Why some teachers easily learn to use a new virtual learning environment: a technology acceptance perspective

After a decade of virtual learning environments (VLEs) in higher education, many teachers still use only a minimum of its affordances. This study looked at how academic staff interacted with a new and unknown VLE in order to understand how technology acceptance and support materials influence (perceived and actual) task performance. In an experimental design, 36 participants were split into a control (online help) and experimental (instructor video) condition and completed five common teaching tasks in a new VLE. In contrast to most technology acceptance model research, this study found that perceived usefulness of the VLE was not related to (perceived) task performance. Perceived ease of use was related to intentions and actual behaviour in the VLE. Furthermore, no significant difference was found between the two conditions, although the experimental condition led to a (marginal) increase in time to complete the tasks.     

Globalization as Both Threat and Opportunity for the Hong Kong Teaching Profession

The paper examines the roles of theHong Kong government, schools and teachers inthe translation of global economic imperativesinto demands on education, and how suchtranslation affects the teaching profession.Two global imperatives are selected forillustration because of their peculiarforegrounding by the Hong Kong government:international (English) language proficiencyand competence in information technology. Thepaper argues that preparation for economicglobalization not only poses a threat, but alsocreates an opportunity for the development ofthe teaching profession, and that this dependsto a large extent on how the governmenttranslates these global imperatives intodemands on teachers. The government is theprincipal actor in the selection andtranslation of global imperatives. Schools arenot just brokers and enforcers of governmentpolicy, but can be an important buffer betweenthe government and teachers by helping themcope with the imposed imperatives at the schoollevel. Teachers can be key players in acceptingor rejecting such imperatives. Governmentstrategies that are insensitive to teachers'needs and practical concerns create moreproblems than solutions.     

Teachers’ perception of mobile edutainment for special needs learners: the Malaysian case

Study of Malaysian adoption of mobile learning (m-learning) is still in the early stages. However, there are numerous researchers in the country exploring the potential and application of m-learning in the Malaysian education system, including special education. A key question is whether teachers are prepared to incorporate mobile technology as part of their teaching tools or do teachers perceive mobile technology only as personal communication gadgets. This paper investigates teachers' perception of m-learning applications in special education classes. Interviews were conducted to collect related information on teachers' perceptions of m-learning in the selected schools. The teachers expressed that there are limited resources to cater to the attention of special needs learners and they believed edutainment technologies such as augmented reality, game-based educational software and animation projects could be the answer. The benefits and challenges of implementing blended learning for special education are also discussed. The paper concludes by summarising the current environment of m-learning in Malaysian special needs education, together with recommendations for future use of the technology.     

Differential contribution of psycholinguistic and cognitive skills to written composition in Chinese as a second language

Reading and Writing - This study examined the contribution of the constructs of orthographic processing (orthographic choice and orthographic choice in context), syntactic processing...     

Moving from a Personal to a Social Constructivist View of Learning: Implications for Support in the Student Teaching Experience 1

Recently, the school and co‐operating teachers have an increasingly important role, by offering stronger support during the teaching practice. Being congruent with similar developments in teacher education programmes in other countries, this development in Hong Kong is strengthened by research studies examining the process of learning to teach. By arguing that the process of learning to teach can be examined from a personal constructivist view of learning, this paper examines the experience from the student‐teachers’ perspective. The finding reports on the problems perceived by the student‐teachers during the student teaching practice and the support provided by the co‐operating teachers. The problems encountered and the support obtained were compared and contrasted to reveal the possible roles of the co‐operating teachers. The process of learning to teach is extended from a personal view to include support from the social milieu. This paper proposes to consider the process from a social constructivist view of learning. Drawing on the findings, it concludes with implications on how the school and the teacher education institute can collaborate and support the student‐teachers from a social constructivist view of learning.

     

The Regulation of Pedagogic Discourse: Relationships between the State and Intellectuals after the Cultural Revolution in China

Based on the theoretical model of pedagogic discourse proposed by Basil Bernstein, this paper proposes two notions, elaborated ideological orientation and restrictive ideological orientation, to understand the new relationship between the State and intellectuals in China, which is crucial to understanding intellectual practices after the Cultural Revolution in China. The reform has made it possible for the production of discourse in education which is not directly derived from Marxism and Maoism. Such diversification of legitimate positions does not amount to an autonomous discourse in education. This paper chooses the case of an influential journal, Jiaoyu Yanjiu (Educational Research) to illustrate the ways in which the editors of the journal have taken up the role of mediator between the State and authors.     

Beliefs of experienced and student teachers about the nature and purpose of social studies education in New Zealand elementary schools

This paper reports on an investigation carried out in New Zealand into experienced elementary and student teachers’ beliefs about the nature and purpose of social studies education. Since its inclusion in New Zealand's curriculum, social studies has been organized around the notion of citizenship education with curricula and programmes of work influenced by four overarching “traditions” – social studies as: citizenship transmission; social science; reflective inquiry; and personal, social and ethical empowerment. A 20-item scale based on these traditions was administered to 228 student teachers and 64 experienced teachers. A factor analysis indicated that participants' perceptions of the dimensions of social studies education were, with one exception, reasonably close to the four traditions. Despite the contested nature of social studies, the student and experienced teachers held similar positions on the relative importance of the traditions and dimensions. It is argued that this agreement arises, wholly or in part, from their common “apprenticeship of experience” in classrooms, the broader socio-historical context in which their beliefs were developed, the widespread influence of a prevalent educational discourse, and a shared lack of experience in formal knowledge associated with specific social science disciplines. It was concluded that the uncomfortable generational encounters often reported in the literature between novice and experienced teachers are unlikely to occur in relation to the teaching of elementary social studies in New Zealand.     

Voices of donors: Case reports of body donation in Hong Kong

Body donation is important for medical education and academic research. However, it is relatively rare in Hong Kong when compared with many Western countries. Comprehensive research has been performed on the motivation for body donation in Western countries; however, there is still insufficient research on body donation in Hong Kong to provide information on how to increase the body‐donation rate. To understand the factors involved in the decision to donate one's body, the authors interviewed a registered donor and the daughter of another donor in Hong Kong. The authors interpreted the information collected in light of the available published reports, which mostly focus on body donation in Western countries. Despite the consistency of some demographic factors and motivations between the participants in our study and those investigated in the published reports from Western countries, there are differences in education level and socioeconomic status between the donors in our study and those from Western studies. The authors also suggest that Confucianism and Buddhism in Chinese culture may motivate potential body donors in Hong Kong. Other important factors that influence the body‐donation decision may include family members' body donation, registration as organ donors, and good doctor–patient relationships. Although case report studies have their limitations, this study allows us to explore the complexity of events and establish the interconnectivity of factors involved in body donation, which could not be achieved in previous survey‐based studies. © 2012 American Association of Anatomists.