Task-dependent construction of mental models as a basis for conceptual change

Learning can be seen as a task-oriented process which often requires the reorganization of existing knowledge, usually referred to as conceptual change. This paper describes a theoretical framework for the analysis of conceptual change that considers conceptual knowledge as a generative cognitive tool for the creation of more specific mental representations — propositional symbolic structures and analog mental models. According to this view, conceptual change is based on a task-oriented interaction between these different kinds of mental representations. The assumption is made that it is possible to foster conceptual change by presenting to students well-defined tasks that stimulate the construction of elaborated mental models as well as an intensive interaction between these models and the corresponding propositional representations. In order to test this assumption an empirical study was conducted, in which subjects had to express their prior knowledge about a complex subject matter from the field of geography (time differences on the earth), which contained various conceptual deficits. The subjects were then randomly assigned to different groups who received the same learning material but had to solve different learning tasks requiring differently structured mental models. Afterwards, the subjects were asked to express their knowledge about the subject matter again and were tested for understanding with a comprehension test. The results support the view that a task-oriented interaction between propositional structures and mental models can help learners to evaluate the consistency of their conceptual knowledge. Accordingly, conceptual deficits result in the formation of mental models with an inadequate structure. Such deficits can be detected if the respective model is used in a sufficiently variable way, whereas they can remain unnoticed if it is used in a limited manner.     

古代中医医德规范及其思想政治教育功能探析

中国古代医学包含了丰富而完整的医学道德规范体系。十全为上的医德评价标准,严谨求精的行业责任要求,博施济众的医患关系要求,重义轻利的从业价值取向,这些思想与大学生思想政治教育具有相同的价值追求。基于责任公民、建设者和接班人培养的逻辑之上,应该使二者有机结合,发挥其合理效应。     

Assessing self-regulated learning in higher education: a systematic literature review of self-report instruments

The growing interest in the field of learning strategies has led to an increasing number of studies and, with that, the development of numerous instruments to measure the use of self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies. Due to the complexity of this research field, the types of assessment methods are diverse. For this reason, we conducted a systematic review of self-report instruments that measure SRL in higher education and highlight their main characteristics. In doing so, we applied the general principles of systematic reviewing—we conducted a systematic search of established psychological and educational databases with previously defined inclusion criteria and applied a multistage filtering process. In an additional step, we examined a subsample of nine established instruments in terms of their implementation characteristics, psychometric properties, and additional characteristics. The results illustrate the distribution of self-report instruments used in higher education and point to a growing use of course- or domain-specific questionnaires over the past decades as well as a lack of emotional and motivational regulation scales.     

Parental distress: the initial phase of hearing aid and cochlear implant fitting

The results of previous cross-section studies suggest that childhood hearing impairment may lead to parental psychosocial stress. The present study investigated whether modifications in parental psychic state can be ascertained in connection with the child's treatment events and the child's hearing and speech status, in a prospective study design. Data were available on 116 fathers and mothers regarding the pre-cochlear implant examination or hearing aid fitting of their child. In the course of the child's treatment, parental quality of life improved from a low to a normal level. Among children who were at the stage of pre-examination for a cochlear implant, better hearing and speech capacity was linked to more severe impairment of the parental state. It is emphasized that the parents whose children showed comparatively good language development at the time of pre-examination for a cochlear implant were especially subjected to stress.     

启蒙史学的特色——兼评《罗马盛衰原因论》

政治意识强是启蒙史学的特色。启蒙主义史学的重点不在学术探讨 ,目的不在于学术创造 ,而是使史学在社会上起良好的政治宣传作用 ,借历史亡灵来阐明自己的某种政治主张。孟德斯鸠《罗马盛衰原因论》全书似述史而不述史 ,似理论又不专论 ,乃以罗马盛衰为主线 ,阐述政治制度等政史问题。是书通过一些政治性观点的阐述 ,发挥史学的启蒙作用 ,表达资产阶级思想意识。《罗马盛衰原因论》为解放思想做出历史性的贡献 ,成为法国资产阶级革命的思想源泉之一。历史著作不能一味追求学术上的贡献 ,如能在启迪民智方面发挥作用 ,体现社会价值 ,那么 ,这样的历史作品不也是不朽的吗 ?难道不该倡扬吗 ?     

