Factors Affecting Students' Acceptance of Tablet PCs: A Study in Italian High Schools

To maximize the advantages of the tablet personal computer (TPC) at school, this technology needs to be accepted by students as new tool for learning. With reference to the Technology Acceptance Model and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, the aims of this study were (a) to analyze factors influencing high school students' acceptance of TPCs and (b) to detect any difference in this influence considering the frequency of TPC use, students' gender, and school grade. Two hundred and ninety-six students from six high schools in the Milan area participated in the study. Data were collected using an online survey. The results showed that empowerment in learning, perceived usefulness, and support conditions affect learning use, and empowerment in learning and affect influence communicative use of TPCs. The implications of these results are discussed. (Keywords: tablets, acceptance, digital technologies, high school, path analysis)     

A Critical Mapping of Practice‐Based Research as Evidenced by Swedish Architectural Theses

This article presents an investigation that was funded by the Swedish Institute into the role of creative practice in architectural research as evidenced in Swedish doctoral theses. The sample was mapped and analysed in terms of clusters of interest, approaches, cultures of knowledge and uses of creative practice. This allowed the identification of the ontological, epistemological and methodological attitudes of the researchers, and hence a glimpse of their implicit worldview. The authors claim that the relationship between worldview and research actions in emerging areas of research such as architecture is often under‐scrutinised, resulting in a disjunction between aims and strategies for action. Architectural research in which creative practices make an essential contribution to the aims, might represent something new in academic research. The investigators therefore focused on identifying cases in which creative practice was – or was claimed to be – integrated in an essential way into the research process. There were two principal conclusions. The first was that the mere presence of practice was not necessarily an indicator of so‐called arts‐based research. The second was that cases of arts‐based research that could be regarded as a new paradigm – as opposed to a variant of existing paradigms – are less common than is claimed by the researchers themselves. As a result, this article makes a contribution to the debate on whether so‐called practice‐based research should be regarded as a distinct new paradigm.     

Reflecting geometrical shapes: approaches of primary students to reflection tasks and relations to typical error patterns

Educational Studies in Mathematics - Students’ issues dealing with reflection tasks, especially with inclined mirror lines, are widely known. Previous research conducted with primary school...     

The role of spatial ability in mixed reality learning with the HoloLens

The use of mixed reality in science education has been increasing and as such it has become more important to understand how information is learned in these virtual environments. Spatial ability is important in many learning contexts, but especially in neuroanatomy education where learning the locations and spatial relationships between brain regions is paramount. It is currently unclear what role spatial ability plays in mixed reality learning environments, and whether it is different compared to traditional physical environments. To test this, a learning experiment was conducted where students learned neuroanatomy using both mixed reality and a physical plastic model of a brain (N = 27). Spatial ability was assessed and analyzed to determine its effect on performance across the two learning modalities. The results showed that spatial ability facilitated learning in mixed reality (β = 0.21, P = 0.003), but not when using a plastic model (β = 0.08, P = 0.318). A non-significant difference was observed between the modalities in terms of knowledge test performance (d = 0.39, P = 0.052); however, mixed reality was more engaging (d = 0.59, P = 0.005) and learners were more confident in the information they learned compared to using a physical model (d = 0.56, P = 0.007). Overall, these findings suggest that spatial ability is more relevant in virtual learning environments, where the ability to manipulate and interact with an object is diminished or abstracted through a virtual user interface.     

Exploring metropolitan university pre-service teacher motivations and barriers to teaching in rural schools

Staffing shortages has been a consistent problem for Australian rural schools. This paper addresses the rural staffing shortage by exploring the motivations and barriers faced by pre-service teachers in an Australian metropolitan university as they explore the prospect of teaching in a rural school. The paper examines two research ideas prevalent in the research literature. Firstly, that introducing pre-service teachers to rural placement experiences enhances their desire to seek teaching positions in rural schools. Secondly, that pre-service teachers from regional or rural backgrounds are more likely to seek teaching jobs in rural settings than their metropolitan counterparts. We draw on data from a longitudinal qualitative study with pre-service teachers in a metropolitan university that were interviewed before, during and after their rural placement. We found that while the second idea stands the test, the first idea, undertaking a rural placement, is not a guarantee to redressing the staffing shortage.     

An intervention promoting understanding of achievement emotions with middle school students

European Journal of Psychology of Education - This study investigated the efficacy of an evidence-based intervention aimed at enhancing middle school students’ understanding of achievement...     

How reliable are students’ evaluations of teaching quality? A variance components approach

The inter-rater reliability of university students’ evaluations of teaching quality was examined with cross-classified multilevel models. Students (N = 480) evaluated lectures and seminars over three years with a standardised evaluation questionnaire, yielding 4224 data points. The total variance of these student evaluations was separated into the variance components of courses, teachers, students and the student/teacher interaction. The substantial variance components of teachers and courses suggest reliability. However, a similar proportion of variance was due to students, and the interaction of students and teachers was the strongest source of variance. Students’ individual perceptions of teaching and the fit of these perceptions with the particular teacher greatly influence their evaluations. This casts some doubt on the validity of student evaluations as indicators of teaching quality and suggests that aggregated evaluation scores should be used with caution.     

An analysis of building methods: chemical-physical and archaeological analyses of micro-layer coatings on medieval facades in the centre of Genoa

The present research is an attempt to create a link among different disciplines and to confirm stratigraphic observations through chemical analyses. It involved detailed colorimetric examination and in-depth chemical-physical study of the samples taken from the historical centre of Genoa, which enabled connections to be made among many data. This led to the creation of an analytical method that is applicable to various geographical sites. Examinations involved several experimental techniques: X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy and infrared spectroscopy; the data were compared with those from the stratigraphic examination. A detailed investigation of the Ligurian climate, including data kindly supplied by the Environment Department of the Provincia di Genova, allowed us to explain the presence of particular chemical substances and suggested how they might have been formed.     

Moving toward a grand theory of development: in memory of Esther Thelen

This paper is in memory of Esther Thelen, who passed away while President of the Society for Research in Child Development. A survey of Esther Thelen's career reveals a trajectory from early work on simple movements like stepping, to the study of goal-directed reaching, to work on the embodiment of cognition, and, ultimately, to a grand theory of development--dynamic systems theory. Four central concepts emerged during her career: (1) a new emphasis on time; (2) the proposal that behavior is softly assembled from the interaction of multiple subsystems; (3) the embodiment of perception, action, and cognition; and (4) a new respect for individuality. Esther Thelen communicated these ideas to scientists and practitioners alike, so the ultimate benefactors of her work were children.