Effects of the Problem-Oriented Learning Model on Middle School Students' Computational Thinking Skills in a Python Course

The rapid development of computers and technology affects modern daily life. Individuals in the digital age need to develop computational thinking (CT) skills. Existing studies have shown that programming teaching is conducive to cultivating students' CT, and various learning models have different effects on the cultivation of CT. This study proposed a problem-oriented learning (POL) model that is closely related to programming and computational thinking. In all, 60 eighth-grade students from a middle school in China were divided into an experimental group (EG) which adopted the POL model, and a control group (CG) which adopted the lecture-and-practice (LAP) learning model. The results showed that the students who were instructed using the POL model performed better than those who were instructed using the LAP model on CT concepts, CT practices, and CT perspectives. Significant differences were found for CT concepts and CT perspectives, but not for CT practices. Findings have implications for teachers who wish to apply new learning models to facilitate students' CT skills, and the study provides a reference case for CT training and Python programming teaching.

Acceptance of anomalous research findings: explaining treatment implausibility reduces belief in far-fetched results

Research findings are best understood by considering contextual factors such as treatment plausibility: how likely it is that a studied treatment or manipulation is effective, based on theory and data. If a treatment is implausible, then more evidence should be required before believing it has an effect. The current study assessed the extent to which the interpretation of a research finding is affected by treatment plausibility. Participant age varied from 18 to 82 (M = 27.4, SD = 9.4), and about half of the participants (53%) were college students. A total of 600 participants read a brief news article about an experiment with a new type of psychotherapy for weight loss. The current study used a 2 (treatment plausibility) × 3 (results type) between-subjects factorial design. Treatment plausibility had two levels: (1) a plausible cognitive behavioral therapy and (2) an implausible ”psychic reinforcement therapy” that was described as employing psychic messages to promote weight loss. The three levels of the results type factor varied how the study results were presented in the article: (1) standard results with no mention of treatment plausibility, (2) standard results followed by interpretive statements focused on treatment plausibility, and (3) no results—the study was described as still in progress. Participants rated their belief in the effectiveness of the therapy on a scale of 0 to 100% in 10% increments. When treatment plausibility was not discussed in the article, average ratings for the implausible therapy were relatively high (M = 63.1%, SD = 25.0, 95% CI% [58.2–68.1]) and similar to those for the plausible therapy (M = 69.2%, SD = 21.5, 95% CI% [65.0–73.5]). Ratings for the implausible treatment were moderately lower when the article explained why the results supporting it were questionable (M = 48.5%, SD = 26.6, 95% CI% [43.2–53.8]). The findings of the current study suggest that students and other members of the public may draw incorrect inferences from research partly because they do not appreciate the importance of treatment plausibility. This could be remedied, though not completely, by explicitly discussing the plausibility of the treatment based on theory and prior data.

The Effect of the Online and Offline Blended Teaching Mode on English as a Foreign Language Learners' Listening Performance in a Chinese Context

With the rapid development of digitalisation, multimedia and network-based communication technology, all walks of life are undergoing change and development driven by the application of the internet to conventional industries. Especially because of the outbreak of coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), English teaching and learning modes are undergoing revolutionary changes worldwide (Wong et al., 2020). Online courses and materials have become the norm for students, and combined with offline English learning activities, an online and offline blended learning mode has ultimately emerged (Graham, 2006; Whittaker, 2013). Whereas blended learning has been considered in several contexts, it has been less investigated in the field of blended English learning mode for the listening comprehension ability and emotional experiences of young learners of Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) while doing the tasks. Thus, this study focussed on the achievement and experience of Chinese EFL junior high school students during blended learning using Quizlet software as the online learning tool. This study aimed to explore the following: (1) the effect of the online and offline blended mode on the learning outcomes of students and (2) the experience of students while engaging with blended tasks in terms of their learning interest, attitude, and strategy use in English listening learning. A 4-month teaching intervention involving the online and offline blended mode was conducted in English listening classes. Adopting mixed-methods qualitative and quantitative research, this study examined the engagement process of two classes of students and analysed data from their English listening tests and follow-up in-depth interviews. The results suggested that the blended activity was conducive to enhancing the listening performance of students. Moreover, the attitudes of students toward English listening learning shifted from a relatively negative engagement to a more positive one. Meanwhile, the interest of students grew and their learning strategies became more diversified. These findings have implications for English teaching and learning activity design for young learners.

On predictors of misconceptions about educational topics: A case of topic specificity

A large variety of misconceptions about learning, teaching, and other educational topics is prevalent in the public but also among educational professionals. Such misconceptions may lead to ill-advised judgments and actions in private life, professional practice, and policymaking. Developing effective correction strategies for these misconceptions hinges on a better understanding of the factors that make individuals susceptible to or resilient against misconceptions. The present study surveyed students from educational and non-educational fields of study to investigate whether the endorsement of four typical educational misconceptions can be predicted by study-related variables (i.e., field of study and study progress) and by students’ cognitive ability (i.e., numeracy), epistemic orientations, general world views (i.e., conservative orientation), and education-related values (i.e., educational goals). A sample of N = 315 undergraduates in teacher education and education- and non-education-related fields of study completed an online survey. Results from structural equation models showed that the pattern of effects strongly varied across the specific misconceptions. The two misconceptions related to teaching factors (i.e., class size and effectiveness of direct instruction as a teaching method) were the most strongly affected by the field of study and had an association with conservative orientation. In contrast, the misconception about the effectiveness of grade retention as an educational intervention was more prevalent among the students emphasizing conventional educational goals, such as discipline. None of the investigated explanatory variables proved predictive of the misconception about the “feminization” of education as an educational-equity topic. Moreover, neither numeracy nor epistemic orientation was found to have any effect on the endorsement of educational misconceptions. These findings emphasize the topic dependency of the factors that make individuals susceptible to misconceptions. Future research and intervention approaches need to consider the topic specificity of educational misconceptions.

Enhanced Learning and Retention of Medical Knowledge Using the Mobile Flash card Application Anki

INTRODUCTION

As medical schools condense the basic science phase of undergraduate medical education, it has become increasingly important to identify methods and tools that facilitate learning, mastery, and application of medical knowledge. One increasingly popular tool that promotes engagement with content is Anki, a web-based flash card system. Using Anki, medical students can access pre-made flash cards specifically tailored to prepare students for the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step 1 exam. The objective of this study was to identify Anki use and its association to USMLE Step 1 performance.

METHODS

In March 2020, medical students in years 2, 3, and 4 who had completed USMLE Step 1 were administered a survey to measure Anki usage. The survey was locally developed and was reviewed by survey experts on campus. Survey responses were paired with USMLE Step 1 results for analyses. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for analysis.

RESULTS

Anki usage was associated with higher USMLE Step 1 scores. Additionally, amongst those who used Anki, those with more consistent use had higher USMLE Step 1 scores and higher perceived levels of knowledge retention.

