European Journal of Special Needs Education Vol. 18, No. 3, October 2003 erratum

The current paper reports on the outcome of an ongoing action research project at a school for higher-functioning students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Sweden. The overall aim of the study was to develop and evaluate a questionnaire that captures social and individual aspects of classroom learning suitable for use with students with ASD. Interview data is presented on the perceived utility of the questionnaire for understanding and planning classroom instruction for the children with ASD through the eyes of the students’ teachers and their parents, as assessed during an Individual Education Plan meeting. Further, teacher ratings obtained by means of the instrument were found to differentiate a group of students with ASD (n = 10) from a group of typically developing children matched with regard to grade year, word reading ability and receptive vocabulary (n = 10). Implications and future directions are discussed, as are limitations of this pilot study.     

中国高等教育分类研究现状述评

中国高等教育分类研究起步于20世纪90年代中期，2003年以来逐步形成了研究热潮，但尚处于以介绍和借鉴国外高校分类法及制度为主的起步阶段。研究对象上侧重于高校分类，研究内容集中于文献研究和案例研究，研究成果集中于对现有分类法及分类政策的介绍、评述、反思和批判。今后一段时期，我国一方面要将高等教育分类研究的视野从高校层面提升到高等教育层面，加强专题研究和理论研究，另一方面要加强原创性研究和应用研究，集中力量研究中国高等教育分类（含高校）的依据、标准、指标及配套的制度和政策框架，并进行分类的应用性试验和试点。     

New Structures,New Strategies: CSIRO’s Changing Role in Australian Innovation

Abstract

CSIRO’s role in Australian innovation has evolved over the years in response to changes in the external environment and within Australia’s national innovation system. The process of organisational change has been characterised by a series of restructurings—in 1978, 1988, 1996 and 2001—and accompanying shifts in the organisation’s strategic directions. In this paper we look at the process of organisational change in an historical context, looking at the evolving external environment, the legislative and management background, and the shifts in the organisation’s strategic directions. The change process is interpreted from a punctuated equilibrium perspective. We propose that discontinuous, rather than continuous change, is the way that a complex and diversified organisation like CSIRO adjusts to a changing external environment and, moreover, that independent public reviews have an important role in this process. In the light of major changes in the Australian and scientific landscapes over the past two decades we suggest it is time to look again at CSIRO’s role and the sustainability of its internal management arrangements.     

Planning for Library Automation:

No abstract available for this article.     

Student Management of Web-Based Hypermedia Resources During Open-Ended Problem Solving

Abstract

Twelve middle school students' use of computer tools to manage and manipulate Internet-based hypermedia resources was investigated. Tools were proposed to support higher order thinking about hypermedia resources to help students find, frame, and resolve open-ended science problems. Tools alone were insufficient to help students manage hypermedia information for solving open-ended problems. Students more frequently applied lower order tool functions (e.g., information collection) than higher order tool functions (e.g., reasoning). Students typically resolved problems with original solutions, but tools were used infrequently to develop evidence-based arguments justifying new ideas. Computer tools alone may be insufficient to help students manage extensive hypermedia resources. Together with additional support structures, however, tool potential may be realized.     

成人教育与学习参与障碍研究述评与展望

通过整理近年来国内外的相关文献,对当前成人教育与学习参与障碍的研究成果进行系统的总结与归纳。重点对成人教育与学习参与障碍的内涵、情境障碍、机构障碍、心理障碍与信息障碍进行梳理,最后从成人教育与学习参与障碍未来本土化理论体系的建构与多元化研究方法的采用方面进行展望。     

Making sense of the development of inclusive practices

Schools in England are currently being asked to pay greater attention to the issue of educational inclusion. This paper reports some of the findings of a collaborative action research Network that was set up to address the implications of this trend. The Network involves teams of university researchers in working with practitioners in order to encourage the development of inclusive practices. As a result of this work, it is argued that the development of such practices is not about adopting ‘recipes’ of the sort described in much of the existing literature. Rather, it involves social learning processes that occur within a given workplace. The paper attempts to provide deeper understandings of what these processes involve. To assist in this analysis use is made of the idea of ‘communities of practice’, as developed by Etienne Wenger, focusing specifically on the way he sees learning as a characteristic of practice. It is argued that the development of inclusive practices involves collaborative working arrangements; that they can be encouraged by engagement with various forms of evidence that interrupt ways of thinking; and that the space that is created through such interruptions can enable those involved to recognize overlooked or, indeed, new possibilities for moving practice forward.     

Students’ Ideas about How and Why Chemical Reactions Happen: Mapping the conceptual landscape

Research in science education has revealed that many students struggle to understand chemical reactions. Improving teaching and learning about chemical processes demands that we develop a clearer understanding of student reasoning in this area and of how this reasoning evolves with training in the domain. Thus, we have carried out a qualitative study to explore students reasoning about chemical causality and mechanism. Study participants included individuals at different educational levels, from college to graduate school. We identified diverse conceptual modes expressed by students when engaged in the analysis of different types of reactions. Main findings indicate that student reasoning about chemical reactions is influenced by the nature of the process. More advanced students tended to express conceptual modes that were more normative and had more explanatory power, but major conceptual difficulties persisted in their reasoning. The results of our study are relevant to educators interested in conceptual development, learning progressions, and assessment.     

Universities and government‐sponsored contract research: an Australian case study

Based on interviews, this article provides a case study of the experiences of academic staff at one Australian regional university in undertaking contract research projects sponsored by government departments and agencies. Academics from a surprisingly diverse range of disciplines are attracted to government‐sponsored research for a variety of reasons but particularly important is the financial support provided for research projects and postgraduate research students. Projects vary in scale, amounts of funding involved and purposes, with research activities covering a wide range of different activities including collection and analysis of data, provision of documentation on good practice, design of implementation strategies, evaluations, organisational reviews and policy recommendations. Overall, respondents are highly positive about their experiences, despite problems such as delays in payment of funds, inappropriately restricted timelines, frequent changes in senior agency personnel, unrealistic expectations, and restrictions in the use of data and publication of results. While many academics from different disciplines provide policy recommendations and carry out evaluative studies, few are well informed about the extent to which their work is actually utilised.     

幼儿园课题研究与日常教育教学工作融合的实践与思考

文章针对教师在课题研究过程中存在的普遍问题,提出了课题研究过程应贯穿于日常教育教学的始终,课题研究成果应回归于日常教育教学过程等观点及其策略,旨在使课题研究与教育教学相辅相承,同生共进,实现过程性的融合、动态化的推进,让课题研究和教育教学共同成为有效促进幼儿发展和教师专业成长的支点。