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Descriptors:
Prior Learning; Tests; Anxiety; Inhibition; Personality Traits; Helplessness; Grade 1; Affective Behavior; Role; Academic Achievement; Student Behavior; Elementary School Teachers; Elementary School Students; Task Analysis; Time on Task

Abstract:
Although students' affects and behaviors in achievement situations have been shown to be influenced by their previous learning experiences, less is known about how they relate to students' dispositional characteristics, such as temperament. This study examined to what extent children's temperament is related to their affective and behavioral responses in achievement situations. Teachers rated first-graders' (n = 153) temperamental characteristics in the Fall semester. Children's active task avoidance, anxiety, and helplessness were rated in test situations in the Fall and Spring semesters. The results showed that the more easily distracted the children were, the more task avoidance they showed, and the more their task avoidance increased during the first grade. Moreover, children's high level of inhibition was related to high levels of anxiety and helplessness. The findings suggest that characteristics that are related to students' behavioral regulation and inhibition are particularly important for their affective and behavioral responses in achievement situations. (Contains 3 figures and 1 table.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Prior Learning; Individual Differences; Novices; Organic Chemistry; Scientific Concepts; Misconceptions; Expertise; STEM Education; Introductory Courses; Visualization; Visual Aids; Adoption (Ideas); Science Instruction; Educational Experiments; Instructional Effectiveness; Teaching Methods; Problem Solving; Learning Processes; Eye Movements

Abstract:
Students are frequently presented with novel visualizations introducing scientific concepts and processes normally unobservable to the naked eye. Despite being unfamiliar, students are expected to understand and employ the visualizations to solve problems. Domain experts exhibit more competency than novices when using complex visualizations, but less is known about how and when learners develop representational fluency. This project examined students' moment-by-moment adoption patterns for scientific visualizations. In a laboratory experiment, introductory-level organic chemistry students viewed familiar ball-and-stick and novel electrostatic potential map representations while solving chemistry problems. Eye movement patterns, verbal explanations, and individual difference analyses showed that students initially relied on familiar representations, particularly for difficult questions. However, as the task unfolded, students with more prior knowledge began relying upon the novel visualizations. These results indicate adoption and fluent use of visualizations is not given; rather, it is a function of prior knowledge and unfolding experience with presented content. (Contains 4 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Prior Learning; Social Studies; Death; History Instruction; Teaching Methods; Units of Study; Guidelines; Museums; European History; Jews; War

Abstract:
Students often bring considerable prior information about the Holocaust to their study of the event, with much of that knowledge being inaccurate or incomplete. In addition, the Shoah's complexity necessitates that teachers establish a well-defined framework as they introduce the topic to their students. This article outlines an opening lesson for a Holocaust unit in which students develop a definition of the event by completing a multistep process that deconstructs the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's definition of the Shoah. Through this process, teachers gain valuable information about students' prior knowledge while establishing a structured approach to the teaching of the event. In addition, students' content knowledge of the Shoah is expanded as critical topics about the event are introduced at the start of their study of the topic. (Contains 4 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Information Literacy; Research Skills; Asians; Foreign Students; Undergraduate Students; Student Behavior; Information Needs; Information Seeking; Information Utilization; Guidelines; Peer Influence; Prior Learning; Student Interests; Time Management; Academic Libraries; Library Services; Foreign Countries; Portfolios (Background Materials); Semi Structured Interviews; Flow Charts

Abstract:
Academic librarians are striving to better serve international students as this emerging population grows on university campuses. Past studies of international students generally focus on linguistic and cultural differences in relation to information literacy skills development. However, it is necessary to go beyond these factors to better serve the population. By using a framework based in information behavior research, the present study investigates the factors that mediate students' behavior and information literacy skills. Practical recommendations based on the findings of an in-depth qualitative study of students' research process are provided. (Contains 2 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
College Students; Scientific Concepts; Visual Aids; Evolution; Thinking Skills; Inferences; Pattern Recognition; Relationship; Genetics; Classification; Prior Learning; Sciences; Textbooks; Scientific Literacy

Abstract:
Tree thinking involves using cladograms, hierarchical diagrams depicting the evolutionary history of a set of taxa, to reason about evolutionary relationships and support inferences. Tree thinking is indispensable in modern science. College students' tree-thinking skills were investigated using tree (much more common in professional biology) and ladder (somewhat more common in textbooks) cladogram formats. Students' responses to questions assessing five tree-thinking skills provided evidence for several perceptual and conceptual factors that impact reasoning (e.g., the Gestalt principles of good continuation and spatial proximity, prior knowledge). Instructional implications of the results include using the tree format for initial instruction and clarifying that most recent common ancestry determines evolutionary relatedness. Broader implications for designing scientific diagrams and promoting diagrammatic literacy are considered. (Contains 7 figures, 4 tables, and 6 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Prior Learning; Evidence; Classification; Correlation; Generalization; Observation; Cognitive Processes

