Showing papers in "Review of Educational Research in 2007"
TL;DR: This paper provided a conceptual analysis of feedback and reviewed the evidence related to its impact on learning and achievement, and suggested ways in which feedback can be used to enhance its effectiveness in classrooms.
Abstract: Feedback is one of the most powerful influences on learning and achievement, but this impact can be either positive or negative. Its power is frequently mentioned in articles about learning and teaching, but surprisingly few recent studies have systematically investigated its meaning. This article provides a conceptual analysis of feedback and reviews the evidence related to its impact on learning and achievement. This evidence shows that although feedback is among the major influences, the type of feedback and the way it is given can be differentially effective. A model of feedback is then proposed that identifies the particular properties and circumstances that make it effective, and some typically thorny issues are discussed, including the timing of feedback and the effects of positive and negative feedback. Finally, this analysis is used to suggest ways in which feedback can be used to enhance its effectiveness in classrooms.
7,222 citations
TL;DR: For example, this paper reviewed about 1,000 articles to synthesize 119 studies from 1948 to 2004 with 1,450 findings and 355,325 students and found that correlations had wide variation.
Abstract: Person-centered education is a counseling-originated, educational psychology model, overripe for meta-analysis, that posits that positive teacher-student relationships are associated with optimal, holistic learning. It includes classical, humanistic education and today’s constructivist learner-centered model. The author reviewed about 1,000 articles to synthesize 119 studies from 1948 to 2004 with 1,450 findings and 355,325 students. The meta-analysis design followed Mackay, Barkham, Rees, and Stiles’s guidelines, including comprehensive search mechanisms, accuracy and bias control, and primary study validity assessment. Variables coded included 9 independent and 18 dependent variables and 39 moderators. The results showed that correlations had wide variation. Mean correlations (r= .31) were above average compared with other educational innovations for cognitive and especially affective and behavioral outcomes. Methodological and sample features accounted for some of the variability.
1,251 citations
TL;DR: The literature base on technology professional development for teachers reveals that there is a long way to go in understanding methods of effective practice with respect to the various impacts of these activities on teaching and learning as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The literature base on technology professional development for teachers reveals that there is a long way to go in understanding methods of effective practice with respect to the various impacts of these activities on teaching and learning. In the No Child Left Behind era, with programs like Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology, the Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education, and E-rate (the schools and library portion of the Universal Service Fund) that have been targeted as No Demonstrated Results, we need to move to a more systematic study of how technology integration occurs within our schools, what increases its adoption by teachers, and the long-term impacts that these investments have on both teachers and students. In addition to the findings of a comprehensive literature review, this article also articulates a systematic evaluation plan that, if implemented, will likely yield the information needed to better understand these important educational issues.
1,117 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe an evolving theoretical framework that has been called one of the best kept secrets of academia: cultural-historical activity theory, the result of proposals Lev Vygotsky first articulated but that his students and followers substantially developed to constitute much expanded forms in its second and third generations.
Abstract: The authors describe an evolving theoretical framework that has been called one of the best kept secrets of academia: cultural-historical activity theory, the result of proposals Lev Vygotsky first articulated but that his students and followers substantially developed to constitute much expanded forms in its second and third generations. Besides showing that activity theory transforms how research should proceed regarding language, language learning, and literacy in particular, the authors demonstrate how it is a theory for praxis, thereby offering the potential to overcome some of the most profound problems that have plagued both educational theorizing and practice.
1,038 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors make the case that consideration of the how, whom, and why of parents' involvement in children's academic lives is critical to maximizing the benefits of education.
Abstract: A key goal of much educational policy is to help parents become involved in children’s academic lives. The focus of such efforts, as well as much of the extant research, has generally been on increasing the extent of parents’ involvement. However, factors beyond the extent of parents’ involvement may be of import. In this article, the case is made that consideration of the how, whom, and why of parents’ involvement in children’s academic lives is critical to maximizing its benefits. Evidence is reviewed indicating that how parents become involved determines in large part the success of their involvement. It is argued as well that parents’ involvement may matter more for some children than for others. The issue of why parents should become involved is also considered. Implications for future research and interventions are discussed.
977 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a meta-analysis summarizes teaching effectiveness studies of the past decade and investigates the role of theory and research design in disentangling results, finding that the largest effects for domainspecific components of teaching were most proximal to the executive processes of learning.
