Preferred teaching styles and modes of thinking among university students in mainland China

The present study had three purposes. The first was to further explore the psychometric properties of the Preferred Thinking Styles in Teaching Inventory [Zhang, L. F. (2003). The preferred thinking styles in teaching inventory. Unpublished test. The University of Hong Kong: Hong Kong]. The second was to test the hypothesis that the preferred teaching styles of mainland Chinese university students in the present investigation are similar to those of students in Hong Kong and the United States in previous studies. The final and most important purpose was to examine the incremental validity of modes of thinking beyond students’ self-rated abilities in predicting students’ preferred teaching styles. Two hundred and fifty-six (109 male and 147 female) university students from Beijing, the People's Republic of China, participated in the research.After the reliability and validity of the Preferred Thinking Styles in Teaching Inventory were ascertained, the following findings were obtained. First, like university students in Hong Kong and the United States in previous studies, mainland Chinese students in the present study also expressed a strong like for teaching styles that are creativity-generating and that allow collaborative work. Similarly, they indicated a strong dislike for teaching styles that are norm-conforming, that require multi-tasking but without communicating a sense of priority, and that restrict students to working individually, without collaboration with others. Going beyond the previous studies, the present study found that an integrative mode of thinking positively contributed to students’ preference for teaching styles that are creativity-generating and that encourage group work, but negatively contributed to students’ preference for teaching styles that are norm-favoring and that discourage collaborative work. Implications of these findings are discussed in relation to teaching that accommodates diverse thinking styles and teaching that generates creative thinking.     

斯腾伯格思维风格理论的研究进展

思维风格就是指人们较为喜欢用某种方式来进行思维。斯腾伯格的心理自我管理理论是一种描述风格的理论,在他的理论中按照5个维度共划分了13种思维风格。斯腾伯格给出了测量思维风格的工具——思维风格问卷,中国学者也对其作了一定的修订。斯腾伯格的心理自我管理理论中所提出的思维风格与格里戈雷科提出的三种中心均有相关,思维风格与思维模型的相关体现了它具有认知中心的特点；思维风格与人格的相关体现了它的人格中心的特点；思维风格与学业成绩的相关体现了它的行为中心的特点。     

Thinking styles: teaching and learning styles in graduate education students

This study investigated the relationship between two intellectual styles approaches: Sternberg’s thinking styles of teachers and Felder and Silverman’s learning styles. Ninety‐five graduate students majoring in special education, reading, educational leadership and curriculum, and elementary education completed the Thinking Styles in Teaching Inventory (TSTI) and the Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire (ILS). Several thinking styles from Sternberg’s theory of self‐government were highly to moderately correlated with Felder’s learning styles. The TSTI did not differentiate between master’s and doctoral students, but the ILS did so. Participants differed in their thinking styles in teaching and in their learning styles, based on their educational major.     

Thinking styles and academic stress coping among Chinese secondary school students

Abstract

This study investigated the predictive power of thinking styles for academic stress coping. Participants were 563 (280 males, 275 females, 8 gender unspecified) secondary school students in grades 7 through 12 from mainland China. Thinking styles were measured using the Thinking Styles Inventory-Revised II which was based on the theory of mental self-government. Coping strategies were measured by the COPE-Revised, which was derived from Carver’s COPE (1989). Results showed that thinking styles had statistically significant predictive power for academic stress-coping strategies beyond age and gender, largely in the expected directions. Theoretical implications for research on intellectual styles and coping are discussed; and some practical implications for school teachers and students are proposed.     

Thinking Styles and the Big Five Personality Traits

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between thinking styles and the big five personality traits. One-hundred-and-fifty-four (mean age 20 years) second-year university students from Hong Kong participated in the study. Participants responded to the Thinking Styles Inventory based on Sternberg's theory of mental self-government and to the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI, Costa & McCare, 1992). Although significant relationships were identified between particular thinking styles and certain personality traits, it was concluded that it is premature to claim that a personality measure, such as the NEO-FFI can be used to measure thinking styles.     

