Measuring adolescent science motivation

To monitor science motivation, 232 tenth graders of the college preparatory level (‘Gymnasium’) completed the Science Motivation Questionnaire II (SMQ-II). Additionally, personality data were collected using a 10-item version of the Big Five Inventory. A subsequent exploratory factor analysis based on the eigenvalue-greater-than-one criterion, extracted a loading pattern, which in principle, followed the SMQ-II frame. Two items were dropped due to inappropriate loadings. The remaining SMQ-II seems to provide a consistent scale matching the findings in literature. Nevertheless, also possible shortcomings of the scale are discussed. Data showed a higher perceived self-determination in girls which seems compensated by their lower self-efficacy beliefs leading to equality of females and males in overall science motivation scores. Additionally, the Big Five personality traits and science motivation components show little relationship.     

AutoFocus – Ein Werkzeugprototyp zur Entwicklung eingebetteter Systeme

Der Beitrag stellt AutoFocus vor, einen Werkzeugprototyp zur Entwicklung verteilter, eingebetteter Systeme auf der Grundlage formaler Techniken. AutoFocus unterstützt die Systementwicklung mit integrierten, im wesentlichen graphischen Beschreibungstechniken, mit deren Hilfe sowohl unterschiedliche Sichten als auch verschiedene Abstraktionsebenen eines Systems beschrieben werden. Um konsistente und vollst?ndige Beschreibungen sicherzustellen, bietet AutoFocus die M?glichkeit, Konsistenzbedingungen zu formulieren und Systembeschreibungen daraufhin zu überprüfen. Aus ausführbaren Spezifikationen k?nnen Prototypen des entwickelten Systems erzeugt werden und in einer Simulationsumgebung ausgeführt und visualisiert werden. Zur formalen Verifikation von Systemeigenschaften verfügt AutoFocusüber Anbindungen an Modellprüfungswerkzeuge wie -cke oder SMV.     

Travelling the Unpaved Road to Democracy from Communism: A Cross‐Cultural Perspective on Change

The basic subject of this article is change, how one copes with it, how it can or cannot be guided. More specifically, the author, a Czech‐American scholar, examines the processes and the trauma of the post‐1989 transition in his country of birth with an eye to how education, particularly higher education, can contribute to a successful outcome to transition affecting all of society while undergoing transition itself. Crucial to the presentation and arguments of the author is his conviction that the period of communist rule in Czechoslovakia, as in the other central and eastern European countries, was intellectually and morally damaging. For the citizens of the Czech Republic as well as for those of the other central and eastern European countries who also experienced communism and who are now trying to recover from it, it is necessary that they develop a clear understanding of what communism really represented and what it did to them. For them to gain this understanding, the catharsis that goes with it, and the possibility of developing successful reforms that will move their countries forward in a constructive way, they must develop a number of cross‐cultural skills through familiarity with a number of social science and educational disciplines that were more‐or‐less closed to them. The author proposes ways in which these skills can be learned and education at all levels profoundly reformed.     

Sum of squares of deviations

The question is whether or not we or any student are allowed to define a measure of variability in some other way that is not written in textbooks and officially approved. We compare the sum of squares of all deviations against the usual sum of squares of deviations from the mean.     

Kinematic differences of elite and high-performance tennis players in the cross court and down the line forehand

This study identified and compared the full body kinematics of different skill levels in the forehand groundstroke when balls were hit cross court and down the line. Forty-three three-dimensional retroreflective marker trajectories of six elite and seven high-performance players were recorded using an eight-camera 400 Hz, Vicon motion analysis system. The six highest horizontal velocity forehands with reliable kinematics of all participants were analysed for each specific situation (a total of 156 analysed shots). Significant differences (p < 0.01) and large effect sizes were observed between elite and high-performance players in linear velocity of the shoulder (2.0 vs. 1.2 m/s), angular velocity of the pelvis (295 vs. 168 degrees/s), and angular velocity of the upper trunk (453 vs. 292 degrees/s) at impact. The elite group showed a tendency towards higher racquet velocities at impact (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found in angular displacement of the racquet, hip alignment, or shoulder alignment at the completion of the backswing; nor did angular displacement vary significantly at impact. Irrespective of the group, different shoulder, hip, and racquet angles were found at impact, depending on the situation. The results should assist coaches when striving to improve their players' forehand.     

