Making learning visible in initial teacher education: a pedagogical characterisation scheme

This paper reports the development of a scheme of characterising pedagogical practices in initial teacher education classes. The scheme is intended to provide baseline data on classroom pedagogical practices in Singapore’s sole provider of initial teacher education (ITE). This study is original in that the research team has found no reports of independent research to characterise, through video analysis of classroom practices, the pedagogical practices experienced during ITE. By characterising the pedagogical practices of a purposive sample of ITE lessons run at the National Institute of Education Singapore, this study contributes an initial scheme to produce detailed and layered representations of pedagogical practices through video recordings, which opens a new approach to research on teacher education. The implications with regard to teacher education policy and practice will be discussed.     

The Development and Validation of a Survey for Evaluating Primary Students’ Self-efficacy in STEM Activities

STEM integration has become a popular concept not only in the context of education practices but also as a way of learning. The integration of the STEM domains is evident in students’ learning experiences when engaging in STEM activities. However, there is a lack of instruments for evaluating students’ levels of self-efficacy in these activities. Therefore, the aims of this study were to develop a survey for evaluating upper primary students’ self-efficacy in STEM activities and to explore whether a student’s gender, grade, and participation in STEM activities predict his or her self-efficacy in STEM activities. A total of 844 fourth- to sixth-grade primary students participated in this study. After pilot testing, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted, the survey was found to have a single-factor structure with high reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = .90). Linear regression analysis showed that school and out-of-school participation in STEM activities significantly predicted the students’ self-efficacy in STEM activities, while grade and gender did not. The survey developed in this study provides a reliable and valid way to measure students’ self-efficacy in STEM activities. These findings also highlight the importance of encouraging students’ participation in both formal and informal STEM activities.

     

高中物理"模型"教学法实践研究

人们研究复杂的物理现象和过程时往往抽象成一定的"模型"进行处理.物理"模型"教学有助于学生更清楚地理解现象和过程的本质,有助于物理知识的迁移,本文对物理"模型"教学的模式及实践做了一定的研究,希望能对物理教学研究有所帮助.     

Effects of Diagrams on Mathematics Performance

Research on the facilitative effect of diagrams on solving mathematics problems is both inconsistent and inconclusive. This study investigates the effects of diagrams on 124 Singaporean pupils in three classes: Primary One and three, and Secondary One. Pupils' performance was measured with the use of teacher-written mathematics problems in the form of worksheets. Number of errors made on problems accompanied with and without diagrams were compared. Whether or not pupils benefit from diagrams was estimated by their patterns of errors made in the presence or absence of diagrams. Results both confirm and disconfirm previous findings and shed further light on the use of diagrams in mathematics.     

An Outreach Support Group for International Students

International students often face challenges in adjusting to their new environment without the use of local supports such as counseling. This article suggests how universities can form an outreach support group that encourages the participation of international students by minimizing the stigma associated with using mental health services and by addressing relevant practical and emotional issues that international students face.     

Performances of lateral flow biological aerated filter in treating domestic wastewater

1 Introduction ? The biological aerated filter technique has developed rapidly since 1980s, and is widely used in municipal sewage treatment. It has been used in the primary and secondary treatment processes due to its desirable economical efficiency and …     

伞形科植物染色体数目报告

In the present paper, chromosome numbers are reported for 33 species and varieties of Chinese Umbelliferae which belong to 17 genera in the subfamily Api- oideae.  Chromosome number of each species is shown in Table I.  Eighteen countings are newly reported.  Chromatin bridges and fragments were observed at anaphase I in some materials.  It is suggested that the fertility reduction in some species is due to the chromosome aberrations.