Reducing anxiety in gifted children by inducing relaxation

Sixty-four parents of Chinese gifted children who reported themselves to be traditional or Westernized parents were compared on their endorsement of Chinese traditional and Western parenting values and beliefs as well as their parenting style dimensions in terms of dominating control, guan, and warmth. Regardless of their degrees of Westernization, these parents seemed to be more characterized by collectivistic than individualistic thinking approaches based on Nisbett's conceptualization. More Westernized parents valued nonconformity significantly more than conformity, whereas less-Westernized parents placed more emphasis on the importance of unconditional respect for elders and interdependence than on conditional respect and child independence. Regarding parenting styles and practices, though all parents endorsed the practice of warmth significantly more, followed by guan, and significantly less dominating control, there was suggestive evidence that less-Westernized parents practiced guan more than more-Westernized parents. Implications of the findings for parenting gifted children are discussed.     

小学英语教育转岗培训教学初探

随着小学英语教育的改革与发展,小学英语师资短缺问题急需解决。开展小学英语教育转岗培训是目前解决这一问题的途径之一。本文阐述了开展小学英语教育转岗培训的背景,结合自身实践,主要探讨了在实施培训教学过程中值得注意的几个问题。     

Pulling my gut out—Simple tools for engaging students in gross anatomy lectures

A lecture is not necessarily a monologue, promoting only passive learning. If appropriate techniques are used, a lecture can stimulate active learning too. One such method is demonstration, which can engage learners' attention and increase the interaction between the lecturer and the learners. This article describes two simple and useful tools for demonstration during gross anatomy lectures. One is an apron for demonstrating midgut rotation and the other is a simple “human” model for demonstrating the relationship between the uterus and the peritoneum. Anat Sci Educ. © 2010 American Association of Anatomists.     

The effects of cognitive strategy instruction on Chinese reading comprehension among Hong Kong low achieving students

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive strategy instruction (CSI) on Chinese reading comprehension of Hong Kong low achieving students. A total of 88 Grade 7 students from four intact Chinese language remedial groups were randomly assigned to treatment and control conditions. Students in the treatment group received a 6-week Chinese CSI Program in their regular Chinese language lessons. The findings in this study generally supported that the Program had a positive impact on the reading development of low achieving students. Students who received strategy instruction made superior gains in comprehension performance, used more strategies during their reading process, had more knowledge about, strategy use, and showed a more positive attitude toward the reading instruction than did their peers who received traditional Chinese language instruction. Students’ improvements on their strategy use and reading comprehension were maintained 4 months after the termination of the Program. However, the positive treatment effects of the Program were not transferred to other school subject materials, and students’ reading motivation did not have significant changes after the Program. Factors contributing to the success of the Program as well as its limitations are discussed.     

Advocacy for gender minority students: recommendations for school counsellors

Abstract

Research shows that teachers’ and educators’ responses to gender diversity issues in schools either improves or limits the experiences of students. The school counsellor has an important role to play in this process by working closely with other stakeholders to advocate for transgender, intersex and genderqueer (TIG) students. Following a review of recent developments in the USA, recommendations are made and resources identified to assist school counsellors in validating TIG students, and improving school systems in pursuit of their academic, social and emotional success.     

促进跨学科研究的有效组织模式研究——基于斯坦福大学Bio-x跨学科研究计划的分析及启示

跨学科研究是当代高校适应和服务于经济社会及科学技术发展的重要途径,如何有效组织跨学科研究是摆在高校面前的重大现实课题之一。美国斯坦福大学Bio-x计划在跨学科研究的管理体制和运行机制方面进行了积极的探索和实践,取得了显著成效,包括科学的跨学科战略规划、创新创业的组织文化、有效的跨学科研究平台、实体运作的体制及项目驱动的机制、与产业界紧密联系等成为其成功的关键因素。本文对斯坦福大学B io-x跨学科研究计划进行深入研究和分析,旨在为中国高校跨学科研究的有效组织提供借鉴。     

Amplifying organisational discourses to the public: Media narratives of Teach For Australia, 2008–2020

Alternative teacher education programmes have emerged in many countries as a new approach to recruiting, educating and placing teachers in underperforming schools. The media plays an important role in framing perceptions of these programmes and their teachers, including in Australia, but this has not been the subject of significant research to date. This study examines how one alternative teacher education programme—Teach For Australia (TFAus)—has been positioned and framed within the news media since its inception. It critically analyses the portrayal of TFAus and concomitant educational discourses to explore their connection to larger issues surrounding teacher education and teaching quality. Drawing on an analysis of 122 print/online media articles, we identify narratives related to prestige, benevolence and the ‘alternative’ nature of the programme, alongside a narrative critical of TFAus. Despite this critical narrative, in investigating and opening up a dialogue on the perceptions and depictions of TFAus, we posit that the programme—although controversial in nature—has generally benefited from print media coverage, advancing its reputation as a major contributor to education reform and champion of educational equity.     

A Two-Stage Approach to Synthesizing Covariance Matrices in Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Modeling

A great obstacle for wider use of structural equation modeling (SEM) has been the difficulty in handling categorical variables. Two data sets with known structure between 2 related binary outcomes and 4 independent binary variables were generated. Four SEM strategies and resulting apparent validity were tested: robust maximum likelihood (ML), tetrachoric correlation matrix input followed by SEM ML analysis, SEM ML estimation for the sum of squares and cross-products (SSCP) matrix input obtained by the log-linear model that treated all variables as dependent, and asymptotic distribution-free (ADF) SEM estimation. SEM based on the SSCP matrix obtained by the log-linear model and SEM using robust ML estimation correctly identified the structural relation between the variables. SEM using ADF added an extra parameter. SEM based on tetrachoric correlation input did not specify the data generating process correctly. Apparent validity was similar for all models presented. Data transformation used in log-linear modeling can serve as an input for SEM.     

创业团队的认知锁定对创业团队稳定性的影响——基于创业团队的多案例研究

 由于创业活动充满不确定性,创业团队的稳定性对新企业的生存和发展十分重要。目前针对创业团队的研究多从团队的异质性出发,其可能导致的不稳定性问题的研究相对匮乏。本文从创业团队认知的角度出发,通过对国内4个创业活跃程度不同地区的15个创业团队进行案例研究,分析创业团队内部的认知锁定形成及其对创业团队稳定性的影响。研究结果显示：（1）交互记忆系统对认知锁定的形成具有促进作用。高度发展交互记忆系统的创业团队最终形成创业团队内部成员间的认知锁定。（2）已形成认知锁定的创业团队倾向于利用团队内部的先前经验积累或搜索内部知识解决意外事件。（3）认知锁定可以促进创业团队的稳定性。（4）认知锁定阻碍创业团队决策模式的创新,不利于创业企业长期绩效的提升。