Influence of problem familiarity on learning in a problem-based course

The results of an experimental study investigating the influence of problem familiarity on learning in a problem-based psychology course are presented. Participants worked with either a familiar or an unfamiliar version of the same problem. The following measurements were taken (1) a measure of problem quality as perceived by students, (2) number of explanations of the problem put forward by the students while discussing it, (3) quality of learning issues derived from the discussion, (4) amount of time spent on self-study, and (5) the amount of knowledge acquired as indicated by a test. The results demonstrate that participants in the familiar problem condition perceived the problem to be of higher quality than the participants in the unfamiliar problem condition. No significant differences in learning were found. The findings do suggest, however, that problems may be improved by making them more relevant to the everyday experience of students.     

Trade-offs between knowledge exploitation and exploration activities

This paper explores trade-offs between knowledge exploitation and exploration activities. The study of exploitation and exploration activities is not new; however, rarely has past research perceived exploitation and exploration activities as two edges of one continuum. Furthermore, little evidence has been reported as to the actual trade-offs that firms face when launching either exploration or exploitation activities. This paper sets about filling this gap by addressing the following question: To what extent does an investment in one exploitation activity hinder the development of an exploration activity within the firm? A new process innovation targeting the exploitation of the firm's internal capabilities through an extensive component reuse and reconfiguration program is studied and the implications for inter-related exploration activities, such as the development of engineers' expertise is examined. To reveal the trade-offs between exploration and exploitation activities, both changes within and between these exploitation and exploration activities, over time, are studied. Based on data drawn from an in-depth study of several product development project teams in one high-tech company, we conclude that by investing in exploitation activities, a firm may limit some specific exploration activities.     

Robuste Indizes für Projection Pursuit

Zusammenfassung.   Die moderne und hoch komplexe Fertigung, z.B. in der Halbleiterindustrie, erfordert für die dabei anfallenden Messdaten der Anlagen- bzw. Prozessparameter multivariate Analysemethoden. Eine dieser m?glichen Analysemethoden ist Projection Pursuit (PP). Dieses Verfahren ist durch geschickte Wahl des so genannten Projektionsindex in der Lage, verschiedenste Datencharakteristika zu detektieren und diese auf anschauliche Weise zu visualisieren. Bei den Projektionsindizes handelt es sich um Funktionen, die eine Projektion auf unterschiedliche Merkmale hin bewerten und dabei jeder Projektion einen Funktionswert zuweisen. Dieser Funktionswert spiegelt die Aussagekraft der Projektion (in Abh?ngigkeit vom verwendeten Index) wider. Die Auswahl bzw. der Aufbau dieser Indizes ist hierbei von entscheidender Bedeutung. Alle hier vorgestellten Indizes zeichnen sich vor allem durch ihren robusten Charakter gegenüber durch Ausrei?er kontaminierte Daten, wie sie in realen Datenszenarien vorkommen, aus. Die durch Anwendung dieser Indizes gewonnenen Einblicke in die komplexe Struktur der Daten erm?glichen es, hochdimensionale Parameterabweichungen und komplexe Zusammenh?nge innerhalb der Daten zu finden. Eingegangen am 11. Februar 2002 / Angenommen am 14. Mai 2002     

试论健身运动与学校体育

从全民健身作为社会化的组成部分．提出了健身运动的价值观念与学校体育教育的改革;学校体育教学要以培养跨世纪的人才为核心．转变学校体育教育观念．以体育健身运动为准绳,建设学校体育基本框架;把健身教育贯穿于学校体育教育中．为终身体育健身奠定良好的基础。     

Stability and boundedness properties of certain second-order differential equations

In this paper, we investigated the differential equation

     

Crocodiles,Fancy Dress and Zebra Rock Souvenirs: Triathlon the Katherine Way

Embedded in the sport of triathlon is an uneasy relationship between the independence and individualism fostered by the nature of the sport and the sporting collectivism needed to safely stage triathlons, establish accepted measures of high performance and secure government, media and Olympic recognition. This tension is highlighted in remote locations where local identities and recreational communities tend to present stronger forces in the shaping of triathlon practice than the sport’s governing institutions and its rules and regulations. Katherine, a landlocked town in Australia’s Northern Territory situated approximately 300 km from Darwin, offers a colourful and useful example of the divergent priorities of sporting and local recreational communities. This paper draws on interviews, newsletters, cuttings and triathlon ephemera as well as scholarship regarding sports clubs and social capital, the process of sportification, and the potential role of the natural and built environment in shaping local sporting practice. It examines the rise and fall of organized triathlon in Katherine and proposes that the rule of triathlon law gained only a temporary and tenuous hold most likely due to the strength of geo-spatially defined recreational identities and practices.     

Nonconventional Family Life-Styles and Sex Typing in Six-Year-Olds

Sex role socialization and 6-year-old children's sex-typed knowledge and behavior were compared across 5 nonconventional family types (avant garde, countercultural, conventional alternatives, communal, and changeable/troubled) (n = 154) and a conventionally married comparison sample (n = 51). The avant garde and countercultural families combined the strongest sex egalitarian beliefs, with commitment to a proactive, questioning orientation toward society, and relative stability in family life-style choice. Children in the avant garde and countercultural families also displayed non-sex-typed knowledge of objects and occupations more often than did children in the other families, but all children showed knowledge of sex-typed schemas as well. Only scattered differences were found on other measures of children's sex-typed preferences or in sex-typed behavior. The form of the family or domestic unit (single parent, married couple, unmarried couple, or commune) was not related to sex typing, and socioeconomic measures had little effect, compared to nonconventional family types. Girls had more flexible sex-typing training and displayed non-sex-typed schemas more than boys across family types, conventional and nonconventional alike.     

The Views of Youth on Their Educational Rights: A Case Study of Secondary Students from two Northern Ontario High Schools

A case study is reported involving 32 applied and academic program student volunteers aged 15–18 years from two high schools located in Northern Ontario, Canada. Students were interviewed regarding a number of educational policy and school climate issues. The study examines perceptions of rights as an aspect of the school learning environment. The need for greater school community and additional supports for struggling students was voiced by students across both program groups. Students strongly endorsed either a meritocratic or an equalitarian perspective on rights issues with both philosophies represented to some extent in both program groups. Surprisingly, students across both program groups expressed little interest in their education rights or their legal rights generally. The importance of fostering school community and student interest in rights issues is discussed. Also considered is the role of the social science researcher in providing youth a forum for the discussion of social policy issues.