Mobiles for literacy in developing countries: An effectiveness framework

In recent years, the advent of low-cost digital and mobile devices has led to a strong expansion of social interventions, including those that try to improve student learning and literacy outcomes. Many of these are focused on improving reading in low-income countries, and particularly among the most disadvantaged. Some of these early efforts have been called successful, but little credible evidence exists for those claims. Drawing on a robust sample of projects in the domain of mobiles for literacy, this article introduces a design solution framework that combines intervention purposes with devices, end users, and local contexts. In combination with a suggested set of purpose-driven methods for monitoring and evaluation, this new framework provides useful parameters for measuring effectiveness in the domain of mobiles for literacy.     

A new technique for measuring listening and reading literacy in developing countries

One problem in evaluating educational interventions in developing countries is the absence of tests that adequately reflect the culture and curriculum. The Sentence Verification Technique is a new procedure for measuring reading and listening comprehension that allows for the development of tests based on materials indigenous to a given culture. The validity of using the Sentence Verification Technique to measure reading comprehension in Grenada was evaluated in the present study. The study involved 786 students at standards 3, 4 and 5. The tests for each standard consisted of passages that varied in difficulty. The students identified as high ability students in all three standards performed better than those identified as low ability. All students performed better with easier passages. Additionally, students in higher standards performed bettter than students in lower standards on a given passage. These results supported the claim that the Sentence Verification Technique is a valid measure of reading comprehension in Grenada.

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Zusammenfassung Ein mit der Auswertung erziehungswissenschaftlicher Interventionen in Entwicklungsländern verbundenes Problem ist im Fehlen von Tests zu suchen, die adäquat die Kultur und das Curriculum widerspiegeln. Die Satzverifikationstechnik ist ein neues Verfahren, um das Lese- und Hörverständnis zu messen, das die Weiterentwicklung von Tests, die auf einheimischen Materialien beruhen, ermöglicht. Die Gültigkeit der benutzten Satzverifikationstechnik in Bezug auf das Leseverständnis in Grenada wurde in der vorliegenden Studie ausgewertet. An der Studie nahmen 786 Schüler der Standards 3, 4 und 5 teil. Die Tests für jeden Standard bestanden aus Texten, die im Schwierigkeitsgrad differierten. Die hochbegabten Schüler leisteten in allen drei Standards mehr als die weniger begabten. Alle Schüler leisteten bei leichteren Textstellen mehr. Zusätzlich leisteten hochbegabte Schüler bei vorgegebenen Textstellen mehr als weniger begabte. Diese Ergebnisse unterstreichen den Anspruch, daß die Satzverifikationstechnik eine gültige Leistungsmessung des Leseverständnisses in Grenada darstellt.

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Résumé Un des problèmes de l'évaluation des actions éducatives menées dans les pays en voie de développement est l'absence de tests réfléchissant de façon adéquate la culture et le curriculum. La technique de vérification de la phrase est une nouvelle procédure d'évaluation de la compréhension de la lecture et de l'écoute qui permet de mettre au point des tests fondés sur des matériels propres à une culture donnée. La présente étude a évalué la validité de l'utilisation de la technique de vérification de la phrase pour mesurer la compréhension de la lecture à Grenade. Cette étude a porté sur 786 élèves des niveaux 3, 4 et 5. Les tests administrés à chaque niveau comprenaient des passages de difficulté variable. Les élèves qui avaient été définis comme les plus compétents dans les trois niveaux ont obtenu de meilleurs résultats que ceux qui avaient été jugés être moins forts. Par ailleurs, les élèves des niveaux supérieurs ont mieux réussi que ceux des niveaux inférieurs au test portant sur un passage donné. Ces résultats ont corroboré l'affirmation selon laquelle la technique de vérification de la phrase est un procédé d'évaluation valable de la compréhension de la lecture à Grenade.

     

科学模型及模型认知素养发展策略

"模型认知"是科学概念学习和科学探究的思维模式,发展"模型认知"素养有助于深化科学思维和科学能力.本研究从科学模型入手,分析科学模型的涵义和特征;根据教学实际情况,将科学模型赋予学科背景化,探究化学模型的特点和具体教学主题中学生模型认知素养的水平层级表现,提出化学教学中发展学生模型认知素养的有效策略.     

Scientific literacy and informal science teaching

Two stages in research on scientific literary are identified: a composite saturation stage in which definitions covered all objects of science education and a stage where researchers focused on small manageable portions of scientific literary. Initial and continuous scientific literacy research in which the focus is on cognitive preference for science and informal science teaching is described. Underlying cognitive preference is a value preference for science. Three interdependent but clearly distinguishable forms of science teaching, formal, nonformal and informal, are described. Informal science teaching is identified as a condition for and an outcome of scientific literacy.     

发达国家经济发展特点与职业教育

知识经济的到来改变了世界各国的经济结构,尤其是发达国家,经济发展呈现出诸多新的特征;与此同时,受经济形态转变的影响,教育也发生了较大变化,尤其是职业教育.了解发达国家经济发展的基本特征,与其职业教育改革的重要举措,对我国目前职业教育改革具有重要的借鉴意义.     

浅析发达国家行业协会的角色功能

行业协会组织作为经济发展的产物在现代经济社会中发挥着越来越重要的作用,它在政府与行业之间、工会与企业之间充当着经济协调人,保证政府部门的高效运行、政策法规的准确运用或实施,行业之间的有序竞争和发展,公共利益的合法实现。     

Cognitive and socioemotional caregiving in developing countries

Enriching caregiving practices foster the course and outcome of child development. This study examined 2 developmentally significant domains of positive caregiving-cognitive and socioemotional-in more than 127,000 families with under-5 year children from 28 developing countries. Mothers varied widely in cognitive and socioemotional caregiving and engaged in more socioemotional than cognitive activities. More than half of mothers played with their children and took them outside, but only a third or fewer read books and told stories to their children. The GDP of countries related to caregiving after controlling for life expectancy and education. The majority of mothers report that they do not leave their under-5s alone. Policy and intervention recommendations are elaborated.     

Childrearing discipline and violence in developing countries

The present study examined the prevalence and country-level correlates of 11 responses to children's behavior, including nonviolent discipline, psychological aggression, and physical violence, as well as endorsement of the use of physical punishment, in 24 countries using data from 30,470 families with 2- to 4-year-old children that participated in UNICEF's Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. The prevalence of each response varied widely across countries, as did the amount of variance accounted for by country in relation to each response. Country-level indicators of life expectancy, educational attainment, and economic well-being were related to several responses to children's behavior. Country-level factors are widely related to parents' methods of teaching children good behavior and responding to misbehavior.     

发达国家高校隐性思想政治教育的启示

隐性教育是发达国家高校普遍运用的一种渗透性、非强制性和较有实效的思想政治教育方法.我国高校开展隐性思想政治教育,应构建良好的物质文化和精神文化环境,积极鼓励学生参加社会实践活动,培养学生自主道德判断和价值选择能力,宜采取隐性教育与显性教育结合,继承、借鉴与创新相结合等措施.