现代远程学历教育质量监控的有效措施

阐述了现代远程教育质量的内涵及其质量监控的原则,并提出了实施质量监控的有效措施。     

Thinking allowed: use of egocentric speech after acquired brain injury (ABI)

This paper explores the use of thinking aloud made by young people who have sustained a severe acquired brain injury (ABI). The phenomenon is compared with the concepts of egocentric speech and inner speech before the form of thinking aloud by pupils with ABI is examined. It is suggested that by using thinking aloud, this group of pupils is able to engage in internally persuasive dialogue and is therefore enabled to take part in classroom learning.     

Mapping beliefs about teaching to patterns of instruction within science,technology, engineering,and mathematics

In this paper, we identify beliefs about teaching and patterns of instruction valued and emphasized by science, technology, engineering, and mathematics faculty in higher education in the USA. Drawing on the notion that effective teaching is student-centered rather than teacher-centered and must include a balance of knowledge-, learner-, community-, and assessment-centered learning environments; we use qualitative interview data to explore how faculty's reported beliefs about teaching are associated with their consideration of these four types of environments. Findings indicated that although a range of beliefs about teaching emerged, most were firmly located in knowledge-centered learning environments, with little or no focus on the remaining three learning environments. Furthermore, even patterns of instruction that were heavily student-centered were situated within a knowledge-centered learning framework. We argue that for student-centered instruction to be truly successful, faculty must consider all four learning environments in crafting and facilitating the classroom environment.     

Northern Ireland head teachers’ perceptions of inclusion

Inclusion has been a central educational issue for well over a quarter of a century, with continuing emphasis worldwide on initiatives by governments, Higher Education Institutions and schools that respond to the needs of children and young people with learning difficulties, disabilities or other disadvantage. This paper reports how Northern Ireland head teachers interpret inclusion in the nursery, primary, post‐primary and special sectors. Those in mainstream schools showed whole‐hearted commitment to the philosophy and practice of inclusion, and could critically examine what they have achieved so far. However, they recognized persistent and varied constraints both within and beyond their schools. Head teachers in the special sector perceived their schools to have a multiple role in providing for pupils with the greatest need, reintegrating those on placement into their regular schools, and offering outreach support to mainstream colleagues. The implications for all aspects of teacher education were identified, for beginning teachers, for more experienced practitioners and for the head teachers themselves. A number of key factors were suggested to make inclusion work.     

Non-traditional students in tertiary education: inter-disciplinary collaboration in curriculum and pedagogy in community services education in Australia

Education policy in Australia has accelerated its aim to increase participation of under-represented groups in tertiary education including students who are culturally and linguistically diverse and have low socio-economic status. These students generally have not had prior access to privileged academic discourse, which can further disadvantage them in their participation and progress in tertiary education. In this article, we outline a cross-discipline curriculum initiative and pedagogy that draws on critical literacy and the metaphor of discourse community to integrate language and academic skills into community services qualifications. We argue that this – supports the genuine participation of under-represented (non-traditional) students. It aspires to not only support students’ entry into the new academic terrain, but to enable students to adopt a critical stance to the discourses in which they are learning to participate. This we argue is crucial, when expertise is not just a way of meeting its ostensible purposes, but is also a way of exercising power. Although we report on the application of this initiative to entry level curricula (Diploma), we suggest that it has relevance and application to Bachelor levels in a range of disciplines, both in supporting pedagogy and for transition to Bachelor level study.     

Inclusion in Malaysian integrated preschools

Inclusive education has been introduced through a number of policy developments in Malaysia over the last 10 years but there is little research investigating the extent and nature of inclusive education for preschoolers with special educational needs (SEN). This study surveyed both regular and special education teachers in Malaysian integrated preschools asking them about the level and nature of inclusion taking place in their preschools and their perceptions and beliefs about inclusion. There was little evidence of practices of inclusion taking place. Both regular and special educators agreed that SEN should be educated alongside their peers in a school but were unlikely to agree that the SEN students should be in the same classroom. Factors identified as influencing inclusion included school culture, skills and competency, guidance and information, workload and students' disabilities. More guidelines and support are required for successful inclusion in Malaysian integrated preschools.     

Recruitment and management development for primary headship

This article seeks to explain the ways in which leadership makes a difference to the quality of instruction in US schools by reviewing research published since 2000. The review of research is presented in three major sections, organised according to the methodology used in each study. The first section looks into quantitative studies that probe the structural relationships among members and activities related to teaching and learning. Primarily drawing on surveys completed by school stakeholders, these studies uncover patterns of influence using advanced statistical methods. The second section summarises findings from qualitative case study research, which provide specific examples of conditions that support the leadership patterns previously identified. The final section offers further explanations of how these patterns of influence operate by examining the alignment of formal and social components of interactions through network methodology.     

The influences of inductive instruction and resources on students' attitudes toward reading: evidence from PISA 2009

The declining trend in the positive reading attitude of students' has concerned scholars. This paper aims to apply a 3-level hierarchical linear model to analyse how inductive instruction and resources influence both students' positive and negative attitudes towards reading. Approximately 470,000 15-year-old students, and their school principals, from 65 countries completed a questionnaire, which was designed by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). In line with previous research, gender, the student–teacher relationship, online academic searches, and reading habits are correlated with both positive and negative reading attitudes. Multilevel results show that reading attitudes improved when a school provides a context in which inductive instruction has been enforced. The natural log value of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in a country is statistically significantly negative when associated with a student's positive and negative reading attitudes. Further, in a country with largely unqualified teachers, school-level inductive teaching lowers the negative attitude.     

Collaborating with front-line teachers to incorporate self-regulated learning in Chinese language classes

This study aimed to initially explore the possibility of helping front-line teachers to integrate the principles of self-regulated learning (SRL) into Chinese reading instruction in a 1-year collaborative project. A total of 197 Secondary 3 students and 6 Chinese language teachers from a secondary school in Hong Kong participated in the study. The findings of quantitative and qualitative data in this study generally support the feasibility of incorporating the elements of SRL in Chinese reading instruction. Students improved their comprehension performance, intrinsic motivation, strategic knowledge, and strategy use after this learning experience. Teachers also expressed positive attitudes towards the new instruction and made constructive changes on the instructional materials and activities. However, the study found teachers' traditional beliefs might affect theimplementation of SRL instruction. The implications of these findings for understanding Chinese students' capacity for SRL and planning effective reading instruction to enhance their SRL abilities are discussed.     

A Review of Methods for Missing Data

This paper reviews methods for handling missing data in a research study. Many researchers use ad hoc methods such as complete case analysis, available case analysis (pairwise deletion), or single-value imputation. Though these methods are easily implemented, they require assumptions about the data that rarely hold in practice. Model-based methods such as maximum likelihood using the EM algorithm and multiple imputation hold more promise for dealing with difficulties caused by missing data. While model-based methods require specialized computer programs and assumptions about the nature of the missing data, these methods are appropriate for a wider range of situations than the more commonly used ad hoc methods. The paper provides an illustration of the methods using data from an intervention study designed to increase students’ ability to control their asthma symptoms.