Acceptance of learning management system: The case of secondary school teachers

There are many ICT tools that teachers can use to support teaching and learning. In recent years, Learning Management Systems (LMSs) have been present in most higher education institutions. However, the availability of LMSs in K-12 is more recent. Furthermore, we believe that LMSs are promising even for K-12 teachers in face-to-face learning contexts because they have many educational features that can support learning with students. The goal of this study is 1) to identify the factors that influence the acceptability of the LMS by teachers, 2) to see if teachers’ ICT use influences their intention to use the LMS, and finally 3) to see if teachers’ ICT use influences their perception of the affordances of LMS educational features. The LMS in our study was introduced in a school board of more than 35,000 students and approximately 2400 teachers. To study the acceptability of the LMS, we used the Technology Acceptance Model. The results obtained from the show that the perception of usefulness is a good predictor of the intent to use the LMS. As for ICT use and the affordances of LMS educational features, the results show that they are not a good predictor of the intention to use.     

Les limites de l’atomisme enfantin; expérimentation d’une démarche d’elaboration d’un modèle particulaire par des elèves de collège

We present a teaching sequence aimed at helping pupils (13–14 years) to put into practice the activities of building and using models. Objects (particles) characterised by invariant properties (shape, dimensions, mass) are proposed as the basic elements for building models. We hypothesised that the invariance of the properties of particles would lead pupils to introduce a variability in relations between particles in order to take into account the tranformations observed. The designed learning sequence includes activities for the production of iconic representations, discussion of the relevance of these representations in relation to the phenomena observed and the use of such representations as a predictive tool. The results show the various stages in establishing the meaning of the initial axiom; they enable us to discuss the hypotheses underlying this teaching-learning sequence.     

Intrafamilial sexual abuse: brother-sister incest does not differ from father-daughter and stepfather-stepdaughter incest

OBJECTIVE: Three groups of girls who were sexually abused (by either brothers, fathers, or stepfathers) were compared. The purpose was to identify the differing characteristics of the abuse, the family environments, and the psychosocial distress of these children. METHOD: Seventy-two girls aged between 5 and 16 were assigned to one of the three groups. Subjects were matched between groups on the basis of their actual age. Children completed measures of traumatic stress; their mothers completed the Child Behavior Checklist-Parent Report Form (CBCL) and other self-report questionnaires on family characteristics. Workers in child protective services completed information regarding the nature and severity of the abuse. RESULTS: Results suggested few differences in the characteristics of sexual abuse between the three groups. However, penetration was much more frequent in the sibling incest group (70.8%) than in the stepfather incest (27.3%) or father incest (34.8%) groups. Ninety percent of the victims of fathers and brothers manifested clinically-significant distress on at least one measure, whereas 63.6% of stepfather victims did. Compared with father and stepfather perpetrators, brothers were raised in families with more children and more alcohol abuse. CONCLUSIONS: The authors conclude that the characteristics of brother-sister incest and its associated psychosocial distress did not differ from the characteristics of father-daughter incest These findings suggest that theoretical models and clinical practices should be adjusted accordingly and that sibling incest should not necessarily be construed as less severe or harmful than father-daughter incest.     

Developing Children's Understanding of Fractions: An Intervention Study

Fractions constitute a stumbling block in mathematics education. To improve children's understanding of fractions, we designed an intervention based on learning‐by‐doing activities, which focused on the representation of the magnitude of fractions. Participants were 292 Grade 4 and 5 children. Half of the classes received experimental instruction, while the other half pursued their usual lessons. For 10 weeks, they played five different games using cards representing fractions (e.g., Memory and Blackjack). Wooden disks helped them represent and manipulate fractions while playing games. Our results showed an improvement in the conceptual understanding of fractions. The findings confirmed that the usual practice in teaching fractions is largely based on procedural knowledge and provides only minimal opportunities for children to conceptualize the meaning and magnitude of fractional notations. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that a short intervention inducing children to manipulate, compare, and evaluate fractions improves their ability to associate fractional notations with numerical magnitude.     

Investigation of the hydro-mechanical behaviour of fouled ballast

In this study, a fouled ballast taken from the site of Sénissiat, France, was investigated. For the hydraulic behaviour, a large-scale cell was developed allowing drainage and evaporation tests to be carried out with monitoring of both suction and volumetric water content at various positions of the sample. It was observed that the hydraulic conductivity of fouled ballast is decreasing with suction increase, as for common unsaturated soils. The effect of fines content was found to be negligible. For the mechanical behaviour, both monotonic and cyclic triaxial tests were carried out using a large-scale triaxial cell. Various water contents were considered. The results were interpreted in terms of shear strength and permanent axial strain. It appeared that the water content is an important factor to be accounted for since any increase of water content or degree of saturation significantly decreases the shear strength and increases the permanent strain. Constitutive modelling has been attempted based on the experimental results. The model in its current state is capable of describing the effects of stress level, cycle number and water content.     

Photography and Oral History as a Means of Chronicling the Homeless in Miami: The StreetWays Project

This article describes the use of Photography and Oral History research methods as part of a collaborative research project on homelessness in Miami. Issues involving the use of documentary photography and oral history as a means of creating greater social awareness in the general public are explored, as well as broader issues of Social Justice.     

What Is Happening with Portable Computers in Schools?

This study was an exploratory of the Landes initiative to supply all pupils and teachers with portable computers and Internet at school. These surveys involved 817 pupils and parents and produced a response rate of 98% for pupils from the first survey at the beginning of the year and 798 pupils at the end of the year. The approach, which consists of identifying any variances in individual perceptions of technology, was tested in an initial In-Tele research programme in which we were involved. The questionnaire-based survey reveals low usage of information technology in terms of teaching, with no difference between the portable and test groups. Moving on from the first level study, characterizing the sites and studying their viewing frequency produces the surprising outcome that the very high number of sites viewed actually conceals a much more pessimistic reality about pedagogical uses.     

Psychometric properties of a pictorial self-concept scale among young learning disabled pupils

The aim of this study is to assess the psychometric properties of the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children (PSPCSA) (Harter & Pike, 1983) among young learning disabled pupils. The sample consisted of 105 French Canadian learning disabled pupils in Grades 1–3. All subjects completed a French translation of the PSPCSA, while 58 were retested 2–4 weeks later. The reliability analysis indicates results similar to those found in Harter and Pike's (1983) study. However, the factor analysis reveals three separate factors. These results are discussed in terms of domains of self-concept that were assessed, procedures and subjects characteristics. The main conclusion reached is that the PSPCSA should be used with caution in assessing French speaking pupils with learning disabilities. More research is needed until the instrument as reached acceptable levels of technical adequacy. 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.