Environmental learning in regions: a social capital based approach. The case of Latvia

How do people learn about the environment and behave accordingly? What is the cognitive process at the base of this learning mechanism? The present paper is a pilot work investigating the dynamics of individual environmental knowledge on the basis of social capital theory. Using Tsai and Ghoshal’s findings, a well known framework widely accepted in organizational studies which supports the existence of a relationship between structural, relational and cognitive dimensions of social capital, and between social capital and knowledge exchange, these dynamics are then tested in the context of environmental behaviour studies. The quantitative analysis is carried out by means of a structural equation model based on data collected in the Republic of Latvia. Results support main theoretical hypotheses, but several effects are found to be highly sensitive to control variables (residence place dimensions, ethnic affiliation, age, personal income), leading to hypothesise a strong dependency of environmental learning patterns on the socio-demographic, socio-economic and cognitive context.     

Early Childhood Educare: Seeking a theoretical framework in Vygotsky's work

This paper argues that there is no meaningful distinction between care and education for young children so that the early childhood field should be renamed early childhood educare. The predominant theoretical framework for early childhood philosophy and curriculum has been Piaget's theory. Piaget's theory describes development as determining current cognitive competence and influencing what children are capable of learning. Children are seen as natural scientists who investigate the world and thereby broaden their understanding. Teachers are expected to stand back and provide resources for children's autonomous learning but not to interfere with it. The paper argues that Vygotsky's theory as applied to the responsive social contexts provided in early childhood educare should be given more consideration because it gives more attention to the importance of the social and cultural context on children's thinking than Piaget. Vygotsky saw learning as driving development and the development of thinking as a shared process rather than an individual one. Children are capable of far more competent performance when they have assistance from adults in their zone of proximal development so adults take a reactive and participatory role. The paper discusses the role of language, the internalisation of interpersonal processes, the importance of intersubjectivity, the need for scaffolding in the zone of proximal development, and the role of both adult and peer tutors according to the author's interpretation of Vygotsky's theory.     

Home environment and second‐language acquisition: the importance of family capital

Framed within Coleman’s theory of family capital, this article examines how different home variables such as family physical, human and social capital affect immigrant children’s second‐language acquisition in the homes of four Chinese immigrant families in Canada. Specifically, the study analyzes the relationships between family physical capital and family investment in second language learning, between parental human capital and levels of parental involvement, and between family social capital and access to familial and community resources. The analysis demonstrates that parental educational backgrounds, their occupational choices and chances, and their adaptation and integration into Canadian society had a significant impact on the families’ accumulation and activation of family capital to support their children’s second‐language learning.     

The New Faces of Head Start: Learning from Culturally Diverse Families

In all communities, rural and urban, the increase of culturally diverse families served requires that Head Start programs support family childrearing practices and build upon cultural strengths to enhance social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development of the Head Start children. This study augments information, in both theory and practice, about Head Start programs which are based on culturally sensitive, child-centered, curriculum models and authentic parent involvement. The study revisits two family literacy projects that have both a participatory focus and include participants from marginalized groups. In these contexts, research findings reveal family childrearing practices which may be supported and built upon to enhance social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development of children in Head Start programs. Practice based on the findings has shown Head Start programs can build rapport through an informal, non- threatening environment, in which staff help parents to feel welcomed and comfortable so that they share the important sociocultural meanings in their lives. This non-threatening environment which enhances multidirectional participatory learning is seen in family literacy groups working in partnership with Head Start.     

The Effectiveness of Workbooks in the Elementary School Reading Program

Abstract

The study examined relations between ethclass group membership, the achievement syndrome of families, and the cognitive performance of 850 11-year-old Australian children from six ethclass groups. A semi- structured interview schedule was constructed to assess parents’ achievement orientations, press for English, press for dependence, educational and occupational aspirations, and individualistic-collectivistic value orientations. Standardized tests were used to measure children’s intelligence and performance in mathematics, word knowledge, and word comprehension. The results support the proposition that if children from different cultural groups are found to be characterized by distinct patterns of cognitive scores, then the groups are characterized by distinct patterns of family learning environments. Also, the findings suggest that some of the achievement syndrome measures may act as threshold variables so that until certain levels of particular environment measures are attained, other family processes may have limited associations with children’s cognitive performance.     

