Your search found 1083 results.

Descriptors:
Academic Achievement; Teacher Effectiveness; Reading Fluency; Educational Research; Grade 3; Grade 1; Twins; Comparative Analysis; Models; Oral Reading; Reading; Grade 2; Elementary School Students; Inferences; Experiments; Scores; Quasiexperimental Design; Measures (Individuals)

Abstract:
This study introduces a co-twin control method commonly used in the medical literature but not often within educational research. This method allows for a comparison of twins discordant for an "exposure," approximating alternative outcomes in the counterfactual model. Example analyses use data drawn from the Florida Twin Project on Reading to determine whether exposure to "teacher quality," measured by growth in oral reading fluency (ORF) scores of classmates, causally affects ORF performance of twins in the subsequent years. The analysis highlights PROC MIXED in SAS, including a novel expansion to allow for the nested data. Results from 2,788 twins suggested that being in classrooms with lower teacher quality in first grade leads to lower ORF scores in second and third grade with little indication of possible genetic or environmental confounding. (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:
Computer Assisted Instruction; Immigrants; Intervention; Feedback (Response); Control Groups; Instructional Effectiveness; Cooperative Learning; Educational Technology; Computer Mediated Communication; Foreign Countries; Comparative Analysis; Outcomes of Education; Quasiexperimental Design; Pretests Posttests; Multiple Regression Analysis; Elementary School Students; Predictor Variables; Measures (Individuals)

Abstract:
This study examined the effects of guided elaboration on students' learning outcomes in a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment. The programme provided students with feedback on their elaborations, and students reflected on this feedback. It was expected that students in the experimental (elaboration) programme would show better learning gains and that students from immigrant families would especially benefit. Two hundred primary school students of 9 different schools participated. The research can be characterized as a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test, control group design. In a multilevel regression analysis, no main effect of the intervention was found. However, there was a significant differential effect of the intervention; students from immigrant families in the experimental programme outperformed their counterparts in the control group. It can be concluded that guided elaboration in a CSCL programme through feedback and reflection is a promising approach. (Contains 5 tables, 1 figure, and 1 note.) 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:
Ecology; High School Students; Biology; Quasiexperimental Design; Long Term Memory; Foreign Countries; Outdoor Education; Mathematics Instruction; Interviews; Essay Tests; Concept Formation; Scientific Concepts; Classification; Neurosciences

Abstract:
This research suggests that learning biology in an outdoor environment has a positive cognitive and affective impact on 13-15-year-old, Swedish high school pupils. Eighty-five pupils in four classes participated in a quasi-experimental design. Half the pupils, taking a biology course in ecology or diversity of life, had several lessons outdoors and the other half were taught indoors. All of the classes, but one, also had mathematics lessons outdoors once a week. Twenty-one pupils were interviewed five months after the course and all were positive towards the new learning environment they had experienced outdoors in biology and/or mathematics. They also valued the higher degree of interaction among the pupils. Other findings from the interviews were that the pupils from the outdoor classes showed a higher degree of long-term knowledge retention. They remembered both activities and contents better than the pupils in the indoor classes. An essay-type question assessing their biological understanding qualitatively according to the Structure of Observed Learning Outcome taxonomy revealed no differences between the groups. The results are discussed in the light of neurocognitive models of long-term memory. (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:
Intervention; Adolescents; Drinking; Foreign Countries; Child Rearing; Quasiexperimental Design; Attachment Behavior; Behavior Problems; Parent Education; Prevention; Statistical Analysis; Parent Child Relationship; Risk; Health Behavior

