工业革命4.0给科技伦理带来的风险与挑战

2010年以来,以信息化、智能化、物理、数字和生物等领域新技术融合为标志的工业革命4.0,给社会生产生活带来巨大变化和新的机遇,同时,也使人类陷入前所未有的新的伦理困境。工业革命4.0有其深刻的历史根源,西方主要学术流派对工业革命4.0带来的科技伦理风险进行了反思,并提出了有代表性的观点。在此基础上,系统梳理了全球化时代工业革命4.0的科技进步带来的伦理挑战,探讨了新时代科技与工程教育的新视角、新观点与新方法。     

A technology gap interpretation of growth paths in Asia and Latin America

This paper presents a North-South technology gap model which combines the Schumpeterian approach to technical and structural change with the Keynesian perspective on effective demand and the Balance-of-Payments (BOP) constraint as drivers of growth. Three are the contributions of the paper. First, it develops a model in which the technology gap, relative productivity and relative wages co-evolve and may generate different paths of convergence or divergence between South and North depending on the parameters of the model. Second, the parameters of the model are associated with different types of policies, which allows for discussing how these policies may change the growth path. Finally, the model is used to discuss the contrasting experiences of Asia and Latin America since 1970. Convergence in Asia and divergence in Latin America have been extensively debated topics in the literature on comparative economic development, which highlights the crucial role of industrial policy. It is argued that the results of the technology gap model are consistent with the findings of this literature and helps understand the forces behind convergence and divergence.     

Using a Replica of Leeuwenhoek's Microscope to Teach the History of Science and to Motivate Students to Discover the Vision and the Contributions of the First Microscopists

The history of science should be incorporated into science teaching as a means of improving learning and also to increase the students'' understanding about the nature of science. In biology education, the history of microscopy deserves a special place. The discovery of this instrument not only opened a new and fantastic microworld but also led to the development of one unifying principle of biological sciences (i.e., cell theory). The microscopes of Leeuwenhoek and Hooke opened windows into the microworld of living organisms. In the present work, the knowledge of these themes was analyzed in a group of students beginning an undergraduate biology course. Our data suggest that the history of microscopy is poorly treated at the secondary school level. We propose a didactic activity using a replica of Leeuwenhoek''s microscope made with Plexiglas and a lens obtained from a key chain laser pointer or from a broken CD drive. The proposed activity motivated students to learn about microscopy and helped them to appreciate scientific knowledge from a historical perspective.     

Meanings given to algebraic symbolism in problem-posing

Some errors in the learning of algebra suggest that students might have difficulties giving meaning to algebraic symbolism. In this paper, we use problem posing to analyze the students’ capacity to assign meaning to algebraic symbolism and the difficulties that students encounter in this process, depending on the characteristics of the algebraic statements given. We designed a written questionnaire composed of eight closed algebraic statements expressed symbolically, which was administered to 55 students who had finished their compulsory education and who had some previous experience in problem-posing. In our analysis of the data, we examine both syntactic and semantic structures of the problem posed. We note that in most cases students posed problems with syntactic structures different to those given. They did not include computations within variables, and changed the kinds of relationships connecting variables. Students easily posed problems for statements with additive structures. Other differences in the type of problems posed depend on the characteristics of the given statements.     

A model for the effective engagement of all stakeholders in engineering education and its pilot implementation

Methodologies for engineering learning and teaching (MELT) approach aims to enhance the attractiveness of education through science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) among young people, while promoting awareness of future careers in these areas. To this end, students’ expectations are considered within university programmes, aiming to an increased engagement in STEM careers. To accomplish these goals, a new and integrated approach (MELT) is presented, involving the main stakeholders in both scientific education and society. An education framework is presented, providing guidelines for an improved collaborative approach to STEM education in the future. Results from the pilot implementation of MELT are presented, from a small-scale education parliament prototype. From these initial stage and results, it is seen that there is a need for a proper alignment of expectations from all involved stakeholders, concerning the engineering education towards society’s demands.     

Assessing quality characteristics of center-based early childhood environments in Germany and Portugal: A cross-national study

Based on the knowledge that direct assessment of the quality of early childhood educational environments is becoming more and more important, this article deals with a coordinated adaptation of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) in Germany and Portugal. The ECERS, developed by Harms and Clifford (1980), is a complex rating scale, comprising 37 items, which is implemented to assess major quality characteristics of early childhood classrooms and has been used quite extensively in the US as well as in other countries. In this article we describe how the scale was adapted and we report selected results of a jointly coordinated comparative study on a sample of 103 early childhood classrooms in Germany and 88 in Portugal. The classrooms were classified according to three different types in each country. In particular, we report the item characteristics of the adapted versions, reliabilities and intercorrelations of the total scale and the apriori-subscales, and results of factor analyses. A one-way ANOVA indicates group differences between the six types of classrooms which can be meaningfully interpreted.     

Home Language and Literacy Environments and Early Literacy Trajectories of Low-Socioeconomic Status Chilean Children

This study used Latent Class Analysis to identify groups of children exposed to similar Home Language and Literacy Environments (HLLE) and explored whether belonging to a given HLLE group was related to children’s language and early literacy growth from prekindergarten to kindergarten. Participants were 1,425 Chilean mothers and their children (M_age = 52.52 months at baseline) from low-socioeconomic status households. Four HLLE groups were identified, which were associated with different trajectories of language and early literacy development. Children from groups whose mothers either read and talk about past events with them or teach them letters in addition to reading and talking about past events, showed higher relative vocabulary and letter knowledge. Implications for research and interventions are discussed.     

Antecedents and consequents of student satisfaction in higher technical-vocational education: evidence from Brazil

International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance - This article proposes a model of antecedents and consequences of student satisfaction in Higher Technical-Vocational Education (HTVE)...     

Effect of hand paddles and parachute on backstroke coordination and stroke parameters

Hand paddles and parachutes have been used in order to overload swimmers, and consequently increase the propulsive force generation in swimming. However, their use may affect not only kinematical parameters (average speed, stroke length and stroke rate), but also time gaps between propulsive phases, assessed through the index of coordination (IdC). The objective of this study was to assess the effects of hand paddles and parachute use, isolated or combined, on kinematical parameters and coordination. Eleven swimmers (backstroke 50-m time: 29.16 ± 1.43 s) performed four 15-m trials in a randomised order at maximal intensity: (1) without implements (FREE), (2) with hand paddles (HPD), (3) with parachute (PCH) and (4) with hand paddles plus parachute (HPD+PCH). All trials were video-recorded (60 Hz) in order to assess average speed, stroke rate, stroke length, five stroke phases and index of coordination. When average swimming speed was compared to FREE, it was lower in PCH and HPD+PCH, and higher in HPD. Stroke rate decreased in all overloaded trials compared to FREE. The use of hand paddles and parachute increased and decreased stroke length, respectively. In addition, propulsive phase duration was increased when hand paddles were used, and time gaps shifted towards zero (no time gap), especially when hand paddles were combined with parachute. It is conceivable that the combined use of hand paddles and parachute, once allowing overloading both propulsive and resistive forces, provides a specific stimulus to improve muscle strength and propulsive continuity.