Personality Type and Participation in Networked Learning Environments

For networked learning environments, it is necessary to consider different aspects of this environment, such as the collaborative environment, the nature of activities and resources, the technological environment and the learner's characteristics, if quality learning is to take place online. This paper focuses on one aspect of the learner's characteristics; that of personality type as determined using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (Myers, 1984). It investigates the relationship between personality type and a student's participation (both passive and active) within a networked learning environment using asynchronous threaded discussion for a university course run both online and face-to-face. Qualitative results show patterns in student attitudes to participation related to personality type, particularly on the dimensions of introversion/extroversion, sensing/intuition and thinking/feeling. The paper also discusses implications of the findings in relation to the development of the networked learning environment, to ensure better online participation from all students. L’importance des types de personnalité dans la participation dans des environnements d’apprentissage en réseau. Pour les environnements d’apprentissage en réseau Net, il faut considérer différents aspects de cet environnement coopératif, la nature des activités et des sources, l’environnement technologique et les caractéristiques de l’apprenant si l’on veut en ligne obtenir un apprentissage de qualité. Cet article se concentre sur un aspect des caractéristiques de l’apprenant, celui du type de personnalité défini dans le Myer Briggs Type Indicator (Myers, 1984). Il étudie la relation entre le type de personnalité et la participation d’un étudiant (passive et active) dans un environnement d’apprentissage basé sur le Net utilisant une discussion filetée asynchrone our un cours d’université mené face À face et en ligne. Les résultats qualitatifs montrent des modéles dans

l’attitude des étudiant quant À la participation liée au type de personnalité, particulièrement sur les dimensions de l’introversion/extroversion, de la sensation/intuition et de la pensée/sentiments. L’article discute aussi des implications des

résultats en relation avec le développement de l’environnement de l’apprentissage en réseau, pur assurer une meilleure

participation en ligne de la part de tous les étudiants. Persönlichkeitstyp und Partizipation in vernetzten Lernumgebungen. Bei vernetzten Lernumgebungen müssen unterschiedliche Aspekte dieser Umgebung bedacht werden, so z.B. der

gemeinschaftliche Bereich, die Art von Aktivitäten und Ressourcen, die technischen Gegebenheiten und die Charakteristika der Lernenden, wenn erstklassiges Lernen auch online möglich werden soll. Dieser Beitrag beschränkt sich auf einen charakteristischen Aspekt des Lerners: seinen Persönlichkeitstyp unter Benutzung des Myers Briggs Type Indicator (Myers, 1984). Es untersucht die Beziehung zwischen dem Persönlichkeitstyp und der Teilhabe (aktiv und passiv) eines Studenten

innerhalb einer vernetzten Lernumgebung bei asynchron angelegter Diskussion – sowohl online als auch direkt – über einen Universitätskurs. Qualifizierte Ergebnisse zeigen, dass bestimmte Verhaltensmuster der Studenten zur Partizipation vom Persönlichkeitstyp abhängen, insbesondere vom Grad der Introversion/Extroversion, Empfindsamkeit/Einfühlungsvermögen und Denken/Fühlen. Der Beitrag stellt auch Folgerungen aus den Befunden in Bezug auf die Entwicklung vernetzter Lernumgebungen zur Diskussion, um bessere online-Partizipation aller Studenten sicherzustellen.     

A Criterion-Referenced Approach to Student Ratings of Instruction

We developed a criterion-referenced student rating of instruction (SRI) to facilitate formative assessment of teaching. It involves four dimensions of teaching quality that are grounded in current instructional design principles: Organization and structure, Assessment and feedback, Personal interactions, and Academic rigor. Using item response theory and Wright mapping methods, we describe teaching characteristics at various points along the latent continuum for each scale. These maps enable criterion-referenced score interpretation by making an explicit connection between test performance and the theoretical framework. We explain the way our Wright maps can be used to enhance an instructor’s ability to interpret scores and identify ways to refine teaching. Although our work is aimed at improving score interpretation, a criterion-referenced test is not immune to factors that may bias test scores. The literature on SRIs is filled with research on factors unrelated to teaching that may bias scores. Therefore, we also used multilevel models to evaluate the extent to which student and course characteristic may affect scores and compromise score interpretation. Results indicated that student anger and the interaction between student gender and instructor gender are significant effects that account for a small amount of variance in SRI scores. All things considered, our criterion-referenced approach to SRIs is a viable way to describe teaching quality and help instructors refine pedagogy and facilitate course development.     

Impaired acuity of the approximate number system underlies mathematical learning disability (dyscalculia)

Many children have significant mathematical learning disabilities (MLD, or dyscalculia) despite adequate schooling. The current study hypothesizes that MLD partly results from a deficiency in the Approximate Number System (ANS) that supports nonverbal numerical representations across species and throughout development. In this study of 71 ninth graders, it is shown that students with MLD have significantly poorer ANS precision than students in all other mathematics achievement groups (low, typically, and high achieving), as measured by psychophysical assessments of ANS acuity (w) and of the mappings between ANS representations and number words (cv). This relation persists even when controlling for domain-general abilities. Furthermore, this ANS precision does not differentiate low-achieving from typically achieving students, suggesting an ANS deficit that is specific to MLD.     

传统制造业集群协同演进机制探析——天津自行车集群纵向案例研究

产业集群对区域乃至国家经济发展具有重要的作用,然而产业集群发展过程中的影响因素及其相互作用机制至今仍未得到系统的阐述.从协同演进理论视角,结合组织生态学、制度理论、战略管理理论和社会网络理论等,对天津自行车产业集群的发展历程展开多层次、时间序列的分析,以深入挖掘产业集群发展过程中各种要素的相互作用、协同演进机制,提出产业集群的发展是企业战略、产业环境以及制度环境协同演进的过程,同时集群发展过程中创业者的社会资本发挥重要作用.这种将多维理论视角相结合起来进行分析的方法,有利于更好地理解产业集群的演进机制.     

A RE-AIM evaluation of theory-based physical activity interventions

Although physical activity interventions have been shown to effectively modify behavior, little research has examined the potential of these interventions for adoption in real-world settings. The purpose of this literature review was to evaluate the external validity of 57 theory-based physical activity interventions using the RE-AIM framework. The physical activity interventions included were more likely to report on issues of internal, rather than external validity and on individual, rather than organizational components of the RE-AIM framework, making the translation of many interventions into practice difficult. Furthermore, most studies included motivated, healthy participants, thus reducing the generalizability of the interventions to real-world settings that provide services to more diverse populations. To determine if a given intervention is feasible and effective in translational research, more information should be reported about the factors that affect external validity.