The relationship between university student learning outcomes and participation in social network services,social acceptance and attitude towards school life

Educators try to use social network services (SNSs) in their teaching because they are regarded as beneficial to student learning. However, little research to date has empirically investigated whether the use of an SNS increases university student learning outcomes. A total of 730 university students in the capital area of South Korea participated in the present study. Based on social learning theory, we developed a general structural model that included SNS participation (SP) as an exogenous variable and a range of endogenous variables: cognitive domain learning outcomes, affective domain learning outcomes, social domain learning outcomes, social acceptance (SA) and attitude towards university life (AT). The study results confirmed that the model adequately explained causal relationships between student learning outcomes and SA, AT and SP. SA was identified as a key variable because of its direct effect on learning outcomes. However, SP was considered more important because of its large indirect effects on all learning outcomes through both SA and AT.     

A model of home learning environment and social risk factors in relation to children's emergent literacy and social outcomes

The quality of the home environment is widely recognized as a strong contributor to young children's emergent literacy and social competence and to their subsequent educational success. The present study examined the relationships between family variables (socioeconomic status (SES), social risk factors, and home learning variables) and children's emergent literacy competence and children's social functioning. The sample for this study was obtained by randomly selecting 48 classrooms within three Head Start programs and, then, randomly selecting five girls and five boys from each class. The final sample consisted of 325 families for which information about both child and primary caregiver was obtained from multiple sources (teacher, outside assessor, and primary caregiver). A mediational model was hypothesized and tested using structural equation modeling. The findings are consistent with the hypotheses that family social risk and home learning experiences mediate the association between SES and Head Start children's school readiness in the areas of emergent literacy competence and social functioning.     

进化教育心理学理论对教育的积极意义

进化教育心理学是探讨人类学习和教育的新的理论视角,其核心观点是有效干预教学以保证学生获得生物次级能力,适应现代社会的生活。进化教育心理学在学生认知发展和学习动机方面提出了与建构主义理论不同的观点,不仅为进一步理解学习与教学提供了新的视角,也为解决一些令人困惑的教育问题提供了可行的理论框架。     

家庭社会经济地位与幼儿学习品质的关系:家庭学习环境的中介作用

家庭学习环境是幼儿成长初期最早接触的学习环境,对幼儿学习品质发展具有重要作用。为考察家庭社会经济地位、家庭学习环境与幼儿学习品质的关系,本研究随机抽取来自宁波50所幼儿园的1131名幼儿样本,由幼儿父母报告家庭社会经济地位和家庭学习环境,由教师报告幼儿学习品质。描述性分析、验证性因素分析和中介模型检验的结果显示,年龄较大幼儿的学习品质整体及各维度表现较好;女孩的学习品质整体表现较好,特别是在注意/坚持和学习策略维度上;家庭社会经济地位对幼儿学习品质的总效应显著;家庭学习环境显著正向预测幼儿学习品质;家庭学习环境在家庭社会经济地位与幼儿学习品质之间具有完全中介作用。父母应重视家庭学习环境的作用,并提高实际创设家庭学习环境的能力,促进幼儿学习品质的积极发展。     

幼儿园教育质量对儿童发展增值的影响

儿童发展是衡量学前教育有效性的重要维度,基于多层线性技术的增值评估模型是探讨学前教育有效性的重要方法。本研究采用追踪研究设计,运用增值评估模型,以来自上海12所幼儿园的665名儿童为研究对象,重点探讨在控制个体和家庭背景因素后,班级质量对儿童各领域从中班到大班发展增值的影响。结果发现,教师自我感知的教研支持度对儿童语言与早期阅读领域的发展增值影响显著,并对语言与阅读起始水平低的儿童的语言与阅读发展影响更大。"新手-成熟"的班级教师组合对儿童语言与早期阅读、学习品质两个领域的发展增值具有显著影响。班级互动质量对儿童认知发展增值的影响非常显著,并对学习品质起始水平高的儿童的学习品质发展影响更大。班级语言与早期阅读质量对认知起始水平低的儿童的认知发展有更大影响。个人护理常规质量对儿童社会性情感发展增值的影响非常显著,并对学习品质起始水平低的儿童的学习品质发展有更大影响。为促进儿童全面健康发展,不仅需要以家庭教育为基础,充分发挥家庭教育资源和学习环境的重要作用,而且需要幼儿园以过程性质量为核心,营造温暖、轻松、持续支持的互动与学习环境,注重在一日生活中培养儿童各方面的品质,同时应以结构性质量为保障,发挥师徒制教师组合的优势,构建持续有效的教研制度,尽力提升教师质量。     

