Promoting Interest by Supporting Learner Autonomy: the Effects of Teaching Behaviour in Biology Lessons

Research in Science Education - In self-determination theory, Ryan and Deci (2017) propose that psychological well-being is based on three innate psychological needs: relatedness, competence, and...     

Privatisation,Decentralisation And Governance In Education In The Czech Republic,England, France,Germany And Sweden

The Czech Republic, England, France, Germany and Sweden differ culturally and economically, but they commonly exhibit general trends of decentralisation in the control of educational processes and outcomes. The present contribution looks at these five European countries as the venue for case studies in educational restructuring as well as evaluation, assessment and reporting. It shows that such trends have been most radical in the Czech Republic and Sweden, while England has centralised curriculum policy and France has devolved some decision-making to bodies at lower levels, but as representatives of the central state.     

A Role for Epistemic Insight in Attitude and Belief Change? Lessons from a Cross-curricular Course on Evolution and Creation

This paper presents findings from a quasi-experimental study evaluating future teachers’ attitudes and beliefs in response to a cross-curricular university course on evolution and creation bridging biological and Christian theological perspectives. Based on previous findings, we hypothesized that a course providing learning opportunities for epistemic insight within this multidisciplinary arena might have effects on attitudes and beliefs relevant to the field. Hence, the main research question was the following: To what extent do student teachers’ attitudes and beliefs change by attending a cross-curricular course on evolution and creation intended to develop student teachers’ epistemic insight into the nature of science and into the relationship between science and theology? The answer from this quasi-experimental evaluation study (pre–post-design; test group n =?26, control group n =?24) is as follows: It depends upon the variable investigated! Pre–post-analysis using a repeated measures ANOVA revealed that the cross-curricular course integrating epistemic insight induced changes in creationist beliefs, in students’ perception of conflict, and in acceptance of evolution. In contrast, there was no effect on attitudes toward evolutionary theory, on attitudes toward the Biblical accounts of creation, or on scientistic beliefs. However, when student responses were analyzed individually, case-based evidence for belief change in students with scientistic positions emerged. Among the reasons for those different effects, we discuss conceptual differences between attitude and acceptance, features of the student teacher sample, and the particular content of the course explicitly addressing creationism but not scientism. In conclusion, the paper corroborates the role of epistemic insight in the multidisciplinary field of evolution and creation and provides initial evidence that epistemic insight possesses a particular potential concerning positions at both ends of the spectrum.     

How Fading Worked Solution Steps Works – A Cognitive Load Perspective

In order to facilitate the transition fromlearning from worked examples in earlier stagesof skill acquisition to problem solving inlater stages, it is effective to successivelyfade out worked solution steps – in comparisonto the traditional method of employingexample-problem pairs that is frequently usedin cognitive-load research. In the presentstudies, the learning processes and mechanismsthat occur when learning in a computer-basedlearning environment containing faded workedsolution steps were examined across twoexperiments. The first experiment showed thatthe position of the faded steps did notinfluence learning outcomes; instead,individuals learned most about those principlesthat were faded. This suggested that specificself-explanation activities are triggered byfaded steps. The second experiment investigatedthis hypothesis directly by collecting andanalyzing thinking-aloud protocols generated bythe learners during their interaction with thelearning environment. No effect on productivelearning events including self-explanationscould be found. It could, however, be shownthat fading is associated with fewerunproductive learning events and, thereby,lends itself to better learning outcomes.     

Streamlining high‐school homework

Western Youth Meets Eastern Culture. By Frances G. Sweeney, Emily Fanning Barry, and Alice E. Schoelkopf. Columbia University, 1932. Pp. xvi + 335.

Journalistic Vocations. By Charles Elkins Rogers. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1931. Pp. ix + 354.

Educational Views of Benjamin Franklin. By Thomas Woody. New York: McGraw‐Hill Book Co. 1931. Pp. ix + 270.

The Austrian Educational Institutes. By Beryl Parker. Vienna and Leipzig : Austrian Federal Publisher for Education, Science, and Art, 1931. Pp. 12 + 184.

Secondary Education. By Herbert G. Lull. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, Inc., 1932. Pp. xxii + 356.

