Introduction to Vol. 11 No. 1 (2023)

Dear reader,

I am pleased to announce that a new issue of Frontline Learning Research has recently been published. It contains four articles that investigate different aspects of school learning and assessment, from teachers’, student teachers’ and students’ perspectives.

Anyichie and colleagues have developed a novel framework, the Culturally Responsive Self-Regulated Learning Framework (CR-SRL framework), which supports teachers in designing tasks for culturally diverse students in multicultural classrooms. The authors have investigated two elementary school teachers’ use of the framework and their students’ engagement with the tasks in a mixed methods study, utilizing video observations, records of classroom practices, students’ work samples, student self-report and teacher interviews. Findings include a positive evaluation of the CR-SRL framework’s potential for guiding teachers and corresponding benefits to students’ engagement.

Schmidt and colleagues present a novel methodological approach to assessing students’ development of quantitative reasoning within the domain of business and economics. In this approach, items that tap domain-specific quantitative reasoning are extracted empirically from existing instruments for assessing business and economics knowledge. The authors demonstrate that these items constitute an empirically separable factor which can be validly and reliably measured. Thus, their approach offers a practical alternative to broad test batteries in assessing students’ learning outcomes.

Prast and colleagues investigate student perceptions of differentiation and within-class achievement grouping in primary mathematics education. This constitutes a novel perspective, as previous research has focused on potential didactical and socioemotional advantages and disadvantages without drawing in the views of the students themselves. The study was performed with a questionnaire answered by 428 students. Results include that students of all achievement groups primarily held positive attitudes to achievement grouping, but that there were some differences between achievement groups, with less favourable results for students in low achievement groups.

The study by Do and Hascher focuses on student teachers’ perception of challenges incurred in paired field placements where the student teachers team teach with peers. The authors have conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 30 pre-primary and primary student teachers. Findings show different forms of conflict at different phases of peer cooperation, with instruction being the most challenging phase, and lack of compatibility with the peer the most frequent reason for problems. The authors further document a frequent use of reactive strategies, especially the strategy of avoiding problems.

The full issue is found here.

As a final remark, I would like to thank EARLI conference delegates who participated in the sessions hosted by Frontline Learning Research (in collaboration with other publishing outlets) for their interesting questions and lively discussion.

Professor, Dr. Nina Bonderup Dohn

Editor-in-Chief, Frontline Learning Research