Abstract:
How do explaining and prior knowledge contribute to learning? Four experiments explored the relationship between explanation and prior knowledge in category learning. The experiments independently manipulated whether participants were prompted to explain the category membership of study observations and whether category labels were informative in allowing participants to relate prior knowledge to patterns underlying category membership. The experiments revealed a superadditive interaction between explanation and informative labels, with explainers who received informative labels most likely to discover (Experiments 1 and 2) and generalize (Experiments 3 and 4) a pattern consistent with prior knowledge. However, explainers were no more likely than controls to discover multiple patterns (Experiments 1 and 2), indicating that effects of explanation are relatively targeted. We suggest that explanation recruits prior knowledge to assess whether candidate patterns are likely to have broad scope (i.e., to generalize within and beyond study observations). This interpretation is supported by the finding that effects of explanation on prior knowledge were attenuated when learners believed prior knowledge was irrelevant to generalizing category membership (Experiment 4). This research provides evidence that explanation can serve as a mechanism for deploying prior knowledge to assess the scope of observed patterns. (Contains 5 tables and 4 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Student Attitudes; Vocational Education; Minority Groups; Minority Group Students; Dropout Rate; Educational Attitudes; Educational Experience; School Orientation; Foreign Countries; Regression (Statistics); Ethnic Groups; Prior Learning; Role

Abstract:
In this study, we examine students' educational attitudes upon the transition to Dutch senior vocational education (SVE), a transition associated with high dropout rates in the first year. Prior studies have identified differences in educational attitudes between sociodemographic groups. However, the mechanisms underlying those differences remain topic of debate: some studies point at differences in the school orientation and support in students' social communities outside school, others focus on differences in educational experiences between sociodemographic groups. Multilevel sequential regression analyses on a diverse sample of 1438 students in urban SVE schools reveal that students have very positive educational attitudes upon their transition to SVE. Ethnic minority students express particularly positive attitudes. School-related encouragement and support at home plays an important role in students' attitudes, but the attitudes of students from lower educated or ethnic minority communities are less related to this support. Prior school experiences play an essential, but occasionally counterproductive, role in students' attitudes upon transition, depicting the transition as a fresh new start for some, and an unwelcome threshold for others. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Novices; Linguistic Input; Native Language; Second Language Learning; Japanese; English; Korean; Written Language; Cues; Prior Learning; Behavior Patterns; Language Processing; Transfer of Training

Abstract:
This study examines novice learners' self-generated input noticing approaches and strategies. It is motivated by previous research on input enhancement which yielded insights that learners are naturally prone to notice certain aspects of L2 input on their own without any external means to channel their attention. Two L1 groups (Japanese and English) with no prior experience with the L2 (Korean) were exposed to written L2 input and probed for their noticing behavior under the "zero-knowledge", and "some-knowledge" conditions. The results indicate that under the zero-knowledge condition, both groups exhibited a form-oriented noticing behavior, prompted largely by perceptual properties of L2 input. Under the some-knowledge condition, however, the two groups exhibited divergent noticing patterns: the Japanese group adopted a more meaning-oriented approach, employing comprehension-based strategies, whereas the English group maintained their form-oriented approach to input processing, focusing on the formal properties of the L2. The two groups' input noticing patterns are discussed in light of their L1 knowledge and its interaction with their emerging knowledge of the L2. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Academic Achievement; Credits; Accreditation (Institutions); Prior Learning; Evaluation; Best Practices; Integrity; Higher Education; Professional Development

Abstract:
The heart of prior learning assessment (PLA) is the quality and validity of the academic evaluation process itself. Institutions providing PLA opportunities are faced with issues of accountability from all constituents: students, faculty, state systems, and accrediting agencies. Increasingly, institutions are more and more accepting of different PLA practices and, therefore, the question of program integrity is of concern. Whether an institution is just beginning or has historically engaged PLA practices, a better understanding of standards and best practices is needed in the field. Understanding the impact of PLA programs has had recent attention. For example, CAEL released a study (Klein-Collins, 2010) across 48 institutions, comprising 62,475 students age 25 or older. Twenty-five percent of these students (n = 15,594) had earned PLA credits between the years of 2001-2008. Klein-Collins (2010) reports that PLA students have higher rates of degree completion than non-PLA students regardless of size, level, or type of institution. The data also indicated that even if they did not complete their degrees, PLA students persisted for longer and took more credits than their counterparts. The research strongly indicates that PLA participation increases student success in most measures tracked on persistence. It did not examine different factors pertaining to PLA practices. In this article, the author revisits the 2009 Hoffman, Travers, Evans, and Treadwell study. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Prior Learning; Evidence; Experiential Learning; Portfolios (Background Materials); Adult Students; Adult Learning; Higher Education; Undergraduate Students; Undergraduate Study; Career Development; Outcomes of Education; Academic Achievement; Career Planning; Continuing Education

Abstract:
There are many types of student portfolios used within academia: the prior learning portfolio, credentialing portfolio, developmental portfolio, capstone portfolio, individual course portfolio, and the comprehensive education portfolio. The comprehensive education portfolio (CEP), as used by the authors, is a student portfolio, developed over time, that includes examples of educational knowledge, skills, experiences, and achievements as well as professional development related to the learning outcomes. The contents provide evidence of the individual's knowledge and analytical, research, technology, and communications skills and applications, along with reflections on experiential learning beginning with the undergraduate experience. This article briefly reviews the importance of the comprehensive education portfolio. The benefits that students, particularly adult students, can obtain from constructing the CEP in terms of contents and process when it includes a career focus are highlighted. (Contains 1 table.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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