Children's Theory of God's Mind: Theory-of-Mind Studies and Why They Matter to Religious Education

Theory-of-mind research has been carried out for over three decades, examining the ways children understand the minds of others—their perspectives, intentions, desires, and knowledge. Since the early 21st century, theory-of-mind studies have begun exploring the ways in which children think and reason about the minds—not only of ordinary, visible figures such as humans or animals—but of invisible figures such as spirits, angels, imaginary friends, and God. This growing body of research provides insight into children's cognitive development generally, but also into what could be called a “theory of religious mind.”     

Theory-based Correlations and Their Role in Children's Concepts

Recent accounts of conceptual development have emphasized the important role intuitive theories play in concept formation; however, it is still not clear exactly how these theories exert their influence. We present evidence that elementary school age children use theories to link together specific features associated with individual concepts. The results of our first experiment indicate that theory-based correlations play a prominent role in typicality judgments and in decisions about category membership. In a second experiment, we demonstrate that children's theories play an important role in determining which attributes will be considered most central to the concept. The results of these studies suggest that feature correlations can serve to link children's concepts with their intuitive theories of the world.     

为伦理与道德的概念及其关系正本清源

文章分析了目前学界关于伦理与道德关系的几种观点及其成因,认为在伦理与道德的概念及其关系问题上存在思维混乱现象,文章用中华民族文化之本和汉语言文字之源对伦理与道德的概念及其关系进行了重新的界定和阐释。     

Preschool Children's Concepts of Disability in Their Peers

Although mainstream preschool programs have been in existence since the 1970s, little is known about the ways in which typical children attempt to understand what it means for a peer to have a disability. In this study, 4-year-old children without disabilities who were enrolled in a mainstream preschool class explained their peers' disabilities by referring to concepts of immaturity, accident, or adaptive equipment to account for the behavioral differences that they observed. The implications of these cognitions for children's developing attitudes and behaviors toward peers with disabilities are discussed.     

Religious affiliation,ethnicity, and power in admission policies to Jewish religious schools

This paper analyzes the challenges embedded in the conflict between the right to accessible education, which implies a prohibition on discriminatory practices in school admission, and the right to adaptable education, which accommodates children’s cultural affiliations. It shows that a normative lens, which examines the ways by which legal rules correspond to conflicting rights and interests, cannot fully capture the tension between legal prohibitions on discrimination in education and the sociocultural norms in religious communities. Thus, the paper offers a socio-legal lens, which focuses on the context of admission policies to Jewish religious schools. Based on three test cases of admission policies to Jewish religious schools in Israel, England, and Flanders, Belgium, the paper demonstrates how the legal rules regulating the admission policies are influenced by social forces. In Israel and England, these forces have facilitated a descent down slippery slope, originating with religious criteria, but concluding with discriminatory criteria. They also shaped admission practices reflecting the asymmetric power relations between the institutional school systems and individual families. The paper highlights the benefits of the Belgian policy, which proscribes religious classification of school candidates. This policy circumvents the ambiguous distinction between religion, ethnicity, and social class, and expands educational choices.     

Religious Identity Development of Adolescents in Christian Secondary Schools: Effects of School and Religious Backgrounds of Adolescents and Their Parents

This study examines religious identity development of pupils at Dutch schools for secondary education (mean age 16.4). With the help of a theoretical conceptualization of “religious identity development” empirical research is carried out. Main question is whether differences in terms of religious commitment and exploration between pupils of the four participating schools can be explained by religious denominations of pupils and the importance the pupils' parents attach to worldview. It is concluded that school in general has no significant main effect on religious commitments and explorations of pupils. Religious backgrounds of pupils should be taken into account. Because pupils themselves do indicate that school has influence on the way they look at life, further research is needed in which specific school aspects (like the way pupils evaluate religious education) should also be taken into account.     

