Longitudinal correlates of reading comprehension difficulties in Chinese children

The present study explored the early predictors of reading comprehension difficulties in Chinese children. We originally recruited 290 Beijing and 154 Hong Kong children and further selected from each sample those (30 from Beijing and 22 from Hong Kong sample) in the lowest 25 % on reading comprehension tests across the last two consecutive testing years (Beijing: ages 9 and 10; Hong Kong: ages 8 and 9) as poor comprehenders. These groups were matched to a group of children from the same sample whose reading comprehension was above 30 % across the two final years and matched on mothers’ education levels, age, nonverbal reasoning at age 4, and Chinese word reading across the same final two consecutive years. We then examined early linguistic/cognitive skills at ages 5–9 that could distinguish the poor and typically developing groups in each city separately. Compared to the control group, poor comprehenders from both samples performed significantly and consistently worse on word reading at early ages, and generally worse on morphological compounding awareness, phonological awareness, and vocabulary knowledge from ages 6 and onwards. In addition, lexical tone sensitivity across ages and grammatical sensitivity (administered at age 5 only) failed to distinguish the two groups for the Beijing sample but did for Hong Kong children.     

From the Horse's Mouth: Why scientists’ views are crucial to nature of science understanding

Written in response to criticism of our work by Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, this position paper reaffirms and reinforces our position about the need to broaden and enrich the scope of nature of science (NOS) oriented curricula by exposing students to the voices of practising scientists. While Abd-El-Khalick's motivation for promoting the so-called consensus view of NOS is rooted in issues of assessment (or ‘benchmarking', as he calls it), we argue that the major reason for teaching about NOS is its contribution to what Shen calls civic and cultural scientific literacy. We are critical of the consensus view for its philosophical naivety, failure to reflect contemporary scientific practice and potential for confusing students, and we re-state our view that it is important to expose students to a diversity of practice among the sub-disciplines of science. We argue that richer NOS understanding and a more authentic view of scientific practice can be achieved through direct and indirect contact with scientists at the cutting edge of research and development, which we characterise as learning about scientists, learning from scientists and learning with scientists.     

Crossing the binary line: the founding of the polytechnic in Colonial Hong Kong

Using the case of the Hong Kong Polytechnic (HKP), this paper examines academic drift in colonial settings. The HKP, like polytechnics in the UK, was supposedly a service sector institution. Under the binary system in the UK, schools in the service division were governed by the state educational bureaucracy, while the universities – the autonomous sector – were under the University Grants Committee (UGC). When the HKP was being founded, however, it became an institution under the UGC of Hong Kong. This article argues that the HKP could cross the binary line because a polytechnic unsubordinated to the local colonial state would be more serviceable to external agents’ interests. This finding suggests that researchers of academic drift – who have hitherto studied exclusively sovereign nations and the impacts of internal factors – should also examine the cases in dependent territories as well as the effects of external influences on such shifts.     

An exploration of Biggs’ constructive alignment in course design and its impact on students’ learning approaches

This paper investigates whether instructors’ adoption of constructive alignment has any impact on university students’ learning approaches, which are highly correlated with students’ achievement of learning outcomes. A multi-method model with a combination of qualitative and quantitative design was adopted, using document analysis, interviews and survey. The analysis of covariance results suggested that regardless of individual differences, students would adjust their learning approaches and study behaviours in response to the classroom teaching and learning environment. Students in more ‘constructively aligned courses’ were more likely to adopt deep learning approaches and less likely to use surface learning approaches in their study of a particular course.     

中西法律价值观比较的哲学反思

法哲学研究中的核心问题是法律价值问题 ,法律价值观问题又处于法律价值的本质层面。通过对法律价值观概念的探析 ,可以明晰中西法律价值观的差异 ,并对中西法律价值观的特征作出理性的审视。在此基础上 ,对中西法律价值观进行哲学的比较 ,必将对我们正在实施的依法治国方略有所启迪     

网络通信接口——WindowsSocket及其应用

Windows Socket是一种很好的通信手段。网络通信的 Socket接口模型将通信主机或进程当作端点 ,采用 Client/Server模式 ,通信协议为 TCP/IP。用 MFC中提供的新的 Win Sock类 ,可以很方便地编写 TCP/IP网络通信程序。     

关于我国健美操教材现状的调查与分析

通过对现行教材各种版本的收集与分析以及对 5 0多个单位、6 0多名教师和教练员的问卷调查 ,对我国健美操教材的编写和使用情况提出了一些个人看法 ,供同行们参考     

教师关怀在素质教育实施中的作用

教师关怀是指教师对学生成长各方面的关心、爱护;教师关怀有利于促进学生公正平等的社会价值观念和充满友爱的生活信念的形成,能培养学生平等协作的集体主义意识、民主的作风,并能在活跃班级教学活动的基础上培养学生积极进取的创造性才能;教师关怀的实施要求教师具有崇高的牺牲精神、强烈的责任心和职业道德感,以及正确的真、善、美的价值标准和高度的辨证思维水平等等。