Elementary school children’s understanding of science: The implementation of an extracurricular science intervention

The promotion of students’ achievement and competence in the so-called STEM disciplines is one cornerstone of current educational research and practice. In particular, as early as elementary school, the fostering of an adequate understanding of science is a normative goal of science education. It facilitates students’ science learning and enables them to understand the nature and development of scientific knowledge. Based on the relevance of the promotion of young children’s understanding of science, a corresponding science intervention was recently developed and successfully evaluated in a first study under highly controlled conditions. The goal of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of this intervention when implemented in practice. One hundred seventeen third- and fourth-grade students and 10 trained course instructors participated in this study. We applied a randomized block design with waitlist control groups and repeated measures. The results revealed that children assigned to the intervention compared with children assigned to the waitlist control group showed better inquiry-related methodological competencies (a better understanding of the scientific inquiry cycle and experimentation strategies) and a higher need for cognition. The findings point to the successful implementation of the intervention and are compared with the results of the first study.     

‘When words don't come easily’: personal narratives from adolescents experiencing shyness as an emotional and behavioural problem in the school context

The purpose of this article is to present narratives from 15 adolescents experiencing shy behaviour as an emotional and behavioural problem in the school context in light of narrative understanding. The investigation is intended to generate knowledge about this largely under‐researched phenomenon based on the personal accounts of those who are actually experiencing it. Their narratives are the foundation for a discussion regarding implications for future practice in the context of school in relation to this group.     

School context and instructional capacity: A comparative study of professional learning communities in rural and urban schools in China

This study examines the teaching gap between rural and urban schools in China from the perspective of teacher professional learning communities (PLCs). Drawing on in-depth interviews with 36 primary school teachers, the study finds striking disparities between rural and urban schools in the working of Teaching and Research Groups (TRGs). These disparities in TRGs result in divergent patterns of instructional capacity building in rural and urban schools. The evidence shows that teaching and teachers are strongly shaped by the school organizational context. It suggests that strengthening school-wide PLCs is an important way of narrowing the rural-urban teaching and learning gaps.     

从教与学的良性循环探讨大学英语课堂教学互动

在以学生为主体的课堂上,教与学是一种互动的形式。在英语教学中,教师应当善于且有效地实施互动模式,加强师生间交流,促进教与学的良性循环。     

In-house consultation to support professionals’ responses to child abuse and neglect: Determinants of professionals’ use and the association with guideline adherence

This study examined the presence and strengths of determinants associated with consultation of an in-house expert on child abuse and neglect (CAN) by preventive child health care professionals who suspect CAN. This study also assessed the relationship between in-house CAN expert consultation and professionals’ performance of six recommended activities described in a national guideline on preventing CAN for preventive child health care professionals. A total of 154 professionals met the study’s inclusion criteria. They filled in a questionnaire that measured in-house consultation practices and twelve determinants associated with the professional, the in-house expert, and the organizational context. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed. Almost half of the participants (46.8%) reported to consult the in-house expert in (almost) all of their suspected CAN cases. Professionals who reported better recollection of consulting the in-house expert (i.e. not forgetting to consult the expert) (p = .001), who were more familiar with consultation (p = .002), who had more positive attitudes and beliefs about consultation (p = .011) and who reported being more susceptible to the behavior (p = .001) and expectations/opinions (p = .025) of colleagues regarding in-house expert consultation were more likely to consult the in-house expert. Furthermore, in-house expert consultation was positively associated with two of six key guideline activities: consulting the regional child protection service and monitoring whether support was provided to families. The implications of these results for improving professionals’ responses to CAN are discussed.     

农科院校无机及分析化学课程分层教学方法的应用

针对扩招后学生水平差异的显著,根据最近发展区理论,在我校《无机及分析化学》基础课教学中进行分层教学法的实践,按能力对学生进行分组,同时设计多层次的教学目标,有针对有区别地设计教学内容,控制教学进度,促进每个学生在最适合自己的目标层次中求得最佳发展,从而改进传统的大班"一刀切"的授课方式,强化学生的主体地位,有效地提高《无机及分析化学》大班教学的质量,更好地实现扩招后"大众化""多元化"的教育目标。     

从理论宣传角度审视五四时期“问题与主义”之争

20世纪初的＂问题与主义＂之争早已尘埃落定,但它所警告的教条主义空谈理论的危险并没有随之消失。＂问题与主义＂之争中提出的宣传＂主义＂和＂学理＂的方法,对我们今天的理论宣传仍有很大启发。     

高等数学课程思政案例教学探讨

该文以湖南中医药大学开设的高等数学课程为例,结合当今社会热点挖掘课程蕴含的思政元素,以定积分的概念、可分离变量微分方程的应用两个教学案例为载体,重点探讨了高等数学与思政教学的有机融合,最后给教师队伍的建设提出一些建议。