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- Title
- The Effect of ARCS-Based Motivational Email Messages on Participation in an Online ESOL Class.
- Creator
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Trotta, James, Klein, James D., McDowell, Stephen D., Darabi, Aubteen, Almond, Russell G., Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Psychology...
Show moreTrotta, James, Klein, James D., McDowell, Stephen D., Darabi, Aubteen, Almond, Russell G., Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems
Show less - Abstract/Description
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The purpose of this study was to measure the impact of ARCS-based motivational email messages (MVEMs) on student participation in a free online English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL) course. The course consisted of 10 communicative tasks and learners were to complete two tasks per week for five weeks. Each task involved pre-task activities with model language before students completed the communicative task by posting on the class message board. Students received task instructions via...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to measure the impact of ARCS-based motivational email messages (MVEMs) on student participation in a free online English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL) course. The course consisted of 10 communicative tasks and learners were to complete two tasks per week for five weeks. Each task involved pre-task activities with model language before students completed the communicative task by posting on the class message board. Students received task instructions via email. The independent variable (IV) for the study was type of email students received. The IV had three levels. The control group received task instructions via email. The experimental groups received the same task instructions with added ARCS-based motivational messages related to relevance, confidence, and volition. One experimental group received non-personalized relevance messages while the second experimental group received personalized relevance messages. Students received two emails per week for five weeks during the course. The emails were sent regardless of participation or performance so even students who did not complete any communicative tasks were sent 10 emails with instructions and, depending on group assignment, motivational messages. I measured participation based on number of students who completed at least one task, number of tasks completed, number of words written, number of visits to pre-task webpages, and time logged in to the class message board. Results suggest that ARCS-based MVEMs may encourage students to participate in free online language classes as both experimental groups outperformed the control group. No clear difference was found between the personalized and non-personalized MVEM groups. I also asked students for their thoughts about participation in the class. A qualitative content analysis revealed that students blamed commitments such as work, school, and family for lack of participation in the free ESOL class. Students credited the communicative tasks when they participated in the class. Students who received MVEMs appreciated the confidence and volitional messages. Implications for increasing student participation in free, online language courses are provided.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- FSU_2017SP_Trotta_fsu_0071E_13767
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- The Effects of Game-Based Learning in an Opensim-Supported Virtual Environment for Mathematical Performance.
- Creator
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Kim, Heesung, Ke, Fengfeng, Kim, Young-Suk, Jeong, Allan C., Paek, Insu, Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems
- Abstract/Description
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This experimental study was intended to examine whether game-based learning (GBL) that encompasses four particular game characteristics (challenges, a storyline, rewards, and the integration of game-play with learning content) in the OpenSimulator-supported virtual reality (VR) learning environment can improve mathematical achievement and motivation for elementary school students toward math learning. In this pre- and post-test experimental comparison study, data were collected from 132...
Show moreThis experimental study was intended to examine whether game-based learning (GBL) that encompasses four particular game characteristics (challenges, a storyline, rewards, and the integration of game-play with learning content) in the OpenSimulator-supported virtual reality (VR) learning environment can improve mathematical achievement and motivation for elementary school students toward math learning. In this pre- and post-test experimental comparison study, data were collected from 132 fourth graders through an achievement test, and a Short Instructional Materials Motivational Survey (SIMMS). The same tasks were provided to the experimental and control groups. Tasks for the experimental group involved the following four game characteristics: (1) challenges, (2) a storyline, (3) rewards, and (4) the integration of game-play with learning content. The control group was given the same tasks and learning environment setting (OpenSimulator-supported VR) that was used for the experimental group. The exception was that the control group tasks did not include the game characteristics: (1) challenges, (2) a storyline, (3) rewards, and (4) the integration of game-play with learning content. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) using a treatment (treatment vs. control) on the achievement indicated a significant effect of GBL in the VR environment on math knowledge test performance. For motivation, the results indicated that there was no significant difference on the post-test scores for the perceived motivational quality of the learning activity (MQLA) between the experimental group and the control group.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- FSU_2015fall_Kim_fsu_0071E_12885
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- The Effects of Representation Format in Problem Representation on Qualitative Understanding and Quantitative Proficiency in a Learning Game Context.
