Development and Validation of the Star Properties Concept Inventory

Concept inventories (CIs)—typically multiple-choice instruments that focus on a single or small subset of closely related topics—have been used in science education for more than a decade. This paper describes the development and validation of a new CI for astronomy, the Star Properties Concept Inventory (SPCI). Questions cover the areas of stellar properties (focussing primarily on mass, temperature, luminosity, and lifetime), nuclear fusion, and star formation. Distracters were developed from known alternative conceptions and reasoning difficulties commonly held by students. The SPCI was tested through an iterative process where different testing formats (open-ended, multiple-choice?+?explain, and multiple-choice) were compared to ensure that the distracters were in fact the most common among the testing population. Content validity was established through expert reviews by 26 astronomy instructors. The SPCI Version 3 was then tested in multiple introductory undergraduate astronomy courses for non-science majors. Post-test scores (out of 23 possible) were significantly greater (M?=?11.8, SD?=?3.87) than the pre-test scores (M?=?7.09, SD?=?2.73). The low post-test score—only 51.3%—could indicate a need for changing instructional strategies on the topics of stars and star formation.     

Development of the Biological Experimental Design Concept Inventory (BEDCI)

Interest in student conception of experimentation inspired the development of a fully validated 14-question inventory on experimental design in biology (BEDCI) by following established best practices in concept inventory (CI) design. This CI can be used to diagnose specific examples of non–expert-like thinking in students and to evaluate the success of teaching strategies that target conceptual changes. We used BEDCI to diagnose non–expert-like student thinking in experimental design at the pre- and posttest stage in five courses (total n = 580 students) at a large research university in western Canada. Calculated difficulty and discrimination metrics indicated that BEDCI questions are able to effectively capture learning changes at the undergraduate level. A high correlation (r = 0.84) between responses by students in similar courses and at the same stage of their academic career, also suggests that the test is reliable. Students showed significant positive learning changes by the posttest stage, but some non–expert-like responses were widespread and persistent. BEDCI is a reliable and valid diagnostic tool that can be used in a variety of life sciences disciplines.     

Development of the Statistical Reasoning in Biology Concept Inventory (SRBCI)

We followed established best practices in concept inventory design and developed a 12-item inventory to assess student ability in statistical reasoning in biology (Statistical Reasoning in Biology Concept Inventory [SRBCI]). It is important to assess student thinking in this conceptual area, because it is a fundamental requirement of being statistically literate and associated skills are needed in almost all walks of life. Despite this, previous work shows that non–expert-like thinking in statistical reasoning is common, even after instruction. As science educators, our goal should be to move students along a novice-to-expert spectrum, which could be achieved with growing experience in statistical reasoning. We used item response theory analyses (the one-parameter Rasch model and associated analyses) to assess responses gathered from biology students in two populations at a large research university in Canada in order to test SRBCI’s robustness and sensitivity in capturing useful data relating to the students’ conceptual ability in statistical reasoning. Our analyses indicated that SRBCI is a unidimensional construct, with items that vary widely in difficulty and provide useful information about such student ability. SRBCI should be useful as a diagnostic tool in a variety of biology settings and as a means of measuring the success of teaching interventions designed to improve statistical reasoning skills.     

The Force Concept Inventory as a Measure of Students Conceptual Coherence

The Force Concept Inventory (FCI) is a multiple choice test designed to monitor students’ understanding of the conceptual domain of force and related kinematics (Hestenes et al. Physics Teacher 30:141–158 1992; Halloun et al., 1995, Online at http://modeling.asu.edu/R&E/Research.html). It has gained wide popularity among both researchers and physics instructors in the United States and elsewhere. The FCI has also been criticized, and its validity as a measure of the coherence of a student’s understanding of the force concept has been questioned. In this paper we provide a characterization of students’ conceptual coherence and a way to evaluate it using the FCI. We divide students’ conceptual coherence into three aspects: representational coherence (the ability to use multiple representations and move between them), contextual coherence (the ability to apply a concept across a variety of contexts), and conceptual framework coherence (the ability to fit related concepts together, i.e. to integrate and differentiate between them). Postinstruction FCI results and interview data from two Finnish high school groups (n=49 total) are discussed; the data provide evidence that the FCI can be used to evaluate students’ conceptual coherence—especially contextual coherence—of the force concept.     

从传统发展观到和谐发展观

传统发展观是资源"无限意识"的发展观,经济增长发展观和人类中心主义发展观。可持续发展观是对传统发展观的反思,但其本身也面临实践和理论上的难题。要想把人类从发展的困境中解救出来,唯一的出路就是回归和谐。从传统发展观到和谐发展观体现了发展观的深层变革。     

论音乐概念的发展

音乐是人类文化中最为古老的一门学科,也是在整个人类历史时期和社会中,人类所取得的最伟大的成就之一。它是在人类迫切要求与微观世界和宏观世界取得联系的过程中诞生的。音乐对人类的影响和作用也是前所未有的。随着人们认识能力、思维观念的发展与进步,随着科学技术的发展,音乐在其表现能力、表现形式、作用与功能等方面都发生了(和正在发生)巨大的变化,“音乐”的外延与内涵也正随时代的进步而发展。     

蜘蛛的减数分裂

以角类肥蛛的精巢为材料对蜘蛛的减数分裂各个时期进行了观察,结果表明,蜘蛛精巢是减数分裂实验的好材料.     

