Conception, development and implementation of an e-Government maturity model in public agencies

Governments worldwide are encouraging public agencies to join e-Government initiatives in order to provide better services to their citizens and businesses; hence, methods of evaluating the readiness of individual public agencies to execute specific e-Government programs and directives are a key ingredient in the successful expansion of e-Government. To satisfy this need, a model called the eGovernment Maturity Model (eGov-MM) was developed, integrating the assessment of technological, organizational, operational, and human capital capabilities, under a multi-dimensional, holistic, and evolutionary approach. The model is strongly supported by international best practices, and provides tuning mechanisms to enable its alignment with nation-wide directives on e-Government. This article describes how the model was conceived, designed, developed, field tested by expert public officials from several government agencies, and finally applied to a selection of 30 public agencies in Chile, generating the first formal measurements, assessments, and rankings of their readiness for e-Government. The implementation of the model also provided several recommendations to policymakers at the national and agency levels.     

新时期大学新生思想道德状况探究

通过对柳州师范高等专科学校新生思想道德状况的调查分析,认为大学新生的思想道德是健康向上的,但也存在一些值得引起重视的问题,必须进一步加强高校的思想政治教育以及德育建设.     

Prospective biology teachers’ understanding of the nature of science through an analysis of the historical case of Semmelweis and childbed fever

Cultural Studies of Science Education - This article presents a qualitative study of the understanding of various epistemic and non-epistemic aspects of the nature of science (NOS), based on...     

Organising research on university student plagiarism: a process approach

Abstract

This article examines the management of the seemingly ubiquitous problem of plagiarism by students in higher education. An integrated review of the conceptual and empirical literature to date is undertaken in the pursuit of two objectives. First, to provide structure to the scattered knowledge about the topic, which is achieved by developing a process framework of plagiarism management. Second, to identify, group and locate the determinants of each of the major events of the plagiarism management process: the occurrence of a plagiarism instance, its detection and the subsequent actions undertaken in response. Moreover, the framework incorporates the roles of the different actors involved (students, professors and the university) and the importance of the cultural, legal and technological context in which the instances of plagiarism may take place. This process approach aids in the identification of more integrated avenues for further research.     

Research self-efficacy sources and research motivation in a foreign language university faculty in Mexico: implications for educational policy

The research self-efficacy and motivation of foreign language (FL) faculty in periphery countries is under-researched, yet there is a need to understand the impact of public policies that drive such faculty to conduct research. This paper reports a qualitative case study investigating research self-efficacy and research motivation in a group of Mexican FL professors. Interview data show variation in self-efficacy levels connected with academic degree, motivation types and strategic behaviors. Professors with doctorates, intrinsic motivation and use of strategies showed the highest self-efficacy. Professors with master's degrees and low motivation show the lowest self-efficacy. Previous experience and mentoring are influential sources of self-efficacy. Policies such as forced collaboration, financial rewards and the threat of employment termination seem to exert some effect on self-efficacy. It is recommended that policies be enacted to recognize and promote mentoring formally.     

Students’ Emotions in the High School Mathematical Class: Appraisals in Terms of a Structure of Goals

Little research in the field of Mathematics Education is directed towards emotions of students beyond their emotions in problem-solving. In particular, the daily emotions of students in a mathematics class have been sparsely studied in the field of mathematics education. In order to fill this gap, this qualitative research aims to identify high school students’ emotional experiences in the mathematics classroom and identify the appraisal structures that support such emotional experiences. Focus group interviews were carried out until theoretical saturation of the data was achieved (N = 53 in nine focus groups interviews). Data analysis is based on the theory of cognitive structure of emotions, which specifies eliciting situations for each emotion and the variables that affect intensity. The emotional experiences in this structure are as follows: satisfaction, disappointment, hope, fear, joy, distress, boredom, interest, pride, reproach, self-reproach, like and dislike. These results show that the emotional experiences of students are based on their appraisals of events, objects and agents in terms of a structure of goals.     

Francisco Maestas et al. v. George H. Shone et al.: Mexican American Resistance to School Segregation in the Hispano Homeland, 1912–1914

The authors in this article argue that the Francisco Maestas et al vs. George H. Shone et al (1914) case is one of the earliest Mexican American challenges to school segregation in the United States. Unidentified for over a century, the lawsuit took place in southern Colorado, a region of the nation where Mexican Americans have deep historical roots. This case was unique because the racial background and linguistic needs of Mexican American children were contested. First, plaintiffs (Mexican Americans) argued their children were racially distinct as Mexicans and used the Colorado Constitution to challenge segregation because the state prohibited public schools from classifying and distinguishing children based on color and race. Defendants (school board members and the superintendent) countered that Mexican American children were Caucasian and claimed they were no different from other White children in the school district. Second, school district officials maintained that non-English speaking Mexican American children were placed in a separate school in order to serve their linguistic needs. The district court judge discovered that school officials had created a policy that sent all Mexican American children to the separate school. To the extent that many Mexican American children were English speaking, the district court judge ruled in favor of Francisco Maestas on the grounds that school officials could not prevent English-speaking Mexican American children from attending schools of their choice in general and schools that were closer to their homes in particular.     

The pedagogical limitations of inclusive education

Abstract

The aim of this article is to contribute to a better conceptual and practical delimitation of inclusive education. A pedagogy that reacts to the need to face the dilemmas of difference. An interpretive and critical methodology with a documentary basis and a normative-pedagogical perspective is used. The results show a tension between theoretical approaches and the practical achievements of inclusive education. The article concludes by considering the position that if the most basic definition of education is essentially inherently inclusive, as it aims to foster the maximum development of everyone, then for the same reason it must also essentially be differentiating. This is precisely because the limits of inclusive education are in recognising and promoting excellence in difference, while the limits of differentiated education lie in recognising and promoting inclusion.     

论教师“职业道德”向“专业道德"的观念转移

经验型教师向专业型教师的转变是人类教育生活历史性进步的一个重要表征。由一般性的教师职业道德向教师专业道德的方向观念转移实际上是经验型教师向专业型教师转变的一个重要方面。专业道德概念的建立和教师专业化运动具有相同的历史必然性。顺应时代发展,我们应当从专业生活质量提高和教师的专业发展的角度专业性地推进教师的专业道德建设。     

高校电影德育初探

电影德育是通过为德育对象提供优秀德育影片及其相关信息或活动来实施德育的方式和途径。电影德育具备独特的功能优势,是基于现代影视文化和信息技术,对新形势下大学生德育有效途径的拓展。目前,电影德育在高校还处于自发研究和零散实践阶段。在高校实施好电影德育,应从5个方面着手:建立组织、领导与协调机构;建设德育影片资源库;办好周末电影会;发挥校园网的应有作用;建立导向和信息反馈机制。