The Thumb Through

A summary and review of:

Helm, Mueller-Kalthoff, Nagy, & Moller. (2016). Dimensional comparison theory: perceived subject similarity impacts on students’ self-concepts. 

AERA Open, 2(2), 1-9.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2332858416650624

Transcript:

This article is a study of the relationship between subject similarity and the academic self-concepts of students. An academic self-concept is defined as a person’s perception of his/her own academic abilities in general, or in a specific subject, based on his/her previous experiences. The authors suggest that, for example, two students with identical math grades will have very different self-concepts in regards to math, based on their English grades. The student with a high English grade is likely to have a low mathematical self-concept, and the student with a low English grade is likely to have a high mathematical self-concept, even if the two students have the same grade in their math course. This is due to the harsh contrast between the pursuits and purposes of math-related and verbal courses and concepts. Students who believe that the abilities necessary to thrive in mathematical and verbal courses are exclusive of each other demonstrate massive differences in self-concept for differing subjects. Students who see a positive correspondence between verbal and mathematical ability demonstrate an academic self-concept that is more consistent throughout the study of varying subjects.

The article admits that causal assumptions cannot be made based on this research. It is possible, perhaps likely, that the average student surveyed is simply reflecting his/her experiences as the starting point of his/her response. Convincing a student who excels in verbal subjects and achieves average grades in mathematical subjects that the two share a positive correlation will not necessarily raise his grades in math, nor lower his grades in verbal courses. Likewise, convincing a student who thrives in both areas that the two share a negative correlation is unlikely to make them “choose” which to excel in. The positive and negative correlations between mathematical and verbal subjects are just as likely the result of each student’s academic experience as they are the cause.

It is my aim as an educator to encourage students to challenge themselves, and to explore new possibilities. Too often, students are pushed only to follow their strengths, and not to face their weaknesses for the sake of improvement and overcoming. A student who has always scored high on English exams is told to pursue the Humanities, rather than to figure out what is going on with his math scores, and to ask how he might bring them up the same standard. Two academic skill-sets need never to be entirely exclusive of each other.  

It is suggested that educators engage in interdisciplinary instruction. This would be largely beneficial in encouraging students to strive for their best work in all courses, rather than “zeroing in” on a verbal or mathematical track so early in their academic career that their general education is hindered by narrowness.

Summary and review of:

Lubis. (2018). The progress of students reading comprehension through wordless picture books.

Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 9(1), 48-52.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1166954.pdf

Transcript:

The research described in this article was conducted to study the various “sense-making” strategies of a six-year-old interpreting the contents of wordless picture books. Such books are a unique medium. The entire story must be expressed via illustration. This often leaves details, like dialogue, the thoughts and intentions of characters, and the relationships between events to be imagined or discovered by the reader. Such a process brings the reader’s understanding of the world into play in a way other books usually do not. 

The qualitative data of this research was systematically reviewed, and carefully analyzed/categorized. Interpretation of visual cues and “sense making” of wordless stories is broken down into categories such as “Sense-Making through Active, Playful Behaviors” and “Sense-Making through Intertextuality.” Bias in the data collection is unlikely, but the choice of specific books for the research is a subjective decision. This research was published in the peer-reviewed journal Advances in Language and Literary Studies. 

I was surprised at the use of intertextual thinking by the participants. Explicitly connecting one text to another, thinking dialectically, is often reserved for higher education or at least high school level literature classes. It was fascinating to see this happen naturally, and to be reminded that, when exposed to multiple stories within a short period of time, it is a process that needs no blatant encouragement.