Abstract: This meta-analysis summarizes teaching effectiveness studies of the past decade and investigates the role of theory and research design in disentangling results. Compared to past analyses based on the process–product model, a framework based on cognitive models of teaching and learning proved useful in analyzing studies and accounting for variations in effect sizes. Although the effects of teaching on student learning were diverse and complex, they were fairly systematic. The authors found the largest effects for domainspecific components of teaching—teaching most proximal to executive processes of learning. By taking into account research design, the authors further disentangled meta-analytic findings. For example, domain-specific teaching components were mainly studied with quasi-experimental or experimental designs. Finally, correlational survey studies dominated teaching effectiveness studies in the past decade but proved to be more distal from the teaching–learning process.
945 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined two tutoring activities that are commonly hypothesized to support tutor learning: explaining and questioning, and found that they tend to exhibit a pervasive knowledge-telling bias.
Abstract: Prior research has established that peer tutors can benefit academically from their tutoring experiences. However, although tutor learning has been observed across diverse settings, the magnitude of these gains is often underwhelming. In this review, the authors consider how analyses of tutors’ actual behaviors may help to account for variation in learning outcomes and how typical tutoring behaviors may create or undermine opportunities for learning. The authors examine two tutoring activities that are commonly hypothesized to support tutor learning: explaining and questioning. These activities are hypothesized to support peer tutors’ learning via reflective knowledge-building, which includes self-monitoring of comprehension, integration of new and prior knowledge, and elaboration and construction of knowledge. The review supports these hypotheses but also finds that peer tutors tend to exhibit a pervasive knowledge-telling bias. Peer tutors, even when trained, focus more on delivering knowledge rather th...
544 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a theoretical review of self-regulated learning (SRL) is presented, highlighting how the model sheds new light on current research as well as suggests interesting new directions for future work.
Abstract: This theoretical review of Winne and Hadwin’s model of self-regulated learning (SRL) seeks to highlight how the model sheds new light on current research as well as suggests interesting new directions for future work. The authors assert that the model’s more complex cognitive architecture, inclusion of monitoring and control within each phase of learning, and separation of task definition and goal setting into separate phases are all important contributions to the SRL literature. New research directions are outlined, including more nuanced interpretations of judgments of learning and the potential to more thoroughly assess the influence of interactions among cognitive and task conditions on all phases of learning.
397 citations
TL;DR: This paper explored the various explanations for the struggles, successes, and educational experiences of Southeast Asian students, highlighting differences across ethnic groups, and examined the successes and continuing struggles facing first and second-generation Vietnamese American, Cambodian American, Hmong American, and Lao American students in the United States.
Abstract: Similar to other Asian American students, Southeast Asian American students are often stereotyped by the popular press as hardworking and high-achieving model minorities. On the other hand, Southeast Asian American youth are also depicted as low-achieving high school dropouts involved in gangs. The realities of academic performance and persistence among Southeast Asian American students are far more complex than either image suggests. This article explores the various explanations for the struggles, successes, and educational experiences of Southeast Asian students. To highlight differences across ethnic groups, we review the literature on each Southeast Asian ethnic group separately and examine the successes and continuing struggles facing first- and second-generation Vietnamese American, Cambodian American, Hmong American, and Lao American students in the United States.
377 citations
TL;DR: More research focused on classroom authority as a social construction is needed to address critical educational concerns for contemporary practitioners, policy makers, and researchers as mentioned in this paper, but, exceptions aside, they often lack explicit attention to authority.
Abstract: Authority is a fundamental, problematic, and poorly understood component of classroom life. A better understanding of classroom authority can be achieved by reviewing writings on social theory, educational ideology, and qualitative research in schools. Social theories provide important analytical tools for examining the constitutive elements of authority but fall short of explaining its variability and contextual influences. Discussion of educational ideologies offers insights into the debates, historical contexts, and policy and reform agendas that shape the politics of authority while neglecting empirical realities. Qualitative studies present empirical data and analyses on the challenges intrinsic to classroom relations, but, exceptions aside, they often lack explicit attention to authority. More research focused on classroom authority as a social construction is needed to address critical educational concerns for contemporary practitioners, policy makers, and researchers.
246 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the literature base providing the theoretical underpinning for teaching games for understanding and explored the potential of a nonlinear pedagogical framework, based on Dynamical Systems Theory, as a suitable explanation for TGfU's effectiveness as a strategy in physical education teaching.
