Philip C. Abrami

• Concordia University

Good teachers are a major predictor of students’ success in school and beyond it. Finding ways to increase the quality of teaching has been a concern for educational systems across various income contexts and, particularly, in the Global South. This paper discusses the iterative design of an online teacher professional development program geared to...

This study investigated the effectiveness of ABRACADABRA (ABRA), a web-based literacy program, developed by the Center for the Study of Learning and Performance at Concordia University, in facilitating the literacy attainment of third-grade primary school students in an area of rural China. Researchers shared the experiences of localizing ABRA to m...

While countries in sub-Saharan Africa have made significant progress towards achieving universal school enrolment, millions of students lack basic numeracy skills. This paper reports the results of a pilot study that aimed at using the Emergent Literacy in Mathematics (ELM) software to teach mathematics in early primary grades in Kenya. Designed as...

This paper explores factors to increase the likelihood that the implementation of ABRACADABRA, a technology-based approach to teaching and learning literacy, endures and expands beyond the initial research. Started as a pilot study in 12 classrooms, the implementation spread to more than 500 primary classrooms over six years in five areas of Kenya....

To align with Kenya 2030 Vision of education for self-reliance, there is a growing need for classroom instruction that develops students’ capacity to be in control of their learning. This paper reports a two-year study that tested feasibility of implementing ePEARL, an e-portfolio, in the context of Kenyan public schools. By design, the digital por...

As the empirical literature in educational technology continues to grow, meta-analyses are increasingly being used to synthesise research to inform practice. However, not all meta-analyses are equal. To examine their evolution over the past 30 years, this study systematically analysed the quality of 52 meta-analyses (1988–2017) on educational techn...

This study was undertaken to learn about the impact of using the web-based Inquiry Strategies for the Information Society of the Twenty-First Century (ISIS-21), software developed by the authors, to improve the information literacy (IL) skills of late elementary students (10-12 years). Using a series of multi-media and learning strategies design pr...

Due to the wide application of high and new technology in weapons and equipment, modern weapons present the characteristics of complexity and systematization, and their effectiveness analysis and evaluation are paid more and more attention, which has become an arduous and urgent task in the research of weapon equipment system. Only by using scienti...

Lay Description What is known about the subject matter If well‐designed and ‐implemented, computer‐based instruction can have positive effects on learning. Early literacy instruction could substantially benefit from technology use. Among offline and online computer applications targeting literacy, ABRA is a top‐rated software. 17 field studies of...

Many external technology-based educational initiatives in the developing world are short-lived. We explored factors and strategies that have potential to increase the likelihood that LTK+ implementation goes beyond the initial project and becomes part of the instructional routines in Kenya classrooms. Based on existing research about sustainability...

This two-phase study was designed as a quasi-experiment to learn about the impacts of the interactive early literacy software and the library of digital books and stories on primary students’ reading abilities and reading instruction in Kenyan schools. For more than a term 1899 students from 48 classes learnt to read with the software. A standardiz...

The research literature suggests that learning to play a music instrument can be a long and complex process. Weekly music lessons are challenging to students who are not motivated to practise between lessons, and who may stop taking lessons before reaching musical proficiency. The literature also suggests that those students who develop strong habi...

Many enthusiastic youngsters begin music lessons with expectations of quickly developing musical proficiency. But the process is long, and traditional weekly music lessons are not ideal for sustaining students’ motivation. The purpose of this case study was to describe and document the ways in which Cadenza, a digital music tool, could enable stude...

This pilot project investigated the effects of ABRACADABRA (ABRA), a web-based literacy program developed by the Centre for the Study of learning and Performance (CSLP) at Concordia university, on primary school children in Hong Kong. A total of 125 Primary 2 students participated in a 14- week long study. Five classes were randomly assigned to eit...

The pilot research presented here explores the classroom use of Emerging Literacy in Mathematics (ELM) software, a research-based bilingual interactive multimedia instructional tool, and its potential to develop emerging numeracy skills. At the time of the study, a central theme of early mathematics curricula, Number Concept, was fully developed. I...

This paper summarizes the results of a pan-Canadian online survey study that investigates the extent to which school practitioners (N = 1,153) use research to inform their practice. The self-reports indicate that the majority of the respondents used educational research, yet this engagement was infrequent. Although the respondents shared neutral at...

