A study on the motivational aspects of information management practice

This research investigates the motivational aspects of information management practice by developing and performing an initial test of the theorization on the components and structural properties of a new variable, called information management motivation (IMM). Based on a synthesis of the motivation and information processing literature in the information systems, psychology, management, and information technology training fields, we theorize IMM as a second order construct composed of formative sub-constructs of proactiveness, sharing, transparency, and formality. New measures were developed for the constituent constructs of IMM and refined through two studies involving 120 knowledge workers. The model of IMM was tested, confirming the proposed structural relationships between the constituent constructs and IMM. The study findings provide important insights on understanding and improving individual knowledge workers’ information management activities.     

Crossing the Border: Religious Education of Coexistence with the Case of North Korean Refugees in the U.S

Abstract

When one decides to cross the border of a nation due to political oppression and poverty, it is a crucial decision for the whole world and time around them. Many people make the treacherous journey across economic systems and political and religious background to pursue human dignity and happiness. Among many refugee groups who cross such borders, my research pays attention to North Korean refugees in the United States and their settlement process. As North Korean refugees enter this land of freedom and prosperity, are they provided adequate aid and education to redirect their mindset from communism to capitalism, from oppression and trauma to living together? What is the role of the faith community and of religious education in it? Based on postcolonial feminist practical theology, this paper explores the journey together and offers a pedagogy of coexistence and mutual transformation.     

Investigating the effectiveness of a learning activity supported by a mobile multimedia learning system to enhance autonomous EFL learning in authentic contexts

A learning activity supported by a mobile multimedia learning system (MMLS) was designed in this study. We aimed to test the effectiveness of the learning activity to enhance autonomous language learning in quasi-experimental Study 1 using a pretest/posttest design. Two groups participated in the learning activity: the students in a control group (n = 27) completed the activity using traditional approach whereas the students in an experimental group (n = 26) completed the activity using MMLS. The results of Study 1 showed that the experimental students outperformed their counterparts on the post-test (F = 29.602, p < 0.005, partial eta-squared = 0.372). In a non-experimental Study 2, the experimental students (n = 26) were assigned two learning tasks, the first task was completed individually and the second task in collaboration. We aimed to investigate which learning approach to complete tasks (i.e. individual vs. collaborative) enhances learning performance better by comparing students’ scores on two tasks. In addition, we explored students’ perceptions towards MMLS. The results of Study 2 showed that the students had better learning performance when they completed tasks in collaboration than individually. The results also showed that the students had high perceptions towards MMLS. Based on our results, we make suggestions and provide directions for future research.     

亚里士多德实践哲学中的公民德育概念

在21世纪的今日,民主化成为世界潮流,尽管世界各国在民主化的实施方式、内容与进程上有很大的差异,但不可否认公民德育在推动并建构民主化社会的目标上有其关键的重要性。透过对亚里士多德伦理学与政治学文献的探讨,可以厘清原始公民德育的概念。亚里士多德在其所著《政治学》一书中对公民的定义与城邦的构成要素、公民教育与政体的关系、公民德育实践的必要性及其实施的内容与方法进行了阐述。尽管亚里士多德有关公民的概念与公民德育的理论太过粗略与朴素,还没有碰触到现代民主社会中复杂的权利与义务理念,但他把公民德育的培育当做政治哲学的理论核心却是充满超越时代的先知卓见。     

A Toy Clinic Shop: Innovation Management in a Shin-Tai Elementary School

In Taiwan there is a declining birth rate and a dramatic increase in the elderly population. There is also the trend of using school space that would otherwise be left unused. The experimental project “Toy Clinic Shop in Elementary School” offers an innovative management model for elementary schools to address these developments. The following are included in the project goals: lifelong learning, service learning, and intergenerational interaction. The Toy Clinic Shop is not only a place offering the opportunity for intergenerational contact, but also for sharing and learning from each other. When the elderly contribute to the shop, they enjoy being with children, and they can experience the so called Ta Tung world of utopia where they enjoy being with young people. Furthermore, schools can benefit from the project because it promotes a school's many functions, collects more resources, creates social value among retired people, and develops the human resource of the elderly.     

