Ethnography’s capacity to contribute to the cumulation of theory: a response to Hammersley

My aim in this paper is to raise the question of educational authority in terms of a philosophical and historical understanding in the context of a democratic polity. In particular, I wish to advance the view that educational authority in England is not well-founded since it resides increasingly with the Secretary of State for Education. This fails to reflect the public nature of education and also local conditions. The lack of appropriate authority contributes to many problems, the most prominent of which are the contested nature of education and schools provision and the frustrating fact that policies at national level change so frequently. Drawing on the discussion in Amy Gutmann’s Democratic Education, it examines differing conceptions of educational authority and proposes a tentative solution, which draws on the experience of the School Boards movement in England, 1870–1902.     

Application of English cohesion theory in the teaching of writing to Chinese graduate students

The English cohesion theory proposed by Halliday and Hasan makes great contributions to the understanding of the coherence and cohesion of the English texts. It should be applicable in the teaching of English writing so as to improve the cohesion in the students＇ compositions. The present paper describes apractice of this order among non-major graduate students, and discusses its results. The conclusion is that teaching activities of this kind can indeed improve the cohesion in the students＇ compositions. Finally the paper raises a few concerning problems which remain to be further explored.     

Application of the Bayes’ theory to the failure rate evaluation of electrical apparatus

The Weibull distribution has been widely used in reliability fields. A mixed Weibull distribution represents a popu- lation that consists of several Weibull subpopulations. In this paper, a new approach which combines the least-squares method with Bayes’ theorem, takes advantage of the parameter estimation for single Weibull distribution is developed to estimate the pa- rameters of each subpopulation. The estimates given by this paper also satisfy the maximum likelihood equation. The estimates of the failure rate of the mixed Weibull population are given. An actual test data is computed by using the proposed method. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov goodness-of-fit test turns out that the proposed method yields more accurate result.     

Origins of individual differences in theory of mind: from nature to nurture?

In this study of the origins of individual differences in theory of mind (ToM), the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study sample of 1,116 sixty-month-old twin pairs completed a comprehensive battery of ToM tasks. Individual differences in ToM were striking and strongly associated with verbal ability. Behavioral genetic models of the data showed that environmental factors explained the majority of the variance in ToM performance in this sample. Shared environmental influences on verbal ability had a common impact on ToM and explained more than half the phenotypic correlation between these two skills. Possible underlying proximal mechanisms are discussed, including maternal speech and mind-mindedness, sibling interactions, and peer influences.     

Application of the Bayes＇ theory to the failure rate evaluation of electrical apparatus

The Weibull distribution has been widely used in reliability fields. A mixed Weibull distribution represents a population that consists of several Weibull subpopulations. In this paper, a new approach which combines the least-squares method with Bayes＇ theorem, takes advantage of the parameter estimation for single Weibull distribution is developed to estimate the parameters of each subpopulation. The estimates given by this paper also satisfy the maximum likelihood equation. The estimates of the failure rate of the mixed Weibull population are given. An actual test data is computed by using the proposed method. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov goodness-of-fit test turns out that the proposed method yields more accurate result.     

What can ‘social practice’ theory and ‘socio-cultural’ theory contribute to our understanding of the processes of module design?

This article discusses the data obtained from an online survey of academic staff who are involved in module design and who are employed within one university. The survey was used as a baselining tool to explore the nature of current module design practice within the survey sample. Do academics consistently employ the pragmatic approaches recommended by educational developers and theorists or is module and curriculum development a more informally constructed process? By comparing the initial findings of this project with survey and interview data produced by evidence-based projects, this article suggests that module design practice is not set in stone and that we need a deeper analysis of the process of module and curriculum design in terms of social practice and socio-cultural theory in order to gain a deeper understanding of it.     