This paper summarizes the results of a pan-Canadian online survey study that investigates the extent to which school practitioners (N = 1,153) use research to inform their practice. The self-reports indicate that the majority of the respondents used educational research, yet this engagement was infrequent. Although the respondents shared neutral at...

This meta-analysis summarizes research on the effects of a comprehensive, interactive web-based software ABRACADABRA (A Balanced Reading Approach for Canadians Designed to Achieve Best Results for All) on the development of reading competencies among kindergarteners and elementary students. Findings from nine randomized control trials and quasi-exp...

This meta-analysis summarizes research on the effects of a comprehensive, interactive web-based software AbrACAdAbrA (A balanced reading Approach for Canadians designed to Achieve best results for All) on the development of reading competencies among kindergarteners and elementary students. Findings from nine randomized control trials and quasi-exp...

This study investigates the predictors of school practitioners’ (N = 2,425) use of educational research. The suggested model explained significantly but modestly the infrequent use of educational research by practitioners. The latent factor opinions about research had the most explanatory power. The results are discussed in connection with existing...

The research explores the impact of interactive, multimedia literacy software (ABRA) on the reading skills of early elementary students in Kenya. Twelve grade two English teachers and their students from six schools were randomly divided in half: an experimental group (N=180) where ABRA was part of their English Language instruction and a control g...

The research presented here explores the impact of two web-based applications (an interactive, multimedia literacy software and a digital process portfolio) on early elementary students' reading comprehension. Two studies were conducted during the 2010–2011 and the 2011–2012 school years, targeting 26 teachers from elementary schools (grades 1–2),...

The research presented here explores the impact of two web-based applications (an interactive, multimedia literacy software and a digital process portfolio) on early elementary students' reading comprehension. Two studies were conducted during the 2010-2011 and the 2011-2012 school years, targeting 26 teachers from elementary schools (grades 1-2),...

This paper serves several purposes. First and foremost, it is devoted to developing a better understanding of the effectiveness of blended learning (BL) in higher education. This is achieved through a meta-analysis of a sub-collection of comparative studies of BL and classroom instruction (CI) from a larger systematic review of technology integrati...

To address students' poor literacy outcomes, an intervention using a computer-based literacy tool, ABRACADABRA, was implemented in 6 Northern Australia primary schools. A pretest, posttest parallel group, single blind multisite randomized controlled trial was conducted with 308 students between the ages of 4 and 8years old (M age = 5.8years, SD = 0...

This study explores electronic portfolios and their potential to assess student literacy and self-regulated learning in elementary-aged children. Assessment tools were developed and include a holistic rubric that assigns a mark from 1 to 5 to self-regulated learning (SRL) and a mark to literacy, and an analytical rubric measuring multiple sub-scale...

This article introduces an electronic portfolio, ePEARL, and how it has been used in classrooms to promote 21st century literacies. Using NCTE’s 21st Century Literacies framework, the authors provide examples of student work and classroom assignments to demonstrate how an electronic portfolio can support teachers integrating this framework and deve...

At the Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance we have developed, tested, and disseminated to schools without charge, an Electronic Portfolio Encouraging Active and Reflective Learning (ePEARL). ePEARL is designed to be faithful to predominant models of self-regulation, scaffolding and supporting learners and their educators from grade one...

This systematic review draws from and builds upon the results of a meta-analysis of the achievement effects of three types of interaction treatments in distance education: student–student, student–teacher, and student–content (Bernard et al., Review of Educational Research, 79(3), 1243–1289, 2009). This follow-up study considers two forms of studen...

An evidence-based, learner-centred digital portfolio based on the cyclical, socio-cognitive model of self-regulation was designed to accommodate teacher professional learning and development. The results of the pilot study indicate that ePEARL Level 4 allowed student teachers (n= 43) to align their work with professional competencies, keep track of...

The trend towards using research knowledge to improve policies and practices is on the rise. However, despite considerable effort and notable progress in recent years, it seems that school practitioners continue to make little use of research and it is not clear what conditions would facilitate or obstruct this use. This review focuses exclusively...

