Global convergence or national variation? Examining national patterns of classroom instructional practices

The world culture framework posits a convergence in the organisation of education across the world. On the other hand, scholars observing teaching practices inside classrooms find significant variation among nations and regions of the world. This study examined the global change patterns of classroom practices at the between- and within-country levels, drawing on teacher reports from the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study. Results indicate clear between-country convergence toward more student-centred and conceptual instruction. But a nation’s degree of conformity or resistance to this model was contingent upon other nation-specific factors, including centralised curriculum control or world regional location.     

提出研究假设的作用

研究假设是研究课题确定后依据一定的知识、事实和资料,对所研究问题的规律或原因做出的推测性论断和假定性说明,是研究之前预先设想的、暂时的理论,是对研究课题设想出的一种或几种可能的结论或答案。假设一般包括两个事件或概念之间的关系,用“如果……那么……”的句子来陈述。例如:如果教师对一名学生的评价越来越差,那么该生的自我评价也会变得越来越差。研究假设是我们在实施课题研究设计之前,必须明确的问题。在教育科学研究中,提出具体的研究假设具有非常重要的作用。一、为课题研究指明方向研究假设使研究目的更明确,研究范围更确…     

Repeat Consumption of Media Goods: Examining Factors Affecting Repeat Theatrical Viewing of Movies

This study explored the factors affecting repeat theatrical viewing of movies. Integrating content, social influence, and access/competition variables, the analysis reveals that the drivers of theatrical repeat viewing are different from those for box office performance. For example, the effects of genre, transmedia content, and audience review were significant only for the latter and factors such as movie length, critics’ review, and level of news coverage actually played a negative role in the repeat consumption.     

Uses and Gratifications,Journalists’ Twitter Use,and Relational Satisfaction with the Public

This study employed the uses and gratification approach to investigate how journalists perceive relational satisfaction with the public on Twitter, specifically the associations between journalists’ motivations to use Twitter, their Twitter use, and their relational satisfaction with the public. Through a survey of South Korean journalists, this study revealed that journalists’ motivations for Twitter use are positively related to their job-related activities on Twitter (e.g., posting/sharing their news and interacting with audience), which consequently influences perceived relational satisfaction with the public. The findings provide new insight into an increasingly important part of the public’s engagement and news/information flows in the digital media environment. This study expands upon the literature by analyzing how journalists’ motivations for using Twitter and their job-related activities on Twitter are associated with relational satisfaction with the public.     

Social Media Type Matters: Investigating the Relationship Between Motivation and Online Social Network Heterogeneity

This study investigated relationships between social media motivation, relative preferences for social media type, and network heterogeneity, using a U.S. national survey. By classifying social media into the symmetrical and the asymmetrical, we showed that relationship motivation was more likely to be associated with a preference for the symmetrical type, whereas information motivation with a preference for the asymmetrical. Network heterogeneity was positively predicted by relationship motivation but not by information motivation. Finally, a relative preference for the symmetrical type was found to mediate the association between relationship motivation and network heterogeneity.     

试论假日旅游经济及其健康发展

假日旅游经济是我国旅游经济发展中的一个新的增长点。本文对假日旅游经济的涵义、基本特征及产生的背景进行了论述,并提出了科学调控假日旅游经济的若干对策措施,以期有益于促使我国假日旅游经济持续、健康发展。     

农村劳动力的去留与农村职业教育

农村劳动力的去留问题是影响农村经济发展的重要问题。当前,过低的劳动力素质已经成为制约农村经济发展的重要因素之一。在今后相当长时期内,职业教育的重点应放到农村,为农村劳动力的“去”与“留”服务。     

The different faces of controlling teaching: implications of a distinction between externally and internally controlling teaching for students’ motivation in physical education

Background: In Self-Determination Theory (SDT), a well-validated macro-theory on human motivation, a distinction is made between internally controlling teaching practices (e.g. guilt-induction and shaming) and externally controlling practices (e.g. threats and punishments, commands). While both practices are said to undermine students’ motivation, they would do so through somewhat differential motivational processes. Unfortunately, the relevance of the conceptual distinction between internally and externally controlling strategies has not been examined systematically. In the context of sport and physical education (PE), most studies on controlling teaching have either measured controlling teaching in an undifferentiated way or have focused on one particular feature of controlling teaching.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to provide a more fine-grained picture on the differential de-motivational effects of internally and externally controlling teaching strategies in the domain of PE.

