BEYOND BIBLE STORIES: THE ROLE OF CULTURE-SPECIFIC MYTHS/STORIES IN THE IDENTITY FORMATION OF NONDOMINANT IMMIGRANT CHILDREN

The full identity of Asian heritage children growing up in Canada and the U.S. includes the Judaeo-Christian biblical tradition, the Euro-Anglo tradition of the dominant culture, and the traditions of their heritage culture. This article makes a case for including culture-specific stories from learners' own heritage for more holistic identity formation for younger members of immigrant Christian faith communities. The author examines obstacles that stand in the way, and discusses strategies to carry out this religious education endeavor. While examples are drawn mainly from East Asian culture (particularly Chinese), the discussion is intended to apply to most non-Euro-Anglo Christian faith communities of the North America diaspora.     

Standpoint: Disappearing authors: A postmodern perspective on the practice of writing for the screen

The current study examined content-specific relationships of citizens' use of city Web sites with civic engagement. A Web-based, volunteer survey of 1,966 citizen users of city Web sites found that surveillance, practical services, and direct democracy features functioned as important conditions for citizens' real-world civic engagement. Results indicated that citizens' use of practical services and direct democracy features of city Web sites were associated with citizens' civic involvement and political behaviors. The findings suggest that the relationships between citizens' use of city Web sites and civic engagement differ according to the purpose for which citizens use the sites. The results of the current study exhibit an indication that city Web sites can promote civic engagement among citizens.     

Aspiring principals' perception of the challenges of beginning principals and the support that they need

This paper presents the results of an exploratory research project about the perception of aspiring principals regarding the challenges of beginning principals and the support that they need. These aspiring principals are participants on the Leaders in Education Programme (LEP) in Singapore. According to the research findings, the LEP participants perceived that the main challenges they were likely to face if and when appointed as principals would be adapting to a new environment and role; working with staff and other stakeholders; and meeting the expectations of others while trying to live true to one's values. The support they felt they would need as beginning principals was a network of professional peers; guidance from an experienced mentor; and access to the expertise of academics and continuous professional development platforms. Interestingly, while Singapore appears to have a reputation for a focus on examination results and quality assurance measures, the participants hardly mentioned any challenges or need for support in these areas. The paper calls for a greater level of understanding and support for beginning principals in doing an increasingly demanding job in a highly complex environment.     

Learner Autonomy and Selected Demographic Characteristics as They Relate to Life Satisfaction Among Older Adults in Malaysia

Malaysia currently has about three million senior citizens. United Nations statistics show that Malaysia is likely to reach aging nation status by the year 2035. It is important to address the issues that may have impact on the needs and concerns of this growing population. This study examined the relationships of life satisfaction, learner autonomy, and selected demographic variables of older adults in the state of Kelantan, Malaysia. A convenience sample of 111 adults, age 50 or older, participated in this survey. Statistical analyses assessed relationships of demographic variables to Learner Autonomy Profile and Life Satisfaction Scores. Findings reveal ethnicity, education level and living area correlate significantly with the learner autonomy scores. Only education level was found to significantly correlate with life satisfaction. Results indicate a significant relationship of learner autonomy scores and life satisfaction scores. Implications for practice and recommendations for further study and public policy emphases are discussed.     

Characteristics of Teacher Induction Programs and Turnover Rates of Beginning Teachers

The federal School and Staffing Survey (SASS) and Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS) were used to examine the impacts of induction activities on beginning teacher turnover. This study excluded those teachers who moved or left schools for unavoidable and involuntary reasons, a confounding factor in previous research. This analysis revealed that three induction activities are beneficial in significantly reducing turnover rates for beginning teachers: seminars, common planning time, and extra classroom assistance.     

A novel actuation method of transporting droplets by using electrical charging of droplet in a dielectric fluid

We evaluate the feasibility of manipulating droplets in two dimensions by exploiting Coulombic forces acting on conductive droplets immersed in a dielectric fluid. When a droplet suspended in an immiscible fluid is located near an electrode under a dc voltage, the droplet can be charged by direct contact, by charge transfer along an electrically conducting path, or by both mechanisms. This process is called electrical charging of droplet (ECOD). This charged droplet may then be transported rapidly by exploiting Coulombic forces. We experimentally demonstrate electrical actuation of a charged droplet by applying voltage sequences. A charged droplet is two dimensionally actuated by following the direction of the electrical field signal. The droplet does not contact the surface of the microfluidic chip when it moves. This characteristic is very advantageous because treatments of the substrate surfaces of microfluidic chip become simpler. In order to test the feasibility of using ECOD in a droplet-based microreactor, electrocoalescence of two oppositely charged droplets is also studied. When two droplets approach each other due to Coulombic attraction, a liquid bridge is formed between them. We postulate that if the applied electric field is weaker than a certain critical level, the two droplets coalesce instantaneously when the charges are exchanged and redistributed through this liquid bridge.     

Experimental verification of Faradaic charging in ac electrokinetics

This paper investigates the phenomenon of Faradaic charging in ac electrokinetics. Faradaic reactions were suggested as a key effect responsible for the reversal of pumping direction in ac micropumps. However, this hypothesis has yet to be proven convincingly and directly. Here we present an ion detection strategy to determine the production of ions through Faradaic hydrolytic reactions originating from direct application of voltage to electrolytic solutions during ac electrokinetics. Experiments were performed with symmetrical planar electrodes aligned along a microfluidic channel. Fluorescein, a pH-dependent dye, was employed as the pH indicator for the detection of ion production. Images were captured for analysis at various voltage levels. From analyzing the fluorescence intensity and its distribution, it can be concluded that the production of ions from hydrolytic reactions takes place and increases with the ac voltage. The coefficient of deviation indicates a significant enhancement at ac voltage above 11 V_pp. Lastly, we demonstrate a strategy using dc-biased ac electrokinetics to achieve controllability in direction and magnitude of the net fluid flow in pumping application.     

Home-School Relations in Hong Kong: Separation or Partnership

This article contains an analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data about the perception of both parents and school personnel on parents' participation at different levels of school activities. Findings indicated that most of the school personnel demonstrated unwelcome attitudes towards parent involvement and parents themselves did not like to become school managers either. Both of them expressed the intention of separate responsibilities in school management. It is recommended that schools should develop a school-based strategy to promote home-school cooperation. Besides, there is a need to establish parent schools to educate parents in their rights and responsibilities in participating in school education.     

Examining pre‐service teachers' attitudes towards children with autism in the USA

Autism is a developmental disorder which affects a growing number of children worldwide. Since the disorder was first discovered by Leo Kanner almost seven decades ago there has been a lot of research trying to unravel this otherwise esoteric disorder. That research has contributed to better understanding of the disorder, shifting of conceptualisations as well as changing of professionals' and families perceptions and attitudes towards the disorder. Together, these changes have helped to promote better outcomes among children with autism. This study was designed to examine pre‐service teachers' attitudes towards children with autism. Results indicated that pre‐service teachers had positive attitudes towards children with autism. The pre‐service teachers' attitudes were found to be influenced by their gender, academic major and different types of exposure to children with autism.