Designing a computer support system for multimedia curriculum development in Shanghai

The CASCADE-MUCH system was designed to help teacher-designers in Shanghai, China with the development of instructional scenarios for multimedia curricula. After four rounds of prototyping, a summative evaluation was carried out to assess practicality. Results showed that the system was practical for the intended target users in Shanghai and also had potential for users in other contexts. The purpose of this article is to present the design process of the CASCADE-MUCH program and discuss how the evolutionary prototyping approach improved program quality and contributed to the designer’s knowledge growth.     

Tracking and the effects of school‐related attitudes on the language achievement of boys and girls

In this study we examined whether the underachievement of boys in language at the end of secondary education is related to school‐related attitudes. Data were drawn from the LOSO project, a longitudinal research project in secondary education. The results showed that there were gender differences in language achievement in favour of girls in the lower tracks, but not in the highest track. The underachievement of boys was associated with boys’ less positive relationships with teachers, less positive well‐being at school and less positive attitude towards schoolwork. Furthermore, the results showed that—in the lower tracks—boys who were the least attentive in the classroom, the least interested in learning tasks and the least motivated towards learning tasks achieved better than expected. Post‐hoc analyses revealed that these are the more intelligent boys. Possible explanations of the demotivation of the more intelligent boys in the lower tracks are discussed.     

Exploring the potential of a computer tool for instructional developers

Information and communication technology tools currently permeate almost every professional domain. Those geared toward the field of instructional development have emerged in recent years. This article explores the potential for linking the domains of computer support and instructional development.This article reports on the design and evaluation of CASCADE (Computer Assisted Curriculum Analysis, Design and Evaluation), a computer system that supports instructional developers during formative evaluation efforts. Five prototypes of CASCADE were created and evaluated on the basis of their validity (reflection of state-of-the-art knowledge and internal consistency); practicality (ability to meet the needs, wishes and contextual constraints of the target group); and effectiveness (improved user task performance).The results of this study suggest that the use of CASCADE could: (a) improve the consistency of formative evaluation plans and activities; (b) motivate developers by elevating their confidence in using formative evaluation activities; (c) save time; and (d) help to provide justifications for decisions made.     

Motivational Factors and the Visitor Experience: A Comparison of Three Sites

Museums, art galleries, botanical gardens, national parks, science centers, zoos, aquaria and historic sites are important public learning institutions. The free‐choice learning offered in these settings is closely linked to visitors' intrinsic motivation, making it important to understand the motivational factors that impact on visitors' experiences. This paper presents data from a questionnaire administered to visitors at three sites: a museum, an art gallery, and an aquarium. Similarities and differences among the sites are reported in relation to visitors' expectations, perceptions of learning opportunities, engagement in motivated learning behaviors, and perceptions of the learning experience. The importance of learning to museum visitors and the unique opportunities and challenges of the museum in relation to other educational leisure settings are discussed. The authors argue that the study of motivational factors might contribute to the development of a common theoretical foundation for interpretation in museums and other informal learning settings.     

医学研究生综述初审应注意的几个问题

目前,研究生综述已经成为医学科技期刊稿件的重要来源.由于研究生初涉科研领域或从事临床工作时间较短,其综述普遍存在题目重复、题目过大、基础常识性知识介绍过多、参考文献错误等问题.对于这些问题,医学期刊编辑初审首先应从期刊的宗旨、定位和选题范围、报道方向等方面对综述进行学术性的审查和筛选,同时也要对文章的文字表达、层次结构、专业术语、标点符号等从整体上去审视和分析,并给予相应的评估和纠正.     

Children and adults' intuitions of what people can believe

Two preregistered studies tested how 5- to 6-year-olds, 7- to 8-year-olds, and adults judged the possibility of holding alternative beliefs (N = 240, 110 females, U.S. sample, mixed ethnicities, data collected from September 2020 through October 2021). In Study 1, children and adults thought people could not hold different beliefs when their initial beliefs were supported by evidence (but judged they could without this evidential constraint). In Study 2, children and adults thought people could not hold different beliefs when their initial beliefs were moral beliefs (but judged they could without this moral constraint). Young children viewed moral beliefs as more constrained than adults. These results suggest that young children already have sophisticated intuitions of the possibility of holding various beliefs and how certain beliefs are constrained.     

Pathways to Parental Engagement: Contributions of Parents,Teachers, and Schools in Cultural Context

Research Findings: This study examined correlates of parents’ reported school engagement in an ethnically diverse, rural sample (N = 346) of parents and teachers in kindergarten through Grade 2. Of particular interest were role expectations and family–school relationships in American Indian families, who historically have been marginalized by schools. In terms of role expectations, parents and teachers agreed that they should support each other’s roles, parents should have more responsibility than schools for teaching social skills, and families and schools should have shared responsibility for children’s academic success. Teachers had higher expectations than parents for parent engagement, which in turn was greater when parent–teacher communication was more frequent and the school climate was more welcoming. American Indian parents more strongly endorsed a separation of family and school roles and felt less welcomed at school; ethnicity moderated correlates of reported parent engagement. Practice or Policy: These findings have practical promise given that parent–teacher communication, school climate, and role expectations are more easily altered than are structural barriers that also may hinder parents’ involvement in supporting their children’s early education.