Influence of augmented reality technology upon pupils＇ knowledge about human digestive system： The results of the experiment

Applying information technologies in the educational process is the main direction of modern education. However, ＂moving＂ information communication technologies to schools is the primary purpose of discussions held by pedagogical and scientific society as this is a very problematic field （Lamanauskas, 2006）. Most of the researches show that the virtual learning environment help to achieve higher learning results. However, pupils＇ questioning in Lithuania, Germany, Romania, Malta and Czech （Lamanauskas, Vilkonis ＆ Klangauskas, 2007; Lamanauskas ＆ Vilkonis, 2007; Bilek, Zemanova ＆ Turcani, 2007） showed that most of the respondents prefer real learning environment or combine real and virtual environments while learning natural sciences. The latest scientific research shows that along the real and/or virtual teaching/learning environment, a combined environment can also be acceptable. The introduced environment can be created using augmented reality technology （ART）, i.e. augmenting real objects found in the environment and usual material visuals with virtual information in the real space. In Siauliai University, a pedagogical experiment was done, and it aims at establishing effective teaching/learning platform based on augmented reality technology （ARTP） influence upon the learning results. 110 pupils of the 7 th form of comprehensive school took part in the experiment. The analysis of the research data shows that pupils＇ achievement after use of ARTP in the experimental group significantly improved while completing some tasks.     

Assessing Measurement Invariance in Multiple-Group Latent Profile Analysis

The study of measurement invariance in latent profile analysis (LPA) indicates whether the latent profiles differ across known subgroups (e.g., gender). The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of noninvariance on the relative bias of LPA parameter estimates and on the ability of the likelihood ratio test (LRT) and information criteria statistics to reject the hypothesis of invariance. A Monte Carlo simulation study was conducted in which noninvariance was defined as known group differences in the indicator means in each profile. Results indicated that parameter estimates were biased in conditions with medium and large noninvariance. The LRT and AIC detected noninvariance in most conditions with small sample sizes, while the BIC and adjusted BIC needed larger sample sizes to detect noninvariance. Implications of the results are discussed along with recommendations for future research.     

Clones identification of Sequoia sempervirens (D.Don) Endl.in Chile by using PCR-RAPDs technique

A protocol of polymerase chain reaction-random amplified polymorphic DNAs (PCR-RAPDs) was established to analyse the gene diversity and genotype identification for clones of Sequoia sempervirens (D.Don) Endl.in Chile.Ten (out of 34) clones from introduction trial located in Voipir-Viilarrica,Chile,were studied.The PCR-RAPDs technique and a modified hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) protocol were used for genomic DNA extraction.The PCR tests were carried out employing 10-mer random primers.The amplification products were detected by electrophoresis in agarose gels.Forty nine polymorphic bands were obtained with the selected primers (BG04,BF07,BF 12,BF13,and BF 14) and were ordered according to their molecular size.The genetic similarity between samples was calculated by the Jaccard index and a dendrogram was constructed using a cluster analysis of unweighted pair group method using arithmetic averages (UPGMA).Of the primers tested,5 (out of 60) RAPD primers were selected for their reproducibility and high polymorphism.A total of 49 polymorphic RAPD bands were detected out of 252 bands.The genetic similarity analysis demonstrates an extensive genetic variability between the tested clones and the dendrogram depicts the genetic relationships among the clones,suggesting a geographic relationship.The results indicate that the RAPD markers permitted the identification of the assayed clones,although they are derived from the same geographic origin.     

The impact of Nordic adult education ideas on the development of a democratic society in Lithuania

