Technology-based learning environments
S. Sahebalzamani; A. Naeimi; M. Haddad Narafshan
Abstract
Background and Objectives: As the result of a rapidly evolving, technology-saturated world, individual development has become increasingly noteworthy. This development makes education systems accountable to incorporate 21st-century skills, especially critical thinking skill into their experiential learning ...
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Background and Objectives: As the result of a rapidly evolving, technology-saturated world, individual development has become increasingly noteworthy. This development makes education systems accountable to incorporate 21st-century skills, especially critical thinking skill into their experiential learning curricula. There may be a divergence between what students learn in school and what they experience to get through the real world and to handle the real-life participations conforming to the unpredictable changes in the world and educational systems. This pressurizes educational sectors to improve and expand their educational instruction processes in an innovative and creative design which helps students to acquire experiences and develop the required life skills. To prepare students to be sufficiently constructive in their personal and social life, education should change its focus from merely content and academic development to individual and non-academic development according to different methods and diverse theories. One of these theories is experiential learning. As the name implies, learning by doing involves students acting and honing their language skills in and out of the classroom. To manage this, teachers must cultivate a culture of creativity, problem-solving and engagement in the classroom by the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from or generated by observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication as a guide to belief and action. The purpose of this study was to find out the impact of technology-integrated experiential leaning on reading comprehension and critical thinking of English language learners (aged 10) in one of the primary schools in Kerman.Methods: This study was quasi-experimental in terms of research method, using pre-test and post-test design with experimental and control groups who were chosen randomly. The independent variable in this study was technology-integrated experiential learning, and the dependent variables were learners' critical thinking and reading comprehension. Over four months, two groups of 60 learners (30 students in each group) were exposed to experiential learning in two forms of technology-mediated and traditional classrooms. The instruction in both groups was based on experiential learning theory by Kolb (1984). In the experimental group, the activities were done using technology potentials, and in the control group, the activities were done using classroom potentials. Pre-tests and post-tests were used to measure learners’ improvements in reading comprehension and Naieni’s (2005) questionnaire was acquired to assess learner’s level of critical thinking. Findings: The results of the Shapiro-Wilk test showed that the equality of variances was established, and the normality of the data distribution was confirmed. According to the findings obtained from the homogeneity of variances test, the assumption of homogeneity of variances was also confirmed. The results of covariance analysis showed that there was a significant difference between the post-test scores of reading comprehension in the technology-integrated experimental group and the traditional control group. Therefore, experiential learning based on technology had a significant effect on improving students' reading comprehension (P < 0.01). Because the square of partial Eta, which is equal to (partial ɳ2= 0.81), expressed the tremendous effect of experience on the basis of technology. In addition, there was a significant difference between the average scores of the technology-integrated group and the traditional control group in connection with the post-test of critical thinking. Although both groups improved in the level of critical thinking, but combining experiential learning with technology had a more significant effect on improving critical thinking. Learners in the experimental group (P < 0.01) with the partial square root equal to (partial ɳ2= 0.90) indicated a significant effect.Conclusion: The present research showed that learning by experience through the integration of technology is extremely significant for language learning. Additionally, it highlights the possibility of research and its effectiveness not only for school achievement but also for developing personal skills and critical thinking in primary school students. Even though experiential learning is effective in improving students' comprehension and critical thinking, combining classes with technology through learning management systems is a more effective way to increase students' understanding and critical thinking. It is hoped that the present research play a significant role in helping identify effective educational factors based on experience.
Educational Technology
B.E. Zamani; S. A. Azimi; N. Soleimani; F. Parish
Abstract
Background and Objectives:The present study aimed to investigate and compare the extent of using educational technologies to enhance students’ critical thinking in Iranian and Russian first-grade elementary school experimental science textbooks. Methods:The research employs descriptive-analytical ...
