A case study of third grade students’ perceptions of the station rotation blended learning model in the United States

The purpose of this case study was to explore the experiences of 31 third graders who experienced learning in a Station Rotation blended learning setting over the period of one semester in the United State. These students participated in student focus group interviews and completed student questionnaires during the middle and the end of the semester. The student focus group interviews were first transcribed and coded. The students’ responses from the questionnaires were then coded and compared with the findings from the student focus group interviews. The results revealed five positive themes (variety of activities, technology, learning, fun, and getting help) and two negative themes (challenging work and technology). These emerged themes from the student focus interviews and the student questionnaires explain the perceptions the students had about the Station Rotation blended learning model. Finally, discussion for current study as well as recommendations for future research were provided.     

The process of updating engineering management science in an Australian regional university excellence in developing e-learning

The aim of the current paper is to share the processes in revising the courseware of the course of Engineering Management Science coded as ENG4004, in the Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical, Mechatronics, Electrical and Electronic, Computer Systems, Instrumentation and Control), Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Mechanical, Building and Construction Management) programmes offered by the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), a regional Australian University with excellence in developing e-learning. The paper describes how the authors review the courseware of the course. The needs for the review are also explained. The assessments of the course were also studied and revised. The authors also estimated the costs involved in reviewing the course. At the same time, the paper also predicts the benefits that will be offered to students and the community including employers who are going to employ USQ graduates. It is finally concluded that the review is worthwhile and the actual costs to the university are minimal.     

Examining Chinese vocabulary knowledge in Taiwanese first- and second graders using confirmatory factor analysis

How the construct of vocabulary is defined remains unclear although multiple theories have been put forth. In light of the lack of empirical work investigating the dimensionality of vocabulary knowledge in Chinese, the present study investigated the factor structure of Chinese print vocabulary in a sample of 111 Taiwanese children in Grades 1 and 2. Participants completed six written measures designed to assess breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge in receptive or expressive formats. Three hypothesized models corresponding to (1) a unidimensional model on which all six measures loaded onto, (2) a 2-factor model comprising breadth and depth dimensions, and (3) a 2-factor model consisting of receptive and expressive dimensions, were compared using confirmatory factor analyses. Results indicated that the unidimensional model was preferred over two dimensional models, indicating that it is useful to view Chinese vocabulary as a holistic construct rather than as comprising separable dimensions among young Taiwanese children.

     

Chinese Children's Incidental Learning of Word Meanings

We investigated the effects of metalinguistic awareness and the internal structure of Chinese characters on children's incidental learning of word meanings while reading. The participants were 241 Taiwanese children from six fourth-grade classes. They were randomly assigned to read one of two texts, and then their knowledge of unfamiliar characters from both texts was assessed. Two kinds of factors that might influence incidental learning of character meanings were examined: features of the unfamiliar characters (radical helpfulness, phonetic regularity, and contextual support) and child characteristics (radical awareness, phonetic awareness, general vocabulary, and prior knowledge of target characters). Results showed that children could incidentally learn characters during normal reading. Children who had more radical or phonetic awareness knew more characters, especially when the character contained a radical that gave a clue to meaning. However, contrary to expectation, radical helpfulness and phonetic regularity did not contribute to character learning. Characters were easier to learn when contextual support was strong. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.     

The role of online communities and the impact of educational social media on Saudi female college students in the United States

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the role of online communities and the impact of educational social media on 14 Saudi female college students who were studying in the United States. The findings revealed that social media was important to the participants for maintaining relationships and seeking out information from others. Social media was also an important way for participants to remain close to their communities and keep in contact with Saudi friends and family; however, the use of social media to interact with their communities was often shaped by Saudi cultural expectations. Most of the participants enjoyed online education and interacting with others in an online educational setting because it promotes collaborative learning and cultural interaction. Overall, social media used for educational purposes was mostly seen by the participants as a positive and beneficial part of their educational experiences.     

Passive fuzzy controller design for nonlinear systems with multiplicative noises

This paper proposes a passive fuzzy controller design methodology for nonlinear system with multiplicative noises. Applying the Itô's formula and the sense of mean square, the sufficient conditions are developed to analyze the stability and to design the controller for stochastic nonlinear systems which are represented by the Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy models. The sufficient conditions derived in this paper belong to the Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI) forms which can be solved by the convex optimal programming algorithm. Besides, the passivity theory is applied to discuss the effect of external disturbance on system. Finally, some numerical simulation examples are provided to demonstrate the applications of the proposed fuzzy controller design technique.     

专利技术组合的应用及识别方法研究进展

[目的/意义] 对专利技术组合的应用及识别方法研究进展进行梳理,总结现有研究成果,分析现存问题,针对筛选与推荐实用专利技术的需求提出可改进的思路和方向。[方法/过程] 对专利技术组合进行概念界定,基于企业专利技术活动的需求归纳总结专利技术组合的应用方向;通过国内外文献调研对专利技术组合的识别方法进行分析评述。[结果/结论] 已有面向转化运营专利技术组合识别的研究相对较少且分散,工作量巨大,不能满足实用技术筛选和推荐的需求。未来研究思路：不同应用范畴下的专利技术组合识别方法有待进一步拓展,有针对性地筛选与抽取技术关键词以及引入知识组织的方法将可能是有效提高组合识别效率的重要途径,促进专利技术组合识别应用需要多种方法的优势互补。     

Assessing students’ critical thinking performance: Urging for measurements using multi-response format

The current paper discusses ambiguities in critical thinking assessment. The paper first reviews the components of critical thinking. It then discusses the features and issues of commonly used critical thinking tests and to what extend they are made compatible to the conceptualization of critical thinking. The paper argues that critical thinking tests utilizing a single multiple-choice response format measures only recognition or level of knowledge, and do not adequately capture the dispositional characteristics of test-takers. Multiple-choice response format does not reveal test-takers’ underlying reasoning for choosing a particular answer, nor does it reflect test-takers’ ability to think critically under unprompted situations. Whereas measurement that allows for responses in both multiple-choice and open-ended format makes it possible to assess individuals’ spontaneous application of thinking skills on top of their ability to recognize a correct response. Assessment consists of multi-response format should be pursued for effective evaluation of students’ critical thinking performance.     

In pursuit of social democracy: Shena Simon and the reform of secondary education in England, 1938–1948

Shena Simon (1883–1972), a leading English socialist and educationist, actively called for the reform of secondary education in the 1930s and 1940s in order to bring the ideal of ‘equality of opportunity’ into the English educational system. This paper explores the continuity and changes in Simon’s proposed reforms in relation to her ideals of social democracy from the appearance of the Spens Report (1938) to the publication of her book, Three Schools or One? (1948). In addition, Simon’s transnational visits to the Soviet Union, the USA and Scotland, as well as the impact of her international and comparative perspectives on different educational systems on her policy agenda, are also examined. It concludes that as many policy issues shown in the current paper continue to be debated, Simon’s democratic ideals and discourses are still relevant in the present and suggest implications for the future of secondary education in England.     

知识管理与知识领航:新世纪图书馆学门的战略使命

论述了知识管理的诞生和近代知识管理的发展,认为知识管理的主要内容涉及知识创新处理技术、知识组织的管理方法和知识扩散的途径等;最新的知识管理的核心观念包括网络化知识管理、网域化知识管理和全球化知识管理。还论述了知识领航从1960年至2010年的应用发展,涉及发展阶段、领航范围、情报域区、领航工具、领航员素质、基地型态等;并对21世纪的知识管理与知识领航作了展望。