Environmental and Individual Influences on Adolescents,Aspirations: A Moderation-Mediation Model

A moderation-mediation model was constructed to examine relationships among distal family contexts, children,s cognitive performance and cognitive attitudes, adolescents, proximal family and school settings, and adolescents, aspirations. The sample in the longitudinal study included 250 female and 250 male 16-year-olds and their parents from Adelaide, Australia. The findings from moderation-mediation investigations and from regression surface analyses indicated that (1) distal family contexts moderate the relations among children,s individual characteristics and adolescents, aspirations, (2) the associations between distal family contexts and adolescents, aspirations are mediated, in part, by the adolescents, perceptions of their parents, and teachers, educational capital, (3) there are different patterns for females and males in terms of relationships among distal family contexts, children,s individual characteristics, perceptions of proximal settings, and adolescents, aspirations and (4) there are family-context differences in the linear and curvilinear nature of the relations among individual characteristics, proximal settings, and adolescents, aspirations, that also vary between females and males in those family contexts.     

社会认知视野下的大学法语教学

基于社会认知理论的外语教学理论目前是我国外语界比较热门的外语教育理论。社会认知理论为我国外语学习者的学习过程、学习动机、学习策略、社会文化环境等因素研究建立了理论基石,也为建构我国本土外语教学理论和教学实践提供了有利的理论支持。本文介绍了社会认知理论的概念,并探讨了社会认知理论对我国大学法语教学的启示——加强课堂教学改革、注重交际能力培养和提高跨文化意识。     

Role of social presence and cognitive absorption in online learning environments

This article investigates the relationships between social presence, cognitive absorption, interest, and student satisfaction in online learning. A hypothesized structural equation model was developed to study these critical variables that may influence interaction in online learning environments. Contrary to expectations, the study determined that social presence does not impact satisfaction directly. However, the study concludes that while social presence is related to student satisfaction, its impact is not direct but rather mediated by cognitive absorption. In addition, the study clarified the impact of students’ interest on social presence, cognitive absorption, and satisfaction. The results of this study indicate that interest affects social presence and satisfaction directly. Additionally, interest appears to influence satisfaction indirectly through social presence and cognitive absorption. Contrary to expectations, this study did not reveal any significant relationship between interest and cognitive absorption.     

Schools, families and children's achievements

Investigations of children's learning contexts have typically shown that, in relation to family environments, school measures have weak associations with children's achievements. Much of the research is restricted, however, by an inadequate conceptualization of both contexts or, if one of the environments is assessed by proximal social-psychological variables, then the other is generally defined by gross social indicators. In the present study a selective evaluation of prior environmental investigations is presented. Then two analyses are considered which attempt to overcome some of the restrictions of previous research. In the two studies regression surfaces are plotted to examine relations between school environments and children's achievements at different family environment levels, with both environments defined by proximal social-psychological variables.     

The effects of metaphorical interface on germane cognitive load in Web-based instruction

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a metaphorical interface on germane cognitive load in Web-based instruction. Based on cognitive load theory, germane cognitive load is a cognitive investment for schema construction and automation. A new instrument developed in a previous study was used to measure students?? mental activities of schema construction and automation supported by structural cues in a metaphorical interface environment. Eighty participants were randomly assigned to one of two types of instructional units with the same instructional content and different interface types (i.e., non-metaphorical interface and metaphorical interface). The results indicated that germane cognitive load positively affected learning performance while there was no relationship between germane cognitive load and students?? prior knowledge. A metaphorical interface enhanced learners?? germane cognitive load and learning performance, and both germane cognitive load and prior knowledge similarly contributed to learning performance. The findings provide implications for the advancement of cognitive load theory and the practice of instructional development.     

