A comparison of students' conceptual understanding of electric circuits in simulation only and simulation‐laboratory contexts

The aim of this experimental study was to compare learning outcomes of students using a simulation alone (simulation environment) with outcomes of those using a simulation in parallel with real circuits (combination environment) in the domain of electricity, and to explore how learning outcomes in these environments are mediated by implicit (only procedural guidance) and explicit (more structure and guidance for the discovery process) instruction. Matched‐quartets were created based on the pre‐test results of 50 elementary school students and divided randomly into a simulation implicit (SI), simulation explicit (SE), combination implicit (CI) and combination explicit (CE) conditions. The results demonstrated that the instructional support had an expected effect on students' understanding of electric circuits when they used the simulation alone; pure procedural guidance (SI) was insufficient to promote conceptual understanding, but when the students were given more guidance for the discovery process (SE) they were able to gain significant amount of subject knowledge. A surprising finding was that when the students used the simulation and the real circuits in parallel, the explicit instruction (CE) did not seem to elicit much additional gain for their understanding of electric circuits compared to the implicit instruction (CI). Instead, the explicit instruction slowed down the inquiry process substantially in the combination environment (CE). Although the explicit instruction was able to improve students' conceptual understanding of electrical circuits considerably in the simulation environment, their understanding did not reach the level of the students in the combination environment. These results suggest that when teaching students about electricity, the students can gain better understanding when they have an opportunity to use the simulation and the real circuits in parallel than if they have only a computer simulation available, even when the use of the simulation is supported with the explicit instruction. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 48: 71–93, 2011     

Cardiopulmonary loading in motocross riding

The present study was designed to examine physiological responses during motocross riding. Nine Finnish A-level motocross riders performed a 15-min ride at a motocross track and a test of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) in the laboratory. Cardiopulmonary strain was measured continuously during the ride as well as in the VO2max test. During the ride, mean VO2 was 32 ml x kg(-1) x min(-1) (s = 4), which was 71% (s = 12) of maximum, while ventilation (V(E)) was 73% (s = 15) of its maximum. The relative VO2 and V(E) values during the riding correlated with successful riding performance (r = 0.80, P < 0.01 and r = 0.79, P < 0.01, respectively). Mean heart rate was maintained at 95% (s = 7) of its maximum. Mean blood lactate concentration was 5.0 mmol x l(-1) (s = 2.0) after the ride. A reduction of 16% (P < 0.001) in maximal isometric handgrip force was observed. In conclusion, motocross causes riders great physical stress. Both aerobic and anaerobic metabolism is required for the isometric and dynamic muscle actions experienced during a ride.     

Improving rational number knowledge using the NanoRoboMath digital game

Educational Studies in Mathematics - Rational number knowledge is a crucial feature of primary school mathematics that predicts students’ later mathematics achievement. Many students struggle...     

Development of Mobile Communications in Slovenia: Looking to the Future Global Information (Mobile/Internet) Society

This paper discusses the planing and provision of mobile communications in Slovenia. It suggests the areas that will be developed in the future and how they might be achieved.

Le développement des communications mobiles en Slovénie: recherche d'une prochaine société d'information globale (Mobile/Internet).

Cet article discute de la planification et de la possibilité de communication en Slovénie. Il suggère les domaines qui seront explorés dans l'avenir et les moyens d'y arriver.

Die Entwicklung von mobiler Kommunikation in Slowenien: In Erwartung der zukünftigen globalen Informationsgesellschaft (mobil/Internet).

Dieses Papier behandelt die Planung und Versorgung der mobilen Kommunikationen in Slowenien. Es weist auf die Bereiche hin, die sich zukünftig entwickeln werden und wie das verwirklicht werden könnte.     

