In today's session, I learnt about using SCLEQ as an instrument to take measurable data from a learning environment. SCLEQ will factor in areas like Student support, Affiliation, Professional interest, achievement orientation, staff freedom, participatory decision making, Innovation, Resource adequecy and work pressure. Comparing SCLEQ with Moo's schema (Personal Development, Relationships, System change) most of the items will fall under "Relationships". After using an instrument like SCLEQ, it is important for us to give meaning the data that we have gathered. One software that is able to do this is the SPSS software that can be used to help us analyse data.
Cronbach's alpha mean
Basically in order to give meaning to any of the data gathered, we should first test for Cronbach's alpha mean (alpha), then check to see if the items (questions) are unidimensional (measuring only one thing) using the "Factor" command. Next, group the items that are seemingly measuring the same dimension and test for reliability (alpha) again. A high reliability between items indicates correlation. A final test using the "correlations" command should confirm the correlation between items. Items with high correlation should be combined into the same scale.
We should note that if Cronbach's alpha mean is 0.70 or above, it means that the data for the items(questions) being measured is reliable. If it is o.70 or below, it implies that for all the items measured, the data is not reliable.
T-test
T-test is what is used for pre-post kind of data. It helps to measure the change in scores. It is especially useful when we have a lot of confound variables in the experiment/research.
How do we use the T-test:
First we need to look at the mean of the pre-data, mean of the post-data and the difference between them. Once we have some kind of intuitive meaning to the data , we can start to apply a T-test to check if what we intuitively think can be confirmed statistically by testing whether the change between the pre and post data is statistically significant.
When applying the T-test, we follow the typical statistical test procedures but with SPSS it should be much easier:
Step 1: State your Hypothesis/ Null Hypothesis
Step 2: State any underlying assumptions
Step 3: Run the paired sample statistics
Step 4: Run the paired sample correlation
Step 5: Run the paired sample test against hypothesis
Step 6: Run the paired sample test against null hypothesis
Step 7: Interpret data
What I have written so far is what was gathered from the internet about Cronbach's Alpha mean and T-test.
04 December 2007
03 December 2007
Reflection on Session 3
Many current day research on learning environment is based on theories that were developed in the past by people like Murray, Leary, Walberg etc . A learning environment can be easily assessed with the various assessment schemes, templates or samples that are already well researched into (tested for validity) and available for teachers to use.
It is important for us to assess a learning environment because how a teacher perceives a learning environment and how a student perceives a learning environment is quite different.
We need to assess the learning environement in order to better meet the learning needs of our students. It is more important than ever to look into assessing the learning environment because research proven that is closely related to students' learning outcomes and therefore we need to pay attention to it.
As teachers, we must reflect on how we are teaching and at what level are we comfortable with experimenting with new methods of teaching. It is important that we try new methods and be not afraid to fail. We should keep trying in order to broaden the frontiers of education.
It is important for us to assess a learning environment because how a teacher perceives a learning environment and how a student perceives a learning environment is quite different.
We need to assess the learning environement in order to better meet the learning needs of our students. It is more important than ever to look into assessing the learning environment because research proven that is closely related to students' learning outcomes and therefore we need to pay attention to it.
As teachers, we must reflect on how we are teaching and at what level are we comfortable with experimenting with new methods of teaching. It is important that we try new methods and be not afraid to fail. We should keep trying in order to broaden the frontiers of education.
Barry J. Fraser
Learning Environment and Students’ Attitudes towards Biology
1. Recent research has shown that a strong link exist between student outcomes and their perceptions of their learning environment (Fraser & Fisher, 1982, Talton & Simpson, 1987).
2. Past research has revealed consistent differences in the perceptions of classroom environment held by students and their teachers (Fraser, 1984)
http://www1.phys.uu.nl/esera2003/programme/pdf%5C165S.pdf
The Effectiveness of Cooperative Learning Integrated with Constructivist Teaching on Improving Learning Environments in Thai Secondary School Science Classrooms
Today, the achievement of a positive classroom environment is a valuable goal for education (Fraser, 2002). The curriculum of schools and universities consists “not just of content and outcomes, but also of classrooms where the business of learning takes place” (Fraser, 2002, p. vii).
http://www.iasce.net/Conference2004/22June/Panomporn/conference_full_%20paper_singapore.doc
More papers by Barry Fraser here:
http://surveylearning.moodle.com/cles/papers/?PHPSESSID=6620efe47ced32ae6b57c4744487345f
More about Barry Fraser here:
http://www.smec.curtin.edu.au/staff/fraser.cfm
1. Recent research has shown that a strong link exist between student outcomes and their perceptions of their learning environment (Fraser & Fisher, 1982, Talton & Simpson, 1987).
2. Past research has revealed consistent differences in the perceptions of classroom environment held by students and their teachers (Fraser, 1984)
http://www1.phys.uu.nl/esera2003/programme/pdf%5C165S.pdf
The Effectiveness of Cooperative Learning Integrated with Constructivist Teaching on Improving Learning Environments in Thai Secondary School Science Classrooms
Today, the achievement of a positive classroom environment is a valuable goal for education (Fraser, 2002). The curriculum of schools and universities consists “not just of content and outcomes, but also of classrooms where the business of learning takes place” (Fraser, 2002, p. vii).
http://www.iasce.net/Conference2004/22June/Panomporn/conference_full_%20paper_singapore.doc
More papers by Barry Fraser here:
http://surveylearning.moodle.com/cles/papers/?PHPSESSID=6620efe47ced32ae6b57c4744487345f
More about Barry Fraser here:
http://www.smec.curtin.edu.au/staff/fraser.cfm
01 November 2007
Learning Environments
The attention spans of teenagers are very short nowadays. Their desire for instant gratification and wanting to be heard is ever so strong (read: personal blogs, online forums, mass multi-player online gaming etc).
It is difficult for teachers to compete with the kind media that is reaching out to our students if we continue to teach the way we were taught. With GOOGLE getting stronger by the day, teaching is slowly no longer about the teaching of content. It is about providing a child with the direction, purpose and meaning to the world in which he lives in.
A good learning environment is not about decorating the classroom, it is also not just a display of content neither is it confined to the four walls of the classroom (read: field trips, online blogs, online forums, self discovery).
A good learning environment is one that is able to intrinsically motivate a child to seek direction, purpose and meaning to the content that is presented in a lesson. The way to tell whether a learning environment is effective or not, is by the fruits produced. If an environment is able to cause a child to analysis, synthesis and evaluate content knowledge, it is a good learning environment.
It is difficult for teachers to compete with the kind media that is reaching out to our students if we continue to teach the way we were taught. With GOOGLE getting stronger by the day, teaching is slowly no longer about the teaching of content. It is about providing a child with the direction, purpose and meaning to the world in which he lives in.
A good learning environment is not about decorating the classroom, it is also not just a display of content neither is it confined to the four walls of the classroom (read: field trips, online blogs, online forums, self discovery).
A good learning environment is one that is able to intrinsically motivate a child to seek direction, purpose and meaning to the content that is presented in a lesson. The way to tell whether a learning environment is effective or not, is by the fruits produced. If an environment is able to cause a child to analysis, synthesis and evaluate content knowledge, it is a good learning environment.
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