- Creator
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Lee, Sungwoong, Ke, Fengfeng, Erlebacher, Gordon, Shute, Valerie J. (Valerie Jean), Dennen, Vanessa P., Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational...
Show moreLee, Sungwoong, Ke, Fengfeng, Erlebacher, Gordon, Shute, Valerie J. (Valerie Jean), Dennen, Vanessa P., Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems
Show less - Abstract/Description
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Reports and surveys by the U.S. government and international organizations have repeatedly acknowledged the achievement problem in math in K-12 regardless of various efforts (e.g., by the U.S. Department of Education) to diminish it. To address the problem in math achievement in K-12, teachers, scholars, and the U.S. government have developed various materials and intervention tools. As a potential platform to address the problem in math achievement, video games generate a large variety of...
Show moreReports and surveys by the U.S. government and international organizations have repeatedly acknowledged the achievement problem in math in K-12 regardless of various efforts (e.g., by the U.S. Department of Education) to diminish it. To address the problem in math achievement in K-12, teachers, scholars, and the U.S. government have developed various materials and intervention tools. As a potential platform to address the problem in math achievement, video games generate a large variety of perspectives on their value. Along with the debate on the game's inherent good or bad features, there is also a debate on the effectiveness of video games as a learning tool. Regarding these debates and the ambiguous results on video games as learning tools, Greitemeyer and Mügge (2014) postulated that games can provide both positive and negative impacts according to their content (i.e., violent and pro-social games). However, recent literature investigating the use of video games in varied learning contexts shows that the learning effectiveness of games is still inconclusive. A potential reason is that video games mostly facilitate implicit qualitative understanding. Video games consist of rich interactive experiences that help to foster understanding of qualitative relationships in gameplay more than quantitative proficiency that is required in the formal school system (Clark et al. 2011; Squire, Barnett, Grant, & Higginbotham, 2004). Another reason is that educational game designers have paid little attention to designing and developing learning supports in educational games. Therefore, the current study aims to address a comprehensive question -- How does an educational game, through the use of learning supports, promote the application of acquired qualitative understanding to math problem solving in formal educational contexts? A promising method to address the aforementioned problem is to externalize cognitive and metacognitive processes (Lajoie, 2009). Externalizing Problem Representation (EPR) refers to a cognitive behavior in which a learner constructs her own representations overtly (Cox, 1999). The processes of EPR are to re-order information in problem solving, to clarify ambiguous parts of the problem, and to modify and enact mental representations including mental animations and images. EPR helps to make missing and implicit information or representations explicit. There are several synonyms of Externalizing Problem Representation (EPR), such as external representation (Zhang, 1997), externalized cognition (Cox & Brna, 1995), and re-representation (Ainsworth & Th Loizou, 2003). From the semiotics perspective, EPR can be categorized into two forms by its sign: Iconic and symbolic. Although the potential benefits of externalizing problem representation was claimed in prior research, little attention was paid to investigating the design of EPR in video games. Compared to the studies of mental problem representation, few empirical studies on external representation have been conducted. Hence, it is warranted to examine the efficacy of learning support that promotes externalizing problem representation in two formats (i.e., iconic and symbolic) in the video-game-based learning setting. In light of this, the purpose of this study is to investigate whether EPR-promoting scaffolds (in iconic vs. symbolic formats) enhance qualitative understanding and quantitative proficiency in ratios and proportional relationships in a learning game context. Specifically, the learning game will request players to respond to either iconic or symbolic learning probes that help to externalize the mental representations of the math problems in the game. In this study, quantitative proficiency refers to the problem solving proficiency in both game and formal education context. The current study involves two levels of task complexity (i.e., low complexity vs. high complexity) as a moderating variable. The study addresses the following research questions: 1. Will iconic learning probes promoting EPR enhance qualitative understanding and quantitative proficiency in ratios and proportional reasoning, with the task complexity controlled in the educational game? 2. Will symbolic learning probes promoting EPR enhance qualitative understanding and quantitative proficiency in ratios and proportional reasoning, with task complexity controlled in the educational game? 3. Will iconic learning probes promoting EPR, in comparison to symbolic learning probes promoting EPR, be more effective in enhancing qualitative understanding and quantitative proficiency in ratio and proportional reasoning, with task complexity controlled in the educational game? To accomplish the purpose of this study, learning probes that prompt learners to externalize their internal problem representation were developed in two different formats, iconic and symbolic, based on Mayer's math problem representation model. In the experiment, forty-five participants in this study processed either iconic or symbolic learning probes during their gameplay. Finally, qualitative understanding and quantitative proficiency were measured three times: before this study, after playing the shipping container episode with a low complexity task, and after playing the shipping container episode with a high complexity task. Regarding Research Question 1, the result of repeated-measures ANOVA indicates that, for participants in the Iconic Learning Probe (ILP) group, the