Informing about climate change and invasive species: how the presentation of information affects perception of risk,emotions, and learning

Environmental issues such as climate change are becoming ever more important in today’s societies and politics. Information is spread by the media, for example, via the Internet or information brochures, employing different representational styles (e.g. sensational vs. neutral styles, emphasis of human vs. natural causes). We investigated the effects of such differences in presentation when informing about local impacts of climate change – more specifically about invasive species – on perceived risk, emotions, and learning. Seventy-two students at a German university read five brochures about the local effects of climate change and invasive species. They rated their perceived risk and emotions and worked on learning outcome tests. As expected, the sensational style led to higher perceived risk and stronger negative emotions than the neutral style. In addition, our results reveal a potential dilemma for environmental education: while a sensational style enhanced general learning outcomes, it seemed to lead to quite a negative and one-sided view about climate change and invasive species.     

Accountability,autonomy and stress: principal responses to superintendent change in a large US urban school district

This study investigates how principals in a large US urban school district responded to two different superintendents who employed contrasting leadership styles and utilised divergent organisational schemes. We originally conducted interviews with principals in 2007, when the district's superintendent asserted fierce performance demands and limited principals’ site-based discretion in favour of protecting and exerting central office power. We conducted interviews again in 2013 after a new superintendent had relaxed school test score expectations and distributed the central office's previously tight, centralised control into largely self-directing sub-regions. Our findings demonstrate that superintendent change noticeably affected how principals understood and encountered accountability, autonomy and stress. To help make sense of our findings, we employ a three-part conceptual framework drawn from the study of educational leadership. We conclude by considering implications, including the notion that unrelenting stress has become a permanent part of the modern urban US principalship.     

“My Questionnaire is Too Long!” The assessments of motivational-affective constructs with three-item and single-item measures

Because testing time in educational research is typically scarce, the use of long scales to assess motivational-affective constructs can be problematic. The goal of the present study was to scrutinize the psychometric properties of short scales (with three items) and single-item measures for two core motivational-affective constructs (i.e., academic anxiety and academic self-concept) by conducting systematic comparisons with corresponding long scales across school subjects and within different subject domains (i.e., mathematics, German, French). Statistical analyses were based on representative data from 3879 ninth-grade students. All short forms possessed satisfactory levels of reliability (range: .75–.89) and substantial correlations with the long scales (range: .88–.97); correlational patterns with educational student characteristics (e.g., achievement, school satisfaction, gender, academic track, and socioeconomic status) were comparable to those obtained with the corresponding long scales (all average differences in correlations below .07). The correlational patterns between all single-item measures and the external criteria were similar to those obtained with the corresponding long scales (all average differences in correlations below .08), yet the single-item measures demonstrated low to modest score reliabilities (estimated with the model-based omega coefficient; range: .22–.72) and correlations with full scales (range: .50–.88). When long scales are not applicable, short forms and perhaps even single-item measures may represent psychometrically sound alternatives for assessing academic anxiety and academic self-concept for educational research purposes.     

Student Drop-out from German Higher Education Institutions

28% of students of any one year currently give up their studies in bachelor degree programmes at German higher education institutions. Drop-out is to be understood as the definite termination in the higher education system without obtaining an academic degree. The drop-out rate is thereby calculated with the help of statistical estimation procedures on the basis of cohort comparisons. Based on Tinto's ‘student integration model’, German research on higher education has experienced partially different developments of theoretical approaches to student drop-out. Today, preference goes to those models of drop-out that describe the issue as a complex process in which individual, institutional and social factors affect the socialisation in the education process and studies. According to the findings of empirical studies, the inability to cope with the performance-related demands of the higher education institution, wrong expectations and less identification with the subject, as well as problems in financing studies are considered to be the most important reasons for dropping out. Higher education institutions and higher education policy in Germany react to this situation with broad assistance measures that include the flexibilisation of the curricula, better information for students and the expansion of the support offered during the start of the studies.     

体育项目中的训练与过度训练特征

目的:多种症状都支持对过度训练(OT)的探查。测量血清尿素(SU)和血清肌氨酸激酶(CK)值,除了对优秀运动员进行诊断和分析之外,也用于对运动员日常训练状态进行监控。因此,我们将根据不同运动员,同一运动员的不同状态,对这些指标的意义进行检验。方法:测试时象为具有国际水平的赛艇运动员,所有数据均来自于对这些运动员训练过程的测试。结果:6981例血清尿素测试样本(男运动员717人,女运动员285人)表明, 数据呈现出一种轻微不对称的正态分布态势(男运动员80％,5～7mmol·L-1;女运动员75％, 4～6mmol·L-1)。女运动员的数值比男运动员约低1．5mmol·L-1,个体差异较大,因此以 8．3mmol·L-1(男运动员)和7．0mmol·L-1(女运动员)作为判断运动员过度训练的固定阈值是不可靠的。在运动训练中,肌氨酸激酶(CK)也已被作为判定肌肉紧张的重要参数进行检测和评价。2790例肌氨酸激酶测试样本(男运动员497人,女运动员350人)显示,数据的频率分布为不对称的正态分布,在100—250U·L-1的区域内具有明显偏向高值区域的趋势,在250～ 350U·L-1和1000～2000U·L-1范围内分布频数明显升高。男运动员的最高值为3000U·L- 1,女运动员最高值为1150U·L-1,个体差异显著。血清肌氨酸激酶水平长期较低的运动员显示出小的数值变化;血清肌氨酸激酶水平长期较高的运动员在数值上显示出显著的变化波动。结论:这两个参数也许都有助于从大量样本中测定个人数值基准线。对这两个参数的测量至少应该在标准条件下每3天进行一次。如果在一段时间的训练(2—4天)后同时观察到参数数值显著升高和训练耐受力降低,则表明机体的分解／合成代谢活动或训练耐受力不足的可能性升高。     

