor using the same textbook offered all courses, providing instructional consistency across three years of courses.
Grade point average was found to have the strongest connection.
The second greatest factor was that of having attended an orientation session for the class.
The third strongest correlation involves the number of previous withdrawals from other classes.
The fourth strongest correlation was between a student’s ASSET Reading scores and their final grade in the on-line course.
There was also a positive and statistically significant relationship between previous online
courses and the grade in the course (the fifth most significant).

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Interteaching Versus Traditional Methods of Instruction: A preliminary analysis

Bryan K. Saville     Tracy E. Zinn     Marcus P. Elliott

APA Citation

Saville, B. K., Zinn, T. E., & Elliott, M. P. (2005). Interteaching versus traditional methods of instruction: A preliminary analysis. Teaching of Psychology, 32(3), 161-163.

Annotation

This study examines the effectiveness of interteaching as compared to traditional methods of instruction. Interteaching is similar to personal system of instruction (PSI) but attempts to negate some of the drawbacks of PSI. Specifically, interteaching does not require mastery learning, students are self-paced during each course meeting rather than across the semester, a focus on student discussion reduces the burden on teacher resources, and as teachers still lecture and facilitate discussion, . . . they are a more active and visible player in the learning process. Participants were broken up into four groups consisting of interteaching, lecture, reading and control, and were quizzed on the content covered. Findings show that students in the interteaching group answered a statistically significantly greater percentage of questions correctly, suggesting that interteaching “might be an effective alternative to other traditional forms of instruction” (p. 162). The authors note “the combination of features that (a) requires active learning, (b) capitalizes on immediate social reinforcement from peers and instructor, (c)creates a clear cooperative learning environment, and (d) provides a clear relation between study and test materials likely facilitates learning and results in better retention than the other methods we tested” (p. 162).

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Never Let It Rest: Lessons about student success from high-performing colleges and universities

George Kuh     Jillian Kinzie     John Schuh     Elizabeth Whitt

APA Citation

Kuh, G. D., Kinzie, J., Schuh, J. H., & Whitt, E. J. (2005). Never let it rest lessons about student success from high-performing colleges and universities. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 37(4), 44-51.

Annotation

Common themes set colleges and universities that succeed apart from those that don’t. Those themes include:
An improvement-oriented ethos including
positive restlessness
they invest in student success
Decision making informed by data
These colleges tend to:
stay the course
provide leadership from every corner
create a collaborative environment
get and keep the right people
convert challenges into opportunities
These schools are able to create environments where students are able to . . . succeed regardless of their backgrounds and should be seen as models for other schools.

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