The development of a questionnaire to measure students' motivation towards science learning

The purpose of this study was to develop a questionnaire that measures students' motivation toward science learning (SMTSL). Six scales were developed: self‐efficacy, active learning strategies, science learning value, performance goal, achievement goal, and learning environment stimulation. In total, 1407 junior high school students from central Taiwan, varying in grades, sex, and achievements, were selected by stratified random sampling to respond to the questionnaire. The Cronbach alpha for the entire questionnaire was 0.89; for each scale, alpha ranged from 0.70 to 0.89. There were significant correlations (p?<?0.01) of the SMTSL questionnaire with students' science attitudes (r?=?0.41), and with the science achievement test in previous and current semesters (r ^p?=?0.40 and r ^c?=?0.41). High motivators and low motivators showed a significant difference (p?<?0.01) on their SMTSL scores. Findings of the study confirmed the validity and reliability of the SMTSL questionnaire. Implications for using the SMTSL questionnaire in research and in class are discussed in the paper.     

Parent–child reading in English as a second language: Effects on language and literacy development of Chinese kindergarteners

This study investigated the effects of dialogic parent–child reading in English on 51 Hong Kong kindergarteners learning English as a second language. Children were pre‐tested on nonverbal IQ, reading interest and receptive vocabulary, word reading and phonological awareness in both Chinese and English. They were then assigned randomly to one of three conditions involving different levels of parent–child interactions: dialogic reading (DR), typical reading (TR) or control. Though inter‐group comparisons showed nonsignificant interaction effects across time among the three groups, intra‐group gains across the 12‐week intervention suggested that parent–child reading could enhance English word reading skills, while dialogic reading could promote phonological awareness in both Chinese and English. These results highlight the potential benefits of English parent–child reading and dialogic reading on children learning English as a second language, and the possibility of linguistic transfer from parent–child reading in English as a second language to Chinese as a first language.     

One Educational Technology Colleague’s Journey from Dotcom Leadership to University E-Learning Systems Leadership: Merging Design Principles, Systemic Change and Leadership Thinking

This paper describes my journey from instructional technology professional and doctoral student to instructional technology leader and tenure-track faculty member. I reflect on 15 years of application, in government, industry, and higher education, of what I learned in the classroom from some of the giants of the field (Wager, Morgan, Kaufman, Dick, Keller, Harless, Reiser, Driscoll). With the continuing proliferation of technology throughout all levels of higher education, systems thinking and the instructional systems design (ISD) process is highly relevant and germane. Its application, however, must be done with care as many people do not understand it and it is applied within a complex, imperfect social and organizational cultural context that requires compromise, consensus building, patience, and a willingness to proceed slowly. The growing role of technology in organizations, and especially e-Learning in education, has increased the need for systems thinking and systemic change in order to manage rapid change. This is my story.     

Path analysis of self-efficacy and diving performance revisited

The Feltz (1982) path analysis of the relationship between diving efficacy and performance showed that, over trials, past performance was a stronger predictor than self-efficacy of performance. Bandura (1997) criticized the study as statistically "overcontrolling" for past performance by using raw past performance scores along with self-efficacy as predictors of performance. He suggests residualizing past performance by regressing the raw scores on self-efficacy and entering them into the model to remove prior contributions of self-efficacy imbedded in past performance scores. To resolve this controversy, we reanalyzed the Feltz data using three statistical models: raw past performance, residual past performance, and a method that residualizes past performance and self-efficacy. Results revealed that self-efficacy was a stronger predictor of performance in both residualized models than in the raw past performance model. Furthermore, the influence of past performance on future performance was weaker when the residualized methods were conducted.     

Learning deeply in science: An analysis and reintegration of deep approaches in two case studies of grade 8 students

The purpose of this study was to articulate in fine detail, the kinds of learning strategies associated with a deep approach to learning science. The interactions of two groups of Grade 8 students were taped while they were engaged in hands-on science activities during instruction in a chemistry unit. The students were also interviewed both before and after instruction to find out more about their understanding of the science concepts in this unit. The focus in this paper is on case studies of two students who showed a deep approach to learning. Analysis of transcipts produced several categories which were used to classify the different strategies used by the students. Examples illustrating the use of these strategies are provided. A model illustrating how a learner's use of strategies is translated into regulatory control of the learning process is proposed.     

香港与内地中学体育教师对未来体育教师能力及学习课程模式认识的比较研究

对香港、广州、北京、上海、福州、苏州在职中学体育教师进行问卷调查,对未来体育教师应具备的能力,以及在校学习课程的模式进行分析比较结果显示,香港和内地在职中学体育教师对未来体育教师能力培养及知识结构认识上有很多相同之处,然而由于两地在教育体制等方面的差异,对能力及知识结构重要性的排序存在差异。     

Stressors, anxiety, acculturation and adjustment among international and North American students

The acculturation process generally contributes greatly to stress and anxiety levels among international students. The objectives of the present study were: (1) to see whether international students experience more anxiety, irritability, and stress from being apart from family and friends, pressure from school, difficulties with language, work and finances than students with permanent US residency, and (2) to investigate the same stressors in groups within the international student population. Surveys were distributed to 246 students aged 17–51 at an ethnically diverse community college in Southern California, US. Analysis of variance was conducted to investigate group differences between students: permanent US residents vs. international students, and, permanent US residents vs. European and Asian students, respectively. No significant differences were found between international students and students with permanent US residency. However, when the international student population was sub-grouped by above cultural regions a different pattern emerged. Difficulties of not being able to work and of socially related problems were perceived as more severe for the European and the Asian groups, while finance problems were hard for all three groups. The variable of language difficulties was harder for Asian students, while that of stress of being apart from family was harder for students from Europe. Findings are not only congruent with prior research results on international students but also demonstrate that international students with culturally diverse needs should not be considered as one homogenous group. It is suggested that educational systems need to properly adapt in order to accommodate international students’ unique cultural needs.