A Course in Humanity

ABSTRACT

Students experience a wide range of fearful thoughts and emotions while in the classrooms that create stress significant enough to impact learning. The current study examined qualitative data extracted from undergraduate student responses focusing on ways in which they cope with academic fears. The responses were coded and categorized into three distinct coping themes from which the authors developed concomitant recommendations. These strategies include (a) educating students about coping through self-help approaches; (b) encouraging students to build support systems; and (c) promoting action-based strategies to help students cope with fears.     

试论语文教师应对研究性学习的策略

研究性学习既给语文教学提出了崭新的课题,同时也对语文教师的能力与素质提出了挑战。语文研究性学习的内容应当是文本,其特点应当是文本理解和表达活动的开展,其条件则是课程资源的充分利用,作为探究活动引导者——语文教师的知识和经验又起着至关重要的作用。     

应对方式、社会支持与幼儿教师总体幸福感关系研究

采用肖计划等编制的＂应付方式问卷＂、肖水源设计的社会支持评定量表及美国国立卫生统计中心制订的总体幸福感量表,对5所幼儿园的150名幼儿教师进行了调查,结果表明：（1）＂解决问题＂、＂求助＂这两种应对方式与幼儿教师总体幸福感得分存在显著的正相关（P〈0.001）;（2）＂自责＂、＂幻想＂、＂退避＂、＂合理化＂这四种应对方式与幼儿教师总体幸福感得分存在显著的负相关（P〈0.001）;（3）社会支持量表得分与幼儿教师总体幸福感得分存在显著的正相关（P〈0.001）;（4）社会支持量表得分和应对方式中的＂解决问题＂这一应对方式对幼儿教师的总体幸福感有预测作用。最后提出了提升幼儿教师总体幸福感的干预对策。     

高等学校学生辅导员职业倦怠分析

高校学生辅导员是对大学生进行系统思想政治教育和管理的骨干力量,由于高校辅导员配备长期不足,学生辅导员总处于超强度的工作状态,加之高校扩招后,学生工作难度增大,因此辅导员工作中常常弥漫着职业倦怠的气息,对学生工作产生了负面的影响。文章以高等学校学生辅导员为主体,分析其职业倦怠的表现、危害、成因,探讨预防及缓解的对策。     

Student Teacher Efficacy in Inner-City Schools

The resolution of five middle-class student teachers' conflict and growth toward efficacy during their year interning in an inner-city school is described in this qualitative study. Analysis of 4 interviews, 12 written reflections, and 7 transcribed group discussions revealed a sense of culture shock felt by interns upon entering the inner-city schools. In particular, their concerns focused on problems in the children's home lives. Aggravating their worries were the normal concerns of student teachers about getting along with their collaborating teachers and their students and coping with doubts about their own abilities and values. Growth in self-efficacy began as the interns attempted to manage problems and take risks.     

基于大学生成功学习的美国本科新生体验计划

美国新生体验计划不是一个单独的项目、活动或课程,而是新生们在本科第一年中的经验总和。新生这些体验大都来自于大学为他们设计的课程以及课外活动,最终是为了让学生们更好地适应大学学习和生活并获得成功。     

From the Field: Characteristics of Successful Tertiary Online Students and Strategies of Experienced Online Educators

Online learning, now a popular method of education at the tertiary level, creates new challenges for students and educators. Faculty members may know little about how to assist students in succeeding in this new learning environment, and students may be ill prepared to tackle the new demands put upon them. This research sought to identify dimensions of successful online learners by examining primary screening documents and mapping them to the literature base, and then invited experienced online educators to review the dimensions and provide strategies they use to ensure student success. Seven dimensions were identified and confirmed as significant, each dimension with slightly different importance, including access to tools; technology experience; learning preferences; study habits and skills; goals or purposes; lifestyle factors; and personal traits and characteristics. The experienced educators provided several online teaching strategies including students' posting biographies; frequent interaction; collaboration; required participation; question-asking forums; topical flexibility; and minimizing technology requirements.     

初中英语教师继续教育学习现状的调查与分析——基于陕西宝鸡地区初中英语教师继续教育状况

英语教师作为语言教师,既要具备扎实的英语专业知识与技能,还要具备广阔的视野及丰富的跨学科知识。才能胜任当前新课改的需要。在当前教育现状下,继续教育学习是在职英语教师专业成长与提高的重要途径,教师只有树立终生学习的理念,拓宽知识视野,更新知识结构,才能满足学生学习的需求,适应时代发展的需要,英语教师的继续教育现状关乎着教师知识结构更新,专业知识与技能提高,影响着英语教育教学质量,因此,教师要重视继续教育学习,积极参加继续教育学习,进一步完善自身专业素养,不断提高教育教学水平。     

Exploring students’ reflective thinking practice,deep processing strategies,effort, and achievement goal orientations

Recent research indicates that study processing strategies, effort, reflective thinking practice, and achievement goals are important factors contributing to the prediction of students’ academic success. Very few studies have combined these theoretical orientations within one conceptual model. This study tested a conceptual model that included, in particular, deep processing strategies, effort, mastery and performance‐approach goals, reflection, and critical thinking. We used causal modelling procedures to explore the direct and mediating effects of these theoretical orientations on students’ academic achievement and learning. Second‐ and third‐year undergraduates (n = 347; 151 women and 196 men) completed a number of inventories (e.g., the Reflective Thinking Questionnaire). LISREL 8.72 indicated an a posteriori model with direct effects of reflection and critical thinking on academic achievement and learning. Performance‐approach goals exerted a negative effect on academic achievement. Both mastery and performance‐approach goals also directed affected reflection, whereas deep processing strategies were directly affected by mastery goals and effort. Importantly, both reflection and effort were found to act as potent mediators. A one‐way MANOVA revealed no statistical difference between men and women in this theoretical framework.     

