Diversity in school performance feedback systems

As data-based decision making is receiving increased attention in education, more and more school performance feedback systems (SPFSs) are being developed and used worldwide. These systems provide schools with data on their functioning. However, little research is available on the characteristics of the different SPFSs. Therefore, this study reflects on the characteristics of SPFSs to provide feedback designers and users arguments for making sound choices in selecting SPFSs with particular characteristics. The results of our study show that the 5 SPFSs selected for the purpose of comparison differ with respect to features related to data gathering and data analysis processes, the content, and the numerical measures and representation modes used. A wide variety can be detected in terms of the complexity and accuracy of data modeling. Users need to be properly informed about the underlying rationale for the features of each SPFS, and on the limitations and strengths of the performance indicators used.     

Audio-visual education in urban school systems

Summary impressions In some ways, this report shows progress in audio-visual education. The work is being headed up by more widespread adoption of central coordination, more classroom teachers are prepared to use audio-visual materials in their classes, and there is more wide-spread use of the materials. On the other hand, there are some urgent needs that become so evident from these data. “More time” is the need, “more central coordination” is the need, “more adapted classrooms” is the need, and separately and behind all these is the need for “better support.” This article is a digest of a report given at the DAVI national convention in Los Angeles in April. The address was entitled “A First Look at Findings of the NEA Survey of the Status of Audio-Visual Education in City and County School Systems.” Victor Hornbostel is assistant director of the Research Division of the National Education Association and supervisor of the survey which is reported.     

Community participation in large public school systems

In a 1980 nationwide survey of school systems enrolling 50,000 or more students, it was found that community participation existed at the local school and districtwide levels for all 66 school systems, while 42 (67%) also reported community participation at the decentralized level. School systems with 50,000 to 74,900 students exhibited lower community participation scores than larger school systems with 75,000 or more students. Predominantly white school systems (+50%) tended to have higher community participation scores than predominantly minority school systems (+50%) at the local school and districtwide levels. At the decentralized level, the community participation scores between predominantly white and minority schools were similar. Suburban school systems' community participation scores were higher than city and county school systems' scores at the local, decentralized, and districtwide levels; county school systems' scores were lower at all three organizational levels. Community participation tended to be higher in the Southwest and West and lowest in the Midwest.     

初中“物理实践活动”初探

在新颁布的九年义务教育全日制初中物理教学大纲的调整意见中 ,新增加了“物理实践活动” ,本文对实践活动的目的和意义 ,内容和形式进行了探讨 ,并给出了多个操作范例供读者参考     

The role of children's journals in elementary school science activities

Abstract: This article reports on a study that investigated the ways that children's use of science journals aided their acquisition of science understandings in one kindergarten and one fourth‐grade classroom. The questions for investigation were: how does the child contextualize the science experience on the journal page? How do child‐produced graphics on the journal page reflect the children's experiences with other school texts? The study found that children recontextualized their understandings of the science investigation and phenomena by using three types of mental contexts that were reflected in their science journals: these contexts were imaginary, experienced, and investigative worlds. By drawing on these three worlds or internal contexts, the children were able to pull the external phenomenon into an internal context that was familiar to them. The child's construction of ideas about a current science experience as expressed on the journal page may reflect experiences with other conventional texts. In this study the children's representations of their imaginary, experienced and/or investigative worlds were shaped by other texts and structures such as school science texts. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 38: 43–69, 2001     

普通高中有效开展志愿者活动途径的探寻

本文尝试从社区、学校、老师和学生等四个维度三个方面为志愿者活动筹划和准备:加强学校与社区的联系,为志愿者活动提供支撑;加强普及知识与开发课程的联系,为志愿者活动提供辅助;"旁观者"到"参与者",学生转变为志愿者活动实施的主体。     

The sequence of learning cycle activities in high school chemistry

The sequence of the three phases of two high school learning cycles in chemistry was altered in order to: (I ) give insights into the factors which account for the success of the learning cycle, (2) serve as an indirect test of the association between Piaget's theory and the learning cycle, and (3) to compare the learning cycle with traditional instruction. Each of the six sequences (one n o d and five altered) was studied with content and atritudc measures. The outcomes of the study supported the contention that the normal learning cycle sequence is the optimum sequence for achievement of content knowledge.     

