Analogy,Metaconceptual Awareness and Conceptual Change: a classroom study

This qualitative study aimed at exploring whether students’ successful use of analogy in learning curriculum complex science concepts was related: (a) to the level of their understanding of a specific analogy and (b) to their metacognitive awareness of how the analogy was to be used and of the changes produced in their own conceptual structures. In implementing a biological curriculum unit, students’ prior knowledge has been taken into account in order to examine its conceptual growth and change via a not completely introduced analogy to 15 fifth graders as they were engaged in understanding the ways in which the new concepts (on photosynthesis) were similar to a familiar source (making a cake). Qualitative data present the children's mapping processes in elaborating the analogy and their metacognitive awareness of the meaning and purpose of the analogy itself, and their personal use of the analogy in changing initial conceptions. As hypothesised, the results showed a high positive correlation among the level of conceptual understanding of the new science topic, the level of understanding of the analogy, and the level of effective use of the analogy in integrating the new information into the pre‐existing conceptual structures. Key implications on the use of analogy for conceptual change in the classroom are outlined.     

Integrative assessment of Evolutionary theory acceptance and knowledge levels of Biology undergraduate students from a Brazilian university

The integrative role that Evolutionary theory plays within Biology is recognised by most scientific authors, as well as in governmental education policies, including Brazilian policies. However, teaching and learning evolution seems problematic in many countries, and Brazil is among those. Many factors may affect teachers’ and students’ perceptions towards evolution, and studies can help to reveal those factors. We used a conceptual questionnaire, the Measure of Acceptance of the Theory of Evolution (MATE) instrument, and a Knowledge test to assess (1) the level of acceptance and understanding of 23 undergraduate Biology students nearing the end of their course, (2) other factors that could affect these levels, including course structure, and (3) the most difficult topics regarding evolutionary biology. The results of this study showed that the students, on average, had a ‘Very High Acceptance’ (89.91) and a ‘Very Low Knowledge’ (59.42%) of Evolutionary theory, and also indicated a moderate positive correlation between the two (r?=?0.66, p?=?.001). The most difficult topics were related to the definition of evolution and dating techniques. We believe that the present study provides evidence for policymakers to reformulate current school and university curricula in order to improve the teachers’ acceptance and understanding of evolution and other biological concepts, consequently, helping students reduce their misconceptions related to evolutionary biology.     

Reading Comprehension and Predictability Effects on Sentence Processing: An Event‐Related Potential Study

Electrophysiology studies have identified two event‐related potentials that are modulated by predictive processes during language comprehension: the N400 and a frontal positivity. The N400 is smaller when words are presented within highly restrictive sentences, indicating reduced lexical retrieval costs. Violations of strong predictions generate larger frontal positivities, possibly reflecting inhibitory processes. More skilled comprehenders may exhibit enhanced predictive processing, but this possibility has seldom been investigated with event‐related potentials (ERPs). We analyzed the association between predictability ERP modulations and reading comprehension abilities. Twenty‐four undergraduate students were exposed to strongly and weakly constraining sentences, ending with an expected or unexpected final word. Their comprehension skills were assessed with a cloze task. Better comprehenders showed smaller N400s for expected words, and larger posterior positivities for unexpected endings, in strongly constraining contexts. These effects correlated with reading comprehension scores. The results suggest that better comprehenders take more advantage of predictions to reduce retrieval costs, and allocate more resources to postlexical integration processes.     

Legitimising inequality? The governance of ‘Others’ through participatory initiatives in schools

This article discusses how the call for families’ active participation in school can be understood as a form of regulatory act producing neoliberal subjectivities based on responsibility, entrepreneurship and rational calculation. The analysis draws on the results of two projects aiming to improve the relationship between families of Spanish Roma and immigrant background and the school. Results suggest that the idea of participation is presented as an element for the transformation of the schools. Nevertheless, the programmes are implemented without questioning the power structure present in school, and so put even more responsibility on the families, and make more visible their supposed deficits. Approaching participation as a key feature of neoliberal governmentality, our analysis highlights how these participatory initiatives foster a type of assimilationist diversity approach and legitimise the existing status quo in schools.     

Microscopic Analysis of Wall Painting Techniques: Laboratory Replicas and Romanesque Case Studies in Southern Switzerland

The identification of painting techniques is an important aspect of any research related to historical, artistic, and conservation issues in the field of wall paintings conservation. There are a variety of different methodological approaches that can be used to identify wall painting techniques. In this study, the application of optical (PLM) and electron (SEM-EDX) microscopy was explored as they are complementary analytical techniques commonly used for micro-stratigraphic analysis of painted surfaces. Five replicas were prepared according to the technical procedures reported in medieval historical treatises, and the pigment was applied at different time intervals in order to monitor the modifications at the interface between the ground and pictorial layer. The comparison of data from the replicas with samples from Romanesque wall paintings in churches in Southern Switzerland and Northern Lombardy (Italy) allowed for an evaluation of the reliability of the proposed methodology and for the interpretation of the painting techniques.     

我国国际职业足球运动员合同违约纠纷解决关涉的主要法律问题 ——以巴里奥斯案为例

近年来,国内频发的国际职业足球运动员合同违约纠纷已成为社会各界关注的热点问题。许多国内俱乐部在国际球员合同违约纠纷中败诉 或赔偿,巴里奥斯案是国内俱乐部第1次在国际球员合同违约纠纷中获胜并得到高额赔偿的案件。通过巴里奥斯案对国际球员合同违约纠纷所涉 及的争议管辖、法律适用、赔偿及裁决的执行等问题进行分析,国际足球职业球员合同违约纠纷受国际足联或国际体育仲裁院管辖;国际足联、国际 体育仲裁院的相关规则和判例都是处理此类纠纷的重要依据;国际足联、国际体育仲裁院对国际球员合同违约赔偿计算有明确的规定,也在判例中 形成了一定的计算原则,并阐述了赔偿金额计算的影响因素;职业足球已形成强大的行业体系,一般来说,国际足联、国际体育仲裁院决定都能得到 很好的执行。因此,国内的国际足球运动员合同违约纠纷一般向国际足联或国际体育仲裁院申诉,掌握和充分运用国际足联和国际体育仲裁院的 规则及判例是国内足球俱乐部解决国际球员合同违约纠纷的关键。赔偿的计算除了需要掌握相关规则及判例外,还要了解赔偿金额的影响因素, 对于国际足联、国际体育仲裁院的决定在国内的执行则无须疑虑。此外,遵守相关法律和规则,并及时有效地处理纠纷也是国内俱乐部在处理合同 违约争议中有效维护自身权益的重要方面。     

The internet as a celestial TiVo: What can we learn from cable television adoption?

It appears that the Internet is soon going to fulfill its potential to become a giant on-demand repository of television shows (and movies) available asynchronously, greatly increasing the variety of shows available at a moment in time. As companies such as Netflix and Hulu increase their activities in this sphere, there are many unanswered questions about the impacts of this transition. In this paper, we attempt to foretell the impact of Internet-induced increased variety on the amount of time individuals devote to viewing television. We use cable and satellite television’s impact on viewing as a proxy for the likely impact that future Internet transmission of programs will have. Using country-based panel data going back to the mid-1990s, we find that the increased variety brought about by cable and satellite has had virtually no impact on the amount of time devoted to television viewing. We discuss the import of this finding for Internet business models of television transmission.     

The Structure of Peers: The Impact of Peer Networks on Academic Achievement

Research in Higher Education - Peer effects are an important contributing factor in the learning process. Most of the prior literature on peer effects focuses on the characteristics of peers rather...