The structure of interest in physics

Summaries

English

The article describes a study, consisting of a preliminary and a main investigation, of the structure of high school pupils’ interest in physics as it results from their exposure to physics education at school level. Using a factor‐analytic procedure applied to the results derived from a specially designed questionnaire, as used in the main study, four relatively independent ‘interest components’ were identified. These correspond to the following: interest in observation, interest in practical activities, interest in working with models (theories) and interest in mathematical aspects of physics.     

Learning design in diverse institutional and cultural contexts: suggestions from a participatory workshop with higher education professionals in Africa

Learning design approaches, such as those adopted by the Open University, provide a set of tools and resources for purposefully-designing modules with a focus on student experiences. However, many of the current learning design strategies have been situated within specific institutions in Europe and North America. This means that there are several issues worth considering around if and how established learning design approaches make sense in diverse institutional and cultural contexts. To critically assess the relevance and appropriateness of learning design strategies in new contexts, this article describes an in-depth participatory workshop with 34 education professionals from five African countries. Altogether, 10 suggestions for learning design practices were derived from the consensus of workshop participants, which provide a foundation for the development of learning design practices moving forward.     

Serious game‐based and nongame‐based online courses: Learning experiences and outcomes

When combining the increasing use of online educational environments, the push to use serious video games and the lack of research on the effectiveness of online learning environments and video games, there is a clear need for further investigation into the use of serious video games in an online format. A mix methods model was used to triangulate statistical and qualitative findings on student performance, completion time, student intrinsic motivation, as well as desirable, undesirable, helpful and hindering aspects of serious game‐based and nongame‐based courses. Students in the game‐based course were found to have performed significantly better and to have taken significantly longer. Students and teachers in the game‐based course provided more reasons for student motivation along with more desirable, more helpful and less hindering aspects compared to students and teachers in the non‐game‐based course. In addition, students and teachers in both courses provided an equal number of undesirable aspects. The results from this study inform instructional designers, teachers, education stakeholders and educational game designers by providing research‐based evidence related to the learning experiences and outcomes of the serious game‐based online course.     

Contracting Headteachers as Leaders: an analysis of the NPQH

Within the restructuring of the public sector there is a complex process involving challenges to professional practice. This paper seeks to describe and understand this through analysing the integration of commercial contracting into the professional practice and status of headteachers. It is argued that a key feature of this process is training and this is the context in which a critical evaluation of the National Standards for Headteachers combined with the National Professional Qualification for Headteachers (NPQH) is located. Commercial contracting is being overlain on top of democratic notions and practices of the social contract, and centrist determined NPQH training and assessment is being overlain on top of pluralist professional development opportunities. Aspiring and in‐post headteachers are being presented with a model of contractual leadership which is in tension with educational values and it is argued that as a consequence alternative and more humane traditions are being marginalised     

Adolescents' Attitudes to the Role of Women

Over 500 British adolescents aged between 12 and 20 completed a questionnaire concerning their attitudes to the role of women. Relatively few of the 27 items yielded high consensus among the subjects. There were numerous sex differences which showed males to be more traditional and conservative in their attitudes to women than females. About half the items yielded significant age differences, but almost none class differences, with older children being more liberal and egalitarian in their attitude. By and large, these findings are in accordance with previous studies in the area. The results are discussed in terms of the socialisation of sex differences.     

International study in the global south: linking institutional,staff, student and knowledge mobilities

ABSTRACT

The international mobility of institutions, staff, students and knowledge resources such as books and study materials has usually been studied separately. This paper, for the first time, brings these different forms of knowledge mobilities together. Through a historical analysis of South African higher education alongside results from a quantitative survey of academic staff in three international branch campuses in South Africa, the paper suggests three things. First, it points to the importance of regional education hubs in the global South and their role in South–South staff and student mobilities. Second, it points to the importance of reading these mobilities as outcomes of historically attuned policymaking – educational, migratory and political. Finally, the paper points to the theoretical possibilities that arise by bringing institutional, staff, student and knowledge resource mobilities in place and suggests new avenues for further research.     

Modernisation and the field of educational administration

In this article I examine New Labour’s approach to the transformation of education by focusing on Michael Barber’s account of policy delivery, and I show that while historical analysis is relevant to policy processes it is absent in the reality of design. I provide a critical evaluation of knowledge claims underpinning policy in England before I go on to show the importance of history both for and about policy and practice in education, where a specific claim is made for its relevance to futuring and strategising.     

An Investigation into the Use and Perceived Value of an Educational TV Programme Made for Schools

This paper reports on a preliminary investigation on a small scale of the way the schools programme ‘Look and Read’ is used and evaluated both by teachers and pupils. The research was carried out among a small group of primary schools in an outer London Borough and began by eliciting responses from individual teachers concerning their use and attitudes towards the programme. A more detailed comparison was then made between two schools; first in their use of ‘Look and Read’ and secondly amongst children themselves in an attempt to assess the impact of the programme. The paper concludes that although the programme has the potential for enhancing children's reading development, this potential is not being fully realised and teachers need to be more aware of educational TV as a valuable learning resource.     

Virtuelle Universit?t

Zusammenfassung.   Im Projekt „Virtuelle Universit?t“ an der FernUniversit?t Hagen wird eine netzbasierte Universit?tsumgebung entwickelt, die s?mtliche Funktionen einer Universit?t in integrierter Form über elektronische Kommunikationsnetze verfügbar macht. Der Ansatz bietet eine v?llig neue Qualit?t flexiblen, bedarfsorientierten und dennoch betreuten Lernens. Das Projekt wird seit Mitte 1996 durch das Land Nordrhein-Westfalen sowie durch Sachspenden der Firmen Oracle, Sun Microsystems und Sybase gef?rdert. Seit dem Wintersemester 1996/97 wird die Virtuelle Universit?t im praktischen Betrieb auf Grundlage eines ersten Prototypen mit Studierenden der FernUniversit?t und im Rahmen von Industrieveranstaltungen erprobt.