Reasonable and Reasonableness of Answers: Kuwaiti Middle School Teachers’ Perspectives

This study described mathematics teachers’ views on the significance of reasonable answers and how they address this concept in their classrooms. Data were gathered from thirteen eighth-grade Kuwaiti mathematics teachers in two middle schools. All teachers in Kuwait use the national textbook and follow the accompanying instructional plans provided by the Ministry of Education. The results revealed that the overwhelming majority of Kuwaiti teachers reported that an answer needed to be exact to be reasonable. Only three teachers reported discussing reasonable answers and their discussions were in response to student mistakes. None of the teachers addressed the concept proactively, considering reasonableness when planning their lessons or preparing activities or exercises. They defended their lack of attention to this concept by noting that the notion of reasonableness is not included in the Kuwaiti national curriculum.     

The change in epistemological beliefs and beliefs about teaching and learning: a study among pre-service teachers

This study investigated the change in Singaporean pre-service teachers' epistemological beliefs and beliefs about learning and teaching over the course of a teacher preparation program. An online survey was administered during the first week of a nine-month program and the same survey was administered after the 413 participants had completed all their course work and teaching practice. Participants exhibited significant changes in epistemological beliefs and beliefs about learning and teaching – participants indicated more relativistic epistemological outlooks and less constructivism in beliefs about teaching. At the end of the teacher preparation program, they seemed to less value effort in learning and believed more in innate ability.     

Student teachers’ discipline strategies: relations with self-images,anticipated student responses and control orientation

Teacher discipline strategies are well documented when it comes to its effects on students and the working climate in the classroom. Although it is commonly acknowledged that for student teachers classroom management is a major concern, student teachers’ use of discipline strategies is largely unknown. In this paper, we examine student teachers’ beliefs in relation to their discipline strategies. Three clusters of discipline strategies are distinguished: sensitive, directive and aggressive discipline strategies. Beliefs that were taken into account are self-images on control and affiliation, control orientation and anticipated student responses on control and affiliation. All participants were student teachers of a one-year teacher education programme for secondary education in the Netherlands. Student questionnaires were used to measure discipline strategies (n?=?2506). Student teachers’ (n?=?104) self-images, control orientation and anticipated student responses were measured with student teacher questionnaires. Results of the multiple regression analyses showed that student teachers’ sensitive and directive discipline strategies are explained best by self-images on control; aggressive discipline strategies are explained best by self-images on affiliation and by control orientation. Apart from the possible academic interest in these particular findings, results are believed to be useful in a practical sense, in particular for teacher education programmes.     

A private matter? Religious education and democracy in Indonesia and Israel

The article examines state-supported religious education and its consequences for civic attitudes in Indonesia and Israel, two democracies that grant religion a prominent place in the public sphere, particularly in education. The comparison reveals that while in Indonesia the state was able to gradually introduce a secular curriculum in religious schools and establish an accreditation system by which it could exert influence on the way religion is taught, in Israel, by contrast, state-funded religious schools over time became increasingly opposed to a mandatory ‘core curriculum’ of general studies. The comparison further suggests that in Indonesia the inclusion of a secular curriculum in religious schools in the 1970s should be seen as one of the factors promoting the production and dissemination of ‘rationalist approaches to religion’ and brought religious actors on board of democratisation, while in Israel the exclusion of a secular curriculum from religious schooling has undermined civic commitments among ultra-Orthodox Jewish citizens and as such weakened Israeli democracy. The article is based on public opinion data, data from the Ministries of Religion and Education, and court decisions in both countries.     

