The present study aimed to identify overall stress and salient stressors experienced by adolescents from different education tracks and self-perceived ethnic backgrounds. A total of 1489 adolescents ( Show moreThe present study aimed to identify overall stress and salient stressors experienced by adolescents from different education tracks and self-perceived ethnic backgrounds. A total of 1489 adolescents (M = 13.40 years; SD = 0.89 years) from nine Dutch secondary schools participated. Self-reported stressors were measured with the adapted version of the Adolescent Stress Questionnaire – Short. After controlling for age, gender, country of birth, and school classes, results showed that overall stress did not differ for educational track nor for ethnic background subgroups. Adolescents in academic education reported more stress from school-related stressors than adolescents attending vocational education. Adolescents with a mixed ethnic background (i.e., Dutch and another ethnicity) reported more stress regarding school-related stressors than adolescents with a Dutch ethnic background. These differences between adolescents of different educational tracks and ethnic backgrounds have implications for intervention programs targeting specific stressors. Show less
Bosch, R.M. van den; Espin, C.A.; Sikkema-de Jong, M.T.; Chung, S.; Boender, P.D.M.; Saab, N. 2022
Mobile technology offers great potential for university students’ language learning. Numerousstudies have been conducted on utilizing mobile technology in language learning classroom.However, using... Show moreMobile technology offers great potential for university students’ language learning. Numerousstudies have been conducted on utilizing mobile technology in language learning classroom.However, using it in self-initiated and self-directed learning outside class remains to be explored.The present study employed the integrative model of behavior prediction to investigate the re-lationships between attitude, subjective norm, self-efficacy and behavioral intention, as well asthe association between intention, facilitating conditions, self-regulation skills and actual use ofmobile technology in self-directed language learning. This study also examined whether self-regulation skills moderated intention and actual use. Survey data from 676 language learnersin different disciplines from Chinese universities were collected and analyzed using structuralequation modeling approach. The results showed that 37.1 percent of respondents indicated thatthey never used mobile technology for self-directed language learning. Of the other 425 re-spondents who did indicate that they used mobile technology for this purpose, the majority ofthem seemed to be extrinsically motivated. Learning activities regarding vocabulary acquisitionand translation were far more reported than those in terms of listening, speaking, reading andwriting. In addition, attitude and subjective norm significantly explained students’ intention touse mobile technology, but self-efficacy did not have a direct effect on students’ intention.Moreover, students’ self-regulation skills and intention significantly predicted students’ actual useof mobile technology. Through moderation analysis, the results indicated that the relationshipbetween intention and actual behavior would be stronger with any increase in self-regulationskills. These findings are discussed and implications are formulated. Show less
To identify adolescents who may be at risk for adverse outcomes, we examined the extent of COVID-19-related concerns reported by adolescents and investigated which prepandemic risk and protective... Show moreTo identify adolescents who may be at risk for adverse outcomes, we examined the extent of COVID-19-related concerns reported by adolescents and investigated which prepandemic risk and protective factors predicted these concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dutch adolescents (N = 188; M-age = 13.49, SD = .81) were assessed before the pandemic and at eight and ten months into the pandemic. Results demonstrated that adolescents' most frequently reported COVID-19-related concerns were about social activities and getting delayed in school. Adolescents that have specific vulnerabilities before the pandemic (i.e., higher stress, maladaptive coping, or internalizing problems) experience more concerns during the pandemic, stressing the importance of guiding and supporting these adolescents in order to prevent adverse developmental outcomes. Show less
Chronic stress is associated with dysregulations in the physiological stress system, resulting in diverse negative developmental outcomes. Since adolescence is a period characterized by increased... Show moreChronic stress is associated with dysregulations in the physiological stress system, resulting in diverse negative developmental outcomes. Since adolescence is a period characterized by increased stress-sensitivity, and schools are an important environment for the developing adolescent, school-based interventions promoting psychosocial functioning are of particular interest to prevent adverse outcomes. The present study therefore aimed to investigate the effectiveness of such interventions on hypothalamic pituitary adrenal-axis (i.e., cortisol) and cardiovascular (i.e., blood pressure [BP] and heart rate [HR]/heart rate variability [HRV]) parameters of stress in adolescents, and examined moderators of effectiveness. The search resulted in the inclusion of k = 9 studies for cortisol, k = 16 studies for BP, and k = 20 studies for HR/HRV. The results indicated a significant small overall effect on reducing BP, but no significant effect for HR/HRV. For cortisol, large methodological variation in the few primary studies did not allow for quantitative analyses, but a qualitative review demonstrated inconsistent results. For BP and HR/HRV, larger effects were observed for intervention programs with a mindfulness and/or meditation component, for interventions without a cognitive-behavioural component and for interventions with a higher intensity. Providing adolescents with techniques to improve indicators of physiological stress may prevent emerging mental health problems. Show less
