Nurturing generic capabilities through a teaching and learning environment which provides practise in their use

Results from a programme level survey at a university in Hong Kong were used to select six departments which had good records in developing graduate capabilities. Focus group interviews were conducted with students in the departments to discover which capabilities students thought were important, how the capabilities were nurtured and the influence of the teaching and learning environment on their development. Analysis of the data showed that the findings were consistent with a previous quantitative model. Capabilities were developed if the curriculum made demands on students to practise the use of the capability. Intellectual capabilities were nurtured through active learning experiences, performed in class or for assessment, which required the practise of the capability. Communication and teamwork skills developed through group projects and activities in which communication was practised.     

Engagement in learning: a comparison between Asian and European international university students

Drawing on research on both engagement in learning and approaches to learning, we examine the associations between international students’ approaches to learning, factors in the teaching/learning environment and self-assessed academic outcomes. A total of 307 students responded to our survey. Their experience of the purposefulness of their course assignments and the relevance of their studies was related to students having a deep approach to learning and being organised in their studies. Moreover, students applying a deep approach to learning and being organised in studying seemed to perceive their study success more positively. Furthermore, the better students’ perception of how well their courses were organised and aligned with other studies, the lower their stress level was. The Asian students in our study exhibited a slightly more surface approach to learning, and were more organised in their studies than the European students, but the differences were very small.     

Building bridges to student learning: Perceptions of the learning environment,engagement, and learning outcomes among Chinese undergraduates

The study examined the relationships among students’ perceptions of the learning environment, prior academic achievement, engagement, and learning outcomes (cumulative university GPA, generic skills development, and learning satisfaction) with a sample of 2,616 seniors from a full-time research-oriented university in Mainland China. The results supported a model which showed that students’ perceptions of the learning environment and prior academic achievement had direct effects on learning outcomes, and indirect effects via their engagement. The effects, however, varied depending on the type of the outcome in question: (1) Student engagement mediated the relationship between course experience and generic skills development, (2) cocurricular experience positively predicted learning satisfaction, (3) first semester GPA positively predicted cumulative university GPA, and (4) National College Entrance Examination scores did not correlate with any other factor. A major proportion of the variance in the three types of learning outcomes was accounted for by the model, showing its effectiveness in predicting university students’ learning. Implications for improving undergraduate education in China are provided.     

高中生英语学习策略与自主学习能力的相关性探究

通过对浙江省某重点高中256名学生进行问卷调查,探究了学习策略与自主学习能力之间的相互关系。双变量相关分析发现,英语学习策略与自主学习能力之间的相关性较高;多元线性回归分析显示,在六个学习策略维度中,只有情感策略、社交策略和记忆策略对自主学习能力具有较强的预测力;英语学习策略与自主学习能力所建立的递归模型具有较好的拟合度。基于研究结果,尝试为高中生学习策略的培养以及提高其自主学习能力提供一些参考。     

网络教学环境下学生创新能力的培养

随着现代信息技术的高速发展,培养学生的创新能力已成为我国当前教育改革的主要目标。传统教育过分强调知识的接受与掌握,从而在实践中导致了对学生认知过程的片面理解。而基于网络环境的教学强调的是学生的主体性,对学生创新能力的培养具有非常重要的意义。本文基于网络教学环境自身的特点,从创新能力的内涵出发,阐述了培养学生创新能力的重要性,提出培养学生创新能力的有效策略。     

The development and recovery of social capital through community-based adult learning

This paper explores the connection between participation in community-based adult learning (CBAL) and the development of social capital. It is based on a life-history study of participation in community-based adult learning opportunities undertaken in two local authority areas in Scotland. A life-history approach was chosen in order to ensure that the learners' perspectives were at the heart of the research while taking account of the context in which learning took place. Two semi-structured life history interviews were carried out with each of 10 learners and data were analysed in three stages, which led to the identification of cross-cutting themes. The paper explores the learners' experiences of participating in CBAL as described by them. It confirms for CBAL what has been established previously for other types of adult learning, namely that participation can support the development of social capital for some learners. Furthermore, it is argued that other learners were able to recover decreased or lost social capital through their participation. The paper contributes to an understanding of community-based adult learning as part of the continuum of lifelong learning opportunities, as it illustrates the potential of CBAL not only to support the development of social capital, but also to help learners recover capital that might have decreased through their life circumstances.     

