How does attention relate to the ability-specific and position-specific components of reasoning measured by APM?

The aim of the present study was to clarify the nature of the ability-specific and position-specific components of Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM) by relating them to a number of types of attention. The ability-specific component represents the constant part of cognitive performance whereas the position-specific component reflects the changes in processing of reasoning items as a result of the changing item position. A special model denoted fixed-links model was used to decompose the data of APM into independent components. Both components were related to two higher-order units of attention, perceptual attention and executive attention, which were derived from the various types of attention. In a sample of 226 participants the position-specific component of APM showed a substantially higher link with executive attention than with perceptual attention whereas the ability-specific component only showed a moderate link with perceptual attention.     

Chinese pre-service biology teachers’ evolutionary knowledge,reasoning patterns,and acceptance levels

The goal of our study was to examine a large (>400), cross-sectional sample of Chinese pre-service biology teachers (PBTs) in order to document their evolution acceptance levels, evolution knowledge, and evolutionary reasoning patterns. This approach was taken in order to better understand the degree to which particular evolutionary reasoning difficulties exist independent of religious worldviews. The sample included (1) 160 PBTs tasked with completing four items from the ACORNS instrument, (2) 320 PBTs who completed the CINS and MATE instruments, and (3) 32 teachers who completed semi-structured clinical interviews using four ACORNS items. Findings from these samples revealed that Chinese PBTs’ knowledge (CINS) and acceptance (MATE) were equivalent with teachers’ scores from other countries, whereas performance on explanation tasks was lower. Scores from the CINS, MATE, and ACORNS did not reveal any significant improvements through the four-year teacher education programme. Although a large body of work has shown the important roles that religious affiliation and religiosity can play in evolutionary understanding and acceptance, our findings demonstrate that many evolutionary reasoning difficulties extend beyond religious factors, and add to a growing body of work showing that religiosity does not adequately account for PBTs’ moderate evolution acceptance.     

How does it work,and who benefits? The distribution of scientific knowledge in South Africa

This paper deals with the distribution of scientific knowledge through formal education in South Africa, and links it with the representation of the population in science-related occupations. Using a pipeline-mainline metaphor it traces how science education at the tertiary and secondary levels sifts out some students, and prepares others to form the pool of potential science-related workers. The conclusion is that these occupations are overwhelmingly dominated by white South Africans. The paper further analyses science classroom factors that may help us to understand why this is so.

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Zusammenfassung Dieser Artikel behandelt die Verbreitung wissenschaftlicher Kenntnisse durch formale Erziehung in Südafrika und stellt eine Verbindung her zur Repräsentanz der Bevölkerung auf wissenschaftlich-orientierten Arbeitsplätzen. Mittels einer Pipeline-Mainline Metaphor (gehobener Bildungsweg, mittlerer Bildungsweg) weist er nach, wie eine wissenschaftlich orientierte Ausbildung auf Tertiar- und Sekundarebene einige Studenten aussiebt und andere darauf vorbereitet, das Sammelbecken für künftige wiesenschaftsbezogene Arbeitskräfte zu bilden. Das Ergebnis ist, daß diese Stellen fast ausschließlich mit weißen Südafrikanern besetzt sind. Der Artikel analysiert außerdem die Gestaltung der wissenschaftlich genutzten Unterrichtsräume was uns helfen könnte, die Gründe für diese Situation zu verstehen.

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Résumé Le présent article traite de la distribution du savoir scientifique par l'éducation formelle en Afrique du Sud et établit un lien entre celle-ci et la représentation de la population dans les professions relatives à la science. En s'appuyant sur une métaphore de canalisation principale, il retrace la manière dont l'enseignement des sciences écarte certains élèves aux niveaux secondaire et tertiaire pour en préparer d'autres à former le pool des scientifiques potentiels. Cet article aboutit à la conclusion que les métiers en question sont, en grande majorité, exercés par des Blancs. On analyse ensuite les facteurs des classes de science qui peuvent nous aider à comprendre pourquoi il en est ainsi.

     

Is M-learning acceptance influenced by knowledge acquisition and knowledge sharing in developing countries?

Education and Information Technologies - Researchers have shown that knowledge acquisition and sharing have considerably influenced the acceptance of various technologies. However, there is a...     

How does completing a dissertation transform undergraduate students’ understandings of disciplinary knowledge?

