The Role of Anatomy Computer-Assisted Learning on Spatial Abilities of Medical Students

Currently, medical education context poses different challenges to anatomy, contributing to the introduction of new pedagogical approaches, such as computer-assisted learning (CAL). This approach provides insight into students' learning profiles and skills that enhance anatomy knowledge acquisition. To understand the influence of anatomy CAL on spatial abilities, a study was conducted. A total of 671 medical students attending Musculoskeletal (MA) and Cardiovascular Anatomy (CA) courses, were allocated to one of three groups (MA Group, CA Group, MA + CA Group). Students' pre-training and post-training spatial abilities were assessed through Mental Rotations Test (MRT), with scores ranging between 0-24. After CAL training sessions, students' spatial abilities performance improved (9.72 ± 4.79 vs. 17.05 ± 4.57, P < 0.001). Although male students in both MA Group and CA Group show better baseline spatial abilities, no sex differences were found after CAL training. The improvement in spatial abilities score between sessions (Delta MRT) was correlated with Musculoskeletal Anatomy training sessions in MA Group (r = 0.333, P < 0.001) and MA + CA Group (r = 0.342, P < 0.001), and with Cardiovascular Anatomy training sessions in CA Group (r = 0.461, P = 0.001) and MA + CA Group (r = 0.324, P = 0.001). Multiple linear regression models were used, considering the Delta MRT as dependent variable. An association of Delta MRT to the amount of CAL training and the baseline spatial abilities was observed. The results suggest that CAL training in anatomy has positive dose-dependent effect on spatial abilities.     

Academic achievement of girls in rural schools in Kenya

Abstract

This study examined the effect of two family factors (financial, social capital) and school factors on students’ achievement. One hundred eighty two, seventh-grade female students from nine schools in Muranga district, Kenya, were studied. The statistical procedures included logit regression, cross-tabulations, frequency counting and chi-square analyses. These procedures were used to look at the effects of variables on each other and their effects on students’ study habits and achievement. The researcher found that each of the two family factors (financial and social capital), and the school factors had an independent and significant effect on student achievement and study habits. The results indicated that a student's academic achievement is positively influenced by the education level of both parents. The researcher also found that the father's education had more positive influence to the study habits of the females.     

数学积分卡的有效运用

本文介绍以数学积分卡为载体,建立小组合作学习的评价体系,以促进合作学习的效率。     

How Computer-Assisted Learning Influences Medical Students' Performance in Anatomy Courses

Anatomy is an essential subject of the medical curriculum. Despite its relevance, the curricular time and logistical resources devoted to teaching anatomy are in decline, favoring the introduction of new pedagogical approaches based on computer-assisted learning (CAL). This new pedagogical approach provides an insight into students' learning profiles and features, which are correlated with knowledge acquisition. The aim of this study was to understand how training with CAL platforms can influence medical students' anatomy performance. A total of 611 medical students attending Musculoskeletal Anatomy (MA) and Cardiovascular Anatomy (CA) courses were allocated to one of three groups (MA Group, CA Group, and MA + CA Group). An association between the performance in these anatomy courses and the number of CAL training sessions was detected. In the MA Group (r = 0.761, P < 0.001) and the MA + CA Group (r = 0.786, P < 0.001), a large positive correlation was observed between musculoskeletal anatomy performance and the number of CAL training sessions. Similarly, in the CA Group (r = 0.670, P < 0.001) and the MA + CA Group (r = 0.772, P < 0.001), a large positive correlation was observed between cardiovascular anatomy performance and the number of CAL training sessions. Multiple linear regression models were performed, considering either musculoskeletal or cardiovascular anatomy performance as the dependent variable. The results suggest that using CAL platforms to study has a positive dose-dependent effect on anatomy performance. Understanding students' individual features and academic background may contribute to the optimization of the learning process.     

我国农村中小学布局调整的总体评价

通过对中西部地区的湖北、河南、广西、云南、陕西和内蒙古等6个省(自治区)38个县市177个乡镇实地调研所收集的资料和现有文献对我国农村中小学布局调整进行总体性评价,以大量的事实证明农村中小学布局调整的力度较大,中小学的服务人口和服务范围都有显著增加和扩大,学校规模的扩大更加明显,以前存在的学校规模过小、布局分散、资源利用效率低的问题得到了相当程度的改善,布局调整取得了良好的成效。     

肯尼亚新一轮免费初等教育政策剖析

2003年肯尼亚出台了新一轮免费初等教育政策,但在政策执行过程中面临教学设施、教材供应、教师资源的严重不足以及学生辍学等问题.综观这一政策,发现在决策之前缺乏深入细致的现状分析,缺乏基础广泛的讨论和协商,也缺乏政策实施的具体设计;政策执行策略上有待改善的还很多;政策本身意义重大,但执行前景则取决于经济发展、政府管理和国内外支持水平等因素.     