Case Studies of Normal Adolescent Girls. By Elsie M. Smithies. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1933. Pp. ix + 284.

The Road to Health. Books I and II. By Bundesen &; Manry. New York: Laidlaw Brothers, 1932. Pp. 96 + 127.

Our Neighbors Near and Far. By Carpenter. Book One. American Book Company.

English Practice Books. Books 3, 4, and 6. By Fennek and Madden. The American Book Company.

The Art of Educational Research. By Harold H. Abelson. New York: World Book Company, 1933. Pp. xi + 332.

Educational Psychology. By Harry L. HoixingsworTh. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1933. Pp. xvi + 540.

Arithmetic Workbook, Grade I. By Clifford B. Upton. New York: American Book Company, 1933. Pp. 128.

Clothing. By Friend and Shultz. Pp. x + 300. Living in Our Homes. By Friend and Shultz. Pp. xviii + 274. New York : D. Appleton and Co., 1933.

Lina Sarger. By Marque Maier. Boston: The Christopher Publishing House, 1932. Pp. 249.

Study Guide in Secondary Education. By Edgar M. Draper and Alexander G. Roberts. New York : The Century Co., 1933. Pp. xi + 151.

Survey of Higher Education in Maine. By the University of Maine. Pp. x + 430.

Archery Simplified. By Phillip Rounsevelle. New York: A. S. Barnes and Company, 1931. Pp. vii + 120.

The Dawn of Literature. By Cam, Holliday. New York : Thomas Y. Crowell Company. Pp. 377.

Problem Solving in Arithmetic. By Leon Nelson Neulen. New York City: Bureau of Publications, Teachers College, Columbia University, 1931. Pp. v + 87.

A Text‐Book of Physics. Fourth Edition. By Louis Bevier Spinney. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1931. Pp. v + 679.

The Junior College. By Walter C. Eells. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Company, 1931. Pp. xxviii + 833.

Realism in American Education. By William Setchel Learned. Cambridge : Harvard University Press, 1932. Pp. 2 + 70.

Paraguay. By Arthur Elwood Elliott. New York City : Teachers College, Columbia University, 1931. Pp. v + 210.

Modern Business Geography. By Ellsworth Huntington and Sumner W, Cushing. New York : World Book Company. Pp. xii + 352.

The World We Live In. By Gertrude Hartman. Macmillan.

The Measurement of Certain Aspects of Personality Among Hard of Hearing Adults. By Henry Hunter Welles, III. New York : Columbia University, 1932. Pp. viii + 77.

The Educational and Occupational Preferences of College Seniors. By Marlin Ray Chauncey. New York: Columbia University, 1932. Pp. 72.

Making the Most of Books. By Leal A. Headley. Illinois: American Library Association, 1932. Pp. 342.

Relations of Religious Training and Life Patterns to the Adult Religious Life. By Luther Ellis Woodward. Teachers College, Columbia University, 1932. Pp. v + 75.     

Praxis und Verhältnis interner und externer Evaluation im Schulsystem im internationalen Vergleich

The overview article deals with the interaction of internal and external evaluation within the current paradigm of school governance. The actual practice of both approaches and the current state of research about the effects on school development is described. Both evaluation approaches are less focused on aspects of school output such as student performance, and more on school processes such as school management or the quality of teaching. External evaluation in the form of school inspection mainly fulfills the function of accountability and the identification of weak schools. Internal evaluation is probably a better way to achieve school development. However, the necessary competence to use internal evaluation as a systematic process of quality management for which each individual school takes responsibility is currently underdeveloped. Considerations about the future relationship between internal and external evaluation focus on using external evaluation as a kind of “meta-evaluation”. But before external evaluation can build on results of internal evaluation in this way, a broad capacity building in schools and a different understanding of the role of inspectors are necessary.     

Sprachförderkompetenz pädagogischer Fachkräfte

This paper introduces the basics of a (psycho)linguistically-oriented model of language-training competences of educators in pre-school and elementary education. It specifies competence criteria for language intervention based on psycholinguistic research. Ultimately, these criteria will be useful for grounding the additional training of educators and for certifying competences in early language intervention.