Let the context become your ally: school principalship in two cases from low performing schools in Cyprus

Context has a considerable effect on the role and responsibilities of school principals. The aim of this paper is to provide a holistic perspective of the effects of school principals’ involvement in two low performing schools with different contexts. A qualitative research approach was employed, with individual and focus groups interviews under a multi-actor perspective. Our results suggest that school leaders differ in the way they relate to the inner and outer environment of the school. We suggest that they have to acquire new skills that address entrepreneurial as well as pedagogical tasks, thus exercising edupreneurial leadership.     

Across institutional boundaries?: Research collaboration in German public sector nanoscience

Research collaboration is a key mechanism for linking distributed knowledge and competencies into novel ideas and research venues. The need for effective inter-institutional knowledge flows is of particular importance in emerging domains of research, and also a challenge for public research systems with a high degree of institutional differentiation. Motivated by concerns about favorable institutional conditions for the conduct of scientific research, we analyze research collaboration in the emergent domain of nanoscience within the highly segmented German public research system. Drawing on multiple data sources, such as co-publications, macro research statistics, and in-depth interviews, we identify governance structures that support or hinder scientists’ efforts to engage in collaborative work relations across institutional boundaries.     

Gender-specific effects of artificially induced gender beliefs in mental rotation

Men outperform women in the Mental Rotation Test (MRT) by about one standard deviation. The present study replicated a gender belief account [Moè, A., & Pazzaglia, F. (2006). Following the instructions! Effects of gender beliefs in mental rotation. Learning and Individual Differences, 16, 369–377.] for (part of) this effect. A sample of 300 adults, whose gender beliefs about mental rotation were manipulated experimentally (instructions given: men are better, women are better, or no gender differences exist) had to complete the MRT. Artificially induced gender beliefs affected performance and guessing behavior differently in relation to gender. Women's performance followed the gender belief induction but their guessing behavior remained unaffected. Men's performance, however, remained unaffected but their guessing behavior followed the gender belief induction. These findings suggest that gender beliefs affect men and women differently, and they also suggest that a gender belief account cannot (fully) explain gender differences in mental rotation performance.     

Stigma Hauptschulabschluss?

Graduates of vocational training with or without an exit qualification from the German lower secondary school called ??Hauptschule?? have an above-average chance of being unemployed at the next level. Using a data set which includes both school exit qualifications and the marks from vocational training, we show that this increased probability of unemployment can be explained by the enduring stigmatization of graduating school with a low qualification level and by weaker performance in the final examination from vocational training. This leads to additive disadvantages at the next stage in a young person??s career. The attainment of a vocational qualification is, therefore, an insufficient basis for successful entry into the labor market. At a stage, when their integration into the labor market appears to have been secured??despite a problematic start?Cthese youths are, in fact, confronted with an increased risk of unemployment and a precarious start in their working career.     

Training peer-feedback skills on geometric construction tasks: role of domain knowledge and peer-feedback levels

Peer feedback is widely used to train assessment skills and to support collaborative learning of various learning tasks, but research on peer feedback in the domain of mathematics is limited. Although domain knowledge seems to be a prerequisite for peer-feedback provision, it only recently received attention in the peer-feedback literature. In this study, preservice mathematics teachers (N = 43) were involved in a peer-feedback training in which they evaluated geometric construction tasks and were (a) trained to provide peer feedback on different levels (i.e. task, process and self-regulation) and (b) scaffolded with worked examples, feedback provision prompts and evaluation rubrics during the training. A quasi-experimental mixed design was implemented with domain knowledge as the between-subject factor and measurement occasion as the within-subject factor. Students’ peer-feedback provision skills and their beliefs about peer-feedback provision were measured before and after the training. Students with high and medium domain knowledge provided more peer feedback at the self-regulation level, whereas those low in domain knowledge provided more peer feedback at the task-level after the training. Students’ beliefs about peer-feedback provision became less positive after the training, regardless of the level of their domain knowledge.     

An Evaluation of Synchronous Co-operative Distance Learning in the Field: The Importance of Instructional Design

This paper describes an empirical field study on synchronous co-operative distance learning carried out in a large software company. The goal of the study was to make an analysis of the co-operative learning process. Seven small groups consisting of three participants each completed an introductory web-based training about the Linux operating system. Four short synchronous co-operative phases were embedded in the web-based training. An analysis of the group discourses showed a large variation in the learning processes that took place in the different groups. This finding can be explained by the ill-defined instructional design on which the co-operative learning process was based. The methodology used in the present study enables both a detailed analysis of the learning process as well as for the development of task-specific process models that can be used for the re-design of instruction. Une evaluation de l’apprentissage coopératif synchrone sur le champs: l’importance d’un schéma

