The NIE Digital Repository aims to organise, preserve and facilitate dissemination of publications and research outputs of the National Institute of Education (NIE)

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  • Publication
    Embargo
    Breaking the silence: Understanding teachers’ use of silence in classrooms
    (Taylor & Francis, 2024)
    Tan, Seng Chee
    ;
    Tan, Aik-Ling
    ;
    Lee, Alwyn Vwen Yen

    Silence in classrooms is an undervalued and understudied phenomenon. There is limited research on how teachers behave and think during teachers’ silence in lessons. There are also methodological constraints due to the lack of teacher’s talk during silence. This study used eye-tracking technology to visualize the noticing patterns of two science teachers during silence lasting more than three seconds. Using video data recorded from cameras and eye trackers, we examined each silent event and interpreted teachers’ perceptions and interpretations with consideration of eye fixations, actions of students and teachers during the silence, and teachers’ actions immediately after they broke the silence. We further examined expert-novice differences in teachers’ use of silence. Four categories of teachers’ silence were identified: silence for (1) preparing the classroom for learning; (2) teaching, questioning, and facilitating learning; (3) reflecting and thinking, and (4) behavioural management. Expert-novice differences were identified, especially in the teachers’ use of silence for approaches to teaching, reflection, and behavioural management. The novel contribution of this paper lies in the characterization of silences as observed in actual classroom settings as well as the methodological innovation in using eye trackers and video to overcome the constraints of lack of talk data during silence.

  • Publication
    Embargo
    Exploring the impact of chance events on the competitive advantage of nations: An elite sport perspective
    (Taylor & Francis, 2024)
    Zheng, Jinming
    ;
    Latififard, Mahdi
    ;
    Akbari Yazdi, Hossein
    ;
    Dickson, Geoff

    This research explains how unexpected and uncontrollable chance events can facilitate or constrain competitive advantage in sport, through a study of Iran in five weight division-specific sports (i.e. weightlifting, wrestling, taekwondo, judo and boxing). The analysis relied on data collected from 25 semi-structured interviews. The study identifies six types of chance events impacting elite sport – economic crises, sport-specific crises, diplomatic tensions with foreign countries, political decisions by foreign governments, technological discontinuities, and new policies and rules of international governing bodies. The contributions of this paper to the literature reside in the identification of crises as a major type of chance events and the discovery of some chance events specific to elite sport.

  • Publication
    Unknown
    Peer feedback to support collaborative knowledge improvement: What kind of feedback feed-forward?
    (Elsevier, 2024)
    Tan, Jesmine Sio Hwee
    ;
    Chen, Wenli

    Online peer feedback plays a critical role in collaborative learning. This process improves learning and helps both giver and receiver develop and refine their metacognitive knowledge. A deeper examination of the feedback types, specificity, and affective nature is needed to understand its impact on collaborative knowledge improvement. A mixed-method study was conducted to examine how online peer feedback supported collaborative knowledge improvement in a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment. How the different types of formative peer feedback, the specificity and affective nature of the peer comments supported pre-service teachers' in improving their TEL design were examined. The results showed that the peer feedback supported pre-service teachers in improving the quality of TEL design measured by the TPACK framework. It was found that feedback that raised concerns about the work and suggestive feedback facilitated the further improvement of the work. Elaborated feedback rather than verification feedback with short responses also affected the responses to the feedback. The implications on how online peer feedback support collaborative knowledge improvement are discussed.

  • Publication
    Unknown
    The mechanism and effect of class wide peer feedback on conceptual knowledge improvement: Does different feedback type matter?
    (Springer, 2024)
    Tan, Jesmine Sio Hwee
    ;
    Chen, Wenli
    ;
    Su, Junzhu
    ;
    Su, Guo

    Peer feedback is known to have positive effects on knowledge improvement in a collaborative learning environment. Attributed to technology affordances, class-wide peer feedback could be garnered at a wider range in the networked learning environment. However, more empirical studies are needed to explore further the effects of type and depth of feedback on knowledge improvement. In this mixed method research, 38 students underwent a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) lesson in an authentic classroom environment. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted on the collected data. Pre- and post-test comparison results showed that students’ conceptual knowledge on adaptations improved significantly after the CSCL lesson. Qualitative analysis was conducted to examine how the knowledge improved before and after the peer feedback process. The results showed that the class-wide intergroup peer feedback supported learners, with improvement to the quality of their conceptual knowledge when cognitive capacity had reached its maximum at the group level. The peer comments that seek further clarity and suggestions prompted deeper conceptual understanding, leading to knowledge improvement. However, such types of feedback were cognitively more demanding to process. The implications of the effects of type of peer feedback on knowledge improvement and the practical implications of the findings for authentic classroom environments are discussed.

