Process model comprehension : the effects of cognitive abilities, learning style, and strategy

Process models are used to convey semantics about business operations that are to be supported by an information system. A wide variety of professionals is targeted to use such models, including people who have little modeling or domain expertise. We identify important user characteristics that influence the comprehension of process models. Through a free simulation experiment, we provide evidence that selected cognitive abilities, learning style, and learning strategy influence the development of process model comprehension. These insights draw attention to the importance of research that views process model comprehension as an emergent learning process rather than as an attribute of the models as objects. Based on our findings, we identify a set of organizational intervention strategies that can lead to more successful process modeling workshops.

Learning style and digital activity: An ecological study

In order to understand student engagement in higher education through the use of digital technologies, it is necessary to appreciate the broader use of differing technologies. Forty-eight first-year university students completed an online survey that queried patterns of digital activity across home, school and community contexts and that included rating scale items that measured learning style (i.e., active-reflective, sensing-intuitive, visual-verbal, sequential-global). Results suggest that students vary widely in digital activities and that such variation is related to differences in learning style. For example, active learners were more likely than reflective learners to engage in digital activities in the community and users of some specific application, as opposed to non-users, were more likely to be verbal than visual learners. Implications for instructional applications of digital technology in higher education are presented.

Learner strategy instruction and student uptake of strategies in a Japanese as a foreign language context

The Japanese language is recognised as being more difficult than European languages, needing three times more tuition time to reach comparable levels of proficiency. Encouraging Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL) students to become aware of, and effectively use, learner strategies is one way to assist them become more controlled, effective learners leading to enhanced language learning. This thesis investigates the development and implementation of a JFL curriculum implemented in a university course for students learning JFL. The curriculum was developed specifically to assist beginner university students with the development of learner strategies appropriate for a JFL reading context. The theoretical underpinning of the study was informed by Educational Criticism (Eisner, 1998), which aims to describe, interpret and evaluate the processes of interaction between the teacher, the learner and the curriculum and the students' learning processes in a tertiary JFL classroom. The study investigated the effect on student learning processes of a JFL reading program that incorporated explicit learner strategy instruction and identified factors that enhanced or impeded the development of learner strategy knowledge. The participants in the study were 29 students enrolled in the course, 10 of whom volunteered to undertake additional tasks, and the two teachers who implemented the curriculum. Data collection involved a number of different strategies to observe the students' participation in the classroom and learning experiences. Learning processes were investigated through TOL protocols, classroom observations, course evaluations, interviews, and learner strategy use measurement instruments (SILL, SILK and SORS) to document student uptake of learner strategies. The design of the study and its applied focus recognised my expertise as a JFL teacher, curriculum writer and researcher, an approach that aligns with the purpose of a Professional Doctorate. Four general thematics, or principles, were identified in this study: „h Explicit learner strategy instruction provides the context for students to develop awareness of learner strategies and take control of their learning; „h Collaborative learning and interaction with teachers offers students the opportunity for shared knowledge construction; „h Reflection offers teachers and students the opportunity to reflect on their own learning style and strategy knowledge, and raises awareness of other available strategies; and „h Diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds have an impact on curriculum implementation and student uptake of learner strategies. The study¡¦s methodological contribution is that it is one of the first in Australia to use Educational Criticism (Eisner, 1998) as a research methodology. The findings contribute to theoretical knowledge in the fields of Applied Linguistics, Second Language Teaching and Learning, Second Language Acquisition and JFL Teaching and Learning by offering new knowledge on the importance of learner strategies in the beginner JFL classroom, the potential of explicit strategy instruction, the value of reflection for both teachers and students, and the important role of the teacher in the process of curriculum implementation. The general principles identified and the findings of this in-depth study of a JFL classroom can be drawn upon to inform other teaching practice situations, and invite practitioners from not just Japanese, but from other language areas and other disciplines, to examine and improve their own practices, and suggest further research questions to pursue this line of enquiry.

Proficiency and collaborative learning

This study reports on the effect of different levels of proficiency on the students' achievements in collaborative learning instruction among 30 Persian-speaking EFL college students. Having been divided into dyads with different levels of proficiency, these subjects participated in nine sessions of collaborative instruction based on the form focused collaborative text-editing task. The results of this study are obtained through the analyses of the proficiency gains in formal aspects of language in text-editing pre and post-tests and text-reconstruction post-test. The study highlights the significant effect of this type of instruction on more proficient students. Reasons provided in this study are the language analytic ability of the students, learning styles and strategies, and motivation. The findings of this study are helpful to teachers of the classes with heterogeneous language proficiency.

