Cooperative learning in an African context

In Africa there has really been no historical development of cooperative learning because of the influence of missionary and colonial education in establishing a Western form of schooling. This is why a discrepancy exists between African culture, which may be seen as defining some form of cooperative learning, and the present school culture. The new philosophy of African socialism has not markedly permeated the schools or methods of classroom teaching. Cooperative learning has special significance for South Africa, but its implementation is hardly possible because of serious educational inequalities which have to be redressed first. Nevertheless, the building of positive relations between Black and White youth has occurred with a cooperative learning approach developed by the author and used in non-formal settings.     

Young women's scientific identity formation in an urban context

In this article we examine the scientific identity formation of two young women of color who attend an urban vocational high school. One young woman lives in an urban setting, while the other lives in a suburban setting. We describe how these young women's identities influence and respond to experiences in school science. In particular, we describe how the experience of marginalization can make membership in a school science community impossible or undesirable. We also describe the advantages that accrue to students who fit well with the ideal identities of an urban school. Finally, we describe some of the difficulties students face who aspire to scientific or technological competence yet do not desire to take on aspects of the identities associated with membership in school science communities. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 38: 965–980, 2001     

作家的个性气质与创作

在学创作中，作家的个性气质占有十分重要的地位。它使作家具有独特的感受力，影响作家的选材范围，对作家艺术构思中的想象、情感活动的独特性起重要作用，对作家艺术传达方式和手法的独特性产生直接影响。     

Dialectics of development: teacher identity formation in the interplay of ideal ego and ego ideal

This paper results from research examining pre-service teacher development in relation to experiences of mentoring during the Professional Experience component of their programme. The paper focuses on the interplay between pre-service teachers’ personal aspirations for their own practice and identity and their perceptions of more socialized and formalized institutional requirements. The paper highlights the developmental potential of dialectical interactions between these ‘inside out’ and ‘outside in’ perspectives on pre-service teachers’ practice and identity, drawing on psychoanalytic theory in order to gain insights into this process by viewing the pre-service teachers wishes and aspirations for their practice and identities as manifestations of the Lacanian (‘inside out’) ideal ego; whilst the school culture and the mentor teachers’ (actual and anticipated) comments and judgements are read as representations of the (‘outside in’) ego ideal. The paper concludes with considerations of how universities and schools, pre-service teachers and mentors, might be encouraged to recognize the need for a sustained and open-ended dialectic between the ego ideal and the ideal ego in ways that might enrich the professional identities available to pre-service teachers.     

The relationship between personality and attitudes towards computers: an investigation among female undergraduate students in Israel

The relationships between computer-related attitudes and the Eysenckian personality dimensions of extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism are explored among a sample of 298 female students in Israel. The data demonstrate that more positive attitudes towards computers are associated with higher scores on the psychoticism scale and lower scores on the extraversion scale. There is no significant relationship between attitudes towards computers and scores on the neuroticism scale     

大学生主动性人格和职业决策困难的关系研究

本文在我国文化背景下,基于就业难的社会问题,采用量化分析与定性分析相结合的方法。探讨当代大学生主动性人格和职业决策困难的内涵,研究二者之间的关系,分析大学生主动性人格对解决他们职业决策困难的有效性和实践意义。     

The mediating roles of internal context variables in the relationship between distributed leadership perceptions and continuous change behaviours of public school teachers

This study aims at building a theoretical base for continuous change in education and using this base to test the mediating roles of two key contextual variables, knowledge sharing and trust, in the relationship between the distributed leadership perceptions and continuous change behaviours of teachers. Data were collected from 687 public school teachers. The results showed that the combined effect of knowledge sharing and faculty trust in principal mediated the relationship between teachers’ distributed leadership perceptions and continuous change behaviours. The directions of the coefficients of the relationships between the independent variable and the dependent variable suggested that higher distributed leadership perception leads to increased knowledge sharing and trust in principal, which in turn was associated with greater continuous change behaviours. The study showed that school systems have an extensive capacity for self-improvement, even in the absence of a pre-developed change plan.     

论语境和修辞的关系

本文着重论述了语境作为修辞的基础，它对修辞起制约作用，在特定的语境中可以形成多种修辞格；修辞可以改善语境关系，两者之间的关系是互动的。     

The relationship between personality adjustment and success in remedial programs in dyslexic children

Dyslexic and a normal group consisting of 104 children each were matched with reference to age, income, intelligence, and sex. Specific personality dimensions including self-concept, achievement motivation, general manifest anxiety, test anxiety, and behavior deviance were measured. Dyslexic children showed poorer adjustment in all areas of personality. Comparison of results within the dyslexic group showed that children who are successful in remedial training show better emotional adjustments than unsuccessful dyslexic children. A stepwise multiple regression analysis employing personality variables and overall success in remedial language training was computed. Classroom behavior and self concept were found to correlate with success and yielded a multiple correlation of .544. Results are discussed with reference to remediation and treatment.     