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Background and Objectives:The present study aimed to investigate and compare the extent of using educational technologies to enhance students’ critical thinking in Iranian and Russian first-grade elementary school experimental science textbooks. Methods:The research employs descriptive-analytical method. Its sample consists of Iranian and Russian first-grade elementary school experimental sciences textbooks. The research instrument is a researcher-made checklist of critical thinking and soft and hard technology. The validity of this checklist was confirmed by experienced teachers and four professors in the field of educational sciences (educational technology and primary education). The reliability and validity of the tools have been calculated by using the formula of William Rumi. Findings: The results of analyzing the content of the experimental sciences textbooks showed that the first-grade textbooks of both countries used hard and soft technologies to teach critical thinking. The percentage of using soft technology was 75.65% and that of using hard technology was 24.35% to foster the critical thinking spirit in the Iranian first grade textbooks of experimental sciences. Moreover, the percentage of using soft technology was 51.64% and that of using hard technology was 48.35% to enhance the critical thinking spirit in the Russian textbooks. In addition, among the components of critical thinking, the highest percentage of 25.49% in Iran was related to the engagement component and in Russia, the highest percentage of 32.02% was related to the engagement component. In Iran, the lowest percentage of 2.87% among the critical thinking components was related to the judgment and evaluation componentand in Russia, the lowest percentage of 3.84% was related to the judgment and evaluation component. Combining soft and hard technologies in the contents of the first-grade textbooks of experimental sciences provides the possibility of learning more effectively and makes the process of learning more attractive for the students. The percentage of the other components of critical thinking in Russia and Iran has been as follows: the component of appropriate questioning in Russia was 18.33% and 11.60% in Iran; the collectiveness component in Iran was 10.01% and 10.04 % in Russia; the analytical component in Russia was 7.30 %and 5.15 % in Iran; the argument component in Russia was 7.63% and 5.15 % in Iran; the composition component was 7.95 % in Russia and 5.6 % in Iran. Conclusion: The composition of soft and hard technologies in the content of textbooks provide the possibility of more effective and attractive learning for the students. In fact, soft technologies complement and consolidate hard technologies and give rise to hard technologies and enable the growth and development of critical thinking and related areas. Hard technologies, as accessible and tangible tools, and soft technologies, as a set of ideas, plans, innovations, and initiatives which are crystaliized in educational design, determination and management of educational approaches and patterns, play an important role in increasing the effect of teaching and improving the students' learning. Hard technology in itself has no value; rather it is soft technologies that give credibility and value to hard technologies. It should be borne in mind that formal and superficial changes will not be responsive in revising the curriculum and fundamental logical changes are needed in all curriculum processes. As a result, researchers recommend the coherence and integration of critical thinking in educational textbooks. In this regard, the method of using hard and soft technologies and their implementation in the form of critical thinking components in the first year science textbook of Iran and Russia have been studied and emphasized.
English teaching
J. Nikoopour; Mohammad Amini Farsani; Maryam Nasiri
Abstract
This study investigates the relationship between critical thinking and the use of direct and indirect language learning strategies by Iranian learners. To this end, two survey instruments, the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL), and a questionnaire of Critical Thinking, were administered ...
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This study investigates the relationship between critical thinking and the use of direct and indirect language learning strategies by Iranian learners. To this end, two survey instruments, the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL), and a questionnaire of Critical Thinking, were administered among 100 college students majoring in English translation at Karaj University. The findings reveals a statistically significant relationship between specific direct and indirect language learning strategies such as cognitive, metacognitive, and social with critical thinking, while memory, compensation, and affective strategies appeared to have no relationship with critical thinking.
competency of teachers
A. Ghanizadeh
Abstract
This study investigated the relationship between Iranian EFL teachers' self-regulation and their critical thinking ability in language institutes. Furthermore, the role played by their length of teaching experience in their self-regulation and the relationship between their age and self-regulation were ...
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This study investigated the relationship between Iranian EFL teachers' self-regulation and their critical thinking ability in language institutes. Furthermore, the role played by their length of teaching experience in their self-regulation and the relationship between their age and self-regulation were examined. To this end, 92 EFL teacherswere selected according to convenience sampling from different language institutes in Mashhad. They were requested to complete the 'Watson-Glaser's Critical Thinking Appraisal' and the 'Teacher Self-Regulation Scale' anonymously. The findings yielded via correlation supported the theoretical expectation of a linkage betweenself-regulation and critical thinking. Subsequent data analyses indicated that among the components of critical thinking, 'evaluation of arguments' and 'interpretation' have the highest correlations with teachers' self-regulation. In addition, significant correlations were found between teachers' self- regulation, their teaching experience, and their age. The conclusions and implications of the research are further discussed with reference to earlier findings.
science education
S. Shamsaee; M.A. Shams
Abstract
The aim of this research is to investigate the relationship between English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teachers and students’ attitude toward learning needs and teaching activities. Mismatch between teachers and students’ expectations from ESP courses can result in undesired outcomes. In ...
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The aim of this research is to investigate the relationship between English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teachers and students’ attitude toward learning needs and teaching activities. Mismatch between teachers and students’ expectations from ESP courses can result in undesired outcomes. In this study, the attitudes of 6 teachers and 60 students of Software Engineering toward ESP learning needs were surveyed by a questionnaire. The relationship between the ideas of these two groups was investigated through t-test analysis. The results show that ESP teachers and students think more alike about textbooks, and the incorporation of information processed through discourse and genre analysis, while recognizable differences can be observed in their view toward teaching activities, the place of language skills and components, and critical thinking. It is discussed that pedagogical mechanisms for applying the relevant principles of ‘rights analysis’ and ‘strategic planning’ in English classrooms need to be devised and appropriately applied in ESP programs.