CONCLUSIONS

This research suggests that Anki is an effective educational tool that should be recommended to medical students alongside other evidenced-based study tools, such as the popular question bank USMLE World. Future research should attempt to identify a relationship between Anki usage and future clinical performance to demonstrate the implications that Anki has on clinical skills.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-021-01386-9.

A processual view on the use of problem-based learning in high school physiology teaching

In problem-based learning (PBL), the steps and processes present in the PBL tutorial cycle are essential for constructive, self-directed, collaborative, and contextual student learning. This article presents a procedural study of a PBL tutorial cycle with high school students new to the method regarding human respiration and circulation physiology. We observed group dynamics and the learning process that occurred throughout the PBL tutorial cycle. The results indicate that conceptual changes were close to the planned learning objectives and that students enjoyed studying applying PBL. Moreover, a positive correlation was observed between group dynamics, self-directed learning and learning outcomes. Our results provide grounds for restructuring the tutorial cycle, especially important for novice PBL students, such as problem reformulation and the development and diversification of applied learning scaffolds. We conclude that the qualitative analysis performed herein can yield a deeper understanding of the PBL tutorial cycle and may be used to foster PBL implementation in institutions with little experience with the method and monitor its outcomes in organizations with mature PBL use.

Grounding (fairly) complex numerical knowledge: an educational example

In this article, we contextualize and discuss an on-line contribution to this special issue in which a video-recorded lecture demonstrates the teaching of an abstract mathematical concept, namely regression to the mean. We first motivate the pertinence of this example from the perspective of embodied cognition. Then, we identify mechanisms of teaching that reflect embodied cognitive practices, such as the concreteness fading approach. Rather than a comprehensive review of multiple extensive literatures, this article provides the interested reader with several sources or entries into those literatures.

Future-relevant memories are not selectively strengthened during sleep

Overnight consolidation processes are thought to operate in a selective manner, such that important (i.e. future-relevant) memories are strengthened ahead of irrelevant information. Using an online protocol, we sought to replicate the seminal finding that the memory benefits of sleep are enhanced when people expect a future test [Wilhelm et al., 2011]. Participants memorised verbal paired associates to a criterion of 60 percent (Experiment 1) or 40 percent correct (Experiment 2) before a 12-hour delay containing overnight sleep (sleep group) or daytime wakefulness (wake group). Critically, half of the participants were informed that they would be tested again the following day, whereas the other half were told that they would carry out a different set of tasks. We observed a robust memory benefit of overnight consolidation, with the sleep group outperforming the wake group in both experiments. However, knowledge of an upcoming test had no impact on sleep-associated consolidation in either experiment, suggesting that overnight memory processes were not enhanced for future-relevant information. These findings, together with other failed replication attempts, show that sleep does not provide selective support to memories that are deemed relevant for the future.

Implementation and evaluation of the 'Transgender Education for Affirmative and Competent HIV and Healthcare (TEACHH)' provider education pilot

BACKGROUND

Transgender (trans) women face constrained access to gender-affirming HIV prevention and care. This is fueled in part by the convergence of limited trans knowledge and competency with anti-trans and HIV-related stigmas among social and healthcare providers. To advance gender-affirming HIV service delivery we implemented and evaluated 'Transgender Education for Affirmative and Competent HIV and Healthcare (TEACHH)'. This theoretically-informed community-developed intervention aimed to increase providers' gender-affirming HIV prevention and care knowledge and competency and reduce negative attitudes and biases among providers towards trans women living with and/or affected by HIV.

METHODS

Healthcare and social service providers and providers in-training (e.g., physicians, nurses, social workers) working with trans women living with and/or affected by HIV (n = 78) participated in a non-randomized multi-site pilot study evaluating TEACHH with a pre-post-test design. Pre- and post-intervention surveys assessed participant characteristics, intervention feasibility (e.g., workshop completion rate) and acceptability (e.g., willingness to attend another training). Paired sample t-tests were conducted to assess pre-post intervention differences in perceived competency, attitudes/biases, and knowledge to provide gender-affirming HIV care to trans women living with HIV and trans persons.

RESULTS

The intervention was feasible (100% workshop completion) and acceptable (91.9% indicated interest in future gender-affirming HIV care trainings). Post-intervention scores indicated significant improvement in: 1) knowledge, attitudes/biases and perceived competency in gender-affirming HIV care (score mean difference (MD) 8.49 (95% CI of MD: 6.12-10.86, p < 0.001, possible score range: 16-96), and 2) knowledge, attitudes/biases and perceived competency in gender-affirming healthcare (MD = 3.21; 95% CI of MD: 1.90-4.90, p < 0.001, possible score range: 9-63). Greater change in outcome measures from pre- to post-intervention was experienced by those with fewer trans and transfeminine clients served in the past year, in indirect service roles, and having received less prior training.

CONCLUSIONS

This brief healthcare and social service provider intervention showed promise in improving gender-affirming provider knowledge, perceived competency, and attitudes/biases, particularly among those with less trans and HIV experience. Scale-up of TEACHH may increase access to gender-affirming health services and HIV prevention and care, increase healthcare access, and reduce HIV disparities among trans women.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT04096053 ).

Selecting effectively contributes to the mnemonic benefits of self-generated cues

Self-generated memory cues support recall of target information more robustly than memory cues generated by others. Across two experiments, we tested whether the benefit of self-generated cues in part reflects a meta-mnemonic effect rather than a pure generation effect. In other words, can learners select better memory cues for themselves than others can? Participants generated as many possible memory cues for each to-be-remembered target as they could and then selected the cue they thought would be most effective. Self-selected memory cues elicited better cued recall than cues the generator did not select and cues selected by observers. Critically, this effect cannot be attributed to the process of generating a cue itself because all of the cues were self-generated. Further analysis indicated that differences in cue selection arise because generators and observers valued different cue characteristics; specifically, observers valued the commonality of the cue more than the generators, while generators valued the distinctiveness of a cue more than observers. Together, results suggest that self-generated cues are effective at supporting memory, in part, because learners select cues that are tailored to their specific memory needs.

Distance Teaching of Psychology in Europe: Challenges, Lessons Learned, and Practice Examples During the First Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic has affected many areas of our lives including education. In the time of designing this study most schools, colleges, and universities across Europe were closed and psychology educators were expected to change their teaching methods rather quickly. This study investigates how they coped with this situation, which technology and methods they used to teach psychology distantly, and which barriers and outcomes they found in this situation. Participants were N = 660 secondary school and university teachers from 28 European countries. The results showed that the participants across Europe face similar challenges in adopting distance teaching methods, which were technical and organizational rather than pedagogical. Despite the fact they found distance teaching of specific psychological contents challenging, psychology teachers also described positive aspects of distance teaching, examples of good practice and lessons learned that could be generally implemented in the teaching of psychology beyond the pandemic situation.