  • Publication
    Embargo
    How students develop collaborative drawing to represent the transmission of sound: An analysis of explanatory scientific drawings with discourse maps
    (Taylor & Francis, 2024)
    Chang, Jina
    ;
    ;
    Tang, Kok Sing
    ;
    Treagust, David F.
    ;
    Won, Mihye

    Background
    To support collaborative drawing, it is essential to investigate how students make collaborative drawings and how these contribute to elaborating their ideas. This study examines how 5th and 6th grade students’ group drawings contributed to increased levels of explanations of their drawings about sound transmission.

    Methods
    We analyzed two cases of group drawing processes, that showed a large difference in the explanatory levels in their drawings, to find discourse patterns and visualized these patterns through discourse maps in relation to the progressions of drawing.

    Findings
    In the first case, the students successfully co-constructed sound transmission drawings following Demand-Give-Acknowledge patterns. The students continuously questioned how to visualize particles’ vibration, used multimodal resources to generate alternative drawings, and determined most scientific drawings. In the second case, the students did not reach consensus on how to visualize particles’ vibrations, following repetitive patterns of Give-Refute. While the teacher intervened and mediated student’s conflicting ideas, the students did not generate any alternative ideas.

    Contribution
    This study illustrates in close detail how the process of multimodal transactive discussion contributed to conceptual understanding during collaborative drawings. The discourse map may be instrumental to analyze students’ collaboration systematically and devise pedagogical approaches.

  • Publication
    Embargo
    Proficiency and compensatory strategies in bilingual children’s Mandarin Chinese narrative
    (Springer, 2024) ;
    Tan, Justina
    ;
    Feng, Lin

    Narrative skills play an important role in children’s reading, communication, and critical thinking. Most studies on narrative skills are based on monolingual children from middle- to upper middle-class populations and few have examined bilingual children’s narratives outside of the western context. These factors may impose different sociocultural influences on children’s storytelling abilities. The current study focuses on English–Mandarin bilingual children in Singapore and explores: (1) how English–Mandarin bilinguals apply their Mandarin lexical-grammatical proficiency to a given narrative task and (2) the compensatory strategies they employ in their Mandarin narratives. Data was obtained from 186 K1 pre-schoolers (85 boys and 101 girls) aged four to five. Children’s Mandarin narrative skills were assessed with the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives (MAIN; Gagarina et al. in ZAS Pap Linguist 56:155–155, 2012. https://doi.org/10.21248/zaspil.56.2019.414). Their macrostructural knowledge (e.g., story grammar) was scored with the MAIN coding scheme, and their microstructural knowledge (e.g., mean length of utterance) was calculated with CLAN. Children’s Mandarin lexical-grammatical proficiency (i.e., receptive vocabulary, receptive grammar, and semantic fluency) was assessed with standard tests. The results indicate that compared to children’s microstructural knowledge, their macrostructural knowledge was more influenced by their Mandarin competence. Children used a variety of strategies to compensate for their limited Mandarin competence, and the most frequently used ones were generalisation (e.g., all classifiers of nouns were “个”), codeswitching (at both the word and sentential levels), and sentential structural transfer.

  • Publication
    Open Access
    A systematic review of eye-tracking technology in second language research
    (MDPI, 2024)
    Xin, Hu
    ;
    Aryadoust, Vahid

    Eye-tracking has become increasingly popular in second language (L2) research. In this study, we systematically reviewed 111 eye-tracking studies published in 17 L2 journals to explore the application and replicability of eye-tracking technology in L2 research. The results revealed eight areas of application of eye-tracking in L2 research, among which grammar and vocabulary were the most frequently examined lines of inquiry. We also identified three types of cognitive mechanisms investigated in L2 eye-tracking studies: attention, higher cognitive processes, and cognitive load. Attention was predominantly measured via fixation temporal indices, while higher cognitive processes were frequently measured by using fixation count and fixation temporal measures. In addition, the measures adopted to assess cognitive load mainly depended on the task type. Finally, with respect to the replicability of the studies, transparent reporting practices were evaluated based on 33 features of replicable studies. We found that more than 95% of the reviewed studies reported less than 70% of the information essential for future replication studies. We suggest that the reporting of the information critical to conducting replicable L2 eye-tracking research needs improvement in transparency and completeness. The implications of this study are discussed.