difference in qualitative understanding between the pretest, posttest, and posttest 2 was not statistically significant whereas the difference in quantitative proficiency between the pretest, posttest 1, and posttest 2 was statistically significant. Regarding Research Question 2, the result of repeated-measures ANOVA indicates that, for participants in the Symbolic Learning Probe (SLP) group, the difference in qualitative understanding between the pretest, posttest 1, and posttest 2 was statistically significant whereas the difference in quantitative understanding between the pretest, posttest 1, and posttest 2 was not statistically significant. Regarding Research Question 3, since there was a significant interaction between the times of measurement and the types of EPR in regard to both qualitative understanding and quantitative proficiency, pairwise comparisons using the Bonferroni method were drawn. There were significant differences in participants' qualitative understanding between ILP and SLP groups in posttest 1 and posttest 2 whereas there was no significant difference in participants' qualitative understanding between ILP and SLP groups in the pretest. Regarding the quantitative proficiency, there were significant differences in participants' quantitative proficiency between ILP and SLP groups in posttest 1 whereas there was no significant difference in participants' quantitative proficiency between ILP and SLP groups in the pretest and posttest 2. In the final chapter, I discussed major research findings of this study based on the theoretical research reviewed in Chapter 2. Then I described the implications of this study and suggestions for future study.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- FSU_2016SP_Lee_fsu_0071E_12944
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Exploring the Effectiveness of Collaborative Assessment Preparation with Immediate Feedback in an Intensive Adult English as a Second Language Classroom.
- Creator
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Peters, Sabine U., Klein, James D., Milligan, Jeffrey Ayala, Dennen, Vanessa P., Roehrig, Alysia D., Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational...
Show morePeters, Sabine U., Klein, James D., Milligan, Jeffrey Ayala, Dennen, Vanessa P., Roehrig, Alysia D., Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems
Show less - Abstract/Description
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Learning to speak a foreign language can be a difficult and time-consuming endeavor, involving verbal exchanges in a target language. It is a process that includes learning about, understanding, and to some extent identifying with members of another culture who speak a different language. The inclusion of collaborative activities in the language classroom provides a natural setting for conversation and increases the learners' opportunity to use the target language. When working in small...
Show moreLearning to speak a foreign language can be a difficult and time-consuming endeavor, involving verbal exchanges in a target language. It is a process that includes learning about, understanding, and to some extent identifying with members of another culture who speak a different language. The inclusion of collaborative activities in the language classroom provides a natural setting for conversation and increases the learners' opportunity to use the target language. When working in small groups or in pairs, students are practically forced to communicate to accomplish a learning task. Students learn together so they are subsequently able to perform better individually. The primary purpose of the current study was to examine if a collaborative assessment preparation strategy with immediate feedback used in an intensive adult English language program at the Defense Language Institute English Language Center (DLI) had an effect on achievement, confidence and satisfaction with the learning experience. A secondary purpose was to examine the relationships among students' entry proficiency level, language anxiety, confidence, satisfaction and achievement when DLI students used the collaborative strategy. DLI provides English language training to members of foreign militaries from over 100 countries. This quasi-experimental study included 76 participants from 21 different countries, enrolled in upper-intermediate General English courses at DLI. The instructional intervention used by participants in the experimental group included individual and pair completion of practice quizzes using immediate feedback assessment technique (IF AT) answer sheets. Participants in the control condition went through the same lesson plans as their experimental group peers but without completing any of the practice quizzes. Data were collected over the course of one week using test scores, survey instruments, interviews and classroom observations. Results showed that there was no significant difference between control group and experimental group on the outcome measures. However, the relationship between confidence and achievement was significant. Analysis of learner perceptions of the instructional strategy revealed three overarching themes: (1) students valued collaborating and discussing with peers during quiz completion; (2) the feedback they received; and (3) learning from their mistakes. Students perceived making mistakes and disagreements with their partners as less enjoyable. Instructors mentioned the immediate feedback learners received, the active learner engagement, and learner confidence as the most beneficial attributes of the intervention. The overarching concern of instructors was the time it took to complete the quizzes, due to the already limited time available to cover course content. Limitations of the study include the short data collection period resulting in limited exposure to the intervention, the uniqueness of the participants, and the inclusion of only upper-intermediate level books in the experiment. Future research should include all levels of the General English curriculum, participant scores from practice quizzes, and learner perceptions by culture group.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-9426
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Predictors of Parenting Stress in Hispanic Immigrant Mothers in New York City: The Roles of Risk Factors, Social Support, and Length of Time Living in the United States.
