An Outreach Support Group for International Students

International students often face challenges in adjusting to their new environment without the use of local supports such as counseling. This article suggests how universities can form an outreach support group that encourages the participation of international students by minimizing the stigma associated with using mental health services and by addressing relevant practical and emotional issues that international students face.     

Performances of lateral flow biological aerated filter in treating domestic wastewater

1 Introduction ? The biological aerated filter technique has developed rapidly since 1980s, and is widely used in municipal sewage treatment. It has been used in the primary and secondary treatment processes due to its desirable economical efficiency and …     

Investigating the Influence of a Mixed Face-to-Face and Website Professional Development Course on the Inquiry-Based Conceptions of High School Science and Mathematics Teachers

The purposes of this study are to report the influences of a mixed delivery professional development [PD] course involving face-to-face classes and the mentoring assisted inquiry-based teaching [MAIT] website that addressed the conceptual change and self-efficacy of high school mathematics and science teachers’ conceptions of inquiry-based teaching. Twenty-five in-service high school science and mathematics teachers participated in a 9 weeks, 4 h per week PD course. Data collection included the pre-post Inquiry Teaching Efficacy Questionnaire [ITEQ], teachers’ reflective journals posted on the MAIT website, teachers’ assignments requested by the course instructor, and follow-up teachers’ interviews. Findings revealed that both mathematics and science teachers’ conceptions of inquiry teaching show significant improvements after the course. The mixed delivery PD course had the same influence on science and mathematics teachers. The authentic video clips and lesson plans provided on the MAIT website and the specific feedback toward teachers’ performance are the main factors that shaped teachers’ inquiry-based teaching conceptions.     

Museum Experience — a Resource for Science Teacher Education

In this study, the researcher included an extensive science museum experience for the pre-service secondary science teachers within a teaching methods course to enhance their learning to teach science. The extensive museum experience covered four aspects: the visit, discussion with museum educators, the development of lesson plans, and practising teaching in the science museum. Twenty-one pre-service science teachers attended this course. Qualitative methods were used for data collection and analysis. The data sources included field notes, reports, diaries, and interviews. The findings show that this course connecting museum resources and context had created a novel situation for pre-service science teachers to learn how to teach science. The discourses with the museum educators also provided them with innovations in education beyond the gains from traditional teacher education. Through developing and practising teaching activities, they improved their understanding of the meanings and effective ways to use museum resources in science teaching. Pre-service science teachers reported that getting feedback from peers and observing modeling teaching was helpful. This course provided an alternative way to view how scientific activities were developed for junior high students. In general, the use of museum settings provides a new profile of learning and teaching course for pre-service science teachers in Taiwan. Based on the findings, this study makes suggestions for those science teacher educators who would like to use science museum resources and contexts to nurture prospective science teachers.     

Teaching anti-racist counseling theories: Black liberation narrative therapy

Counseling theories created by White theorists have traditionally failed to consider the religious or spiritual experiences of Black clients. Integration of Black liberation theology and narrative therapy provides a novel approach to support counseling trainees in meeting the needs of Black clients. Decolonizing therapeutic strategies are presented along with counselor educator recommendations.     

The Quality of Message Ideas,Thinking and Interaction in an Asynchronous CMC Environment

One of the major shifts in education today under the influence of information and communication technologies is that there is an increased tendency toward the use of computer-mediated communications (CMC). CMC has developed an assortment of methods from simple e-mail to wireless instant messages and synchronous and asynchronous discussions. A large portion of the research in this area focuses on the pedagogical aspects of CMC particularly on the use, strategies, effectiveness and the integration of the new technologies for teaching and learning. Some studies investigate different perspectives of interaction like keeping track of asynchronous discussion, quality of participation, interaction and collaborative or group learning. This paper reports findings from the study that examines the quality of message ideas, thinking and interaction in an asynchronous CMC environment in a teacher training institution. The authors suggest some practical strategies in the implementation of asynchronous discussions in CMC environment. La qualité des messages d’idées, de la pensée et de l’interaction dans un environnement CMC asynchrone. Un des changements majeurs dans l’éducation aujourd’hui sous l’influence de l’information et des technologies de la communication est une tendance accrue À l’usage des communications par ordinateur (Computer-mediated Communications CMC). CMC a permis le développement de tout un assortiment de méthodes depuis de simples e-mail jusqu’À des messages sans fil instantanés et des discussions synchrones et asynchrones. Une grande partie de la recherche en ce domaine est centrée sur les aspects pédagogiques des CMC en particulier sur l’emploi, les stratégies, l’efficacité et l’intégration des nouvelles technologies pour l’enseignement et l’apprentissage. Certains études examinent les perspectives différentes de l’interaction. Telles que garder la trace des discussions asynchrones, la qualité de la participation interaction et l’apprentissage en coopération ou en groupe. L’article rapporte les résultats de l’étude qui examine la qualité des messages d’idées, la pensée et l’interaction dans un environnement de CMC asynchrone dans un établissement de formation des enseignants. Les auteurs suggérent des stratégies pratiques dans l’introduction de discussions asynchrones dans un environnement CMC. Die Qualität der übermittlung von Ideen, Denken und Interaktion in einem asynchronen CMC Umfeld Eine der wichtigsten Umstellungen der heutigen Ausbildung ist die unter dem Einfluss von Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien verstärkte Tendenz, rechnergestützte Kommunikation (computer-mediated communications:CMC)

zu benutzen. CMC hat ein ganzes Arsenal von Methoden entwickelt, von der einfachen E-Mail bis zu drahtlosen Nachrichten und synchron oder asynchron geführten Diskussionen. Die Forschung in diesem Bereich konzentriert sich hauptsächlich auf die pädagogischen Aspekte von CMC, besonders auf die Nutzung, die Strategien, den Wirkungsgrad und die Möglichkeiten der Einbindung der Neuen Technologien zum Lehren und Lernen. Einige Arbeiten erforschen die verschiedenen Perspektiven

der Interaktion wie das Verfolgen von asynchronen Diskussionen, die Qualität der Beteiligung, der Interaktion und Zusammenarbeit oder dem Lernen in Gruppen. In diesem Beitrag wird über Ergebnisse der Studie zur Untersuchung der Qualität der übermittlung von Ideen, Gedanken und Interaktionen in einem asynchron arbeitenden rechnergestützten

System (CMC) einer Lehrerfortbildungseinrichtung berichtet. Die Autoren erläutern praktische Strategien zur Einbindung asynchroner Diskussionen in eine CMC-Umgebung.     

A Comparison of Approaches for the Analysis of Interaction Effects Between Latent Variables Using Partial Least Squares Path Modeling

Although stratification in the workplace has received considerable attention in the literature on organizations, there is little systematic understanding about how individual and structural characteristics act to produce a stratified workplace. This study focuses on understanding the dynamics of workplace attainment by examining stratification within higher education administration. The purpose of the study is twofold—(a) to propose and test a model concerning how organizational and individual variables affect workplace attainment and (b) to demonstrate the application of structural equation modeling in estimating and testing this model. Results are discussed in terms of their theoretical significance and practical implications.