Participatory Educational Research (PER) ISSN: 2148-6123 Volume 1, Issure 2 December 2014 Participatory Educational Research (PER) EDITOR IN CHIEF Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özgen KORKMAZ (Amasya University, Instructional Technology, Turkey) EDITORS Prof. Dr. Norma NEL (University of South Africa, Educational Psychology, South Africa) Prof. Dr. Norma ROMM (University of South Africa, Adult Basic Ed. and Youth Development, South Africa) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aykut Emre BOZDOĞAN(Giresun University, Science Education, Turkey) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ertuğrul USTA(Necmettin Erbakan University, Instructional Technology, Turkey) Assist. Prof. Dr. Adem BAYAR (Amasya University, Educational Science, Turkey) Assist. Prof. Dr. Ekrem SOLAK (Amasya University, English Language Teaching, Turkey) Assist. Prof. Dr. Oktay ESER (Amasya University, Education in Translation, Turkey) Assist. Prof. Dr. Recep ÇAKIR (Amasya University, Instructional Technology, Turkey) Assist. Prof. Dr. Zekeriya KARADAĞ (Bayburt, University, Mathematic Education, Turkey) EDITORIAL BOARD Prof. Dr. Ahmet MAHİROĞLU (Gazi University, Turkey) Prof. Dr. Dimiter G. VELEV (University of National and World Economy, Bulgaria) Prof. Dr. Dragana Martinovic (University of Windsor, Canada) Prof. Dr. Fok PING-KWAN (Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong) Prof. Dr. Hafize KESER (Ankara University, Turkey) Prof. Dr. Helen R. ABADIANO (Central Connecticut State University, USA) Prof. Dr. Esteban Vazquez Cano (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Spain) Prof. Dr. Javier Fombona CADAVIECO (Universidad de Oviedo, Spain) Prof. Dr. Jeffrey L. DEREVENSKY (McGill University, Canada) Prof. Dr. Jeonghee NAM (Pusan National University, Korea) Prof. Dr. LDM LEBELOANE (University of South Africa, South Africa) Prof. Dr. Maria Angeles Pascual Sevillano (Universidad de Oviedo, Spain) Prof. Dr. Mary C. HERRING (University of Northern Iowa, USA) Prof. Dr. Mitchell BECK (Central Connecticut State University, USA) Prof. Dr. Petra ENGELBRECHT (Canterbury Christ Church University, UK). Prof. Dr. Raymond LEBLANC (University of Ottawa, Canada) Prof. Dr. Steve SHARRA (Michigan State University, USA) Prof. Dr. Susana Agudo Prado (Universidad de Oviedo, Spain) Prof. Dr. Uğur DEMİRAY (Anadolu University, Turkey) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chi-Jen HUANG (National Chiayi University, Taiwan) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hsueh-hua CHUANG (National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Janet MCINTYRE(Flinders University Adelaide Area, Australia) Assoc. Prof. Dr. José GIJON PUERTA (Universidad de Granada, Spain) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Oktay AKBAŞ (Kırıkkale University, Turkey) Assoc. Prof. Dr.Ruth Gannon COOk (DePaul University, USA) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sofia D. ANASTASIADOU (University of West Macedonia, Greece) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zsolt LAVICZA (Cambridge University, UK) Dr. Gail CARUTH (Texas A&M University-Commerce, USA ) Dr. Inés LOZANO-CABEZAS (University of Alicante, Spain) Dr. LINPU WANG (Zhejiang International Studies University, China) Dr. John HAMMOND (University of Canberra, Australia) Dr. Kristóf FENYVESI (University of Jyväskylä, Finland) Dr. Kenan DİKİLİTAŞ (Gediz University, Turkey) Dr. Marcos Jesús IGLESIAS-MARTINEZ (University of Alicante, Spain) Dr. Margaret MURUGAMI (Kenyatta University, Kenya) Dr. Mike DIBOLL (University of Sussex, UK) Dr. Miranda LAI (RMIT University, Australia) Dr. Oluyemi STEPHENS (University of South Africa, South Africa) Dr. Rachel OUTHRED (Oxford Policy Management, UK) Dr. Sedat MULAYIM RMIT (University, Australia) Participatory Educational Research (PER) REVIEWER OF THE ISSUE Aykut Emre BOZDOĞAN ( Giresun University) Norma NEL (University of South Africa) Dan TLALE (University of South Africa) Norma ROMM (University of South Africa) Ertuğrul USTA (Necmettin Erbakan University) Obadofin OL ABISI (Lagos State University) I. Olanrewaju ABODUNRIN (Lagos State University) Özgen KORKMAZ (AmasyaUniversity) Martin Mendelsohn (University of South Africa) Pinky Mabunda(University of South Africa) Mehdi Kroni (University of Shkodra) Recep ÇAKIR (Amasya University) Muharrem Aktümen (Gazi Uniersity) Participatory Educational Research (PER) TABLE OF CONTENTS Learning How to Learn: A Six Point Model for Increasing Student Engagement Gail Caruth http://dx.doi.org/10.17275/per.14.06.1.2 1-12 Active and Accountable Social Inquiry: Implications and Examples Norma RA Romm http://dx.doi.org/10.17275/per.14.07.1.2 13-20 Meeting the Needs of Older Students in Higher Education Gail D. Caruth http://dx.doi.org/10.17275/per.14.09.1.2 21-35 Community Engagement Projects Executed According to University Policy Soezin Krog, Norma M Nel, B Ben-David http://dx.doi.org/10.17275/per.14.08.1.2 