Students’ approaches to learning in problem-based learning: Taking into account professional behavior in the tutorial groups,self-study time,and different assessment aspects

Problem-based learning (PBL) represents a major development in higher educational practice and is believed to promote deep learning in students. However, empirical findings on the promotion of deep learning in PBL remain unclear. The aim of the present study is to investigate the relationships between students’ approaches to learning (SAL) and academic achievement in a PBL environment, taking into account the role of self-study time and students’ professional behavior in the PBL tutorial groups. In addition, different knowledge categories that determine achievement (i.e., understanding of concepts, understanding of the principles that link concepts, and the linking of concepts and principles to conditions and procedures for application) were taken into account. A hypothesized structural equation model including these variables was tested. Results showed that the PBL students in this study reported more use of a surface compared to a deep approach to learning. The hypothesized model demonstrated an excellent fit of the model with the data. The relationship between SAL and academic achievement was mediated by self-study time and professional behavior. These findings imply that self-study time and professional behavior are crucial variables to take into account when studying SAL.     

Nuevas perspectivas metodológicas para el estudio del habla egocéntrica

Resumen

Las hipótesis de Vygotski sobre el papel del habla egocéntrica en la regulación de las acciones representa uno de los temas de mayor interés para los estudiosos del binomio pensamiento-lenguaje. Para abrir nuevas vías al análisis de este campo del lenguaje es necesario reflexionar sobre una serie de cuestiones fundamentales, sin las cuales el sentido de estas hipótesis se desvirtúa. Estas quedan reflejadas en los siguientes puntos: a) definición vygotskiana de habla egocéntrica (indiferentiatión entre el habla para los demás y el habla para uno mismo); b) requisitos conversacionales elicitadores de este tipo de habla, los cuales evidencian su origen social (i. e., incremento del número de emisiones egocéntircas cuando el niño actúa en compañía de otros niños); y por último, c) el papel del contexto extralingüistico (i. e., objetos físicos sobre los que se actúa). Dada la gran dependencia del discurso infantil de la situación concreta, el contexto extralingüístico es analizado como un requisito conversational más, responsable del mantenimiento de la conversación (habla social) y del habla egocéntrica asociada a ésta. Finalmente, la revisión de estas cuestiones invita a desarrollar una perspectiva dialógica de análisis a partir de las nociones de diálogo, habla interna y emisión de Bajtin. La perspectiva dialógica permitirá analizar las emisiones de carácter egocéntrico en el contexto lingüístico y/o conversacional en que emergen.     

Lessons Learned from the First Year of an Urban Charter School

This prospective, longitudinal study showed that an intense educational program significantly improved academic performance in underserved students who were selected solely for their desire to participate in the program and their parents' willingness to support them. Mean performance in six representative components of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement–Revised improved at a rate that substantially exceeded one year for each year in the program. During three years of attendance, performance levels increased from below to more than two years above grade level.     

The impact of migration on national identity in a globalized world: a comparison of civic education curricula in England,France and Ireland

This article examines the extent to which citizens of migrant origin are included within discourses of national identity in civic education curricula in England, France and Ireland. We explore how much space is given to citizens of migrant origin in discourses of national identity in civic education curricula and how they fit with central values normalized by a higher degree of recognition in schools. Although early immigration systems assumed that incorporation of migrants into the national polity would take place via socialization in education, the failure to include citizens of migrant origin in the contemporary ‘imagined community’ articulated in civic education discourses risks marginalizing some citizens which gives rise to a sovereignty gap. The disparity between legal and cultural belonging of some individuals in Western Europe presents a major challenge for education systems which are tasked with making national identity discourse resonate with a globalized citizenry. The study found that despite commonalities around the promotion of human rights and democracy, civic education curricula diverge with regard to representation of religion. Moreover, nationalistic aspects of the French model contrast with a multicultural, and recently global, approach to citizenship education in England and the promotion of European citizenship in Ireland.     

Undergraduate Students' Perceptions and Behaviors Related to the Aged and to Aging Processes

Aging education is relatively new to the university, and our understanding of the perspectives students bring to aging populations is correspondingly limited. This investigation surveys 546 students at a midsized, Midwestern university to explore students' views toward elders, toward serving elders, and toward the relevance of aging education for various other areas of study. Our results suggest generally favorable attitudes: older students and students with greater contact with aging populations were more positive than their counterparts; gender, GPA, and aging courses taken showed sporadic or no effects on various attitudes. These preliminary findings offer a baseline for future investigations. Our findings suggest that students who have more contact through friendship and volunteer experiences have more positive attitudes toward working with older adults. Additional research is needed to examine if type of gerontological instruction is associated with attitudes toward aging and aging education.     

Toward a holistic approach to communication: The effect of “pure” hemispheric reception on message acceptance

This study examined the relationship between hemispheric processing of complex messages and message acceptance. In particular the research sought to answer several questions regarding the processing and interpretation of persuasive messages and message sources. Based on the results of this research it was concluded that (1) the brain's right and left hemispheres, when isolated from one another, process information according to a particular “style,” (2) that semantic properties of language influence hemispheric processing, and (3) that message sources are perceived differently by the right and left hemispheres. Potential implications for the study of communication in terms of message style and acceptability, language intensity, perceptions of source, and perceptions of threat conclude this analysis.     

电子评价研究新进展

近年来在教育技术学领域,对教育系统如何产生公平、有吸引力评价感兴趣的人,越来越清晰地认识到我们需要认真思考评价。如果我们希望创造对世界发展做出贡献的教育系统,那么我们需要思考如何通过改变评价实践来实现这个目标。本文对评价在塑造教育实践中的核心角色进行了论述,并指出了改变我们世界所面临的机遇和挑战。     

iPhone 手机掘金

仅需为Apple手机写个小应用软件,有的孩子在自己的卧室里就能赚个百万美元。