Retrieval Practice Effects in a Psychology Lecture: Illustrating the Relevance of Study Design, Item Difficulty, and Selection of Dependent Measures

This study investigated the effects of retrieval practice on the cognitive and metacognitive learning outcome in a psychology lecture at university. In a within-subjects design, N  =  180 students completed an intermediate knowledge test in the 9th session and a final test in the 13th session of the semester. Both tests assessed students’ correctness of answering and confidence in their answers. In the final test, items that were intermediately tested were answered as correctly as items that were not intermediately tested. The failure to find a testing effect at the level of cognitive performance could not be attributed to interference with item difficulty, as intermediately tested and not tested items were balanced according to their a priori difficulty. However, testing improved performance at the metacognitive level. Confidence ratings were more accurate and less biased in items that were intermediately tested compared to items not intermediately tested. The results are discussed in the context of metacognitive monitoring as a condition of self-regulated learning in an authentic psychology learning context.

Business Methodology for the Application in University Environments of Predictive Machine Learning Models Based on an Ethical Taxonomy of the Student’s Digital Twin

Educational institutions are undergoing an internal process of strategic transformation to adapt to the challenges caused by the growing impact of digitization and the continuous development of student and labor market expectations. Consequently, it is essential to obtain more accurate knowledge of students to improve their learning experience and their relationship with the educational institution, and in this way also contribute to evolving those students’ skills that will be useful in their next professional future. For this to happen, the entire academic community faces obstacles related to data capture, analysis, and subsequent activation. This article establishes a methodology to design, from a business point of view, the application in educational environments of predictive machine learning models based on Artificial Intelligence (AI), focusing on the student and their experience when interacting physically and emotionally with the educational ecosystem. This methodology focuses on the educational offer, relying on a taxonomy based on learning objects to automate the construction of analytical models. This methodology serves as a motivating backdrop to several challenges facing educational institutions, such as the exciting crossroads of data fusion and the ethics of data use. Our ultimate goal is to encourage education experts and practitioners to take full advantage of applying this methodology to make data-driven decisions without any preconceived bias due to the lack of contrasting information.

PLAT 20(3) 2021: Promoting Self-Regulated Learning: Training, Feedback, and Addressing Teachers’ Misconceptions

Self-regulated learning is the capacity to monitor and regulate your learning activities and is vital in an increasingly complex and digitalized world with unlimited amounts of information at your fingertips. The current Special Issue highlights five articles and one report, which provide different approaches for teachers to promote effectively self-regulated learning in various educational contexts: training, feedback, and addressing teachers’ misconceptions. This editorial serves as a succinct review article and an introduction to the content of this issue. Training programs frequently teach information about effective learning strategies. Accordingly, Benick et al. (2021) found that students reported using more learning strategies when their teachers provided direct-strategy instruction combined with a learning diary, as compared to when these supports were not implemented. Yet, in this study, no transfer effect on academic performance was observed. Note that it is important that students are motivated to engage with these training courses and the learning strategies that are taught. Accordingly, van der Beek et al. (2021) investigated high school students in their last year before graduation and demonstrated that “motivated” students more often participated in a voluntary, self-regulated-learning training. However, a utility-value and implementation-intention intervention did not increase the likelihood of participation. McDaniel et al. (2021) reported a theoretical training framework addressing multiple components of self-regulated learning. The authors then tested a pilot college course based on this framework: knowledge of and belief in the effectiveness of learning strategies are targeted combined with efforts to promote students’ commitment and planning to apply these strategies (Knowledge-Belief-Commitment-Planning framework; McDaniel & Einstein, 2020). Another approach to promote self-regulated learning is to provide feedback and opportunities to effectively process and utilize it. Bürgermeister et al. (2021) developed an effective online tool supporting preservice teachers to assess and provide feedback on peer learners’ self-regulated use of effective learning strategies. Kuepper-Tetzel and Gardner (2021) demonstrated how to enhance self-regulated processing of feedback by temporarily withholding university students’ grades in favor of accessing and engaging with the feedback first. Finally, teachers’ misconceptions about learning can affect the degree to which teachers can scaffold students’ learning how to learn. As a first step, to address these misconceptions, Eitel et al. (2021) developed and psychometrically evaluated the Misconceptions about Multimedia Learning Questionnaire (MMLQ). Using the MMLQ, the authors showed that (preservice) teachers endorsed three out of four common misconceptions of self-regulated multimedia learning, with the potential to design instructional devices to refute them and thereby to promote rather than hinder self-regulated learning in students. Taken together, the contributions of the current Special Issue highlight self-regulated learning as a critical skill at all levels of education, which can be promoted through structured training programs, various uses of feedback, and addressing misconceptions about self-regulated learning from (pre-service) teachers.

Teaching Cognitive Behavior Therapy to Postgraduate Health Care Professionals in Times of COVID 19 - An Asynchronous Blended Learning Environment Proved to Be Non-inferior to In-Person Training

Training of postgraduate health professionals on their way to becoming licensed therapists for Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) came to a halt in Germany in March 2020 when social distancing regulations came into effect. Since the German healthcare system almost exclusively relies on this profession when it comes to the implementation of CBT and 80% of those therapists active in 2010 will have retired at the end of 2030, it is critical to assess whether online CBT training is as satisfactory as classroom on-site CBT training. An asynchronous, blended, inverted-classroom online learning environment for CBT training (CBT for psychosis) was developed as an emergency solution. It consisted of pre-recorded CBT video lectures, exercises to train interventions in online role-plays, and regular web conferences. Training was provided at five different training institutes in Germany (duration 8–16 h). Postgraduate health care professionals (psychiatrists and psychologists) (n = 43) who received the online CBT training filled out standard self-report evaluations that assessed satisfaction and didactic quality. These evaluations were compared to those evaluations of students (n = 142) who had received in-person CBT training with identical content offered by the same CBT trainer at the same training institutes before the COVID-19 crisis. Both groups were comparable with respect to interest in the subject and prior knowledge. We tested non-inferiority hypotheses using Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney ROC-curve analyses with an equivalence margin corresponding to a small-to-medium effect size (d = 0.35). The online training evaluations were non-inferior concerning information content, conception of content, didactic presentation, assessment of the trainer as a suitable role-model, working atmosphere, own commitment, and practical relevance. In contrast, we could not exclude a small effect in favor of in-person training in professional benefit and room for active participation. Our results suggest that delivering substantial CBT knowledge online to postgraduate health-professionals is sufficient, and at most incurs minimal loss to the learning experience. These encouraging findings indicate that integrating online elements in CBT teaching is an acceptable option even beyond social distancing requirements.

