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The ability to collaborate effectively face-to-face and online represents a critical skill for university graduates. However, there are still challenges regarding how to accurately assess this skill through traditional student learning measures. To better understand the nature of effective collaboration of university students in blended courses, the current study drew on the student approaches to learning framework and social network analysis techniques. We examined how student approaches to inquiry, approaches to online learning technologies, perceptions of the blended learning environment, different learning outcomes and configurations of collaboration are related. The methodologies commonly used in student approaches to learning research identified deep and surface approaches to inquiry and technologies, positive and negative perceptions of the integration of the learning environment, and of online workload, which also showed logical alignment with relatively better and poorer academic achievement in the course. Based on approaches, perceptions, and learning outcomes, students were divided into groups orientated towards understanding versus reproducing learning. The social network analysis techniques revealed features of different configurations of collaborations by different groups of students and their choices as to whether and with whom to collaborate during the learning process. Nuanced differences were found amongst different configurations of collaborations.

Young people's involvement in violent extremism remains a concern in many countries, including Indonesia. This study examined direct and indirect relationships between indicators of existential anxiety, political efficacy, extrinsic religiosity, and support for violent extremism. Two hundred and ten young Indonesians were recruited to the study and all completed an anonymous online survey containing the measures of interest. The findings suggest that indicators of existential anxiety are related to greater support for violent extremism, but this relationship may be dependent on perceptions of political efficacy and religious orientation. Future research could explore whether support for violent extremism can be reduced by enhancing young people's sense of control and political efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In this research, we examine how intragroup fragmentation, which is the division of a group into smaller subgroups, interacts with different forms of action against gender inequality. We focused on two types of action: actions that promote social change and actions that encourage retribution. Methods: We investigated these processes within the #MeToo social movement using data collected in Australia (N = 363) and Romania (N = 135). In both samples, we measured antecedents of 'group consciousness' (previous experience with discrimination, empathic concern, and perspective taking) and its indicators (social identification, perceived group efficacy beliefs, and group emotions such as anger and contempt). As indicators of intragroup fragmentation, we measured endorsement of different categories of group behaviors such as pro-social change action versus pro-retribution action. To assess the predictive power of motivations for joining the movement (antecedents of group consciousness) and of group consciousness for either pro-social or retributive actions, we tested several structural equation models (SEMs). Results: Our results indicate that the motivations for joining such social movements were more complex than anticipated, with perspective-taking emerging as a significant differentiator. Our analyses further show that different dimensions of group consciousness could predict support for either pro-social or retributive actions. Discussion: These findings highlight the complexity of the intragroup processes in newly emerging, modern social movements such as #MeToo. Our findings have implications for the study of membership dynamics in social movements and suggest that strategies to mobilise support should be tailored to these complexities. Overall, this research contributes to the current understanding of intragroup dynamics in contemporary social movements, thereby providing insights that could inform both grassroots mobilisation strategies and policy interventions aiming to increase gender equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recovery capital theory provides a biopsychosocial framework for identifying and measuring strengths and barriers that can be targeted to support recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. This systematic review analyzed and synthesized all quantitative approaches that have measured recovery capital since 2016. Three databases were searched to identify studies published from 2016 to 2023. Eligible studies explicitly stated they measured recovery capital in participants recovering from alcohol and/or drug addiction. Studies focusing on other forms of addiction were excluded. Sixty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Forty-six studies used one of the ten identified recovery capital questionnaires, and twenty-five studies used a measurement approach other than one of the ten recovery capital questionnaires. The ten recovery capital questionnaires are primarily developed for adult populations across clinical and community recovery settings, and between them measure 41 separate recovery capital constructs. They are generally considered valid and reliable measures of recovery capital. Nevertheless, a strong evidence base on the psychometric properties across diverse populations and settings still needs to be established for these questionnaires. The development of recovery capital questionnaires has been a significant advance in the field of addiction recovery, in alignment with the emerging recovery-oriented approach to addiction recovery care. Additionally, the non-recovery capital questionnaire-based approaches to recovery capital measurement have an important place in the field. They could be used alongside recovery capital questionnaires to test theory, and in contexts where the application of the questionnaires is not feasible, such as analyses of data from online recovery forums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of online learning technologies in experiences of inquiry is increasingly ubiquitous in university contexts. In blended environments, research into university experiences suggests that student approaches to learning are a key determiner of the quality of outcomes. The purpose of this study was to develop relevant measures which help understand the interplay between student approaches to inquiry (SAI) and their approaches to using online learning technologies (SAOLT) in blended environments. Based on a first-year university sample (n = 238), two questionnaires exploring qualitative variations in the SAI and SAOLT were developed. Each questionnaire had two subscales, that is, deep and surface approaches, and their construction was informed by existing research identifying qualitatively different approaches to inquiry and learning technologies. Our results indicate that the two questionnaires show satisfactory validity and reliability in measuring SAI and SAOLT. Furthermore, our findings show that deep approaches to inquiry were positively and logically related to deep approaches to online learning technologies (while surface approaches to inquiry were related to surface approaches to online learning technologies), and participants cluster in distinct groups according to their qualitatively different approaches to inquiry and online technologies. These outcomes have tangible implications for teaching and design, in particular for teachers aiming to support students to develop effective learning strategies when engaging in blended environments where students need to integrate their experiences and ideas across face-to-face and online contexts.

