Question‐posing and question‐responding: the heart of ‘Possibility Thinking’ in the early years

Drawing on research that sought to explore the characteristics of ‘Possibility Thinking’ as central to creativity in young children's learning, this paper considers question‐posing and question‐responding as the driving features of ‘Possibility Thinking’ (PT). This qualitative study employed micro‐event analysis of peer and pupil–teacher interaction. Events were sampled from two early years settings in England, one a Reception classroom (4‐ to 5‐year olds) and the other a Year 2 classroom (6‐ to 7‐year olds). This article arises out of the second stage of an ongoing research programme (2004–2007) involving the children and practitioners in these settings. This phase considers the dimensions of question‐posing and the categories of question‐responding and their interrelationship within PT. Three dimensions of questioning were identified as characteristic of PT. These included: (i) question framing, reflecting the purpose inherent within questions for adults and children (including leading, service and follow‐through questions); (ii) question degree: manifestation of the degree of possibility inherent in children's questions (including possibility narrow, possibility moderate, possibility broad); (iii) question modality, manifestation of the modality inherent in children's questions (including verbal and non‐verbal forms). The fine‐grained data analysis offers insight into how children engage in PT to meet specific needs in responding to creative tasks and activities and reveals the crucial role that question‐posing and question‐responding play in creative learning. It also provides more detail about the nature of young children's thinking, made visible through question‐posing and responding in engaging playful contexts.     

儿童用脑卫生与学校教学

学生的大脑工作能力在一节课中、一天中、一周中、一学期中甚至一年中是不断变化的。了解儿童大脑工作能力变化的规律和影响儿童大脑工作能力正常发挥的因素是教师利用儿童卫生用脑知识搞好教学工作的前提,也是学校安排教育教学工作的基本出发点。     

When Parents Want Children to Stay Home for College

Although previous studies show that a majority of parents want their children to go to college and graduate with a 4-year degree, the strategies used to accomplish this goal vary widely. While some parents feel it is important for their children to attend school while living at home (college-at-home parents), others do not (college-anywhere parents). This study investigates the influence of these parental strategy preferences on whether children apply to college during their senior year of high school, as well as whether they apply to multiple colleges. Net of measured ability, socioeconomic factors, and students’ own strategy preferences, students with college-at-home parents are significantly less likely to apply to college than students with college-anywhere parents; and among those who do apply to college, students with college-at-home parents are significantly less likely to apply to multiple colleges.     

Influences of Teacher–Child Social Interactions on English Language Development in a Head Start Classroom

Increasing numbers of Spanish-speaking preschool children require attention to improve the likelihood of success in school. This study, part of a larger 2-year ethnographic study of a Head Start classroom, elaborates the role of teachers’ interactions with students who were learning English. Using an interactional ethnography approach, the authors focus on the social nature of these interactions. The study illuminates the kinds of teacher interactions with students that support and hinder the students’ language learning. It reinforces the importance of student engagement in social interactions with teachers and with English other than codes of obedience and authority. Finally, it recommends actions teachers can take to provide optimal circumstances for English learning interactions for students.

Teachers’ perspectives of lower secondary school students in streamed classes – A Western Australian case study

Streaming in secondary schools is not beneficial for improving student outcomes of education with vast amounts of educational research indicating that it does not improve academic results and increases inequity. Yet teachers often prefer working in streamed classes, and research shows that teachers mediate the effects of streaming on students. This study sought to add to the understanding of teachers’ role in student learning by investigating how teachers conceptualise the students in streamed classes. A qualitative case study approach was used, where 18 teachers were interviewed in-depth to create narrative examples, three of which are presented here. These narratives summarise the research findings that teachers saw students in high and low streams as having homogenous characteristics according to five dichotomous categories: approach to learning, attitude to learning, learning style, autonomy and background. Students in mixed-ability classes were viewed along these same continua, but as more heterogeneous groups. Furthermore, these views of students had direct implications for how teachers planned for learning and the expectations that they held of their students. The discussion links streaming research with teacher expectation research, suggesting that teachers of streamed classes in this secondary school hold specific whole-class ideas that affect student learning. The article concludes with recommendations for further inquiry that links these two important fields of educational research.     

城市家长对流动儿童入读公办学校的态度研究——基于上海市的调查

采用自编的问卷对家长对流动儿童入读公办学校的态度调查的结果发现：上海家长对流动儿童入读公办学校持中立且稍微偏积极的态度。在大多数测题上有近1／3的家长持消极的态度。而且,这种态度不受调查对象的社会经济地位、祖籍、子女的性别等因素的影响。这一研究结果具有重要的启示意义。     

论童年经历对徐訏及其小说创作的影响--纪念徐訏诞辰百年

童年经历会对一个人个性气质的形成产生重要影响。徐舒童年的生活并不愉快。父母婚姻的不幸使他失去了完整的家和幸福的童年。对其孤寂内省个性气质的形成产生了很大影响。这种个性和影响渗透在他的创作中。使得他作品中的主人公也带有这种孤独内省的精神特质。而且作品中对母性形象和儿童形象的塑造也带有徐宣于个人的精神印记和情感欲求。     

上巳节流枣浮卵习俗与祈子文化

古人在三月的“上巳节”要到水边进行沐浴、祓除不祥,同日也要在水中进行“流枣浮卵”的活动事项,究其实质,“流枣浮卵”与古人的祈子心理有密切关系,二者是古人上巳节祈子仪式的表现形式。     

儿童、青少年人际信任的研究述评

近年来,人际信任成为国内外社会科学界的一个重要研究课题,在社会学、心理学、组织行为学等多种学科中都有大量研究成果。该文主要概述了心理学领域内有关人际信任概念界定的分歧与共识、信任建立的理论基础、测量方法,重点述评了人格特征、关系属性、家庭环境、文化背景等因素对儿童、青少年人际信任的影响以及信任与儿童青少年发展的关系,并在此基础上讨论了未来的研究方向。     

市民理想与晚明白话短篇小说的报应主题

明中叶以后,中国传统的因果报应因一定程度地适应了市民的需要而受到市民欢迎,并被注入了市民理想。这一时期的白话短篇小说也表现了这种具有市民特色的因果报应主题,即以现世报应为归宿,以自身利益为内容,以绝对公平为原则,以市民道德为准则。