Principals’ Coordinating Strategies and School Effectiveness 1

This paper examines the relationship between strategies used by principals to coordinate organizational activities and school effectiveness. The dominant view of effective principals suggests that they generally emphasize those tasks which are directly related to teaching and learning and assert influence and authority surrounding these tasks to coordinate instructional programs. Attention has also been placed in the effectiveness literature on the importance of developing a shared sense of direction to achieve coordination and effectiveness. The results of a study of elementary school principals in community schools in Israel suggest that principals' roles in framing school goals, that is, establishing a clear mission, are more instrumental in establishing school effectiveness than are the emphases of traditional areas which have been associated with school effectiveness.

     

美国教育博士学位的背景与发展

本文简要记载美国基础教育在改革大环境中对领导管理人员专业培训的需要,以皮博迪学院教育博士学位的定位框架和规格标准为例,在治学宗旨、办学对象、教学方式等方面综述当前美国学术界对教育博士的定位和改良的探讨,为中国高校探索教育领导管理专业学位的设置和发展提供参考.     

Television and Movie Viewing Predict Adults’ Romantic Ideals and Relationship Satisfaction

The current study examined the associations between television and movie use, romantic ideals (belief in love conquers all and soul mates), and relationship satisfaction among adults who were currently in romantic relationships. Participants were 306 individuals aged 18–64. They were asked about their media use, their romantic beliefs, and their current relationship. In addition to overall time spent watching television and movies, seven specific genres were measured. Results indicated that viewing each genre of television and movie analyzed (including relationship reality TV, TV drama, TV comedy, soap opera, and romantic movie) was positively associated with romantic ideals. The results for television were not in the hypothesized direction or consistent with prior studies. Television drama and romantic movie viewing were the strongest predictors of belief in love conquers all and relationship satisfaction, whereas soap opera viewing was the strongest predictor of belief in soul mates. None of these associations were moderated by age or relationship length. Mediation analyses also showed that specific genres of viewing were positively associated with relationship satisfaction via romantic ideals. The implications of viewing television and movies for adults’ romantic relationships are discussed.     

Rehearsal Strategy Effects on Developmental Differences for Recall of a Movement Series

Abstract

When learning verbal information, an important aspect of practice is the method of rehearsal, which has been demonstrated to vary developmentally. A young child practices on an instance-by-instance basis (passive rehearsal), whereas older children and adults practice several items together (active rehearsal). This study investigated the effects of passive and active rehearsal on developmental processing differences for movement reproduction. Three methods of rehearsal were used at ages 5, 7, 11, and 19 years. A child-like strategy forced the subjects to practice location cues for each of eight movements, which were presented one at a time. The mature-strategy group practiced each new position presented with two previously presented positions. A subject-determined strategy group which allowed subjects to choose their own methods of rehearsal was included as a control. Significant ANOVAs supported the hypothesis that quality of rehearsal (active over passive) is important. For the 5- and 7-year-old children, a mature strategy facilitated performance over the child-like strategy, while the use of a child-like strategy hindered the performance when compared to a self-determined or mature strategy. The results of this study indicated the importance of active rehearsal for the younger child.     

University teachers’ learning paths during technological innovation in education

Curriculum development initiatives, especially those involving educational technologies, provide a rich learning space for university teachers. In-depth interviews with teaching staff (n = 11) were qualitatively analysed to gain insight into the variety of individual learning paths and to identify potential relationships between learning paths, motivation, and conceptions of teaching and learning through educational technology. Three distinct learning paths relating to teachers’ learning preferences and activities were identified: learning by performing daily teaching activities; deliberately experimenting with new teaching approaches; and reflecting on teaching experiences. The relationships between learning paths and relevant factors are described and implications for professional development practices are discussed.     

The influence of student problems on student withdrawal decisions: An autopsy on “autopsy” studies

The influence of student problems, which are often cited by students as reasons for withdrawal, is compared with the influence of constructs derived from Tinto's student attrition model. The findings suggest that data from post-hoc attrition studies should be used cautiously.The authors are listed in alphabetical order. Each author contributed equally to the article.