Effects of video-based flipped class instruction on subject reading motivation

Video-based flipped class instruction can strengthen the learning motivation of students. The effectiveness of flipped class instruction on teaching effectiveness and subject satisfaction has been evaluated previously. The present study aims to examine the impact of two aspects of subject reading motivation. A total of 100 secondary school students were recruited from 4 classes of 25 students (ie, video-based flipped Mathematics class, traditional Mathematics class, video-based flipped Liberal Studies (LS) class and traditional LS class) in two local secondary schools. The same teachers taught both the traditional and video-based flipped classes in their subject. The students filled in questionnaires which measured: motivation for general reading; motivation for subject reading; academic subject satisfaction and perceived teaching effectiveness of the teachers. Analysis of covariance controlling for motivation for general reading revealed that students in the flipped classes reported significantly lower motivation for subject reading including reading curiosity, reading importance and reading compliance (t (1,98) = 10.52, p < 0.001; t (1,98) = 7.68, p < 0.001; t (1,98) = 20.39, p < 0.001, respectively). However, students in the flipped classes reported significantly higher satisfaction and teaching effectiveness than those in the traditional classes (t (1,98) = −15.61. p < 0.001; t (1,98) = −11.98, p <0.001, respectively). A partial correlation controlling for motivation for general reading indicated that motivation for subject reading was negatively associated with academic subject satisfaction and perceived teaching effectiveness of teachers (rs ranged from −0.51 to −0.62, p < 0.001). Video-based flipped class instruction was not only related to increased academic subject satisfaction and teaching effectiveness but also associated with lower motivation for subject reading. These findings suggest that video-based flipped class instruction had limited capability to strengthen the learning motivation of students.     

Social Justice: A National Imperative for Counselor Education and Supervision

In this introduction to the special issue of the Counselor Education and Supervision journal, the guest editors provide a brief history of the social justice movement within the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision and discuss the importance of addressing social justice issues in counselor education and supervision. The authors challenge all counselors to make social justice an integral part of their work.     

Effects of different evaluative feedback on students’ self-efficacy in learning

Two studies examined the effects of four types of teachers’ evaluative feedback on Chinese students’ self-efficacy in English vocabulary acquisition. In Study 1, a random sample of Grade 8 students (N = 79) learned prefixes and received either formative or summative feedback after failure in test. The results showed that students who received summative feedback showed a larger decrease in their self-efficacy than those who received formative feedback. In Study 2, a random sample of Grade 7 students (N = 77) went through similar procedures as in Study 1 except that students received either self-referenced or norm-referenced feedback. The results showed that self-referenced feedback was more beneficial to students’ self-efficacy than norm-referenced feedback. The influences of teachers’ evaluation and feedback on students’ self-efficacy are discussed.     

Policy and practice of Holocaust education in Scotland

In contrast to the situation in England and Wales, Holocaust education in Scotland is not mandatory and is not delivered to every school student. Still, it is offered frequently. In this article we show how Scotland’s changing curriculum, the introduction of Holocaust Memorial Day, and the Lessons from Auschwitz Project have contributed to the growth of Holocaust education in Scotland over the last decade. We discuss the significance of each of these three factors, the impact of Holocaust education, and the inter-related nature of their practice with relevant references to the English equivalent. We further examine the role of Holocaust education at both the primary and secondary level, consider the challenges for Holocaust education in Scotland, and conclude that although large numbers of students in Scotland are currently engaging with Holocaust education, these three factors continue to play a vital role in its success.     

Does the gender of the teacher matter in the teaching of reading literacy? Teacher gender and pupil attainment in reading literacy in Hong Kong

A study of 148 primary school teachers and 4867 Grade 4 pupils in Hong Kong found no support for the proposal that boys learn to read better when taught by men teachers. In fact, it was found that both boys and girls learnt better when taught by women. Responses to a teacher questionnaire indicate significant differences in the preferred patterns of teaching favoured by male and female teachers. Responses from men teachers suggest they are more authoritarian, prefer to control pupils' learning, engage pupils in whole-class reading and like to read passages aloud while pupils follow the text. Responses from women teachers suggest they prefer to teach reading in groups, to group pupils according to reading ability, set tasks that suit pupils' stage of learning, allocate more time for pupils to read books and use the school library and encourage pupils to discover for themselves the meaning of new vocabulary encountered in text. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