Modeling achievement in mathematics: the role of learner and learning environment characteristics

This study examined a structural model of mathematics achievement among Druze 8th graders in Israel. The model integrates 2 psychosocial theories: goal theory and social learning theory. Variables in the model included gender, father's and mother's education, classroom mastery and performance goal orientation, mathematics self-efficacy and self-regulated learning, mastery and performance goals, and mathematics achievement. Data on learner and learning environment variables and achievement in mathematics were collected from 273 boys and girls. Results indicate appropriate fit of the model for the entire sample. Invariance analysis across gender indicated that only 2 of the 11 path coefficients, mother's education on mathematics achievement and classroom mastery goal orientation on self-regulation, were not invariant across gender. The same pattern of relationships accounted for different amounts of variance in mathematics achievement for boys and girls.     

How the socioecological characteristics of the classroom affect academic achievement

The aim of this study was to grasp and understand the social-psychological mechanisms by which the classroom socioecological environment determines academic achievement. We first developed and tested a general theoretical model (on a sample of 51 classrooms containing 1123 junior high school students) which allows us to consider the classroom social climate as a dependent and independent variable. We then attempted to accurately define the influence mechanism and develop a structural model to account for the relationships and interrelationships between variables. We also tried to reach two principal goals in the psychology of learning environments: one is to determine what classroom social environments would be advantageous to students, and the other is to identify the factors that determine that climate. The results indicated a climate-dependent discrepancy between teachers’ grades and achievement test scores. They have some practical implications for optimizing the classroom social climate.     

The differential impact of academic self-regulatory methods on academic achievement among university students with and without learning disabilities

Although research on academic self-regulation has proliferated in recent years, no studies have investigated the question of whether the perceived usefulness and the use of standard self-regulated learning strategies and compensation strategies provide a differential prediction of academic achievement for university students with and without learning disabilities (LD). We developed and tested a model explaining interrelationships among self-regulatory variables and grade point average (GPA) using structural equation modeling and multiple group analysis for students with LD (n = 53) and without LD (n = 421). Data were gathered using a new instrument, the Learning Strategies and Study Skills survey. The results of this study indicate that students with LD differed significantly from students without LD in the relationships between their motivation for and use of standard self-regulated learning strategies and compensation strategies, which in turn provided a differential explanation of academic achievement for students with and without LD. These paths of influence and idiosyncrasies of academic self-regulation among students with LD were interpreted in terms of social cognitive theory, metacognitive theory, and research conducted in the LD field.     

Adjustment of divorced-family day care children

This study examined differences in social and cognitive functioning of divorced- and intact-family preschool-age children enrolled in day care. Additionally explored were the relationships of environmental factors such as family and community support and substitute child care to child adjustment. Subjects were 38 divorced-family children (M=4.82 years) and 42 intact-family children (M=4.82 years) enrolled in three day care centers in a Midwestern suburban community. Parent and child interviews, ratings by day care personnel, and standardized tests were used to gather data. No significant differences in social functioning of divorced- and intact-family children were found. Differences in cognitive functioning favored divorced-family children. Support from extended family was associated with better social functioning of divorced-family children, whereas support from day care center staff was related to better cognitive performance. Findings have implications for research and direct service to divorced-family preschoolage children.     

A Model of Factors Contributing to STEM Learning and Career Orientation

The purpose of this research was to develop and test a model of factors contributing to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning and career orientation, examining the complex paths and relationships among social, motivational, and instructional factors underlying these outcomes for middle school youth. Social cognitive career theory provided the foundation for the research because of its emphasis on explaining mechanisms which influence both career orientations and academic performance. Key constructs investigated were youth STEM interest, self-efficacy, and career outcome expectancy (consequences of particular actions). The study also investigated the effects of prior knowledge, use of problem-solving learning strategies, and the support and influence of informal educators, family members, and peers. A structural equation model was developed, and structural equation modeling procedures were used to test proposed relationships between these constructs. Results showed that educators, peers, and family-influenced youth STEM interest, which in turn predicted their STEM self-efficacy and career outcome expectancy. STEM career orientation was fostered by youth-expected outcomes for such careers. Results suggest that students’ pathways to STEM careers and learning can be largely explained by these constructs, and underscore the importance of youth STEM interest.