Evaluating Environmental Knowledge Dimension Convergence to Assess Educational Programme Effectiveness

One aim of environmental education is fostering sustainable environmental action. Some environmental behaviour models suggest that this can be accomplished in part by improving people's knowledge. Recent studies have identified a distinct, psychometrically supported environmental knowledge structure consisting of system, action-related and effectiveness knowledge. Besides system knowledge, which is most often the focus of such studies, incorporating the other knowledge dimensions into these dimensions was suggested to enhance effectiveness. Our study is among the first to implement these dimensions together in an educational campaign and to use these dimensions to evaluate the effectiveness of a programme on water issues. We designed a four-day environmental education programme on water issues for students at an educational field centre. We applied a newly developed multiple-choice instrument using a pre-, post-, retention test design. The knowledge scales were calibrated with the Rasch model. In addition to the commonly assessed individual change in knowledge level, we also measured the change in knowledge convergence, the extent to which the knowledge dimensions merge as a person's environmental knowledge increases, as an innovative indicator of educational success. Following programme participation, students significantly improved in terms of amount learned in each knowledge dimension and in terms of integration of the knowledge dimensions. The effectiveness knowledge shows the least gain, persistence and convergence, which we explain by considering the dependence of the knowledge dimensions on each other. Finally, we discuss emerging challenges for educational researchers and practical implications for environmental educators.     

Socio-Political-Cultural Foundations of Environmental Education

Abstract

This research project identified concepts from the social sciences that are prerequisite for understanding or analyzing environmental issues. Concepts were identified through a review of social science textbooks and educational materials and through interviews with social scientists. A list of 57 concepts was sent to a validity panel to rate each concept for clarity, acceptability to environmental education, and importance to environmental education. Means and standard deviations were calculated. Results showed that the panelists generally thought the concepts were acceptable and important to environmental education. Concepts were then revised and 6 were added based on panelists' comments.     

论教育政策的价值基础

教育政策是价值选择的结果 ,教育政策研究必须重视价值问题。教育政策的价值基础由一系列价值原则及其理论依据构成。教育政策活动主体之间相互作用所形成的基本问题和关系是教育政策价值基础的客观依据。当代我国教育政策应建立在“以人为本”、“教育平等”、“效益优化”、“可选择性”、“多样性”等价值取向基础之上     

环境伦理的科学基础

环境伦理是以区域共同体而非自然共同体作为其科学基础的,因为,从进化的角度讲,人与自然的结合形式经历了从自然共同体到社会共同体,再到区域共同体的演进过程。而每一种不同的结合形式都反映了人与自然在相应的共同体中不同的存在状态。人在自然共同体中是作为一般意义上的物种而存在的,遵循的是自然法则;在社会共同体中,伦理关系只存在于人与人之间,人遵循的是社会法则;在区域共同体中,人是作为一个真正意义上的道德物种而存在的,正是在这个意义上,人对自然有伦理关系。     

英美教育市场化改革的价值基础及其悖论

任何教育改革都有其价值基础，教育市场化改革的价值基础主要有竞争、自治、公平、家长自由选择以及提高学术成绩，但人们越来越对这些价值基础能否实现表示怀疑，因此，有必要对这些价值基础进行重新审视。     

教育传播与技术的研究基础——《教育传播与技术研究手册》(第三版)第一部分述评

本文概要介绍了J. Michael Spector, M. David Merrill, Jeroen Van Merrienboer ＆ Marcy P. Driscoll主编的Handbook of Research on Educational Communication and Technology （Third edition）[《教育传播与技术研究手册（第三版）》,Lawrence Erlbaum Associates2008年出版]第一部分“研究基础”的主要内容。全文分为三个部分：历史基础、理论基础和指向学习真实性的理论观点。在历史基础部分,回顾了教育传播与技术发展史上的里程碑式的事件和经历的范式转变;在理论基础部分,概括了教育传播与技术所基于的学习心理学观点及其哲学基础、关于记忆与动机的实证观点以及传播理论、人机交互理论和教学设计理论;在指向真实性的理论观点中,综述了复杂性理论、体验学习理论和情境主义理论。最后对教育传播与技术研究基础的特点进行了简要讨论。     