- Creator
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Cantonis, Anastasia Maria, Osborn, Debra S., Lewis, Sandra, Prevatt, Frances A., Swanbrow Becker, Martin Alan, Florida State University, College of Education, Department of...
Show moreCantonis, Anastasia Maria, Osborn, Debra S., Lewis, Sandra, Prevatt, Frances A., Swanbrow Becker, Martin Alan, Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems
Show less - Abstract/Description
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Despite rapid growth and expansion of Hispanic immigrant families to the United States over the past several decades, there is a clear underrepresentation of literature dedicated to mental health treatment and prevention for this population. Even fewer studies have examined the predictors of parenting stress in Hispanic immigrant mothers. This present study aimed to identify the salient predictors of parenting stress in a sample of Hispanic immigrant mothers (N = 110) living in New York City....
Show moreDespite rapid growth and expansion of Hispanic immigrant families to the United States over the past several decades, there is a clear underrepresentation of literature dedicated to mental health treatment and prevention for this population. Even fewer studies have examined the predictors of parenting stress in Hispanic immigrant mothers. This present study aimed to identify the salient predictors of parenting stress in a sample of Hispanic immigrant mothers (N = 110) living in New York City. This research utilized archival data previously collected by the Ackerman Institute for the Family in partnership with the Coalition for Hispanic Family Services in September 2014 (n = 53) and in September 2015 (n = 57) for the participants who completed the initial enrollment assessments for their First Steps parenting education program. Measures that assessed participant risk factors, social support, and parenting stress included: the Family Risk Index (FRI; Grossman, 2011), the Patient Health Questionnaire – 9 (PHQ-9; Kroenke & Spitzer, 2002), the Family Support Scale (FSS; Dunst, Jenkins, & Trivette, 2007), and the Parenting Stress Index – Short Form (PSI-SF; Abidin, 1995). It was hypothesized that risk factors (depression, educational attainment, single mother status, documentation status, and having a child with special needs), social support, and length of time living in the U.S. would all significantly predict parenting stress. In addition, it was hypothesized that social support would moderate the relationship between risk and parenting stress and that documentation status would moderate the relationship between social support and parenting stress. Results of a linear multiple regression analysis found depression significantly predicted increased parenting stress and social support significantly predicted decreased parenting stress. However, single mother status, educational attainment, having a child with special needs, documentation status, and length of time living the U.S. were all non-significant predictors of parenting stress. Results of moderated regression analyses found social support significantly moderated the relationship between educational attainment and parenting stress. Documentation status did not moderate the relationship between social support and parenting stress. Despite the limitations of this present study, implications for mental health practitioners highlight the significance of cultural values and contextual circumstances on how a Hispanic immigrant mother appraises depression, social support, and parenting stress. Individualizing prevention and intervention efforts for Hispanic immigrant mothers is recommended in order to capture both cultural values and contextual circumstances unique to each individual.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- FSU_SUMMER2017_Cantonis_fsu_0071E_13554
- Format
- Thesis