Application of density-functional theory to studying methylation with dimethyl carbonate and dimethyl sulfate

The activities of dimethyl carbonate and dimethyl sulfate as a methylation reagent were studied by density-functional theory (DFT). B3LYP/6-31G(d, p) methods were used to optimize the structures of dimethyl carbonate and dimethyl sulfate and calculate theirs charge densities. Dimethyl sulfate is easier than dimethyl carbonate to react with a nucleophilic reagent. In dimethyl sulfate, the alkoxy carbons are the only reactive atomic nucleus because of steric hindrance. A nucleophilic reagent is more likely to react with carbonyl carbons than alkoxy carbons of dimethyl carbonate;in the presence of a Lewis acid, the phenyl nucleophilic reagent reacts with the Lewis acid first. Lewis acid increases the negative charge density of a nucleophilic reagent in polar solvent, and also incurs an accretion of steric hindrance. Polar solvent avails to ionize dimethyl carbonate and thus enables the reaction of methylation. The frequencies of transition state calculated by Gaussion 03 confirm the inferred reaction mechanism. The harvest rates of 4-methoxyphenol in the experiments of methylation reactions of hydroquinone with respectively dimethyl carbonate and dimethyl sulfate support the foregoing theortical conclusions.     

From pentagon to triangle: A cross‐cultural investigation of an implicit theory of giftedness

The present study examined an implicit theory of giftedness among pre‐service Chinese teachers. Participants were 189 second year students (preservice teachers, 74 male and 115 female, average age 20 years) from China Central Teachers’ University. Participants responded to an inventory based on Stemberg and Zhang's (1995) pentagonal implicit theory of giftedness and a simple questionnaire designed to cross‐validate two of the five criteria in the pentagonal model. Results indicated that in making judgments about giftedness, participants took into consideration three of the five criteria specified in the pentagonal model: excellence, productivity, and value. The excellence and productivity criteria were also confirmed by results from the simple questionnaire. Rarity and demonstrability, the two other criteria specified in the pentagonal model, were not taken into consideration by the participants in their evaluation of giftedness. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Drawing on the variation theory to enhance students’ learning of Chinese characters

The variation theory of Ference Marton and his collaborators has widely been used as a framework for explaining what can possibly be learned in a particular classroom and what cannot. This paper reports on an experiment that put this theory to test in the context of students’ learning of the orthographic structures of Chinese characters. The experiment was carried out in the classrooms of two primary schools in Hong Kong. In each of the schools, two classes of students were taught differently, as informed by the theory, about the significance of the location of a component in the orthographic structure of a character in relation to whether the component provided a clue to the meaning of the character (called the part–part relations). The results of the experiment are consistent with the prediction of the theory that those students who were given the possibility to experience variation in the locations of components in the orthographic structures significantly outperformed those who were not. The results of the experiment demonstrate the power of the theory in guiding the design of teaching that affords students’ learning to happen.     

Toward a theory of the educational encounter: Gert Biesta’s educational theory and the right to the city

This paper outlines a theory of the educational encounter, the space of, and the right to that encounter. Situated in response to neoliberal educational reforms, this theory is developed through a reading and synthesis of the educational theory of Gert Biesta, the architectural component of his theory, and literature on the right to the city. The author argues that the notion of the encounter is latent yet central in Biesta’s work and that it can be further cultivated and more precisely attended to by turning to theoretical work on the right to the city, which is engaged here primarily through the lens of the encounter. Several themes are drawn out from the literature that can help in formulating a theory of the educational encounter such as the habitat/inhabit dialectic, the use/use-value/exchange-value framework of space, and the role of struggle in the production and maintenance of space.     

How to ask better questions? Dewey's theory of ecological psychology in encouraging practice of action learning

This paper provides an overview of John Dewey's ecological psychology and his basic concepts: experience, inquiry, and habit. The concept of habit, which is particularly relevant in understanding problem-solving strategies, is further explicated on the basis of Gross’s (2009. “A Pragmatist Theory of Social Mechanisms.” American Sociological Review 74: 358–379) conceptions of habits by way of an analysis of an action learning case study. It is argued that a deeper understanding of Dewey's ecological psychology, and the application of his concepts, may assist action learning practitioners to better understand why problems arise and how people solve them habitually, and thereby enable us to ask questions that can foster double loop learning.     

From splendid isolation to crossed boundaries? The futures of teacher education in the light of activity theory

Many policy documents addressing the future of teacher education do not take into account the fundamental unpredictability of the future, nor the opposing forces that will try to influence that future. Through the analysis of 48 scenario documents on the future of education or teacher education, we identified a set of unpredictable key factors that have to be taken into account when addressing the future of teacher education. We also identified four main futures that may lie ahead for teacher education. We analyzed these four scenarios using the concepts of activity systems, boundary objects, and boundary crossing. This revealed that the extent to which activity systems are open to boundary crossing and are willing to remove institutional boundaries will largely define the future that lies ahead for teacher education. Future scenarios in themselves can play a role as boundary objects that facilitate the dialogue and boundary crossing between these activity systems.     

