Homework involvement among Hong Kong primary school students

One component of the curriculum reform in Hong Kong focuses on the use of homework in consolidating learning, deepening understanding and constructing knowledge. This study examines the profile of Hong Kong primary school students' homework involvement, and investigates the relationships between time involvement and academic attributes, namely interest in homework, interest in academic subjects, academic efficacy, and efficacy for self-regulated learning. The sample comprised 2,361 primary school students representing all six grade levels in Hong Kong. Data was collected using questionnaires and homework diaries. Results showed heavy homework involvement among primary school students in Hong Kong, especially at the senior primary level. Differential patterns across levels were observed for the relationship between homework involvement and academic attributes. Specifically, junior primary students' study-related interests and efficacies were found to decline with increasing time involvement, whereas inverted U-shape relationships were observed among senior primary students. There was concern for students with high time involvement as they received more homework and they worked slower. They were less likely to perceive the positive functions of homework, and showed poorer study-related interests and efficacy beliefs. The findings of this study provide crucial information for school personnel and educators in Hong Kong in developing homework strategies and policies that enhance teaching and learning.     

Proclaiming Library Worth in a Program Prioritization Process at a Mid-Sized Public University

Abstract

In an economic climate when colleges can no longer presume that legislators see institutions of higher learning as tacit public goods, institutions around the country are facing budget cuts. This article presents a case study of the experience of a mid-sized public state university and its Library in a budget crisis undergoing a university-wide program prioritization process. The authors review the process of writing three reports on the Library’s value, along with the approach to engaging staff in the process including a retreat. This article raises questions about what every library should consider assessing and provide tools for libraries navigating similar terrain.     

Prescribed-time containment control with prescribed performance for uncertain nonlinear multi-agent systems

The existing studies on prescribed-time control cannot directly deal with nonlinear functions which don’t satisfy Lipschitz growth conditions. No results are available for prescribed-time containment control of pure-feedback UNMASs with prescribed performance. Therefore, completely unknown nonlinear function, prescribed-time tracking of system states and prescribed performance of containment errors are simultaneously considered in this paper. Fuzzy logic systems are utilized to approximate completely unknown nonlinear function. Prescribed-performance function is introduced and further incorporated into a novel speed function. Combining the proposed speed function and barrier Lyapunov function, this article presents a novel adaptive fuzzy prescribed-time containment control method which can guarantee, under prescribed performance, all followers converge to a convex formed by dynamic leaders in a prescribed time. Moreover, all tracking errors converge to predefined regions in a prescribed time. The effectiveness of the proposed prescribed-time containment control method are confirmed by strict proof and simulation.     

Construction of periodic and solitary wave solutions for the complex nonlinear evolution equations

In this paper, we present a functional variable method for finding periodic wave and solitary wave solutions of complex nonlinear evolution equations in mathematical physics and engineering sciences. The proposed technique is tested on the generalized Zakharov equation and higher-order nonlinear Schrödinger equations. The method is straightforward and concise, and it can also be applied to other nonlinear evolution equations in applied mathematics.     

Part III: The Cambridge Years

This is the third installment in Robert Berring's autobiography, The Education of a Twentieth Century Law Librarian. The first installment is at 32 Legal Reference Services Quarterly 1 (2013). The end of the traditional world of law libraries is chronicled through a study of the workings of the Harvard Law Library in the period 1978-1981. Computerized catalogs, changing styles of reference and difficult questions of management are explored. The painful transition that faced all libraries is discussed. This is the third installment of a five part series on the profound change in law libraries during this period.     

面向个性化推荐的快速关联规则挖掘算法

关联规则挖掘是解决电子商务推荐问题的重要方法之一.针对传统关联规则挖掘算法在解决移动电子商务环境个性化推荐问题时反复扫描数据库,频繁项挖掘效率低,关联规则挖掘准确率低以及规则大量冗余等不足,提出一个基于事务矩阵和用户兴趣度的关联规则挖掘算法(Matrix-and-Interestingness-based Association Rules Mining,MIbARM).该算法仅需扫描一次数据库,并在挖掘过程中不断缩小算法搜索空间以避免生成冗余候选项,同时避免了冗余规则挖掘,从而提高了挖掘效率.最后,在四组人工数据和160种参数组合的数值实验环境下,引入Apriori、CBAR 及BitTableFI算法对MIbARM进行对比验证.结果表明,在不减少有趣规则的前提下,MIbARM不但可有效避免冗余候选项集的产生,而且大幅减少了冗余规则数量,极大提高了算法的搜索效率,同时提升了个性化推荐的质量,更适用于移动电子商务环境下的个性化推荐问题.     

Optimum calibration of a parallel kinematic manipulator using digital indicators

This paper presents a calibration method for parallel manipulators using a measurement system specially installed on an external fixed frame. The external fixed frame is important as an error reference for calibration in certain operations, such as in the configuration of a parallel manip- ulator functioning as a machine tool where the workpiece is fixed to a worktable. The pose of the end-effector is mea- sured using three digital indicators installed on the external fixed frame. To enable measurement, the end-effector is assumed to be a plane large enough that all digital indicators could touch. The error is defined as the difference between the theoretical and actual readings of the digital indicators. The geometric parameters of the parallel manipulator are optimized to minimize this error. This calibration method is low cost and feasible for compensating geometric parameter errors for a parallel manipulator. Optimal pose selection for the calibration is achieved using a swarm intelligence search algorithm. The method is implemented on a prototype of a six degrees-of-freedom （DOFs） Gough-Stewart platform constructed to function as a machine tool.     

A synthesis of research concerning creative teachers in a Canadian context

Effective teachers are often creative ones, yet an examination of creative teaching is largely invisible in the North American creativity literature. Even within education there is little about teachers’ own creative practice. Nonetheless, there are benefits to studying creative teachers: in education it can explicate ways of enhancing teachers’ creativity and enriching praxis; and in psychology it can extend our understanding of social and interpersonal creativity, as well as everyday creativity. This paper reviews 12 Canadian case studies of creative teaching conducted by a creative teaching research group. An in-depth elaboration of two themes, creative person and community, is presented.     

Competent Consultation: Developing Self-Efficacy for Process and Problem Aspects of Consultation

ABSTRACT

Using samples of novice and advanced consultants in training (CITs), this study explored the development of consultation self-efficacy (CSE) for both process-oriented and problem-oriented aspects of consultation. Regardless of experience level, self-efficacy in both domains increased with training. However, significantly greater gains were made by novice CITs as compared to their advanced counterparts. In addition, feedback collected from consultees was generally favorable, and consultants received high ratings on items that reflected both process- and problem-focused skills. Implications for consultation training are discussed.