Der Testungseffekt beim Lernen mit Texten

Zusammenfassung. Da der Testungseffekt in der evidenzbasierten Lehr- / Lernforschung als einer der am besten gesicherten Befunde gilt (z. B. Dunlosky, Rawson, Marsh, Nathan & Willingham, 2013 ), ist er in besonderer Weise dazu geeignet, grundlegende Probleme bei der Nutzbarmachung von in der experimentellen Forschung gut gesicherten Befunden zu verdeutlichen. Im Zentrum dieses Beitrags stehen das Verhältnis zwischen Lernresultaten und metakognitiven Erwartungen, die Komplexität von Lernmaterialien als Moderator für den Testungseffekt sowie Unterschiede zwischen Feld- und Laborexperimenten.

Bayesian Analysis Reporting Guidelines

Previous surveys of the literature have shown that reports of statistical analyses often lack important information, causing lack of transparency and failure of reproducibility. Editors and authors agree that guidelines for reporting should be encouraged. This Review presents a set of Bayesian analysis reporting guidelines (BARG). The BARG encompass the features of previous guidelines, while including many additional details for contemporary Bayesian analyses, with explanations. An extensive example of applying the BARG is presented. The BARG should be useful to researchers, authors, reviewers, editors, educators and students. Utilization, endorsement and promotion of the BARG may improve the quality, transparency and reproducibility of Bayesian analyses.

The effect of sleep on novel word learning in healthy adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

There is increasing evidence to indicate that sleep plays a role in language acquisition and consolidation; however, there has been substantial variability in methodological approaches used to examine this phenomenon. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effect of sleep on novel word learning in adults, and explore whether these effects differed by retrieval domain (i.e., recall, recognition, and tests of lexical integration). Twenty-five unique studies met the inclusion criteria for the review, and 42 separate outcome measures were synthesized in the meta-analysis (k = 29 separate between-group comparisons, n = 1,396 participants). The results from the omnibus meta-analysis indicated that sleep was beneficial for novel word learning compared with wakefulness (g = 0.50). Effect sizes differed across the separate domain-specific meta-analyses, with moderate effects for recall (g = 0.57) and recognition memory (g = 0.52), and a small effect for tasks which measured lexical integration (g = 0.39). Overall, the results of this meta-analysis indicate that sleep generally benefits novel word acquisition and consolidation compared with wakefulness across differing retrieval domains. This systematic review highlights the potential for sleep to be used to improve second-language learning in healthy adults, and overall provides further insight into methods to facilitate language development.

What characteristics make self-generated memory cues effective over time?

From writing to-do lists to creating mnemonic devices in school, people frequently generate cues to help them remember information. Creating memory cues is a vital aspect of metacognition and allows learners to somewhat control their retrieval circumstances. Across three experiments, we tested the extent to which self-generated memory cues fail at long retention intervals because they are based in fleeting mental states. Participants studied target words and generated mnemonic cues for themselves or for others. Cues intended for others showed greater cue-to-target associative strength, were less distinctive, and were less idiosyncratic (more common) than cues intended for oneself. However, the effectiveness of the cues in supporting recall did not differ by intended recipient at medium (∼3 days) or long (∼1 year) retention intervals. In the third experiment, we directly tested the stability of self-generated cues for oneself (compared to cues for others, descriptions of the target, and focused descriptions) by asking participants to generate cues twice for the same targets across a delay of 3 weeks. Cues intended for others were more stable than all other cues, but the stability of the cues did not affect long term retention. Implications for effective cue generation are discussed.

A longitudinal analysis of the reciprocal relationship between academic procrastination, study satisfaction, and dropout intentions in higher education

Student dropout is a multi-causal process. Different theoretical models on student dropout consider dysfunctional study behavior (e.g., academic procrastination) and low study satisfaction as possible determinants of students’ dropout intentions during their university studies. However, these models neglect contemporary conceptualizations that assume reverse relationships between dropout intentions and other determinants of the dropout process. Until now, empirical evidence on these assumptions is scant. The present three-wave longitudinal study explored the reciprocal relationships between academic procrastination, study satisfaction, and dropout intentions over one semester. To this end, we used data of N = 326 undergraduate students enrolled in mathematics and law. Our latent cross-lagged panel model replicated existing empirical cross-sectional findings between the variables (i.e., academic procrastination, study satisfaction, and dropout intentions). Regarding the longitudinal relations, as expected, the cross-lagged effects showed that higher dropout intentions significantly related to subsequent higher academic procrastination and lower study satisfaction. Unexpectedly, academic procrastination did not significantly relate to subsequent dropout intentions. Additionally, higher study satisfaction significantly associated with subsequent higher dropout intentions—possibly due to unfulfilled expectations. Further, higher study satisfaction significantly related to subsequent higher procrastination—possibly due to more confidence among satisfied students. Our results broaden the view on dropout intentions as part of the dynamic interplay of student dropout determinants and the need to refine dropout models’ assumptions accordingly. Practically, realistic expectations seem important to reduce dropout intentions. Further, student counselors should have a closer look at the reasons for academic procrastination to develop individual solutions for this dysfunctional behavior.

L’utilisation des technologies pour optimiser la formation des intervenants en santé mentale aux traitements fondés sur les données probantes : où en sommes-nous ?

La formation massive d’intervenants en santé mentale figure parmi les moyens proposés pour améliorer l’accès aux traitements fondés sur les données probantes pour divers troubles mentaux courants. Si les technologies de communication et de diffusion des connaissances (visioconférence, plateformes Web) peuvent aider à rendre la formation plus accessible dans le temps et dans l’espace, il est nécessaire de bien évaluer leur apport au développement des compétences chez les intervenants.

Objectifs Établir comment les technologies sont utilisées pour optimiser la formation des intervenants et quels sont les effets des formations en ligne sur l’acquisition des connaissances et habiletés cliniques.

Méthode Une revue rapide de la littérature a été réalisée. Pour être incluses, les études devaient concerner une formation en ligne destinée aux intervenants en pratique clinique active, porter sur le traitement d’un trouble mental courant ou d’une toxicomanie et comporter une mesure objective des connaissances ou des habiletés cliniques. Les études ont été analysées et comparées en fonction des méthodes et activités d’apprentissage intégrant les technologies numériques.

Résultats Vingt études ont été recensées. Les méthodes d’apprentissage passives, impliquant peu ou pas d’interactivité, prédominent dans les formations en ligne en mode asynchrone (FLA), alors que les activités permettant un niveau élevé d’interaction avec le formateur, comme les jeux de rôle ou la supervision, se retrouvent dans les formations en mode synchrone. Acquisition des connaissances : les FLA semblent efficaces pour améliorer les connaissances des intervenants sur une période d’au moins 6 mois. La formation en salle ou l’ajout d’une activité de supervision ne produisent pas de résultats d’apprentissage supérieurs à la FLA. Acquisition des habiletés : aucune conclusion ne peut être tirée quant aux effets des formations en ligne, asynchrones, synchrones ou mixtes, car les résultats sont partagés, voire contradictoires.

