The Role of Agent Age and Gender for Middle-Grade Girls

Compared to boys, many girls are more aware of a social context in the learning process and perform better when the environment supports frequent interactions and social relationships. For these girls, embodied agents (animated on-screen characters acting as tutors) could afford simulated social interactions in computer-based learning and thereby supply a girl-friendly instructional context. This study examined the effects of the age and gender of an agent on ninth-grade Caucasian and ethnic-minority girls' perceptions of the agent, mathematics attitudes, and learning in a computer-based algebra-learning environment. In general, the findings support that a virtual agent plays both social and instructional roles that favor teenage girls and could be a viable tool to create a favorable context for girls learning challenging topics.     

随机环境中的分枝随机游动的若干极限定理

假设{Z_n;n=0,1,2,…}是一个随机环境中的分枝随机游动(即质点在产生后代的过程中,还作直线上随机游动), ξ ={ξ₀,ξ₁,ξ₂,…} 为环境过程. 记Z(n,x)为落在区间(-∞, x]中的第n代质点的个数,f_ξn(s)=∑_j=0^∞ p_ξn(j)s^j 为第n代个体的生成函数, m_ξn=f_ξn^' (1). 证明了在特定条件下,存在随机序列{t_n}使得Z(n,t_n)(∏_i=0^n-1m_ξi)^-1均方收敛到一个随机变量.对于依赖于代的分枝随机游动,仍有类似的结论.     

Experimental research on charging characteristics of a pressure-controlled VRLA battery in high-temperature environments

Valve-regulated-lead-acid （VRLA） battery charging performed in high-temperature environments is extremely risky under overcharge conditions, and may lead to a subsequent thermal runaway. A new pressure-controlled charging method was adopted and the charging characteristics of the pressure-controlled VRLA battery in high-temperature environments were experimentally studied. The concept was tested in a large temperature gradient to obtain more details about the effects of users＇ accustomed charging and discharging modes on battery capacity. The premature capacity loss （PCL） phenomenon under high temperature exposure was analyzed. The results showed that the capacity loss could be recovered by charging using a large current.     

安阳市城市雨水综合利用规划研究

以新的思路和可持续发展的观点,引入雨水资源化的概念.提出安阳市雨水综合利用模式,变雨水排放为雨水生态循环和再利用,解决了因城市发展带来的雨水径流增加、防洪排涝设施的经济投入逐年加大同城市水资源日渐紧张的矛盾.雨水的综合利用对消除城市热岛、减小地下水漏斗区,改善城市自然、生态、大气环境有积极作用.     

Moving to Inclusive Pre-Kindergarten Classrooms: Lessons from the Field

In this article, the authors share a framework for preparing for and implementing inclusive Pre-kindergarten classrooms based on their experiences working with an interdisciplinary study group comprised of two Pre-K teachers, one early childhood special education teacher, and two university professors, one traditional early childhood and one specializing in early childhood special education. The study group was organized to explore and then document the benefits and challenges of providing inclusive early education to young children with and without disabilities in a public school Pre-K setting. Five key issues are addressed, collaboration and role definition, program decisions, instruction, child outcomes, and necessary resources.     

Impact of learning styles on the community of inquiry presences in multi-disciplinary blended learning environments

In this research, a survey method utilising questionnaires and focus group interviews was employed to determine correlations between students’ learning styles and each of the presences in the CoI Framework across disciplines as well as students’ blended learning experience. To this end, the linear regression model was the statistical approach used to explore the correlation between each of the presences and the learning styles after controlling for the disciplines. Consequently, a three–way cross-tab using Chi-square statistics was the statistical method used to discover the variations of the students’ experience of blended learning under different disciplines and learning styles. A total of 12 lecturers and 377 students from three private institutions were involved in this study. The results show that among the four discipline categories, only the soft-applied has a significant effect on the linear regression model. In this particular discipline, the Kinesthetic variable alone has a significant effect on all the three presences in the CoI Framework. The R-squared values are rather small. Further investigation should be directed towards an inclusion of a larger number of postgraduate participants, more courses in the soft-pure and hard-pure categories, and the learning styles of lecturers.     

Exploring the effect of learning styles on learning achievement in a u-Museum

In recent years, mobile technology has been developing rapidly and has been widely used. There are many successful cases of mobile technology applied greatly in today’s teaching and even combined with sensing devices to overcome the limitations of traditional learning environment. In order to make teaching more diversified, teachers currently treat field trips as one of the major ways to aid traditional classroom teaching. Based on Keller’s ARCS motivation model, this study used the natural disaster section in the sixth graders’ Natural Science-Taiwan subject as an example and application of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in mobile devices to develop a context-aware ubiquitous learning system to be applied in the 921 Earthquake Museum of Taiwan. With the guide of the system, learners can use mobile carriers to receive content information displayed in the Museum for learning. This study conducted experiment in the 921 Earthquake Museum of Taiwan to explore whether using the system for learning significantly improves learning outcomes and motivation in comparison to traditional navigation learning. Felder & Silverman’s theory of learning style was incorporated to explore whether there exists differences in learning performance and outcome among learners with different learning styles so design and strategies for future teaching system can be improved.     

Classroom Learning Environments in Urban Elementary,Middle, and High Schools

The purpose of the present study was to investigate student gender, subject area, and grade level differences in students' perceptions of their classroom learning environment. Over 13,000 students from 96 urban elementary, middle, and high schools that served predominantly minority students completed a modified version of the Classroom Environment Scale (CES) and the Instructional Learning Environment Questionnaire (ILEQ). Female students generally reported higher scores for their perceptions of the learning environment than did male students. There were very few differences by subject area, but there were many statistically and educationally significant differences by grade level. In general, middle school classes had less favorable perceptions of their learning environment than did either elementary or high school classes.     

The link between information processing capability and competitive advantage mediated through decision-making effectiveness

While research underpinned by the resource-based view (RBV) appears to suggest that IT-enabled capabilities are positively linked to competitive advantage, such a link is often seen as a black box as the processes through which competitive advantage can be gained appears unclear. In particular, research appears to suggest that information processing capability is linked to decision-making effectiveness and competitive advantage; however, little research appears to examine the interrelationship among them. This study, drawing on the RBV, develops a mediation model to examine the link between competitive advantage and the key tenets of value, rarity, inimitability and non-substitutability of information processing capability in the context of business analytics; and whether this link is mediated through decision-making effectiveness. Based on data collected from 633 UK companies, this study shows that there is a positive link between the value, rarity and inimitability characteristics of information processing capability and competitive advantage, which is partially mediated by decision-making effectiveness. The findings contribute to the theoretical development of the RBV by developing a mediation model that looks inside the black box. They also contribute to managers’ knowledge and understanding of the mechanism through which the strategic value of information processing capability can be maximized.     

The strategic value of data resources in emergent industries

In this paper we examine the strategic role of data resources in emergent industries. We contrast the resource-based view and the relational view theories to examine how data resources can help organizations create and capture value. We compare two organizations from two different industries to understand how different types of data resources can provide a competitive advantage. We also examine the role of strategic partnerships in capturing value created through the exploitation of data resources. We conclude that while data often serve as a required resource for entry into new markets, strategic partnerships play a critical role in capturing value created through the exploitation of data resources. The emergent partnership structures are remarkably similar across the two organizations. They target rapid market expansion through encapsulation of data resources within highly scalable web services and the use of standardized legal contracts. We also find that temporal decoupling between value creation and value capture can expose firms to the erosion of the competitive advantage gained through investment in data resources.