创建和谐校园应以改善师生成才环境为突破口

创建和谐校园是构建和谐社会和促进学校健康发展的必然要求,各地在和谐校园创建中普遍热情高涨并大力推进。然而其进展与成效却不尽如人意。唯有切实把握住师生成才这个学校发展与校园和谐的关键,以改善师生成才环境作为创建和谐校园的突破口。才能有效推进和谐校园的创建。     

Perceptions of the learning environment,learning preferences,and approaches to studying among medical students in Pakistan

Students at a Pakistani medical college were surveyed using instruments taken from Western research. The students who rated their courses positively tended to adopt an organised approach in their learning and studying. The students who perceived that their assessment and workload were inappropriate preferred a transmissive approach to teaching and adopted a surface approach in their learning and studying. The students who preferred a student-centred approach to teaching tended to adopt a deep approach in their learning and studying. This confirms the idea, well established in Western research, that there exists a strong relationship between students’ perceptions of their courses and the approaches that they adopt on those courses. However, the incorporation of problem-based learning in the medical curriculum had not led to any enhancement of their perceptions and preferences, nor had it led to an unambiguous improvement in their approaches to studying. This is attributed to the hybrid nature of their programmes, in which problem-based activities were combined with more conventional forms of teaching and assessment, and to the anxiety and stress which seem to be common among students at medical schools in Pakistan.     

Encouraging student engagement in a blended learning environment: the use of contemporary learning spaces

Research shows that some non‐traditional students find the university environment alienating, impersonal and unsupportive. The ‘Quickstart’ project combines traditional lectures and seminars with a sequence of carefully designed online tasks, aimed at lessening the impact of the start of year uncertainties for new students. One thousand students across two geographic locations participated in the programme. The project was evaluated by considering three sources of data: data generated by server statistics of 40,358 successful requests for pages in the first four weeks of teaching; student anonymous responses to an online end of course questionnaire as well as extracts from their reflective journals; and the student experience as viewed through the eyes of a researcher in the classroom. Findings offer insights into how the students blend classroom time with their own time; and student perceptions of their own learning experiences. A collaborative learning experience involving travel to a contemporary learning space (the Tate Modern Art Gallery) mitigated the possible isolating effect of the use of technology; instead the technology enhanced the discussion and participation in activities. The students visited the Tate Modern and then facilitated their discussions by sending each other SMS text messages; they bonded very quickly in the seminar groups, where weekly online tasks that had been prepared individually ‘outside’ the classroom were the focus of group discussion and debate ‘inside the classroom’; their end of semester reflective writing showed very clearly how valuable the early ‘friendship’ groups had been for them settling into university life.     

Asking students their opinions of the learning environment: an empirical analysis of elementary classroom climate

There is currently a lack of research into classroom climate as perceived by the students themselves. This article presents a new classroom climate evaluation instrument which is designed to gauge student perceptions of their own level of engagement in academic activities, their relationships with peers, and the level of support they feel from their teachers. The Classroom Climate Index was pilot tested with a group of 105 elementary students aged 8–12. The pilot data were factor analysed, and the instrument was refined accordingly. Following the pilot test, the refined instrument was next administered to a larger sample of 2340 elementary students. Data from the comprehensive study were subjected to factor and reliability analyses, the results of which support the use of the Classroom Climate Index in measuring student engagement, supportive teacher behaviour, and collegial support from the student perspective.     

The impact of the university context on European students' learning approaches and learning environment preferences

This article describesexperiences of 610 Dutch students and 241students from other European countries whostudied at least three months abroad within theframework of an international exchange program.The Dutch students went to a university inanother European country and the foreignstudents went to a Dutch university. By meansof a questionnaire students' perceptions ofthree main characteristics of the universitylearning environment were measured concerningthe home university, the host university andthe ideal learning environment. The studentswere also asked about their way of learning atthe home university and at the host university,in particular about the extent of constructivelearning and reproductive learning. Evidencewas found for the influence of aspects of thelearning environment on the two learningapproaches; e.g., a learning environmentcharacterized as student-oriented discouragesreproductive learning and promotes constructivelearning, especially when conceptual andepistemological relations within the learningdomain are stressed. The learning environmentpreferences of the students were partly relatedto their learning orientations at the homeuniversity, but they were strikingly similarfor students from different countries. Therewas a strong preference for those learningenvironment aspects that promote constructivelearning.     

中高职学生外语学习动机及相关因素的调查研究

对441名中高职英语专业学生进行问卷调查的结果显示，绝大多数学生的英语学习动机是明确的，但多为工具性动机，缺乏融入性动机；学习态度、学习兴趣、学习方法等方面主流是积极向上的，但不容乐观。为此，在教学中，教师要展现英语文化的魅力，改进教学模式和方法，建立科学的课程体系，确定适当的期望值，并加强学法的指导。     

关于高中数学课程学习的比较研究--对大学生群体的调查与分析

通过问卷调查,对大学生中男女生之间、城乡学生之间、民族学生之间关于高中数学的学习目的、学习兴趣、学习方法以及对高中数学课程改革的期望的比较研究,得到了一些初步结论,给课程改革提供参考.     