Student teachers’ discipline strategies: relations with self-images,anticipated student responses and control orientation

Teacher discipline strategies are well documented when it comes to its effects on students and the working climate in the classroom. Although it is commonly acknowledged that for student teachers classroom management is a major concern, student teachers’ use of discipline strategies is largely unknown. In this paper, we examine student teachers’ beliefs in relation to their discipline strategies. Three clusters of discipline strategies are distinguished: sensitive, directive and aggressive discipline strategies. Beliefs that were taken into account are self-images on control and affiliation, control orientation and anticipated student responses on control and affiliation. All participants were student teachers of a one-year teacher education programme for secondary education in the Netherlands. Student questionnaires were used to measure discipline strategies (n?=?2506). Student teachers’ (n?=?104) self-images, control orientation and anticipated student responses were measured with student teacher questionnaires. Results of the multiple regression analyses showed that student teachers’ sensitive and directive discipline strategies are explained best by self-images on control; aggressive discipline strategies are explained best by self-images on affiliation and by control orientation. Apart from the possible academic interest in these particular findings, results are believed to be useful in a practical sense, in particular for teacher education programmes.     

A model for incorporating lesson study into the student teaching placement: what worked and what did not?

This article describes a model for incorporating lesson study into the student teaching placement and reports on the success of the implementation of such a model with student teachers and their cooperating teachers (CTs). Student teachers had the opportunity to discuss many important ideas with each other and their CTs, including “big ideas” of mathematics, and the anticipation of student questions and possible responses. Student teachers also had a built‐in opportunity for peer observation on a regular basis and the opportunity to collaborate with their peers. Certain important aspects of lesson study were not present in this implementation: the teachers involved did not discuss the gaps in their own knowledge with the goal of improving their own mathematical understanding, they did not refer outside sources for ideas for the lessons, and they did not have an overarching affective goal for students. Suggestions are made for teacher preparation in light of these findings.     

美国社区大学的非传统学生成功条件构建及对我国高等职业教育的启示——基于Tinto学生成功条件模型

Tinto学生成功条件模型为研究美国大学促进学生成功的实践提供了理论框架。基于学生成功条件模型,美国社区大学针对非传统学生面临的身份意识、学习能力、经济状况、融入校园等主要挑战,采取了帮助学生建立正确期望、提供关键支持、开展评价反馈、促进校园参与等措施,可以通过期望、支持、评价、参与四个维度对其进行比较深入的考察。美国社区大学构建非传统学生成功条件的做法,对我国高等职业教育做好非传统学生工作具有一定的启示意义。     

Case report: the impact of a resubmission intervention on level 1 distance learning students

Student retention and success are key performance indicators within higher education. One of the key opportunities to address both of these lies with the support offered to students who fail a module but are entitled to resubmit. This study investigates the value of implementing a resubmission intervention to improve the quantity and quality of student resubmissions on a level 1 distance learning module. The intervention consisted of an online synchronous tutorial session and a supporting asynchronous forum. The effectiveness of the intervention was measured by comparing the resubmission and pass rates to a previous presentation with no intervention. It was found that resubmission and pass rates were higher where the intervention was used suggesting that a resubmission intervention can increase the quality and quantity of submissions. Whilst, these findings are useful, it is important to acknowledge that there are additional factors that can impact the quantity and quality of resubmissions.     

The Development of Study Orientations and Study Success in Students of Pharmacy

In research literature, two study orientations have been identified: meaning orientation and reproducing orientation. Few studies have examined how study orientations and conceptions of knowledge (epistemologies) interrelate. Further, longitudinal studies of the development of orientations and of conceptions of knowledge in relation to academic achievement are scarce. The study set out:(i) to examine the relationship between study orientations and conceptions of knowledge; (ii) to investigate how these kinds of beliefs change during short, career-aimed studies of natural science; (iii) to explore how study orientations and changes in them are related to study success. The sample consisted of 66 undergraduate students of pharmacy studying at a Finnish university. Participants filled in a questionnaire regarding study orientations and conceptions of knowledge at the beginning of their studies and after 3 years of study. Results showed a relationship between reproducing orientation and dualist conceptions of knowledge. Reproducing orientation and dualism diminished during undergraduate natural science studies. Further, students' reproducing orientation after the last study year was negatively related to their study success. In addition, a favourable development was detected in the group of above-average achievers, who maintained their initial level of meaning orientation while diminishing their level of reproducing orientation. Implications for instruction are discussed.     

Prospective teachers＇ skills in planning and applying learning-teaching process

With the reconstruction of the curricula in Turkey, important changes have existed in the activities of education and teaching. That is why it has become an important case of research to determine how much student teachers know about the process of learning-teaching. This study aims to show how are student teachers capable are of planning and applying the process of learning-teaching effectively. Thus, eighteen senior student teachers from the Department of the Primary School Mathematics Teaching at the Education Faculty of a university in Turkey were interviewed in a semi-constructed way. At the end of the study, it was determined that the student teachers knew the activities in the new primary school mathematics curricula, most of them found themselves competent enough to prepare materials and apply them, but they were not competent enough to use mathematics software although they knew them and they were insufficient in the approaches which the new primary school curricula are based on. In light of the results acquired from the study, it is suggested that the student teachers should be taught to use worksheets at the different stages of the lessons through exercises and also they should be informed of how to use the computer programs and the approaches on which the new primary school curricula are based in the environment of learning-teaching.     

美国的大学生成功研究述评

本文梳理了美国学者提出的大学生成功这一概念,介绍了影响大学生成功的内部因素和外部因素,并且根据美国＂国家大学生投入调查＂（NSSE）项目的研究报告,提出了大学为支持和保证学生成功而采取的一系列有效措施。