Project-based learning (PjBL) engages students in knowledge acquisition, application, and construction through artefact development. Based on the Community of Inquiry framework, this study... Show moreProject-based learning (PjBL) engages students in knowledge acquisition, application, and construction through artefact development. Based on the Community of Inquiry framework, this study characterized college students' social and cognitive presences in online PjBL and examined how presence was related to their academic performance. Twenty-four groups of students participated in a 3-week project via WeChat discussion groups and created a final product. Transcripts of students' online discourse were collected and analysed by a coding scheme. The quality of students' artefacts was evaluated by a grading rubric. Descriptive results showed that the component of affectiveness and the level of exploration accounted for the majority of students' social and cognitive presences, respectively. Stepwise regression analyses revealed that certain components and sub-components of students' social presence, and levels and sub-levels of their cognitive presence were positively associated with their academic performance. Practical implications for teachers and suggestions for further research are provided. Show less
Teachers’ motivation to participate in professional learning is a significant factor in explaining the effectiveness of continuous professional development programmes. The present study... Show moreTeachers’ motivation to participate in professional learning is a significant factor in explaining the effectiveness of continuous professional development programmes. The present study investigated how factors at teachers’ personal and school levels are related to their motivation to participate in professional learning activities. A questionnaire was completed by 472 Chinese teachers. Multivariate analysis revealed that several factors at the teacher level (teachers’ prior experience with learning activities, teaching experience, self-efficacy and conceptions of learning) and the school level (work and emotional pressure, colleague support and principal leadership) were related to their motivation to participate in professional learning. These findings are discussed in the context of the professional development of Chinese teachers. Implications are generated for teacher education and continuous professional development. Show less
Blankenstein, F.M. van; O’Sullivan, J.F.; Saab, N.; Steendijk, P. 2021
BackgroundTeaching is an important professional skill for physicians and providing feedback is an important part of teaching. Medical students can practice their feedback skills by giving each... Show moreBackgroundTeaching is an important professional skill for physicians and providing feedback is an important part of teaching. Medical students can practice their feedback skills by giving each other peer feedback. Therefore, we developed a peer feedback training in which students observed a peer that modelled the use of good feedback principles. Students then elaborated on the modelled feedback principles through peer discussion. This combination of peer modelling and discussing the modelled feedback principles was expected to enhance emulation of the feedback principles compared to (1) only peer modelling and (2) discussing the feedback principles without previous modelling.MethodsIn a quasi-experimental study design, 141 medical students were assigned randomly to three training conditions: peer modelling plus discussion (MD), non-peer modelled example (NM) or peer modelling without discussion (M). Before and after the training, they commented on papers written by peers. These comments served as a pre- and a post-measure of peer feedback. The comments were coded into different functions and aspects of the peer feedback. Non-parametrical Kruskall-Wallis tests were used to check for pre- and post-measure between-group differences in the functions and aspects.ResultsBefore the training, there were no significant between-group differences in feedback functions and aspects. After the training, the MD-condition gave significantly more positive peer feedback than the NM-condition. However, no other functions or aspects were significantly different between the three conditions, mainly because the within-group interquartile ranges were large.ConclusionsThe large interquartile ranges suggest that students differed substantially in the effort placed into giving peer feedback. Therefore, additional incentives may be needed to motivate students to give good feedback. Teachers could emphasise the utility value of peer feedback as an important professional skill and the importance of academic altruism and professional accountability in the peer feedback process. Such incentives may convince more students to put more effort into giving peer feedback. Show less
Blankenstein, F.M. van; O'Sullivan, J.F.; Saab, N.; Steendijk, P. 2021
