An examination into some variables said to affect serial learning

In each of three serial learning investigations, rats in a runway were given varying numbers of 0.045-g food pellets in a fixed order. Serial learning was indexed by faster running to larger than to smaller reward quantities. It has been suggested by Hulse (Animal Learning & Behavior, 1980,8, 689–690) and by Roitblat (Behavioral Brain Sciences, 1982,5, 353–371) that differences between two or more serial learning groups that have been obtained under one set of specified experimental conditions may be completely reversed or eliminated under another set of specified experimental conditions. In each of the three investigations reported here, we examined series that had been compared in previous investigations, employing, however, experimental conditions that, according to Hulse and to Roitblat, should produce results different from those obtained previously. In each of the three investigations reported here, the groups differed as they had previously. The findings obtained in this report suggest that none of the following variables is critical to the results obtained in serial learning investigation in the sense suggested by Hulse and Roitblat: the number of items contained in the series, the number of times the series is presented each day, the temporal interval elapsing between items, and the temporal interval elapsing between series presentations. The implications of the present findings for the rule-encoding view of Hulse and his coworkers and for the memory-discrimination learning view of Capaldi and his coworkers are examined.     

化学研究性学习实施策略研究

在化学学科教学中开展研究性学习,教师应通过创设生动的问题情境,提高学生分析和解决问题的能力;针对不同的学习内容和教学进度采取不同的学习形式,使学生主动地进入积极思考、努力实践的理想境界;教学过程要发扬民主、创设民主和谐的教学氛围,使学生自觉参与到学习活动中去;同时,教师要帮助学生建立自信,要教会学生怎样学习、怎样思考、帮助学生养成严谨求实的科学态度和不断追求、勇于探究的进取精神;在实施过程中,教师应以极大的热情关注学生的学习过程,努力探索建立科学的评价方式.     

Understanding television: An exploratory inquiry into the reconstruction of narrative content

This article examines the claim that television is a “passive” medium, one that does not actively involve the viewer cognitively in ways usually associated with mature information processing. Evidence is reported that suggests active and differential processing of television information by viewers and an increase in the level of sophistication in understanding the medium.     

The role of group work using computational exploratory learning environments within children's learning in science

Specializations: science education, educational computing, science teacher education.     

Going beyond competencies: An exploratory study in defining exemplary workplace learning and performance practitioners

This study was an exploratory investigation used to identify exemplary performance in four of the areas of expertise (AOEs) as described in the American Society for Training and Development's Mapping the Future: New Workplace Learning and Performance Competencies (2004). Qualitative data were collected from the following four AOEs: (1) delivering training, (2) designing learning, (3) improving human performance, and (4) measuring and evaluating. Research suggests that an exemplary performer could have productivity differences 12 times greater than performers at the bottom of the performance scale and 85% greater than an average performer (Hunter, Schmidt, & Judiesch, 1990). Critical incidents were collected from behavioral event interviews of 23 exemplary performers and 9 typical performers. An analysis of the findings suggests that an exemplary performer may hold at least four key behaviors: taking calculated risks, entrepreneurial and visionary planning, documented business performance to support and influence change, and political prudence and leadership savvy.     

Achieving scientific excellence: An exploratory study of the role of emotional and motivational factors

This study investigates the perceived role of psychological factors in achieving excellence in scientific research. Six outstanding scientists aged 33–42 were interviewed. Data were analyzed inductively resulting in three main dimensions: personality traits and characteristics, psychological skills and processes, and task-specific strategies. Researchers highlighted the importance of emotional factors and motivational processes to achieve and sustain scientific excellence. Flexible coping, emotion regulation, and goal setting were emphasized and described as particularly important in dealing with rejections, setbacks, and team management issues. Persistence and adaptive perfectionism were key individual characteristics which helped participants in nurturing and sustaining motivation. This study suggests that the specific impact of emotional, motivational, and other psychological skills at different stages of excellence development is relevant; yet, further investigation is needed.     

Learning illustrated: An exploratory cross-sectional drawing analysis of students' conceptions of learning

Using the draw-a-picture technique, the authors explored the learning conceptions held by students across grade levels. A total of 1,067 Taiwanese students in Grades 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 participated in this study. Participants were asked to use drawing to illustrate how they conceptualize learning. A coding checklist was developed to analyze the features in the students' drawings. Consistent with previous study, the majority of the students' drawings portrayed learning happening in a traditional classroom that is teacher centered, with students depicted as passive listeners. Additionally, three main findings were obtained: (a) younger students held episodic images of learning as opposed to more mature students, (b) the human agents involved in learning shifted from others to self, and (c) negative emotions and attitudes reached a plateau in Grades 6, 8, and 10. The results of the study suggested possible cognitive and emotional developmental trends that warrant further investigation.     

Language learning over 50 at the Open University in Poland: An exploratory study of needs and emotions

This exploratory, retrospective study, which focuses on the needs, attitudes, and emotions of learners attending English as a foreign language courses at the Open University of the University of Warsaw is part of a larger scale project which aims at answering calls voiced, among others, by Boulton-Lewis (2010) to gather more data from older adults and investigate their attitudes to learning; by Storm and Storm (2015) who highlight the importance of understanding the needs of retirees; and of Yates and Kozar (2015), who say that current research into age effects tends to remain without translation into practical teaching. Fifty-four learners enrolled in English as a foreign language courses were asked to fill in a questionnaire and 16 of them were asked to take part in a semi-structured interview. The analyzed data allow us to point to needs, attitudes, emotions, and challenges of those learners and the need to further explore them in order to offer better tailored courses and to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills necessary to support older adult learners.     