Are achievement motivation and thinking styles related? A visit among Chinese university students

The present study examined the relationships between thinking styles and achievement motivation among Chinese university students. The Thinking Styles Inventory — Revised (TSI-R; Sternberg, Wagner, & Zhang, 2003) and the Achievement Motives Scale (AMS; Gjesme & Nygard, 1970; Ye & Hagtvet, 1988) were administered to 238 Chinese university students from Shanghai, the People's Republic of China. Results largely supported the hypothesis that the more creativity-generating and complex thinking styles (Type I styles) were positively correlated with achievement motivation to approach success (MS), and negatively correlated with achievement motivation to avoid failure (MF). Results partially supported the hypothesis that the more norm-favoring and simplistic thinking styles (Type II styles) had negative correlation with MS, and positive correlation with MF. The study also found that the situation-/task-dependent thinking styles (Type III styles) were positively correlated with MS, and negatively correlated with MF. Implications for educational practice were discussed.     

Thinking styles and conceptions of creativity among university students

This research aims to understand university students’ thinking styles and the relationship with their views of creativity. The Thinking Styles Inventory‐Revised II was used to measure 13 thinking styles as defined in Sternberg’s theory of mental self‐government and the Conceptions of Creativity Scales was used to inquire students’ views about the conditions for evaluating creativity from six aspects: intelligence, knowledge, style of thinking, personality, motivation and learning environment. Significant relationships were identified between thinking styles and conceptions of creativity. This research contributes to the understanding about the relationship between conceptions of creativity and thinking styles, and brings insights for educators about educational innovations, as one of the key objectives of educational innovations is to develop creativity of the younger generation.     

Are Thinking Styles and Personality Types Related?

The relationship between thinking styles and personality types is investigated within the contexts of Sternberg's theory of mental self-government and Holland's theory of personality types. A total of 600 university students from Hong Kong responded to the Thinking Styles Inventory (TSI) and the Short-version Self-directed Search (SVSDS) that was specially designed for the present study. A major finding of this study is that thinking styles and personality types overlap to a degree. A secondary finding is that the SVSDS is sufficiently reliable and valid for assessing Holland's personality types. Implications of both findings are discussed.     

A validation study of the thinking styles inventory: Implications for gifted education

This study examined internal and external validity of the Thinking Styles Inventory (TSI) developed by Sternberg and Wagner (1991) within the framework of Sternberg's (1988) theory of mental self‐government. Participants were 96 adolescent students who were in a summer residential program at the time of testing. The results provide evidence of the external discriminant validity, but only lend partial support to the internal validity of the instrument, suggesting the need to theoretically clarify the relationships between and among posited thinking styles as well as empirically test the validity of these thinking styles measures. Implications of thinking styles for gifted education are discussed.     

Do age and gender make a difference in the relationship between intellectual styles and abilities?

This article reports two studies that aim at further distinguishing intellectual styles from abilities by taking into account the confounding effects of age and gender on the relationship between these two constructs. Two independent groups of secondary school students responded to the Thinking Styles Inventory-Revised and took the Sternberg Triarchic Abilities Test (Level H). Both sets of results suggested that although statistically significant relationships could be identified between thinking styles and abilities, when age and gender were put under control, styles and abilities became fundamentally independent. Implications of this finding for students and teachers are discussed.     

Revisiting thinking styles' contributions to the knowledge and use of and attitudes towards computing and information technology

This study examines the role of students' thinking styles in their knowledge and use of as well as in their attitudes towards the use of computing and information technology (CIT) in education. One hundred and five students from a large university in Texas responded to the Thinking Styles Inventory and to a brief measure of their attitudes towards the use of CIT in education. Between the present study and a previous study of Hong Kong students, the following common findings have been obtained. First, the more creativity-generating thinking styles positively predicted knowledge and use of CIT as well as a favorable attitude towards the use of CIT in education, whereas the more norm-conforming thinking styles negatively did so. Second, female students reported less knowledge and use of CIT. Minor differences were also identified between the U.S. and Hong Kong groups. These findings have implications for teachers, staff development personnel, and for CIT program designers.     

Changes in BSc Business Administration and Psychology students’ learning styles over one,two and three years of study

Knowledge on general or discipline-specific changes in the learning styles of university students can be utilised in the design and execution of courses, but little is known of such changes. The study examined the changes in the learning styles of three year groups of BSc Business Administration and Psychology students from admittance to one, two and three years later for the three year groups respectively. Learning styles were measured using the Danish Self-Assessment Learning Styles Inventory, which is an adaptation of Sternberg's MSG Thinking Styles Inventory within the theory of mental self-government. The Hierarchic and Oligarchic learning styles decreased significantly for all three year groups. The Judicial learning style increased significantly for the year groups who had studied for two and three years. The Global learning style increased significantly for the year group who had studied for one year. The findings are discussed in relation to comparable research.     