Background Teaching is an important professional skill for physicians and providing feedback is an important part of teaching. Medical students can practice their feedback skills by giving each... Show moreBackground Teaching is an important professional skill for physicians and providing feedback is an important part of teaching. Medical students can practice their feedback skills by giving each other peer feedback. Therefore, we developed a peer feedback training in which students observed a peer that modelled the use of good feedback principles. Students then elaborated on the modelled feedback principles through peer discussion. This combination of peer modelling and discussing the modelled feedback principles was expected to enhance emulation of the feedback principles compared to (1) only peer modelling and (2) discussing the feedback principles without previous modelling. Methods In a quasi-experimental study design, 141 medical students were assigned randomly to three training conditions: peer modelling plus discussion (MD), non-peer modelled example (NM) or peer modelling without discussion (M). Before and after the training, they commented on papers written by peers. These comments served as a pre- and a post-measure of peer feedback. The comments were coded into different functions and aspects of the peer feedback. Non-parametrical Kruskall-Wallis tests were used to check for pre- and post-measure between-group differences in the functions and aspects. Results Before the training, there were no significant between-group differences in feedback functions and aspects. After the training, the MD-condition gave significantly more positive peer feedback than the NM-condition. However, no other functions or aspects were significantly different between the three conditions, mainly because the within-group interquartile ranges were large. Conclusions The large interquartile ranges suggest that students differed substantially in the effort placed into giving peer feedback. Therefore, additional incentives may be needed to motivate students to give good feedback. Teachers could emphasise the utility value of peer feedback as an important professional skill and the importance of academic altruism and professional accountability in the peer feedback process. Such incentives may convince more students to put more effort into giving peer feedback. Show less
This systematic review on massive open online courses (MOOCs) in higher education examinedthe research on the assessment of learning outcomes based on 65 peer-reviewed articles publishedbetween... Show moreThis systematic review on massive open online courses (MOOCs) in higher education examinedthe research on the assessment of learning outcomes based on 65 peer-reviewed articles publishedbetween 2017 and 2019. This study aims to investigate the learning outcomes, related instruments,and assessment characteristics of these instruments in MOOCs. Learning outcomes thatwere examined in the studies that were reviewed concerned cognitive, behavioral, and affectivelearning outcomes. Twenty-five types of assessment approaches were employed to examine theseoutcomes and to identify the assessment characteristics. The results indicate that a considerationof the assessment of learning outcomes at the beginning of course design could support theformulation of explicit assessment goals and, in this way, instruct learners to work towardlearning outcomes. A combination of knowledge tests and skill tasks can be used to examinecognitive outcomes in a particular MOOC. Outcome-oriented feedback rubrics are beneficial tosupport learner essay performance and interpretations of the utilization of rubrics could betterguide providers to give peer feedback. A variety of behavioral and affective outcomes reflectmultiple aspects of participant learning in MOOCs, which might contribute to better understandingby teachers and the provision of learning support. Furthermore, assessment tasksthroughout the course may differ in difficulty and complexity, which could align with differentlevels of learner motivation. The findings provide a holistic picture of learning outcomes andrelated assessment instruments in current MOOCs. Curriculum designers and teachers couldbenefit from this study to consider appropriate learning outcome variables and instruments toapply in their MOOC practices. Future research might investigate the motivation of learners toparticipate in a MOOC and how this changes during a MOOC. This could help MOOC designersand teachers to align how learners are motivated, what they want to learn, and what they actuallydo learn. Show less
Mouw, J.; Saab, N.; Gijlers, H.; Hickendorff, M.; Paridon, Y. van; Broek, P. van den 2020
The present study aims to provide a systematic understanding of how perspective-taking ability contributes to primary-school students’ cooperative behaviours and learning outcomes. The present... Show moreThe present study aims to provide a systematic understanding of how perspective-taking ability contributes to primary-school students’ cooperative behaviours and learning outcomes. The present study is frontline as we combined person-oriented (e.g., describing patterns of behaviours based on individual characteristics), process-oriented (e.g., examining factors affecting the quality of cooperative behaviours), and effect-oriented (e.g., examining the effect of cooperative learning on individual learning outcomes) analytical approaches within one research framework. In addition, we adhered to the multi-dimensional nature of perspective-taking ability and differentiated between social and cognitive perspective-taking ability while taking into account the contribution of perspective-taking ability at both the individual level and group level (i.e., heterogeneous and homogeneous perspective-taking ability groups) to cooperative behaviour profiles and learning outcomes of primary-school children. Based on transcribed episodes of interaction of 115 fifth-grade students, four different profiles of cooperative behaviours were discerned: captains, hard workers, switchers, and passive participants. We found that these profiles are related to perspective taking conceptualized at the group level, but not to individual-level perspective-taking ability. Profile membership, cognitive perspective-taking ability, and group-level perspective-taking ability could not predict students’ learning outcomes. Social perspective-taking ability and reading comprehension did positively predict learning outcomes. Our findings add to existing knowledge as they suggest that the influence of perspective-taking ability on cooperative behaviours and learning outcomes is susceptible to the conceptualization (i.e., cognitive vs. social) and measurement level (i.e., individual vs. group level) of perspective-taking ability. Show less