  • Publication
    Metadata only
    Effects of a machine learning-empowered Chinese character handwriting learning tool on rectifying legible writing in young children: A pilot study
    (2023)
    Wong, Lung Hsiang
    ;
    Aw, Guat Poh
    ;
    Sun, He
    ;
    Yen, Ching-Chiuan
    ;
    Teo, Chor Guan
    ;
    Wen, Yun
  • Publication
    Metadata only
    Argumentative knowledge construction and certainty navigation: A comparison between individual and group work
    (2023)
    Chen, Wenli
    ;
    Ng, Eng Eng
    ;
    Su, Guo
    ;
    Su, Junzhu
    ;
    Li, Xinyi
    ;
    Chai, Aileen Siew Cheng|Lyu, Qianru
  • Publication
    Metadata only
    Epistemic network analysis to assess collaborative engagement in knowledge building discourse
    (2023)
    Ong, Aloysius
    ;
    Teo, Chew Lee
    ;
    Lee
    ;
    Vwen Yen Alwyn
    ;
    Yuan, Guangji
  • Publication
    Metadata only
    Learning with conversational AI and personas: A systematic literature review
    (2023)
    Drobnjak, Antun
    ;
    Botički, Ivica
    ;
    Seow, Peter
    ;
    Kahn, Ken
  • Publication
    Metadata only
  • Publication
    Metadata only
    The role of individual preparation for knowledge construction in collaborative argumentation: An epistemic network analysis
    (2023)
    Chen, Wenli
    ;
    Su, Junzhu
    ;
    Lyu, Qianru
    ;
    Chai, Siew Cheng Aileen
    ;
    Li, Xinyi
    ;
    Su, Guo
    ;
    Ng, Eng Eng
  • Publication
    Metadata only
    From individual ideation to group knowledge co-construction: Comparison of high- and low performing groups
    (2023)
    Chen Wenli
    ;
    Su, Guo
    ;
    Li, Xinyi
    ;
    Lyu, Qianru
    ;
    Su, Junzhu
    ;
    Chai, Aileen Siew Cheng
    ;
    Ng, Eng Eng
  • Publication
    Embargo
    Beyond the geography discipline: Applying the powerful geography approach in a college-level data science curriculum
    (Springer, 2024)
    Li, Samuel Cheng Xin
    ;
    ;
    Tan, Estella Y. Y.
    Powerful geography has established a renewed purpose in geography education, providing a broader and normative framework for school geography. This chapter extends the theoretical underpinnings of powerful geography beyond the geography discipline by applying its lens to examine a data science curriculum as enacted in a general elective hosted at an institute of higher learning (IHL) in Singapore. Students of the IHL module were interviewed about the efficacy of their learning after taking the module. The data analysis thoroughly reflects that powerful geography and knowledge are strong positive forces for student learning. The chapter concludes by making the case for powerful geography to be given more weight in curriculum design in disciplinary domains beyond geography, as understandings of the learning sciences continue to evolve.
  • Publication
    Embargo
    What data should be collected for a good handball expected goal model?
    (Springer, 2024)
    Mortelier, Alexis
    ;
    Rioult, Francois
    ;
    Expected goal models (xG) are of great importance as they are the most accurate predictor of future performance of teams and players in the world of soccer. This metric can be modeled by machine learning, and the models developed consider an increasing number of attributes, which increases the cost of learning it. The use of xG is not widespread in handball, so the question of learning it for this sport arose, in particular which attributes are relevant for learning. Here, we used a wrapper approach to determine these relevant attributes and guide teams through the data collection stage.
  • Publication
    Embargo
    Tailored heterostructured Ni3N-NiO nano-frameworks for boosting electrocatalytic oxygen evolution via surface-modulated plasma strategy
    (Springer, 2024)
    Ouyang, Bo
    ;
    Qin, Haonan
    ;
    Sun, Chao
    ;
    Deng, Yilin
    ;
    Li, Ang
    ;
    Zhu, Jipeng
    ;
    Kan, Erjun
    ;