This article analyses the role of the cooperation with and the influence of the Nordic countries on the development of a democratic society in Lithuania through adult education since the reinstatement of its independence from Soviet regime in March 1990 to the present. The authors focus on three main areas: (1) the training of Lithuanian adult educators; (2) the establishment and development of NGOs; and (3) the implications for a Lithuanian policy of adult education. Within the framework of Nordic-Baltic cooperation established among five Nordic and three Baltic countries (NB8) in 1992, Lithuanian adult educators seized the opportunity to visit Scandinavian institutions and projects. Experiencing Nordic adult education ideas has resulted in a marked shift in Lithuanian adult educators’ values, methodology and careers; and in the establishment of a series of very influential umbrella associations as well as hundreds of NGOs in Lithuania which work with adults and support functioning democratic values in society. This shift is related to the civic responsibility and active participation growing out of the bottom-up approaches of group work, cooperation, discussions and learning circles which are so inherent in the Nordic tradition of adult education. The internalisation of new democratic values was more complicated than expected for many Lithuanian politicians, adult educators and NGO leaders in terms of how political decisions were perceived and implemented. Furthermore, the influence of the Nordic-Baltic cooperation in adult education may also be traced in adult education policy implications in Lithuania. Some changes in the policies of contemporary Lithuania have not been successful and even failed to promote a democratic society.     

Three‐Year‐Olds’ Reactions to a Partner's Failure to Perform Her Role in a Joint Commitment

When children make a joint commitment to collaborate, obligations are created. Pairs of 3‐year‐old children (N = 144) made a joint commitment to play a game. In three different conditions the game was interrupted in the middle either because: (a) the partner child intentionally defected, (b) the partner child was ignorant about how to play, or (c) the apparatus broke. The subject child reacted differently in the three cases, protesting normatively against defection (with emotional arousal and later tattling), teaching when the partner seemed to be ignorant, or simply blaming the apparatus when it broke. These results suggest that 3‐year‐old children are competent in making appropriate normative evaluations of intentions and obligations of collaborative partners.     

AILEM Programme: a long‐term intervention to promote literacy learning in low‐performing primary schools in Chile

After one year of implementation, this paper describes a programme designed to support literacy learning in low performing schools from poor sectors in Santiago, Chile. School‐based intensive training on theory and practice of a literacy learning framework for classroom instruction and long‐term support were used to impact the achievement of students from disadvantaged families in 16 kindergarten classrooms and 16 1st‐grade classrooms in nine primary schools. Preliminary results showed an improvement in learning achievement positively related to level of implementation of the literacy instruction framework in the classrooms and teachers' perception of an improvement in their knowledge and classroom practices. Although findings from this study cannot support definite conclusions, because of the lack of experimental conditions, they provide relevant information for future experimental studies on how to meet the literacy learning needs of children from disadvantaged backgrounds.     

Academic Libraries and Copyright: Unveiling Inadequacies of Current Law Through the Analysis of Processes Included in Quality Management Systems

Most information resources that make up university library collections are copyrighted works, which means that conflicts between such rights and the activities of libraries are common. The development of the digital setting has affected both sectors. On the one hand, it has led to changes in copyright legislation; on the other, it has affected the services provided by libraries, as they adapt to the new needs of users and to the characteristics of digital information. This paper aims to discover where the main points of collision between the two sides lie, and to what extent they are adequately resolved by the present legislation governing copyright. To this end we use a list of the main processes of academic libraries taken from quality manuals of a sample of Spanish university libraries. The results make manifest that the evolution of both sides is not yet balanced, and important maladjustments interfere with an adequate provision of services in academic libraries. Some are resolved through new legal proposals, but for many others there is no proper solution in sight.     

A multi-level modeling approach to investigating students’ critical thinking at higher education institutions

Twenty-first century and higher-learning skills such as critical thinking are highly desired for new college graduates entering the workplace, especially with rapid changing technology and a more globalized economy. As a result, the importance of critical thinking development at higher education institutions has increased. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of student and institutional variables on the difference in critical thinking scores between first-year and third/fourth-year students at higher education institutions. We examined the extent to which institutional variables moderate the relationship between student variables and the critical thinking score difference. We used a multi-level modeling approach to account for the clustering of students in institutions. Results of this study showed that: (a) institutional variability accounted for 15% of the variance in estimated critical thinking scores, (b) third/fourth-year students had higher critical thinking scores as compared to their first-year peers even when controlling for college admissions score, and (c) in the final model, the main effects of college admission scores, student-faculty ratio, and percent Black/African American were statistically significant; however, retention was the only significant moderator of the relationship between critical thinking scores and class level. Implications and future research are discussed.