Differences in learning style preference among students of diverse ethnicities, gender, academic placement level, and academic achievement

This investigation studied the differences in learning styles among ethnically diverse secondary science students from a multicultural urban high school. It examined whether there were learning style differences among samples based on ethnicity, gender, academic grouping, and academic achievement. The learning style elements were based on scores of the Dunn, Dunn, and Price Learning Style Inventory (LSI) (1997). The sample (n = 476) consisted of students enrolled in Life Science courses. The analyses of data were made by one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). ^ Significant differences were found among students for three of the four groups tested. The largest numbers of differences in learning style element preference were in academic grouping, with eight significant differences showing small or medium effect sizes. There were four significant differences between genders and one significant difference among ethnic groups. Effect size was small. The data analyses showed that individual differences have a much bigger effect than group differences on learning style, and that proportions in learning style element categories reveal more information than means of groups. ^ This study implied the need to increase awareness of differences in learning styles among students and help educators to understand them. Other predictors of learning styles might account for a large amount of the unexplained variation. Overall, this study reinforces the body of existing literature. ^

Adaptive E-learning Content Design and Delivery Based on Learning Styles and Knowledge Level

ACM Computing Classification System (1998): K.3.1, K.3.2.

The development, application, and implications of a strategy for reflective learning from experience

The problem on which this study focused was individuals' reduced capacity to respond to change and to engage in innovative learning when their reflective learning skills are limited. In this study, the preceding problem was addressed by two primary questions: To what degree can mastery of a strategy for reflective learning be facilitated as a part of an academic curriculum for professional practitioners? What impact will mastery of this strategy have on the learning style and adaptive flexibility of adult learners? The focus of the study was a direct application of human resource development technology in the professional preparation of teachers. The background of the problem in light of changing global paradigms and educational action orientations was outlined and a review of the literature was provided. Roots of thought for two key concepts (i.e., learning to learn from experience and meaningful reflection in learning) were traced. Reflective perspectives from the work of eight researchers were compared. A meta-model of learning from experience drawn from the literature served as a conceptual framework for the study. A strategy for reflective learning developed from this meta-model was taught to 109 teachers-in-training at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. Kolb's Adaptive Style Inventory and Learning Style Inventory were administered to the treatment group and to two control groups taught by the same professor. Three research questions and fourteen hypotheses guided data analysis. Qualitative review of 1565 personal documents generated by the treatment group indicated that 77 students demonstrated "double-loop" learning, going beyond previously established limits to perception, understanding, or action. The mean score for depth of reflection indicated "single-loop" learning with "reflection-in-action" present. The change in the mean score for depth of reflection from the beginning to end of the study was statistically significant (p $<$.05). On quantitative measures of adaptive flexibility and learning style, with two exceptions, there were no significant differences noted between treatment and control groups on pre-test to post-test differences and on post-test mean scores adjusted for pre-test responses and demographic variables. Conclusions were drawn regarding treatment, instrumentation, and application of the strategy and the meta-model. Implications of the strategy and the meta-model for research, for education, for human resource development, for professional practice, and for personal growth were suggested. Qualitative training materials and Kolb's instruments were provided in the appendices.

Reflections on the development of a dynamic learning, teaching and assessment strategy.

Developing learning, teaching and assessment strategies that foster ongoing engagement and provide inspiration to academic staff is a particular challenge. This paper demonstrates how an institutional learning, teaching and assessment strategy was developed and a ‘dynamic’ strategy created in order to achieve the ongoing enhancement of the quality of the student learning experience. The authors use the discussion of the evolution, development and launch of the Strategy and underpinning Resource Bank to reflect on the hopes and intentions behind the approach; firstly the paper will discuss the collaborative and iterative approach taken to the development of an institutional learning, teaching and assessment strategy; and secondly, the development of open access educational resources to underpin the strategy. The paper then outlines staff engagement with the resource bank and positive outcomes which have been identified to date, identifies the next steps in achieving the ambition behind the strategy and outlines the action research and fuller evaluation which will be used to monitor progress and ensure responsive learning at institutional level.

The effect of market and learning orientation on strategy dynamics : The contributing effect of organisational change capability

McGuinness, T. and Morgan, R. (2005). The effect of market and learning orientation on strategy dynamics: The contributing effect of organisational change capability. European Journal of Marketing. 39(11-12), pp.1306-1326 RAE2008

Dyslexia and learning style : apractitioner's handbook.

Manual, que sirve de puente entre la teoría y la práctica, para compartir algunas técnicas de enseñanza que han tenido éxito con estudiantes disléxicos. Estructurada en dos secciones, la primera examina la investigación más reciente en dos áreas claves: la experiencia con disléxicos y los principales estilos cognitivos y de aprendizaje para maximizar el éxito de los estudiantes más vulnerables. La segunda sección proporciona: formas de diagnosticar la dislexia, estilo de aprendizaje; técnicas para ayudar a los estudiantes a procesar y crear respuestas a la información en el plan de estudios; estrategias prácticas para ayudar a los profesores a adaptar materiales para satisfacer los diferentes estilos de aprendizaje encontrados en cada aula y actividades para ayudar a los estudiantes a desarrollar un enfoque más flexible para el aprendizaje.