Le développement de l'éducation en Chine avant et pendant les années quatre-vingts

Sans résumé     

Media Naturalness and Online Learning: Findings Supporting Both the Significant- and No-Significant-Difference Perspectives

Is the use of an online course delivery format, when compared with the more traditional face‐to‐face format, good or bad in the context of university education? Those who subscribe to the no‐significant‐difference perspective argue that online delivery is good, because it allows students with time and geographic distance constraints to obtain the education that they need, with no significant negative impact on the quality of the learning experience. Others argue that online delivery is bad, advocating a version of the competing significant‐difference perspective, because the electronic communication media used for online delivery are not rich or natural enough to enable effective learning. This study contrasted students perceptions and grades in two different sections of the same course: one delivered entirely online and the other delivered face to face. Data were collected and analyzed at two points in time, namely, at the middle and end of a long semester. The study found support for both the no‐significant‐ and significant‐difference perspectives. At the middle of the semester, students in the online condition perceived communication ambiguity as significantly higher, and also obtained significantly lower grades, than students in the face‐to‐face condition. At the end of the semester, no significant differences were found.     

Contributions of stimulus-incentive and stimulus-response-incentive contingencies to response acquisition and maintenance

The effects of stimulus-incentive (S:IS) contingency, stimulus-response-incentive (S:R:IS) contingency, and stimulus-no-response-incentive (S:R:IS) contingency on the acquisition and maintenance of an instrumental approach-contact response in the rat were studied. The experiment, concerned mainly with the temporal distribution of responses, showed that (1) the S:IS contingency and the S:R:IS contingency produced the same temporal distribution of responses; (2) the S:R:IS contingency produced higher rates of response than the S:IS contingency; (3) the negative S:R:IS contingency did not completely eradicate already established responses; and (4)post-CS responding occurred on reinforced trials. Consideration of these results indicates that the critical factor determining the higher rates of response under the S:R:IS contingency may be the S:R:IS occasions experienced only in the instrumental procedure.     

The Influence of Learning Styles on Knowledge Acquisition in Public Sector Management

This research note outlines a project designed to investigate the role of training institutions in providing effective training and development programmes for managers. The investigation is being carried out in the light of recent criticisms levelled against the nature of formal learning environments prevalent in most institutional settings. The traditional role of trainers and developers as the providers of knowledge and skills for the development of competent managers runs contrary to recent findings, which suggest that managers learn more effectively in informal settings, rather than the formal settings evident in many development programmes. The idea that explicitly extracted competencies are the target every manager should aim for to improve their effectiveness is also challenged because competencies alone are no longer regarded as a sufficient criterion for success. Recent research has attached greater importance to the need to help managers see knowledge as a social phenomenon, and one factor that might distinguish successful managers from others is tacit knowledge. A major focus of this study is to explore the possibility that the level and content of tacit knowledge acquired by managers may be influenced by their individual learning styles, and the degree to which their dominant styles are matched with the context of their work environment.     

Etude de la validité d’une classification a priori des compétences des elèves requises par les apprentissages scolaires

The publication by the French Ministry of Education of the findings of a survey designed to assess achievement of students at the end of elementary school (age 11) was the opportunity for educational specialists to construct a classification of the skills required for each of the exercises administered to the children in French, Mathematics, and the other objects. This classification reflected the aims stated in the Official Instructions on Education as regards knowledge and know-how for this age group. The present study was designed to test the validity of this classification, through an analisis of the consistency of success on exercises within a given subject and across subjects. The results show that although the classification is relatively pertinent for exercises within a given subject, this is not the case on an interdisciplinary level. The resulting structure shows the presence of a general factor, and content factors linked to each area of study. The discussion is centered on the feasability of a formative evaluation test based on an analytical diagnosis of skills in the young child.     

An investigation of tertiary students' understanding of evaporation,condensation and vapour pressure

Based on a purposive sample of 15 second‐year chemical engineering students, this study investigates students' conceptions of evaporation, condensation and vapour pressure. During individual interviews the students were questioned on three tasks that had been designed around these topics. Qualitative analysis of student responses showed a range of conceptions in each area, including some misconceptions. A key underlying misconception was the belief that evaporation and condensation require a temperature gradient in order to take place. Many students changed their initial (incorrect) answers when presented with further physical evidence as the interview progressed. The study points to the importance not only of practical work, but of associated conceptual discussions that allow students to reflect on and refine their conceptions.