Technology in education: Research and development in the project ‘Physics and Technology’

Summaries

English

The diagnosis of pupils’ misconceptions and the identification of reasons for such misconceptions must be considered the prerequisite for helping the pupils to develop correct scientific conceptions. In the present study, an attempt was made to investigate student teachers’ competency to diagnose pupils’ answers for possible misconceptions. It was found that student teachers are, by and large, not capable of making appropriate diagnoses of misconceptions. In view of this, it is suggested that in science teacher‐training programmes specific training activities be included which are designed to develop the desired diagnostic competence.     

Distancing strategies in child-mother dyads: effect of mother’s education and children’s sex

European Journal of Psychology of Education - This study on mother–child interactions is in line with Sigel’s theoretical approach to distancing. The current study aimed at analyzing...     

Observation,Inference, and Imagination: Elements of Edgar Allan Poe’s Philosophy of Science

Edgar Allan Poe’s standing as a literary figure, who drew on (and sometimes dabbled in) the scientific debates of his time, makes him an intriguing character for any exploration of the historical interrelationship between science, literature and philosophy. His sprawling ‘prose-poem’ Eureka (1848), in particular, has sometimes been scrutinized for anticipations of later scientific developments. By contrast, the present paper argues that it should be understood as a contribution to the raging debates about scientific methodology at the time. This methodological interest, which is echoed in Poe’s ‘tales of ratiocination’, gives rise to a proposed new mode of—broadly abductive—inference, which Poe attributes to the hybrid figure of the ‘poet-mathematician’. Without creative imagination and intuition, Science would necessarily remain incomplete, even by its own standards. This concern with imaginative (abductive) inference ties in nicely with his coherentism, which grants pride of place to the twin virtues of Simplicity and Consistency, which must constrain imagination lest it degenerate into mere fancy.     

Translator’s Subjectivity in Science and Technology Translation

Science and technology translation involves various industries and professions,with its own system of terminology and unique language features.For a translator,who is not a professional scientist or technician,it seems to be difficult to do science and technology translation accurately and properly.Consequently,it is necessary for the translator to give play to his subjectivity when translating science and technology documents or related interpretation:searching for related data to replenish necessary professional knowledge,consulting with professional technicians actively to clarify the jargon and common sayings,and thinking critically to scrutiny the source text.     

Planning,re-bordering and setting times: a comparative analysis of European and Latin American ‘education spaces’

The article compares educational regionalisation in Europe and Latin America. This analysis unveils the influence of three social phenomena in the two case studies, namely power, fields of activity and knowledge. Mostly, it focuses on the initiatives led by the European Union and the Organisation of Ibero-American States in order to implement large strategic, multi-government educational plans in each continent. The actions of international political players, the theories (or ‘ontologies’) embedded in these devices and the consequences for sub-national politics are observed.     

Education and sustainability: reinvigorating adult education’s role in transformation,justice and development

Distinctively economic objectives for lifelong education, especially adult learning and education, feature prominently in policy-making agendas and educators’ practice in much of the world. Critics contend that humanistic and holistic visions of lifelong learning for all have been marginalised and neglected. The current turn of political attention to issues of planetary environmental sustainability and to global societal transformation and interconnectedness raises further questions and prospects. Two United Nations’ publications in 2015: UNESCO’s Rethinking Education: toward a global common good? and of the United Nations’ Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development pose intersecting concerns for lifelong learning and environmental sustainability. This article engages with those questions in particular regard to the role of adult learning and education. It discusses a field study of non-formal adult education in Ghana. The field study contributes evidence that resiliently humanistic conceptions and practices of non-formal adult education practically succeed to foster transformation, development and human flourishing. That effective humanism gives credence to the ambitiousness of UNESCO and UN agenda for transformation and sustainability and informs international debates.     

Pedagogical Transaction in Religious Education: Diversified Society and John Dewey’s Philosophy of Education

The focus of the article is on how a new approach to religious education (RE) in diversified societies can be constructed on the basis of the theory of pedagogical transaction presented by John Dewey. Reflections of developing RE are very current in Western secularized societies. We believe that Dewey's pragmatist philosophy of education and philosophy of religion are still highly relevant to RE. The article consists of three sections: (1) contemporary discussions of RE, (2) reflections on Dewey's philosophy of religion, especially religious experience, and (3) the implementations of Dewey's theory to RE. We conclude by applying pedagogical transaction theory to current challenges in order to design new models of RE in diversified societies. Accordingly, we construct a theory of RE for democratic, multifaith societies that are based on mutual understanding, respect, and recognition of active citizens living in diversified society.     

