Timing of Information Presentation in Learning Statistics

This study in the domain of statistics comparesfour information presentation formats in a 2 × 2factorial design: timing of supportiveinformation (before or during taskpractice) × timing of procedural information(before or during task practice).Seventy-two psychology and education students(7 male and 65 female; mean age 18.5 years,SD = 2.85) participated. Theeffectiveness of the learning material wasmeasured by test performance. The instructionalefficiency was measured by a combination ofmental effort during practice and testperformance (i.e., a high test performancecombined with a low mental effort duringpractice denotes a high instructionalefficiency). ANOVA showed a main effect fortiming of supportive information: presentationduring practice led to more efficient learning than presentationbefore practice. Moreover, an interactioneffect was found. Simultaneous presentation ofprocedural information before andsupportive information during practiceled to the most efficient learning.     

Dynamics of mirror writing compared to conventional writing in typical preliterate children

In left-to-right writing cultures, spontaneous mirror writing of letters and digits in preliterate children appears more frequently on left-than right-facing characters. A compelling theory drawn on neuropsychological evidence of mirror generalization suggests that children resort to a right-orienting/writing rule when learning to write. The aim of the present study was to conceptually replicate and specify recent findings (Fischer, 2017a) on the predominant contribution of writing directionality to mirror writing in preliterate children. A training study was designed to compare on-line production of conventional versus mirror writing of 4-to-5 year-old French children (n?=?30). Over a 4-week period, children were taught to write from memory words and digits. During a subsequent writing-from-memory task, a spatial constraint (Cornell, 1985) was imposed to elicit paired conventional and mirror writing of the words/digits. Spatial and kinematic data were recorded through the use of a digital pen. The results indicate a main contribution of writing directionality to letter and digit reversals. Furthermore, kinematic equivalence between conventional and mirror writing supports the neurological mirror generalization process in children. Overall, these results constitute a further illustration that the manifestation of mirror writing in typically developing children is culture-bound.     

藏族社会教育考试制度述略

本文主要以藏族世俗社会教育模式中的私塾、私立学校、官办三种办学考试形式为主线,从三个不同历史时期对藏族地区社会教育考试制度作了简要论述。     

优化动态管理 发挥教师内在潜能——关于教师主导性及相关因素的研究

新世纪对教育提出新目标,从教育的规律,教育活动的特点,阐述加强教师队伍建设的重要性,从实施素质教育对教师提出的新要求,论述了教师主导作用的重要意义。结合工作实际,从目标管理、机制改革、民主参与、心理认同、树立典型和科研兴校六个方面论述优化动态管理,调动教师积极性的办法。     

The balance model: Hindrance or support for the solving of linear equations with one unknown

The use of concrete models for teaching students how to solve equations is often debated in scientific literature. This article aims to examine the balance model and to identify the issues that divide scientists. We based our reflections on the results of an empirical study and analysis of the various arguments put forward by supporters and opponents of the model. We describe learning situations that were the subject of the empirical study, which involved forty students in two 8th-grade classes. The aim was to teach the formal solving method, which involved performing the same operations on both sides of the equation using, notably, the balance model. Analysis of students' reasoning showed that the presence of negative numbers gave rise to many errors. The difficulties presented by negative numbers were reviewed, eight months later, during an interview with five students, chosen from those who took part in the experiment. Within that context, we discuss the relevance of the balance model and analyse the arguments put forward by researchers who either defend or reject its use.This revised version was published online in September 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Science Students' Perceptions of Engaging Pedagogy

During their years of schooling, students develop perceptions about learning and teaching, including the ways in which teachers impact on their learning experiences. This paper presents student perceptions of teacher pedagogy as interpreted from a study focusing on students' experience of Year 7 science. A single science class of 11 to 12 year old students and their teacher were monitored for the whole school year, employing participant observation, and interviews with focus groups of students, their teacher and other key members of the school. Analysis focused on how students perceived the role of the teacher's pedagogy in constructing a learning environment that they considered conducive to engagement with science learning. Two areas of the teacher's pedagogy are explored from the student perspective of how these affect their learning: instructional pedagogy and relational pedagogy. Instructional pedagogy captures the way the instructional dialogue developed by the teacher drew the students into the learning process and enabled them to “understand” science. How the teacher developed a relationship with the students is captured as relational pedagogy, where students said that they learned better when teachers were passionate in their approach to teaching, provided a supportive learning environment and made them feel comfortable. The ways in which the findings support the direction for the middle years and science education are considered.     

关于建立我国教育发展指标体系的思考——兼论OECD教育发展指标体系的主要内容

相对于严格意义上的教育发展指标体系,我国的教育事业发展统计公报存在着诸多缺陷和不足。为了监控、评价和促进我国教育的发展,我国应该建立教育发展指标体系。世界经济合作与发展组织的教育发展指标体系值得我们借鉴。     

High school students’ acceptance and use of mobile technology in learning mathematics

The purpose of this research is to investigate factors affecting the acceptance and use of mobile technology in learning mathematics based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) model. The study group comprised of 1640 students attending different types of high schools and grade levels. The results of the study revealed both direct and indirect effects of exogenous variables on Behavioral Intention and Use Behavior in mobile technology acceptance of high school students in learning mathematics. It was also found that the theoretical model was confirmed adequately based on the regression coefficients, the significance of the regression coefficients, and the goodness of fit indices obtained from the SEM analysis. The strongest predictors of Behavioral Intention were Hedonic Motivation and Habit, respectively. Exogenous variables of the study together explained 76% of the variance in Behavioral Intention and 13% of the variance in Use Behavior.

     

Turkish Preservice Science Teachers’ Informal Reasoning Regarding Socioscientific Issues and the Factors Influencing Their Informal Reasoning

The purpose of the study is to explore Turkish preservice science teachers’ informal reasoning regarding socioscientific issues and the factors influencing their informal reasoning. The researchers engaged 39 preservice science teachers in informal reasoning interview and moral decision-making interview protocols. Of the seven socioscientific issues, three issues were related to gene therapy, another three were related to human cloning, and one was related to global warming. The data were analyzed using an interpretive qualitative research approach. The characteristic of informal reasoning was determined as multidimensional, and the patterns of informal reasoning emerged as rationalistic, emotive, and intuitive reasoning. The factors influencing informal reasoning were: personal experiences, social considerations, moral-ethical considerations, and technological concerns.