Conclusion En considérant la faible qualité méthodologique des études analysées qui limite la nature et la portée des conclusions de la présente recension, les résultats des études permettent d’avancer que les FLA qui comportent des technologies interactives de base, telles que des quiz en ligne, peuvent constituer un moyen simple et efficace pour améliorer les connaissances des intervenants en santé mentale.

Improving K-12 Teachers' Acceptance of Open Educational Resources by Open Educational Practices: A Mixed Methods Inquiry

Teachers in K-12 settings increasingly demand instructional materials beyond textbooks to follow the upward momentum of personalized instruction. Especially during the outbreak of COVID-19, K-12 teachers are forced to quickly adapt to online teaching and thus have more difficulties of delivering personalized instruction in a relatively resource-restraint situation. Open educational resources (OER), allowing teachers to retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute high-quality educational resources at no costs, can be a viable option for teachers. However, the acceptance of OER in K-12 education still remains low. Effective strategies are needed to reinforce teacher intention to adopt OER. This research showcased a two-phase sequential explanatory mixed method inquiry to investigate whether engaging K-12 teachers in open educational practices (OEP)-such as renewable assignments-increased their acceptance of OER. The quantitative phase, referring to the technology acceptance model (TAM), examined the change in factors influencing teachers' acceptance of OER. The qualitative phase was followed up to provide supplementary perspectives of the quantitative findings. By integrating complementary findings, this research found that OEP increased teachers' perceived ease of and self-efficacy towards using OER. Although teachers' intention of implementing OER is not significantly improved, qualitative findings offered additional insights into the benefits of OEP in promoting OER usage and the recommended directions for future effort. Practical implications on improving teachers' acceptance of OER in K-12 curriculum are discussed at the end.

[Made open: The state of international evidence-based research on Open Educational Resources (OER)]

Open Educational Resources (OER) are an integral part of the debate about the digitization of education. This article reviews the state of international empirical research on OER to identify possible desiderata for a future research agenda. A systematic mapping approach is used to map the empirical English-speaking research landscape. The results reveal that research concentrates on the higher education sector while only a few studies are available for the school sector. In terms of research methodology, quantitative studies are prevalent, mostly using surveys. The research interest of the studies lies in the perception of OER and their adoption and usage in educational practices. Open Textbooks and their comparative cost advantages or qualitative comparability with traditional educational material is a newly emerging field. Research gaps exist regarding usability and user-friendliness of OER repositories. Addressing these gaps could support the numerous initiatives of the German federal states to establish OER portals. Further research gaps were identified regarding the effects of the use of OER on pedagogical approaches and established educational practices.

Media, Technology, and the Sins of Memory

Human memory is prone to error and distortion. Schacter (1999, 2001) proposed that memory's misdeeds can be classified into seven categories or "sins". This article discusses the impact of media and technology on four memory sins, transience (forgetting over time), absent-mindedness (lapses in attention that produce forgetting), misattribution (attributing a memory to the wrong source), and suggestibility (implanted memories). Growing concerns have been expressed about the negative impact of media and technology on memory. With respect to transience, I review research regarding the impact of the Internet (ie, Google), GPS, and photographs. Studies have documented impaired memory following specific tasks on which people rely on media/technology (eg, poor memory for a route after using GPS), but have revealed little evidence for broader impairments (eg, generally impaired memory in GPS users), and have also documented some mnemonic benefits (eg, reviewing photos of past experiences). For absent-mindedness, there is strong evidence that media multitasking is associated with poor memory for a target task (eg, a lecture) because of attentional lapses, suggestive evidence that chronic media multitasking could be associated with broader memory problems, and emerging evidence that technology can help to reduce certain kinds of absent-minded errors. Regarding misattribution and suggestibility, there is clear evidence that manipulated or misleading photos are associated with false memories for personal events and fake news, but no evidence of broader effects on susceptibility to memory distortion. Further study of the impact of media and technology on the memory sins is a fruitful pursuit for interdisciplinary studies.

A Path Analysis Model of Protection and Risk Factors for University Academic Stress: Analysis and Psychoeducational Implications for the COVID-19 Emergency

The aim of this research was to empirically validate hypothesized predictive relationships of protection and risk factors for experiencing academic stress. A synthesis of models-the presage-process-product model; the studying, learning and performing under stress competency model; and self- vs. external-regulatory theory-underlies the investigation and is important for assessment and guidance in stress situations within the university context. Over the course of an academic year, a sample of 564 Spanish university students voluntarily completed validated questionnaires, in an online format, on several psychological variables connected to academic stress. Correlational analysis and the path analysis model, within an ex post facto design, were used to build empirical models of the presage-process-product factors that constitute protection or risk factors in academic stress. Two statistically acceptable models appeared: one with protection factors and another with risk factors in predicting and preventing academic stress at a university. These results support the need for psychology units at university that have a preventive, health and education focus, going beyond the merely clinical. Focus on an individual is insufficient, given that there are also contextual factors that predispose academic stress. Discussion, conclusions, and implications for assessment and intervention in academic stress in university students and teachers, within the present COVID-19 crisis, are offered.

Artificial intelligence in psychology: How can we enable psychology students to accept and use artificial intelligence?

Psychologists with their expertise in statistics and regarding human perception and behavior can contribute valuable insights to the development of innovative and useful artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Therefore, we need to raise attention and curiosity for AI and foster the willingness to engage with it among psychology students. This requires identifying approaches to integrate a general understanding of AI technology into formal psychological training and education. This study investigated to what extent psychology students currently accept and use AI and what affects their perception and usage. Therefore, an AI acceptance model based on established technology acceptance models was developed and tested in a sample of 218 psychology students. An acceptable fit with the data was found for an adapted version. Perceived usefulness and ease of use were most predictive for the students’ attitude towards AI; attitude itself, as well as perceived usefulness, social norm, and perceived knowledge, were predictors for the intention to use AI. In summary, we identified relevant factors for designing AI training approaches in psychology curricula. In this way, possible restraints regarding the use of AI can be reduced and its beneficial opportunities exploited in psychological contexts.

