Analysekompetenz von Lehrpersonen – Modellierung und Messung

This article reports on a project in which the analytical competence of teachers and trainee teachers is measured. The term analytical competence refers to the ability to assess and evaluate the quality of lessons which are observed. The sample consists of 800 teaching staff (200 students, 200 probationary teachers, 200 qualified teachers, 200 teacher training personnel). They are shown a video of a school lesson (in Physics) and then given a test in the form of a questionnaire in which they are asked to analyse the lesson. In the evaluation, the item scale of the test is checked for Rasch homogeneity. In the medium term, the results of this study should lead to consequences for the development of analytical competence in the various phases of teacher training.     

Pedagogical content knowledge of experts and novices—what knowledge do they activate when analyzing science lessons?

In the current debate on pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), the term is used to refer to the context‐specific knowledge that teachers activate when reflecting on practice. Against the background of this debate, we conducted an empirical study and sought to answer the question of which knowledge experts and novices activated in assessing a videotaped lesson in relation to its effectiveness for learning. Our assumption was that the participants activate their PCK as a blending of content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical knowledge (PK) as suggested by Shulman's amalgam thesis. The participants (9 experts and 9 novices) were shown a lesson on optics, in which the law of refraction (Snell's law) was being studied. In a subsequent interview, the participants were asked to analyze the observed lesson. A qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the interviews showed that experts activated both CK and PK intensively and in this respect they differed significantly from novices. Further analysis of the expert statements also proved that they do not activate their CK and PK in isolation, but instead combine both kinds of knowledge together, in line with Shulman's amalgam thesis. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 55: 44–67, 2018     

Dynamics of Illegal Participation in Peer-to-Peer Networks—Why Do People Illegally Share Media Files?

In 1997, a law was passed in Spain that mandated that “broadcastings of general interest” be free-to-air rather than pay-per-view. Since that time, a soccer match of the Spanish First Division—considered a public benefit activity—can be viewed on a weekly basis for free throughout the regular season. The aim of this article is to determine whether a “general interest” for these free-to-air broadcastings exists. To perform the empirical analysis, a demand equation for a TV audience is estimated using a unique panel data set on a regional level, in which the dependent variable is the number of viewers of free-to-air matches in each Spanish region during the period 2008–2012. The model specifications consider whether a particular region has a team competing in the First Division and other socioeconomical and sporting variables. The results conclude that a nationwide “general interest” in free-to-air broadcasting of soccer matches, which would support Spanish law, does not exist, with the exception of matches played by Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, Fútbol Club Barcelona, and local teams.     

A constructivist approach to studying the bullwhip effect by simulating the supply chain

The Cider Game is a simulator for a supply chain-related learning environment. Its main feature is that it provides support to students in the constructivist discovery process when learning how to make logistics decisions, at the same time as noting the occurrence of the bullwhip phenomenon. This learning environment seeks a balance between direct instruction in the learning process on the part of the tutor, and a suitable and sufficient degree of freedom to regulate independent learning on the part of students. This article describes the basic learning mechanisms using the Cider Game and the graphical learning environments that it provides. We describe the functionality provided by this application, and analyse the effect over the rational understanding of the bullwhip phenomenon by the students and whether they are able to make decisions to minimise its impact, studying the differences when that decision-making learning is done individually or in groups.     

The quasi-experimental attitude of teachers: the development of a questionnaire

This article reports on the development and testing of a questionnaire that can be used to measure the quasi-experimental attitude (QEA) of teachers. This attitude is reflected in the willingness of teachers to assess and organise their core activities (planning, implementing and analysing lessons) by analogy with experiments in the field of research, in order to gain meaningful experiences from this cyclical process, to evaluate critically these experiences and to draw from them conclusions on how to improve lessons in the future. The sample comprised 512 trainee teachers who had already been teaching independently for 15 months following the conclusion of their university studies. The analysis of the questionnaire showed that the reliability of the scale was satisfactory. Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the assumption that the quasi-experimental attitude could be modelled in two ways: A first-order model with four intercorrelated factors (meticulous lesson planning, confidence in the predictability of how the lesson will turn out, evidence-based analysis of the lesson and scepticism about mere experience) and a second-order model in which these four factors are loading on the overarching factor QEA. Additionally, the instrument yielded plausible correlations to several validity criteria.     

Trigger videos on the Web: Impact of audiovisual design

Audiovisual design might impact emotional responses, as studies from the 1970s and 1980s on movie and television content show. Given today's abundant presence of web‐based videos, this study investigates whether audiovisual design will impact web‐video content in a similar way. The study is motivated by the potential influence of video‐evoked emotional responses to related activities in a web‐based learning environment. To examine this, a video scene was designed that follows the concept of an educational trigger video. A trigger video aims to evoking affective responses in viewers with respect to a social problem situation. An experiment was conducted that explored whether the manipulation of two audiovisual design variables—shot length and camera height—of a web trigger video affects how the problem situation and the characters are perceived. The results showed that audiovisual design did impact these video‐related tasks.     

试论高教自考在构建终身教育体系中的作用

我国成人高等教育事业的丰富实践经验和理论研究，为在我国建构终身教育体系开拓了广阔的沃土。在我国的成人高等教育中，高等教育自学考试经过20年的发展，取得了很大的成绩，从而使终身教育思想在世界上最大的国家快速地从理论走向了实践，并成为到目前为止最能体现终身教育理念与终身教育特点的教育形式。它将在多种形式发展高等教育，特别是在构建终身教育体系中，发挥不可替代的作用。