Incremental beliefs of ability,achievement emotions and learning of Singapore students

This study investigated the relationships of students’ incremental beliefs of math ability to their achievement emotions, classroom engagement and math achievement. A sample of 273 secondary students in Singapore were administered measures of incremental beliefs of math ability, math enjoyment, pride, boredom and anxiety, as well as math classroom attention and disruption. In addition, students’ end-of-year math achievement scores were collected from school records. The hypothesised mediation model was supported in structural equation modelling analysis. Incremental beliefs of math ability were associated positively with math enjoyment and pride, and negatively with math boredom and anxiety. Achievement emotions fully mediated the relationships of incremental beliefs of math ability to classroom engagement and math achievement. Incremental beliefs of math ability were associated positively with classroom attention through math enjoyment and pride, negatively with classroom disruption through math anxiety and positively with math achievement through the two outcome-related emotions, math pride and anxiety. The findings and implications are discussed in the academic context of Singapore.     

强化道德责任 巩固道德信念——对大学生思想道德和法律教育的思考

在思想道德修养与法律基础课教学中,应坚持从学生思想道德实际状况出发,以社会主义核心价值体系统领社会主义核心道德观,以引导大学生进一步掌握正确的道德认知、道德评价标准为切入点,以培养道德情感为基础,以道德案例为素材,以突出道德责任为重点,以巩固道德理想信念、提高道德修养素质、养成良好职业道德习惯、促进学生全面发展为目的,对学生进行系统的思想道德教育。     

迷离的红字多彩的光辉--论《红字》主题多义性及其成因

多义性是《红字》的显著特点和艺术魅力所在。该文试从形式和内蕴两个系统人手，剖析其多义性的成因——对于形式系统，着重分析《红字》中的艺术空白和象征手法所造成的开放性；对于内蕴系统，则重点阐释作为核心的宗教精神赋予文本的矛盾性和复杂性——并试从两大系统的互动渗透中重审《红字》的独特魅力与文学价值。     

中国共产党处理宗教问题的基本理论及其在新疆的实践

章通过对我们党80年，特别是改革开放20多年来处理我国宗教问题基本实践的阐述，认为我们党在宗教工作实践中正确地处理了宗教问题上的十大关系，形成了一整套有中国特色的马克思主义宗教理论和宗教政策，这是我们党的三代领导集体共同实践探索的结果。这些宗教理论和政策在新疆宗教工作实践中获得了极大的成功，取得了丰富经验，认真学习我们党80年来形成的这些宗教理论，结合实际总结新疆宗教工作中的实践经验，对做好新世纪新疆的宗教工作具有重要意义。     

侗族伦理思想综论

侗族伦理思想是侗族人民物质生活和精神生活领域中须臾不可缺少的"精神调节器",是侗族文化的核心内容,对侗族人民的思想和行为一直起着规范和规约的作用。对侗族传统伦理思想进行系统的整理、归纳、概括、扬弃,无疑将有利于提升侗族人民的思想文化素质,促进侗族地区的物质文明、精神文明的协调发展,推进民族团结进步事业和现代化建设的进程。     

Science and Scientific Curiosity in Pre-school—The teacher's point of view

Nowadays, early science education is well-accepted by researchers, education professionals and policy makers. Overall, teachers’ attitudes and conceptions toward the science subject domain and science education influence their ways of teaching and engagement. However, there is a lack of research regarding factors that affect this engagement in pre-school years. The main assumption of this study is that teachers’ attitudes regarding science in pre-school can shape children's engagement in science and develop their scientific curiosity. Therefore, the main objectives of this study are to investigate the attitudes of pre-school teachers toward engaging in science and to explore their views about the nature of curiosity: who is a curious child and how can a child's natural curiosity be fostered? An extensive survey was conducted among 146 pre-school teachers by employing both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Results indicate that most of the participants believe that scientific education should begin in early childhood; very young children can investigate and take part in a process of inquiry; and scientific activities in pre-school can influence children's long-term attitudes toward science. Despite these views, most participants felt they did not possess sufficient scientific knowledge. Furthermore, participants expressed diverse opinions when asked to identify what constitutes curiosity, how the curious child can be identified and how a child's curiosity can be fostered. The research findings carry significant implications regarding how to implement scientific activities in pre-school, and how to encourage pre-school teachers to engage children in scientific activities in a way that will nurture their natural curiosity.