The Role of Knowledge,Social Norms,and Attitudes Toward Organic Products and Shopping Behavior: Survey Results from High School Students in Vienna

In 2005 a survey was used to investigate social norms and attitudes of Viennese high school students (14–20 years, n = 340) toward organic products. Young people, who already participate in household decisions and consume organic products, have not yet been recognized sufficiently in research. The Theory of Reasoned Action and discriminant analysis are used to explore relations of a number of variables and the complex field of factors influencing Viennese high school students’ shopping behavior when shopping for organic products. Key findings include the importance of primary socialization in forming social norms and shaping behavior. Surprisingly, knowledge of organic products does not explain students’ self-reported shopping behavior when shopping for organic products. Cultural patterns seem to be far more useful to predict behavior and attitudes toward organic products.     

Learning from multimedia presentations: Facilitation function of animations and spatial abilities

Animations may facilitate learning by providing external support for visual–spatial mental processing. Facilitation is challenged by findings that demonstrate involvement of spatial abilities in learning from animations, because this involvement indicates active internal visual–spatial processing. In the present study, learners attended to a system-paced multimedia presentation in which a verbal–auditory explanation was concurrently synchronized either with animation, with static core pictures, or with enriched static pictures that showed additional intermediate steps and arrows indicating motion. Results demonstrated better learning success with animations and with enriched static pictures than with static pictures. Spatial abilities were not substantively related to learning success with animations or with static pictures, but they played a crucial role for learning success with enriched static pictures. It is concluded that active visual–spatial processing was recruited with enriched static pictures. With animations, learning was truly facilitated by external support for visual–spatial mental processing.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Communities,networks and ICT professional development across schools in close physical proximity

ABSTRACT

Many studies have focused on professional development within schools, while this article focuses on ICT (information and communications technology) professional development across schools. The aim of this article is to explore how the encouragement of communities and networks might contribute to ICT professional development across schools in close physical proximity. The study is based on a two-year action research project and interviews with the participants of a lead teacher community across five schools. Although the lead teachers and school leaders played a central role, ICT professional development was dependent on a complex interplay of different types of communities and networks, both within, across and outside the schools. This study illustrates how ICT professional development occurred in both expected and unexpected ways and emphasises the need for professional development to take account of the complex needs of teachers, rather than being a ‘one size fits all’.     

Associative properties of a conditioned inhibitor as a function of age in kittens

The efficacy of conditioned inhibition in a novel conditioned stimulus/conditioned inhibitor (CS/CI) compound was tested in 6-, 10-, and 14-week-old kittens. The conditioned response was suppression of respiration elicited by a 5.1-sec CS paired with a brief, mild footshock. During original inhibitory training, a CI was presented 2 sec after the onset of the CS, and the stimuli coterminated 3 sec later without the shock. As previously reported, the CI trained in this paradigm is more potent in older kittens but passes a summation test in all age groups (Dess & Soltysik, 1989). In the transfer test, the order of the CS and CI was reversed, so that the CI preceded the CS with no stimulus overlap. Transfer of inhibition to this new compound was virtually absent in the 6-week-old kittens and nearly perfect in the 14-week-old kittens. The CI alone (before CS onset) elicited a strong fear response in the youngest kittens, moderate fear in the 10-week-old group, and very little fear in the oldest group. The transferability of inhibitory training to a different temporal configuration of the CS and CI is absent at 6 weeks of age and fully developed 8 weeks later.