College education and attitudes toward democracy in China: an empirical study

The modernization theory contends that there is a link between education and democracy. Yet few empirical studies have been done to investigate the role of higher education on promoting democratic values in the Chinese context. Using China General Social Survey 2006, this paper generates several findings which are not completely consistent with the existing theoretical explanations on political development. Specifically, the college-educated Chinese citizens not only agree that there is need to improve democracy, but support various types of political participation and resist the government-oriented petitioning. However, though entrepreneurial elites (private business owners) and political elites (Chinese communist party members) demonstrate preference to democracy in principle, empirical evidence suggests that they are much less likely to support political participation that challenges the authoritarian regime in China compared to knowledge-based elites (college-educated adults).     

DISTRIBUTIVE PARTITIONING OPERATION IN MATHEMATICAL SITUATIONS INVOLVING FRACTIONAL QUANTITIES

In the present study, we describe a participating student’s (Carol’s) distributive partitioning scheme and operations along with Steffe’s and his colleagues’ studies about children’s constructions of fraction knowledge as a particular model of mathematical learning. Analysis of Carol’s mathematical behaviors indicates that an operationally common mathematical behavior (distributive partitioning operation) was revealed in various mathematical problem situations such as fraction multiplication, fraction division, and multiplicative transformation between fractional quantities. It both provides a rationale for why becoming versed in one mathematical subject could facilitate working with another mathematical subject and also implies the necessity of describing and defining students’ mathematical behaviors from an operational view of knowledge, which might lead to building foundations of a substantial cognitive map for students’ mathematical development.     

Knowledge production in a constructed field: reflections on comparative and international education

Adopting Maria Manzon’s theoretical framework, which draws on Foucault and proposes that comparative education as an academic field is socially constructed, I suggest that the field is neither stable nor well defined. To demonstrate this, I conduct a content analysis of the Comparative Education Review, using Klaus Krippendorff’s methodological framework to study comparative and international education (CIE) researchers’ understanding of the national—and of their related knowledge production in the field. Many comparativists express interests in multiple countries, and their knowledge production takes the form of individual country studies. The countries are habitually studied using a “problem approach” focusing on one specific aspect of the country under investigation and using an associated social science methodology deemed appropriate. Few comparativists are making explicit use of or reference to any methodology that is unique to comparative education. Efforts to catalog and systematize CIE research have demonstrated that the field is becoming so inclusive that it hardly is distinguishable from educational studies as a whole. Hence, I suggest that instead of speaking about unifying features of the field, it may be more relevant to speak about frequent elements, such as a focus on the national, and a knowledge production characterized by the academic practitioner who desires to improve the education systems studied. A third frequent element may be the focus on educational development, thus justifying the label of “comparative, international, and development education.” One challenge of the field is its dependence on Western social science discourses, which may be marginalizing other voices.     

Students’ Motivation in the Mathematics Classroom. Revealing Causes and Consequences

Students’ affective domain has been popular in the mathematics education community in an ongoing attempt to understand students’ learning behavior. Specifically, enhancing students’ motivation in the mathematics classroom is an important issue for teachers and researchers, due to its relation to students’ behavior and achievement. This paper utilized achievement goal theory—an important theoretical prospect on students’ motivation in school settings—to investigate the existence of a model presenting the relation between motivation and other affective constructs and students’ performance in mathematics. In this regard, two types of tests were administered to 321 sixth grade students measuring their motivation and other affective constructs and their performance in mathematics. Using structural equation modeling, we examined the associations among the affective constructs, motivation, and the extent to which these constructs influence students’ performance and interest in mathematics. The data revealed that students’ performance and their interest in mathematics were influenced by fear of failure, self-efficacy beliefs, and achievement goals. We discuss these findings in terms of teaching implications in the mathematics classroom.     

影响羞怯的心理因素分析

羞怯是在社交情境中的不舒服的感觉,羞怯者在认知、情绪、行为层面都表现一定程度的消极和退缩。研究显示中国青少年的羞怯体验比其他国家更为普遍,本文试通过对影响羞怯的心理因素分析,进一步阐释羞怯的相关理论研究。     

高校文科实验课程体系研究

与自然科学相比,文科实验课程在形式、要求方面具有特殊性;本文从文科实验课程体系构建、课程质量保障和实验课程发展三个方面探讨文科实验课程体系建设,旨在为高校文科实验课程体系建设提供参考,促进文科实验课程发展.     

On Peter Newmark’s Semanic Translation & Communicative Translation

Peter Newmark has written many preeminent works on translation theory. He classifies the translation texts into differ?ent types,and puts forward his great translation methods-communiative translation ...     

多学科实验、实训课程改革探索——以重庆第二师范学院食品质量与安全(儿童营养与健康)专业为例

进行食品质量与安全(儿童营养与健康)专业的多学科实验、实训课程改革时,应坚持开放性、集群化、发展性和需求导向的原则,整合课程教学团队,加强师资队伍培育,建设实验、实训基地,创新实践教学方法,改革教学评价体系,从而建立符合市场需求的高素质应用型复合人才培养体系.     

A Discourse Analysis from the Perspective of Textual Metafuction in Functional Linguistics

This essay excerpts an academic lecture on psychology from the listening part of TOEFL. Through respective analyses on the facets of thematic progression patterns and lexical sense relation, some main findings can be drawn. First, his text follows a typical Situation-Problem-Solution-Evaluation pattern. Also, this text applies various lexical sense relations and thematic progression patterns. Eventually, all make each paragraph and the whole text coherent.     

Gender Identity Reflected from Language Use in Casual Conversation

Language use can reflect social identities and the way a person is presenting himself or herself to other people. As to show how gender identities can be reflected from the discourse, a casual conversa...