A study of race and gender bias in the punishment of handicapped school children

There is scant research concerned about punishment of handicapped, minority students in public schools. The purpose of this study was to investigate race and gender, types of rules violations, types of punishments, referral rates, referral frequencies, and follow-up activities to determine differences in treatment by race, sex, and handicapping condition. The sample consisted of 4,391 discipline files representing records from 9 schools in a district (K-12). All data were analyzed using the Chi Square statistic. It was demonstrated that racial bias existed in the administration of punishment, and that Black, male handicapped students were punished more severely than others for commission of the same offenses.     

A concept map approach to developing collaborative Mindtools for context‐aware ubiquitous learning

Recent advances in mobile and wireless communication technologies have enabled various new learning approaches which situate students in environments that combine real‐world and digital‐world learning resources; moreover, students are allowed to share knowledge or experiences with others during the learning process. Although such an approach seems to be promising and innovative, researchers have indicated several problems when applying it to practical applications, in particular, the lack of proper strategies or tools to assist the students to learn collaboratively in such a learning scenario with abundant content. Students might feel interested when using the mobile devices to learn; however, without proper assistance or guidance, their learning achievements are usually disappointing. To cope with this problem, this study proposes a concept map‐oriented Mindtool for collaborative ubiquitous learning. Experimental results from a natural science course in an elementary school show that this approach not only enhances learning motivation but also improves the learning achievements of the students.     

Influence of an integrated learning diagnosis and formative assessment-based personalized web learning approach on students learning performances and perceptions

The advancement of computer and communication technologies has enabled students to learn across various real-world contexts with supports from the learning system. In the meantime, researchers have emphasized the necessity of providing personalized learning guidance or support by considering individual students’ status and needs in order to improve their learning performance. Based on this perspective, this study proposes a formative assessment-based approach for improving the learning performance of students in a personalized learning environment. An integrated learning diagnosis and formative assessment-based personalized web learning system was developed based on this approach. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, an experiment was conducted in an elementary school mathematics course in Thailand. The experimental results showed that (1) the students learning with the proposed system revealed significantly better learning achievement and learning perceptions than those learning with the conventional learning system and (2) students’ learning perceptions of the system had significant relationships with their learning achievement.     

Learning science in an era of globalization: a phenomenology of the foreign/strange

In this study, we propose a set of concepts for conceptualizing issues of learning science related to globalization, the encounter with the (radically) foreign/strange—as this occurs as part of migration and even as part of the encounter of a learner with the unknown content that science lessons are to impart—from the perspective of the experiencing person and the experience. We take an approach to the question of the foreign/strange that is grounded in philosophies of difference, which have emerged in continental Europe, and which make use of advances in phenomenology, dialectics, and materialism. We draw on ethnographic work in one undergraduate physics course at a Canadian university, where we followed in particular one female Japanese student, who had come to this country for the purpose of getting a degree. As an entry point and as source of empirical materials, we draw on our own auto/ethnographic experience that brings particular advantages to ally pathos to the experience of the foreign/strange, something is happening to (affecting) us that is beyond all experience, understanding, and anticipation. We articulate three phenomenological aspects that pathos (empathy) allows us to understand concerning the experience of the foreign/strange and then provide an exemplary and exemplifying analysis.

Mathematical problem posing as a measure of curricular effect on students' learning

In this study, we used problem posing as a measure of the effect of middle-school curriculum on students' learning in high school. Students who had used a standards-based curriculum in middle school performed equally well or better in high school than students who had used more traditional curricula. The findings from this study not only show evidence of strengths one might expect of students who used the standards-based reform curriculum but also bolster the feasibility and validity of problem posing as a measure of curriculum effect on student learning. In addition, the findings of this study demonstrate the usefulness of employing a qualitative rubric to assess different characteristics of students' responses to the posing tasks. Instructional and methodological implications of this study, as well as future directions for research, are discussed.