Students' Visualization of Diagrams Representing the Human Circulatory System: The use of spatial isomorphism and representational conventions

This study investigated students' interpretation of diagrams representing the human circulatory system. We conducted an interview study with three students aged 14–15 (Year 10) who were studying biology in a Hong Kong school. During the interviews, students were asked to interpret diagrams and relationships between diagrams that represented aspects of the circulatory system. All diagrams used in the interviews had been used by their teacher when teaching the topic. Students' interpretations were expressed by their verbal response and their drawing. Dual coding theory was used to interpret students' responses. There was evidence that one student relied on verbal recall as a strategy in interpreting diagrams. It was found that students might have relied unduly on similarities in spatial features, rather than on deeper meanings represented by conventions, of diagrams when they associated diagrams that represented different aspects of the circulatory system. A pattern of students' understanding of structure–behaviour–function relationship of the biological system was observed. This study suggests the importance of a consistent diagrammatic and verbal representation in communicating scientific ideas. Implications for teaching practice that facilitates learning with diagrams and address students' undue focus on spatial features of diagrams are discussed.     

The National Curriculum balance sheet for Key Stage 2: a researcher's view

The National Curriculum had very specific objectives. From the beginning there have been claims that the failure to implement the programme in full was the fault of a ‘liberal’ educational establishment. This article looks at implementation from the perspective of a researcher who was engaged in classroom observation, mainly in primary schools, during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Among the consequences of the implementation strategies adopted have been negligible effects on teaching methods, falling standards and lack of increased curriculum continuity on transfer to Key Stage 3. The findings of this research suggest that recent calls for teachers to be mandated as to how to teach the curriculum will not overcome these problems.     

Adult learners’ social connectedness and online participation: the importance of online interaction quality

ABSTRACT

Online interaction has been associated with positive outcomes, academically and psychologically. Regarding the latter, social connectedness has been recognised as an important outcome on the basis of its link to subjective well-being and course satisfaction. In adult educational settings, how online interaction can foster social connectedness has not been widely examined. The study investigates how (1) adult learners’ online participation operationalised as discussion contribution, collaborative facilitation, and social interaction, and (2) their perceived online interaction quality are related to their feeling of social connectedness. The role of online interaction quality related to the three types of online participation and social connectedness is also examined. A questionnaire was developed to collect data from adult learner participants in Belgium (N?=?170). Multiple regressions and mediation analysis were conducted. The result shows that collaborative facilitation and online interaction quality significantly contribute to adult learners’ perceptions of social connectedness. Furthermore, the finding reveals that online interaction quality fully mediates the relationship between discussion contribution, social interaction, and social connectedness. Thus, the implications for research and instructional design are discussed.     

Evaluation of the Meaning of Life Program in Israel

During the 2009–2010 academic year, 10 schools participated in the Meaning of Life educational program, an adaption of the popular U.S. Laws of Life program. The program sought to encourage each participant to develop a personal approach to finding meaning in life. To evaluate the success of the program, we conducted a study to compare measures of psychological health among participants in the program. We administered questionnaires to participants pre- and postintervention that dealt with the following topics: Meaning in Life, Perceived Hope, Self-Efficacy, Virtues and Values Enacted, and School Climate. We conducted an analysis on a sample of 256 Jewish children (91 boys, 165 girls) and 396 Arab children (155 boys, 241 girls) in 8 schools. Results yielded convergent and construct validity among the 5 measures. Differential results were found among the different schools in both Jewish and Arab samples. From this data we discuss implications for future research.     

Integration and Innovation Incorporating Blended Learning into ELT

I‘d like to begin this morning by drawing your attention tothe four main goals or priorities of IATEFL China.IATEFLChina‘s mission statement--as printed on the front of yourconference program-focuses on: Learning Adapting Communicating Creating