Introduction to this Special Issue

In 2001, for the first time in the history of the International Association for Counselling, International Conference was held in a developing Asian country–India, with the theme Families in Transition–Counselling in Transition–Meeting the Challenges Ahead. This special issue contains some of the presentations made by Indian participants during this conference which best reflect the challenges and diversities of counseling efforts with families in India. The first article was specially written for this issue in order to give an international relationship of this journal an in depth contextual understanding of Indian families in transition and the challenges they pose to the contemporary Indian counselor. Two articles are reflected to counseling families affected by socio-politial and economic changes. Five authors have written on counseling related to physical and mental disability/addiction and last two articles are reflected to authors experiences as family counselors.     

多民族环境下的语言变迁与基础教育发展——以广西龙胜各族自治县泗水乡为例

以广西龙族各族自治县泗水乡民族语言变迁和基础教育发展及其互动为对象，重点探讨了泗水乡的语言及其变迁，泗水乡语言变迁的动力与基础教育发展，进而研究了地方民族文化传承与教育语言的关系，强调了通过民族语言文字的方式来实现民族文化传承的观点。     

热学孤立系统中温升变化的实验分析

通过对热学孤立系统中温升变化的实验分析，阐明影响热学孤立系统实验结果的主要因素，所得到的结论对热学孤立系统的同类实验也适用。     

Effect of Air Velocity on Thermal Comfort under Thermal Environment Ramp Changing

Set points of the indoor air temperature and relative humidity in short-term staying location were studied. In this condition, the thermal reaction of human body varied with the ramp changes of the environmental thermal parameters. The change rules of about 60 subjects‘ thermal reaction to the ramp change of environment were surveyed, and the effect of air movement on the thermal reaction during transient condition was considered by using a questionnaire. With the experimental results and research findings under stable condition, a way to set environmental parameters of short-time staying location was recommended.     

"加工转化"意识与技巧在高等数学解题中的应用

“加工转化”是高等数学解题中行之有效的一种方法和技巧．根据解题实践总结了5种常用的加工转化方法，并逐一结合实例阐述加工转化意识的产生根源和具体方法的运用技巧．     

Teaching Traditions in Science Teachers’ Practices and the Introduction of National Testing

Our main interest in this article is to explore whether Swedish teachers changed their teaching and assessment practices in relation to the new national tests in science education that were introduced 2009. Data was collected using a web-distributed questionnaire, which was answered by 407 teachers. The concept of teaching traditions is used to capture patterns of what is emphasized by teachers in terms of goals and content in teaching and the design of the questionnaire was based on the concept of curriculum emphases. The results show two distinct groups of focus, which are compared with two traditions within science education: the Academic and the Moral tradition. The main content where teaching has been changed is in making science more applied than before, where applied not only means the application of science knowledge to practical technical issues, but also to moral and political issues.     

浅谈动机研究取向的变化和发展

在过去一百多年的历史里,随着科学的发展,动机研究的指导思想从科学取向向人文取向发展;研究的内容从关注低级的生理需要发展到人类高级的社会行为;研究的方法从直接由动物实验结果类推发展到研究人类自身的行为.在不久的未来,更加科学的指导思想和研究方法将出现在动机研究领域.     

对景观变异的审视

景观变异是人类主动或被动建构更适于自身生存空间的结果，对景观的审视，更重要的是应关注其背后人们观念和行为模式的变化。     

Conceptual change through vicarious learning in an authentic physics setting

Recent research on principles of best practice for designing effective multimedia instruction has rarely taken into account students’ alternative conceptions, which are known to strongly influence learning. The goal of this study was to determine how well students of quantum mechanics could learn ‘vicariously’ by watching a student-tutor dialogue based on alternative conceptions. Two video treatments were created to summarize key aspects of quantum tunneling, a fundamental quantum mechanical phenomenon. One video depicted a student-tutor dialogue, incorporating many of the common alternative conceptions on the topic, and resolving inconsistencies in reasoning through discussion. The other presented the same correct physics material in an expository style without alternative conceptions. Second year physics students were randomly assigned to one of the two treatments and were tested before and after watching the video during a lecture. Results show a statistically significant (p < .01) advantage for the learners in the dialogue treatment (d = 0.71). Follow-up interviews of students yielded insight into the affective and cognitive benefits of the dialogue video.     

Theory Competition and the Process of Change

The reasons why many educational change initiatives have little impact are often framed in terms of either a poorly designed process on the part of the change initiator, or in terms of problems with the attitudes, skills and/or knowledge of those responsible for implementation. In this paper, we seek to integrate these two perspectives more closely by focusing on their interface and the competing theories frequently held by the change initiators and implementers. This concept of theory competition is illustrated with a case of a national literacy initiative in New Zealand in which the change initiators wished to raise the achievement of low performing students through the development of “learning-centred” leadership in schools and evidence-based practice. The desired outcomes were not achieved because theories about what it means to be a successful leader in such a situation, the data needed to undertake the type of evidence-based analysis envisioned and school personnel beliefs about the target students were understood differently by those responsible for initiating the change and those responsible for implementing it.