列宁的以人为本思想

科学发展观是中国共产党关于发展的重要思想,其中以人为本是这个理论的核心。这个思想是对马克思主义发展理论的继承与发展,列宁的以人为本思想为今天的科学发展观提供了重要的理论依据。列宁的以人为本思想反映了列宁一切从实际出发的品质。     

发展观的理论创新

邓小平在坚持和继承毛泽东发展观的基础上,赋予它以鲜明的时代内容和时代特色,形成了自己的发展观。邓小平理论的核心是发展问题,发展是硬道理,发展问题是关系到社会主义前途命运的根本性问题,发展的核心是经济发展。在新的历史时期对邓小平的发展观进行研究和探讨,对于理解和掌握它的时代内容和精神实质,对于深刻理解和认真落实党中央提出的"坚持以人为本,全面、协调、可持续发展的发展观",加快全面建设小康社会,促进经济社会和人的全面发展,具有重大的理论和现实意义。     

Development of a Concept for Quality Management in Engineering Education

Due to the fact that the quality area has its roots firmly established primarily in the statistical research tradition, its rapid and extensive development mainly towards the management‐oriented area has created different kinds of problems. This paper discusses different consequences of this development. The paper further describes how quality issues are treated in various types of educational scenarios at the College of Applied Engineering and Maritime Studies at Chalmers University of Technology.     

Development of the Preferences for College Counseling Inventory

This study describes the development of the Preferences for College Counseling Inventory (PCCI). In addition to providing data about college students' preferences for the logistics of counseling and the demographic/professional background of a potential therapist, the PCCI also provides numerical scores on 3 scales (Therapist Expertise, Therapist Warmth, and Therapist Directiveness) that measure preferences for therapist dispositions and 2 scales (Task‐Oriented Activities and Experiential/Insight‐Oriented Activities) that measure preferences for counseling activities.     

剖析在摒弃庸俗发展观中坚持科学发展观

“对立统一”是唯物辩证法的核心。针对我国经济和社会发展中存在的“对立”,党中央鲜明的提出了用科学发展观“统领全局”,但在实践中,“庸俗发展观”也不时抬头。在剖析“庸俗发展观”错误实质的基础上,深入地论述了如何坚持科学发展观的问题,对于我们在实践中贯彻和落实科学发展观有一定的指导意义。     

Enhancing Force Concept Inventory diagnostics to identify dominant misconceptions in first-year engineering physics

This work presents the results of a study whose aim is to detect systematic errors about the concept of force among freshmen students. The researchers analysed the results of the Force Concept Inventory test, which was administered to two different groups of students. The results show that, although there were significant performance variations between the two groups, they, nonetheless, shared common incorrect answers that were consistently triggered by the same misconceptions. The analysis proposed in this paper could also be applied in other universities to reveal the students’ a priori mindset in Newtonian mechanics and serve as a guideline for developing effective computer simulations or other tools.     

论科学发展观实现了发展理念上的四大变革

科学发展观是在总结我国发展实践经验和借鉴外国发展理念的基础上,实现了发展理念上的四大变革:从物本主义发展观到以人为本发展观;从唯经济发展观到社会全面发展观;从自发发展观到协调发展观;从不可持续发展观到可持续发展观。     

科学发展观:中国共产党发展观的新突破

科学发展观是中国共产党发展观的新突破。它是马克思主义发展观与中国实际相结合的最新成果；是吸收了世界明进步的科学结晶；是对我国社会主义建设历史经验和教训的最新总结。它必将为中国全面建设小康社会和早日实现中华民族的伟大复兴注入新的活力。     

科学发展观与和谐衡阳建设

科学发展观是和谐社会建设的行动指南,和谐社会建设是落实科学发展观的核心。因此,在衡阳现有的基础上,全面落实科学发展观,才能合理促进衡阳经济社会全面发展与人的全面发展,并最终达到社会和谐。     

教育理念的反思与人的全面发展

素质教育首先是一种教育理念,它体现了教育的本质和目的。素质教育就是要塑造学生知识、能力与人格三者的统一,其本质和根本目的是实现人的全面发展。     

切实搞好深入学习实践科学发展观活动

开展深入学习实践科学发展观活动是山西电大今年政治生活中的头等大事.我们要深刻领会学习实践活动的重要意义,紧密联系电大远程教育实际,加强组织领导,确保学习实践活动取得实效.