论思想政治教育情境资源的有机整合

目前,研究思想政治教育的具体资源已经成为发展趋势。如何实现思想政治教育情境资源的有机整合,决定着思想政治教育的实效性。通过对情境的定义和其他相关概念的分析,明确了思想政治教育情境资源有机整合的内涵,从结构优化增值价值、功能增值价值、效果增值价值阐述了有机整合思想政治教育情境资源的价值维度,探讨了思想政治教育情境资源有机整合的途径,对深化思想政治教育研究具有一定的理论和实践指导意义。     

Distance teaching in small rural primary schools: a participatory action research project

ABSTRACT

The aim of the study is to identify and examine the distance teaching practices of four teachers in three small, rural primary schools in Finland – small in the sense that the schools consists of between 20–50 pupils and between 3–12 teachers. The schools have experienced a decline in pupil numbers, thus, they are not able to employ teachers full-time. The participating teachers imagined distance education as one solution to extend the classroom and faculty. Practice architectures is used as a theoretical and analytical framework to answer the question ‘What cultural, material, and social discourses constitute the development of the practice around distance education in small, rural primary schools?’ The data consists of interviews with and video blogs by the teachers recorded during 2016–2017. The implications are that cultural-discursive, material-economic, and social-political arrangements surrounding distance education are intertwined in small schools. Architectural arrangements enabled flexible solutions when developing distance education. The same arrangements proved to be material and cultural constraints as the teachers had many responsibilities in their everyday practice and support from the faculty was sometimes lacking. The teachers felt constrained by the technology and communicating with pupils at a distance meant they had to develop new teaching strategies.     

基于平板电脑的特殊教育软件研究与应用现状述评

平板电脑是一种新型移动终端,将它应用于特殊教育可增强教学效果,优化学习者体验,提供教育的信息化程度。作者以文献研究为基础,调查了基于平板电脑的特殊教育软件研究现状,从适用对象、应用领域、专门程度三个维度进行分析,阐述了各类应用软件的主要特征和设计思想。文章还统计和分析了该类应用软件的市场情况,并且对基于平板电脑的特殊教育应用软件的开发和发展方向作了进一步的讨论。     

The effects of integration and generation of immigrants on language and numeracy achievement

In many Western countries the pressure exerted on immigrants to integrate has become intense in recent years. Efforts to preserve their ethnic identity through multicultural recognition has now been replaced by the requirements of active civic participation and assimilation. Of course integration is considered important not only for the immigrant parents but also for their children. The central question in this article is whether there is a relationship between the degree of integration of the immigrant parents and the generation of their children on the one hand and the level of language and numeracy achievement of the children on the other. To answer this question we use data collected in 2008 from the Dutch COOL^5–18 cohort study. The information comes from more than 9000 immigrant and 16,000 indigenous children and their parents. The results show that as immigrant parents are better integrated and their children are of later generations, the language and numeracy skills of the children improve, though there remain large differences in achievement between different ethnic groups.     

The effective integration of ICTs in universities: the role of knowledge and academic experience of professors

Despite the fact that investment in information and communication technologies (ICTs) in universities has increased dramatically, there is no clear evidence that ICTs have been incorporated effectively in the process of teaching and learning. This article investigates the knowledge that university professors need in order to integrate ICTs into their teaching practices. The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model has been frequently used for this purpose, but its application in higher education has been limited. The objectives of the study are both the confirmation of the applicability of the model in universities, and the study of the key variables of professors for effective technology integration. A self-assessment questionnaire was administered to 113 professors of three different university schools. The results of this study confirm the usefulness of the model and revealed significant differences regarding the previous academic experience of the teacher. The investigation thus contributes to studies that aim to foster the effective integration of technology in teaching and learning.     

