Motivational factors that influence students' participation in outdoor activities

The aim of this research was to study five groups (18 to 26 years old) in order to identify the main motivational factors that influence participation in outdoor activities. A triangulation method, including open-end questionnaires, unstructured conversation and participant observation was employed for investigation.

Five main categories of motivational themes appeared to trigger both female (n=81) and male (n=27) Romanian students participation in outdoor activities. These include the opportunity to enjoy and have fun; to meet new friends and interact; to escape from daily routine and family; to enjoy natures beauty and to explore unknown territories. Female and male students attached a slightly different importance to each of the above motives. It was also found that these motives determine, to an extent, the decision for initial engagement in activities but when it comes to systematic participation the particular situational factors are also very important.     

Webcasts promote in-class active participation and learning in an engineering elective course

This paper describes the design and outcomes of an educational intervention undertaken to improve the quality of delivery of a fourth-year engineering elective course – Industrial Wastewater and Solid Waste Management at the University of Queensland. The objective was to increase the level of active participation of students in planned active-learning classroom activities, including whole-class discussions and small group project-type work. According to a flipped classroom model, new online material in the form of webcasts was proposed to students before class. Students reacted very positively to the webcasts: the percentage of students viewing the webcast before planned workshop sessions ranged between 80% and 92% over the five weeks of the intervention. Enhanced engagement led also to increased attendance (85–92% at workshop sessions), and remarkable active participation in class (half of observed teams were ～80% active). Remarkably, team performance as quantified by their report marks linearly correlated with the level of active participation in class.     

Engaging Quiet Students in the College Classroom

Quiet students are sometimes misunderstood in the college classroom. Students may be quiet for reasons related to personality traits, learned behaviors, or situational factors, but regardless, their silences may be misinterpreted by their instructors as a lack of engagement in their courses. In fact, quiet students are often very engaged in the learning process but may need space to express their interest in ways that are suited to their quiet tendencies. This article describes how quiet students are perceived in the classroom, reviews the reasons why quiet students often serve as a source of uncertainty for college instructors, and explains a number of strategies that instructors can use to meet the learning needs of quiet students.     

现代远程教育质量测评：学习性投入的视角

在国际高等教育领域,学生学习性投入被认为是衡量大学教育质量的重要指标,学习性投入调查已成为高等教育质量评估和学情监测的重要手段。本研究采用问卷调查法,在借鉴“全美大学生学习性投入调查(NSSE)”和“中国大学生学习性投入调查(NSSE-China)”的基础上,结合我国现代远程教育的特定情境,编制“远程学习者学习性投入调查问卷”,以1394名远程学习者为样本开展调查研究。结果显示：远程学习者的学习性投入水平总体较高,各维度从高到低依次为学业要求、个体努力、院校支持、人际互动;远程学习者的学习性投入水平在部分层面差异显著,学习层次、学习时长对学业要求维度有显著影响,年龄对个体努力维度及学习性投入总体有显著影响。建议远程教育院校建立以学习性投入为核心的远程教育学情监测机制,以及时了解、诊断教育教学过程中存在的问题,不断提高现代远程教育质量。     

Motivating young language learners: A longitudinal model of self-determined motivation in elementary school foreign language classes

Promoting intrinsic motivation is often a central concern in teaching foreign languages to elementary school children. Self-determination theory posits that intrinsic motivation develops through the interaction of the person and the environment. The present study investigated how elementary school students’ motivation develops over the course of a school year in Japanese public schools. Five-hundred and fifteen Japanese elementary school children were surveyed over the course of one school year. Self-reported motivation, perceptions of teacher support, need satisfaction, and engagement were measured at different times. External raters observed students’ engagement, while classroom teachers assessed the quality of students’ motivation and learning. Structural equation modeling results indicated a positive, dynamic relationship between motivation, perceptions of the learning environment, and engagement. External raters’ assessments showed significant positive correlations with students’ self-reported engagement. Findings indicate how the instruction offered in these Japanese elementary schools supported students’ foreign language learning motivation.     

大学图书馆与城市文化建设

文章从构筑知识城市、学习型社会以及阅读、旅游、环境等方面论述大学图书馆在城市文化建设中的作用及其相互关系,提出了存在的问题和相应对策.参考文献6.     

Citizenship representations,group indispensability and attitudes towards immigrants’ rights

Social psychological research has distinguished between ethnic and civic conceptions of citizenship and examined the differential associations of these conceptions with perceived out-group competition and threats to explain attitudes towards immigrants. In contrast, the current study examines two dimensions of group indispensability: functional indispensability and identity indispensability. In a survey study conducted among a national sample of native Dutch we found that the endorsement of ethnic citizenship is related to weaker support for immigrants’ social rights because of a lower sense of functional indispensability and of identity indispensability. In contrast, the endorsement of civic citizenship was associated with higher acceptance of immigrant rights because of a stronger sense of functional and identity indispensability of immigrants.     

日本大学生学习参与调查的理论视点

大学教育质量是大学内部管理制度、教师教育活动和学生学习行为三者间互动的结果。改善和提高大学教育质量需要把握影响大学教育过程的关键因素,大学生学习参与调查是揭示大学教育效果的重要途径和方法。本文通过概括性地介绍金子元久教授构建的大学生教育过程参与调查理论思维框架,及以此为基础开展的日本大学生学习活动调查实证分析结论,阐述了大学管理制度、教师教学方法及学生学习参与共同影响大学教育质量的内在机制,最后提出了上述理论性思维和实证研究对改善我国高等教育质量的启示。     

Social media effects on fostering online civic engagement and building citizen trust and trust in institutions

This paper tests the extent to which social media is shaping civic engagement initiatives to build trust among people and increase trust in their institutions, particularly the government, police and justice systems. A survey of 502 citizens showed that using social media for civic engagement has a significant positive impact on trust propensity and that this trust had led to an increase in trust towards institutions. Interestingly, while group incentives encouraged citizens to engage online for civic matters, it is civic publications through postings on social media that intensify the urge of citizens for civic action to address social issues. Post-hoc analysis via ten interviews with social activists was conducted to further examine their perceptions on trust towards institutions. The overall findings suggest that institutions, in their effort to promote a meaningful and trusting citizen engagement, need to enhance trust among the public by fostering social capital via online civic engagement and closing the public–police disengagement gap.     

Effects of emotional intelligence and supportive text messages on academic outcomes in first-year undergraduates

An increase in the number of students entering higher education has intensified the need for targeted strategies to support a wider range of student requirements. Current research suggests that emotional intelligence (EI) may be associated with academic success, progression and retention in university students but the use of EI screening as a prospective measure of success requires further investigation. This study evaluates the utility of prospective EI screening to predict progression rates, mean grades, attendance and online engagement in a sample of first-year undergraduate students enrolled on the same degree programme (N = 358). A supportive text messaging intervention was employed during potentially stressful periods of the academic year with a subsection of participants (n = 60) who demonstrated low total EI scores relative to the cohort. Results showed no effects of EI classification on progression rates, mean grades, attendance or online engagement (all p > 0.418). Alternatively, the text messaging intervention was associated with significant improvements compared with a matched control group for progression rates (p = 0.027), mean grades (p = 0.026) and attendance (p = 0.007). The frequency of access to the virtual learning environment also tended to be higher in the intervention group compared with the control group (p = 0.059). In conclusion, this study did not identify any benefits of EI screening as a prospective indicator of student success but provides encouraging indications that a text messaging support intervention could help to improve progression rates, mean grades, attendance and online engagement in first-year undergraduate students. Further research is warranted to develop these proof-of-concept findings.