Student Learning Through Participation in Inquiry Activities: Two Case Studies in Teacher and Computer Engineering Education

The two case studies reported in this article contribute to a better understanding of how inquiry tasks and activities are employed as resourceful means for learning in higher professional education. An observation-based approach was used to explore characteristics of and challenges in students’ participation in collaborative inquiry activities in two first-year introductory courses in teacher and computer engineering education. The findings highlight that the students’ activities varied with regard to focus and structure and were shaped by the types of inquiry tasks, i.e. case analysis and project-based work, by how the inquiry process was guided and supported and the way the domain-specific knowledge resources and practices were introduced. An exploratory strategy and rather confined use of resources characterised the teacher education students’ inquiry, while collaborative programming, a trial-and-error approach and extensive use of external resources that of the engineering education students’. For the teacher students, the main challenge was to construct meaning of conceptual knowledge and to integrate different forms of knowledge as a lens for analysing practice. The computer engineering students experienced challenges with unpacking the underlying principles and knowledge black-boxed in the widely available resources. The article suggests that future research and curriculum designs should depart from a more refined understanding of inquiry as a learning means, by connecting inquiry activities to the specific knowledge domains, the type of tasks most suited to explore each of this domains and the challenges that may arise for students.     

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND SUSTAINABLE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

Independence and transition to a market economy have led to economic decline in the Republic of Moldova. Scientific research directed at sustainable human development is the key to economic renewal. As Moldova must import most of its energy, a major task is to reduce energy consumption through improved energy efficiency. Since the basic source of national wealth is agriculture, the development of derivatives of agriculture, such as the bio‐chemical industries, the pharmaceutical industry, the perfume industry, and the veterinary sciences should be stressed as well as components of information technology in which Moldova has a lead. As the premier research organization of Moldova is its Academy of Sciences founded in 1946, it should channel its best efforts into the economic development of the country through science.     

Are teachers techno-optimists or techno-pessimists? A pilot comparative among teachers in Bolivia,Brazil, the Dominican Republic,Ecuador, Finland,Poland, Turkey,and Uruguay

The aim of the article is to highlight the key elements related to the implementation of new technologies in education from the perspective of the opinions and experiences of educators in the field in Bolivia, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland, Poland, Turkey, and Uruguay. The text compares issues related to attitudes towards the use of new media in education, experiences with different forms of e-learning, and the level of restrictions on the use of smartphones in school. These variables are juxtaposed with the self-assessment of digital competence and how cyberspace is used. The survey was conducted using a standardised survey questionnaire translated into the relevant national languages in the first half of 2019, and involved a sample of 873 teachers representing eight countries. On the basis of the pilot studies it was noted that: 1) Teachers from LAC and EU like to use digital media - this is a constant trend independent of geographical location; 2) Teachers note that new technologies are not always better than analogue didactic aids; 3) Teachers from selected countries (the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Turkey, and Uruguay) have much greater techno-optimism in themselves than teachers from Bolivia, Poland, Finland and Turkey in terms of the impact of ICT on student motivation and engagement; 4) In all countries teachers prefer free online courses (the different forms of e-learning are used most often by those in the Dominican Republic, and the least often in Bolivia and Poland); 5) In each country teachers who highly value their own digital competences and have a positive attitude towards new media use ICT much more actively; 6) There is also a global trend in that the extensive use of cyberspace (typical e-services) appears in combination with the extensive use of various forms of e-learning; 7) Teachers from Ecuador are most likely to want to ban the use of smartphones in schools. The most liberal approach in this respect is taken by the Uruguayans; 8) The knowledge of the conditions related to restricting the use of smartphones goes beyond the analyses related to the style of use and attitude towards new media. This article is the result of pilot studies conducted within the framework of the SMART ECOSYSTEM FOR LEARNING AND INCLUSION project carried out in selected Latin American, Caribbean (LAC) and European (EU) countries.

     

Three‐ to six‐year‐old children’s recognition of geometric shapes

The main purpose of this research was to determine three‐ to six‐year‐old pre‐schoolers’ recognition of basic geometric shapes, the criteria they use to distinguish members of a shape class and whether or not those criteria change in relation to age. Participants were 100 children aged three to six. Data were gathered from individual interviews conducted with participants. The results of this study indicate that pre‐school children fail to distinguish circle, square, triangle and rectangle and recognize atypical examples which differ due to orientation, aspect ratio, skewness and size. Furthermore, children in this period are capable of attending to both defining and non‐defining attributes while classifying, but they mostly rely on non‐defining attributes.     