36-52 An Analysis of the Relationship between Internet Addiction and Depression Levels of High School Students Cengiz ŞAHİN http://dx.doi.org/10.17275/per.14.10.1.2 53-67 The Examination of the Views of Primary School Teachers and Preservice Primary Teachers on European Union Citizenship from the point of Different Variables: A Qualitative Study Sadık Selman Üner, Rüştü Yeşil http://dx.doi.org/10.17275/per.14.12.1.2 68-82 The influence of academic achievement in pupils’ academic self-concept construction during the transition to lower secondary education Pranvera Kraja http://dx.doi.org/10.17275/per.14.11.1.2 83-94 An Examination of Secondary School Students’ Academic Achievement in Science Course and Achievement Scores in Performance Assignments with Regard to Different Variables: A Boarding School Example Aykut Emre Bozdoğan, Esra Günaydın, Alperen Okur http://dx.doi.org/10.17275/per.14.13.1.2 95-105 Participatory Approach to Education: an Action Learning Approach at the University of South Africa Janet McIntyre-Mills, Gladys Mokwena Kedibone, Akwasi Arko-Achemfuor, Pinkie Mabunda, Esther Njiro http://dx.doi.org/10.17275/per.14.14.1.2 106-132 Participatory Educational Research (PER) Participatory Educational Research (PER) Vol. 1(2), pp. 1-12, December, 2014 Available online at http://www.partedres.com ISSN: 2148-6123 http://dx.doi.org/10.17275/per.14.06.1.2 Learning How to Learn: A Six Point Model for Increasing Student Engagement Gail Caruth* Adjunct Faculty, Department of Educational Leadership at Texas A&M University- Commerce, USA Article history Students in higher education are being taught pedagogically. Received: Moreover, pedagogy has long persisted as the basis for the entire 11.06.2014 educational system. Education is, however, discovering that adults Received in revised form: learn differently than children learn even though they have been 23.06.2014 taught as children were taught. Students tend to behave Accepted: dependently when they are in a structured, pedagogical educational 24.06.2014 setting. This dependent behavior may be because these learners do not know how to learn, they only know how to be taught. In Key words: Andragogy, pedagogy, adult pedagogy, the instructor is in charge and held entirely responsible learning, student engagement, for all learning: what is to be taught, how it is to be taught, when it student retention, student is to be taught, how it is to be measured, etc. Adult students need to success be taught how to learn in order to become life-long, autonomous learners. Research demonstrates that adult students being taught andragogically become engaged in the learning process. They are ready for learning, learn more, experience more meaningful learning, and enjoy learning. This paper presents a six point plan for promoting engagement for students in the college classroom: create a safe environment for learning; ask students what they need to know; explain why students are learning certain concepts, theories, skills, etc.; provide real-life learning opportunities; offer opportunities for collegial collaboration; and have students evaluate their own learning. Collaboration between educators on the six points will also increase the likelihood of engaging students. Student engagement leads to improved retention and ultimately to student success. * Correspondence: 1876 Oak Bend Drive Rockwall, Texas 75087 972-771-2371 [email protected] Learning How to Learn: A Six Point Model… G. Caruth Introduction Getting a college education pays over a million dollars more over a lifetime as opposed to not getting a college degree. Even though evidence demonstrates many additional personal benefits for earning a college degree (Tinto, 2012), the graduation rates for students seeking bachelor's or equivalent degrees equalled 38.6 % in four years, 54.3% in five years, and 58.7% in six years in United Sates colleges and universities. The colleges and universities included in these rates are Title IV institutions, those with a written agreement with the Secretary of Education that allows the institution to participate in any of the Title IV federal student financial assistance programs (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.). If higher education is to increase student graduate rates, the focus must be on student engagement in the classroom. Student engagement leads to student retention and student success (Tinto, 2012). Vincent Tinto (2012), recognized for his work in the area of student success stated that “The classroom is the building block upon which student retention is build and the pivot around which institutional action for student retention must be organized” (p. 124). Furthermore, Hu and Wolniak (2013) maintained that social and academic engagement resulted in different effects on career earnings. Males on average, for example, were more engaged academically than females and earned higher salaries. Malcolm Knowles