Conceptions of Biology and Approaches to Learning of First Year Biology Students: Introducing a technique for tracking changes in learner profiles over time

We surveyed first year students at the start and at the end of their first semester of university biology (n?=?285) as to their approaches to study (surface, deep) and their conceptions of biology (fragmented, cohesive). Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to group students who responded similarly to the survey; this resolved four Learner Profiles based on specific combinations of approach to study and conception of biology. By comparing cluster membership at the start and end of the semester we could assess whether students (1) maintained their incoming approach to study and conception of the discipline of biology, i.e. their ‘Learner Profile’ and (2) whether certain Learner Profiles were more persistent than others. Approximately half the student cohort did not alter their approach to study or conceptions of biology by semester's end. Students in the disengaged profile, i.e. who returned mostly negative responses to survey items, appeared the most resistant to changing their Learner Profile; while the greatest migration occurred towards less than desirable learning strategies (particularly to the disengaged profile). We were able to confirm the significant migration patterns by assessing the heterogeneity of each cluster at the start of semester clusters with respect to the students' approaches and conceptions at the end of semester. Thus we present a process to accurately track Learner Profile changes that may tell us more about how we can enhance students' learning and provide a means by which to gather the empirical data to support decisions relating to curriculum change.     

What successful black South African students consider as factors of their success

Black South African students have a poor success rate in school leaving mathematics examinations. Attempts have been made to shift teachers' practices from teacher-centredness to learner-centredness, in Black schools, in order to improve the situation. So far, the attempts failed to yield the desired results. This paper reports on the findings of a study that aimed at learning from students and teachers in Black schools, as to what classroom practices lead to success in school mathematics, in their impoverished context.This revised version was published online in October 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

走向3E教学——三述首要教学原理

五星教学模式倡导走向3E教学．即致力于实现学生学习效果好、效率高和主动性强的宗旨。五星教学模式中的不同成分效能等级有别．聚焦完整任务、激活相关旧知、展示论证新知、尝试应用新知和融会贯通掌握都至关重要．应该采用波纹环状教学开发模式来促进实施五星教学。     

植物中有效成分提取方法的研究进展

植物的种类繁多，大部分都有药用价值，对其成分的研究一直是化学家和植物学家专注的重点。本论文主要对植物中有效成分提取的各种方法进行综述。并比较了各种方法的优缺点，为提取分离方法的选择提供了一定的指导。     

学习品质视域下的学龄前儿童教育游戏设计与开发研究

实现"游戏性"与"教育性"的有效融合是学龄前儿童教育游戏设计开发的难点。学习品质作为学龄前儿童发展的重要领域,将儿童发展的关注点从"学什么"转变为"如何学",强调要从"完整学习者"和"主动学习者"的角度看待儿童的学习过程和学习行为,为教育游戏的设计研究提供了新的视角。基于学习品质的相关成果,该研究构建了基于儿童学习品质的教育游戏设计框架,从情感/动机和行动/行为两个维度呈现了学习品质各个要素在儿童游戏过程和学习过程中的交互关系和发展过程。根据该框架设计了针对3-6岁儿童的"唐诗咏流传"教育游戏并进行了实践。初步应用表明,该游戏对儿童的兴趣、快乐、动机等要素有明显影响,对坚持性、灵活性和自我调节的促进还需要进一步研究和完善。     

Study on one-dimensional consolidation of saturated soil with semi-pirviovs boundaries and under cyclic loading

The variation of effective stress ratio of stratfied soil with semi-pervious boundaries and under cyclic loading was analyzed on the basis of Terzaghi's one-dimensional consolidation assumptions. A solution by Laplace Transform was obtained for the case when the soil was under time-varied loading. With numerical inversion of Laplace Transform, some useful results were obtained for several kinds of commonly encountered loadings. The results can be meaningful in engineering practice.     

浅谈有效教学的心理能力

文章探讨了促进教师教学有效性发挥的几个重要心理能力,分析了教师的倾听能力、批判反思能力、教学效能感等在有效教学过程中的作用.     

提高大学生英语口语能力的有效策略

通过分析大学口语教学的重要性,剖析制约学生口语水平提高的原因,探讨提高大学生口语能力的有效策略。     

晶体微粒光致旋转的研究

理论分析了光束具有的自旋角动量传递给晶体并导致其旋转的机理。并以碳酸钙粒子为例从理论上的分析了有效功率,粒子形状和大小,以及粘滞系数对旋转角速度的影响。对实验中如何提高晶体旋转角速度具有一定参考价值。     

Approaches for Effective Vocationalisation of Secondary School Agriculture in Nigeria: The Views of Agricultural Science Teachers in Delta State,Nigeria

Abstract

This paper describes a random sample of serving agricultural science teachers in Delta State, Nigeria, as a background to understanding their views on four selected approaches for effective vocationalisation of secondary school agriculture. These approaches were used to develop a 23-item questionnaire based on current literature. A five-point Likert-type scale was used to determine how well the views of the respondents corresponded with the items in the questionnaire. Results showed, among others, that the average teaching experience of the 322 sampled teachers was 12.9 years; 50.6 % of the respondents were BSc(Ed) degree holders; 38.8% had Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE), while 10.6% were Higher National Diploma (HND) holders. The respondents agreed that the identified approaches were necessary for effective vocationalisation of secondary school agriculture. The paper therefore recommends that the identified approaches should be pursued by the Nigerian government to ensure that vocational agriculture in secondary schools achieves the goals of the National Policy on Education.