    The facile reconfiguration of phases plays a pivotal role in enhancing the electrocatalytic production of H2 through heterostructure formation. While chemical methods have been explored extensively for this purpose, plasma-based techniques offer a promising avenue for achieving heterostructured nano-frameworks. However, the conventional plasma approach introduces complexities, leading to a multi-step fabrication process and challenges in precisely controlling partial surface structure modulation due to the intricate interaction environment. In our pursuit of heterostructures with optimized oxygen evolution reaction (OER) behavior, we have designed a facile auxiliary insulator-confined plasma system to directly attain a Ni3N-NiO heterostructure (hNiNO). By meticulously controlling the surface heating process during plasma processing, such approach allows for the streamlined fabrication of hNiNO nano-frameworks. The resulting nano-framework exhibits outstanding catalytic performance, as evidenced by its overpotential of 320 mV at current densities of 10 mA cm-2, in an alkaline environment. This stands in stark contrast to the performance of sNiNO fabricated using the conventional plasma method. Operando plasma diagnostics, coupled with numerical simulations, further substantiate the influence of surface heating due to auxiliary insulator-confinement of the substrate on typical plasma parameters and the formation of the Ni3N-NiO nanostructure, highlighting the pivotal role of controlled surface temperature in creating a high-performance heterostructured electrocatalyst.
  • Publication
    Embargo
    Trends of physical activity and sedentary behaviours among secondary school students in Singapore: What has changed in 15 years?
    (Taylor & Francis, 2024) ; ; ; ;
    Chian, Zason Lit Khoon
    ;
    Sumarta, Tin Tin
    ;
    ;
    Tan, Yi Jie
    ;
    Gooley, Joshua
    The objective of the current study was to examine the trends of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) of adolescents in Singapore with two datasets 15 years apart (2006 and 2021). A total sample of 1075 secondary students (mean age = 14.91 ± 0.43 years old) from 15 schools in Singapore took part in the study. A seven-day recall Self-administered Physical Activity Checklist (SAPAC) questionnaire was used to capture time spent on the internet/computer, gaming, homework, reading, sitting and talking/listening to music, telephone, television watching, and PA. Results showed that the 2021 sample spent significantly more time on gaming, homework, sit and talk/listening to music, phone, and PA compared to the 2006 sample, while time spent watching television was significantly lower than the 2006 sample. Both datasets found PA had low or close to zero correlations with all the seven SB, however, the patterns of correlations were different in the two datasets, indicating changes in the trends of SB and PA. Cluster analysis found similar cluster profiles in the two samples but the cluster proportions for certain profiles were different from the two datasets. Significant sex differences were also found in the cluster compositions. Overall, this study shows that PA and SB trends of adolescents have changed significantly.
  • Publication
    Metadata only
    Structural regulation of coal-derived hard carbon anode for sodium-ion batteries via pre-oxidation
    (Springer, 2024)
    Su, Meng-Yuan
    ;
    Zhang, Kai-Yang
    ;
    ;
    Zhang, Xue-Li
    ;
    Liu, Yan-Ning
    ;
    Yang, Jia-Lin
    ;
    Gu, Zhen-Yi
    ;
    Butt, Faaz A.
    ;
    Wu, Xing-Long
    Hard carbon (HC) is broadly recognized as an exceptionally prospective candidate for the anodes of sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), but their practical implementation faces substantial limitations linked to precursor factors, such as reduced carbon yield and increased cost. Herein, a cost-effective approach is proposed to prepare a coal-derived HC anode with simple pre-oxidation followed by a post-carbonization process which effectively expands the d002 layer spacing, generates closed pores and increases defect sites. Through these modifications, the resulting HC anode attains a delicate equilibrium between plateau capacity and sloping capacity, showcasing a remarkable reversible capacity of 306.3 mAh·g−1 at 0.03 A·g−1. Furthermore, the produced HC exhibits fast reaction kinetics and exceptional rate performance, achieving a capacity of 289 mAh·g−1 at 0.1 A·g−1, equivalent to ~ 94.5% of that at 0.03 A·g−1. When implemented in a full cell configuration, the impressive electrochemical performance is evident, with a notable energy density of 410.6 Wh·kg−1 (based on cathode mass). In short, we provide a straightforward yet efficient method for regulating coal-derived HC, which is crucial for the widespread use of SIBs anodes.