Teachers’ Learning Journeys: The Quality Learning Circle as a Model of Professional Development

Worldwide, teachers struggle to keep pace with demands for learning. Educational reforms mandated at a national level require teachers to reconsider their teaching, curriculum and assessment philosophies and practices. This reliance on national policy initiatives increases teachers’ dependence on others knowing what their learning needs might be. Such dependence creates problems for sustained learning because teachers are not encouraged to help themselves. This article introduces an alternative approach to professional development, known as the Quality Learning Circle (QLC), to show how it can empower teachers to become agents of change able to meet both local needs alongside national agendas.     

和谐社会的宪法学分析——围绕社会冲突展开

和谐社会与宪政建设之间存在价值一致之处。在多元利益的背景下,和谐社会包容社会冲突,宪法以平衡社会冲突为目标,并为良性地解决冲突提供理性化的制度出口。在构建和谐社会的进程中,以宽容之心为基础,以有限政府为原则,以民主法治为途径解决社会冲突,和谐社会才能以公正的方式和尊重人的方式得以实现。     

设计素描中的构想与表现

思维是人脑的反映控制机能,是人脑的产物,我们在学习、工作中不同的思维方式产生着不同的思维结果。在传统素描的教学方式下,学生们很难适应描绘想象的物象及其它的设计课题。如何有效的激发学生的创造性思维并使之达到体现构想、表达创意,并最终实现通过素描、认识自然、发现设计的目的,已经成为现代设计素描教学中的重要课题。     

Community interaction and child maltreatment

The way in which parents interact with their environment may have implications for their likelihood of abuse and neglect. This study examines the parent–environment relationship through community involvement and perception, using social disorganization theory. We hypothesize mothers who participate in their communities and have positive perceptions of them may be less likely to maltreat their children because of the potential protective capacity of neighborhood supports. Using information from the 5 year Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (n = 2991), the mother's self-reported acts of psychological and physical maltreatment and neglect are measured. A mother's community involvement index is the number of community activities a mother was involved in, and community perception is measured by two five-item Likert scales assessing perception of community collective efficacy. We analyze the relationship between community variables and each of mother's maltreatment behaviors as well as the interaction between community factors using a series of nested logistic regressions. Higher levels of community involvement are associated with lower levels of psychological aggression. More positive perception of community social control is associated with lower levels of physical assault. A moderation effect of community perception suggests that a mother's perception of her community changes the relationship between community involvement and psychological child abuse. The results provide important policy and empirical implications to build positive and supportive communities as a protective factor in child maltreatment. Getting parents involved in their communities can improve the environment in which children and families develop, and decrease the likelihood that maltreatment will occur.     

The effect of online co-regulated learning in the implementation of team-based learning on improving students’ involvement

Many education institutions and teachers are recognizing and applying online learning and related educational technologies to help students achieve satisfactory learning performance. Due to the free entertainment on the Internet that may distract students’ attention from online courses and with the purpose of developing students’ teamwork abilities, the author in this study adopted team-based learning (TBL) and co-regulated learning (CRL) to develop students’ involvement in a blended computing course. The subjects in this study were 111 first-year students from three classes taking a compulsory course titled ‘Applied information technology: data processing’. The first group (G1, which received online TBL and CRL) and the second group (G2, which received online TBL only) were the experimental groups. The last group (CG), which received the traditional teaching method in a blended learning environment, served as the control group. The results in this study indicate that students who receive the online TBL have significantly higher involvement than those without. However, the online CRL does not contribute to better development of students’ involvement in the implementation of TBL. The insights for teachers who plan to adopt e-learning, and the reasons for the ineffectiveness of CRL, are discussed in this study.     

Reviewing the Family Unit as a Stakeholder in Talent Development: Is It Undervalued?

As elite youth sport becomes more organized and professionalized, the role of the family is increasingly acknowledged as being significant in the development of young talent. High-profile examples across a range of professional sports, both positive and negative, have drawn attention toward this important stakeholder. Accordingly, this review first examines the key issues in relation to family involvement in talent development in relation to what is perceived as good and bad practice on behalf of the family. Next the key theoretical underpinning is considered, Family Systems Theory, and how it may be integrated within elite youth sport. Finally, the article concludes with a summary of where the current literature leaves us and where we can progress from here. Two possible inputs are suggested that could benefit the effectiveness of family involvement: a focus on the family holistically and a second on the role different family members can play.     

对河南省高级知识分子参与体育活动特征的研究

运用文献资料、调查访问、问卷调查法，对河南省部分城市高级知识分子参与体育活动的特征进行调查与分析。结果发现，高级知识分子参与体育活动的时间较短且强度低、频率低，参与体育消费的水平较低。建议相关部门应制订合理政策提高知识分子体育活动的参与性，加强大众传播媒体的宣传力度，完善体育设施及社会体育指导员体系，建立单项体育协会，营造良好的体育锻炼氛围。     

凝聚力对教练员领导行为、运动员角色投入和运动员满意度的中介作用

探讨我国高水平手球队凝聚力是否对教练员领导行为、运动员角色投入与运动员满意度具有中介作用。赛前使用群体环境问卷对160名参加全国女子手球锦标赛的运动员进行凝聚力测试，赛后使用运动领导行为量表、运动员角色投入问卷、运动员满意度问卷对上述运动员进行了测试。运用Baron和Kenny（1986）线性回归分析方法对凝聚力的中介作用给予检验。结果表明，运动员所知觉到的领导行为和角色投入对团队成绩满意度、团队一致满意度影响显著，但该影响由于凝聚力的加入而变小或变得不显著。说明凝聚力对领导行为、角色投入与团队成绩满意度、团队一致性满意度具有中介作用。     

Studying parental involvement and university access and choice: An ‘interacting multiple capitals’ model

Capital‐embedded parental involvement in education is essential in enhancing university enrolment and maximising the educational potentials for equality and excellence. Previous studies in this field have mainly utilised Perna's ( 2000 , 2006 ) model, which defines parental involvement as social capital and identifies the additive influences of different types of capital (including social, economic and cultural capital) on university access and choice. Yet, little research to date theorises and disaggregates the interplay among various types of capital as well as the multiplicative capital effects on enrolment. This study addressed this gap. We proposed an ‘interacting multiple capitals’ (IMC) model and hypothesised that parental social capital could moderate the effects of cultural and economic capital on entry to university. To validate the model, a pilot survey was administered to 216 university students of Korean ethnicity in China and investigated the models of involvement adopted by Korean parents in the context of the increasing labour mobility of the Korean adult population. Moderated multiple regression analysis was employed and the results confirmed the hypothesis that capital effects upon university access and choice were multiplicative in nature, with social capital moderating the cultural capital influence on students’ educational aspirations. The study findings show that the interaction of various types of capital variables is sufficiently statistically significant to warrant future research and policy and practical discussion of how to promote parental involvement in university preparation and planning.     

Parents' involvement in adolescents' schooling: a multidimensional conceptualisation and mediational model

This study examined the impact of parental involvement on adolescents' academic achievement in Korean families. The major strengths of the current research are the study of multiple dimensions of parental involvement, the longitudinal design and the consideration of mediating variables. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the direct and indirect effects of parental involvement on students' academic achievement using data from a nationally representative sample of middle school students from the Korea Youth Panel Survey. Results indicated: (1) parental involvement dimensions positively influenced achievement through its effects on student self‐concept and locus of control; and (2) parents' increased participation in involvement practices (monitoring, educational expectation and affection) increases students' self‐concept and locus of control.