Dissertations are positioned as the capstone of an undergraduate degree, bringing together what students have previously learned from their programmes through a piece of independent research. However, there is limited research into the ways in which engaging in a dissertation has an impact on students’ understandings of disciplinary knowledge. In this article, we explore the relations between students’ accounts of sociological knowledge in their second and third years and how they engage with sociological knowledge in their dissertations. We argue that for the work of the dissertation to have an impact on students’ understanding of sociological knowledge, students need to see their discipline as providing a way of answering their research questions. We explore the implications of this argument for both our understanding of the role of dissertations and research-based learning in universities more generally.     

Using tablet computers in preschool: How does the design of applications influence participation,interaction and dialogues?

The results in this article explore whether and how the design of applications used on tablet computers influences the interaction and dialogues that occur between children and pedagogues, the participation of children in the activities and the mathematics that can be learned. While mathematics offered a lens to explore the use of tablet devices, child–teacher interactions is the focus of this article. Twelve pedagogues were observed as they used different applications with 25 preschool children. These applications were categorised based on their classification (boundaries of the application) and framing (form of the application). It was shown that the same pedagogue interacted differently with the children based on the application they were using. Further, the children's participation as well as the structure and content of the dialogues between pedagogues and children differed based on classification and the framing of the application used. The results indicate that the design of the applications influences the pedagogues and the educational context in which children are invited to participate.     

How does reading performance modulate the impact of orthographic knowledge on speech processing? A comparison of normal readers and dyslexic adults

Studies on proficient readers showed that speech processing is affected by knowledge of the orthographic code. Yet, the automaticity of the orthographic influence depends on task demand. Here, we addressed this automaticity issue in normal and dyslexic adult readers by comparing the orthographic effects obtained in two speech processing tasks that are or not sensitive to strategies developed by participants. Our finding showed that while participants’ performance in a metaphonological task, which is known to be strategy prone, was affected by their orthographic knowledge regardless of the childhood diagnosis of dyslexia or of their actual reading-related skills, this latter factor significantly modulated the orthographic influence found in a more natural speech recognition task. The finding supports the claim that while any individuals who know a reading code are able to resort to their orthographic knowledge when they process speech, a more profound modification of the speech processing system by the orthographic code takes place only in readers who have reached a certain level of reading expertise.     

How does student peer review influence perceptions,engagement and academic outcomes? A case study

Involving students in peer review has many pedagogical benefits, but few studies have explicitly investigated relationships between the content of peer reviews, student perceptions and assessment outcomes. We conducted a case study of peer review within a third-year undergraduate subject at a research-intensive Australian university, in which we examined: (1) students’ perceptions of the peer review process before and after peer review, (2) content of the peer reviews and what kinds of feedback were adopted and (3) the effect of participation in peer review on performance (grades) in the assessment task. Students overwhelmingly perceived peer review to be beneficial, and the opportunity to participate in peer review resulted in a significant improvement in the quality of work submitted for assessment. Students who benefited most from peer review were those of below-median performance, and the magnitude of benefit was related to the degree to which students engaged with the peer review process. Our study confirms that participation in peer review can lead to important improvements in performance and learning outcomes.     

The influence of teachers’ conceptions of teaching and learning on their technology acceptance

Prior research has attempted to incorporate different personal variables within extant theories of technology acceptance models (TAMs). This study further extends TAM by incorporating teachers’ conceptions of teaching and learning (CoTL) in two forms: constructivist and traditional conceptions. The moderating effects of teachers’ demographic variables including age, gender, teaching experience, teaching level, and technology experience were tested. Our findings demonstrated that incorporating CoTL could provide a richer and more nuanced understanding of technology acceptance, although no moderating effects on any demographic variables were found.     

Effects of conceptual knowledge and availability of information sources on law students’ legal reasoning

Due to the complexity of the legal domain, reasoning about law cases is a very complex skill. For novices in law school, legal reasoning is even more complex because they have not yet acquired the conceptual knowledge needed for distilling the relevant information from cases, determining applicable rules, and searching for rules and exceptions in external information sources such as lawbooks. This study investigated the role of conceptual knowledge in solving legal cases when no information sources can be used. Under such ‘unsupported’ circumstances, novice and advanced students performed less well than domain experts, but even experts’ performance was rather low. The second question addressed was whether novices even benefit from the availability of information sources (i.e., lawbook), because conceptual knowledge is prerequisite for effective use of such sources. Indeed availability of the lawbook positively affected performance only for advanced students but not for novice students. Implications for learning and instruction in the domain of law are discussed.     