Abstract:
Background: In spite of the proven effectiveness of parenting based programs to prevent adolescent risk behaviors, such programs are rarely implemented in Mediterranean countries. Objective: This pilot study was aimed at assessing the feasibility and the effects of a parenting based universal prevention program (Connect) in Italy. Methods: Our sample comprised 147 mothers and 147 youths, aged 11-14 (M = 12.46, SD = 0.72). We adopted a quasi-experimental design. Forty percent of the parents in the sample were in the intervention condition (receiving 10 one hour lessons a week). ANCOVAs and Cohen's d coefficients were used to compute intervention effects. Results: The results showed that, despite difficulty in recruiting parents, the program held promising effects regarding the prevention of alcohol use at a universal level (Cohen's d = 0.55); the intervention also marginally decreased the level of non-empathic answers from parents, at least in the short term (Cohen's d = 0.32). Conclusions: This study highlighted the importance of focusing on families to prevent problem behaviors in adolescence. It also points to the need for new strategies to engage parents in universal prevention. 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:
Emotional Experience; Self Efficacy; Empathy; Counselor Training; Group Counseling; Experiential Learning; Therapy; Quasiexperimental Design; Group Dynamics; Intuition; Individual Development; Leadership; Intervention; Graduate Students; Trainees; Psychoeducational Methods

Abstract:
The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to compare the effects of personal growth groups and psychoeducational groups on counselor education students' (n = 74) empathy and group leader self-efficacy. Additionally, we compared the degree to which participants in each group valued: (a) cohesion, (b) catharsis, and (c) insight. There were no significant differences in empathy, group leader self-efficacy, or cohesion between the groups; however, members of the personal growth groups valued catharsis and insight more than members of the psychoeducational groups. Implications for group work educators and future research are discussed. (Contains 6 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:
Effect Size; Sample Size; Research Design; Quasiexperimental Design; Statistical Analysis; Computation

Abstract:
This paper and the accompanying tool are intended to complement existing supports for conducting power analysis tools by offering a tool based on the framework of Minimum Detectable Effect Sizes (MDES) formulae that can be used in determining sample size requirements and in estimating minimum detectable effect sizes for a range of individual- and group-random assignment design studies and for common quasi-experimental design studies. The paper and accompanying tool cover computation of minimum detectable effect sizes under the following study designs: individual random assignment designs, hierarchical random assignment designs (2-4 levels),block random assignment designs (2-4 levels), regression discontinuity designs (6 types), and short interrupted time-series designs. In each case, the discussion and accompanying tool consider the key factors associated with statistical power and minimum detectable effect sizes, including the level at which treatment occurs and the statistical models (e.g., fixed effect and random effect) used in the analysis. The tool also includes a module that estimates for one and two level random assignment design studies the minimum sample sizes required in order for studies to attain user-defined minimum detectable effect sizes. (Contains 8 tables, 1 figure, and 4 footnotes.) 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:
Physical Education; Physical Activities; Intervention; Student Attitudes; Physical Fitness; Experimental Groups; Muscular Strength; Cognitive Development; Obesity; Followup Studies; Foreign Countries; Elementary School Students; Quasiexperimental Design; Physical Development; Males; Females; Control Groups; Health Behavior; Longitudinal Studies

Abstract:
This article offers a brief and personal account of the historical background, implementation and principal findings from the Trois-Rivieres regional project, a large-scale quasi-experimental intervention that tested the impact of providing a daily hour of specialist-taught quality physical education upon the physical and mental development of primary school students. The intervention continued in grades one through six, and it enhanced maximal aerobic power, physical working capacity, muscle strength and physical performance in both boys and girls in both an urban and a rural setting. However, the programme had little influence upon the immediate health, growth, maturation or prevalence of obesity in the experimental group. A follow-up study was carried out when the students had become adults; this showed positive effects upon attitudes towards physical activity, but only limited long-term effects upon habitual physical activity and other aspects of health behaviour. Strengths and limitations of the Trois-Rivieres regional project are considered, and suggestions are offered for those planning future studies of this type. (Contains 4 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:
Middle Schools; Program Evaluation; Program Effectiveness; School Effectiveness; Middle School Students; Reading Achievement; Mathematics Achievement; Science Achievement; Social Studies; Effect Size; Quasiexperimental Design; Statistical Significance; Attendance; School Culture