d’instruction. Cet article décrit une étude de cas empirique sur un enseignement À distance synchrone et coopératif menée dans une grande compagnie productrice de software. Let but de l’étude était de faire une analyse du processus d’apprentissage coopératif. 7 petits groupes comprenant chacun 3 participants ont suivi une formation introductive basée sur le Web sur le systéme opératoire Linux. 4 courtes phases synchrones coopératives étaient comprises dans l’apprentissage basé sur le Web. Une analyse des discourse des groupes a montré de grandes variations dans le processus d’apprentissage qui a eu lieu dans les différents groupes. Ces résultats peuvent être expliqués par le fait que l’élaboration de cette instruction sur laquelle le processus d’apprentissage coopératif étant basé était mal définie. La méthodologie utilisée dans l’étude présente permet À la fois une analyse détaillée du processus d’apprentissage aussi bien que le développement de modéles de tÂches spécifiques que peuvent être utilisés pour la re-élaboration de l’instruction. Ein Feldversuch mit kooperativem synchronem E-Learning: Die Bedeuting des Instruktionsdesigns. In diesem Beitrag wird eine empirische Feldstudie in synchronem kooperativen Distance Learning beschrieben, die in einer

grossen Softwarefirma angestellt wurde. Ziel der Studie war, einen kooperativen Lernprozess zu analysieren. Sieben kleine, aus drei Teilnehmern bestehende Gruppen führten jeweils ein web-basiertes Einführungsprogramm über das Linux Betriebssystem durch. In das web-basierte Training waren vier kurze synchrone kooperative Phasen eingebaut. Eine Analyse der Gruppendiskurse ergab eine grosse Varianz der in den einzelnen Gruppen stattfindenden Lernprozesse. Diese Befund Kann durch den unklaren Unterrichtsentwurf, auf den der kooperative Lernprozess gegründet war, erklärt werden. Die in der angeführten Studie verwendete Methodologie liefert sowohl eine detaillierte Analyse des Lernprozesses als auch die für die Weiterentwicklung des Lernprogramms benötigten aufgabenspezifischen Modelle.     

Simulation and experimental determination of the online separation of blood components with the help of microfluidic cascading spirals

Microfluidic spirals were used to successfully separate rare solid components from unpretreated human whole blood samples. The measured separation ratio of the spirals is the factor by which the concentration of the rare component is increased due to the Dean effect present in a flow profile in a curved duct. Different rates of dilution of the blood samples with a phosphate-buffered solution were investigated. The diameters of the spherical particles to separate ranged from 2 μm to 18 μm. It was found that diluting the blood to 20% is optimal leading to a separation ratio up to 1.97. Using two spirals continuously placed in a row led to an increase in separation efficacy in samples consisting of phosphate-buffered solution only from 1.86 to 3.79. Numerical investigations were carried out to display the flow profiles of Newtonian water samples and the shear-thinning blood samples in the cross-section of the experimentally handled channels. A macroscopic difference in velocity between the two rheologically different fluids could not be found. The macroscopic Dean flow is equally present and useful to help particles migrate to certain equilibrium positions in blood as well as lower viscous Newtonian fluids. The investigations highlight the potential for using highly concentrated, very heterogeneous, and non-Newtonian fluidic systems in known microsystems for screening applications.     

为什么引入COO

你可能不会对这样的事情很吃惊:一位猎头与他人合著了一本书,详细探讨了企业应该着手创造COO(首席运营官)这一新角色的方法和原因.你也许会说,别管组织结构,先算算这么做的成本吧.……     

Biomechanical pole and leg characteristics during uphill diagonal roller skiing

Diagonal skiing as a major classical technique has hardly been investigated over the last two decades, although technique and racing velocities have developed substantially. The aims of the present study were to 1) analyse pole and leg kinetics and kinematics during submaximal uphill diagonal roller skiing and 2) identify biomechanical factors related to performance. Twelve elite skiers performed a time to exhaustion (performance) test on a treadmill. Joint kinematics and pole/plantar forces were recorded separately during diagonal roller skiing (9°; 11 km/h). Performance was correlated to cycle length (r = 0.77; P < 0.05), relative leg swing (r = 0.71), and gliding time (r = 0.74), hip flexion range of motion (ROM) during swing (r = 0.73) and knee extension ROM during gliding (r = 0.71). Push-off demonstrated performance correlations for impulse of leg force (r = 0.84), relative duration (r = ? 0.76) and knee flexion (r = 0.73) and extension ROM (r = 0.74). Relative time to peak pole force was associated with performance (r = 0.73). In summary, diagonal roller skiing performance was linked to 1) longer cycle length, 2) greater impulse of force during a shorter push-off with larger flexion/extension ROMs in leg joints, 3) longer leg swing, and 4) later peak pole force, demonstrating the major key characteristics to be emphasised in training.