What Parents Know About How Well Their Children Are Doing in School

ABSTRACT

The authors used data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten cohort to examine whether parents’ knowledge of their children's reading and mathematics skills varies by academic domain and parents’ income group or ethnicity. Of particular interest was how parents’ knowledge is moderated by school- or home-based involvement. Parents’ knowledge was moderately related to their children's reading and mathematics scores. However, there were systematic income- and ethnicity-related differences in the correlations. Poor parents were reportedly less involved at home and school than nonpoor parents. White, non-Hispanic parents were more involved at school than other parents. School-based rather than home-based involvement was related to the strength of the correlations between parents’ knowledge and children's reading and mathematics scores.     

Media Covid misinformation due to confounding

We discuss a case study on how misinformation regarding Covid-19 health outcomes can arise due to confounding. Data from the UK on mortality rates suggest that people who have some level of vaccination and contract the Delta variant of Covid are twice as likely to die than those who are unvaccinated. Age, however, a confounding variable, when accounted for, produces a more complicated picture. The mortality rates for the vaccinated are statistically lower than the unvaccinated for the older but not younger age group. We present several approaches for teaching confounding to help students better understand this underemphasized concept's cause, effects, and origins.     

Understanding children's epistemic beliefs in elementary education

Research shows that the beliefs individuals hold about knowledge and knowing (epistemic beliefs) influence learning approaches and outcomes. However, little is known about the nature of children's epistemic beliefs and how best to measure these. In this pilot study, 11 Australian children (in Grade 4 or Grade 6) were asked to ‘draw, write and tell’ about their epistemic beliefs using drawings, written responses and interviews, respectively. Drawings were analysed, with the majority of children depicting external, one-way sources of knowledge. The written statements and interviews were analysed using inductive thematic analysis, showing that children predominantly described knowledge acquisition as processes of task-based learning. Interviews also enabled children to describe a wider range of views. These results indicate that the methodological combination of ‘draw, write and tell’ allowed for a deeper understanding of the children's epistemic beliefs which holds implications for future research.     

The return of behaviourist epistemology: A review of learning outcomes studies

Learning outcomes as a concept has encountered a revival since the beginning of the Bologna process in 1999. The concept itself has a longer history with its roots in the behaviourist tradition of the 1960s. The goal of this review is to study how the historical roots of learning outcomes are noted in current research articles since the launch of the Bologna process and whether the concept of learning outcomes is used critically or uncritically. The review of 90 articles shows that the behaviourist tradition is still evident in the 21st century research with 29% of the articles directly and 11% indirectly referring uncritically to the respective publications or to the behaviourist epistemology. Only a minority of the articles, i.e. 8%, was found to be critical towards the behaviourist meaning of learning outcomes.     

Statistical edutainment: Reversing comparisons

Educational fun items can be readily found and used to increase student motivation and learning. We illustrate resources and strategies for a specific piece of content: Simpson's paradox.     

The Development of Story Writing Within an IBM Writing to Read Program Lab Among Language Minority Students:

No abstract available for this article.     

Exploring young children's (mathematical) thinking: preservice teachers reflect on the use of the one-to-one interview

One-to-one interviewing is one of the most powerful ways of exploring young children's thinking. While there are a few studies which report the use of this pedagogic strategy by preservice teachers, more are needed. This paper describes an early childhood mathematics education assignment which preservice teachers in a teacher-education college in Ireland undertake with four- and five-year-old children. It presents an analysis of data from a selected sample of 58 preservice teachers' reflections on their dialogues with individual children. It describes how the preservice teachers engaged with the process of interviewing the children; how they reflected on their interactions with the children; their reflections on the children's engagement; and their reflections on young children's mathematics generally. Some dilemmas faced by the participants in the course of the interviewing are highlighted. Findings demonstrate the integrated nature of the knowledge that early childhood teachers need to teach early childhood mathematics effectively. The learning arising from this assignment relates to early childhood mathematics thinking, to the psycho-social nature of learning in early childhood and to pedagogy in early childhood education.     