Meaningful learning with mobile devices: pre-service class teachers’ experiences of mobile learning in the outdoors

The authors consider the use of mobile learning environment ActionTrack in teacher education. Pre-service class teachers’ (N = 277) experiences of the mobile learning environment were measured with a 7-point Likert-scale questionnaire based on seven attributes of meaningful learning. Students’ ratings for different attributes were analysed quantitatively. The authors conclude that, based on this analysis, it is possible to create meaningful learning experiences using ActionTrack. All the measured attributes of meaningful learning obtained positive values. In the mobile learning events of this study, three attributes arose as the essential features: mobile learning in the outdoors was primarily considered collaborative, active and contextual.     

Exploring the effects of concreteness fading across grades in elementary school science education

The present study investigates the effects that concreteness fading has on learning and transfer across three grade levels (4–6) in elementary school science education in comparison to learning with constantly concrete representations. 127 9- to 12-years-old elementary school students studied electric circuits in a computer-based simulation environment, where circuits remained concrete (bulbs) throughout the learning or faded from concrete to abstract (bulbs to resistors). The most important finding was that the outcomes seemed to be influenced by a developmental factor: the study found a significant interaction between condition and grade level in relation to learning outcomes, suggesting that the outcomes generally improved as a function of grade level, but that there were notable differences between the conditions regarding the improvement of outcomes across the three grades. According the results, learning with constantly concrete representations either took less time or resulted in better learning compared to concreteness fading. Because transfer is one of the central arguments for concreteness fading, a somewhat surprising finding was that the concrete condition succeeded at least as well as the fading condition on transfer tasks. The study also discusses why the results and issues related to the conceptualisation and operationalisation of central concepts in the study call for caution towards generalization and for more research with young learners across different grades.     

Positive and negative feedback effects in competition for dominance of network business systems

This paper extends the existing research on the interplay of positive and negative feedback dynamics in the competition for business system dominance. By building on an analysis of the digital television launch in the United Kingdom, we find that the expectation of network externalities intensifies competition causing strong negative feedback effects to emerge. Actions aimed at improving one's position are systematically imitated and pre-emptied. Pressure builds up in the business system, and only when the weakest firms exit, the positive feedback effects are unleashed in their full magnitude. Our findings contribute to an improved understanding of institutional dynamics in new technology introduction.     

Evaluation of Well-Being in Schools – A Multilevel Analysis of General Subjective Well-Being

The aim of this study was to explore the variation of general subjective well-being on individual and school levels. The classroom survey data of the School Health Promotion Survey (SHPS) were gathered in 1998 (N = 39 886) and in 1999 (N = 47 455) in different parts of Finland. The subjects were 8th and 9th graders from 458 secondary schools. Well-being was measured using the General Subjective Well-being Indicator (GSWI). The variation was studied using linear multilevel modeling. One percent of the variation in GSW occurred at the school level. The great majority of subjective well-being variation occurred between pupils.     

The Influence of Achievement Goal Orientations and Task Concreteness on Situational Interest

This study investigated changes in elementary school students’ (n = 140) situational interest as a function of achievement goal orientation profiles and task characteristics. The authors repeatedly measured situational interest during a simulated science learning task in 2 task conditions that differed in the concreteness of the task elements. The authors identified 3 groups of students with different goal orientation profiles: success-, mastery-, and avoidance-oriented. Results of repeated-measures analysis of covariance showed that students with different profiles displayed different patterns of changes in situational interest in the 2 task conditions. The results confirmed the importance of acknowledging the interaction of student and task characteristics in the arousal and maintenance of situational interest across a learning task.     

Drivers of change in construction training: How significant is the sustainability agenda?

The construction industry is contributing to the sustainability agenda through numerous strategies to improve energy efficiency in the design, materials, and operating conditions of buildings. However, this is only one driver of change in the construction sector. This article, which takes Australia as a case study, shows that many other drivers are also important. Among them are the growing importance of building information management systems, and the trend towards the factory manufacturing of components and onsite assembly in construction. Rather than see these as competing drivers of green construction, the article argues that the emphasis on soft skills in these drivers can be used, within the training context, to reinforce the sustainability and green skills agenda.