Computer-Based Development of Reading Skills to Reduce Dropout in Uncertain Times.

An adequate level of reading comprehension is a prerequisite for successful learning. Numerous studies have shown that without a solid foundation, there can be severe difficulties in later learning and that failure in the first years of schooling can determine attitudes to learning. In the present study, we present the effect size of an online game-based training program implemented on eDia. The primary goals of the development program are to develop fluency in reading and reading comprehension in Grades 3−4. The content of the program has been developed in accordance with the national core curriculum and the textbooks based on it. Therefore, it can be integrated into both classroom-based lessons and extracurricular activities outside of class. The quasiexperimental research involved 276 students. Propensity score matching was used in examining the effect size of the development program to increase the validity of the results. Through the training program, the development of students in the intervention group accelerated greatly (d = .51), which proved to be even higher in the lowest and average skill groups (d1 = 1.81; d2 = .92) as well as in the disadvantaged student group (d = .72). Latent-change analyses confirmed the sensitivity, relevance, and importance of developing comprehension at 9−10 years of age and the generalizability of the results (χ2 = 421.5; df = 272; p < .05; CFI = .950; TLI = .945; RMSEA = .045 (CI: .036, .153). The study provided evidence that a well-designed online training program is suitable for developing comprehension and overcoming disadvantages, even without the presence of the teacher outside the classroom.

English as a foreign language learners' strategy awareness across proficiency levels from the perspective of self-regulated learning metafactors.

The previous three decades have seen a growing body of research into language learners' self-regulated learning (SRL), language learning strategy (LLS) use, and their possible effects on proficiency. This study thus provides insights into the relationship between elementary and low intermediate learners' perceptions of their self-regulated strategy use in English as a foreign language (EFL) and their attitude to English in relation to their proficiency level. Nine hundred and sixty-six higher proficiency students and 399 lower proficiency students in Year 8 participated in the research. A revised Self-Regulated Foreign Language Learning Strategy Questionnaire (SRFLLSQ), a version of Oxford's Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL), was completed by the participants. Our findings shed light on higher proficiency learners' significantly higher level of strategy use. Learners at higher levels relied more strongly on their metacognitive strategies, such as planning, organizing and monitoring their cognitive processes. Our analysis also showed a high correlation between the different factors of metastrategy use (metacognitive, meta-affective, metasocial, and metamotivational) and cognitive, affective, social, and motivational strategy use in relation to attitude and proficiency. A path analysis also reinforced our assumption that metafactors significantly determine learners' proficiency across strategy use and attitude in both higher and lower-level students. The positive contribution of the metastrategies on their corresponding regulated strategy fields appeared to be robust, thus underlining recent LLS research that emphasizes the role of metafactors in the language learning process.

Computer-Based Intervention Closes Learning Gap in Maths Accumulated in Remote Learning.

Remote learning has reduced the mathematical performance of students. Mathematical reasoning is the critical skill that enables students to make use of all other mathematical skills. The aim of the present study was (1) to develop the mathematical reasoning skills of underachieving students and (2) to explore the application options, benefits and limitations of an online game-based intervention programme among third- and fourth-grade pupils (aged 9-11, N = 810). The content of the programme was designed to strengthen their basic maths skills in line with the curriculum. Beyond assigning the tasks, the digital intervention programme also performed the motivational, differentiation- and feedback-related tasks of the teacher. The reliability indices for pre-, post and follow-up test results proved to be high (Cronbach's alpha = .90, .91 and .92, respectively). The effect size of the programme proved to be significant in both grades (d = .22 and .38, respectively). The results confirm the potential of the intervention programme to close, or at least significantly reduce the Covid learning gap in basic maths skills, without the need for additional teacher work-which is an important aspect of successful implementation-in areas which are the most challenging for 9-to-11-year-old pupils in the domain of mathematics.

Analysing Complex Problem-Solving Strategies from a Cognitive Perspective: The Role of Thinking Skills.

Complex problem solving (CPS) is considered to be one of the most important skills for successful learning. In an effort to explore the nature of CPS, this study aims to investigate the role of inductive reasoning (IR) and combinatorial reasoning (CR) in the problem-solving process of students using statistically distinguishable exploration strategies in the CPS environment. The sample was drawn from a group of university students (N = 1343). The tests were delivered via the eDia online assessment platform. Latent class analyses were employed to seek students whose problem-solving strategies showed similar patterns. Four qualitatively different class profiles were identified: (1) 84.3% of the students were proficient strategy users, (2) 6.2% were rapid learners, (3) 3.1% were non-persistent explorers, and (4) 6.5% were non-performing explorers. Better exploration strategy users showed greater development in thinking skills, and the roles of IR and CR in the CPS process were varied for each type of strategy user. To sum up, the analysis identified students' problem-solving behaviours in respect of exploration strategy in the CPS environment and detected a number of remarkable differences in terms of the use of thinking skills between students with different exploration strategies.

