Scientific creativity: A short overview

This article gives a condensed overview of important findings, methods, and theories related to scientific creativity. The topics discussed are grouped into the fourfold classification of the creative product, the creative person, the creative process, and the creative situation. Methods for evaluating the impact and creativeness of the creative product are citation analysis and rating inventories. The section in the creative person presents findings on the presonality of creative scientists and research productivity across the life span. The section on the creative process revies a stage theory of the creative act. Remarks on the creative situation include of summary of factors conducive to creative achievement and a discussion of the problem of multiple discoveries. In one of two additional sections, a comprehensive theory of scientific creativity-simonton's chance configuration theory—is reviewd. The second additional section presents recommendations for further research on scientific creativity.     

Mathematics motivation and engagement: an independent evaluation of a complex model with Australian rural high school students

Most traditional models of academic motivation focus on a small number of specific factors. However, the Student Motivation and Engagement Scale (MES) (Martin, 2007b Martin, A.J. 2007b. The motivation and engagement scale, Sydney, , Australia: Lifelong Achievement Group.  [Google Scholar]) includes a fairly comprehensive range of perspectives on general student motivation. The current study set out (a) to provide an independent test of the proposed 11-factor structure of the MES for boys and girls when (b) applied to high school mathematics in Australia (N = 1014; Years 7 to 11). It also examined (c) the covariation of different facets of motivation and engagement with gender, year level, and scholastic achievement. The hypothesised 11-factor model fit reasonably well across gender, and there was clear evidence of specificity to maths compared to English achievement. Some gender and grade effects were observed as well. The study provides support for the value of the Martin model and its instrument. It also extends our knowledge of student motivation to mathematics in Australian rural high schools.     

Get Your Head in the Clouds

No abstract available for this article.     

The e-Book Apocalypse: A Survivor's Guide

As an outgrowth of its course in online literature searching, the University of Washington School of Librarianship has recently added a course on numeric databases to its professional degree program. It emphasizes the relationship of these files to bibliographic databases and their application to general library service, rather than concepts of data management or statistical techniques, although attention was also given to these topics. Hands-on experience in searching socioeconomic databases provides students without research experience with an awareness of the character and capability of these resources. The course serves both as an introduction to a career specialization in data management as well as an examination of the role of numeric databases in library reference services. Given the increasing importance of statistical analysis in the social sciences, academic concern for training in the use of numeric databases is of a particular concern to the behavioral or social science librarian.     

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

No abstract available for this article.     

A Conceptual View of Web-Based E-Learning Systems

Starting from a general framework for web-based e-learning systems that is based on an abstraction layer model, this paper presents a conceptual modelling approach, which captures the modelling of learners, the modelling of courses, the personalisation of courses, and the management of data in e-learning systems. Courses are modelled by outline graphs, which are further refined by some form of process algebra. The linguistic analysis of word fields referring to an application domain helps to set up these course outlines. Learners are modelled by classifying value combinations for their characteristic properties. Each learner type gives rise to intentions as well as rights and obligations in using a learning system. Intentions can be formalised as postconditions, while rights and obligations lead to deontic constraints. The intentions can be used for the personalisation of the learning system to a learner type. Finally, the management of data in an e-learning system is approached on two different levels dealing with the content of individual learning units and the integrated content of the whole system, respectively. This leads to supporting databases and views defined on them.     

胡杨部分生态指标对塔里木河下游应急输水的响应

向塔里木河下游应急生态输水对于胡杨为主体的荒漠河岸植被的恢复和自然更新产生了积极的影响.本文根据近5年对塔里木河下游阿拉干地区的大量野外调查数据,分析了应急输水对该地区地下水位上升及胡杨各项生态指标的影响.结果显示:随着应急生态输水的继续和扩大.塔河下游典型监测断面--阿拉干的地下水位逐渐抬升.水质得到改善,河道附近的地下水埋深已经由输水前的10～12 m抬升至5.5～6.2 m.胡杨的部分生态指标对输水有不同程度的响应;具体表现在,在垂直河道方向上,离河道越近胡杨各项生态指标,即盖度、郁闭度、冠幅、萌生枝、树冠疏失度以及次生苗和实生苗出现的频率等对输水的响应越显著.总体来说,在河道200m范围之内,生态输水对胡杨恢复的影响程度是显著的;在200～800m之间,为中度影响;800m以上的距离几乎无影响.     

Helping students understand their learning styles: Effects on study self‐efficacy,preference for group work,and group climate

Small tutorial groups in higher education are often composed without regard to students’ gender or broad knowledge background, for example, yet research indicates that composing groups on the basis of gender and prior qualifications may have significant effects on assessment outcomes. Previous studies have also investigated the effects of composing groups on the basis of learning style preference and found no effects. The effect of combining group composition with training in learning styles is unclear, however. In this study we report on the effects of workshop training in learning styles on balanced group members’ study self‐efficacy, preference for group work, group climate, and assessment performance. Although we found no effects, students reported greater self‐awareness of their own learning and acceptance of others’ styles. We conclude that in collaborative learning environments, training may need to go beyond facilitating growth in students’ self‐awareness to include a focus on how to apply this understanding to improving group function and helping others to learn.