Eliciting pupil perspectives in primary mathematics: possibilities and issues

This article considers various approaches to consulting primary pupils about mathematics. This is done first through a literature review and second by drawing on our experience of designing and piloting pupil consultation in collaboration with staff in one primary school. Our concern is with the utility and drawbacks of the methods used rather than with substantive issues. We conclude that useful information can be gained from both the planning process and outcomes, but caution must be exercised in interpreting pupil responses. Social processes are involved and the possibility of social desirability effects must be acknowledged. Finally, we indicate the usefulness of using different approaches together.     

从系统思维谈中国文论话语的"失语症"

分析、评述了关于中国文论话语"失语症"产生原因的三种基本意见,认为尽管这三种意见各有千秋,但也存在着明显的可商榷之处.为了对"失语症"的产生原因获得更真切更本质的认识,摆脱"失语症",就应该在思维观念上进行一次彻底性的大转变,即引入系统思维,从而打破世界文论话语体系的既有结构,使中国文论话语重新确立自己的言说方式,参与到世界文论话语系统中来.     

Hardy-Littlewood-Polya定理和它的一些应用

给出了关于Lebegues空间上Hardy—Littlewood—Polya定理的两种基本形式和它的几个应用例子。     

Learning With Dynamic Geometry Programs: Perspectives of Teachers and Learners

Abstract

In this exploratory phenomenological study, part of a larger mixed-design research project, the authors examined teacher and student roles in, and reactions to, a student-centered instructional geometry program using the Geometer's Sketchpad. Grade 7 students worked for 2 weeks in their regularly scheduled mathematics class on activities that allowed them to explain on-screen relationships among geometric shapes. A companion computer-based instructional tutorial was available as an accessible resource. The class sessions and specific dyads were observed, students surveyed, and teacher and selected students interviewed. Findings centered on 2 overarching themes: issues of power and learning. The teacher had difficulty relinquishing control of the learning environment even though she had agreed to do so. Students, however, liked their new freedom, worked hard, and expressed greater interest in the subject material.     

中国近代山水画风格的变异

自1840年英国侵略者发动了侵华的雅片战争，古老的中国社会性质发生了重大变化，进入了近代。随着沿海的上海、广州等地在坚船利炮下的开放，新的绘画市场的形成，中国山水画风格亦随之发生了变异，这种变化以海派山水、岭南山水、太平天国壁画山水尤为典型。     

Impact of teachers’ beliefs on mathematics education

ABSTRACT

The objective of the current study was to analyse the impact of teachers’ personal theory and beliefs (PTB) towards Mathematics teaching. A total of 183 respondents were involved in this study, using the stratified random sampling method with Cronbach's alpha of 0.87. Due to the objective of the research and the hypothesis, it was positioned within the positivist paradigm following a survey design, concentrating on Bachelor of Education and Postgraduate Certificate Education students, with a quantitative approach. The instrument of data collection was a structured questionnaire schedule. All selected respondents (using a questionnaire) were students of University of Fort Hare, enrolled in either the Bachelor of Education (BEd) or Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) programme. Using analysis of variance (ANOVA), the results revealed that there was no significant effect of age and race on learning of Mathematics amongst BEds and PGCEs candidates.     

科研论文题目和摘要英译中的几个问题

总结了科研论题目的惯用表达，说明英题目的具体写法和译法，重点论述了科研论要的英译应注意的几个问题。     

Early childhood teachers' views of nature of science: The influence of intellectual levels,cultural values,and explicit reflective teaching

This study tracked the influence of explicit reflective instructional methods on cultural values, ethical and intellectual development, and the relationship of these with preservice teachers' views of nature of science (NOS). The researchers used the Views of Nature of Science Form B (VNOS B) to describe NOS views, the Learning Context Questionnaire (LCQ) to classify preservice teachers' ethical and intellectual positions using Perry's scheme, and the Schwartz Values Inventory (SVI) to measure preservice teachers' cultural values. The interventions took place in two concurrent courses: a science methods course, and a foundations of early childhood course. The science methods course explicitly emphasized NOS throughout the semester, and the foundations of early childhood course reinforced these ideas through cultural activities that stressed empirical evidence. Analysis of data showed relationships between preservice teachers' Perry positions and responses on the VNOS B with those at higher positions exhibiting more informed NOS views. Relationships between preservice teachers' NOS views and their cultural values were identified, such as those at the dualism position holding achievement more highly for scientists than those at other Perry positions. The values preservice teachers held personally were different from those they held as important for scientists. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 748–770, 2008     