Addressing the context of e‐learning: using transactional distance theory to inform design

The rapidly expanding range of options available for innovative e‐learning approaches based on emerging technologies has given renewed importance to teaching and learning issues that have long been familiar to distance educators. These issues arise from the separation between learners, and between teacher and learners, which occurs when learning is undertaken wholly or partly online. There may be important implications that emerge from aspects of separation, depending on whether students are studying primarily on‐campus, off‐campus, trans‐nationally, or in specific contexts such as the home, the workplace, fieldwork locations, or other places made possible by mobile learning technologies. We suggest that the context of learning has significant implications for e‐learning design, and that one way of analysing these implications is to draw on understandings from distance education, particularly the theory of transactional distance. We use cases from two Australian universities to illustrate the practical application of these implications to e‐learning design, including designs that involve Web 2.0 technologies.     

A unified convergence theory of a numerical method,and applications to the replenishment policies

INTRODUCTIONInthispaperwewilldiscusssomeproblemsoninventoryreplenishmentpoliciesfordeteriorat ingitemswithshortagesinadecliningmarket.Replenishmentpoliciesofdeterioratingcommodi tieshavebeenaninterestingresearchtopicinin ventorymanagementsinthepast,anditwillre mainlikelythesameinthefuture.SinceGhareandSchrader (1963 )publishedthefirstpaperconsideringdeteriorationofinventory,manypa perspresentedvariousmodelswithdifferentas sumptionsonpatternsofdeteriorationwithorwithoutshortages.Allofthem…     

Children’s development of a theory of mind

A critical review of the literature on the theory of mind is presented. Consistent with the “early onset” view, it is suggested that important precursors of a theory of mind are found much earlier than the age of 4. Research on emotional development and intentional communication is reviewed to suggest that some rudimentary understanding of other people’s minds occurs before the age of 2. Later, 3-year-olds’ engagement in pretense and deception demonstrates a more sophisticated understanding of other people’s mental states. Limitations of the false belief task for determining the acquisition of a theory of mind will be discussed with reference to findings in the adult literature.     

Does multimedia learning theory extend to middle-school students?

The purpose of this study is to translate principles of multimedia learning from college-age readers to middle grade students, when reading science texts with a supporting diagram. In this experimental study, sixth-grade students (n = 180) were randomly assigned to display conditions before reading. Each student read two explanatory sciences passages, a life-science and a physical science text. Passages were accompanied by either no illustrations (control), illustrations of the cycle with labels for each part (parts), illustrations of the cycle with labels for each major process (steps), or illustrations showing the labels for each part and each major process (parts and steps). Additionally, there were two text conditions in which half of the students read standard text (control) and half read texts with cues which indicated to students when to access the diagrams (cued). Through ANOVA analysis, in the life-science text students showed modest improvement (partial η² = .18) from the addition of diagrams, with the parts diagram and the steps diagram outperforming the control. In the physical science text, students did not receive benefit from the diagrams. Findings did not replicate results from college-age readers to younger readers, nor between the two texts with younger readers. These results raise concern for the application of multimedia design theory to classroom practice.     

Actor‐network theory of cosmopolitan education

In the past, philosophers discussed cosmopolitanism as a normative ideal of allegiance to humanity as a whole. A debate among social theorists, however, has examined cosmopolitanism as an incipient empirical phenomenon: an orientation of openness to foreign others and cultures. This paper introduces actor‐network theory to elaborate the social‐theoretical conception of cosmopolitanism. In light of the actor‐network theory of cosmopolitanism, the paper proposes cosmopolitan education that aims to foster in students three dispositions: to extend attachments to foreign people and objects; to understand transnational connections in which their lives are embedded; and to act on these attachments and understandings to effect transformations across national borders. Through this three‐fold cosmopolitan education, students will grow to be citizens of the world who traverse national borders dialogically by virtue of their transnational attachments, understandings, and actions.