Empirical Validity for a Comprehensive Model on Educational Effectiveness

Educational effectiveness research is often criticised because of the absence of a theoretical background. In our study we started out from an educational effectiveness model which was developed on the basis of educational theories and empirical evidence. We have tested the main assumptions of the model by reanalysing a large-scale longitudinal dataset which contains elementary school data of subsequent student cohorts, their teachers and their schools. We found some expected positive effects on achievement of individual classroom and school factors in the effectiveness model but these were not stable across school subjects and student cohorts. When factors were grouped into clusters the findings remained essentially the same. To interpret the clusters we made use of the concept of consistency, which refers to a balance between factors which may enhance effectiveness. Some teachers and schools are more consistent than others, but this does not affect the achievement of their students. Cross-level interaction effects were not found. The instability of effects makes it hard to suggest changes in the model at this moment.     

School Effectiveness Research and Educational Policy

This paper discusses a series of recent critiques of school effectiveness (SE) research from within the academic community and the responses to them by SE researchers. It uses these as a basis to explore the nature of current SE research and its relationship with government policy. It is argued that much SE research has been too closely concerned with specific government policies as well as having weak theoretical and empirical support. The general response of the SE community to these criticisms is judged to be inadequate and recommendations for future directions are made.     

The Legacy of Chet Bowers for Educational Studies and the Social Foundations of Education

This article introduces some of the primary ideas in Bowers' long legacy of scholarship and its importance to Educational Studies and the Social Foundations. We also trace the development of our personal relationships and the network of scholarship that resulted, including the authors in this Special Issue.     

现象图析学哲学基础及教育意义的再分析

现象图析学作为一种研究取向和方法业已被接受,但它与现象学的关系一直没有被彻底厘清,这妨碍了人们对它的准确理解以及对相关应用的指导.文章基于现象学(哲学)态度,分析了现象图析学与现象学的渊源关系,由此揭示:现象图析学在"聚焦二阶视角、文本处理、结果空间描述"三个方面继承了现象学态度,它是现象学态度指导下的面向人们体验世界的不同方式的实征研究方法.现象图析学在认可个体构造不同的基础上所展开的学习者差异分析,不仅可以拓展教育研究范式,指导相关研究工作的开展,也对教育教学实践有着重要的应用意义.     

教育装备系统效能刍议

以教育装备的概念表述、教育装备与教育系统关系的描述及教育装备特征分析为基础,以系统论的思想分析教育装备的结构和功能,提出教育装备系统效能的概念,并分析其效能的影响因素。     

全日制教育硕士研究生教育实习实效评价研究 ——教师专业标准的视角

基于我国《中小学教师专业标准》,聚焦某师范大学教育硕士撰写的100篇教育实习反思日志,以文本分析的方法,对教育硕士研究生教育实习的实效进行了评价研究,并分析了教育实习对教育硕士研究生教师专业素养提升的影响路径和具体表现。研究发现,教育实习对提升教育硕士研究生的教师专业素养有显著的实效。教育实习对教育硕士研究生的专业能力影响最大,突出表现在反思与发展能力方面;教育实习对教育硕士研究生的专业理念和师德也有较大影响,突出表现在其对教师职业的理解和认识方面;教育实习对教育硕士研究生的专业知识有一定影响,主要表现在学科教学知识方面。     

Cultural Factors in Educational Effectiveness: A framework for comparative research

ABSTRACT

Following rapid social and economic development in the Asia-Pacific region in the past decades, there is a growing interest in the cultural differences in schooling between East and West. This interest extends to the cultural forces shaping the features of school processes and dominating the effectiveness of education in terms of students’ academic achievements. Unfortunately, many recent studies and debates about culture suffer from a number of major methodological and conceptual drawbacks, including confusion in conceptions, arbitrary use of cultural terms, over-attribution to cultural effects, and ignorance of levels of analysis. Few studies seem capable of deepening our understanding of cultural or cross-cultural factors in educational effectiveness.