孔德的方法论、伦理道德观和宗教观探解

孔德是在其实证主义和社会有机体理论的体系下阐述他的方法论、伦理道德观和宗教观的。他的方法论是实证的、整体的、有机的和科学的方法,认为应该应用这些方法进行社会科学和自然科学研究;他的伦理道德观是从人性出发,强调爱他人、爱社会的情感和仁爱的爱他主义行为,认为只有这样才能实现社会的和谐;他的宗教观是他晚年思想的重大的转变,一反早年反宗教的实证主义,认为人人应该信奉“上帝之爱”并发扬“爱他主义”的仁爱,这样就能实现社会的和谐和秩序。     

Young Children's God Concepts: Influences of Attachment and Religious Socialization in a Family and School Context

This contribution offers an overview of two studies testing two attachment theoretical correspondence hypotheses in the prediction of individual differences in young children's God concepts. The correspondence hypothesis supposes that people's view on God parallels their images of their early caregiver–child relationship. The revised correspondence hypothesis incorporates caregiver religiosity and socialization. In the first study support was found for the correspondence hypothesis in the school context examining 72 preschoolers. In the second study the revised correspondence hypothesis was partly confirmed among 198 kindergarteners. Children cognitively learn about a powerful and comforting, helping God in their homes and schools, even when all relationships with their caregivers are experienced as negative. However, in such a surrounding they do not emotionally learn about an intimate, personal bond with God.     

On the Relation of Morality and Religion: two lessons from James's Varieties of Religious Experience

Drawing chiefly on the reflections of William James in his classic work, The Varieties of Religious Experience, this article explores the dynamics of a mutually enriching relationship between religion and morality, whereby the two domains animate and inform each other. James's work is explored to suggest the outlines of such a relationship, while recent studies of moral exemplars and the thought of Martin Buber are drawn upon to extend and deepen the discussion. The thesis is that the best of religion and morality can be found at the intersection of the two. Each is able to enrich, inform, and even correct the other, addressing distorting excesses to which each is prone.     

中国传统“德”“法”概念演变及当代意义

中国传统“法”“德”涵义不同于现代的“法”“德”涵义,中国古代“法”“德”概念的演变是中国社会变革的反映,是古代中国人生存状态的反映。     

Relation of Young Children's Parasympathetic Reactivity During a Learning Task to Their Self-Regulation and Early Academic Skills

There is growing interest among educational researchers in using heart rate variability (HRV) as an index of children's capacity to regulate their physiological arousal. Links between HRV and young children's self-regulation have, however, been inconsistent, and there is limited research on children's HRV in learning-related contexts. HRV was collected from 86 children aged 3.41 to 5.83 years before, during, and after they engaged in a learning interaction with an examiner. Higher HRV during a pre-learning episode and a larger drop in HRV during the learning interaction were associated with stronger behavioral performance on self-regulation and early academic skill assessments. Children's capacity to modulate their HRV in response to learning opportunities may be linked to their broader self-regulation and early academic skill development. Effects varied by episode and gender, underscoring a need for further research to rigorously evaluate the utility and generalizability of HRV in authentic educational settings.     

品德与社会课堂教学需要转变的五个理念

教学理念决定着教学模式和学习方式,影响着教学效果。品德与社会课堂教学在教学目标的设定与达成、教学内容的处理与拓展、教学活动的控制与自主、课程资源的开发与利用以及教学评价等方面,由于受传统教学理念的影响,已严重影响了本课程课堂教学的改革与发展。品德与社会课堂教学改革,需要教师转变教学理念,凸显学科品性,增强教学活力,提高教学实效,真正实现本课程在义务教育中所承载的教育功能。     

以德治腐与依法治腐的结合--兼论当代中国惩治腐败的人性论基准

中西不同的人性论设定导致了不同的治政方略和治国路径。一般来说 ,中国的人性论虽然多种多样 ,但总体是以性善论为主 ,西方则是以性恶论为主。性善论往往与德性主义的治政理论相关 ,性恶论则崇尚法治主义的治政学说。落实到反腐败的问题上 ,中国的反腐败注重德治教化 ,西方的反腐败则注重法治惩处。二者各有所长亦各有所短。我国新时期的反腐败应当从中西德治主义和法治主义的传统中总结经验教训 ,力求把道德教育和法治惩处有机地结合起来 ,即坚持治本和治标的辩证统一。     