Depuis leur apparition sur le marché de l'éducation, les portfolios électroniques sont très en demande et peuvent rencontrer les besoins d'une grande variété d'utilisateurs, incluant de jeunes enfants et des enseignants expérimentés. Les portfolios électroniques peuvent être conçus spécifiquement pour appuyer la formation des enseignants en intégra...

A vexing problem for meta-analysts is how to account for the differential methodological quality of studies. We critically examine five approaches that deal with methodological quality. The first approach is to ignore the methodological quality of studies and aggregate all available research for which effect sizes (ES) can be calculated. The second...

In a recent meta-analysis of distance and online learning, Bernard et al. (2009) quantitatively verified the importance of three types of interaction: among students, between the instructor and students, and between students and course content. In this paper we explore these findings further, discuss methodological issues in research and suggest ho...

This systematic review builds upon the work of Authors (2006) and McGreal and Anderson (2007). It seeks to provide a synthesis and discussion of publicly available government policy documents with regard to e-learning in Canada. There is general consensus, both in public opinion and in the research literature, that the educational practices associa...

Entre 2002 et 2008, 197 écoles de l’enseignement secondaire (collèges et lycées) accueillant les élèves des milieux les plus défavorisés de la province de Québec (Canada) ont été appelées à accroître leur potentiel éducatif en vue d’améliorer la réussite de leurs élèves. Elles devaient s’engager dans une démarche collective rigoureuse: mobilisation...

Although insufficient use of the results of educational research in educational practice is among the deterrents to school progress, literature suggests that some groups of practitioners can be more prone to use research findings and school data. The purpose of this pan-Canadian online survey study is twofold: to explore if schoolteachers, administ...

This study investigated the change in the relationship between pedagogy, computer-use and students’ perceptions about course-effectiveness over time. Students from a Canadian university completed a questionnaire in two different years (2003 = 1,834 participants and 2007 = 1,866 participants). Of greatest interest were characteristics of technology...

This research study employs a second-order meta-analysis procedure to summarize 40 years of research activity addressing the question, does computer technology use affect student achievement in formal face-to-face classrooms as compared to classrooms that do not use technology? A study-level meta-analytic validation was also conducted for purposes...

In this chapter, we describe the process of modeling different theory-, research-, and best-practicebased learning designs into IMS-LD, a standardized modeling language. We reflect on the conceptual and practical difficulties that arise when modeling with IMS-LD, especially the question of granularity and the necessary and sufficient elements of le...

This paper reports the follow-up of a randomised control trial study of the ABRACADABRA web-based literacy intervention that contrasted synthetic versus analytic phonics (Comaskey, Savage & Abrami, 2009) in kindergarten children from urban low-SES backgrounds. Participants who received a ‘synthetic’ phonics+phoneme awareness training (n = 26) or an...

Can an electronic portfolio that is both a multimedia container for student work and a tool to support key learning processes have a positive impact on the literacy practices and self-regulated learning skills of students? This article presents the findings of a yearlong study conducted in three Canadian provinces during the 2007–2008 school year i...

A brief review of evidence is limited in time and/or scope compared to a comprehensive review. However, brief reviews are important not only in meeting the needs of policy makers and practitioners, but also in providing students and researchers with an overview of the evidence. In this paper we summarise and evaluate alternative methods for brief r...

This paper explores a labelling feature designed to support higher-level online dialogue. It investigates whether students use labels less often during a structured online dialogue than during an unstructured one, and looks at students’ reactions to labelling and to both types of tasks. Participants are from three successive course offerings of a M...

Despite its potential, online dialogue can be superficial. Following Vygotskian (1978) and design experiment approaches (Brown, 1992), this study explores a labeling feature that allows students to tag parts of their messages. Data comes from 4 sessions of a graduate education course. Students engaged in 2-3 graded online activities in groups of 3-...

This study explores a labelling feature that allows students to tag parts of their online messages. Data comes from four sequentially offered sessions of a graduate education course. Students engaged in two to three online activities in groups of three or four. Students (n=53) contributed from 0 to 56 labels (M=12.42, SD=13.50) and 18 to 114 messag...

This paper reports the findings of a Stage I meta-analysis exploring the achievement effects of computer-based technology use in higher education classrooms (non-distance education). An extensive literature search revealed more than 6,000 potentially relevant primary empirical studies. Analysis of a representative sample of 231 studies (k=310) yiel...