Investigating the Relationship Among English Language Learning Strategies, Language Achievement, and Attitude.

The main objective of the study was to ascertain whether English as a Foreign Language learners with various levels of English language achievement differ significantly in applying foreign language learning strategies. We also aimed to explore strategy use frequency in connection with attitude toward English language learning. Data were collected from 1,653 lower secondary students in Hungary through a revised version of the previously developed online Self-Regulated Foreign Language Learning Strategy Questionnaire (SRFLLSQ) based on Oxford's Strategic Self-Regulation (S2R) Model. The findings point to statistically significant differences in the frequency of English language strategy use among more and less proficient learners. Quantitative analyses also reported that, in spite of the students stated low or moderate levels of strategy use, it turned out as a statistically significant predictor of foreign language attitude and language achievement. The results draw attention to the relevance of strategy research in foreign language teaching as well as encourages strategy teaching within language instruction.

Exploring the Role of English as a Foreign Language Receptive Skills and Learning Strategy Usage in the Ability to Acquire and Apply Knowledge at the Beginning of Higher Education.

Foreign language learning plays a prominent role in the world today not only for communication across borders, but also for the potential benefits of other learning skills. The main objective of this research is to examine and explore the relationship between first-year full-time undergraduate students' (N = 1,257) English as a foreign language (EFL) reading and listening achievement and learning strategy preferences in relation to knowledge acquisition and knowledge application. Our results show that students achieved significantly better on listening tasks than on reading tasks and that their knowledge acquisition performance was higher than their knowledge application achievement. The majority of the participants reported that they usually or always employ learning strategies, with the most preferred strategy type being the control strategy. The structural model shows that language learning, and knowledge acquisition and application are strongly interrelated; moreover, the level of use of memorization and elaboration strategies directly affects both knowledge acquisition and application skills. This suggests that EFL learning significantly influences the development of knowledge acquisition and knowledge application, which are essential in a range of areas in education and society today.

How we explore, interpret, and solve complex problems: A cross-national study of problem-solving processes.

Complex problem solving (CPS) is considered an important educational outcome in the 21st century. Despite its importance, we have only little only knowledge of its measurability, development, or comparability in some countries, in particular in those with a short history of computer-based assessment. The results of the current study provide insights into the validity of CPS measurements and shed light on the different behavioral patterns and test-taking behavior in two convenience samples with different sample characteristics of Jordanian (N = 431) and Hungarian (N = 1844) students as they solve complex problems. CPS proved to be measurement-invariant in Jordan and Hungary among university students. Analyzing log data, we identified differences in students' test-taking behavior in terms of the effectiveness of their exploration strategy, time-on-task, and number of trials. Based on the students' exploration strategy behavior, we identified four latent classes in both samples. The tested process indicators proved to be non-invariant over the different latent profiles; that is, there are differences in the role of the number of manipulations executed, time-on-task, and type of strategy used in actual problem-solving achievement between students that fall within different profiles. This study contributes to our understanding of how students from different educational contexts behave while solving complex problems.

Online Diagnostic Assessment in Support of Personalized Teaching and Learning: The eDia System.

The aims of this paper are: to provide a comprehensive introduction to eDia, an online diagnostic assessment system; to show how the use of technology can contribute to solve certain crucial problems in education by supporting the personalization of learning; and to offer a general reference for further eDia-based studies. The primary function for which the system is designed is to provide regular diagnostic feedback in three main domains of education, reading, mathematics, and science, from the beginning of schooling to the end of the 6 years of primary education. The cognitive foundations of the system, the assessment frameworks, are based on a three-dimensional approach in each domain, distinguishing the psychological (reasoning), the application, and the disciplinary (curricular content) dimensions of learning. The frameworks have been carefully mapped into item banks containing over a 1,000 innovative (multimedia-supported) items in each dimension. The online assessments were piloted, and the system has been operating in experimental mode in over 1,000 schools for several years. This paper outlines the theoretical foundations of the eDia system and summarizes how results from research on the cognitive sciences, learning and instruction, and technology-based assessment have been integrated into a working system designed to assess a large population of students. The paper describes the main functions of eDia and discusses how it supports item writing, constructing tests, online test delivery, automated scoring, data processing, scaling and the provision of feedback both for students and teachers. It shows how diagnostic assessments can be implemented in school practice to facilitate differentiated instruction through regular measurements and to provide instruments for teachers to make formative assessments. Beyond its main function (supporting development toward personalizing education), the eDia platform has been used for assessments in a number of areas from pre-school to higher education both in Hungary and in a number of other countries as well. The paper also reviews results from eDia-based studies and highlights how technology-based assessment extends the possibilities of educational research by making more constructs measurable.