Adult support and the exploratory behavior of children with learning disabilities

Low- and moderate-exploratory children with learning disabilities engaged in exploratory behavior independently and with an adult who communicated support in one of two nonintrusive ways. Consistent with a developmental motivation perspective, low- and moderate-exploratory children showed higher levels of exploration under both kinds of supportive conditions.     

Pedagogic affect and its politics: learning to affect and be affected in education

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the critical contribution that affects as bodily capacities to act, engage and connect can make to children’s learning in museums and schools. Drawing chiefly on empirical material collected over the course of visits by school children to Museums Victoria, Australia, and bringing a sociomaterial sensibility to bear, I trace the movements of these children through exhibition spaces and show pedagogic affect at work. I argue that children’s learning can usefully be understood in ways that go beyond social constructivism which underwrites museum learning and school education yet tends to neglect the role of affectivity and material agency in learning, as well as relations of power. As the empirical material shows, the politics of affective practice involve the co-constitution of bodies, spaces and objects in ways that actively intervene in established relations of power. I conclude by calling for a renewed engagement with the affective in education.     

An exploratory study on academic staff perception towards blended learning in higher education

Education and Information Technologies - As the years progresses, higher education has move towards implementing Blended Learning (BL) which is a combination of face-to-face and online mode of...     

Emotional design in multimedia learning: Effects of shape and color on affect and learning

We examine design factors that may evoke positive emotions in learners and investigate the effects of these positive emotions on learning. Recent research showed that the emotional design of multimedia learning material can induce positive emotions in learners that in turn facilitate comprehension and transfer. We sought to replicate these results with a different population and different mood induction procedure and examine individual emotions, and to decompose the effects of the design elements of color and shape. Study 1 showed that well-designed materials induced positive emotions and facilitated comprehension, though transfer performance was not affected by emotional design. Study 2 found that round face-like shapes both alone and in conjunction with warm color induced positive emotions. Warm colors alone, however, did not affect learners' emotions. Comprehension was facilitated by warm colors and round face-like shapes, independently as well as together. Transfer was facilitated by round face-like shapes when used with neutral colors.     

Difficulty and self-efficacy: An exploratory study

Serious games are becoming increasingly popular due to their association with increased learning outcomes when compared to traditional self-regulated learning activities. However, the majority of research examining the outcomes of serious games has focused almost exclusively on learning outcomes. This has resulted in a lack of research examining why these types of games result in increased positive outcomes, such as engagement or performance. This study seeks to address this gap in existing research by examining the relationship between game difficulty and participants’ engagement, performance and self-efficacy in a Pacman style maze navigation game. This required the use of hidden difficulty variations which participants were randomly assigned. Participants engaged with the game over a 5-days practice period. Results from this study suggest that difficulty plays a considerable role in influencing participants’ self-efficacy for the task. Self-efficacy has been consistently linked to positive outcomes such as increased engagement and performance. This highlights the importance of difficulty as a game design factor as well as providing an insight into the manner in which serious games could be further refined in order to increase user’s self-efficacy and associated positive outcomes. Implications for future serious games and self-efficacy research are discussed.     

Erratum: Student affect and conceptual understanding in learning chemistry

In this article (Journal of Research in Science Teaching 2007;44(7):908–937. DOI 10.1002/tea.20169 © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.), part of the author's affiliation had been inadvertently omitted. The corrected affiliation appears above. For the reader's information, the acronym “OISE/UT” stands for “Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto.” The author regrets any inconvenience this may have caused.     

对学习过程基本问题的探讨

对学习心理活动的探讨是心理学家感兴趣的课题之一。从心理学的角度,研究学习理论所涵盖的四个问题:学习过程的本质、学习过程的主体、知识构建的过程和学习活动的结果。     

The diffusion of the learning pyramid myths in academia: an exploratory study

This article examines the diffusion and present day status of a family of unsubstantiated learning-retention myths, some of which are referred to as ‘the learning pyramid’. We demonstrate through an extensive search in academic journals and field-specific encyclopaedias that these myths are indeed widely publicised in academia and that they have gained a considerable level of authority. We also argue that the academic publishing of these myths is potentially harmful to both professional as well as political deliberations on educational issues, and therefore should be criticized and counteracted.     

An exploratory investigation of teaching innovations and learning factors in a lean manufacturing systems engineering course

The use of collaborative activities and simulation sessions in engineering education has been explored previously. However, few studies have investigated the relationship of these types of teaching innovations with other learner characteristics, such as self-efficacy and background knowledge. This study explored the effects of collaborative activities and simulation sessions on learning and the relationships between self-efficacy beliefs, background knowledge, and learning. Data were collected from two different terms in an upper division engineering course entitled Lean Manufacturing Systems Engineering. Findings indicated that the impact of collaborative activities and simulation sessions appears to be different, depending on the concepts being taught. Simulation sessions were found to have a significant effect on self-efficacy beliefs, and background knowledge had a mixed effect on learning. Overall the results of this study highlight the complex set of relationships between classroom innovations, learner characteristics, and learning.