Learning through inquiry is a widely advocated pedagogical approach. However, there is currently little systematic knowledge about the practice of inquiry-based learning (IBL) in higher education. This study examined descriptions of learning tasks that were put forward as examples of IBL by 224 university teachers from various disciplines in three Australian universities. Data analysis uncovered the principal forms of IBL, the features of each form, their characteristic educational objectives, and possible disciplinary variations. The findings show that underlying the diversity of language and tasks regarded as IBL there is a limited number of distinct task forms and a broad conception of inquiry that is shared by university teachers. The findings also indicate that IBL is practiced in a wide range of disciplines, in both undergraduate and postgraduate coursework programs, in smaller and larger classes, and in universities which are more and less research intensive.

This article reports on research into the student experience of enquiry in two tasks in a university pharmacy course. Students were required to investigate through a field trip how a community pharmacy operated to meet customer needs and the requirements of the Health System in which it operated. Students were also required to investigate interactions and other properties of particular medicines through an online research task. This study looked at the student experience of enquiry in these contexts and the implications of the findings of that investigation for the debate about how digital literacy might relate to experiences of effective enquiry. The study presents evidence that suggests aspects such as variation in approaches to enquiry are an indicator of the extent of student success rather than the technologies "per se". Analysis of the student population data, interviews and open-ended comments in surveys identified qualitatively different experiences of enquiry in both the community pharmacy context and the online investigation. The outcomes suggest that the way students approach and conceive of enquiry is closely related to the quality of their outcomes, and that this appears to be a more significant factor in the nature of effective enquiry than their classification as digital natives as a result of their age.

This paper presents research exploring teachers' experiences of using blended learning in vocational education. Teachers involved in designing and teaching using blended learning from a major Australian vocational education provider participated in the study. They received open-ended questionnaires asking to describe their conceptions of blended learning and their approaches to teaching and design for blended learning environments. Teachers' responses were content-analysed from a phenomenographic perspective. Their descriptions illustrate a relatively wide spectrum of ideas about the nature of blended learning, suggesting that teachers tend to have qualitatively different conceptions about blended learning, and tend to adopt qualitatively different approaches to both teaching and design for blended learning. Quantitative analyses investigating possible relationships between teachers' conceptions and approaches were also conducted. Implications of the findings for further research and practice are discussed.