Education,democracy and social change: Venezuela’s education missions in theory and practice

The ‘Bolivarian Revolution’ in Venezuela is conceptualised as a pedagogical project that aims to develop ‘twenty-first century Socialism’ through state-grassroots collaboration in the reorganisation of political space in order to develop participatory, democratic institutions and processes. The cornerstones of this project to deepen and expand democracy in and through education are the adult Education Missions, set up in parallel to existing educational structures, and with an explicit focus on socio-political education and community projects aimed at promoting a new hegemony based on active grassroots citizenship. While the struggle to extend democracy in and through education is not unique to Venezuela, the conceptualisation of democracy as protagonist and participatory, and the explicit links made between education and democratic social change within the broader framework of twenty-first century socialism, makes Venezuela a dynamic site to revisit and reinvigorate classical debates as to the role of education in promoting democratic social change. Based on 15 months of empirical research, this paper examines the extent to which adult education in Venezuela is contributing to the development of a counter-hegemonic movement to build socialism for the twenty-first century.     

Higher education and women’s empowerment in Pakistan

This paper summarises the findings of a 2005 doctoral study by Malik which explored to what extent participation in higher education offers empowerment to women in Pakistan. A survey instrument was used to question female faculty members and female students from 10 public universities in Pakistan; 1290 students and 290 faculty members responded. Subsequently, semi‐structured interviews were held with 10 faculty members and 10 students. Respondents highlighted economic independence and an increased standing within family and society as the main benefits of higher education participation. A major finding is that participation in higher education enables women to impact on a number of discriminatory practices simultaneously and thereby effect change for the better. The main recommendation is that future educational strategies be developed with the aim of further promoting gender equality in all areas of education in Pakistan, but particularly with the aim of increasing female students’ participation in higher education.     

Teacher’s use of iPads in higher education

Mobile devices (e.g. iPads or galaxy tab) are increasingly being used in educational contexts. There has been growing investment in higher education institutions in Hong Kong by the HKSAR Education Bureau in relation to educational uses of mobile technology. However, current research into educational applications of this technology is limited. This article reports results of a qualitative study that investigated how higher education teachers use iPads to facilitate their practice. The study results provide insight into both the educational affordances of iPad technology and the ways in which teachers’ personal or private theories mediate these affordances. The study outcomes contribute to theoretical understanding of higher education teacher changes through adoption of mobile technology. Furthermore, the outcomes provide a set of recommendations for applications of iPads and similar technologies in higher education and ways to support teachers to effectively adopt such technology in their practices.     

Finitude,Fallibilism and Education towards Non-dogmatism: Gadamer’s hermeneutics in science education

The philosophy of science has witnessed continuous controversy since the mid-twentieth century regarding the justification of science’s privileged position, and which has also reverberated in the philosophy of science education. This contribution brings to the discussion the viewpoint of Hans-Georg Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics. I suggest that by relating to the idea of the fallibility of knowledge, Gadamerian philosophy provides a compromise between the extreme positions in the aforementioned debate. Gadamerian hermeneutics also has implications for science education: from the Gadamerian perspective, science education should (1) induce experiences of negation that familiarize learners with their own pre-understanding and (2) introduce learners to the fallibility of knowledge. Finally, I argue that both instances (1) and (2) aim to cultivate non-dogmatism in learners.     

Mario Bunge’s Philosophy of Mathematics: An Appraisal

In this paper, I present and discuss critically the main elements of Mario Bunge??s philosophy of mathematics. In particular, I explore how mathematical knowledge is accounted for in Bunge??s systemic emergent materialism. To Mario, with gratitude.     

Analysis of John Dewey’s Philosophy of Education and Its Value

John Dewey was a pragmatic philosopher,psychologist,and educator commonly regarded as the founder of the pro gressive education movement.His philosophy of pragmatic education not only exerts great influence on Western education,but also on China’s education.This paper attempts to make a detailed analysis of Dewey’s philosophy of education and its value.