The effect of stimulating immigrant and national pupils’ helping behaviour during cooperative learning in classrooms on their maths‐related talk

This study examined whether stimulation of immigrant and national pupils’ use of high‐quality helping behaviour (experimental condition) during cooperative learning (CL) in classrooms boosts their maths‐related talk more than in an educational situation in which such stimulation is largely absent (control condition). A total of 59 elementary‐age pupils enrolled in a CL maths curriculum of 11 lessons. They were video taped during two lessons while working together on maths assignments to assess their maths‐related talk. We found that the quality of maths‐related talk was higher in the experimental condition. Furthermore, immigrant pupils’ used less maths‐related talk than the national pupils. Implications are discussed.     

Returning students’ right to access,choice and notice: a proposed code of ethics for instructors using Turnitin

This paper identifies the ethical issues associated with college instructors’ use of plagiarism detection software (PDS), specifically the Turnitin program. It addresses the pros and cons of using such software in higher education, arguing that its use is justified on the basis that it increases institutional trust, and demonstrating that two common criticisms of such software are not universally valid. An analysis of the legal issues surrounding Turnitin, however, indicates that the way it is designed and operates raises some ethical issues because it denies students notice, access and choice about the treatment of their personal information. The paper concludes with a set of guidelines for instructors using Turnitin in the classroom.     

Knowledge sharing within teams: enabling and constraining factors

In this study, we tested the effects of several team features on knowledge sharing within teams of primary school teachers. We hypothesized that trust in team leader and trust in colleagues, mediated by team identification, will have a positive effect on knowledge sharing. We found indirect effects of both trust variables through team identification and a direct effect of trust in team members on knowledge sharing. We explored, furthermore, a moderator effect of team identification on the relation between team work value diversity and knowledge sharing to examine if team identification diminishes the potential negative effects of team work value diversity on knowledge sharing. Contrary to our expectations, we found no relation between work value diversity and knowledge sharing if team identification is low, while the relation takes a negative curvilinear form if team identification is high. This outcome is explained by the notion that signals of un-sameness in values can produce perceptions of threat and subsequent reactions in high identification teams.     

The concept and profession of ‘englightenment work’: a reaction to Bo Jacobsen

This paper examines the idea that life transition events or turning points are linked with educational participation in adults’ understandings and biographies. The extensive, interdisciplinary literature in this area suggests the importance of such linkages in both theory and practice, and is supported by anecdotal evidence and behaviour. Our analysis focuses on 36 interviews carried out as part of a study of students on two large, local part‐time degree programmes. These students split into two, almost equal groups: those for whom a clear linkage between their current educational participation and one or more life transitional events can be identified, and those for whom no such linkage is readily apparent. Indeed, the latter may be consciously resisting such linkages. They are involved in education for its intrinsic interest, with no immediate instrumental end in view. The idea of life transitional events, while it has its uses, does not form a suitable basis upon which to build satisfying, explanatory theories of adult participation.     

The impact of a cooperative learning experience on pupils’ popularity,non‐cooperativeness,and interethnic bias in multiethnic elementary schools

In this study we investigated popularity and perceived non‐cooperativeness in multiethnic elementary schools. A sample of 94 pupils aged 10–12 years, from five multiethnic elementary schools, were divided into 26 teams and participated in a structured cooperative learning (SCL) curriculum of 11 lessons. Neither teachers nor pupils had prior SCL experience. The results show that SCL time increased popularity and decreased perceived non‐cooperativeness across ethnic backgrounds. In addition, experience with SCL enhanced the popularity of immigrant pupils and decreased differences in perceived non‐cooperativeness between immigrant and non‐immigrant pupils. Importantly, SCL time only raised popularity and decreased perceived non‐cooperativeness within ethnically heterogeneous teams. This last result extends the notion that enduring interethnic contact is fruitful for interethnic friendships.     

Learner control in animated multimedia instructions

The interactivity principle in multimedia learning states that giving learners control over pace and order of instructions decreases cognitive load and increases transfer performance. We tested this guideline by comparing a learner-paced instruction with a system-paced instruction. Time-on-task and interactive behavior were logged, and were also related to interest, prior knowledge, and cognitive involvement. We successfully replicated the interactivity principle in terms of better transfer. However, this coincided with a large increase in time-on-task. Also, large individual differences existed in the use of learner control options, which were mostly unrelated to the other variables. Thus, the benefits of introducing learner control in multimedia learning are at the expense of learning efficiency, and it remains unclear for whom the interactivity principle works best.     