Do thinking styles contribute to metacognition beyond self‐rated abilities?

The principal objective of this study was to explore the predictive power of thinking styles for metacognition when self‐rated abilities were taken into account. As a preliminary step, the study examined the psychometric properties of the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI). Four hundred and twenty‐four university students from mainland China responded to the MAI, the Thinking Styles Inventory‐Revised II, and the Self‐Rated Ability Scale. The study ascertained the reliability and validity of the MAI. More importantly, results suggested that three creativity‐generating styles (hierarchical, liberal and legislative) and the executive style predicted metacognition beyond self‐rated abilities. Practical significance of the main research finding was discussed for university faculty members, students and university senior managers.     

择业期内大学生应对方式与心理健康的相关研究

目的探讨择业期内大学生应对方式与心理健康之间的相关性及其应对方式的特点;方法：采取应对方式问卷和症状自评量表对山西省境内三所高校随机抽取的120名应届本科大学生进行测评;结果：不同应对方式的选择对择业期内大学生的心理健康水平有明显的影响,其中“求助”这一应对方式可有效地帮助大学生调节心理健康水平,“自责”“退避”“合理化”三项因子和心理健康呈明显负相关;结论：择业期内大学生合理选择应对方式对保持心理健康有重要意义。     

Organisational commitments and teaching styles among academics in mainland China

This research pioneered the investigation of the predictive power of organisational commitments for academics’ teaching styles. Participants were 370 faculty members from 15 higher educational institutions in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China. Results showed that academics’ organisational commitments as measured by the Organisational Commitment Inventory statistically significantly predicted their teaching styles as assessed by the Thinking Styles in Teaching Inventory over and above their gender, age, taught academic discipline and academic rank. Practical implications of the findings are proposed for academics and for university senior managers.     

Teaching Styles among Shanghai Teachers in Primary and Secondary Schools

This study had two aims. The first was to validate further Sternberg’s theory of mental self‐government in a Chinese cultural setting. The second was to investigate the relationship between teaching styles and teachers’ characteristics. Two hundred and three (64 males, 139 females) primary and secondary school teachers from Shanghai, mainland China, participated in the study. Research participants responded to the Chinese version of the Thinking Styles in Teaching Inventory (TSTI), based on Sternberg’s theory of mental self‐government. They also provided a range of demographic information including gender, age, educational level, number of years of teaching experience, subject area taught, and grade taught. The results showed that the TSTI is basically a reliable and valid inventory for assessing the teaching styles of primary and secondary school teachers in Shanghai. The results also found that some teaching styles differed statistically in relation to teachers’ particular personal variables, and partially supported the viewpoint that thinking styles are socialised. The general implications of these findings for teaching in primary and secondary schools are discussed.     

From conceptions of effective teachers to styles of teaching: Implications for higher education

The present study investigates the predictive power of conceptions of effective teachers for teaching styles. Ninety-three academic staff from two large comprehensive universities in the People's Republic of China responded to The Effective Teacher Inventory [Zhang, L.F. (2003). The effective teacher inventory. Unpublished test, The University of Hong Kong: Hong Kong.] and to the Thinking Styles in Teaching Inventory [Grigorenko, E.L., & Sternberg, R.J. (1993). Thinking styles in teaching inventory. Unpublished test, Yale University.]. Results suggested that teachers who considered being superior in research-related activities as a more important attribute of an effective university teacher reported that they taught more conservatively, whereas teachers who perceived teaching-related activities as being more critical functions of an effective teacher reported that they taught more creatively. Implications of this finding for university teachers and administrators are discussed.     

汉英思维差异与科技翻译

思维离不开语言，同时也支配着语言。中英思维方式之间存在巨大差异。思维方式的差异导致了语言的差异。翻译本质上是思维方式的转换。研究汉英思维差异对科技翻译大有帮助。     

文化差异与英汉翻译

思维是人类所特有的，有其共性，也有其个性。传统思维对传统文化的影响，主要表现在思维才式与思维形象上。思维方式、思维形象的异同会造成语言文化差异，翻译时可采取思维方式的转换、思维形象的转换与移植来处理。     

浅析思维方式差异在翻译中的具体表现

分析讨论了英语与汉语的思维方式差异在翻译过程中的具体表现。不同的哲学思想决定了不同的思维方式，思维方式的不同对翻译有极大的影响，主要表现在词汇搭配和语法结构上。