Providing a flexible, learner-centred programme: Challenges for educators

This paper presents a case study of the implementation of a flexible learner-centred programme of study which blends face-to-face and online learning. The programme was developed to be flexible in terms of content and study strategies, whilst remaining within more rigid organisational structures and processes. This paper outlines the programme and presents the model developed for flexible content delivery. The programme has been delivered simultaneously by five tutors to six groups of learners. Tutors drew on varying personal experiences of flexible and online learning and this paper also presents the results of an investigation to explore their experiences of facilitation. The findings provide a unique insight into the implications of such a programme for educators. Data were gathered using methods to promote and structure reflections on practice. Issues of relevance for others considering the development of flexible learner-centred programmes of study are presented.     

Information literacy education: Applications of mediated learning and multiple intelligences

Research has shown that mastering information literacy (IL) competencies helps students perform better academically or otherwise. However, there is limited evidence that indicates a relationship between IL teaching methods and IL competencies. This study investigates the impact of IL teaching that incorporates appropriate pedagogical approaches on students' applicability of IL competencies. The study was carried out in four secondary schools in Singapore. Students were organized into groups of five and were assigned a group project. Those in the experimental sub-clusters were exposed to various intervention approaches, while the control sub-clusters were left on their own to carry out the project. Three independent, neutral teacher-examiners evaluated the results of the group reports and projects. The results showed significant differences in the achievements of students in the experimental groups that underwent both interventions as compared to the control groups.     

Recall of corporate advertising slogans in Nigeria

This study reports significant differences in the correct association of corporate slogans with company names among students and public‐relations and advertising practitioners in Nigeria. Because the overall rate for slogan recall is moderate for the entire sample, the continuing use of such slogans should be based on extensive research data.     

Bibliometric cartography of information retrieval research by using co-word analysis

The aim of this study is to map the intellectual structure of the field of Information Retrieval (IR) during the period of 1987–1997. Co-word analysis was employed to reveal patterns and trends in the IR field by measuring the association strengths of terms representative of relevant publications or other texts produced in IR field. Data were collected from Science Citation Index (SCI) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) for the period of 1987–1997. In addition to the keywords added by the SCI and SSCI databases, other important keywords were extracted from titles and abstracts manually. These keywords were further standardized using vocabulary control tools. In order to trace the dynamic changes of the IR field, the whole 11-year period was further separated into two consecutive periods: 1987–1991 and 1992–1997. The results show that the IR field has some established research themes and it also changes rapidly to embrace new themes.     

User-innovators and “local” information: The case of mountain biking

In a study of innovations developed by mountain bikers, we find that user-innovators almost always utilize “local” information - information already in their possession or generated by themselves - both to determine the need for and to develop the solutions for their innovations. We argue that this finding fits the economic incentives operating on users. Local need information will in general be the most relevant to user-innovators, since the bulk of their innovation-related rewards typically come from in-house use. User-innovators will increasingly tend to rely on local solution information as the stickiness of non-local solution information rises. When user-innovators do rely on local information, it may be possible to predict the general nature of the innovations they might develop.     

Expectations and challenges: the implementation of mobile devices in a Scottish primary school

This article provides a case study of the implementation of iPod Touches on a one-to-one basis in a Scottish primary school. It focuses on teachers’ expectations for the project and the realisation (or otherwise) of these expectations. Findings suggest that the iPods offered opportunities for resource provision, interactive learning and extension activities. Technical challenges impacted on what could be achieved and some expectations, including sharing of resources and pupil work, and use for assessment, were not fully realised. Teachers also reported that some expected issues were quickly overcome. The development of teacher confidence with the devices remained a challenge after 12 months and they continued to seek meaningful ways to implement devices in the classroom. This case study contributes to our understanding of the pedagogical impact of mobile devices in schools and highlights the ways in which they can quickly become a valued part of the classroom environment. It suggests that implementation may not necessarily be a linear process of moving from assimilation to accommodation, as suggested by Lebrun, but that both phases may take place concurrently.     

Bildung und Popmusik

Die Bedeutung von Popmusik im Leben von Jugendlichen und jungen Erwachsenen wird meist nur im Hinblick auf ihre alltagspraktische Funktion oder den Gebrauch thematisiert, der von ihr gemacht wird. Ausgehend von einigen Anregungen aus ?sthetik, Biographieforschung und Bildungstheorie soll dagegen im vorliegenden Beitrag versucht werden, diese Sichtweise durch die Einbeziehung der Musik selbst auf eine Weise zu erweitern, die es erlaubt, die Auseinandersetzung mit Popmusik als ?sthetische Erfahrung ernst zu nehmen und damit auch die Frage nach ihrem m?glichen Bildungssinn neu zu stellen. Anhand einiger Beispiele aus einer Schreibwerkstatt, in der junge Erwachsene sich erinnernd mit ihren popmusikalischen Erfahrungen auseinander gesetzt haben, wird gezeigt, wie im je spezifischen Zusammenwirken von lebensgeschichtlichem Kontext, dem besonderem musikalischen Material und den Erfahrungen, die damit gemacht werden, neue Sinnschichten und Bedeutungen performativ hervorgebracht werden, die weder als „Ausdruck“ der jeweiligen Situation noch als blo?e „Projektionen“ von momentanen Stimmungen auf ein für sich genommen bedeutungsloses Klanggebilde verstanden werden k?nnen. Ihre Bedeutung für Bildungsprozesse erschlie?t sich freilich erst, wenn eher vom rezeptiven als vom souver?nen Selbst, eher von dem Leben, das wir leben, als von dem, das wir „führen“, ausgegangen wird.     

What is to be done? Children's ascriptions of conventional obligations

It is often not apparent what people ought to do. Three experiments explored cues that children and adults may use to identify conventional obligations. Experiment 1 addressed the hypothesis that young children identify obligations with expected outcomes. Although preschool-aged (4-5 years) children often expected consistency, they and school-aged (7-8 years) and adult participants indicated that obligations may be at odds with costs and benefits. In Experiment 2, all participants realized that people may have obligations they are unaware of. Preschool-aged children often used information about obligations to identify characters' beliefs. In Experiment 3, preschool but not school-aged children reliably identified obligations with the desires of authorities. The results are discussed in terms of expectations about canonical relations between mental states, outcomes, and obligations.     

Does a Strategy Training Foster Students’ Ability to Learn From Multimedia?

Despite the general effectiveness of multimedia instruction, students do not always benefit from it. This study examined whether students’ learning from multimedia can be improved by teaching them relevant learning strategies. On the basis of current theories and research on multimedia learning, the authors developed a strategy training for 9th-grade students. To evaluate it, 31 students received the aforementioned training and 33 students received placebo control training. After that, students completed a multimedia learning session on meiosis. Results showed that although the experimental training improved students’ strategy knowledge, it had no effect on learning outcomes. Accordingly, students acquired strategy knowledge but did not apply it later. Implications for the design of multimedia strategy interventions and future research are discussed.