Use of online resources by undergraduate medical students at College of Medicine, Majmaah University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The current pandemic has revolutionized medical education with a rapid shift to online teaching and learning strategies. The students have coped by turning to the online resources to keep pace with the change. To determine the type and practice of online resources used by undergraduate medical students and compare the use of online resources with gender and GPA. This was a cross-sectional study in which an online self-administered questionnaire was used to evaluate the type and practices of the online resources used by the medical students during the Covid-19 pandemic. Complete enumeration sampling method was used to collect the data from 180 medical students studying at College of Medicine, Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. One hundred and thirty students (72.2%) were unaware of the free online resources offered by the University. Most students (58.3%, n = 105) consulted peers for online references. Male students preferred PowerPoint presentations and consulting online resources for studying as compared to the females, whereas females preferred to study textbooks predominantly as compared to males (p = 0.005). Male students significantly shifted to the online resources during the COVID-19 pandemic as compared to females (p = 0.028). Students with the highest GPA scores shifted to online educational resources during pandemic. A significant proportion of the undergraduate medical students at College of Medicine, Majmaah University used online educational resources for learning. We recommend that the college administration for deliberation with the medical educationalists for necessary curricular amendments and taking necessary steps to make the college Academic supervision and mentorship program more proactive to meet the challenges of students' use of online educational resources.

Identifying learning styles and cognitive traits in a learning management system

Investigating learner behavior is an increasingly important research topic in online learning. Learning styles and cognitive traits have been the subjects of research in this area. Although learning institutions use Learning Management Systems such as Moodle, Claroline, and Blackboard to facilitate teaching, the platforms do not have features for analyzing data and identifying behavior such as learning styles and cognitive traits. Instead, they only produce certain statistical reports from the daily access records. Even though complex models have been proposed in the literature, most studies are based on a single behavior such as learning styles or cognitive traits but not both. Only a few have investigated a combination of cognition-based theories such as working memory capacity and psychology-based ones such as learning styles. Thus, this study sought to answer the research question of whether it was possible to establish a methodology for the estimation of learning styles and cognitive traits from a learning management system. The study combined the Felder-Silverman Learning Style Model and Cognitive Trait Model as theoretical frameworks to identify behavior in a Learning Management System. This study designed a model for extracting records from Learning Management Systems access records to estimate learning style and cognitive traits. From this, a prototype was developed to estimate the learning style and cognitive traits for each student. The model was evaluated by administering manual tools to students in a classroom environment then comparing the results gathered against those estimated by the model. The results analyzed using Kappa statistics demonstrated the interrater reliability results were moderately in agreement. Taken together, these results suggest that it is possible to estimate the learning styles and cognitive traits of a learner in a Learning Management System. The information generated by the model can be used by tutors to provide a conducive online learning environment where learners with similar behavior ask each other for help. This can reduce the teaching load for online tutors because learners themselves act as a teaching resource. Information on learning styles and cognitive styles can also facilitate online group formation by isolating the individual factors that contribute to team success.

Description and comparison of exam wrapper learning strategy use in baccalaureate and associate degree nursing students: A descriptive study

BACKGROUND

Exam wrapper, a structured self-regulated learning strategy, assists students to review study habits and performance on an exam with the goal of improving future study habits. Little is known about the use of this strategy in nursing students, particularly associate degree students.

OBJECTIVES

To describe and compare demographic characteristics, study habits, reasons for getting content wrong on an exam and future study plans between associate degree and baccalaureate nursing students.

DESIGN

A cross sectional, descriptive comparative study of exam wrapper use in associate degree and baccalaureate nursing students.

SETTINGS

A medium-sized public university and small private college in the northeastern United States.

PARTICIPANTS

A convenience sample 102 prelicensure baccalaureate (n = 63) and associate degree (n = 39) nursing students. Mean age of 21.9 ± 5.6, GPA of 3.46 ± 0.38, 7% male, 57% commuter students, 75% employed an average of 14 ± 11.4 h per week.

METHODS

Data were collected by course faculty during an in-class exam review following a multiple-choice examination. Students completed a demographic form and exam wrapper that assessed pre-exam study habits, reasons for getting items wrong on an exam and future study habits.

RESULTS

Associate degree students had lower GPAs (3.19 vs 3.57, p = .000), were older (27 vs 19.2, p = .000), more often commuted (100% vs 31%, p = .000), were employed (95% vs 65%, p < .001), were more likely to study at home (39.5% vs 13.1%, p = .000) and spent significantly longer on each study activity (p = .000) than baccalaureate students. When comparing reasons for getting a question wrong and intended study habits, baccalaureate and associate degree students did not differ.

CONCLUSIONS

Use of the exam wrapper strategy allows nursing students at all levels of prelicensure education to actively reflect upon their learning with the goal of improving future learning.

Effects of go/no-go training on food-related action tendencies, liking and choice

Inhibitory control training effects on behaviour (e.g. 'healthier' food choices) can be driven by changes in affective evaluations of trained stimuli, and theoretical models indicate that changes in action tendencies may be a complementary mechanism. In this preregistered study, we investigated the effects of food-specific go/no-go training on action tendencies, liking and impulsive choices in healthy participants. In the training task, energy-dense foods were assigned to one of three conditions: 100% inhibition (no-go), 0% inhibition (go) or 50% inhibition (control). Automatic action tendencies and liking were measured pre- and post-training for each condition. We found that training did not lead to changes in approach bias towards trained foods (go and no-go relative to control), but we warrant caution in interpreting this finding as there are important limitations to consider for the employed approach-avoidance task. There was only anecdotal evidence for an effect on food liking, but there was evidence for contingency learning during training, and participants were on average less likely to choose a no-go food compared to a control food after training. We discuss these findings from both a methodological and theoretical standpoint and propose that the mechanisms of action behind training effects be investigated further.

Comparison of Graphic Organizers Versus Online Flash Cards as Study Aids in an Elective Veterinary Cardiology Course

The ideal study aid format for veterinary students remains unknown. Both graphic organizers (GOs) and flash cards (FCs) have shown utility for enhancing learning in specific contexts. A mixed-methods prospective randomized crossover trial was undertaken with veterinary students (n = 59) in an elective cardiology course. All students received identical content presented via weekly in-class lectures and were given study aids in either GO or FC format. One week later, students completed quizzes of content knowledge for each lesson and indicated amount of time spent studying. Crossover occurred such that groups of students alternated between receiving GOs and FCs. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected in the form of in-depth pre- and post-course surveys. Overall, there was no significant difference in quiz scores (p = .26) or time spent studying (p = .33) based on study aid type. Time spent studying for each quiz, as well as other measures of study habits, decreased significantly throughout the semester. Post-course survey responses showed overall higher student satisfaction for GOs compared to FCs (p = .022), as well as a shift in preference away from FCs throughout the semester (p = .03). Free-text survey responses revealed that individual students had strong preferences either for or against FCs in the context of their particular study habits. In an elective veterinary cardiology course, use of GO format compared to FC format study aids resulted in equivalent short-term learning outcomes and time spent studying, with each study aid format appealing to specific learning preferences of individual students.

