Confidence in prior knowledge,self-efficacy,interest and prior knowledge: Influences on conceptual change

This study explored how confidence in prior knowledge, self-efficacy, interest, and prior knowledge interact in conceptual change learning. One hundred and sixteen college students completed an assessment of confidence in prior knowledge, self-efficacy, interest, prior scientific understanding, and prior misconceptions before reading a refutation text on seasonal change. Students’ misconceptions and scientific understanding of seasonal change was then assessed before and after reading a refutation text, and again at a two week delayed posttest. Three profiles of students emerged based on their confidence in prior knowledge, self-efficacy, interest, prior scientific understanding, and prior misconceptions. The profiles included: (1) Low (low confidence, self-efficacy, interest, and prior scientific understanding and high prior misconceptions), (2) mixed (high confidence, self-efficacy, and interest, but low prior scientific understanding and high prior misconceptions), and (3) high (high confidence, self-efficacy, interest, and prior scientific understanding and low prior misconceptions). Results indicated that the mixed profile appeared to be most productive for conceptual change and that learner characteristics most productive for conceptual change learning may differ from those most productive in other learning situations.     

澳大利亚国家图书馆展览政策研究

[目的/意义]国内图书馆对展览政策的研究较少，而国外图书馆在相关领域有比较成熟的做法。研究国外图书馆展览政策有助于促进国内图书馆展览工作的开展。[方法/过程]通过对澳大利亚国家图书馆展览政策与展品租借政策文本的梳理与研究，探索其有益做法对我国图书馆的启示。[结果/结论]我国图书馆应从4方面完善展览工作：①重视展览工作的组织建设；②重视对展览原则的研究；③结合国家文物保护政策制定展品借出政策；④结合我国实际制定展品借入政策。     

The effect of the integration of students with special educational needs: Evidence from Chile

This paper studies the effect of the integration of students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) on the academic achievement of their peers without SEN. This achievement is measured using performance in standardized reading and mathematics tests. The study also evaluates the effect of a policy that recognizes and increases resources for special educational needs that had not yet been considered and improves education provision protocols for students with SEN. Using administrative data and standardized test scores, we constructed a panel that follows a cohort of students before and after the reform, determining for each individual and year whether the class to which he/she belongs has any students with SEN. Our identification strategy employs panel data with fixed effects at the school, individual, and time levels. Estimates show that, on average, having a peer with SEN in the classroom has a negative effect on the academic performance of students without SEN. However, these effects are small and decrease, or even vanish, once better inclusion policies are in place. These results suggest that the effect on peers is almost totally canceled when more resources are provided and when adequate treatment and support protocols are implemented.     

Fake news,fake truth: A new purpose for public schooling

The world is adversely affected by the plethora of easily available fake and misleading information. Public schools are established to help generate responsible citizens.Public schools may have a role to play in addressing the fake news, fake truth problem.     

中国大陆侨资与外资发展比较研究——基于2005——2008数据分析

对近年来中国FDI数据与国侨办侨资企业数据库进行全面比较和深入研究发现,近年来的中国侨资企业发展大大超过外资成长:新批侨资企业数量连续大幅度增加且大大超过外资成长;新增侨资在全国FDI中的比重逐年提高;侨资企业平均投资额大增,并且在制造业中比重下降;新批侨资企业主要来源地分布较广,位次变化显著.这一转变根本的原因在于,大多数侨资企业在一二十年的中国经济高速快车上不断壮大,经营规模与产业层次得到提升,与世界企业的差距大大缩小,国际竞争力日益增强。这一重大转变在这次研究中首次被揭示,应引起有关部门的重视。政策取向必须随着新的形势变化应适时调整,高度重视侨资企业的发展。     

努力推进教学科研工作 实现学院跨越式发展——学习《国家中长期教育改革和发展规划纲要(2010-2020)》体会

《国家中长期教育改革和发展规划纲要(2010—2020)》规划了未来10年中国教育改革发展要实现的目标。要增强本科办学意识和质量意识,必须认真学习高等教育的有关文件精神,切实抓好教学管理工作和科研管理工作,才能实现从专科层次到本科层次的跨越。     

The impact of a professional development programme on teachers' attitudes towards inclusion

This article describes a study that aimed to answer the following question: ‘Will a programme of professional development in the area of special and inclusive education be effective in achieving attitudinal shift in teachers?’ Forty‐eight teachers who were enrolled on a Master's programme in Special and Inclusive Education were surveyed via a questionnaire at the beginning and end of a ten‐week introductory module. The results indicated overall attitudinal shift and attitudinal shift for four categories of inclusion to suggest more positive attitudes at the end of the module, compared with at the beginning. The implications for providers of pre‐ and in‐service education and training courses for teachers are discussed.     

重视学生特性,实现思想政治课教育功能最大化

促进人的个性发展是教育长期追求的重要目标。思想政治课在学校的课程体系中居于首要位置,在提高学生的文化素养、道德修养及促进学生的个性发展等方面发挥着不可替代的作用。而艺术院校的学生在个性及其专业特性上具有明显的特点,因而,在思想政治课教育中,重视和利用教育对象的特殊性并将其与教育活动紧密联系,使教育活动自觉反映并符合学生身心发展的需求、学生的个性发展与教育活动趋向良性互动的状态,实现艺术院校思想政治课教育功能最大化的目标。     

Pedagogically bereft! Improving learning outcomes for children with foetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is the most common non‐genetic cause of learning disability, affecting around 1% of live births in Europe, and costing an estimated $2.9 million per individual across their lifespan. In adulthood, non‐reversible brain damage is often compounded by secondary disabilities in adulthood, such as mental health problems and drug addiction. The challenge for today's educators is: ‘How do we teach children with FASD?’ Their unusual style of learning and their extreme challenging behaviour is out of the experience of many teachers. This article, written by Professor Barry Carpenter, OBE, National Director of the Specialist Schools & Academies Trust Complex Learning Difficulties and Disabilities Research Project, considers the status of FASD in the UK, and provides an overview of the author's recent research into effective educational strategies within the framework of Every Child Matters. Only government‐led approaches can lead to improvements in the quality of teaching and learning for children with FASD and their future life chances.     

Arts education partnerships: sources of harmony and dissonance with cultural institutions’ collaborative efforts

ABSTRACT

Due to budget constraints, schools in the United States have increasingly turned to community arts organizations for support. School-community arts partnership stakeholders collaborate because of shared missions to provide students with valuable arts learning experiences. Investigations of these initiatives indicate that these partnerships improve arts learning opportunities and increase public support and resources for arts education. However, not much is known about the experiences and perspectives of the arts organizations that participate in these partnerships. Coordinating collective efforts with a multitude of institutions and interests poses challenges. In this study, we examine survey data collected from arts organization administrators who participated in a large-scale school-community arts partnership initiative. We find that these organizations are generally positive about their impacts on students’ educational outcomes, but there is substantial variation in these views. We also find that organizations differ in their levels of support for these collective efforts. Sources of this variation appear to be attributable to organizations’ preexisting resources and extent to which they are established. While this difference in levels of support is potentially inevitable, we find evidence that the operations handled by the “backbone” organization, i.e. the initiative’s facilitators and overseers, can significantly influence organizations’ levels of support for these efforts. Organizations are more likely to support these collaborative efforts when they believe the backbone organization ensures transparency with initiative operations, provides regular, effective communication, and effectively resolves competing priorities.