海德格尔—马克思主义：元儒家的要素

近代以来的历史是一部人的异化史,近代以来的技术进步是存在遗忘自身的过程。海德格尔和马克思认为,这是一个不可避免的过程,是人类进步必须付出的代价。但是,从东方的儒家、道家和佛教所组成的＂元儒家＂的思想出发,我们可以证明,资本主义和帝国主义及其带来的灾难并不拥有必然性的光环。从另一个角度看,从教条主义中解放出来的马克思主义和海德格尔的关于存在之思可以与＂元儒家＂共同承担起对当代社会的批判以及对未来社会的建构的使命,并因此而成为＂元儒家＂的核心要素。     

Concept Mapping Assessment of Media Assisted Learning in Interdisciplinary Science Education

Acquisition of conceptual knowledge is a central aim in science education. In this study we monitored an interdisciplinary hypermedia assisted learning unit on hibernation and thermodynamics based on cooperative learning. We used concept mapping for the assessment, applying a pre-test/post-test design. In our study, 106 9th graders cooperated by working in pairs (n = 53) for six lessons. As an interdisciplinary learning activity in such complex knowledge domains has to combine many different aspects, we focused on long-term knowledge. Learners working cooperatively in dyads constructed computer-supported concept maps which were analysed by specific software. The data analysis encompassed structural aspects of the knowledge corresponding to a target reference map. After the learning unit, the results showed the acquisition of higher-order domain-specific knowledge structures which indicates successful interdisciplinary learning through the hypermedia learning environment. The benefit of using a computer-assisted concept mapping assessment for research in science education, and in science classrooms is considered.     

Implementation of concept mapping to novices: reasons for errors,a matter of technique or content?

Concept mapping is discussed as a means to promote meaningful learning and in particular progress in reading comprehension skills. Its increasing implementation necessitates the acquisition of adequate knowledge about frequent errors in order to make available an effective introduction to the new learning method. To analyse causes of errors, 283 A‐level sixth graders produced concept maps about two differently complex subject matter lessons, we implemented in a pre‐lesson. We defined six types of errors and analysed the distribution and contingency tables in both subject matters. Students in general produced more complex concept maps in the context of the easier subject matter (A) than that of the difficult content (B). Whereas in the former errors simply indicated knowledge gaps, in the latter they often reflected technical misconceptions. The occurrence of a content‐dependent technical error in (B) pointed to a cognitive overload, since the more difficult content is hypothesised to cause higher intrinsic load. From this following, concept mapping could provoke an instructional enrichment by additionally revealing specific knowledge gaps.     

The role of path length- and speed-related factors for the enhancement of section performance in alpine giant slalom

Knowing how to enhance alpine skiing performance is essential for effective coaching. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of path length- and speed-related factors for performance enhancement, while skiing on a homogeneously set/constantly inclined giant slalom course section (average gate distance: 27?m; offset: 8?m; slope inclination: 26°). During a video-based three-dimensional kinematic field-experiment, the data of six athletes who skied a two-gate section on four different types of skis were collected. The performance parameter analysed was section time. The performance predictors analysed were centre of mass (CoM), path length and the change in specific mechanical energy per entrance speed along the analysed section. Furthermore, since the current study examined alpine skiing performance within short sections, the skier’s entrance speed was also considered. Classified as a high-performance and a low-performance group based on section time, slow and fast trials significantly differed in CoM path length, the change in specific mechanical energy per entrance speed and entrance speed. The entrance speed of all trials analysed ranged between 15.25 and 17.66?m/s. In trials with both high and low entrance speed, the change in specific mechanical energy per entrance speed was found to be more relevant for the prediction of section time than CoM path length. However, further studies should investigate whether such a prioritization can be unrestrictedly generalized to other situations, such as entrance speeds, course sets, slope inclinations and competition disciplines different to those assessed in the current study.