... Hanna and Heather, who served as critical friends for this study, lending me their ears and m... more ... Hanna and Heather, who served as critical friends for this study, lending me their ears and much valuable input. Marius, Dorothy, Ilse, Peet, and Jan, who served as this study's validation group, for sacrificing time in their extremely busy schedules to critique my work, providing ...
African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 2014
ABSTRACT Electronic tutors able to respond appropriately to a user's input have been show... more ABSTRACT Electronic tutors able to respond appropriately to a user's input have been shown to be effective in improving learning in a number of contexts. This study extends this research into the context of conceptual change during in-service science teacher workshops. Quantitative data were collected from 1,049 South African grade 12 physical sciences teachers who attended 54 in-service teacher workshops held by the first author across all South African provinces and hosted by volunteer schools. These teachers completed pre- and post-tests about the force concept. The teachers from each workshop were assigned, by convenience, to one of three treatment groups. The individual group (n = 296) engaged with the software between answering the tests. The plenary group (559) was taught using the tutoring software as an aid. The control group (194) received no electronic tutoring intervention. Participants also answered questions about themselves and their schools. The findings suggest that individual use of the software can be effective in promoting conceptual change in the context of the in-service teacher workshop, especially for those who already have relatively high levels of prior knowledge. However, plenary use of this software, in this context, appears to have limited effectiveness in promoting conceptual change. The patterns of engagement indicate an evolutionary, slow and iterative process of conceptual change, with limited transfer of learning across contexts. The findings suggest that multiple short modules of varying levels of advancement are more advisable than fewer, longer, less varied modules.
There is a growing literature on the educational benefits of using podcasting of lectures in high... more There is a growing literature on the educational benefits of using podcasting of lectures in higher education, but to date little research that interrogates closely its impact on student learning. The present study investigated how students used lecture podcasts when produced in two engineering courses at a South African university. The findings confirm much of the growing consensus in the literature. Firstly, a majority of students in the courses elected to use the podcasts. Secondly, the study notes that lecture attendance, in contexts where lectures are seen as beneficial, is not adversely affected. Thirdly, few students use podcasts in the mobile mode but most rather use them as an additional resource in their private study spaces. There is intense use in the build up to tests and examinations, and there is a particular benefit for students who are not first language speakers of the medium of instruction. This study also points to the existence of both deep and surface approaches to engaging with podcasts, with substantial evidence of many students using podcasts as a means towards better understanding.
... Hanna and Heather, who served as critical friends for this study, lending me their ears and m... more ... Hanna and Heather, who served as critical friends for this study, lending me their ears and much valuable input. Marius, Dorothy, Ilse, Peet, and Jan, who served as this study's validation group, for sacrificing time in their extremely busy schedules to critique my work, providing ...
African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 2014
ABSTRACT Electronic tutors able to respond appropriately to a user's input have been show... more ABSTRACT Electronic tutors able to respond appropriately to a user's input have been shown to be effective in improving learning in a number of contexts. This study extends this research into the context of conceptual change during in-service science teacher workshops. Quantitative data were collected from 1,049 South African grade 12 physical sciences teachers who attended 54 in-service teacher workshops held by the first author across all South African provinces and hosted by volunteer schools. These teachers completed pre- and post-tests about the force concept. The teachers from each workshop were assigned, by convenience, to one of three treatment groups. The individual group (n = 296) engaged with the software between answering the tests. The plenary group (559) was taught using the tutoring software as an aid. The control group (194) received no electronic tutoring intervention. Participants also answered questions about themselves and their schools. The findings suggest that individual use of the software can be effective in promoting conceptual change in the context of the in-service teacher workshop, especially for those who already have relatively high levels of prior knowledge. However, plenary use of this software, in this context, appears to have limited effectiveness in promoting conceptual change. The patterns of engagement indicate an evolutionary, slow and iterative process of conceptual change, with limited transfer of learning across contexts. The findings suggest that multiple short modules of varying levels of advancement are more advisable than fewer, longer, less varied modules.
There is a growing literature on the educational benefits of using podcasting of lectures in high... more There is a growing literature on the educational benefits of using podcasting of lectures in higher education, but to date little research that interrogates closely its impact on student learning. The present study investigated how students used lecture podcasts when produced in two engineering courses at a South African university. The findings confirm much of the growing consensus in the literature. Firstly, a majority of students in the courses elected to use the podcasts. Secondly, the study notes that lecture attendance, in contexts where lectures are seen as beneficial, is not adversely affected. Thirdly, few students use podcasts in the mobile mode but most rather use them as an additional resource in their private study spaces. There is intense use in the build up to tests and examinations, and there is a particular benefit for students who are not first language speakers of the medium of instruction. This study also points to the existence of both deep and surface approaches to engaging with podcasts, with substantial evidence of many students using podcasts as a means towards better understanding.
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