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Employers agree that high school graduates lack teamwork skills needed for workplace productivity. The lag in student readiness to meet employer expectations urges school reforms that implicate group interaction, empirical assessment, and reporting of teamwork competencies. The "Teamwork Skills Inventory" (TSI) evaluated how well individual students performed in cooperative learning teams as observed by peers and self with anonymous feedback. Field-testing involved 303 high school students in the United States from middle class and racially diverse families. Psychometric indicators of reliability, validity, exploratory factor analysis, and group analytics were determined. Qualitative responses by participants to TSI methodology were highly favorable.

This article examines the persistent problem of student literacy, the range of tutoring solutions, and implications for peer teaching in cooperative learning teams. Possible school reforms that reflect practices in other countries with high student test scores and peer norms in support of tutoring are described. An online poll was completed by 190 adolescents to share perceptions about tutoring at their middle school. Given the powerful impact of peers on adolescent socialization, it was not surprising that findings showed students who needed tutoring most denied their academic problem, tried to avoid embarrassment from peers, and did not request assistance. Poll responses revealed absence of a peer norm to motivate engagement in tutoring without sacrifice to personal status. If a lesson or curriculum subject was difficult, the students asked friends for help more often than they asked teachers. Analysis of gender differences showed that if students told friends they planned to request tutoring, females were more likely to give encouragement than males. Female students also showed greater willingness than males to volunteer as tutors for assisting learning disabled classmates, English as second language learners, and peers in their cooperative learning groups. Results of student voice as expressed in the online Tutoring Poll contributed to the school continuous improvement plan. Tutoring recommendations for school districts to consider are explained.

Most college students have grown up using technology and consequently, they are proficient with its many uses and applications. The use of this technology provides many benefits to college students' learning, both in and out of the classroom. However, despite the numerous benefits of technology, these digital activities can also lead to much digital distraction. Digital distractions may include Internet surfing, watching movies, checking texts, reading, and sending emails, and perusing social media. These digital distractions often result in limited attention and engagement during class, as well as less learning and academic achievement overall. Digital distraction can result from such factors as anxiety and depression, motivational variables, the need to keep up and the fear of missing out, emotional numbing and procrastination as well as an overreliance on multitasking. It is suggested here that the use of self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies may be effective in assisting college students in avoiding digital distractions, both in and out of the classroom. SRL strategies include forethought, planning, activation; monitoring, control and reflection on the learner's cognition, motivation/affect, and behavior. Through the use of these SRL strategies, college students may be taught to decrease digital distractions and, thus, experience higher levels of learning and academic performance.

Enabling students, teachers, and parents to become more informed about stress during adolescence can improve student emotional and social support. This article documents the growing problem of student stress and resulting effects on mental health. Students (Grades 9-12) at one public high school in the southern United States were invited by the principal to complete an anonymous online poll about sources of stress in their lives. The intent of the school principal was to use the findings to strengthen student support and contribute to the Continuous School Improvement Plan. Results of the 17-item Stress Poll are presented by frequency and percentages for the 349 students and compared by gender responses (females n = 172, males n = 177). Results indicated the most prominent student stresses at school involved worrying about getting good grades in required courses, not understanding some of their courses, being unable to concentrate, and having poor time management practices. Students felt that teachers should collaborate to reduce undue student stress by avoiding overloading and letting students make mistakes without affecting grades. Outside of school the main stress was getting along with relatives; in addition, parents should set more reasonable expectations for academic achievement. Students felt that workshops about stress could improve understanding and influence their parents and teachers.

International students who pursue their academic goals in United States are prone to difficulties when attempting to build social resources and adjust to the new culture. Social media is a practical means of connection due to its ease of use and accessibility. Previous research has indicated contradictory effects of social media use on academic engagement. In addition to the direct effect, this research examined social media use influences on international students' learning engagement by mediating social capital and cultural adjustment. A total of 209 international students completed a web-based survey distributed via e-mail and social media between November 2021 and May 2022. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Model. Results showed that only purposely using social media to collaborate with learning counterparts or materials directly improves international students' learning engagement. Other uses of social media (e.g., expanding "new" resources, solidifying "close" relationships) have no significant direct effects. Nonetheless, they are essential to improving levels of learning engagement via the mediation of "bridging" capital (social resources attributed to expanding relationships) and students' cultural adjustment in the U.S. International students' "bonding" capital (social resources available through trustworthy relationships) and "home" cultural retention showed little direct or indirect effects on learning engagement. This study recognizes the importance of social resources and cultural adjustment for international students. Also, this study provides valuable information to educators and administrators, as there is a need to identify the underlying mechanisms to contribute feasible learning intervention approaches and alleviate negative effects for international students.