Making the Psychological Dimension of Learning Visible: Using Technology-Based Assessment to Monitor Students' Cognitive Development.

Technology-based assessment offers unique opportunities to collect data on students' cognitive development and to use that data to provide both students and teachers with feedback to improve learning. The aim of this study was to show how the psychological dimension of learning can be assessed in everyday educational practice through technology-based assessment in reading, mathematics and science. We analyzed three related aspects of the assessments: cognitive development, gender differences and vertical scaling. The sample for the study was drawn from primary school students in Grades 1-8 (ages 7 to 14) in Hungary. There were 1500 to 2000 students in each grade cohort. Online tests were constructed from 1638 items from the reading, mathematics, and science domains in the eDia system. The results confirmed that the disciplinary, application and psychological dimensions of learning can be distinguished empirically. Students' cognitive development was the most steady (and effective) in mathematics, where the greatest development occurred in the first years of schooling. Path models suggested that the psychological dimension of learning can be predicted at a moderate level based on students' level of school knowledge consisting of the disciplinary and application dimensions of learning as latent constructs. The predictive power was almost the same in both dimensions. Generally, girls developed faster in the psychological dimension of reading, mathematics and science learning; however, the size of gender differences varied by age and domain. This study (1) provides evidence that the psychological dimension of learning can be made visible even in an educational context, (2) highlights the importance of the explicit development of the psychological dimension of learning during school lessons, and (3) shows that there are gender differences in the developmental level of the psychological dimension of learning in favor of girls but that this varies by grade and domain.

The Efficacy and Development of Students' Problem-Solving Strategies During Compulsory Schooling: Logfile Analyses.

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of exploration strategies students used in the first phase of problem solving. The sample for the study was drawn from 3rd- to 12th-grade students (aged 9-18) in Hungarian schools (n = 4,371). Problems designed in the MicroDYN approach with different levels of complexity were administered to the students via the eDia online platform. Logfile analyses were performed to ascertain the impact of strategy use on the efficacy of problem solving. Students' exploration behavior was coded and clustered through Latent Class Analyses. Several theoretically effective strategies were identified, including the vary-one-thing-at-a-time (VOTAT) strategy and its sub-strategies. The results of the analyses indicate that the use of a theoretically effective strategy, which extract all information required to solve the problem, did not always lead to high performance. Conscious VOTAT strategy users proved to be the best problem solvers followed by non-conscious VOTAT strategy users and non-VOTAT strategy users. In the primary school sub-sample, six qualitatively different strategy class profiles were distinguished. The results shed new light on and provide a new interpretation of previous analyses of the processes involved in complex problem solving. They also highlight the importance of explicit enhancement of problem-solving skills and problem-solving strategies as a tool for knowledge acquisition in new contexts during and beyond school lessons.

Potential for Assessing Dynamic Problem-Solving at the Beginning of Higher Education Studies.

There is a growing demand for assessment instruments which can be used in higher education, which cover a broader area of competencies than the traditional tests for disciplinary knowledge and domain-specific skills, and which measure students' most important general cognitive capabilities. Around the age of the transition from secondary to tertiary education, such assessments may serve several functions, including selecting the best-prepared candidates for certain fields of study. Dynamic problem-solving (DPS) is a good candidate for such a role, as tasks that assess it involve knowledge acquisition and knowledge utilization as well. The purpose of this study is to validate an online DPS test and to explore its potential for assessing students' DPS skills at the beginning of their higher education studies. Participants in the study were first-year students at a major Hungarian university (n = 1468). They took five tests that measured knowledge from their previous studies: Hungarian language and literature, mathematics, history, science and English as a Foreign Language (EFL). A further, sixth test based on the MicroDYN approach, assessed students' DPS skills. A brief questionnaire explored learning strategies and collected data on students' background. The testing took place at the beginning of the first semester in three 2-h sessions. Problem-solving showed relatively strong correlations with mathematics (r = 0.492) and science (r = 0.401), and moderate correlations with EFL (r = 0.227), history (r = 0.192), and Hungarian (r = 0.125). Weak but still significant correlations were found with certain learning strategies, positive correlations with elaboration strategies, and a negative correlation with memorization strategies. Significant differences were observed between male and female students; men performed significantly better in DPS than women. Results indicated the dominant role of the first phase of solving dynamic problems, as knowledge acquisition correlated more strongly with any other variable than knowledge utilization.

Rhinoplasty and brow modification: a powerful combination.