Multimedia-Metacomputing - eine Perspektive für Peer-to-Peer-Architekturen

Zusammenfassung. Multimedia-Metacomputing ist ein neuer Ansatz zur Verwaltung und Verarbeitung multimedialer Daten in Web-basierten Informationssystemen. Dabei wird sowohl eine hohe Flexibilität und Offenheit des Systems als auch eine maximale Abschirmung der Anwendungen von systeminternen Gegebenheiten angestrebt. Ausgehend von der Vision eines völlig offenen, global verteilten Multimedia-Informationssystems betrachten wir in diesem Aufsatz die hierfür erforderlichen Abstraktionskonzepte, insbesondere Transformationsunabhängigkeit, ein darauf abgestimmtes semantisches Modell sowie Realisierungsmöglichkeiten auf der Grundlage des bekannten Peer-to-Peer-Paradigmas. Eingegangen am 13. November 2002/Angenommen am 14. Mai 2003CR Subject Classification: C.2.4, D.2.11, H.2.4, H.3.5     

The Feldenkrais Method: a dynamic approach to changing motor behavior.

This tutorial describes the Feldenkrais Method and points to parallels with a dynamic systems theory (DST) approach to motor behavior Feldenkrais is an educational system designed to use movement and perception to foster individualized improvement in function. Moshe Feldenkrais, its originator, believed his method enhanced people's ability to discover flexible and adaptable behavior and that behaviors are self-organized. Similarly, DST explains that a human-environment system is continually adapting to changing conditions and assembling behaviors accordingly. Despite little research, Feldenkrais is being used with people of widely ranging ages and abilities in varied settings. We propose that DSTprovides an integrated foundation for research on the Feldenkrais Method, suggest research questions, and encourage researchers to test the fundamental tenets of Feldenkrais.     

Die Multimediaf?higkeit von mehrf?dig superskalaren Prozessoren am Beispiel der MPEG-2-Decodierung

Zusammenfassung. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird ein mehrf?dig superskalarer Prozessor im Hinblick auf Multimediaverarbeitung entworfen und mit einem Multimediaprogramm als Last getestet. Neu ist hierbei die Kombination von Multimediabefehlen mit der mehrf?digen Prozessortechnik und deren Evaluierung mit einer realistischen Last aus dem Multimediabereich. Diese Last besteht aus einem handoptimierten MPEG-2-Video-Decodierungsalgorithmus, der nicht nur intensiv Multimediabefehle, sondern durch kooperative Mehrf?digkeit auch grobk?rnige Parallelit?t nutzt. Verschiedene Konfigurationen des vorgeschlagenen Prozessors werden untersucht, um potentielle Flaschenh?lse zu identifizieren und soweit m?glich zu eliminieren. Es zeigt sich, dass ein mehrf?dig superskalarer Prozessor mit Multimediaerweiterungen in der Lage ist, einen um einen Faktor drei h?heren IPC-Wert (Instructions per Cycle) zu erreichen als ein gleichwertiger Superskalarprozessor, der nur einen Kontrollfaden gleichzeitig ausführt. Eingegangen am 4. April 2000 / Angenommen am 26. Juli 2000     

The Benefits of an Augmented Reality Magic Mirror System for Integrated Radiology Teaching in Gross Anatomy

Early exposure to radiological cross-section images during introductory anatomy and dissection courses increases students’ understanding of both anatomy and radiology. Novel technologies such as augmented reality (AR) offer unique advantages for an interactive and hands-on integration with the student at the center of the learning experience. In this article, the benefits of a previously proposed AR Magic Mirror system are compared to the Anatomage, a virtual dissection table as a system for combined anatomy and radiology teaching during a two-semester gross anatomy course with 749 first-year medical students, as well as a follow-up elective course with 72 students. During the former, students worked with both systems in dedicated tutorial sessions which accompanied the anatomy lectures and provided survey-based feedback. In the elective course, participants were assigned to three groups and underwent a self-directed learning session using either Anatomage, Magic Mirror, or traditional radiology atlases. A pre- and posttest design with multiple choice questions revealed significant improvements in test scores between the two tests for both the Magic Mirror and the group using radiology atlases, while no significant differences in test scores were recorded for the Anatomage group. Furthermore, especially students with low mental rotation test (MRT) scores benefited from the Magic Mirror and Anatomage and achieved significantly higher posttest scores compared to students with a low MRT score in the theory group. Overall, the results provide supporting evidence that the Magic Mirror system achieves comparable results in terms of learning outcome to established anatomy learning tools such as Anatomage and radiology atlases.     

Changing Perspectives: The Professional Relevance of Higher Education on the Way Towards the Highly-Educated Society

Higher education has been one of the major thematic areas of the European Journal of Education over the years, and the relationships between higher education the world of work have been one of the 10 major themes in this area. The multitude of related articles shows substantial changes of the situation and the related discourse. The employment and work situation of graduates underwent changes in the course of expansion, the respective political climate had its ups and downs, and the knowledge base on the impact of study conditions and provisions of graduate employment and work improved over time. This notwithstanding, we note a constant return to the persistent questions as to whether we have too few or too many graduates. In recent years, higher education has been increasingly exposed to greater instrumental expectations. The paradigms of ‘knowledge society’ and ‘knowledge economy’ reinforce a call for higher education to serve more directly the ‘employability’ of graduates. As views vary strikingly regarding issues such as specialisation vs. general competences, preparation for predictable tasks vs. preparing for an unexpected future, etc., higher education could keep a diversity of options in the best ways to ensure professional relevance.