Open Science and Feminist Ethics: Promises and Challenges of Open Access

Open science advocates argue that making data sets, studies, methodologies, and other aspects of research free from publication fees and available to scholars will increase collaborations, access, and dissemination of knowledge. In this article, I argue that open access policies and practices raise both feminist and ethical issues. I reflect on the five themes of feminist ethics identified 20 years ago by a task force of the Society for the Psychology of Women. I update the themes with recent scholarship of feminist philosophers and ethicists, and I use the themes to raise questions about the promises and challenges of open access. Throughout, I offer suggestions for all who seek to make knowledge of human psychology more complete and more accessible to more people. I conclude by offering recommendations informed by feminist ethics to those building the policies and practices of open access. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/03616843211030926

Comprehensive Investigation of Factors Influencing University Students’ Academic Performance in Saudi Arabia

Academic success in undergraduate programs is indicative of potential achievements for graduates in their professional careers. The reasons for an outstanding performance are complex and influenced by several principles and factors. An example of this complexity is that success factors might change depending on the culture of students. The relationship of 32 factors with the reported academic performance (RAP) was investigated by using a survey distributed over four key universities in Saudi Arabia. A total of 3565 Saudi undergraduate students completed the survey. The examined factors included those related to upbringing, K-12 education, and structured and unstructured activities. Statistical results validate that many factors had a significant relationship with the RAP. Among those factors, paternal’s education level and work field, type of intermediate and high schools, and the attendance of prayers in mosques were significantly associated with the reported performance. This study provides important insights into the potential root causes of success so that they can be targeted by educators and policy makers in the effort to enhance education outcomes.

Assessment of Global Health Education: The Role of Multiple-Choice Questions

Introduction: The standardization of global health education and assessment remains a significant issue among global health educators. This paper explores the role of multiple choice questions (MCQs) in global health education: whether MCQs are appropriate in written assessment of what may be perceived to be a broad curriculum packed with fewer facts than biomedical science curricula; what form the MCQs might take; what we want to test; how to select the most appropriate question format; the challenge of quality item-writing; and, which aspects of the curriculum MCQs may be used to assess.

Materials and Methods: The Medical School for International Health (MSIH) global health curriculum was blue-printed by content experts and course teachers. A 30-question, 1-h examination was produced after exhaustive item writing and revision by teachers of the course. Reliability, difficulty index and discrimination were calculated and examination results were analyzed using SPSS software.

Results: Twenty-nine students sat the 1-h examination. All students passed (scores above 67% - in accordance with University criteria). Twenty-three (77%) questions were found to be easy, 4 (14%) of moderate difficulty, and 3 (9%) difficult (using examinations department difficulty index calculations). Eight questions (27%) were considered discriminatory and 20 (67%) were non-discriminatory according to examinations department calculations and criteria. The reliability score was 0.27.

Discussion: Our experience shows that there may be a role for single-best-option (SBO) MCQ assessment in global health education. MCQs may be written that cover the majority of the curriculum. Aspects of the curriculum may be better addressed by non-SBO format MCQs. MCQ assessment might usefully complement other forms of assessment that assess skills, attitude and behavior. Preparation of effective MCQs is an exhaustive process, but high quality MCQs in global health may serve as an important driver of learning.

Active learning through flipped classroom in mechanical engineering: improving students' perception of learning and performance

BACKGROUND

To address some challenges that the large lecture-focused courses have faced in higher education, the flipped classroom model was implemented in mechanical engineering. The purpose of the study was to investigate mechanical engineering undergraduate students' performance in the flipped classroom. A comprehensive analysis was conducted to investigate the pedagogical benefits of active learning in the flipped classroom from a self-determination theory perspective. To evaluate the effectiveness of the flipped classroom, students' academic achievements in the flipped classroom were compared with the ones in the traditional lecture format. Moreover, to explore in-depth students' learning experiences and their perceptions about the flipped classroom, students' open-ended surveys were analyzed.

RESULTS

Results demonstrated that students in the flipped classroom performed better and favored the new model, feeling that flipped classroom was useful and helpful in preparing for the course. The qualitative findings showed that students felt that they benefited from the pre-week online lectures in the flipped classroom to prepare for the course.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study shows that the flipped classroom model has the potential to create an autonomy-supportive learning environment and provide beneficial learning experiences. This study highlights the benefits of and future direction for implementing the flipped classroom in traditional mechanical engineering courses.

Food-related inhibitory control training reduces food liking but not snacking frequency or weight in a large healthy adult sample

Inhibitory control training has recently been used as an intervention to aid healthy eating and encourage weight loss. The aim of this pre-registered study was to explore the effects of training on food liking, food consumption and weight loss in a large (n = 366), predominantly healthy-weight sample. Participants received four training sessions within a week, in which they had to inhibit their responses to either energy-dense foods (active group) or non-food images (control group). Subjective food ratings, food consumption frequency and weight were measured pre- and post-training. At two-weeks post-training, the active group reported a greater reduction in liking for energy-dense foods, compared to the control group. Active participants also reported a significantly greater increase in healthy food liking, immediately post-training, relative to the control group. There was no statistically significant difference between groups for the change in consumption of trained foods or for weight loss. These findings are partially consistent with previous research conducted in smaller, more overweight samples. Exploratory analyses suggest that some effects of training may be driven by awareness effects. Methodological differences across findings and avenues for future investigation are discussed.

The Misconceptions About Multimedia Learning Questionnaire: An Empirical Evaluation Study With Teachers and Student Teachers

In this study, we present the newly developed Misconceptions about Multimedia Learning Questionnaire (MMLQ), we evaluate its psychometric properties (item difficulties, scale reliabilities, and internal structure), and we use it to examine the prevalence of four different misconceptions about multimedia learning in student teachers and teachers. A total of 311 participants (176 teachers and 135 student teachers) responded to the items of the MMLQ. The results revealed moderate reliabilities of the MMLQ scales. Moreover, an a priori assumed four-factor structure of misconceptions about multimedia learning was most compatible with teachers’ and student teachers’ answers to the MMLQ items. These four factors were learning styles (multimedia instruction needs to be adapted to students’ learning styles [visual or auditory]), hemispheric isolation (multimedia instruction enables hemispheric communication), naïve summation (multimedia instruction is more effective the more sensory channels are used), and motivation primacy (multimedia instruction is mainly effective because it is motivating). The majority of teachers and student teachers endorsed three of the four misconceptions about multimedia learning (i.e., learning styles [78.1%], hemispheric isolation [58.8%], and naïve summation [81.4%]) as assessed by the MMLQ. This finding may provide valuable information for teacher education and training regarding this specific issue.

