Evolution of pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards learning science during an introductory science unit

Primary teachers, despite their critical role in fostering student interest in science, lack confidence and have negative attitudes towards teaching science, with this trend starting during initial teacher education. Though research on attitudes towards teaching science is well established, less is known about attitudes towards learning science. In order to advance our understanding in this area, this study mapped the entry and evolution of attitudinal profiles towards learning science of 108 primary education pre-service teachers undertaking a first-year science unit. Participants completed an online survey tapping on self-determination, grade motivation, self-efficacy, difficulty, interest, anxiety and enjoyment in science before the commencement of the unit (T1) and at the end of it (T2). Clustering methods were used to group participants into homogenous attitudinal profiles at both points in time. Subsequently, daughter profile analysis was used to examine qualitative changes in final profiles respective to entry. Four distinct attitudinal profiles were identified with 47% of the participants exhibiting the least favourable profiles at the start of the science unit. Migration (T1 to T2) was more prevalent from the least to the most favourable profiles, however, it did occur in the opposite direction. Findings revealed that, though pre-service teachers increased their confidence in their ability to learn science, their self-determination decreased in all but one of the eight resulting daughter profiles.     

论邓小平的独立自主外交思想

独立自主的外交思想是邓小平理论的重要组成部分。他认为,独立自主,自力更生,无论过去、现在和将来,都是我们的立足点。在对待诸如香港、台湾、人权、制裁等问题以及霸权主义和强权政治等方面,我们应坚决地捍卫国家主权和民族利益。他反对利用人权来干涉他国内政的行为,并始终毫不妥协地同这种行为作斗争。     

"电工学"实验课程自主实验模式

长期以来,电工学实验内容大部分属于验证性实验,这样的实验模式与培养学生的观察、动手、创新能力蹬初衷相去甚远。因此,针对传统实验教学模式出现的种种弊端,在电路电子技术实验教学中,对部分班级进行了教学方法的改革试点,展开了自主实验模式的探索与实践。文章详细探讨了自主实验的开展以及取得的宝贵经验。     

论市场竞争下的大学发展战略

随着社会主义市场经济改革的不断深化 ,中国高等教育领域里的竞争在近年愈演愈烈 ,在激烈的市场竞争中大学如何发展也就成为了当前高等教育研究关注和探讨的问题。如何深化对这一问题的研究就应使高等学校的发展从集中控制管理的行政约束模式中解放出来 ,使高等学校成为独立的利益主体 ,以“教育规律 +利益法则”作为其运行的基础进行自主性的办学 ,在基于市场竞争法则的基础上 ,克服大学发展过程中已有的制度性的路径依赖 ,形成大学发展的核心竞争能力 ,确定“有选择性卓越”的发展战略     

基于自我决定理论的远程教师指导行为

根据自我决定理论,当自主需要、关系需要和胜任需要得到满足时,可有效激发其内在动机。本研究结果表明远程教师的指导行为与学习者的内在动机有密切关系。研究从激发学习者内在动机入手,探讨了远程教师指导行为对于学习者内在动机的影响。     

“轴心国”阴影下的二战民族问题

二战的缘起,其实还存有民族问题的潜因.德、意、日法西斯"轴心国"集团战前和战时在对被侵略国民众实行种族灭绝政策的同时,一再利用有关国家内部的民族问题兴风作浪,煽动民族敌对.这是歪曲、滥用民族自决原则,为其战略目标服务的历史例证,值得后人永远记取.     

Blog:现代远程教育下建构主义的新实践

新兴的面向个人的网络服务Blog为现代远程教育提供了良好的“学”的平台。Blog所具有的以个人为主体的讨论形式正是贯彻了建构主义中讲究学习的自主性、协作性的学习理论,是建构主义在先进网络技术下的新实践。     

Use of self-determination theory to support basic psychological needs of preservice science teachers in an environmental science course

In this paper, we examine how the basic psychological needs of preservice science teachers (PSTs) were supported in a series of environmental science course activities informed by self-determination theory (SDT). We collected qualitative data about the PSTs’ sense of competence, autonomy, and relatedness through interviews, group discussions, assignments, and reflection papers. Data were analyzed in relation to the instructional design features of the course; namely, collective construction of ideas, student guided discussions, real life connection, and consistent group dynamics. Findings illustrate primary support for cognitive features, including, how course activities supported a sense of confidence in action, sense of self-initiation, awareness of personal role in the system, and awareness of environmental actions. Overall, results suggest that SDT can be effectively utilized as a framework for environmental education in courses designed to foster environmental self-determination and long-lasting pro-environmental behaviors.     

Extra Added Attractions: the short subjects of MGM,Warner Brothers and Universal

Aboriginal writing produced on Flinders Island off the coast of Van Diemen's Land, Australia, between 1836 and 1847 portrays continued resistance and attempts to influence public opinion and government policy. The journal, petition to Queen Victoria, private letters and colonial press coverage document the tumultuous existence Van Diemen's Land's surviving Aboriginal people endured. Leximancer software and a manual content analysis are used to identify the key themes and communication devices existing within the documents. Applying a typology of public sphere characteristics over the content analysis provides evidence of the existence of a subaltern Aboriginal public. This paper concludes that the Flinders Island people adopted European communication structures to overtly and covertly resist colonial domination and to exert control over their own lives. The documents and events surrounding their production suggest that the surviving people, despite being from different tribes in Van Diemen's Land, formed an Aboriginal subaltern public through which they took a unified stand against colonial oppression.     

Autonomy and Perceptions of Work Quality

Self-determination theory says intrinsic and extrinsic motivations influence our goal-oriented behavior and determine satisfaction. For TV news workers, those motivations include deadlines, breaking news, multiple-screen obligations, competition, and the desire to produce quality journalism each day. In this study of nearly 900 broadcasters, those with work autonomy and organizational support have a great deal of job satisfaction and say they are producing a high quality of journalism. Of the sample, 19 percent (N = 155) who said they intend to leave TV news within five years had significantly lower levels of job satisfaction, organizational support, autonomy, and perceptions of work quality. The primary reasons for leaving the industry include salary, family issues, and concerns about the quality journalism they are producing.