Abstract: In physical education, the Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) pedagogical strategy has attracted significant attention from theoreticians and educators alike because it allows the development of game education through a tactic-to-skill approach based on the use of modified games. However, it has been proposed that, as an educational framework, it currently lacks adequate theoretical grounding from a motor learning perspective to empirically augment its' perceived effectiveness by educators. In this paper we examine the literature base providing the theoretical underpinning for TGfU and explore the potential of a nonlinear pedagogical framework, based on Dynamical Systems Theory, as a suitable explanation for TGfU's effectiveness as a strategy in physical education teaching. The basis of nonlinear pedagogy involves the manipulation of key task constraints on learners to facilitate the emergence of functional movement patterns and decision-making behaviors. We explain how interpretation of motor learning processes from a nonlinear pedagogical framework can underpin educational principles of TGfU and provide a theoretical rationale for guiding implementation of learning progressions in physical education.
TL;DR: The authors discusses the major developments in achievement research over the past century and examines the foremost explanations given for racial differences in school performance, namely, genetic deficiency, social class and cultural poverty, low teacher expectancy, and student oppositional identity.
Abstract: Over the past four decades, there have been numerous discussions on student achievement and school failure. Within this time, the debate over the causes and consequences of racial differences in achievement has been at the heart of the nation’s social and political life. The author discusses the major developments in achievement research over the past century and examines the foremost explanations given for racial differences in school performance, namely, genetic deficiency, social class and cultural poverty, low teacher expectancy, and student oppositional identity. The article addresses the strengths and limitations of the existing body of work and concludes with directions toward a student-based inquiry approach to achievement research aimed at filling in some of the missing information in the literature.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors review, critique, and synthesize the emerging research literature from 1994 to 2005 on women's enrollment and persistence in computer-related majors and find that this literature primarily relies on exploratory and descriptive analyses, individualized measures, and implicit theoretical frameworks.
Abstract: In this article, the authors review, critique, and synthesize the emerging research literature from 1994 to 2005 on women’s enrollment and persistence in computer-related majors. A thorough examination of 44 empirical studies in scholarly journals reveals that this literature primarily relies on exploratory and descriptive analyses, individualized measures, and implicit theoretical frameworks. Findings are grouped by four themes: (a) enrollment patterns, (b) gender differences in self-confidence and performance, (c) gender differences in computer use, and (d) academic environments. An explicit gender theory of women in computing is needed to reconceptualize diverse women’s experiences and to direct future research on women’s enrollment and persistence patterns in computer fields.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe and critically analyze how sociologists in England have studied racial/ethnic inequalities in secondary education between 1980 and 2005, and identify five major research traditions: political arithmetic, racism and racial discrimination in school, school effectiveness and school inclusion, culture and educational outcomes.
Abstract: This article describes and critically analyzes how sociologists in England have studied racial/ethnic inequalities in secondary education between 1980 and 2005. This study is different from earlier literature reviews conducted in this particular area in that it adopts a more systematic approach and includes the most recent studies in this field. Five major research traditions are identified: those of political arithmetic, racism and racial discrimination in school, school effectiveness and school inclusion, culture and educational outcomes, and educational markets and educational outcomes. These research traditions are critically examined in terms of their research questions, methods, outcomes, and related debates. The development of particular research traditions is explained by pointing to more general developments in terms of social policy and intellectual climate in England. A final section offers a discussion of how sociologists of education could improve future research on race/ethnicity and educati...
TL;DR: The authors discusses the evolution of ideas about the relationship between national and international development and educational change since World War II and critically reviews relevant literature in comparative and international education, focusing on the concept of teachers' work.
Abstract: The author discusses the evolution of ideas about the relationship between national and international development and educational change since World War II. He critically reviews relevant literature in comparative and international education, focusing on the concept of teachers’ work. The analyses draw on theories of postcolonialism. The author argues that virtually without exception, studies of, and theories about, teaching as work are based on the experiences of the northern hemisphere, particularly developed countries. He calls for qualitative methodologies and fieldwork to analyze teaching and teaching as work in modern South Africa and other subaltern countries. The research agenda seeks to revise existing notions of teachers’ work emphasizing conditions in industrialized countries and to interrogate their utility given the profoundly different conditions in developing countries. It also seeks to make problematic conventional understandings of globalization and glocal development, arguing that these ...
TL;DR: In this article, a theory of educational productivity based on a paradigm of classroom diversification that defines a strategic view of the education production process is presented. But the authors do not discuss the implications of this paradigm for educational research, policy, and practice.
Abstract: This article advances a theory of educational productivity based on a paradigm of classroom diversification that defines a strategic view of the education production process. The paradigm’s underlying premise is that classroom student performance, and the instructional interactions that produce such outcomes, depend on economies derived from the learning relationships that exist across and among students in a classroom and on the technological fit between students’ learning needs and a teacher’s capacity. In addition to the conceptual classroom diversification framework, measures of classroom student diversity and teacher capacity are presented, followed by a discussion of the implications of the proposed classroom diversification paradigm for educational research, policy, and practice.
