Instructional Science

The present study examines the measurement property of instructional quality in mathematics education, building on data from teachers and students, by combing TALIS 2013 and PISA 2012 linkage data from seven countries. Confirmatory factor analysis was applied to examine the dimensionality of the construct instructional quality in mathematics instruction. Three dimensions were identified (i.e., classroom disciplinary climate, teacher support, and cognitive activation) when building on teacher data from TALIS. This three-dimensional model did not fit all countries. When analyzing PISA data, the same three dimensions could be identified, but two additional dimensions appeared: classroom management and student-orientated instruction. This five-dimensional factor structure reflected metric invariance across all countries. The findings imply that students and teachers seem to hold different perceptions about mathematics instructional quality reflect different dimensions. These differences seem to vary within and between countries. This implies that care should be taken when using the construct as an equivalent measure of instructional quality when studying school effectiveness in mathematics education across countries.

Productive classroom discussion has been shown to support student learning across academic domains. Facilitating successful discussion hinges on the teacher’s ability to make adept in-the-moment observations of various aspects of student talk and classroom dynamics. In two studies, we explore a pedagogical intervention using contrasting cases to support novice teachers in learning to notice key features of classroom discussion. Study 1 involves preservice teachers in a bilingual teaching methods course in a university-based credential program. Study 2 involves undergraduates in an education psychology course, many of whom are prospective teachers. Study participants engaged in analyzing transcript-based contrasting cases of discussion vignettes as they collaboratively developed guiding principles for effective class discussion. Data include pre- and post-instruction video noticing task reflections, principles identified, and transcribed partner discussions during the activity. Post-instruction, learners displayed increased student-centered noticing when watching videos of classroom discussions. Additionally, there was increased awareness of the absence of productive features or missed opportunities within the discourse. In this proof-of-concept set of studies, we explore the potential of contrasting cases-based activities to help prepare teachers for the complex task of orchestrating discussion by supporting them in learning to notice.

Instruction often spans multiple phases (e.g., phases of discovery learning, instructional explanations, practice) with different learning goals and different pedagogies. For any combination of multiple phases, we use the term composite instructional design (CID). To understand the mechanisms underlying composite instructional designs, we propose a framework that links three levels (knowledge, learning, instruction) across multiple phases: Its core element is the specification of learning mechanisms that explain how intermediate knowledge (i.e., the knowledge state between instructional phases) generated by the learning processes of one phase impacts the learning processes of a following phase. The CID framework serves as a basis for conducting research on composite instructional designs based on a cognitive analysis, which we exemplify by discussing existing research in light of the framework. We discuss how the CID framework supports understanding of the effects of composite instructional designs beyond the individual effects of the single phases through an analysis of effects on intermediate knowledge (i.e., the knowledge state resulting from a first instructional phase) and how it alters the learning processes initiated by the instructional design of a second phase. We also aim to illustrate how CID can help resolve contradictory findings of prior studies (e.g., studies that did or did not find beneficial effects of problem solving prior to instruction). Methodologically, we highlight the challenge of altering one learning mechanism at a time as experimental variations on the instructional design level often affect multiple learning processes across phases.

In teacher education, video representations of practice offer a motivating means for applying conceptual teaching knowledge toward real-world settings. With video analysis, preservice teachers can begin cultivating professional vision skills through noticing and reasoning about presented core teaching practices. However, with novices’ limited prior knowledge and experience, processing transient information from video can be challenging. Multimedia learning research suggests instructional design techniques for support, such as signaling keyword cues during video viewing, or presenting focused self-explanation prompts which target theoretical knowledge application during video analysis. This study investigates the professional vision skills of noticing and reasoning (operationalized as descriptions and interpretations of relevant noticed events) from 130 preservice teachers participating in a video-analysis training on the core practice of small-group instruction. By means of experimental comparisons, we examine the effects of signaling cues and focused self-explanation prompts on professional vision performance. Further, we explore the impact of these techniques, considering preservice teachers’ situational interest. Overall, results demonstrated that preservice teachers’ professional vision skills improved from pretest to posttest, but the instructional design techniques did not generally offer additional support. However, moderation analysis indicated that training with cues fostered professional vision skills for preservice teachers with low situational interest. This suggests that for uninterested novices, signaling cues may compensate for the generative processing boost typically associated with situational interest. Research and practice implications involve the consideration of situational interest as a powerful component of instructional design, and that keyword cueing can offer an alternative when interest is difficult to elicit.

The content of argumentative essays is determined by multiple factors, but belief influences are understudied compared to topic knowledge and argument schema. We investigate how beliefs influence the inclusion of basic components in argumentative writing. A pre-screening survey identified believers and disbelievers in gun control effectiveness. In a subsequent laboratory session, subjects (N = 324) read a one-sided text that was either consistent or inconsistent with their beliefs. Subjects then reported their beliefs and wrote a 250-word argumentative essay explaining them. These essays were coded for the presence or absence of a claim, the number of reasons supporting the claim, the presence of a counterargument, text content, and other factors. 682 supplementary subjects provided approximately 10 ratings for each essay on several factors, including position, clarity, and consideration of both sides. Subjects who read a belief consistent text wrote essays that were more likely to contain a claim, more reasons, and text content. Subjects who read a belief inconsistent text were more likely to include an evaluative statement about the text and to consider both sides of the issue. Individual differences in belief change were related to the likelihood of stating a claim, the number of reasons, and likelihood of mentioning text content. Results suggest that beliefs influence the basic components of argumentation that are included in argumentative essays. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.