Enhancing Student Motivation: A Schoolwide Approach

What little motivational research is directed toward the practical world of education is primarily addressed to classroom teachers. We presume to speak to those in school leadership roles. Building on current interest in restructuring schools as well as the recent attention to motivational issues, we suggest how the school as a whole can be redesigned so as to enhance student motivation and learning. Our proposal is based firmly on an established program of research and is framed by goal theory. In addition to presenting a rationale for school change and a process to effect that change, we describe an ongoing project based on the theory and directed toward school change.     

Student interest: A two-study re-examination of the concept

Two studies were conducted for the purpose of validating an 18-item version of the Learner Empowerment Scale (LES) as a measure of student interest. The LES consists of three subscales that measure students’ perceptions of meaningfulness, impact, and feelings of competence. These three constructs are frequently identified by education researchers as dimensions of student interest. In Study One, there were no differences between the psychometric qualities of the 18-item measure and the 29-item measure. Additionally, the relationships between the two versions with measures of student motivation did not differ significantly from each other. In Study Two, relationships were explored between the three dimensions of the 18-item LES and students’ motives for communicating with their instructors. The results of these two studies provide preliminary reliability and validity for the shortened version of the LES as a measure of student interest.     

Understanding Emotional Response Theory: The Role of Instructor Power and Justice Messages

Self‐efficacy is the belief or confidence people have in their ability to achieve their goals. This study tested a path model involving past communicative experience, situation difficulty, self‐efficacy, interpersonal communication competence, and interpersonal communication outcomes. We found that self‐efficacy mediated the effect of past experience and situation difficulty on interpersonal communication outcomes. Interpersonal communication competence directly effected rewarding, satisfying communication. The study also provided concurrent validity information on the Interpersonal Communication Competence Scale, a skills measure of competence that taps 10 dimensions of the construct.     

从精英到大众再到普及高等教育的反思：二战后现代社会高等教育的形态与阶段

30多年前,马丁·特罗撰文首次提出关于高等教育转型的一系列概念(Trow,1973),阐述了高等教育的三种形态:精英的、大众的、普及的.由于现代高等教育体系比30多年前庞大得多,也更加多样化和复杂,因而,马丁·特罗在本文中再次思考这些概念和模式中的某些部分,探索它们是否对理解现代高等教育体系继续有用.文章突出以近期欧洲的发展为背景,考察了那些概念在用以阐述当前情形时是否需要以及在哪些地方需要修正--甚至修正是否可能.本文译者受马丁·特罗生前授权,将本文加以翻译发表,以飨读者.     

Computer-assisted argument mapping: a <Emphasis Type="Italic">rationale</Emphasis> approach

Computer-Assisted Argument Mapping (CAAM) is a new way of understanding arguments. While still embryonic in its development and application, CAAM is being used increasingly as a training and development tool in the professions and government. Inroads are also being made in its application within education. CAAM claims to be helpful in an educational context, as a tool for students in responding to assessment tasks. However, to date there is little evidence from students that this is the case. This paper outlines the use of CAAM as an educational tool within an Economics and Commerce Faculty in a major Australian research university. Evaluation results are provided from students from a CAAM pilot within an upper-level Economics subject. Results indicate promising support for the use of CAAM and its potential for transferability within the disciplines. If shown to be valuable with further studies, CAAM could be included in capstone subjects, allowing computer technology to be utilised in the service of generic skill development.     

Race,Power, and (In)equity Within Two-way Immersion Settings

Two-way immersion schools provide a promising model for service delivery to students who are English language learners. With the goals of bilingualism, academic excellence, and cross cultural appreciation, these schools are designed to build bridges across linguistically heterogeneous student bodies. Yet while empirical evidence demonstrates that the two-way immersion model can be effective in these regards, we know little about how such schools address other dimensions of diversity, including race, ethnicity, class, and disability. This study contributes to filling this gap by critically analyzing these dimensions in the areas of recruitment and retention in two two-way immersion schools.     

The impact of goal orientation, self-reflection and personal characteristics on the acquisition of oral presentation skills

Although many educators help others to develop oral presentation skills, little research is available to direct the instructional design activities of these educators. In the present article an explorative study on university freshman is described, in which goal-setting, self-reflection, and several characteristics of the subjects during oral presentations were analysed. The research results emphasize the critical impact of motivational constructs, such as self-efficacy and goal orientation, next to the topic of the oral presentation on the acquisition of oral presentation skills.     

Innovation patterns and location of European low- and medium-technology industries

Does a specific innovation pattern of low- and medium-low-technology (LMT) industries exist, and if so, can this pattern be the basis for autonomous, economically successful development? This study based on Fourth Community Innovation Survey (CIS4) data finds, as predicted by Pavitt [Pavitt, K., 1984. Sectoral patterns of technical change: towards a taxonomy and a theory. Research Policy 13, 343-373], that LMT industries are characterised by process, organisational and marketing innovations, by weak internal innovation capabilities and by strong dependencies on the external provision of machines, equipment and software. Suppliers are the most important source for their information and knowledge. On the one hand, firms in LMT industries are an essential pillar of advanced industrial regions. On the other hand, an alternative growth path-based predominantly on LMT industries does not appear to exist. LMT industries are shrinking in Western Europe and companies in these industries are relocating to Eastern Europe. In general, regions with a high proportion of LMT industries have a lower gross domestic product, though so do regions with high proportions of high- and medium-high-technology industries. The economic potential of regions specialised in knowledge-intensive services and characterised by high employment rates and qualified employees is higher than that of industrial regions.     

汽车干式离合器啮合时的产热和传热（英文）

目的:本研究旨在凸显热效应在离合系统动态摩擦分析中的重要性以及将其拓展到制动系统的可能性。创新点:采用一种未被报道过的新方法从根本上整合摩擦特性、微结构组分、产热机理、摩擦片磨损和传热机制。方法:基于能量守恒原理,针对由飞轮、摩擦片和压力板构成的离合系统提出一种适用于工业应用的热分区网络解析模型。结论:1.通过实测得到的μ-ν特性表明,新的摩擦片具有磨损片子所不具备的温度敏感性。2.通过对磨损片子的微结构分析以及热导率变化的测量显示,晶格结构中铜颗粒损耗会导致其导热性能减弱。3.使用摩擦计的测量结果显示新的摩擦片相对于磨损片子具有更高的摩擦系数;较高的摩擦系数减轻了离合器啮合时产生的界面滑移的程度,从而减小了由于产热导致的摩擦功率损耗。4.根据本文发展的热学模型,新的摩擦片可通过其优良的导热性将摩擦产生的热量释放出去。