Problem Solving in Geometry: Comparing the effects of non-goal specific instruction and conventional worked examples

This study examines the extended effects of an instructional program designed to enhance schema development by using non-goal specific problems, in the teaching of geometry to high school students in need of remedial tuition. A multiple baseline across-subjects experimental design was used to compare the effects of this program with another method of teaching this subject--that is, using worked examples. This methodology provides detailed information on the shifts and changes associated with learning processes for particular individuals during the actual process of schema acquisition. Dependent measures included test performance, error analysis, time analysis, directionality and generalisation. Results indicate that participants in the non-goal specific group showed greater improvements, solving problems faster, more efficiently, more accurately and with fewer errors and greater consistency. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the design of mathematics instructional material.     

School achievement differences among Chinese and Filipino American students: acculturation and the family

The general belief that Asian American adolescents are successful has led researchers to ignore variations in Asian adolescents’ academic success. Using samples of Chinese and Filipino adolescents drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, this study examined whether differences between these two groups in acculturation, parent–adolescent attachment, and parental school involvement could account for academic achievement differences. Results revealed that Chinese adolescents generally performed better in school than their Filipino counterparts. Factors that predicted academic achievement were ethnicity, acculturation, and parents’ academic involvement. An interaction was found between ethnicity and acculturation, indicating that acculturation is a predictor of academic performance among Filipino youth but not among Chinese youth. Cultural values in parent–adolescent attachment, acculturation, and parents’ school involvement are discussed.     

An online authoring tool for creating activity-based learning objects

As higher education increasingly relies on e-learning, the need for tools that will allow teachers themselves to develop effective e-learning objects as simply and quickly as possible has also been increasingly recognized. This article discusses the design and development of a novel tool, Enook (Evolutionary note book), for creating activity-based learning objects (LOs). This tool has three general foci: 1) creation of various activity-based objects for experimental learning or learning by doing while simultaneously offering as many learning resources as a real e-book that services as both a textbook and a notebook, dual functions that paperback books can never provide; 2) management of all aspects of live instructor-led classroom training in a network environment, such the Web and or a mobile network; 3) facilitated use of data on students’ progress to monitor their understanding of the material and to provide other meaningful information through learning analytics.     

New hopes and prospects for Colleges of Education in England and Wales

This contribution offers a statistical and policy analysis of the movements of student enrolment in Colleges of Education and other teacher training institutions in England and Wales. It discusses the situation of the Colleges of Education, which differ widely in size, against the background of educational economics and policy after 1960, in particular the consequences of the rapid increase in the number of students and the resulting overcrowding of these institutions, especially the Colleges of Education. Thus some 1,000 more students than the Robbins Committee had anticipated for 1974 were already enrolled in Colleges of Education in 1969. The preponderance of women students with their specific study motivations also influences the work and results of the Colleges of Education. A principal factor in the organisation and content of the courses is the decision in favour of “concurrent courses” integrating specialist studies with practical teacher training. This design of the study programme will become an important issue in the integration of the Colleges of Education with other institutions where different didactic principles prevail, such as the universities (“consecutive courses”). Another point of crucial significance for the future of the Colleges of Education is the link between teacher training and further education for teachers. In the Annex the student population is analysed and extensive documentation provided on the possibilities of integrating these Colleges with other institutions.     

Group Psychodrama for Korean College Students

Psychodrama was first introduced in the Korean literature in 1972, but its generalization to college students did not occur until the 1990s. Despite findings from psychodrama studies with Korean college students supporting psychodrama as effective for developing and maintaining good interpersonal relationships, as well as decreasing anxiety and stress, it is still underutilized in South Korea. Accordingly, the current study looked at implementing a psychodrama program in South Korean universities. The positive results of the program implementation suggest that psychodrama is a useful technique for improving Korean college students’ general development and mental stability including secure attachment.     

Teacher Education Objectives: A Survey of Student Views

This article is a summary of the Survey of Teacher Education Objectives: The Views of Diploma in Education Students published as a monograph in 1982. A report of the previous study was published in 1981 and a summary of the report appeared in Vol. 4 No. 1 of this Journal.