Cross-Validation of a Model of Intrinsic Motivation With Students Enrolled in High School Elective Courses

The purpose of this study was to cross-validate a model of relationships among social-contextual factors, individual differences, and intrinsic motivation in adolescent students enrolled in required courses (E. Ferrer-Caja & M. R. Weiss, 2000) with an independent sample of students taking elective courses. Female and male high school students (N = 219) completed measures of motivational climate, teaching style, perceived competence, self-determination, goal orientation, and intrinsic motivation. Motivated behavior was assessed by teachers who rated the students on effort and persistence in class activities. First, the authors used structural equation modeling to examine model invariance between the original and the new samples, which yielded a lack of equivalence. Next, the authors examined several alternative theory-based models using the elective sample. The results indicated that the data were best represented by a model that separated social-contextual factors, individual factors, intrinsic motivation, and motivated behaviors. The strongest predictors of intrinsic motivation were task-goal orientation and perceived competence. These results are discussed from both theoretical and methodological perspectives.     

The relation of knowledge of textual integration devices to expository text comprehension under different assessment conditions

In this study we propose a theoretical construct (called rhetorical competence) that represents the ability of readers to detect, understand, and use the linguistic cues or discourse markers that texts contain. We measure one of the three postulated components of rhetorical competence (knowledge of textual integration markers), assessing whether readers correctly interpret these markers while reading. The influence of this skill on reading competence is examined in a correlational study of 185 sixth-grade pupils (aged 11–12 years) using different assessment materials (a standardized test and an academic text) and reading conditions (habitual and aided). Multiple regression analyses of the data indicate that knowledge of textual integration devices makes a significant independent contribution to expository text comprehension under most assessment conditions when the effects of working memory, prior knowledge, and word recognition skills are controlled.     

The Development of a Scarcity Bias

Adults’ attraction to rare objects has been variously attributed to fundamental biases related to resource availability, self-related needs, or beliefs about social and market forces. The current three studies investigated the scarcity bias in 11- and 14-month-old infants, and 3- to 6-year-old children (N = 129). With slight methodological modifications, participants had to choose between one of 10 same-kind-items (abundant resource), or the only one of a different kind (scarce resource). It was found that a robust preference for the scarce resource appeared only at age 5 years. Thus, although a scarcity bias is not present in infancy, it emerges prior to comprehension of market forces. Possible accounts of this developmental finding are discussed.     

Does the detection of misunderstanding lead to its revision?

When dealing with complex conceptual systems, low-prior- knowledge learners develop fragmentary and incorrect understanding. To learn complex topics deeply, these learners have to (a) monitor understanding to detect flaws and (b) generate explanations to revise and repair the flaws. In this research we explored if the detection of a flaw in understanding does lead to the generation of a revising explanation or, alternatively, if there is some independence between the two processes. In two studies participants with low prior domain knowledge learned about plate tectonics from a multimedia presentation. In Study 1 participants in two conditions received support for detection and their performance was compared to that of participants in two control conditions, one receiving no support and another one receiving support for both detection and revision. Performance on retention, transfer, and distortions revealed that the conditions with support for detection were not different from that with no support. The condition with support for both detection and revision was significantly better than all others. In Study 2 participants thought aloud while studying from the presentation. Self-generated detections were not correlated with revising explanations or with performance on retention or transfer measures. Overall, the results indicate that the detection of flaws in understanding does not necessarily lead to the generation of explanations to repair the flaws, meaning that this latter process is very difficult to execute and calls for instructional support.     

Norm estimates for function Lyapunov equations and applications

We consider the function Lyapunov equation $f^{*}\left(A\right)X+Xf\left(A\right)=C,$ where A and C are given matrices, f(z) is a function holomorphic on a neighborhood of the spectrum σ(A) of A. For a solution X of that equation, norm estimates are established. By these estimates we investigate perturbations of a matrix A whose spectrum satisfies the condition $\inf ?\sigma \left(f\right(A\left)\right)>0$. In the case $f\left(z\right)=z^{\nu }$ with a positive integer ν we obtain conditions that provide localization of the spectrum of a perturbed matrix in a given angle.     

基于WLAN的视频分发需要增强型技术

视频多媒体共享对消费电子与无线网络的融合来说至关重要.随着数字和个人视频录像机变得普及,消费者期望能够在家中的任何地方访问所存储的视频资料.     

Information Literacy for Undergraduate Business Students: Examining Value,Relevancy, and Implications for the New Century

This article examines the new-century business relevance of information literacy and why it is important for undergraduate business students. It then validates the relevance and value of the elements that make up the concept of information literacy with current business professionals (recruiters and employers). Business professionals were surveyed to reveal their (1) familiarity with the term information literacy, (2) feelings about the relevancy and value of information literacy in the business workplace, (3) perceived competency in information literacy of undergraduate business school graduates, (4) validation of cognitive difficulty elements of information literacy, and (5) reactions to other terms/phrases that more closely align with the concepts of information literacy in the business workplace. Although these business professionals were in general not familiar with the term, once they were informed of its components, they recognized and valued its processes.