A boundary-crossing approach to support students’ integration of statistical and work-related knowledge

Vocational students and beginning professionals typically find it hard to integrate the mathematics and statistics that they have learned at school with work-related knowledge. To explore how such an integration process could be supported, we conducted an intervention in secondary vocational laboratory education. Our boundary-crossing approach was informed by the literature on boundary crossing and accompanying learning mechanisms (e.g., reflection in the form of perspective making and taking, and transformation in the form of hybridization). We hypothesized that reflection, as making and taking perspectives on school-taught and work-related knowledge, could lead to transformation, i.e., help students integrate these types of knowledge into a hybridized whole. Data collection included video and audio recordings of five 1-h meetings with three students, the data from their research projects, and interviews with the teacher and two workplace supervisors. The analysis of the students’ reasoning during the meetings revealed that their level of integrating school-taught statistics and work-related knowledge increased significantly and with a medium effect size. This suggests that a boundary-crossing approach can support students in integrating school-taught and work-related knowledge.     

What are the relative effects of reasoning ability and prior knowledge on biology achievement in expository and inquiry classes?

What factor(s) influence the likelihood a student will succeed in college biology? Some researchers have found the primary determinant to be the student's prior knowledge of biology, while others have found it to be reasoning ability. Perhaps the ability of these factors to predict achievement depends on the instructional method employed. Expository instruction focuses primarily on facts and concepts. Therefore, perhaps the best predictor of achievement in expository classes is domain-specific prior knowledge. Inquiry instruction focuses more on how science is done, i.e., on scientific processes; therefore, perhaps the best predictor in inquiry classes is reasoning ability. This study was designed to test these hypotheses. Students enrolled in a nonmajors community college biology course were pretested to determine reasoning ability and prior knowledge. The number of previous biology courses was also recorded as an indicator of prior knowledge. After a semester of either expository or inquiry (learning-cycle) instruction, students took a comprehensive final examination. Reasoning ability but not prior knowledge or number of previous biology courses accounted for a significant amount of variance in final examination score in both instructional methods and with semester examination and quiz scores in inquiry classes. This suggests that reasoning ability limits achievement more than prior knowledge among these biology students, whether they are enrolled in expository or inquiry classes. Reasoning ability explained more of the variance in final examination scores for students enrolled in expository classes (18.8%) than in inquiry classes (7.2%). The reason for this is not clear, but significant improvements in reasoning were found in the inquiry but not in the expository classes. These improvements were accompanied by significant differences in achievement in the inquiry classes. Perhaps the reasoning improvement facilitated the better and more equal achievement for students in the inquiry classes, thus reducing the correlation between initial reasoning ability and final achievement. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 35: 89-103, 1998.     

Cognitive maps and the structure of observed learning outcome assessment of physiotherapy students’ ethical reasoning knowledge

Assessment of student learning in complex areas is challenging, particularly when there is interest in students’ deeper understanding and connectivity of concepts. Assessment of ethics learning has been limited by lack of consensus regarding what is effective and an overfocus on quantification at the expense of clinical or ethical relevance. Cognitive maps provide one means to evaluate depth and personal meaning of students’ ethics knowledge. A pre-/post-test design using cognitive maps and the structure of observed learning outcome (SOLO) taxonomy was used to assess student learning on completion of a six-week intensive ethics course. Thirty-seven students completed the research. Student learning was supported by significant changes in component (content, labelling, relationships and structure/visual message), and total pre- and post-test cognitive map scores, and significant change in pre- and post-test SOLO scores. A strong relationship was found between cognitive map improvement and SOLO improvement. Student written commentaries describing their post-test cognitive map provided a richer, more elaborated account of their understanding that qualitatively enhanced their cognitive maps. Cognitive maps offer an alternative to traditional ethics assessment strategies.     

How does rocket propulsion work?

The most common answer to the above question is — hot jet of gas comes out of the nozzle of the rocket engine at high speeds and as a reaction the rocket moves (is propelled) in the opposite direction [1]. But is this answer right? Let us explore what goes on inside a rocket engine and arrive at the right answer.     

