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.     

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.     

Using three levels in design of effective teacher-education tasks: The case of promoting conflicts with intuitive understandings in probability

This paper describes a three-level framework (technical, domain, and generic) which enables some generalisability across mathematics topics for effective teacher–education (TE) task design. It argues that TE tasks which encompass these levels increase preservice and inservice teachers’ interest because they transcend the particular mathematical focus and pedagogical activity within the TE tasks and enable translation to classrooms (technical), enhance the success of student learning (domain), and facilitate transfer to other topics (generic). The paper then uses the levels to analyse an effective probability task (based on circular spinners) which involves cognitive conflict between formal and intuitive probability at all three levels, namely, with regard to facilitating non-random results (technical), differences between probabilistic and deterministic mathematics and area and set models (domain), and non-prototypic exemplars and validation in probability experiments (generic). The paper concludes with reference to the power of effective TE tasks in showing how connectivity of mathematics (e.g., fractions and probability) requires similar connectivity in pedagogy.     

A cross-disciplinary approach to teaching data literacy and proportionality

The Thinking with Data project (TWD) expands on current notions of data literacy by (1) focusing on proportional reasoning as key to data literacy and (2) leveraging the non-mathematics disciplines to engage students in deep thinking about the context of data and the application of proportionality. A set of four 2-week, sequential modules for cross-disciplinary implementation in seventh-grade classrooms was designed and evaluated. Using a quasi-experimental approach, we found that student data literacy was increased through the focused integration of social studies, mathematics, science, and English language arts. In this article, we describe our theoretical approach to designing and implementing the modules, report on student learning gains in mathematics, and describe teacher reactions to the materials. In sum, our study provides evidence that the TWD approach has the potential to build data literacy while also allowing students to learn core discipline-based content standards.     

Index for Volume 54 (1983)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a regression equation to predict maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max) based on nonexercise (N-EX) data. All participants (N= 100), ages 18–65 years, successfully completed a maximal graded exercise test (GXT) to assess VO₂max (M= 39.96 mL·kg ^-1· min ^-1 , SD = 9.54). The N-EX data collected just before the maximal GXT included the participant's age; gender; body mass index (BMI); perceived functional ability (PFA) to walk, jog, or run given distances; and current physical activity (PA-R) level. Multiple linear regression generated the following N-EX prediction equation (R = .93, SEE = 3.45 mL·kg ^-1· min ^-1 , %SEE= 8.62): VO₂max (mL·kg ^-1· min ^-1 ) = 48.0730 + (6.1779 x gender; women = 0, men = 1) – (0.2463 x age) – (0.6186 x BMI) + (0.7115 x PFA) + (0.6709 x PA-R). Cross validation using PRESS (predicted residual sum of squares) statistics revealed minimal shrinkage (R _p = .91 and SEE _p = 3.63 mL·kg ^-1· min ^-1 ); thus, this model should yield acceptable accuracy when applied to an independent sample of adults (ages 18–-65 years) with a similar cardiorespiratory fitness level. Based on standardized β-weights, the PFA variable (0.41) was the most effective at predicting VO₂max followed by age (-0.34), gender (0.33), BMI (-0.27), and PA-R (0.16). This study provides a N-EX regression model that yields relatively accurate results and is a convenient way to predict VO₂max in adult men and women.     

Identical,Fraternal, or Separated at Birth: A Case Study of Educator Teams Within American-Israeli School Twinning

School-to-school collaboration has emerged as a key paradigm for fostering personal and institutional connections between Israeli and Diaspora youth, educators, and schools. Using the findings of a multi-year case study of a high school level twinning initiative, this article describes the challenges to this form of transnational collaboration and takes the first steps to articulating a theory of intervention of Israeli-Diaspora school twinning at the organizational level. The article suggests two processes, collaborative capacity and cultural competence, critical to development of positive and productive relationships in school partnerships. Institutional twinning is suggested as the goal of these interventions at the organizational level.