Effect of Peer Coaching on Teachers’ Practice and Their Students’ Scientific Competencies

Research in Science Education - This study aimed to explore the effect of peer coaching on science teachers’ practice and their students’ scientific competencies. The mixed method...     

Connecting digital elements with physical learning contexts: an educational escape-the-room game for supporting learning in young children

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the current study was to investigate students’ overall learning process during the implementation of educational escape-the-room games (EERGs) in classrooms. This study adopted a two-stage case-study methodology, namely single-case and multi-case designs. In the first stage, a well-designed EERG for a Chinese language class was developed on a web-based game platform. A total of 15 second-grade students from a public elementary school in Taiwan used tablet computers to engage in problem-solving tasks in the EERG. In the second stage, five schoolteachers from other elementary schools who had adopted similar EERGs in their classrooms in the previous academic year participated in the study to share their instructional experiences. The results indicated that students actively collaborated with their team members to address problem-solving tasks during the EERG activity. Positive collaborative learning experiences and learning attitudes towards the EERG were identified in the students’ self-reflection worksheets.     

Supporting Latino high school students’ science motivational beliefs and engagement: examining the unique and collective contributions of family,teachers, and friends

Abstract

High school underrepresented minority students in the US are at an increased risk of dropping out of the STEM pipeline. Based on expectancy-value theory, we examined if Latino students’ perception of support from parents, siblings/cousins, teachers, and friends in 10th grade predicted their science ability self-concepts and values, which in turn predicted their classroom engagement. Survey data were collected from 104 Latino high school students and their science teachers. The findings suggest that adolescents’ perceptions of overall support and home-based support predicted adolescents’ science ability self-concepts at 10th grade while controlling for their 9th grade self-concepts. Although adolescents reported high support from teachers, teacher or school-based support alone was not a strong correlate of their motivational beliefs. Perceived support was indirectly related to classroom engagement through adolescents’ ability self-concepts. Feeling supported across home and school may be necessary to sustain adolescents’ science motivational beliefs and, in turn, their science classroom engagement.     

Retrieval of images by spatial and object similarities

In the last several decades it has become an important basis to retrieve images from image databases (IDBs) by the semantic information held in the image objects and the spatial patterns formed by these objects. In this paper, we propose a new method for similarity retrieval of symbolic images by both the attributes and the spatial relationships of the contained objects. The proposed method CPM (common pattern method) retains the common spatial patterns of two images in new data structures CP_DAG (common pattern directed acyclic graph) and performs the similarity calculation efficiently in practice. The conducted experiments use both a synthetic dataset and an existing image database. The experimental results show that CPM outperforms LCS_Clique, SIM_R, SIM_DTC, and 2D Be-string for average efficiency and effectiveness. CPM also has steady efficiency while the number of image objects and the object symbol duplication rates increase.     

Filial Daughter, Woman Warrior, or Identity-Seeking Fairytale Princess: Fostering Critical Awareness Through Mulan

New immigrants and their children need to develop the ability to reconcile perceived dissonances between the worldviews of their parents and grandparents and those of their peers. This pursuit is made more difficult when they find that their newly adopted homeland misrepresents their cultural heritage. This article examines the historical evolution of the Mulan ballad along with issues of cultural authenticity in folktales. The analysis of three English adaptations of the ballad demonstrates clear contrasts that either support or complicate identity formation. We suggest that this text set could be used to inform critical classroom discussions regarding the plurality and fluidity of culture as well as those pertaining to Chinese heritage and cultural authenticity.     

Developing Sixth Graders’ Inquiry Skills to Construct Explanations in Inquiry‐based Learning Environments

The purpose of this study is to investigate how sixth graders develop inquiry skills to construct explanations in an inquiry‐based learning environment. We designed a series of inquiry‐based learning activities and identified four inquiry skills that are relevant to students’ construction of explanation. These skills include skills to identify causal relationships, to describe the reasoning process, to use data as evidence, and to evaluate explanations. Multiple sources of data (e.g., video recordings of learning activities, interviews, students’ artifacts, and pre/post tests) were collected from two science classes with 58 sixth graders. The statistical results show that overall the students’ inquiry skills were significantly improved after they participated in the series of the learning activities. Yet the level of competency in these skills varied. While students made significant progress in identifying causal relationships, describing the reasoning process, and using data as evidence, they showed slight improvement in evaluating explanations. Additionally, the analyses suggest that phases of inquiry provide different kinds of learning opportunities and interact with students’ development of inquiry skills.     

台湾地区大学图书馆电子书使用现况调查

由于数字出版的发展,电子书已在台湾的大学及技专校院图书馆占重要地位。为了解大学师生对这些电子书的使用状况,台湾学术电子书联盟于2010年进行了大规模的使用调查。调查问题包括：大学师生是否使用过图书馆的电子书,使用频率为何,透过何种管道查询电子书,使用电子书的意愿为何,使用电子书的动机为何,使用电子书遇到的问题及需要协助的困难为何,哪些是用户重视的电子书质量及功能,对于台湾学术电子书联盟引进的电子书满意度如何。调查采用在线问卷,共有91个学校,26,120位教职员生填答。调查发现,大学教师、研究员及研究生使用过电子书的比例高达六成以上;在同时有纸本书及电子书的情况下,半数以上的教师、研究员及研究生会优先选用电子书,但大学生仍喜爱纸本图书;对于电子书的质量,用户重视的是全文影像是否清晰、搜寻功能是否良好、使用接口是否易于操作、浏览方式是否便利、全文阅读方式是否符合需求等。另外,找不到所需的电子书,是读者最常遇到的困扰,显示图书馆的电子书种类仍不足以应付使用者的需求。