TL;DR: McVee et al. as discussed by the authors argue that schemata and other cognitive processes are embodied, that knowledge is situated in the transaction between world and individual, and that such transactions are mediated by socially and culturally enacted practices.
Abstract: In "Schema Theory Revisited," McVee, Dunsmore, and Gavelek (2005) propose a rearticulation of schema theory intended to encompass the ideas that schemata and other cognitive processes are embodied, that knowledge is situated in the transaction between world and individual, and that such transactions are mediated by socially and culturally enacted practices. We welcome the opportunity to respond to what we value as an attempt to arrive at a more complete theory of comprehension but one we feel clearly fails to reconcile the competing metaphysical assumptions underlying schema theory, social constructivism, and theories of embodied cognition. Moreover, the authors' argument is premised on the flawed belief that purely abstract constructs can somehow be applied to embodied ones without any physiological basis. Our response addresses the incommensurability of conflating schema theory with sociocultural perspectives and then with theories of embodied cognition. We focus on the persistent ontological problem of granting form and substance to schema. And finally, we wish to amend the contribution of embodied cognition to reading comprehension by addressing possible misinterpretations expressed in the article and by highlighting existing work that forms a richer, embodied basis for an intersubjective existence and an emerging sense of self. McVee et al. (2005) stated that they were responding to the question "In what do schemas have their origins?" (p. 539). A return to Kant's (1781/1990) Critique of Pure Reason provides us with critical insights into the origins of schema theory and early philosophical attempts at reconciling abstract reason with sensation or, to use the authors' terms, the ideal with the material. A schema was conceived as a higher order, disembodied construct that purportedly synthesizes perceptual information into appropriate conceptualized form. A priori conditions determine both conceptual categories and the synthesis of empirical consciousness. To suggest that schemata are somehow embodied violates a central assumption of all versions of
TL;DR: For example, this article pointed out that some writings in Jean Piaget's cognitive development theory were so distorted that he was criticized for positions he had never taken, and that these and other enlightening critiques came more than 30 years after the author had captivated educational theory and practice, long after misconceptions and distortions had become institutionalized.
Abstract: A major problem in understanding a new theory is that rapid gains in popularity are accompanied by misconceptions and distortions (Valsiner, 1988). For example, scholars have noted that some writings in Jean Piaget's cognitive development theory were so distorted that he was criticized for positions he had never taken (Bickhard, 1997; Chapman, 1988; Lorenqo & Machado, 1996). Unfortunately, these and other enlightening critiques came more than 30 years after Piaget had captivated educational theory and practice, long after the misconceptions and distortions had become institutionalized.
TL;DR: McVee, Dunsmore, and Gavelek as discussed by the authors pointed out that we "missed passages relevant to [the] discussion of concepts and knowledge construction" and rehearsed Vygotsky's wellknown distinction between everyday and scientific concepts.
Abstract: Gredler suggests that we "missed passages relevant to [the] discussion of concepts and knowledge construction" (p. 233) and rehearses Vygotsky's wellknown distinction between everyday and scientific concepts. Unfortunately, she fails to acknowledge the broader context framing our comments, nor does she acknowledge the ambivalence scholars have identified in Vygotsky's work. For example, Wertsch (1995, 1996, 2000), no newcomer to Vygotsky's writings, maintains that Vygotsky was an "ambivalent enlightenment rationalist," because in chapters 5 and 6 of Thinking and Speech, Vygotsky privileges abstract rationality associated with scientific concepts, whereas in chapter 7, Vygotksy emphasizes the importance of "sense-laden inner speech" (i.e., embodiment). In our article, we make a similar point (McVee, Dunsmore, & Gavelek, 2005, p. 550, para. 4). In her criticism, Gredler contends that we "transmogrified" Harre's "ignominiously named ... Vygotsky space" (p. 234) in applying it to the classroomrelated, social origins of individual thinking. The model's origin and progression can be traced through Harre's (1984) own work as an untitled figure (pp. 113, 258), as a figure labeled "the true 'space' of psychology" (Harre, Clarke, & De Carlo, 1985, p. 73), and as the "Vygotsky 'space"' (Harr6, 1986, p. 121). Harr6 used the figure to address development generally (e.g., Harre, 1984, pp. 112-115, 256-259; Harr6, 1986, pp. 121-122), but he also asserted that the figure can help investigate the "personal psychological world [that] is created by appropriation of various conversational forms and strategies from that discourse" (Harr6 et al., 1985,