Abstract:
This study examined whether attending a Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) middle school improved students' reading, math, social studies, and science achievement for up to 4 years following enrollment. The study reported that students attending KIPP middle schools scored statistically significantly higher than matched students on all of the state assessments and follow-up periods examined, including reading and math 1-4 years following enrollment (effect sizes ranging from 0.05 to 0.36), and social studies and science 3-4 years following enrollment (effect sizes of 0.25 and 0.33, respectively). The portion of the study that used a quasi-experimental design meets What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards with reservations. The study established that KIPP and non-KIPP students were similar on measured characteristics such as baseline test scores and demographics, and controlled for baseline characteristics of students in the analysis. [The following study is reviewed in this "Quick Review": Tuttle, C. C., Gill, B., Gleason, P., Knechtel, V., Nichols-Barrer, I., & Resch, A. (2013). "KIPP middle schools: Impacts on achievement and other outcomes, final report." Washington, DC: Mathematica Policy Research (ED540912).] 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 Motivation; Incentives; Goal Orientation; Quasiexperimental Design; Montessori Method; Personal Autonomy; Mastery Learning; Student Participation; Intelligence Quotient; Academic Achievement; Student Attitudes; Elementary School Students

Abstract:
The Montessori classroom appears to be the ideal learning environment for children throughout elementary and middle school. It is based on the philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori which describes an environment tailored to the Sensitive Periods of children, prepared with materials appropriate for the age and abilities of the children in a particular classroom (McCormick Rambusch, 2010). Children are observed as they choose their work and are assessed according to mastery (2010). This form of education supports the popular notion that intrinsic motivation is best developed in classrooms which incorporate autonomy, mastery and purpose. It also supports the view that extrinsic motivation is a thing of the past and does not belong in the elementary classroom. However, might Montessori teachers further foster intrinsic motivation within students? In some Montessori classrooms, there still exists a gap between measured levels of intelligence and actual academic achievement in students who have not benefited from the Montessori way from the beginning of their educational careers. When extrinsic motivation, such as grades, does not exist, what is the most effective method for cultivating intrinsic motivation in elementary children in the Montessori classroom? In an attempt to identify a method for further fostering intrinsic motivation among elementary age Montessori children, this study will follow a quasiexperimental design in which the intervention entails a goal-setting exercise intended to strengthen the sense of purpose and thus improve mastery within the children studied. Appended are: (1) Student Perception of Teachers' Goal Orientation; and (2) Student's Goal Setting Sheet. 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:
Algebra; Public Schools; Foreign Countries; Control Groups; Constructivism (Learning); Grade 7; Outcomes of Education; Instructional Effectiveness; Mathematical Concepts; Quasiexperimental Design; Experimental Groups; Pretests Posttests; Statistical Significance; Comparative Analysis; Comparative Testing; Achievement Gains; Scaffolding (Teaching Technique); Cohort Analysis; Test Theory; Intermode Differences

Abstract:
It is a bitter reality that the curricula and traditional pedagogy prevailing in public schools of Pakistan in general and Sindh in particular do not incorporate the algebraic concepts properly. Both the content and the presentation therein cannot be considered up to the mark, thereby making "Algebra" a tough and dry subject. This quasi-experimental study focused to find out the effect of teaching algebra through social constructivism on the students learning outcomes of 7th graders in public schools of District Jamshoro Sindh. For this purpose two existing in-tact sections of grade 7 (7th A, and 7th B) of a government high school of district Jamshoro were selected as quasi control and treatment groups. The pre and posttest analyses were carried out. The first pattern t-test analysis revealed that both groups were parallel, however, the latter posttest analysis revealed that treatment group that was taught through social constructivist approach excelled in achieving statistically significant learning outcomes than that of control group that was taught through traditional one-way teaching. (Contains 5 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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