高中生学业成绩及相关因素的研究

本研究采用分层随机抽样方法,对五所高中各年级学生进行考试焦虑、学习方法及其它相关因素的测量和调查;对１４０５个有效样本进行了统计处理,发现学习方法、考试焦虑程度影响学业成绩;父母的职业、母亲的化程度对学生的学业成绩有影响;家庭经济收入、是否独生子女与学生的学业成绩无关;任学生干部累计年限越长,学业成绩优秀率越高。     

Academic boredom,approaches to learning and the final-year degree outcomes of undergraduate students

Academic boredom is a largely negative and disabling achievement-related emotion. In this mixed-methods exploration of 224 students attending a single university in England, academic boredom was found to arise at the point of course delivery, while studying at other times and during the completion of assignments for assessment. Quantitative data from the recently adapted Boredom Proneness Scale for use across the UK higher education sector (the BPS-UKHE) and the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST), enriched with qualitative data from 10 semi-structured research interviews, indicate that those with a higher propensity towards academic boredom than others displayed the deep, strategic and surface profiles of ‘less effective learners’. This was reflected in their interest in ideas, their ability to organise resources and manage time, what they had to memorise or do to ‘get by’, their achievement motivation and their sense of purpose. As part of a greater evolving network of other contributing factors, this translated into lower final degree marks and fewer ‘good’ degree awards. Recommendations surrounding boredom mitigation and approaches to learning are suggested which warrant serious consideration. The work presented here makes an important contribution to a surprisingly neglected field of UK higher education research and the student engagement agenda.     

The importance of social learning environment factors for affective well-being among students

We investigated whether perceived inclusion and exclusion with peers at school, as well as self-reported bullying exposure, affected positive and negative affect among 1161 students from grades five through seven. Positive affect was significantly, but only weakly, affected by perceived exclusion and inclusion. Negative affect was not related to perceived inclusion; however, both perceived exclusion and self-reported bullying exposure gave effects on negative affect. Our research points to the need of creating a learning environment that promotes inclusion and caring and supportive interpersonal relationships. This will probably increase student functioning.     

高职艺术类学生学习风格调查与英语教学策略

学生的学习风格如果与教师的教学风格出现错位,会使学生对学科失去信心甚至放弃。文章以高职艺术类学生学习风格问卷调查的结果为基础,探讨了英语教学的策略,旨在帮助英语教师了解艺术类学生的学习风格,针对艺术类学生的视觉-空间优势智能来促进其语言智能的发展,做到学习风格与教学风格的有机结合,提高艺术类学生的英语教学质量。     

Detecting the correlation between mobile learning behavior and personal characteristics among elementary school students

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to explore the features of mobile learning behaviors among Chinese elementary school students, and relationships between mobile learning behaviors and personal characteristics in mobile learning environment. The current study designed and developed a game-based educational mobile environment and conducted an experimental research. Eighty-three elementary students participated in this study. The results revealed the features of elementary school students’ mobile learning behavior including: 1) the students had reasonable login frequencies and learning time duration with appropriate guidance from the teachers, and satisfying learning performance by self-learning; 2) higher grade, learning style with active information processing and higher test scores in the conventional Chinese subject course had positive impacts on the mobile learning behaviors, but no gender difference was found. Regrettably, students showed more digital consuming than digital creating in the current study. The results could provide necessary suggestions on mobile learning for young learners.     

学生教学信息员制度的意义与实践

学生教学信息员制度是高等学校教学质量评估与保障体系的重要补充,是大学生参与学校教学管理的具体体现。实行学生教学信息员制度在稳定学校教育质量,反映课程教学动态、促进讲课水平的提高等方面发挥着重要作用。本文从学生教学信息员制度的建立着手,并结合我院的实际来阐述建立学生教学信息员制度的目的和意义,同时也在实践中探讨如何巩固这一制度的方法和措施。     

Small fish in a small pond: the impact of collaborative learning on academic success for less-prepared students in a highly selective STEM environment

ABSTRACT

This study examines academic outcomes for university students engaged in a supplemental peer learning program in a selective institution. Using a matched sample of 1266 students, half enrolled in the supplemental program and half not enrolled, we find that participating students on average earned higher grades in linked courses. Using a subsample of students in a chemistry course sequence, we find program participants were more likely to remain in the sequence than non-participants, and that the impact was greater for students with lower levels of preparation.