Improving conditions of learning is a priority for schools, communities, states, and the federal government. Students are the stakeholders with the most to gain or lose and should be consulted about their classroom experiences as a basis for continuous school improvement planning. The population of 461 students from a rural public high school in the southern United States was invited by the school principal to complete the 16-item Peer Support Poll on ways peers support and inhibit learning. Results for the 443 participating students identified (a) ways peer support influences performance of individuals in cooperative learning groups, (b) functioning and effectiveness of teams, (c) and preferences for ways of learning. Findings of this study can help guide efforts to strengthen the school community by incorporating student voice to improve the efficacy of collaborative groups. Faculty reviewed the findings in a bar chart with poll items, frequencies, and percentages. The high rate of student participation, 96%, suggests they trusted the principal and faculty to respect their anonymous opinions and consider them as a basis for taking action. A 10-step process model is described to use polling to mobilize the school community in making decisions about school improvement.

Stress experienced by community college students is increasing and can jeopardize health and performance. Sources of stress felt by students are not well understood because they typically confide in peers. This article reviews the literature on the scope, signs, and effects of stress. A study is described that identifies gender differences in sources of stress among community college students. The 351 subjects (210 females, 141 males) attended the same community college; most (69%) lived at home with their parents. They self-administered the online College Stress Poll consisting of 17 multiple-choice items. Poll data were analyzed using a series of Chi-square independence tests to compare gender responses with Cramer's V applied as the measurement of effect size. Females significantly more often than males reported getting along with family as stressful and felt greater pressure from parents to perform better than their classmates. Females were more often exposed to stress from peers who interrupted them during study time and insisted that they respond quickly to text messages. Both genders identified getting good grades as a major source of stress, admitted having poor time management skills, and lacked understanding in some courses. Results identified ways for educators and parents to reduce undue stress imposed on students. Workshop topics about stress were chosen by students that they wanted the college to provide for parents, teachers, and students.

One of the major challenges for international students to pursue academic goals in the United States is English language proficiency, which often negatively affects academic success. Even students with confidence in their English language proficiency encounter challenges using English in class. Previous research indicates self-efficacy positively predicts English language proficiency and academic achievement. Therefore, the current study hypothesized a model using self-efficacy in using English to learn as a mediator between English and academic self-efficacy. The structural equation modeling results indicate English self-efficacy indirectly influenced international students' academic self-efficacy through their using English to learn self-efficacy. Findings suggest using English and using English to learn self-efficacy are two distinct constructs. These results warrant academic English support for non-native English speaking international students.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between factors in the extended technology acceptance model (TAM) model and teachers' self-efficacy in remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the authors sought to listen to classroom teachers as they expressed their unbiased views of the advantages, disadvantages and challenges of teaching remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: A survey was employed to examine the relationship between factors in the extended TAM model and teachers' self-efficacy in remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic using the 49-item questionnaire. A multiple regression analysis using a stepwise procedure was used to examine the relationship between factors in the extended TAM model and teachers' self-efficacy. Three open-ended questions closely examined remote teaching during the pandemic, related to challenges, advantages and disadvantages. Findings: Qualitative findings challenges included Internet connection, lack of interaction and communication and challenges with motivation and student engagement. Disadvantages included teachers' level of self-efficacy in using technology to teach, lack of support and resources to teach online and the struggle to motivate and engage students. Perceived benefits included flexibility for the teacher and differentiation, rich resources and a way to support learners when in-person instruction is not possible. Research limitations/implications: The data suggest that instead, during COVID-19, many teachers were learning about the platforms simultaneously as they were instructing students. Practical implications: To ensure quality remote instruction and that students receive the support to make instruction equitable, teachers need to perceive that their instructional technology needs are met to focus on teaching, learning and needs of their students. Social implications: Teachers need opportunities to explore the platforms and to experience success in this environment before they are exposed to the high stakes of preparing students to meet K-12 standards. Originality/value: Instructional delivery has not explored teacher motivational and instructional teaching self-efficacy related to satisfaction with the learning management system (LMS).

This paper describes the design, implementation, and results of an NSF funded Summer Academy from 2016 to 2018, which engaged, on an annual basis, 30 to 60 rising 10th and 11th grade high school science students in an innovative, technology-enriched Project Based Learning (PBL) environment. This Academy emphasized how tech gadgets work and the impact that technology can have on improving communities by immersing students in the exploration of one such device that is a growing phenomenon, the "aerial drone." In this Academy, the students learned various operations of the drone through Python programming language, and some cybersecurity issues and solutions. The student teams, under the guidance of diverse mentors, comprehensively fortified their STEM problem-solving skills and critical thinking. Both formative and summative evaluations for this Academy showed that it helped students improve their critical thinking ability and motivated them to pursue careers in STEM-related disciplines, specifically in information technology and cybersecurity areas.

