Educational Technology | X

Xin, Joy F.; Rieth, Herbert (2001).  Video-Assisted Vocabulary Instruction for Elementary School Students with Learning Disabilities.  Information Technology in Childhood Education Annual, 2001. 

Investigated effects of video technology as a tool for facilitating vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension skills of fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-graders with learning disabilities. Video instruction group students were taught word meanings and concepts in videodisc-based contexts; nonvideo group students were taught using printed texts. Found that students in the video instruction group had statistically higher word acquisition scores.

Xing, Minjie; Spencer, Ken (2008).  Reducing Cultural Barriers via Internet Courses  Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 45, 2. 

A Web-based learning environment has been developed to support students from China who are studying in the UK and are confronted by many cultural barriers, which may impede their academic studies. The electronic environment incorporates a number of approaches to support learning, ranging from a simple text-based presentation to more active methods, including opportunities to use search-based learning strategies. Experimental results demonstrate a clear advantage for these active approaches. Internet support was also provided for students in the form of an e-learning course for academic writing, which featured extensive opportunities for interactions with English peers. The experimental results demonstrated that the group with access to the e-course successfully acquired skills, resulting in their academic writing being indistinguishable from native English speakers.

Xing, Peiling; Fulcher, Glenn (2007).  Reliability Assessment for Two Versions of Vocabulary Levels Tests  System: An International Journal of Educational Technology and Applied Linguistics, 35, 2. 

This article reports a reliability study of two versions of the Vocabulary Levels Test at the 5000 word level. This study was motivated by a finding from an ongoing longitudinal study of vocabulary acquisition that Version A and Version B of Vocabulary Levels Test at the 5000 word level were not parallel. In order to investigate this issue, Versions A and B were combined to create a single instrument. This was administered at one time to discover whether score differences found in the longitudinal study were present once the variable of time was removed. The data was analysed using correlation, and in order to discover if there was a significant difference between the two means of Version A and Version B, a t-test was used. Following that, a further examination of item facility values was conducted. The data analysis showed that Version A and Version B at the 5000 were highly correlated and highly reliable. However, the item analysis shows that the facility values of Version B contain a number of more difficult items. While versions of the Vocabulary Levels Tests at the 2000, 3000 and Academic levels may be treated as parallel for longitudinal studies, this does not hold at the 5000 word level. We suggest changes that need to be made to the test before it is used in future longitudinal vocabulary growth studies.

Xinogalos, Stelios; Satratzemi, Maya; Dagdilelis, Vassilios (2006).  An Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming with a Didactic Microworld: "objectKarel"  Computers and Education, 47, 2. 

The objects-first strategy to teaching programming has prevailed over the imperative-first and functional-first strategies during the last decade. However, the objects-first strategy has created added difficulties to both the teaching and learning of programming. In an attempt to confront these difficulties and support the objects-first strategy we developed a novel programming environment, "objectKarel," which uses the language Karel++. The design of "objectKarel" was based on the results of the extended research that has been carried out about novice programmers. What differentiates it from analogous environments is the fact that it combines features that have been used solely in them: incorporated e-lessons and hands-on activities; an easy to use structure editor for developing/editing programs; program animation; explanatory visualization; highly informative and friendly error messages; recordability. In this paper, we present the didactic rationale that dictated the design of "objectKarel" and the features of the environment, including the e-lessons. In addition, we present the results from the use of "objectKarel" in the classroom and the results of the students' assessment of the environment.

Xie, Bo (2007).  Information Technology Education for Older Adults as a Continuing Peer-Learning Process: A Chinese Case Study  Educational Gerontology, 33, 5. 

This article examines older Chinese's learning and use of computers and the Internet, focusing on the major barriers encountered and strategies employed to overcome those barriers. A total of 33 interviews were conducted in 2004 in Shanghai. Data analysis was guided by grounded theory. The following are the major findings : (a) lack of technical support is a major barrier to information technology (IT) learning, yet it is difficult to get support from younger people; (b) learning from age peers is an effective way to learn about IT; and (c) short-term computer classes are only the beginning, while computer clubs that may last for years can provide much-needed continuing training.

Xie, Kui; Debacker, Teresa K.; Ferguson, Catherine (2006).  Extending the Traditional Classroom through Online Discussion: The Role of Student Motivation  Journal of Educational Computing Research, 34, 1. 

Two studies addressed students' motivation and participation in an online discussion board which was part of a traditional lecture-based course. The discussion board represented an external communication resource to extend the learning activities beyond the classroom. Self-Determination Theory was used as the theoretical framework to investigate: (a) how students' participation in online discussion related to their intrinsic motivation and attitude toward the class; b) how students' intrinsic motivation changed over time; and c) what factors students noted as responsible for the changes in their motivation level. A total of 123 undergraduate students participated in online discussion as a normal part of their instructional technology class. The results showed that students' participation was related to their intrinsic motivation, but not to their computer/internet skills. Over time, students' intrinsic motivation for participating in online discussion dropped steadily. Student-reported reasons for the motivation changes are discussed.