100-120 words): The paper presents the results of the study measuring determinants of research usage by various categories of school practitioners. The responses of 2425 practitioners to a self-reporting behavioral and attitudinal questionnaire have been analyzed. Practitioners reported low-criterion uses of research both general and locally produc...

The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between computer technology's role and students' perceptions about course effectiveness. Students from two universities (one Canadian, n = 1465; one American, n = 831) completed a 71-item questionnaire addressing different aspects of their learning experience in a given course. Factor...

This article evaluates 2 technology applications for teaching beginning reading. One, embedded multimedia, involves brief phonics and vocabulary videos threaded through teachers' lessons. The other, computer-assisted tutoring, helps tutors with planning, instruction, and assessment. An experiment in 2 high-poverty, high-minority Success for All sch...

An attitude and self-reporting behavioural measure, the Questionnaire about the Use of Research-based Information (QURBI), was developed to survey school practitioners in the province of Quebec. The responses of 2425 school practitioners allowed exploring the principal dimensions about the use of research-based information: type of research used, t...

This study examines the achievement outcomes accompanying the implementation of a Grade 3 laptop or so-called ubiquitous computing program in a Quebec school district. CAT-3 reading, language, and mathematics batteries were administered at the end of Grade 2 and again at the end of Grade 3, after the first year of computer implementation. Overall g...

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Critical thinking (CT) has been of longstanding interest among scholars, educators, and others who are concerned with thinking skills. The Watson–Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) is the oldest and among the most widely used and studied CT measure. It was constructed around five subscales (or CT skills): inference, recognition of assumptio...

This review provides a rough sketch of the evidence, gaps and promising directions in e-learning from 2000 onwards, with a particular focus on Canada. We searched a wide range of sources and document types to ensure that we represented, comprehensively, the arguments surrounding e-learning. Overall, there were 2,042 entries in our database, of whic...

At the Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance (CSLP) at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, we have developed the Electronic Portfolio Encouraging Active Reflective Learning Software (ePEARL) to promote student self-regulation and enhance student core competencies. This paper summarizes the literature on electronic portfolios (EPs),...

In this chapter, we describe the process of modeling different theory-, research-, and best-practicebased learning designs into IMS-LD, a standardized modeling language. We reflect on the conceptual and practical difficulties that arise when modeling with IMS-LD, especially the question of granularity and the necessary and sufficient elements of le...

Analysis of the questionnaires of research utilization by school practitioners revealed a complex of flaws in these instruments. In their majority, being designed for descriptive purposes, these tools lack psychometric properties. Some reduce research utilization to instrumental use; others inquire only about practitioners’ attitudes towards resear...

This study investigated the relationship between the amount of computer technology used in post-secondary education courses, students’ perceived effectiveness of technology use, and global course evaluations. Survey data were collected from 922 students in 51 courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. The survey consisted of 65 items br...

This study investigated the role that computer technology plays in trans-forming the learning process in higher education. Specifically, we looked at the relationship between computer-technology use, active learning, and perceived course effectiveness. The sample consisted of 1966 students in 81 graduate and undergraduate classes at a large, urban...

English In this article we explore issues in developing an Argument Catalogue as a tool to compile evidence systematically on a topic of interest. A recent review is used to illustrate the steps in undertaking the development of an Argument Catalogue from multiple sources. An Argument Catalogue codebook, which provides categories and values that ca...

This meta-analysis employs a theoretical framework in quantitatively synthesizing empirical studies that investigate the effects of distance education (DE) versus classroom instruction on undergraduate student achievement. Analyses of 218 findings from 103 studies were conducted according to how media were used to support DE pedagogy. The results i...

This article extends the issues and arguments raised in Bernard, Abrami, Lou, and Borokhovski (Distance Education, 25(2), 175–198, 2004) regarding the design of quantitative, particularly experimental research in distance education. A single experimental, study from the distance education literature is examined from six different perspectives to sh...

