Informal learning in a formal context: problematizing the concept of social capital in a contemporary Swedish context

Definitions of social capital, advanced by Coleman and Fukuyama, and definitions of lifelong learning and intergenerational learning are discussed and compared, and a synthetic model is presented. This model relies heavily on the practical implementation of strategies for augmenting social capital, such as those applied within the granddad project, an intergenerational learning initiative conducted in schools in the Stockholm County area. It is concluded that intergenerational learning in this theoretical framework provides a foundation for lifelong learning practice in a social capital perspective, even though the definition of social capital used is broad and bears strong resemblance to the Japanese concept of kokoru, advanced by Okamoto (1992).     

Learning motivation from a cross-cultural perspective: a moving target?

This paper investigates the relationship between educational achievement and the motivation to learn. We used the 2006 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) that contains representative samples from 55 nations. A strong negative correlation between educational achievement and motivation toward science learning emerged at the national level. We found that differences in the socioeconomic levels of nations are associated with this unexpected negative correlation. Children from developed societies achieve higher educational results but may tend to be rather critical in describing their learning motivation, and vice versa, students from developing countries do not attain very high educational outcomes, but their motivation, as stated on the self-report questionnaires, is high. We offer different explanations for this phenomenon. The motivation to learn in relation to the level of development of countries is a moving target, and this should be taken into account at all levels of education policymaking, from schools to national governments.     

Kulturelle Partizipation bei Jugendlichen als Feld der Person-Umwelt-Transaktion

What motivates adolescents to cultural participation? This question is important for the discourse on aesthetic education, in which cultural participation is regarded as contributing to the development of adolescents’ personality, values, and competencies. However, research on this issue suffers from fragmentation. Unconnected research on cultural participation from the sociology, cultural education, and differential psychology literature are reviewed, and it is shown how they may be supplemented using the theory of planned behaviour and integrated in a single theoretical framework. This framework centers on cultural participation as a field of person-environment transaction. Participation is regarded as being determined by both person and environmental variables and has the potential of changing these variables. On both its person and its environment sides, the model contains domain-specific determinants that mediate effects of the domain-general variables on which research on cultural participation has focused up to now. An overview of own empirical research related to the model is given and avenues for future research on cultural participation are discussed.     

Leadership issues and challenges in telelearning and teacher education

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine technology leadership issues and challenges with an emphasis on TeleLearning Professional Development Schools. A qualitative analysis of professional educators' practices as early adopters of information and communication technologies (ICTs) was conducted. Ethnographic data were gathered from a broad variety of activities organized or supported by the TeleLearning Network of Centres of Excellence (Canada, 1995–2002). Research results point to 1. themes indicating that substantive technology leadership is manifest (leadership for partnership, leadership for learning to teach with ICTs, and leadership in research for innovation), 2. leadership issues at different levels of integration of ICTs, and 3. creative tensions and related challenges     

The influence of visual cognitive style when learning from instructional animations and static pictures

In a 2 × 2 design, we examined the role of visual cognitive style in two multimedia-based learning environments (text plus static pictures/animations). A statistically significant interaction was obtained for deeper comprehension: Highly developed visualizers (HDV) who learned with static pictures performed better than HDV who learned with animations, and less developed visualizers (LDV) performed the same with static pictures or animations.For factual knowledge, there was a main effect in favor of HDV. Subsequent tests revealed that HDV outperformed LDV only when learning from static pictures, but not when studying animations. There were no overall differences between animations and static pictures. The assumption is made that HDV benefit from their cognitive style when they have to construct a mental animation from static pictures.Concluding, we did not find any rationale for converting static pictures to animations — HDV learned better with static pictures, while for LDV, it made no difference.     

Prior mathematics achievement,cognitive appraisals and anxiety as predictors of Finnish students’ later mathematics performance and career orientation

The aim of this two‐year longitudinal study was to investigate the role and impact of prior mathematics performance, cognitive appraisals and mathematics‐specific, affective anxiety in determining later mathematics achievement and future career orientation among Finnish adolescents. The basic ideas of the control‐value theory, assumed to be culturally universal, and previous controversial results regarding the relationship between mathematics anxiety and mathematics achievement were tested in the Finnish cultural context with a longitudinal design. The key premise of the control‐value theory is that control and value appraisals are significant determinants of both activity and outcome achievement emotions. Our results suggest that mathematics anxiety, a prospective outcome emotion, is determined by outcome expectancies (success or failure) and outcome value (the importance of performing well). They also suggest that anxiety as a negative affective emotion is a problem not only for those who perform poorly but probably also for certain pupils across all achievement levels. Compared with the performance level and with the boys, the girls exhibited inaccurately low outcome expectancies in mathematics. These low expectancies connected to the negative value of failure are a potential cause for their higher anxiety level. The educational implications of the findings are discussed.     

Zooming in on infinitesimal 1–.9.. in a post-triumvirate era

The view of infinity as a metaphor, a basic premise of modern cognitive theory of embodied knowledge, suggests in particular that there may be alternative ways in which one could formalize mathematical ideas about infinity. We discuss the key ideas about infinitesimals via a proceptual analysis of the meaning of the ellipsis “...” in the real formula \(\hbox{.999\ldots = 1}\). Infinitesimal-enriched number systems accommodate quantities in the half-open interval [0,1) whose extended decimal expansion starts with an unlimited number of repeated digits 9. Do such quantities pose a challenge to the unital evaluation of the symbol “.999...”? We present some non-standard thoughts on the ambiguity of the ellipsis in the context of the cognitive concept of generic limit of B. Cornu and D. Tall. We analyze the vigorous debates among mathematicians concerning the idea of infinitesimals.     

Supporting emerging teacher identities: can we identify teacher potential among students?

The research focuses on Estonian university students’ emerging teacher identity and their interest in becoming teachers. Five hundred and sixty‐five first, third and fifth year students participated in the survey. The results suggest that pedagogical reasons for entering teacher education and clear motives for studying are significant indicators of teacher potential. Pedagogical reasons for entering teacher education or the teaching profession and the wish to function as a change agent in the society were related to academic self‐efficacy beliefs and the belief that the teacher expertise is mainly pedagogical in nature. However, at the point in their studies at which the students are able to choose their masters programme and entry into teacher education, their likelihood of choosing teacher education remains low, indicating that there is a need to develop pedagogical content, study counselling and career guidance services to encourage students’ continued interest in and entry to teacher education and the teaching profession.     

Market‐oriented school reform in England and Finland: school choice,finance and governance

This paper explores the introduction of market‐oriented reforms into school‐based education in England and Finland. The contexts into which reforms were introduced differed, with a fully comprehensive system being in place in Finland but not in England; the motives were also different; and different trajectories have since been followed. Whilst there are apparent similarities, with choice and diversity having a high political profile in each country, the policy mix varies: two different models can be discerned, with the Finnish reforms being characterised by more regulatory control in relation to school access and choice, but less in relation to the financing of schools by local authorities. It is argued that the mediating role played by local authorities in jurisdictions with high levels of decentralisation means that the legislative framework needs to be taken into account when examining policy implementation and educational outcomes.