爱因斯坦论基本概念、定律与经验

爱因斯坦的认识论思想主要集中在经验与理性的关系上 ,涉及基本概念和定律的生成、基本概念和定律的性质、基本概念和定律与经验的合理性、基本概念和定律与经验张力关系的动态过程等。爱因斯坦的实践表明 ,在当代科学活动中经验与理性的关系已经出现了一种新的局面     

Ethnic,Familial, and Religious Identity of Roma Adolescents in Bulgaria,Czech Republic,Kosovo, and Romania in Relation to Their Level of Well‐Being

This study examines ethnic, national, familial, and religious identity and well‐being of 632 Roma minority and 589 majority adolescents (age: M = 15.98 years, SD = 1.34) in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Kosovo, and Romania. Results indicated that Roma showed lower endorsement of national identity but stronger religious identity than their majority counterparts. Path models showed positive associations of familial and religious identities with well‐being, whereas Roma identity was negatively associated with well‐being, particularly for Roma in Bulgaria and Kosovo (countries with a less active policy toward improving conditions of Roma). In the latter countries, Roma ethnic identity is less relevant and weakly associated with psychological well‐being of youth.     

流动儿童亲子依恋及对其心理韧性的影响

本研究采用青少年依恋量表和心理韧性量表作为研究工具,对流动儿童依恋特点及其对心理韧性的影响进行研究.结果发现:女生、家庭收入高于3000元、公办学校的流动儿童亲子依恋中社会度和心理韧性中的目标专注均高于男生、家庭收入低于3000元、打工子弟学校的流动儿童;流动儿童亲子依恋的总分与心理韧性的各维度、心理韧性总分与亲子依恋各维度均有显著相关;安全型流动儿童的目标专注、情绪控制、家庭支持和人际协助四方面均显著高于其他三种依恋类型的流动儿童,恐惧型流动儿童在以上四方面均最低.尽管流动儿童个人、家庭、学校因素对其心理韧性有预测作用,但流动儿童亲子依恋对其心理韧性有更强的预测性.     

幼儿规则意识与行为的培养

幼儿期是儿童规则意识萌发和规则行为初步形成的重要时期。在日常教育中,教师应采取一些行之有效的途径和方法,积极引导幼儿提升自己的规则意识,养成一定的规则行为,从而为他们在集体中能够真正从事自主活动提供保障。     

Parental Conceptions of School Readiness: Relation to Ethnicity,Socioeconomic Status,and Children's Skills

Research Findings: This study analyzed the school readiness beliefs of parents of 452 children from public pre-kindergarten and the relations of these beliefs to socioeconomic status and children's readiness skills. Parents conceived readiness largely in terms of the ability to name objects, letters, or numbers, but few included inferential skills. Readiness beliefs were related not to socioeconomic status but to ethnicity. Readiness beliefs about the importance of independence, social competence, nominal knowledge, and inferential skills were related in expected ways to children's skills. Practice or Policy: Infrequent inclusion of inferential skills among parents' readiness beliefs may not bode well for children. Informational programs for parents about the critical role of higher order cognitive skills and ways to promote them are needed.     

“师德”相关概念的辨析与思考

人们在一致强调师德重要性的同时,对师德内涵的理解和表述并不一致,例如师德本指教师职业道德,而被许多学者理解为教师个人道德。这种用师德概念取代师道的做法忽视了师道的独特价值,而作为教师职业道德的新提法,教师专业道德和教师专业伦理对师德建设具有重要的意义。本文尝试通过对师德相关概念的语义分析,以期更全面和深刻地理解师德。     

师德,隐含于教师的专业能力和实践性智慧

就上海地区而言,经过这么多年的师德教育,学校里存在的体罚学生、侮辱或讥讽学生的现象不能说完全绝迹,但的确是非常的少见了.那么,在新形势下如何将师德教育推向深入,是值得教育主管部门和学校管理者深入思考和探索的问题.