In this internationalised world, graduate employability in terms of intercultural communication skills needs to be taken into account in higher education. The present study aims to explore the... Show moreIn this internationalised world, graduate employability in terms of intercultural communication skills needs to be taken into account in higher education. The present study aims to explore the effects of critical incident task instruction on English non-majored undergraduates’ intercultural competence. One group of students received ten weeks of instruction with one critical incident task per week and another group received standard English classes. Data were collected from the students’ pre- and post-test. The results showed a significant and strong effect of the intervention with critical incident tasks. Implications for educational practice are presented for further teaching with critical incident tasks. Show less
Theeuwes, B.C.; Saab, N.; Denessen, E.; Admiraal, W. 2019
This paper examines how teachers with experience in teaching culturally diverse classes in Dutch secondary schools characterize their teaching practices. Based on analyses of inductive interviews... Show moreThis paper examines how teachers with experience in teaching culturally diverse classes in Dutch secondary schools characterize their teaching practices. Based on analyses of inductive interviews with 13 teachers at three different culturally diverse schools, teaching practices have been clustered into five facets of teaching: (1) fostering the interpersonal relationship with students, (2) preventing and coping with disturbing behavior, (3) fostering social cohesion, (4) stimulating personal development and (5) supporting the learning process. Each facet of teaching was illustrated with general practices and specific examples. Teachers emphasized the interpersonal relation with students. In addition, the results indicate that teachers made different choices in how to take into account cultural differences in their teaching practices. It seems that educational goals and beliefs about diversity and integration affected their choices. The results of this study can be helpful for teacher educators to prepare their students for teaching culturally diverse classes. Show less
Bosch, R.M. van den; Espin, C.A.; Pat-El, R.J.; Saab, N. 2019
The authors examined three instructional approaches for improving teachers’ curriculum-based measurement (CBM) graph comprehension, each differing in the extent to which reading the data,... Show moreThe authors examined three instructional approaches for improving teachers’ curriculum-based measurement (CBM) graph comprehension, each differing in the extent to which reading the data, interpreting the data, and linking the data to instruction were emphasized. Participants were 164 elementary school teachers who were randomly assigned to one of three CBM instructional approaches or a control condition. Instruction was delivered via videos. Prior to and after receiving instruction, teachers completed a CBM graph-comprehension task. They also evaluated the instructional videos. Teachers in the three instructional groups improved more in CBM graph comprehension than control teachers. Improvements were seen primarily in interpreting and linking the data to instruction, two important but difficult aspects of CBM graph comprehension. Differences between the instructional groups were found for interpreting the data. Teachers evaluated the videos positively. Results indicate that teachers’ CBM graph comprehension can be improved via video instruction. Implications for teaching teachers to implement CBM are discussed. Show less
Huisman, B.; Saab, N.; Van Driel, J.; Broek, P.W. van den 2019
Research into students’ peer-feedback beliefs varies both thematically and in approaches and outcomes. This study aimed to develop a questionnaire to measure students’ beliefs about peer-feedback.... Show moreResearch into students’ peer-feedback beliefs varies both thematically and in approaches and outcomes. This study aimed to develop a questionnaire to measure students’ beliefs about peer-feedback. Based on the themes in the literature four scales were conceptualised. In separate exploratory (N = 219) and confirmatory (N = 121) studies, the structure of the questionnaire was explored and tested. These analyses confirmed the a priori conceptualised four scales: (1) students’ valuation of peer-feedback as an instructional method, (2) students’ confidence in the quality and helpfulness of the feedback they provide to a peer, (3) students’ confidence in the quality and helpfulness of the feedback they receive from their peers and (4) the extent to which students regard peer-feedback as an important skill. The value of this Beliefs about Peer-Feedback Questionnaire (BPFQ) is discussed both in terms of future research and the practical insights it may offer higher education teaching staff. Show less