Zur Erklärung der Teilnahme an hochschuldidaktischer Weiterbildung

In recent years, the need for didactic training in the field of higher education has become a focus of education policy. According to empirical evidence, however, only some of the university teaching staff participate in training opportunities. So far, only little empirical research has been undertaken to investigate the determinants of training intention in the area of university didactics. This article applies Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (TPB), for the first time, to this specific context and highlights the importance of perceived behavioral control and attitude in explaining training intention. For subjective norm, however, no direct effect could be found. In addition to the TPB predictors, direct and indirect effects of previous training participation on intention as well as the effect of training context on perceived behavioral control were assessed. Adding past behavior to the model resulted in a direct effect on intention and an increase of explained variance. With regard to the question of the sufficiency of the TPB, possible explanations are discussed.     

Undergraduates Leading Undergraduates: Peer Facilitation in a Science Workshop Program

This article presents the results of a study investigating the experiences of undergraduatesacting as peer leaders in an extensive peer-led team learning program in introductory undergraduate sciences and engineering courses. In an effort to understand the facilitator experience in the program better and to report initial findings on the benefits derived through a peer-facilitation experience, the study identified multiple areas in which peer facilitators reported experiences ofgrowth and the ways in which they understood and responded to this growth. Marina Micari, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, is Associate Researcher, Gateway Science Workshop Program, Northwestern University. Her interests include adult continuing education and cross-cultural communication. Bernhard Streitwieser, Ph.D. Columbia University, is Associate Director, Searle Center for Teaching Excellence, Northwestern University, and Lecturer, German Department, Northwestern University. His interests include comparative education and contemporary German society; European Education and systemic reform. Gregory Light, Ph.D., University of London, is Director, Searle Center for Teaching Excellence, Northwestern University. His interests include the theory and practice of learning and teaching in higher and professional education.     

基于产业结构的劳动力模型构建

本首先分析了我国三大产业间的劳动力需求与供给现状，并在此基础上结合相关的统计数据建立劳动力模型，然后根据所建立的模型对未来我国劳动力的流动趋势进行预测，进而得出了在今后几年内我国仍将有大量的剩余劳动力从第一产业中流出，并针对这部分剩余劳动力的就业问题提出了一些政策建议。     

Professional Competence and Intuitive Decision Making: A Simulation Study in the Domain of Emergency Medicine

Intuition presents as a crucial component of professional competence for many occupations, including emergency physicians because many of their decisions have to be made quickly. When arriving at the scene of an accident, they promptly have to assess the circumstances and initiate immediate life-saving measures without opportunities for deep analyses of patients’ conditions. Therefore, spontaneous and intuitive decisions are required to solve the problem appropriately, rather than more intentional and time-consuming forms of decision-making. Yet, the efficacy of and processes underpinning these intuitive activities remain far from fully understood or clearly conceptualised. The study reported here aims at revealing the efficacy of such intuition by analysing decision-making behaviour of emergency physicians. Based on patient simulation mannequins, which can be programmed to present specified clinical situations, three groups of participants with different levels of emergency medicine expertise (n ₁  = 10 novices, n ₂  = 10 semi-experts, n ₃  = 10 experts) each addressed two different authentic problem cases. In the first simulation, time pressure was utilised to press participants to decide intuitively. In the second simulation, the participants had to legitimise their decisions without any time pressure in order to generate rational decisions. Whereas no clear difference in the participants’ performances between both cases could be identified, experts and semi-experts performed better than novices in their intuitive decision-making, thereby supporting beliefs about the efficacy of intuition. It is proposed that medical education, as well as other forms of occupational preparation, should consider theories of mental simulations in order to improve surgeons’ professional education.