论序数及连续统的可数性与正则公理

在前期一系列论文及著作中([2][4][5])对实数集(连续统)的可数性、康托对角线法等问题充分讨论的基础上,对序数的可数性问题进行分析,并由此引出对ZFC公理系统中的正则公理(基础公理,限制公理)的讨论。对与斯梅尔第18问题密切相关的哥德尔定理进行了分析,得到全新结论。提出实数的一进制表示法并在此基础上讨论康托对角线法的局限性问题。     

Middle school children's strategic behavior: Classification and relation to academic achievement and mathematical problem solving

Theories of problem solving (e.g., Verschaffelet al., 2000) hold strategic behavior centralto processing mathematical word problems. Thepresent study explores 80 sixth- andseventh-grade students' self-reported use of 14categories of strategies (Zimmerman &Martinez-Pons, 1986) and the relationship ofstrategy use to academic achievement,problem-solving behaviors, and problem-solvingsuccess. High and low achievement groupsdiffered in the number of different strategiesand categories of strategies reported but notin overall number of strategies, confidence inusing strategies, or frequency of strategy use.Students whose behaviors evidenced elaborationof the word problem's text reported moreself-evaluation; organizing and transforming;and goal setting and monitoring behavior.Implications for instructional practices thatsupport active stances toward problem solvingare discussed.     

Programming-languages as a conceptual framework for teaching mathematics

Formal mathematical methods remain, for most high school students, mysterious, artificial and not a part of their regular intuitive thinking. The authors develop some themes that could lead to a radically new approach. According to this thesis, the teaching of programming languages as a regular part of academic progress can contribute effectively to reduce formal barriers. This education can also be used to enable pupils to access an accurate understanding of some key mathematical concepts. In the field of heuristic knowledge for technical problem solving, experience of programming is no less valuable: it lends itself to promote a discussion of relations between formal procedures and the comprehension of intuitive problem solving and provides examples for the development of heuristic precepts (formulating a plan, subdividing the complexities, etc.). The knowledge gained in programming can also be used for the discussion of concepts and problems of classical mathematics. Finally, it can also facilitate the expansion of mathematical culture to topics in biological and physical sciences, linguistics, etc. The authors describe a programming language called ‘Logo’ adapted to objectify an enduring framework of mathematical experimentation.     

Educating for inquisitiveness: A case against exemplarism for intellectual character education

ABSTRACT

One natural application of Linda Zagzebski’s exemplarist moral theory (EMT) is found in the context of moral and intellectual character education. Zagzebski discusses this application in her recent book, commenting that ‘exemplars can serve as a guide for moral training’ (p. 129) and endorsing ‘the learning of virtue by imitation’ (p. 129). This theme has been pursued compellingly by authors working at the intersection of virtue ethics and education, contributing to an emerging case for exemplarist-based approaches to character education. I focus on intellectual character education and draw attention to an interesting case in which exemplarism in the classroom may be seen to inhibit, rather than promote, the development of intellectually virtuous character. This is the case of virtuous inquisitiveness.     

Operationalization of Bachman’s model via a multimodal reading comprehension test: Screening test method facets and testees’ characteristics

Test performance is a function both of the test takers’ personal attributes and of the test method facets. However, much of the previous research has addressed the covariates of assessment preferences of pupils rather than those of their actual performances. Following the microsystem perspective and as part of a larger project, this study was set out to detect the learner factors and linguistic parameters which mediate performance on different test formats. A number of language learners responded to the group embedded figures test, willingness to communicate scale, Michigan proficiency test, and a reading comprehension test battery. Based on the previous empirical research, a hypothetical model was designed and tested using structural equation modeling. The findings were as follows: (a) Performance on controlled and constructed response tests is substantially mediated by testees’ characteristics (cognitive source); (b) Target ability (linguistic source) is the most significant determinant of performance on free-response tasks.