The resurgence of everyday experiences in school science learning activities

Cultural Studies of Science Education - Science education can be alienating for students, as it is apart from the mundane world with which they are familiar. Science education research has...     

History of A-V education in city school systems

Summary One of the significant movements in the history of audio-visual communication was the development of audio-visual departments in city school systems. This line of development took four forms. Educational school museums were founded, slide libraries were organized, film libraries were established, and nondepartmentalized audio-visual education developed. In most instances, audio-visual budgets, materials, and personnel were limited. Most materials consisted of slides and stereographs rather than films. The two most commonly used distribution methods were the “circuit” and “special-order” methods. Film evaluation and utilization were still hardly touched; however, the Berkeley Visual Education Department published a graded list of films and slides as early as 1923. Generally, the growth of visual education considerably increased the complexity of educational administration and created some confusion as to the precise status of audio-visual directors or coordinators. This is the second in a series of papers designed to provide an historical account of audio-visual communication. The first article, “Historical Overview of Audio-Visual Communication,” appeared in the Spring 1954 issue. Paul Saettler is assistant professor of education, Sacramento State College, California. The study from which this paper is drawn was completed for the PhD degree at the University of Southern California.     

Students' self-efficacy for science in different school systems

The important role of self-efficacy (SE) in students' motivation, engagement, persistence, and academic achievements has been reconfirmed by ample research, both in general and for STEM disciplines. As most studies focused on traditional school systems, additional research is needed on how science SE develops in different educational environments, which was the goal of this study. Data were collected from 1979 students in Grades 5–9 from 19 traditional, Waldorf, and democratic schools in Israel. Students completed a questionnaire that assessed their science self-efficacy (SSE), general and academic self-efficacy (GASE), and the sources of their SSE: teachers', parents', and peers' social persuasions, vicarious experiences and mastery experiences. Results revealed that SSE and GASE differed in their levels and in the way they changed with grade. These differences, and variations in the roles of the various sources of SSE, appeared to be influenced by the schools' cultures and curricula. Quantitative results are accompanied by verbal illustrative examples from interviews with students and teachers.     

Diversity and progress in school accountability systems in Australia

School education in Australia is a complex interplay between federal and state governments, and between government and non-government schools. This article explores the supervision of schools in Australia through school accountability systems. Utilising publicly available documents a systematic analysis of the state and territory systems for government schools is provided. It is a paper that attempts to document rather than critique school accountability, although a conceptual framework utilising contractual, moral and professional accountability is used to analyse the different accountability processes reported upon. Contractual and moral accountability is supported by most systems, whilst there is potential to foster professional accountability in only two systems. Fostering professional accountability is important because this is where the internal motivation of teachers helps to drive school improvement. When compared to leading-edge systems, Australian accountability systems are lacking in judgements on teaching practice in individual classrooms, and the use of sophisticated measures of learning and value-added analysis.     

Inequalities in school systems: effect of school structure or of society structure?

In this study the authors start from the observed fact that equality of opportunities of educational achievement is higher in integrated school systems than in differentiated school systems. In other words, in integrated school systems, a pupil’s school achievement depends less than elsewhere on the social and cultural resources of his or her family. However, before concluding that school structure has a significant influence on inequalities at school, it is important to distinguish between the influence of the socio‐economic context underlying each school system, and the specific influence of the structure or organisation of the school system itself. The fact is that not only do the most egalitarian countries with regard to schooling have in common an integrated structure, but also these schools are set within the context of countries which are more egalitarian in other ways, particularly with regard to income distribution. To distinguish between the influence of this social environment and that of school structure, the authors offer three analyses based on a comparative analysis of international databases measuring educational achievement. The results of these three analyses lend credence to the hypothesis that the structure of the school system has a specific effect on the extent of inequalities.     

The activities and impact of personalisation in a UK business school

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to consider the activities and impact of personalisation in a UK higher education setting. It considered how personalisation has affected outputs in terms of progression, achievement, internship, enterprise project and international placement uptake within the Nottingham Business School at Nottingham Trent University. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with members of the personalisation team and those delivering personalisation. The quantitative data pertains to outputs in terms of success rates, particularly with regard to when the personalisation project began, in 2015/16. The findings suggest that the personalisation process involved engagement, interaction and reflection to meet the needs and requirements of the learner; it also provided them with options. This contributes to improving success rates, particularly when the Personalisation project began.