Information management and learning in computer conferences: Coping with irrelevant and unconnected messages

The present study examines how learnersinteract with one another within the context ofa computer conference for the purposes ofpassing a test. In a faked computer conferencewith predetermined messages, both the number ofmessages irrelevant to the topic, and theexplicit threading of messages were varied in a2 × 2 design (n = 54). Subjects participated in anasynchronous fashion over a course of fourlog-in sessions. In general, learners indicateda fairly consistent pattern of reception. Theyopened virtually all messages, grouped them ina non-chronological order, and processed themaccording to their topic relevance. Thispattern was also mediated by the conferencecharacteristics. Explicit threading led tosequences of message readings that were morecontent oriented. Similarly, fewer irrelevantmessages lead to prolonged reading times ofrelevant messages. Whereas learning success wasnot affected by conference characteristics,explicitly threaded messages decreased theperceived cognitive demands.     

Culturally responsive student assessment and quality work in higher education

Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability -     

From adoption potential to Transformative Learning around Conservation Agriculture

Purpose: To develop a transformative learning process around the potential for innovation of technologies such as Conservation Agriculture.

Design/methodology/approach: We applied principles of Transformative Learning and Communicative Action theories to design a learning process structured by the Qualitative Expert Assessment Tool for Conservation Agriculture Adoption in Africa (QAToCA). Elements of the process include: agroecosystem health exploration, stakeholder mapping, innovation timeline, participatory video, the QAToCA exercise, and specifying change promotion. We tested this approach with a group of farmers and experts in Koumbia, Burkina Faso.

Findings: The agroecosystem in Koumbia is under demographic, economic, and climatic pressure. Conservation Agriculture has not been successfully integrated into socio-economic realities or implemented beyond a trial scale. The stakeholder mapping showed that dominant economic players and traditional means of communicating are essential to achieve innovation. Past interventions were not coordinated and focused on technical challenges. The participatory videos were rich in contextual information and created process ownership for research participants. The QAToCA provided a structure for lessons learned and suggestions for change.

Practical implications: The learning process may be applied to initiate innovation initiatives in an efficient manner.

Theoretical implications: The study shows how Transformative Learning and Communicative Action theories can be used for agricultural innovation. It also underlines the need for further work on how to address the implicit superiority of the process initiator and the integration of learning in institutional practice.

Originality: Few studies have attempted to design and test learning processes on agricultural innovation based on theories of learning and Communicative Action.     

Learning from scientific texts: personalizing the text increases transfer performance and task involvement

In an experiment with 65 high-school students, we tested the hypothesis that personalizing learning materials would increase students’ learning performance and motivation to study the learning materials. Students studied either a 915-word standard text on the anatomy and functionality of the human eye or a personalized version of the same text in which 60 definite articles (e.g., “the eye”) were replaced with 60 second-person possessive pronouns (e.g., “your eye”). Afterwards, participants answered comprehension and transfer questions. One week later, the participants were asked to restudy the text and to answer the same questions again with the aim to improve their performance. In the personalized text condition, students showed higher transfer performance, spent more time on restudying the text, and reported being more motivated than students in the standard text condition. However, only duration of restudying (not self-reported motivation) mediated the effect of personalization on transfer performance.     

The director of education as a leader of pedagogical issues: a study of leadership in municipal educational sector activities

The purpose of this article is to increase our knowledge about the role that directors of education play as leaders of educational activities. For its analytical framework, the study uses the qualitative research approach known as phenomenography and examines the study's findings against the rationalist perspective, against systems theory and against tight and loosely-coupled systems. On the issue of accountability, the study shows that while the directors were perceived to be accountable for mismanagement of finances, being accountable for student results was not something that worried the directors participating in this study.     

The Role of Patriotism in Explaining the TV Audience of National Team Games—Evidence From Four International Tournaments

In the literature addressing the determinants of TV audiences in sports, both the absolute and relative playing strength of the opponents play a prominent role. Regarding national team competitions, however, this study conjectures that patriotism matters as well. Analyzing the Swiss TV audience at 2 World Cups and 2 European Football Championships, this study finds strong evidence that TV ratings are highly affected by the sizes of the groups of foreign residents affiliated with the teams playing on the field.     

Evaluierung von unterschiedlichen Trainingsmodellen bei berufstätigen Freizeitläufern

The aim of the study was to examine the effects of three different training models on aerobic power and body composition in recreationally active runners. According to their preferences 54 subjects (female=?27, male?=?27) were assigned to the following groups: (a) weekend group (WE), who performed two sessions of continuous endurance training weekly, (b) after-work group (FE) who carried out four sessions of high intensity training as well as an additional endurance run and (c) STAR group (STAR), who took part in a training with exercise telemetry monitors based on the heart rate variability. Over the 12-week study period the mean training volume was approximately 2 h 15 min per week. Of the participants 47 successfully completed the training study and all 3 groups showed significantly improved aerobic power (p?<0.001); however, the FE group (d?=?1.15) showed increased VO_2max superior to WE (d?=?0.48) and STAR (d?=?0.66) groups. Significant improvements in body mass (p?<?0.001), body fat (p?<?0.001) and visceral fat (p?<?0.001) were found in the WE, FE and STAR group. All groups completed the half marathon with no significant differences in performance. Based on a similar training volume, short, intensive endurance training sessions of about 30 min were found to elicit the greatest improvements of VO2max in recreationally active runners.