Employee Retention: Organisational and Personal Perspectives

In this continuously changing contemporary economy, companies have to be able to anticipate technological innovations and to compete with other companies worldwide. This need makes important a company’s ability to evolve through its employees’ learning and through continuous development. Securing and retaining skilled employees plays an important role in this process, because employees’ knowledge and skills are central to companies’ ability to be economically competitive. Given that employee retention is very important for the functioning and competitiveness of a company, this study focuses on the organisational and personal factors that influence employee retention. A special interest is taken in employees’ learning, because this is seen as a retention supporting activity. A questionnaire was administered to 349 employees, and 11 employees were interviewed. The interviews are used to illustrate and contextualise the quantitative results. The results show a large positive contribution of appreciation and stimulation of the employee to employee retention. This result is consistent with findings of earlier research. However, the retention benefits arising from personal development offer new possibilities when attempting to enhance employee retention. This study also showed that individual differences influence employee retention. Leadership skills and seniority have a positive relationship with employee retention and the level of readiness and initiative regarding learning are negatively related to retention.     

Running speed-induced changes in foot contact pattern influence impact loading rate

Purpose. We aimed to determine the effect of speed-induced changes in foot contact patterns on the vertical instantaneous loading rate (VILR). We hypothesized that transition runners, i.e. runners that shift towards a mid- (MF) or forefoot contact pattern (FF) when running speed increases, show smaller increases in VILR than non-transition runners, i.e. runners that remain with a rearfoot contact pattern (RF).

Methods. Fifty-two male and female runners ran overground at 3.2, 4.1, 5.1 and 6.2?m?s^?1. Ground reaction forces, lower limb sagittal plane knee and ankle kinematics and plantar pressures were recorded. Multi-level linear regression models were used to assess differences between transition and non-transition runners.

Results. Non-transition runners experienced larger speed-induced increases in VILR (48.6?±?2.6?BW?s^?1 per m?s^?1) than transition runners (–1.4?±?7.6?BW?s^?1 per m?s^?1). Transition runners showed higher VILRs and a more flat foot touch down at the same pre-transition speed than non-transition runners.

Conclusion. When running speed increases, some runners transition towards more anterior foot contact patterns. This reduces or even eliminates the speed-induced increase in VILR. This result is especially the case for those RF runners who already have relatively high VILRs and flat foot positioning at slower running speeds.     

Learning cycles in knowledge-intensive organisations: an exploratory study of the nature and dimensions of knowledge development in four departments

From the perspective of Organisational Learning, organisations have the capacity to learn. Processes of organisational learning and knowledge development have been described mostly in idiosyncratic studies. In this paper, the question raised is how these learning processes can be mapped in a more general way? Can phenomena such as learning abilities of organisations or characteristic learning cycles as several authors broadly describe them, be detected? Unlike other theoretical currents of organisation research, the absence of shared research instruments makes it difficult to compare organisations and be able to pronounce upon their learning capabilities in a more general way.In this paper, the learning abilities of organisations are distinguished and described according to the model of the social learning cycle. A questionnaire was designed and validated to characterise the dimensions of a knowledge space and the stages of a learning cycle. The results, given by the four departments of three knowledge-intensive organisations, are analysed.     

Initial foot contact and related kinematics affect impact loading rate in running

This study assessed kinematic differences between different foot strike patterns and their relationship with peak vertical instantaneous loading rate (VILR) of the ground reaction force (GRF). Fifty-two runners ran at 3.2 m · s^?1 while we recorded GRF and lower limb kinematics and determined foot strike pattern: Typical or Atypical rearfoot strike (RFS), midfoot strike (MFS) of forefoot strike (FFS). Typical RFS had longer contact times and a lower leg stiffness than Atypical RFS and MFS. Typical RFS showed a dorsiflexed ankle (7.2 ± 3.5°) and positive foot angle (20.4 ± 4.8°) at initial contact while MFS showed a plantar flexed ankle (?10.4 ± 6.3°) and more horizontal foot (1.6 ± 3.1°). Atypical RFS showed a plantar flexed ankle (?3.1 ± 4.4°) and a small foot angle (7.0 ± 5.1°) at initial contact and had the highest VILR. For the RFS (Typical and Atypical RFS), foot angle at initial contact showed the highest correlation with VILR (r = ?0.68). The observed higher VILR in Atypical RFS could be related to both ankle and foot kinematics and global running style that indicate a limited use of known kinematic impact absorbing “strategies” such as initial ankle dorsiflexion in MFS or initial ankle plantar flexion in Typical RFS.