The relationship between the big-five model of personality and self-regulated learning strategies

The study examined the relationship between the big-five model of personality and the use of self-regulated learning strategies. Measures of self-regulated learning strategies and big-five personality traits were administered to a sample of undergraduate students. Results from canonical correlation analysis indicated an overlap between the big-five personality factors and the set of self-regulatory learning strategies. The study also compared the relative contributions of the personality factors and the self-regulated learning strategies in predicting academic achievement. The results from hierarchical multiple regressions suggest that the personality trait of Intellect made an independent contribution to the variance in student GPA, whereas effort regulation mediated the effects of Conscientiousness and Agreeableness. The relevance of personality constructs in the learning context is discussed in terms of dispositions for active learning.     

Moral identity in cultural context: Differences between Canadian and Chinese university students

ABSTRACT

Albeit the moral identity construct has gained a pivotal status in moral psychology, previous research largely neglected cultural differences. The present study investigated moral identity from a cross-cultural perspective by comparing Western (Canadian) and Eastern (Chinese) cultures in three different contexts: family, school and community/society. The sample included 185 young adults from Canada and 148 from China. A modified version of the moral identity interview was administrated in each culture. All participants were asked to select 12–15 attributes describing a high moral person from a culturally inclusive list. They were then asked to rate the self-importance of the chosen attributes in the contexts of family, school and community/society. Overall, participants from both cultures viewed attributes reflecting benevolence and universality central to their moral identity. However, Chinese participants included a broader range of value domains in the definition of their moral identity. Moreover, Chinese participants scored higher on moral identity in the context of community/society than Canadians. The results indicate cultural similarity of moral identity with regard to some attributes. At the same time, there is meaningful cultural variability in individuals’ moral identities across contexts.     

The relationship between ethnic diversity and classroom disruption in the context of migration policies

This paper studies the relationship between ethnic school composition and classroom disruption in secondary education in the context of migration policies. We measured classroom disruption using students’ reports from 3533 schools in 20 countries provided by cross-national PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) 2009 data. We employ the migrant share and the ethnic diversity net of the native share as indicators of the ethnic composition of a school. The MIPEX (Immigrant Integration Policy indEX) is used as an indicator of migration policies. Our results show a positive association between ethnic school diversity net of the migrant share and classroom disruption. Furthermore, we show a negative interaction term of the migration policy and ethnic diversity. Consequently, our results indicate that students in countries with a more inclusive migration policy are at least less harmed by influence of ethnic school diversity regarding classroom disruption. Findings partly support the “contact hypothesis” and reject the “threat hypothesis” in an educational context.     

随机变量的特征函数在恒等式证明中的探讨

本文重点阐述了随机变量的特征函数在恒等式证明中的应用方法,说明它比用分 布函数证明恒等式更方便,并用实例加以说明.     

Connecting religion and teacher identity: The unexplored relationship between teachers and religion in public schools

It is increasingly acknowledged that for individuals to participate in a pluralistic and democratic society, they must understand religious conviction and difference. In educational literature, the discussion surrounding education and religion focuses on the implications for students. It is important to consider what this may mean to the teachers, as teachers directly influence student learning. This article uses literature on religion, multiculturalism, teacher identity, and popular culture to connect teachers' private religious identifications to their professional identities in public school classrooms. It supports future research in this area and provides a theoretical framework for subsequent studies.     

A strategic quality assurance framework in an African higher education context

This study is based on a pragmatist analysis of selected international accounts on quality assurance in higher education. A pragmatist perspective was used to conceptualise a logical internal quality assurance model to embed and support the alignment of graduate competencies in curriculum and assessment of Ghanaian polytechnics. Through focus group and in-depth interviews, the framework was evaluated by internal stakeholders including lecturers, students and administrators of the polytechnics. It was found that from a pragmatist perspective, quality assurance concepts and practices in higher education reported in the international literature could be used to design a context-specific quality assurance framework for higher education systems in Africa but there will be challenges with implementation of such a framework. The challenges found include quality culture and financial resources. Nonetheless, it was noted that effective planning and stakeholder commitment can surmount the challenges to ensure effective implementation of the framework to enhance quality.