对硕士毕业生迁移就业收益的实证研究

本文通过国家科技部中国科技促进发展研究中心一项硕士研究生就业数据,分析了硕士毕业生迁移就业(包括离开户籍所在地和离开求学所在地)对其所找工作的起薪、学用匹配状况、教育层次匹配状况的影响。本实证研究发现,除了"跨籍就业"能够给硕士毕业生在起薪上带来显著的正向收益外,无论是"跨籍就业"、"跨学就业"还是"既跨籍又跨学就业"都不能给硕士毕业生带来显著正向的收益,并从预期收入和非经济收益等方面解释了其可能原因。基于实证研究的结果,笔者认为,国家和高校可以在毕业生就业上采取一定的引导或者干预措施,以促使毕业生的迁移就业既能带来私人收益也能带来社会收益。     

Destruction of hexafluoroethane in a dielectric-packed bed plasma reactor

The destruction of hexafluoroethane （C2F6）, also known as R- 116, was investigated in a nonthermal plasma reactor packed with dielectric pellets. The effects of the feed gas composition and the input power on the destruction of C2F6 were examined. The feed gas composition was varied by changing the oxygen content, the argon content and the initial C2F6 concentration. An increased input power led to increased C2F6 destruction as a result of promoting the electron-molecule collisions to dissociate C2F6 molecules. The addition of argon to the feed gas greatly improved the C2F6 destruction by reducing the energy losses due to vibrational excitation and dissociation of N2 molecules, while the increases in the oxygen content and the initial C2F6 concentration decreased the destruction efficiency. The byproducts including CO2, CO, COF2, CF4, SiF4, NO2, and N2O were identified, and the destruction mechanisms were elucidated, referring to these compounds. The most abundant byproduct was found to be carbonyl fluoride （COF2）, indicating that it serves as an important medium to convert C2F6 into CO2. The energy requirement for the C2F6 destruction was in the range of 8.2-45.3 MJ/g, depending on the initial concentration.     

Computational fluid dynamics simulation of the wind flow over an airport terminal building

Turbulence in the wake generated by wind flow over buildings or obstacles may produce complex flow patterns in downstream areas. Examples include the recirculating flow and wind deficit areas behind an airport terminal building and their potential impacts on the aircraft landing on nearby runways. A computational fluid dynamics （CFD） simulation of the wind flow over an airport terminal building was performed in this study of the effect of the building wake on landing aircraft. Under normal meteorological conditions, the studied airport terminal building causes limited effects on landing aircraft because most of the aircraft have already landed before entering the turbulent wake region. By simulating the approach of a tropical cyclone, additional CFD sensitivity tests were performed to study the impacts of building wake under extreme meteorological conditions. It was found that, in a narrow range of prevalent wind directions with wind speeds larger than a certain threshold value, a substantial drop in wind speed （〉3.6 m/s） along the glide path of aircraft was observed in the building wake. Our CFD results also showed that under the most critical situation, a drop in wind speed as large as 6.4 m/s occurred right at the touchdown point of landing aircraft on the runway, an effect which may have a significant impact on aircraft operations. This study indicated that a comprehensive analysis of the potential impacts of building wake on aircraft operations should be carried out for airport terminals and associated buildings in airfields to ensure safe aviation operation under all meteorological conditions and to facilitate implementation of precautionary measures.     

Metacognitive strategies that enhance critical thinking

The need to cultivate students’ use of metacognitive strategies in critical thinking has been emphasized in the related literature. The present study aimed at examining the role of metacognitive strategies in critical thinking. Ten university students with comparable cognitive ability, thinking disposition and academic achievement but with different levels of critical thinking performance participated in the study (five in the high-performing group and five in the low-performing group). They were tested on six thinking tasks using think-aloud procedures. Results showed that good critical thinkers engaged in more metacognitive activities, especially high-level planning and high-level evaluating strategies. The importance of metacognitive knowledge as a supporting factor for effective metacognitive regulation was also revealed. The contribution of metacognitive strategies to critical thinking and implications for instructional practice are discussed.