Increasing the quality of educational intervention research: The need for stronger leaders

This response to Pressley and Harris's methodological paper emphasizes the difficulty of doing valid educational intervention research as well as some of the social/political/psychological factors that influence individual researchers to submit flawed studies for publication. Although individual researchers should take personal responsibility for the scientific integrity of their work, the primary impetus for change in the quality of published research should come through strong editorial leadership from the scientific journals that publish the research.     

论江泽民科学理解马克思主义的方法论特色

江泽民同志在将马克思主义的普遍原理同中国特色社会主义现代化建设实践相结合的过程中,总体上形成了对马克思主义的科学理解;在某种程度上,对马克思主义的科学理解既是“三个代表”重要思想形成的前提和基础,同时又是它的重要理论组成部分;江泽民同志在科学理解马克思主义的基础上,既继承前人又突破常规,在理解的对象、理解的条件、理解的有效性、实现理解的途径以及理解的应用等问题上极具方法论意义,为我们科学理解马克思主义以便实现其新的中国化历史性飞跃奠定了坚实的方法论基础。     

时间估计方法学的困境

20世纪初期，时间心理学逐渐兴起，时间估计研究得到心理学家的重视。然而，随着研究的深入，时间估计走入了方法学的困境。其具体表现包括：(1)时距长度的选取困难；(2)估计方法的缺陷；(3)估计范式的局限性；(4)反应延迟带来的问题；(5)估计任务结构和内容的选择。     

远程教育学习支持服务体系及质量问题刍议

本文对远程教育学习支持服务体系的要素、基本特性及定义作了分析，提出了学习支持服务质量的评价标准，并从三个方面论述了学习支持服务质量的管理等问题。     

Operationalising pedagogical content knowledge research in technology education: Considerations for methodological approaches to exploring enacted practice

Like many areas of curricula internationally, technology education has encountered difficulties in achieving continuity between the rhetoric of prevailing policy and the reality of enacted practices. In technology education, the conceptually oriented nature of curricular goals is theorised to play a significant part in influencing this relationship. One way in which investigations of this relationship have been approached is considering the application of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) frameworks as a mechanism to understand the interaction of teachers’ knowledge and enacted practices. However, understanding from the philosophy of technology, and the technology education literature, suggests that technology education treats knowledge differently to many other disciplines. As a result of this, the interactions between teachers’ beliefs and knowledge are theorised to play a more significant role in influencing enacted practice in technology education. Building on this perspective, this article considers the need to investigate the roles of teachers’ knowledge and beliefs, and the interactions between these, in the investigation of enacted practice. Further to this, the article problematises the potential for a dominance of exploratory research, though acknowledging the need for research within different paradigms; a common frame of reference is advocated. In advocating a more holistic approach to investigating enacted practice, and the factors which may influence teachers’ enactment of teaching practice, it is envisioned that this article takes a step towards methodological coherence regarding the study of enacted practice in technology education.     

高职思想政治理论课课堂教学要领探析

高职思想政治理论课课堂教学有四大基本要领,即教学准备立体化、教学实施"戏剧化"、教学评价常态化和教学创新持续化。     

Structure of Scientific Knowledge and Curriculum Design

In the theory of teaching, the problem of interrelation between two types of cognition — the scientific and the educational — has been discussed for a long time. The author of this paper has come to the conclusion that logic of an educational subject does not unambiguously follow from the logic of science (paradigm). The same content of the course can be realized with the help of several isomorphous structures of equal value and consistent with the existing logic of science. The choice of structure is determined by educational aims, types of education institutions, periods of studies, the presence of connections between subjects and other conditions.     

Researching teacher education for inclusion: using a methodological memo

This article describes how a methodological memo (MM) was used in a research and development project designed to reform initial teacher education (ITE). A MM was used to explore what often remains an opaque part of the research process – the relationships between theory and practice that underpin many research studies. Yet, without detailed accounts of the research process, it is difficult to understand this relationship. In this case, a memo was used to record the methodological and analytical dilemmas that were encountered in a study of the theoretical and pedagogic processes involved in developing a new ITE course so that primary and secondary teachers are better prepared to respond to increasing diversity in schools. This article addresses how developing and sharing transparency in the research process can help clarify contested concepts associated with a research project and provides the foundation for rich theoretical debate.     

Why choose teaching? An international review of empirical studies exploring student teachers’ career motivations and levels of commitment to teaching

Why do individuals all over the world choose to become school teachers? What motivates them to become educators of young people, and how committed are they to this cause when they enter their teacher education courses? Considering that teacher motivation and commitment have been identified as crucial factors for the future success of education and schools (Huberman, 1993 Huberman, M. (1993). The lives of teachers (J. Neufeld, Trans.). London: Cassell Villiers House. [Google Scholar]; Manning & Patterson, 2005 Manning, M., & Patterson, J. (2005). Special publications. Childhood Education, 81, 249–251. doi: 10.1080/00094056.2005.10522284[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]; Rikard, 1999 Rikard, G. L. (1999). Promoting teacher commitment in pre-service teachers. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 70(9), 53–56. doi: 10.1080/07303084.1999.10605969[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]), these are important questions for policy makers and societies to address. This paper provides a systematic and conceptual review of empirical research studies exploring student teachers’ career motivations and commitment in 23 countries from 5 continents. A variety of motivating factors are explored, their relative importance in student teachers’ career decisions is discussed, and differences between various subgroups and cultural contexts are highlighted. Attention is drawn to methodological limitations as well as recent developments in this important area of research.