高校德育内容实现条件比较研究及对策

本论述了影响高校德育内容实现的六大条件即社会经济政治背景、社会德育环境、德育教育、受教育、德育手段、德育时间空间，通过不同年代高校德育内容实现条件的比较研究，为优化新时期德育内容实现条件提出了对策。     

Access,poverty and learning achievement for primary school leavers in Kenya: analysis of evidence from 47 counties

To what extent, if at all, did the introduction of free primary education in Kenya in 2003 have positive equity effects, in terms of both access and achievement. Access is based on the number of candidates sitting the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination and the KCPE score is used to measure achievement levels. The study uses data that reflects Kenya’s 47 devolved governance counties. A quantitative measure of poverty in all 47 counties was then entered as an independent variable of regression analysis, and a negative association with KCPE performance noted (high poverty levels associated with low KCPE scores). Also noted was a contrast between counties showing high enrolment impact and improved KCPE scores, and those showing high enrolment impact and lower KCPE scores. Counties in the former group are located almost entirely in arid and semi-arid areas, those in the latter group in the coastal region.     

农村中小学隐性伤害的原因及对策分析

农村中小学的隐性伤害主要表现为体罚、变相体罚、心理惩罚和校园欺侮,而落后的教育观念、教师素质低下、学生自身的素质、学校教育中的"过度社会化"等是造成隐性伤害的主要原因。为了减少农村中小学隐性伤害事件的发生,必须要改变落后的教育观念、提高教师的综合素质、保护特殊群体学生的身心健康、实施人性化管理、重视家庭教育,以加深对农村中小学隐性伤害的认识,促进农村中小学教育教学工作的顺利进行。     

教育公平视野下重庆市城乡教育一体化研究

＂教育是民族振兴的基石,教育公平是社会公平的重要基础。＂重庆市城乡教育的差别与公平,主要反映在城乡教育的软件和硬件方面。城乡教育机会不平等、投入不均衡、资源配置不合理等是重庆城乡教育之间差别较大的主要原因。要实现重庆市城乡教育一体化,达到教育公平的目标,需要公平配置教育资源、建立标准化的财政投入机制、平衡城乡师资力量。     

Learning about the past: exploring the opportunities and challenges of using an outdoor learning approach

This paper examines the potential of outdoor learning for supporting children’s understanding of and attitude towards history. A class of primary school children participated in an intensive experiential, residential history programme. A range of data was collected before, during and after the residential programme, and the findings suggest that the experience had a positive impact on the children’s attitude towards history and enabled many of the children to be able to easily recall highly specific factual knowledge. However, the children’s understanding of history as a provisional construct was not developed, as it was not a strong feature of the programme. Nor was the experiential nature of the experience fully exploited. Overall the study suggests that such a programme has the potential to support children’s learning of the past, but a deeper understanding of history, drawing on the benefits of outdoor learning pedagogy, needs to be planned for more explicitly.     

Free primary education policy and pupil school mobility in urban Kenya

This paper examines pupil school mobility in urban Kenya using African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) household survey data which contain information on pupil transfers between schools. The aim is to identify which school characteristics attract the greatest demand for incoming transfers. The analysis reveals that there are frequent transfers in the slums than in the non-slum settlements; that transfer are in favour of private schools; and that quality is the main motivation for the transfers. Quality schools are perceived to have good discipline and better teacher performance. Given these results, should the Kenya government recognise the ‘low cost’ schools found in the slums which serve nearly half of the pupils and devise mechanisms of funding them?     

职业教育学习评价元评估标准:国际与本土的尺度整合

评估标准建构是实施元评估的重要基础。为建构职业教育学习评价元评估的标准体系,整合国际通行的实用性、可行性、合理性和准确性尺度和中国学习评价的公平性尺度,综合运用问卷法、访谈法和元分析法,对149名职业教育学生进行了实证调查。研究发现:国际通用的教育元评估标准与中国学习评价的公平性尺度具有内在一致性;职业教育学习评价元评估体系是以"过程-结构"为基础,在过程上包括了评估过程的评价设计、评价实施和评价结果三个环节,在结构上包含了不同环节的不同标准。实证分析发现,基于国际标准与本土尺度整合的职业教育学习评价元评估常模具有良好的测量学特征,可以用于学习评价的元评估。     

Capacity building of a district education system: insights from Kenya

Both (a) in-school factors such as over-focus on academic performance, absence of uniform, and corporal punishment, and (b) out-of school factors such as caring for ailing parents, child labour, etc., hinder participation of orphan and vulnerable children (OVC) in Free Primary Education (FPE) system in Nyanza Province, Kenya. In this context Concern Worldwide Kenya undertook an appreciative capacity building approach and appropriately positioned District Education Office (DEO) of the Ministry of Education and local civil society organisations (CSOs) to address in-school and out-of-school factors, respectively, to ensure quality education for OVC. The outcome of the programme is promising and has demonstrated the need for greater cooperation between CSOs and the government to develop creative strategies in overcoming the causes of marginalisation within the contexts of the growing AIDS pandemic and poverty in Kenya.