BACKGROUND: Plastic surgeons have long recognized the importance of performing chin augmentation concurrent with a rhinoplasty to achieve facial balance. However, few surgeons consider the benefits of combining a rhinoplasty with brow modification to achieve a better aesthetic result. By increasing the size of the middle third of the face, the nose will automatically appear smaller. OBJECTIVE: The authors describe anatomical dissections that provided perspective on the facial anatomy of the areas being studied and report the results of concurrent browlift and rhinoplasty procedures in a retrospective series of patients. METHODS: The present study consisted of 2 parts: anatomical dissections and a retrospective chart review. The nose and central forehead area were dissected in 7 fresh cadavers at the time of autopsy to understand the anatomical relationship between the various muscles in the radix/glabellar region and to assess the muscle resection occurring in the clinical procedures. We also reviewed the charts of 24 patients who underwent combined rhinoplasty and brow modification with the senior author (R.K.D.) during a 2-year period (July 2010 to June 2012). Younger patients underwent a central browlift (CBL) with screw fixation, while older patients (ages 34-60 years) underwent full 5-incision endoscopic forehead lifting. RESULTS: The age range for patients in this series was 14 to 60 years. Two patients were men and 22 were women. There were 12 primary and 12 secondary procedures in the series; 13 patients underwent CBL and 11 had EFL. The mean follow-up was 18 months. One patient had a persistent fluid accumulation in the glabellar region, which required drainage. One patient requested additional refinement of her nasal tip. CONCLUSION: Modification of the central brow can dramatically change the aesthetic polygons of the nose/glabellar region. A CBL with radix/glabellar muscle excision is important in younger patients who need a well-defined nasion and older secondary patients who feel that the upper third of their nose is still heavy. A full EBL can enhance the facial appearance of older patients in whom a rhinoplasty alone would have a modest impact.

The lower nasal base: an anatomical study.

Currently, most rhinoplasty surgeons focus their analysis and operative techniques on the upper nasal base, with its alar cartilages. They tend to minimize the lower nasal base, composed of the columellar base, nostril sills, and alar lobules. The requisite operative techniques are often considered ancillary techniques. In this article, the authors describe anatomical composition of the columellar base, nostril sill, and alar lobule; discuss the presence of a distinct lower nasal base; and reevaluate the nasal musculature and the nasal superficial muscular aponeurotic system in an anatomical cadaver model. They also discuss the results of both a detailed literature review (for articles related to the levator labii superioris alaeque nasalis, orbicularis oris, depressor septi nasalis, myrtiformis, and dilator naris) and the results of their own dissection of 45 fresh cadavers.

Effects of exercise programs on balance in older women with age-related visual problems: a pilot study.

AIM: This study aimed to compare the effects of two exercise programs on balance and risk of falls in older women with age-related visual dysfunction. METHODS: Participants living in a residential home were randomly allocated to Group I (n=21) receiving a progressive, tailored multimodal exercise program in addition to the standard osteoporosis exercise program or Group II (n=20) receiving the standard osteoporosis exercise program alone. At baseline, and after the 6-month exercise program outcomes were measured. RESULTS: After the exercise program there was significant between-group difference in favor of the Group I in Timed Up and Go (TUG) test (p=0.001), but not in Berg Balance score (p=0.130), and Barthel Activity Index (p=0.662). In Group I the risk of falls reduced by 46%, but this result was not significant (RR=0.54, 95% CI 0.294-1.007). The mean length of event-free time was significantly longer in the Group I than in Group II (18.5 weeks, 95% CI 15.4-21.7 vs. 14.8 weeks, 95% CI 11.1-18.4; p=0.049). CONCLUSION: If the current osteoporosis guideline is applied for older adults with low vision, it would be worthwhile putting more emphasis on the inclusion of patient-tailored strength and balance exercises to improve balance and potentially reduce the risk of falls.

Intraosseous territory of the facial artery in the maxilla and anterior mandible: implications for allotransplantation.

AIM: The aim of this anatomical study was to define the intraosseous vascular territory of the facial artery. The clinical issue is whether ipsilateral facial artery anastomosis will guarantee blood supply to the ipsi- and contralateral mandibular symphyses and maxillae in allotransplantation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Of 10 human cadaveric heads, the left facial artery was injected with a positive contrast agent. The maxillae and mandibular symphyses were investigated with cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). RESULTS: Each ipsilateral maxilla and mandibular bone segment showed contrast medium in the intraosseous vessels. In 50% of cases, this was also the case on the contralateral side of the maxilla and anterior mandible. CONCLUSIONS: The maxillae and the mandibular symphyses receive ipsilateral blood supply from the facial artery and, in 50% of cases, also from the contralateral facial artery. Internal maxillary artery anastomosis is not required for a vascularized maxillary bone flap. Additionally, involvement of the submental artery is not needed for a mandibular symphyseal bone flap.