Xie, Ying; Ke, Fengfeng; Sharma, Priya (2008).  The Effect of Peer Feedback for Blogging on College Students' Reflective Learning Processes  Internet and Higher Education, 11, 1. 

Reflection is an important prerequisite to making meaning of new information, and to advance from surface to deep learning. Strategies such as journal writing and peer feedback have been found to promote reflection as well as deep thinking and learning. This study used an empirical design to investigate the interaction effects of peer feedback and blogging on college students' reflective thinking skills and their learning approaches. Forty-four first- and second-year undergraduate students participated in the study. Students kept blogs each week throughout a whole semester. Two journals were sampled at the beginning and end of the semester for each student. A repeated measure one-way ANOVA suggested that students' reflective thinking level increased significantly over time; however, peer feedback was found to negatively affect students' reflective thinking skills. The result of the study suggests more carefully designed uses in the future.

Xie, Ying; Sharma, Priya (2005).  Students' Lived Experience Of Using Weblogs In a Class: An Exploratory Study  [Association for Educational Communications and Technology] 

Recently, attempts have been made to use Weblog and other personal webpublishing technologies to support individual and social reflection in higher education. Due to Weblog's highly individual and reflective nature, students' experiences and perceptions of the technology and practice is of primary importance in furthering its educational use. In this phenomenological study nine participants, who maintained Weblogs in a graduate course, were interviewed. Initial data analysis indicates that participants found Weblogs helpful for learning, reflecting, and building a sense of community. However, participants expressed concerns over the lack of structure for Weblog usage and the public nature of the reflective process. | [FULL TEXT]

Xiao, Lu; Carroll, John M. (2007).  Fostering an Informal Learning Community of Computer Technologies at School  Behaviour & Information Technology, 26, 1. 

Computer technologies develop at a challenging fast pace. Formal education should not only teach students basic computer skills to meet current computer needs, but also foster student development of informal learning ability for a lifelong learning process. On the other hand, students growing up in the digital world are often more skilled with computer technologies than their teachers. We describe an online course design project in which a group of students designed an online health course for their middle school, and teachers played the roles of facilitators and learners. We suggest fostering an informal learning community of computer technologies at school as a supplemental method of formal computer education to address the shift in educational context and as a place offering opportunities for students to work on real-life projects and solve real-life problems.

Xiaozhou, Xu (2001).  The Role of the University in Lifelong Learning: Perspectives from the People's Republic of China.  Higher Education Policy, 14, 4. 

Explores lifelong learning in China, asserting that it is a core concept of modern education but little practiced there. Drawing on examples from other countries, addresses forces behind the rise of lifelong learning (such as the knowledge economy), the role of universities, relevant course structure and teaching methods, the concept of recurrent education, use of educational technology, and internationalization.

Xu, Yonghong; Meyer, Katrina A. (2007).  Factors Explaining Faculty Technology Use and Productivity  Internet and Higher Education, 10, 1. 

This study examines factors related to technology use in teaching by university faculty. An EFA analysis of multiple questions of technology use in the classroom found two factors: one loaded with Web use and the second with email use. Therefore, three research questions were asked: What factors explain faculty use of the Web or email? Are these factors the same for both Web and email use? What is the relationship of technology use to faculty productivity? The sample included full-time faculty at doctoral and research institutions selected from the National Study of Postsecondary Faculty:1999 (NSOPF:99) dataset. Independent variables included measures of teaching, research, and service productivity, along with other contextual, demographic, and professional variables. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to prepare eight models (email and Web use for Doctoral I, Doctoral II, Research I, and Research II institutions). Results confirmed that age and Internet access were important factors related to faculty technology use. The relationship between email and Web use to teaching productivity in particular is intriguing and may indicate that productive faculty use technology to help them be more productive or that technology use impacts productivity. Research and service productivity also exhibited distinctive patterns with email and Web use.

Xenos, Michalis (2004).  Prediction and Assessment of Student Behaviour in Open and Distance Education in Computers Using Bayesian Networks  Computers and Education, 43, 4. 

This paper presents a methodological approach based on Bayesian Networks for modelling the behaviour of the students of a bachelor course in computers in an Open University that deploys distance educational methods. It describes the structure of the model, its application for modelling the behaviour of student groups in the Informatics Course of the Hellenic Open University, as well as the advantages of the presented method under conditions of uncertainty. The application of this model resulted in promising results as regards both prediction of student behaviour, based on modelled past experience, and assessment (i.e., identification of the reasons that led students to a given "current" state). The method presented in this paper offers an effective way to model past experience, which can significantly aid in decision-making regarding the educational procedure. It can also be used for assessment purposes regarding a current state enabling tutors to identify mistakes or bad practices so as to avoid them in the future as well as identify successful practices that are worth repeating. The paper concludes that modelling is feasible and that the presented method is useful especially in cases of large amounts of data that are hard to draw conclusions from without any modelling. It is emphasised that the presented method does not make any predictions and assessments by itself; it is a valuable tool for modelling the educational experience of its user and exploiting the past data or data resulting from its use.