Labour migration in Moldova: context and controls

The Republic of Moldova proclaimed its independence in 1991. Like other republics of the former USSR, during the last decade of the Twentieth Century, Moldova initiated social and economic reforms aimed at the country's transition to a market economy. A series of relevant social changes were achieved in Moldova but, contrary to initial estimates, they failed to provide the expected results. Moreover, this phase led to a deepening economic crisis, and subsequently to a catastrophic decline in living standards, the depreciation of moral and ethical norms, and insecurity. The departure of a large part of the labour force abroad, in search of jobs, has considerably diminished Moldova's human resources. Year by year, the emigration of the country's intellectuals has intensified. More and more higher education graduates, academics, school teachers and scientific researchers emigrate. No systematic and detailed studies of brain drain in Moldova exist, as the phenomenon has not been monitored at national level. The present study attempts a brief analysis of brain drain from the Republic of Moldova and offers some recommendations.     

COMMUNICATING ACROSS CULTURES AND DISCIPLINES: THE BUCHAREST READING GROUP AS EMBODIED SOCIAL KNOWING

This article reports on a pedagogical experiment conducted by three American Soros Foundation‐sponsored professors and several Romanian sociology students who formed a reading circle. Its purpose was to encourage an exchange of ideas among students and teachers in an informal setting. Beginning in 1994, its first topic of discussion was Sex, Love, and Death in Postmodern Literature. During the following year, the topic was Public and Private Space in Society, and for the current (1996‐1997) academic year, it is Communication: Embodied Action in Culture. Partially presented in an interview format, this article serves as an interim evaluation of this type of teaching‐learning experience and also of the possibilities of academic mobility.     

Question types and wait-time during science related activities in Turkish preschools

The aim of the study is to investigate the types of questions that preschool teachers used during the science-related activities and preschool teachers’ behaviors in terms of wait-time. Through this study, the types of questions (lower level and higher level), the time that teachers allocate to their students to respond, and the teachers’ responses to the students’ answers were investigated. The study was conducted with six teachers working with six-year-old children in preschool institutions. In this qualitative study, the data were obtained through classroom observations. The findings of the study revealed that the teachers mostly asked lower level questions to the students and that they did not use the wait-time strategy effectively. Additionally, the findings showed that the teachers did not pay enough attention to the students’ responses. The teachers allowed students answer the questions as quickly as possible without encouraging them to think over their answers. Moreover, the teachers answered the questions themselves when the students did not give the correct answers. Finally, the teachers mostly dealt with the children actively participating much more than the other students who were less attentive.     

Comparing the Impacts of Tutorial and Edutainment Software Programs on Students’ Achievements, Misconceptions, and Attitudes towards Biology

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of tutorial and edutainment design of instructional software programs related to the “cell division” topic on student achievements, misconceptions and attitudes. An experimental research design including the cell division achievement test (CAT), the cell division concept test (CCT) and biology attitude scale (BAS) was applied at the beginning and at the end of the research. After the treatment, general achievement in CAT increased in favor of experimental groups. Instructional software programs also had the positive effect to the awareness of students’ understandings to the general functions of mitosis and meiosis. However, the current study revealed that there were still some misconceptions in the experimental groups even after the treatment. It was also noticed that only using edutainment software program significantly changed students’ attitudes towards biology.     

Effects of technology-enhanced constructivist learning on science achievement of students with different cognitive styles

Education and Information Technologies - The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of technology-enhanced constructivist learning on science achievement of seventh-grade students with...     

Stress-Testing Europe: Normalizing the Post-Fukushima Crisis

The Fukushima accident was a crisis in Japan, and a crisis elsewhere. In Europe, the aftermath of Fukushima was a period of intense questioning, about how to ensure the safety of nuclear reactors, and how, at the same time, ensure the ability of the European Union to act as a consistent political actor in the face of potentially catastrophic risks. Using empirical material related to the post-Fukushima stress tests and the subsequent discussions about the European regulatory framework for nuclear safety, this paper shows that stress tests have provided a peculiar form of European intervention, restabilizing regulatory boundaries while extending the European gaze. It describes the overall operation thereby performed as the “normalization of the crisis” whereby the exceptional situation enters the realm of the normal functioning of the public administrations, and where the actions undertaken take the form of the legal norm.