The relationship between biology teachers’ understanding of the nature of science and the understanding and acceptance of the theory of evolution

ABSTRACT

Despite the importance of the theory of evolution (TE) to scientific knowledge, a number of misconceptions continue to be found among biology teachers. In this context, the first objective of this study was to identify the impact of professional development programme (PDP) on teachers’ understanding of nature of science (NOS) and evolution and on the acceptance of this theory. Its second objective was to study the relationship among these variables. Three instruments were used to quantify these variables: the Views of the Nature of Science Version D (VNOS D+), the Assessing Contextual Reasoning about Natural Selection (ACORN), and the Measure of Acceptance of Theory of Evolution (MATE). The results indicate that the PDP had a positive impact on teachers, significantly improving their understanding of the NOS and natural selection, as well as their acceptance of the TE. Furthermore, a positive correlation between the understanding of the NOS obtained by teachers in the first part of the PDP and the understanding and acceptance of evolution that these teachers showed at the end of the programme was determined. However, no relationship between an understanding of the NOS and gains in the understanding and acceptance of evolution was found.     

Understanding the influence of teachers’ cognitive and affective responses upon school inspection feedback acceptance

Despite the developmental perspective of school inspections, teachers in inspected schools are not always willing to accept the school inspection’s feedback for their further improvement of teaching and learning processes. Literature distinguishes several aspects of feedback that stimulate or hinder the acceptance of feedback, such as recipient’s cognitive and affective responses to feedback. This study investigates teachers’ cognitive and affective responses to school inspection feedback in relation to feedback acceptance. It draws on data from 21 in-depth interviews with teachers in eight primary schools. We found that positive perceptions of the inspectors’ credibility enhance teachers’ feedback acceptance. This is also the case for positive, clear feedback. Under these circumstances, emotions of joy, happiness and relief are expressed. Conversely, respondents tend to reject feedback when inspectors are perceived to be inadequately informed, arrogant or disrespectful. When negative feedback is rated as unfair, negative emotions, such as anger and sadness, interfere with feedback acceptance. In essence, we conclude that both feedback content and feedback source characteristics are decisive in the acceptance of process. From a practical perspective, the findings suggest there is a need to build on supportive relationships between teachers and school inspectors.     

How does the Curriculum Change? 2. Systems and Strategies

An earlier article in this journal ^{1 1}E. Hoyle, “How does the curriculum change? I. A proposal for enquiries,” J. Curr. Studies, Vol. I, No. 2, 1969. Based on course work for the degree of M.Ed., University of Liverpool. discussed two aspects of curriculum change: the relationship between social change and educational change, and the diffusion of innovation in education. The present article focusses upon two further aspects of curriculum change: the innovativeness of schools and strategies of planned curriculum change.

     

How is childhood emotional abuse related to major depression in adulthood? The role of personality and emotion acceptance

Accumulated evidence provides support that childhood emotional abuse (CEA) is related to adult major depressive disorder (MDD) outcomes. However, the psychological mechanisms of this relation are still not well understood. Changes in personality and emotion regulation are indicated to play a mediating role what should be examined in this paper. A sample of 123 MDD inpatients was examined in a prospective observational study with two times of measurement. Patients provided data on childhood trauma history, personality disorder (PD) traits and emotion acceptance. Self- and expert-ratings of depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline and at the end of treatment. Treatment duration as an objective indicator of treatment outcome was additionally considered. Partial correlation analyses revealed associations between CEA and self-ratings of MDD symptom severity and symptom improvement independent of sexual and physical abuse. Expert-ratings of depression and treatment duration were not related to CEA. Mediation analyses revealed that particularly the factors borderline psychopathology as well as acceptance of pleasant emotions mediated the association of CEA and self-rated MDD symptoms. Passive-aggressive PD traits mediated the link between CEA and a lower self-rated symptom improvement. CEA affect specific personality traits and acceptance of emotions. This association may play a critical role for self-reported depressive symptoms with implications for prevention, psychoeducation, and treatment of MDD.     

How does the change of a single data point affect the variance,and why?

In this paper, we investigate an interesting question that came up when reading a problem in a school textbook: What happens to the variance of a dataset in the case of changing one single data point, and why? Some of the answers are not surprising but here we find the full answer and demonstrate the understanding of it suitable for school students.