Participants: A total of 925 students with an average age of 15.80 years (±1.99) coming out of 92 classes taught by 22 different PE teachers participated in the present study.

Data analysis: Data on perceived controlling teaching style and students’ motivation were analyzed within a multilevel framework from both a variable-centered (regression analyses) and person-centered approach (cluster analyses).

Results: We found evidence for a distinction between perceived internally and externally controlling teaching. Both teaching styles were strongly related to each other (r?=?.54). At the level of zero-order correlations, both internally and externally controlling teaching related negatively to students’ intrinsic motivation and identified regulation and related positively to introjected regulation, external regulation, and amotivation. However, when both teaching styles were included simultaneously as predictors of motivation in the regression analyses, only internally controlling teaching predicted poor quality and low quantity of motivation. A cluster analysis revealed different profiles of perceived controlling teaching style, with two profiles being characterized by either high or low levels of the two types of controlling teaching and other profiles displaying elevated or reduced levels of one of the types of controlling teaching. This person-centered analysis confirmed that particularly students who perceive their PE teacher as internally controlling are likely to report poor-quality motivation.

Conclusion: Controlling teaching (and internally controlling teaching in particular) is related to maladaptive motivational outcomes. As such, it can be advised to PE-practitioners to refrain from using controlling strategies when teaching students. More research is needed to identify the conditions under which teachers’ behavior is perceived as externally and/or internally controlling.     

Self-reported symptoms and risk factors for digital ischaemia among international world-class beach volleyball players

The prevalence of ischaemia-related symptoms is remarkably high among elite indoor volleyball players. Since the exposure to sport-specific demands may be higher in beach volleyball compared to indoor volleyball, the aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of ischaemia-related symptoms and associated risk factors among world-class beach volleyball players. Therefore, a questionnaire survey was performed among beach volleyball players active during the 2013 Grand Slam Beach Volleyball in the Netherlands. In total, 60 of the 128 beach volleyball players (47%) participated: 26 males and 34 females from 17 countries. The self-reported prevalence of cold or blue or pale digits in the dominant hand during or immediately after practice or competition was 38% (n = 23). Two risk factors were independently associated with symptoms of blue or pale digits: more than 14 years playing volleyball (odds ratio (OR) 4.42, 90% confidence interval (90% CI) 1.30–15.07) and sex (female) (OR 4.62, 90% CI 1.15–18.57). In conclusion, the prevalence of symptoms associated with digital ischaemia is high among international world-class beach volleyball players. Female sex and the length of the volleyball career were independently associated with an increased risk of ischaemia-related symptoms. The high prevalence of these seemingly innocuous symptoms and possible associated risk factors warrant regular monitoring since early detection can potentially prevent thromboembolic complications and irreversible tissue damage.     

Reliability and validity of the Myotest® for measuring running stride kinematics

Accelerometer-based systems are often used to quantify human movement. This study’s aim was to assess the reliability and validity of the Myotest® accelerometer-based system for measuring running stride kinematics. Twenty habitual runners ran two 60 m trials at 12, 15, 18 and 21 km·h^?1. Contact time, aerial time and step frequency parameters from six consecutive running steps of each trial were extracted using Myotest® data. Between-trial reproducibility of measures was determined by comparing kinematic parameters from the two runs performed at the same speed. Myotest® measures were compared against photocell-based (Optojump Next®) and high-frequency video data to establish concurrent validity. The Myotest®-derived parameters were highly reproducible between trials at all running speeds (intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC): 0.886 to 0.974). Compared to the photo-cell and high-speed video-based measures, the mean contact times from the Myotest® were 34% shorter and aerial times were 64% longer. Only step frequency was comparable between systems and demonstrated high between-system correlation (ICC ≥ 0.857). The Myotest® is a practical portable device that is reliable for measuring contact time, aerial time and step frequency during running. In terms of validity, it provides accurate step frequency measures but underestimates contact time and overestimates aerial time compared to photocell- and optical-based systems.