The Perceived Impact of COVID-19 on Student Well-Being and the Mediating Role of the University Support: Evidence From France, Germany, Russia, and the UK

The rapid and unplanned change to teaching and learning in the online format brought by COVID-19 has likely impacted many, if not all, aspects of university students' lives worldwide. To contribute to the investigation of this change, this study focuses on the impact of the pandemic on student well-being, which has been found to be as important to student lifelong success as their academic achievement. Student well-being has been linked to their engagement and performance in curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities, intrinsic motivation, satisfaction, meaning making, and mental health. The purpose of this study was to examine how student perceptions of their degree completion and future job prospects during the pandemic impact their well-being and what role university support plays in this relationship. We used the conservation of resources theory to frame our study and to develop five hypotheses that were later tested via structural equation modeling. Data were collected from 2,707 university students in France, Germany, Russia, and UK via an online survey. The results showed that university support provided by instructors and administration plays a mediating role in the relationship between the perceived impact of COVID-19 on degree completion and future job prospects and levels of student well-being. Student well-being is decreased by their concerns for their degree completion but not by their concerns for future job prospects. In turn, concerns for future job prospects affect student well-being over time. These results suggest that in a “new normal,” universities could increase student well-being by making support to student studies a priority, especially for undergraduates. Also, universities should be aware of the students' changing emotional responses to crisis and ensure visibility and accessibility of student support.

The effect of group-dynamics, collaboration and tutor style on the perception of profession-based stereotypes: a quasi-experimental pre- post-design on interdisciplinary tutorial groups

BACKGROUND

Group processes in inter-professional Problem-Based Learning (iPBL) groups have not yet been studied in the health-care educational context. In this paper we present findings on how group-dynamics, collaboration, and tutor style influence the perception of profession-based stereotypes of students collaborating in iPBL groups. Health-care students are trained in iPBL groups to increase their ability to collaborate with other healthcare professionals. Previous research focusing iPBL in healthcare implies that more systematic studies are desired, especially concerning the interaction between group processes and internalized professional stereotypes. The aim of this study is to investigate whether changes in group processes, collaboration, and tutor style, influence the perception of profession-based stereotypes of physician- and nursing-students.

METHODS

The study is a quasi-experimental pre- post-design. The participants included 30 students from five different healthcare professions, mainly medicine and nursing. Other professions were physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. The students were divided into four iPBL groups, each consisting of six to nine students and a tutor. Data were collected through systematic observation using four video-recorded tutorials. SPGR (Systematizing the Person Group Relation), a computer-supported method for direct and structured observation of behavior, was used to collect and analyze the data.

RESULTS

Traditional stereotypical profession-based behaviors were identified in the first observed group meeting. Although the groups followed different paths of development, the group-dynamics changed in all groups over the 6 weeks of collaboration. Two of the groups became more cohesive, one became more fragmented and one became more polarized. Stereotypical behaviors became less frequent in all groups. Our findings indicate that tutor behavior has a strong influence on the development of the group's dynamics.

CONCLUSION

Our findings strongly suggest iPBL is a means of reducing stereotypical behaviors, and may positively increase members' ability to engage in inter-professional collaboration. Although the pattern of dynamics took different forms in different groups, we argue that iPBL forces students to see the colleague behind his or her profession, thus breaking professional boundaries. The tutor style significantly influenced the iPBL groups' development. This study contributes to our field by emphasizing the effect of group-processes in increasing mutual understanding across professions.

Exploring Teachers’ Lived Experiences of Cooperative Learning in Ethiopian Higher Education Classrooms: A Phenomenological-Case Study

A growing body of research indicates that teaching is the most important determinant of student learning in higher education (HE). However, HE teachers have a persistent challenge to transform pedagogical practices from a teacher-centered to a student-centered approach. In this study, the authors employed a phenomenological-case study design to examine the teachers’ lived experiences with cooperative learning (CL) pedagogies as applied in the undergraduates’ classrooms in a large public university in Ethiopia. The authors collected the relevant data from two teacher participants through both reflection and a semi-structured interview, along with document analysis of course-related material. The teacher participants felt that their involvement in the CL lessons gave them insight to understand strategies used to implement CL and practical learning opportunities on how to use it as one variant of student-centered teaching methods. As the teacher interviewees suggested, the CL lessons helped them change their mindset from traditional lecture-based teaching to a student-centered approach and transform their pedagogical practices. The results of this study suggest that CL pedagogies offer teachers with professional development opportunities for a meaningful transformation of their roles in HE classrooms. Additionally, the results have important practical implications for many HE institutions (HEIs) and their teachers who work with undergraduate students.

Engaging ICT Engineering Undergraduates in a Management Subject through First Day of Class Activities: An Empirical Study

The expectations, attitudes, engagement, and motivation of students are key elements when designing learning activities. Several studies have been implemented and different strategies and activities have been analyzed to improve the aforesaid aspects of learning content. In the context of the New Learning Context (NLC), this paper presents the findings of two first day of class activities aimed at engaging engineering students in a business and management subject from the very first moment: an empirical study conducted by means of a survey answered by engineering students in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), followed by an interactive activity between students and instructors carried out through a reciprocal interview activity. The survey was performed with the objective of identifying what they ‘liked’ and ‘disliked’ on their first day of class of a business subject. The findings are presented and compared with previous studies and have proven to be mostly consistent with previous academic work. Finally, a reciprocal interview activity was chosen to potentially enhance the students’ engagement and motivation. According to the feedback received, this activity was positively valued by the students.

Evidence for a gender stereotype about psychology and its effect on perceptions of men's and women's fit in the field

The current research explored the gender stereotype about psychology and its effect on perceptions of people's fit in the field. Across six studies (N = 1,516), results showed that participants believed that women represent the majority of people in both the major and profession of psychology. Also, participants associated psychology more strongly with femininity than masculinity and assigned more feminine and less masculine traits to people studying psychology than to people studying a stereotypically masculine career. In terms of fit within the field, participants rated psychology as less likely to meet the needs of men compared to women, especially after learning that the field was majority women. Overall, the studies provide evidence for an association between femininity and psychology and suggest that the stereotype affects perceptions of men's and women's fit within the field.

Online Study-Aids to Stimulate Effective Learning in an Undergraduate Psychological Assessment Course

Many students use ineffective learning strategies. They tend to start too late and learn in a superficial way, without integrating different parts of the study materials. To help students in Psychological Assessment in Youth overcome these problems, we designed online study-aids to spread their learning over the semester (distributed practice) and provide them with self-test questions (practice testing). Study-aids covered the last week’s course readings and consisted of 10 to 15 questions presented in several stimulating closed formats (e.g., connecting one theory with another, or filling out norm scores in a bell curve). Participation was voluntary and promoted using an incentive system. The study-aids were evaluated in two cohorts of students (2018: N = 94; 2019: N = 84). Participation was good: 79% of the students completed the study-aids (range 69–85%). Satisfaction was high: most students indicated that the study-aids supported their studies well (89%). Exam performance improved significantly upon introduction of the study-aids (comparison cohort 2017: N = 69), although more so for the midterm exam ( r = 0.47) than for the final exam ( r = 0.17). These findings suggest that online study-aids can stimulate effective learning by helping students distribute and self-test their learning.