The current investigation was an exploration of the first year of a multi-year project designed to provide every Grade 3 to Grade 11 student throughout an English school board in Quebec with a laptop computer. Data were collected from 403 elementary and 270 secondary students from the experimental school board and also from 330 students in the cont...

n this paper, we provide a description of a CSLP research project that looked at portfolio use within a middle school, the web-based e-portfolio software we have developed within the context of the Quebec educational system, our plans for further development of the tool, and our research plans related to the use of portfolios to support learning. O...

This article describes an Internet -based early literacy software that simulates a media-element rich learning environment to enhance children's literacy skills. The design and development process we have adopted constantly undergoes evaluation in order to meet stringent pedagogical requirements, the very often outdated state of computers and netwo...

This article is about the quantitative research practices and methodologies that are used in distance education (DE). It begins with an analysis and assessment of a segment of the DE research literature, DE/classroom comparison studies, based on a recently completed meta-analysis of that literature from 1985 to 2002. Overall, the 232 studies review...

A meta-analysis of the comparative distance education (DE) literature between 1985 and 2002 was conducted. In total, 232 studies containing 599 independent achievement, attitude, and retention outcomes were analyzed. Overall results indicated effect sizes of essentially zero on all three measures and wide variability. This suggests that many applic...

The study reported here concerns the development and predictive validation of an instrument to assess the achievement outcomes of DE/online learning success. A 38‐item questionnaire was developed and administered to 167 students who were about to embark on an online course. Factor analysis indicated a four‐factor solution, interpreted as “general b...

According to van Wyhe (2002), 19th-century phrenologists called their interest "the only true science of mind." The basic tenets of phrenology were: (a) the brain is the organ of the mind; (b) the mind is composed of multiple distinct, innate faculties; (c) because they are distinct, each faculty must have a separate seat or "organ" in the brain; (...

This study investigated the relationship between student motivation and student acceptance of learning via computer conferencing (CC). Student acceptance of CC was operationalized as frequency of contributing messages online, satisfaction with CC, grades, and effort on CC. Student motivation was conceptualized to include students' general motivatio...

This paper describes the development and formative evaluation of a computer-assisted tutoring program to help students who experience problems learning to read. Based on a combination of social constructivist and behavioral theories, this program addresses the cost and quality issues associated with delivering high quality, cost-effective tutoring....

In this meta-analysis, the authors attempted to develop a parsimonious model of factors that account for the significant variability in the findings on the effects of within-class grouping on student achievement. Two weighted least squares regression models were tested using 103 independent findings from 51 studies at elementary through postseconda...

The purpose of this article is threefold. First, we bring to the attention of the European and international research community the research evidence concerning within-class grouping. In a previous quantitative review, we computed 103 independent effect sizes from studies comparing within-class instruction and whole class instruction. The mean weig...

We examined the implementation of an early-intervention program called Success for All in Montreal, Quebec. Our study included 425 high-poverty students at risk for drop-out, from four elementary schools. The program was implemented in an inner-city school where 40% of the students had special needs, due particularly to learning disabilities. We an...

Replies to comments by J. S. Armstrong (see record 1998-11971-007), D. Buck (see record 1998-11971-008), J. Friedrich (see record 1998-11971-009), and R. E. Redding (see record 1998-11971-010) regarding articles in the November 1997 issues of American Psychologist concerning student evaluations of teaching (SETs) (see records 1997-43129-002,...

Many colleges and universities have adopted the use of student ratings of instruction as one (often the most influential) measure of instructional effectiveness. In this article, the authors present evidence that although effective instruction may be multidimensional, student ratings of instruction measure general instructional skill, which is a co...

Research on student ratings of instruction began in North America in the 1920s and exhibits several peaks of interest, corresponding to periods of major social and economic upheavals. While early researchers concentrated on establishing the psychometric properties of student ratings, later researchers explored the conditions which alter the validit...

Ideally, faculty evaluation involves the collection and interpretation of information on teaching performance from multiple sources. Such sources can be the faculty members themselves, colleagues, student records, former and current students. However, most post-secondary institutions have adopted student ratings of instruction as one (often the mos...

The effects of within-class grouping on student achievement and other outcomes were quantitatively integrated using two sets of study findings. The first set included 145 effect sizes and explored the effects of grouping versus no grouping on several outcomes. Overall, the average achievement effect size was +0.17, favoring small-group learning. Th...