This research focuses on understanding how socio-psychological dimensions such as student social identity and student perceptions of their learning community affect learning at university. To do this, it integrates ideas from phenomenographic research into student learning with ideas from research on social identity. In two studies (N = 110, and N = 97) the relationships between student social identity, perceptions of the learning community, approaches to learning, and academic performance were explored. Our findings suggest that a strong student social identity is associated with a deep approach to learning, which in turn is linked to higher academic performance. Also, perceptions of learning community mediate the relationship between student social identity and deep approaches to learning. Significantly, a surface approach turns out not to be associated with student social identity or perceptions of the learning community, but it is negatively related to academic performance. Our research argues for the value of an integration of complementary frameworks, emphasising social and psychological aspects of the learning experience that can be used to improve our understanding of how and why students vary in the quality of their learning.

This article presents research on students' experiences of learning through a blend of face-to-face and online discussion. The participants in our study were students enrolled in a foreign policy course at a major Australian university. Students' conceptions of learning through discussion, and their approaches to both face-to-face and online discussion, were elicited through open-ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Students' responses to both open-ended questionnaires and interviews were analysed using a phenomenographic framework. Qualitative variations in students' conceptions and approaches were categorised and were found to form a hierarchy. Subsequent quantitative analysis found associations between students' conceptions of learning through discussion, their approaches to both face-to-face and online discussion and their academic performance (as indicated by the final mark for the course). Implications for teaching and further research are discussed. (Contains 7 tables.)

This article describes research exploring the relationship between students' self-perceptions in the context of university learning (i.e. student social identity), their approaches to learning, and academic achievement. The exploration of these inter-related aspects requires a mix of theoretical approaches, that is, in this research both social identity perspective from social psychology and the student learning research framework are used to explore student identity and learning in the context of higher education. Two structural equation models drawing on both these theoretical frameworks were tested. In the first of these models, deep approaches to learning are positively associated with students' social identification as university student and positively predict academic achievement. In the second model, surface approaches to learning are negatively associated with students' social identification and negatively predict academic achievement. The mediational roles of deep and surface approaches to learning in the relationship between student social identity and academic achievement are also explored. (Contains 3 figures.)

This paper reports on research investigating student experiences of learning through face-to-face and online discussions in a political science course in a large Australian university. Using methodologies from relational research into university student learning, the study investigates associations between key aspects of student learning focusing on conceptions of what students learn, approaches to learning, and learning outcomes. The main hypothesis tested here was that there are qualitative differences in the student conceptions of learning through discussions and their approaches to face-to-face and online discussions. Furthermore, it was expected to find that these differences were reflected in the learning outcomes, that is, student approaches would be linked to more complete conceptions of learning and to better academic performance. More tentatively, the existence of causal relationships between these aspects of learning and academic performance was also explored. Data on students' conceptions and approaches was collected through closed-ended questionnaires and final mark was used as an indicator of the quality of learning (academic performance). Our analysis identified variations in the quality of conceptions and student approaches also revealing strong associations between what students thought their learning is about, the way they approached their learning, and academic performance in both face-to-face and online contexts. Implications of these findings for research and practice are elaborated.

The paper reviews representative research into blended learning in universities, taking into account the methodology used, the focus of the research and the relationship between the two. In terms of methodology, most research was classifiable as case-studies, survey-based studies or comparative studies. A small number of studies take a comparatively more holistic approach and one of the outcomes from this review is a recommendation for more holistic studies to be undertaken. In the studies reviewed, the focus of the research is often related to the degree of methodological complexity. That is, less methodologically elaborated studies tend to have a more specific focus, while the studies employing a more complex methodology tend to report more varied aspects of the students' learning experience. It is argued that educationally useful research on blended learning needs to focus on the relationships between different modes of learning (for example, face-to-face and on-line) and especially on the nature of their integration. In particular, such research needs to generate usable evidence about the quality of the students' learning experiences and learning outcomes. In turn, this demands appropriately powerful methodologies, rooted in a firm theoretical foundation.