The impact of individual differences on e‐learning system satisfaction: A contingency approach

This study investigated the impact of contingent variables on the relationship between four predictors and students' satisfaction with e‐learning. Five hundred and twenty‐two university students from 10 intact classes engaging in online instruction were asked to answer questionnaires about their learning styles, perceptions of the quality of the proposed predictors and satisfaction with e‐learning systems. The results of analysis of variance and structural equation modelling analyses showed that two contingent variables, gender and job status, significantly influenced the perceptions of predictors and students' satisfaction with the e‐learning system. This study also found a statistically significant moderating effect of two contingent variables, student job status and learning styles, on the relationship between predictors and e‐learning system satisfaction. The results suggest that a serious consideration of contingent variables is crucial for improving e‐learning system satisfaction. The implications of these results for the management of e‐learning systems are discussed.     

Why might relative fit indices differ between estimators?

Previous research indicates that relative fit indices in structural equation modeling may vary across estimation methods. Sugawara and MacCallum (1993) explained that the discrepancy arises from difference in the function values for the null model with no further derivation given. In this study, we derive explicit solutions for parameters of the null model. The null model specifies the variances of the observed variables as model parameters and fixes all the covariances to be zero. Three methods of estimation are considered: the maximum likelihood (ML) method, the ordinary least squares (OLS) method, and the generalized least squares (GLS) method. Results indicate that ML and LS yield an identical estimator, which is different from GLS. Function values and associated chi‐square statistics of the null model vary across estimation methods. Consequently, relative fit indices using the null model as the reference point in computation may yield different results depending on the estimation method chosen. An illustration example is given and implications of this study are discussed.     

Promoting social and academic competence in the classroom: An intervention study examining the contribution of the Responsive Classroom approach

This exploratory study examined the contribution of the RC Approach over a two‐year period. The RC Approach integrates social and academic learning in order to produce classroom environments that are conducive to learning by integrating social and academic learning. Two questions are addressed. First, how does teachers' use of RC practices contribute to children's academic and social growth? Second, how is the relation between teachers' use of RC practices and children's academic and social growth moderated by the presence of environmental adversity in the home? Participants included 62 teachers and 157 children at six schools. Findings showed that teachers' use of RC practices was associated with students' improved reading achievement, greater closeness between teachers and children, better pro‐social skills, more assertiveness, and less fearfulness, even after controlling for family risk and children's previous years' performance. Family risk did not moderate the relation between RC practices and children's performance. These findings suggest to the positive contribution of the RC Approach in relation to children's gains over a one‐year period. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 44: 397–413, 2007.     

Trine Bille,Anna Mignosa,Ruth Towse: Teaching cultural economics. Edward Elgar, 2020

Journal of Cultural Economics -     

Innovation and diversity in the digital cultural and creative industries

Journal of Cultural Economics - The cultural and creative industries (CCIs) are increasingly being recognised in South Africa, as in other countries, as wealth-creating, given appropriate...     

Factors Affecting High School Students' Academic Motivation in Taiwan

The purpose of this research is to investigate predictive relationships among student characteristics that influence motivation for learning and achievement. A non-Western sample was chosen to test the generalisability of findings outside the Western cultural and social models. The participants were 6,539 students from 14 public high schools distributed across the western half of Taiwan. They were from three grade levels, and were balanced in gender. Correlations, analysis of variance, and multiple regression analyses were conducted. Individual differences predicted classroom perceptions, and perceptions predicted motivation, as did goal structures and group differences. Findings can inform educational policy, as well as teacher professional development and practice.     

中国常绿栎类叶表皮毛形态与分类的研究

经扫描电镜观察，我国常绿栎类的叶表皮共发现有10种不同类型的毛，它们分别是：单列毛、单   分枝毛、泡状毛、莲座毛、单毛、束毛、短柄束毛、多出毛、星状毛和并合星状毛。  不同的分类单位有不同   毛类型的组合。所有常绿栎类的叶表皮上都出现有非腺毛类型的毛，而腺毛则仅限于某些分类单位   中。这两种基本类型的毛在结构和功能上有着本质的区别，分别代表了物种的生存适应方式和进化途   径。按叶表皮毛的基本类型将我国常绿栎类划分为腺毛类群和非腺毛类群两个类群，支持将常绿栎类   分成高山栎组(Sect．Suber(Reichenb．)Spach)和巴东栎组(Sect．Englerianae(A. Camus)Hsu et   Jen)的分组处理。综合叶表皮毛的类型、密度以及分枝特征提出了我国常绿栎类各分类单位之间的亲  缘关系图。     

Parental Co‐Construction of 5‐ to 13‐Year‐Olds' Global Self‐Esteem Through Reminiscing About Past Events

The current study explored parental processes associated with children's global self‐esteem development. Eighty 5‐ to 13‐year‐olds and one of their parents provided qualitative and quantitative data through questionnaires, open‐ended questions, and a laboratory‐based reminiscing task. Parents who included more explanations of emotions when writing about the lowest points in their lives were more likely to discuss explanations of emotions experienced in negative past events with their child, which was associated with child attachment security. Attachment was associated with concurrent self‐esteem, which predicted relative increases in self‐esteem 16 months later, on average. Finally, parent support also predicted residual increases in self‐esteem. Findings extend prior research by including younger ages and uncovering a process by which two theoretically relevant parenting behaviors impact self‐esteem development.