Smart is who makes lots of errors? The relevance of adaptive reactions to errors and a positive error climate for academic achievement

Learning form errors seems to be crucial for talent development, but there is evidence that students learn little from their errors during school instruction. This work addressed the interplay of different adaptive reactions to errors (affective-motivational adaptive and action-related adaptive reactions), a positive error climate in the learning context and cognitive abilities with regard to their effect on academic achievement. A longitudinal data set with 2092 students attending 74 classes was analyzed with a two-level path modeling approach (students in classrooms). The results confirmed the assumption that affective-motivational adaptive reactions to errors encourage action-related adaptive reactions to errors which, in turn, foster academic achievement. Furthermore, analyzes indicated that the relationship between a positive error climate in the classroom and academic achievements is mediated by students’ individual reactions to errors. In contrast to expectations, students with higher cognitive abilities did not show more adaptive reactions to errors.     

A bottlenose dolphin discriminates visual stimuli differing in numerosity

A bottlenose dolphin was trained to discriminate two simultaneously presented stimuli differing in numerosity (defined by the number of constituent elements). After responding correctly to stimuli consisting of three-dimensional objects, the dolphin transferred to two-dimensional stimuli. Initially, a variety of stimulus parameters covaried with the numerosity feature. By systematically controlling for these stimulus parameters, it was demonstrated that some of these attributes, such as element configuration and overall brightness, affected the animal’s discrimination performance. However, after all the confounding parameters were under control, the dolphin was able to discriminate the stimuli exclusively on the basis of the numerosity feature. The animal then achieved a successful transfer to novel numerosities, both intervening numerosities and numerosities outside the former range. These findings provide substantial evidence that the dolphin could base his behavior on the numerosity of a set independently of its other attributes and that he represented ordinal relations among numerosities.     

Selling Digital Rights as a General Publisher: Text and Images

This paper gives an overview of how publishers can market their digital content to potential customers in the book trade and, especially, in other, corporate and non-trade markets. It conveys why for example corporate customers and brands will be attracted to the multiple options publishers’ digital content can offer them to further build their brand and serve consumers’ interest in return. Publishers should be aware of different models to design content deals and of the issues that need to be addressed while negotiating. The paper provides thorough summaries of all questions that must be solved on both ends, with respect to resource, pricing, contract, legal and technical issues, etc. and is thus a very helpful source to begin with.     

Gender study on the relationships between science interest and future career perspectives

Gender disparities in STEM fields have been under extensive study, the focus of which has been on future career aspirations. However, the primary phases in gender differences are still ambiguous when examined from this perspective, possibly due to the fact that most of the studies have targeted samples of upper secondary school or college students. As such, in this study we examined the transient period to lower secondary school; our aim was to discover to what extent relationships between factors of students’ science interest and career perspectives differ between male and female. Based on previous studies and analyses, we selected three future career perspective variables – outcome, personal time, and innovation orientations – and three defining features of interest – personal value, enjoyment, and cognitive aspect. The sample was conducted in Finland and comprised of 401 grade 7 students aged 13, using a multi-group structural equation modelling. This study found that during the transient period there were clear gender differences regarding interest and preferences of science subjects, as well as their relationship towards future career perspectives. To be specific, biology was preferred by females, and males preferred physics and chemistry. With regard to future career perspectives, female students’ science interest was positively correlated with personal time- and innovation-oriented career perspectives; an outcome-oriented career expectation was negatively related to their interest. Interpretation and implication that might possibly arise from the results were also discussed.     

Profil und Erträge von evangelischen und katholischen Schulen

In diesem Beitrag wird das konzeptionelle Profil von evangelischen und katholischen Schulen beschrieben und es werden diese Schulen mit solchen in ?ffentlicher Tr?gerschaft hinsichtlich ausgew?hlter Bildungs- und Sozialisationsertr?ge verglichen. Anhand der in PISA 2000-E aufgenommenen Schulen in kirchlichter Tr?gerschaft untersuchen wir, inwieweit sich das konzeptionelle Profil dieser Schulen in schulischen Effekten zeigt. Dabei werden Rekrutierungseffekte erfasst, was einen Blick auf die Effizienz der Schulen erm?glicht. Anders als bisher vor dem Hintergrund der Schuleffizienzforschung angenommen, gelingt es diesen Schulen, ihren konzeptionellen Anspruch zumindest in Teilbereichen (Kompetenzvermittlung, Schulklima) umzusetzen. Keine Effekte zeigen sich hinsichtlich der Lernmotivation und des sozialen Lernens.     

Compiling an evidence-based improvement plan for the support of distance-education students at a southern African university

This article illustrates how an event guide can be used to organise, systematise and prioritise the large amount of findings from an extensive study. The study aimed to enhance student support at a distance-education institute in a Southern African country (Lesotho). In this case study an improvement-oriented evaluation of the strengths, weaknesses and constraints of the current situation at this University was undertaken. Data collection resembled a triangulation mixed-methods design which included questionnaire surveys and focus-group discussions among the students and lecturers in a distance-education programme. A resource inventory was also drawn up. Based on the merged findings, a strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats (SWOT) table was drawn up. The findings clearly depicted the difficulties associated with the provision of quality support for distance learners in a developing country with relatively weak infrastructure and few resources. The main purpose of the article, however, is to describe how the findings and the implicated actions needed for improvement were organised to compile an improvement plan by means of an event guide which consists of a series of event tracks. The article not only shares valuable perspectives about improving the support for distance learners in a developing environment, but also introduces a practical way of organising key findings from research in a way that potentially encourages action and implementation, particularly in an area and context where improvement is of critical importance.     

Stichwort: Globalisierung und Erziehungswissenschaft

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Developing Self-Efficacy in Teaching Mathematics: Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions of the Role of Subject Knowledge

ABSTRACT

Two major concerns in mathematics teacher education are the role of subject matter knowledge and the development of self-efficacy in pre-service teachers. This article brings these issues together in an exploration of the interaction between pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their subject matter knowledge and their accounts of university and placement experiences as potential sources of self-efficacy. Reporting on a group of ten pre-service teachers in Norway, we explore variations in the ways in which they perceived the role of subject knowledge in relation to experience, particularly “mastery experiences”, over a period of nearly two years. We suggest that recognition of the role of “understanding why” in mathematics is crucial in the experience of mastery, and that there is a need to focus more on the role of subject matter knowledge in all sources of self-efficacy in teaching mathematics.     

Computer Simulations Improve University Instructional Laboratories

Laboratory classes are commonplace and essential in biology departments but can sometimes be cumbersome, unreliable, and a drain on time and resources. As university intakes increase, pressure on budgets and staff time can often lead to reduction in practical class provision. Frequently, the ability to use laboratory equipment, mix solutions, and manipulate test animals are essential learning outcomes, and “wet” laboratory classes are thus appropriate. In others, however, interpretation and manipulation of the data are the primary learning outcomes, and here, computer-based simulations can provide a cheaper, easier, and less time- and labor-intensive alternative. We report the evaluation of two computer-based simulations of practical exercises: the first in chromosome analysis, the second in bioinformatics. Simulations can provide significant time savings to students (by a factor of four in our first case study) without affecting learning, as measured by performance in assessment. Moreover, under certain circumstances, performance can be improved by the use of simulations (by 7% in our second case study). We concluded that the introduction of these simulations can significantly enhance student learning where consideration of the learning outcomes indicates that it might be appropriate. In addition, they can offer significant benefits to teaching staff.