Learning irregular words involves mental marking of irregular letters in the spelling, a process not fully understood. In a within-subjects experiment, we manipulated the type of scaffolding given to beginning readers to evoke mental marking. We pretested to sort 103 kindergarten and first-grade participants into sequential decoders, who decode letter by letter, and hierarchical decoders, who recognise vowel patterns. In the control phase, children read irregular words in sentence contexts with minimal scaffolding. In the experimental phase, participants read additional irregular words in sentence contexts by 'operating on the word' to mark irregular letters. Results indicated that the experimental condition induced better untimed word reading, but it did not improve spelling or reading in a flash presentation. Hierarchical decoders were significantly more successful than sequential decoders in untimed word reading, spelling and reading in the flash presentation. These results suggest that learning hierarchical decoding predisposes readers to learn irregular words.

This study aimed to investigate a bidirectional switching functionality absorber, which exhibited an ultra-wideband characteristic in one direction, while in the other direction it demonstrated the absorption of three different resonant wavelengths (frequencies). The fully layered planar structure of the absorber consisted of Al2O3, Zr, yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), Zr, YSZ, Al, YSZ, and Al. The simulations were conducted using the COMSOL Multiphysics® simulation software (version 6.1) for analyses, and this study introduced three pivotal innovations. Firstly, there had been scarce exploration of YSZ and Zr as the materials for designing absorbers. The uses of YSZ and Zr in this context were a relatively uncharted territory, and our research endeavored to showcase their distinctive performance as absorber materials. Secondly, the development of a planar absorber with multifunctional characteristics was a rarity in the existing literature. This encompassed the integrations of an ultra-wideband optical absorber and the creation of a multi-wavelength resonant absorber featuring three resonant wavelengths. The design of such a multi-wavelength resonant absorber holds promise for diverse applications in optical detection and communication systems, presenting novel possibilities in related fields. Lastly, a notable discovery was demonstrated: a discernible redshift phenomenon in the wavelengths of the three resonant peaks when the thickness of YSZ, serving as the material of resonant absorber layer, was increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenges of respiratory infections persist as a global health crisis, placing substantial stress on healthcare infrastructures and necessitating ongoing investigation into efficacious treatment modalities. The persistent challenge of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, underscores the critical need for enhanced diagnostic methodologies to support early treatment interventions. This study introduces an innovative two-stage data analytics framework that leverages deep learning algorithms through a strategic combinatorial fusion technique, aimed at refining the accuracy of early-stage diagnosis of such infections. Utilizing a comprehensive dataset compiled from publicly available lung X-ray images, the research employs advanced pre-trained deep learning models to navigate the complexities of disease classification, addressing inherent data imbalances through methodical validation processes. The core contribution of this work lies in its novel application of combinatorial fusion, integrating select models to significantly elevate diagnostic precision. This approach not only showcases the adaptability and strength of deep learning in navigating the intricacies of medical imaging but also marks a significant step forward in the utilization of artificial intelligence to improve outcomes in healthcare diagnostics. The study's findings illuminate the path toward leveraging technological advancements in enhancing diagnostic accuracies, ultimately contributing to the timely and effective treatment of respiratory diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies indicated there was a difference in goal orientations and learning strategies between adult and traditional learners. However, limited studies investigated the relationship between achievement goal orientations (AGO) and self-regulated learning (SRL) between adult and traditional learners. Hence, the current study examined the different levels in AGO and SRL between adult and traditional learners, and the relationship between student status, AGO, and SRL. A total number of 469 students participated in the study, including 228 traditional learners and 240 adult learners. Results indicated that adult learners had higher levels of mastery-approach goal orientation, while traditional students had higher levels of performance-avoidance goal orientation. Additionally, mastery approach goal orientation is usually positively linked with both adult and traditional learners' self-regulated learning strategies, whereas performance avoidance goal orientation is negatively linked with metacognitive self-regulation and effort regulation strategies.

Employers agree that high school graduates lack teamwork skills needed for workplace productivity. The lag in student readiness to meet employer expectations urges school reforms that implicate group interaction, empirical assessment, and reporting of teamwork competencies. The Teamwork Skills Inventory (TSI) evaluated how well individual students performed in cooperative learning teams as observed by peers and self with anonymous feedback. Field-testing involved 303 high school students in the United States from middle class and racially diverse families. Psychometric indicators of reliability, validity, exploratory factor analysis, and group analytics were determined. Qualitative responses by participants to TSI methodology were highly favorable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports findings from a study investigating the capacity of assistant principals to be instructional leaders. Analyses of survey responses yielded four interesting findings: (a) years of experience as a teacher and age had no significance on assistant principals' perceived readiness as an instructional leader; (b) those completing redesigned programs focused on instructional leadership reported feeling less prepared that those completing programs before the mandated redesign (c) although instructional leadership was a work responsibility, 63% did not know what portion of their performance evaluation assessed that performance; and (d) mentoring for instructional leadership most often occurred through informal meetings with their principal.