Full time adult credential students'' instructional preferences at California State University, Long Beach:pedagogy or andragogy?

This study investigated the instructional preferences of full time adult credential students after they took a live course called Principles of Adult Education at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) in the fall semester of 2002. These full time adult credential students had been working on their adult teaching credentials to meet the competencies specified by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The course introduced students to Andragogy developed by Malcolm Knowles out of the andragogical model developed by Lindeman (1926). The study used Principles of Adult Learning Scales (PALS), advanced by Gary Conti in 1983 to measure instructional preferences. Data were collected from 30 (100% of 30) full time adult credential students enrolled in a live course to determine their instructional preferences of helping adults learn. The results of the study showed in most cases these adult learning professionals taught adult students andragogically; in some cases they taught adult students pedagogically.     

Do middle school life science textbooks provide a balance of scientific literacy themes?

Four themes of scientific literacy have been synthesized to analyze science textbooks for this purpose: (a) science as a body of knowledge, (b) science as a way of investigating, (c) science as a way of thinking, and (d) the interaction among science, technology, and society (STS). The intercoder agreement between two researchers who coded the units of analysis for the four themes was high. The life science textbooks examined in this study seem to stress two aspects of scientific literacy—science as a body of knowledge and science as a way of investigating. These textbooks devote practically no text to science as a way of thinking. Very little text is devoted to the interaction of science, technology, and society. There was at least one chapter in each textbook that addressed the nature of science and its relationship to life science. Most of the analyzed textbooks present the stereotypical steps of the scientific method and do not provide a balance of scientific literacy themes.     

Approaches to Learning of Medical Students and Practising Physicians: some empirical evidence and its implications for medical education

This paper is a review of a sustained research effort in the field of learning styles and approaches to learning. In particular it focuses on how various aspects of the medical school environment (teaching, curriculum, assessment) effect students approach to their learning. It also shows that the more desirable ‘deep approach’ to learning is not as apparent in conventional medical schools as in the innovative problem‐based medical schools. The implications of these findings for undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing education are explored. Finally, there is an attempt to identify individual students who have learning problems and, thus, are at risk of academically underachieving.     

Desarrollando sistemas de evaluación formativa y compartida en la docencia universitaria. Análisis de resultados de su puesta en práctica en la formación inicial del profesorado

In this article we present the results obtained from implementing a formative and shared assessment system in higher education (in initial physical education teacher education). This research on teacher education has been developing for more than 11 years. In this article, we present the objective of the study, a review of the literature on the topic, the methodology used, and the results obtained. Empirical data show that the assessment system has important advantages in teacher education and education generally: greater application and motivation of students, improved quality of learning processes, better learning and professional competence acquisition, better academic performance. Obviously, there are some difficulties, too, although these can be minimised and overcome with appropriate planning of the educational project and continuous assessment.     

Comparative investigation of the psychometric properties of three tests of logical thinking

Using a sample of 908 eleventh grade science stream male and female students from similar socioeconomic area schools, variance based psychometric properties of three paper-and-pencil tests of logical thinking (Longeot test, Lawson's test TOFR, and Tobin and Capie's test TOLT) are investigated. A sub-sample of 212 students took the three tests in randomly allocated different sequential orders of presentation, while 696 students took only two tests. Alfa coefficients for each test separately and for the three tests combined together, concurrent validity coefficients, measures of item difficulty, item discrimination, item-criterion correlation, and 30-day stability coefficients are calculated. Considering the relative homogeneity of the sample, the reliability coefficients of the tests are judged satisfactory, but concurrent validity coefficients are quite low which implies incongruency in decisions made on the basis of the three tests. Need for estimating various psychometric parameters of alternative tests of logical thinking over different grade populations is emphasized.     

The role of learners’ epistemic beliefs in an online Community of Inquiry

The Community of Inquiry (CoI) model provides a lens to examine online learning through three elements: teaching presence (the design and facilitation of learning experiences), social presence (the extent to which learners project themselves as real people) and cognitive presence (the extent to which learners are able to construct meaning through inquiry and reflection activities). While research to date has established the importance of these essential presences in online learning environments, recent research on the CoI model calls for the need to explore the role of learner characteristics. The current study responded to the call by examining the role of learners’ epistemic beliefs (EB) (ie, individuals’ fundamental beliefs about the nature of knowledge and knowing) in an online CoI. Multiple linear regressions analyses revealed that EB moderated the relationship between learners’ perceived teaching presence and cognitive presences. Future studies on CoI should take learners’ epistemic beliefs into consideration, especially in the case of low teaching presences. Theoretical and practical implications for designing and investigating online learning are discussed.     

Czechoslovakia: From revolution to reconstruction

As one of the countries in east-central Europe liberated in 1989 from Communist rule, Czechoslovakia is currently undergoing profound social, political, and economic changes. This article presents both the positive outcomes of the velvet revolution and a variety of problems that the country has to cope with. Of particular concern are three problem areas: the legacy of Communist rule, the unsettled relationship between Czechs and Slovaks, and the ruined national economy. Of the three problem areas, the latter is considered most painful, since it involves layoffs and thus directly affects the lives of individuals and families. The article reviews administrative initiatives undertaken by the government to modernize production and minimize unemployment. It also focuses on the changing role of helping professionals in Czechoslovakia. By reasserting their true mission-assist people rather than manipulate them-helping professionals can promote significant attitudinal changes in their society.     

Self-regulation as a function of perceived leadership and cohesion in small group online collaborative learning

The present study examined the relationships between perceived leadership, group cohesion, online engagement, self-regulation and learning outcomes. Data included surveys and online discussion logs from 171 students in an undergraduate online course. Through correlation analysis and structural equation modeling, the results revealed unique contributions of task and relationship leadership in small group collaborative learning. Each form of leadership may translate into greater use of self-regulation strategies that align with students’ focus on either the instrumental or interpersonal resources related to academics but may bring about a corresponding lower utilization of other types of self-regulation strategies. Further, results indicate that students’ perceptions of group cohesion provided the most robust and multifaceted positive associations with learning engagement.     

移动学习的案例研究及内容分析——以mGage项目为例

文章首先对移动学习在中小学课堂中的应用、移动学习的形式和信息设计进行了文献综述。在此基础上,又对美国圣地亚哥州立大学教育技术系开展的mGage项目进行了案例分析。研究者设计出一套详细的评价工具,从视觉吸引力、认知过程、资源质量等16个维度评估学生的WebQuest作品。结果显示,参加移动学习的实验组的得分明显高于对照组。统计分析表明,使用移动设备进行学习的实验组,除了在工具使用维度上具有明显优势外,在认知过程维度和资源质量维度的得分也胜过对照组。文章最后对研究进行了反思总结并展望了下一阶段的研究工作,以期为移动学习进入中小学课堂提供有意义的借鉴。