Preconceptions and relations used by children in the construction of food chains     

Leticia Gallegos  Maria E. Jerezano  Fernando Flores 《科学教学研究杂志》1994,31(3):259-272

This study shows two aspects: the predator–prey relations and the preconceptions held by children (9–10 years old) on the construction of food chains. The subjects of the study were 506 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade children from the Mexican education curriculum. The conclusions are based on a single application of an instrument after a lecture in the classroom. The instrument consists of three tasks. The outcome showed that the classification of herbivorous and carnivorous is based in children's preconceptions of size and ferocity. These preconceptions guide the children's selection of the higher-level predator in the construction of a food chain. Another element used by children is the predator-prey relation in the construction of a food chain. The results shed light on the difficulties students have at higher education levels in the resolution of food webs and the relationships with ecosystems.  相似文献   

Knee joint position sense of roller hockey players: a comparative study     

João Venâncio  Diogo Lopes  Joaquim Lourenço  Fernando Ribeiro 《Sports biomechanics / International Society of Biomechanics in Sports》2016,15(2):162-168

This study aimed to compare knee joint position sense of roller hockey players with an age-matched group of non-athletes. Forty-three male participants voluntarily participated in this cross-sectional study: 21 roller hockey players (mean age: 23.2 ± 4.2 years old, mean weight: 81.8 ± 9.8 kg, mean height: 180.5 ± 4.1 cm) and 22 age-matched non-athletes (mean age: 23.7 ± 3.9 years old, mean weight: 85.0 ± 6.2 kg, mean height: 181.5 ± 5.0 cm). Knee joint position sense of the dominant limb was evaluated using a technique of open-kinetic chain and active knee positioning. Joint position sense was reported using absolute, relative and variable angular errors. The main results indicated that the group of roller hockey players showed significantly lower absolute (2.4 ± 1.2º vs. 6.5 ± 3.2º, p ≤ 0.001) and relative (1.7 ± 2.1º vs. 5.8 ± 4.4º, p ≤ 0.001) angular errors in comparison with the non-athletes group. In conclusion, the results from this present study suggest that proprioceptive acuity, assessed by measuring joint position sense, is increased in roller hockey players. The enhanced proprioception of the roller hockey players could contribute to injury prevention and improved performance during sporting activities.  相似文献   

REEARCH REPORT     

Antonio J. Hidalgo  I.E.S. San Fernando  I.C.E. José Otero 《International Journal of Science Education》2013,35(7):845-857

This paper addresses the concept of geological time as used by students who face tasks that demand three types of skills: to locate events in time, to order them according to time calendar, and to manage time intervals. The empirical study consisted of asking high school students as well as technical school students to carry out tasks that required the use of the three previously mentioned components. It was found, first, that students frequently used erroneous temporal labels, which shows a lack of knowledge that would allow them to locate events within the context of geobiologic data. Second, the students did not store the representation of a succession of events, but were nevertheless able to create it by means of the deductive use of previous knowledge. Finally, the importance of having an appropriate representation of geological time intervals became patent while observing the students' difficulties in understanding geologic changes.  相似文献   

Representation of the cell and its processes in high school students: An integrated view     

Fernando Flores  Ma Eugenia Tovar  Leticia Gallegos 《International Journal of Science Education》2013,35(2):269-286

This paper presents an integrated view of the ideas and conceptual problems of high school students with respect to the cell, its processes, structure and relation to the functions of multicellular organisms. The theme of cell has divided into eight topics, with a questionnaire for each topic. In these topics, different levels of representation and understanding are distinguished between general considerations about plants and animals, those connected with processes at organ and system levels and, finally, the level of cell processes. Data from 1200 students were analysed. Results show that students have an analogical mechanism that establishes an isomorphism between the representation of the functioning of multicellular organisms of cell processes. A series of problems in understanding was also shown. Results imply that these problems are mainly due to students' lack of differentiation between some processes at organism and organ level, and have important implications for learning this subject. Finally, some suggestions are made for teaching.  相似文献   

Achieving scientific excellence: An exploratory study of the role of emotional and motivational factors     

Liliana S. Araújo  José Fernando A. Cruz  Leandro S. Almeida 《High Ability Studies》2017,28(2):249-264

This study investigates the perceived role of psychological factors in achieving excellence in scientific research. Six outstanding scientists aged 33–42 were interviewed. Data were analyzed inductively resulting in three main dimensions: personality traits and characteristics, psychological skills and processes, and task-specific strategies. Researchers highlighted the importance of emotional factors and motivational processes to achieve and sustain scientific excellence. Flexible coping, emotion regulation, and goal setting were emphasized and described as particularly important in dealing with rejections, setbacks, and team management issues. Persistence and adaptive perfectionism were key individual characteristics which helped participants in nurturing and sustaining motivation. This study suggests that the specific impact of emotional, motivational, and other psychological skills at different stages of excellence development is relevant; yet, further investigation is needed.  相似文献   

The construction of a double-entry table: a study of primary and secondary school students’ difficulties     

Eduardo Marti  Merce Garcia-Mila  Fernando Gabucio  Katerina Konstantinidou 《European Journal of Psychology of Education - EJPE》2011,26(2):215-234

Tables are a presentation format that is commonly used to organize information, and they are widely present in many scenarios of our students’ everyday activities; however, there is a scarcity of studies devoted to their analysis. Some of these studies point out that the organization of data into a double-entry table presents difficulties for primary and secondary school students. The present study analyzes the following: (1) the level of competency of primary and secondary school students in constructing a double-entry table from a set of data and (2) the main difficulties encountered by these students during the task. Our findings showed that the percentage of middle-school students who succeeded in contructing a conventional table was relatively low, and the number did not significantly increase over four school years. A set of difficulties is identified and discussed in terms of cognitive and graphical processes.  相似文献   

A generative theory of relevance     

Fernando Diaz 《Information Retrieval》2010,13(6):689-692

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Approaches to studying in higher education Portuguese students: a Portuguese version of the approaches and study skills inventory for students     

Sandra Cristina A. T. S. Valadas  Fernando R. Gonçalves  Luís M. Faísca 《Higher Education》2010,59(3):259-275

This paper examines the validity of the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students—short version (ASSIST; Tait et al. in Improving student learning: Improving students as learners, 1998), to be used with Portuguese undergraduate students. The ASSIST was administrated to 566 students, in order to analyse a Portuguese version of this inventory. Exploratory factor analysis (principal axis factor analysis followed by direct oblimin rotation) reproduced the three main factors that correspond to the original dimensions of the inventory (deep, surface apathetic and strategic approaches to learning). The results are consistent with the background theory on approaches to learning. Additionally, the reliability analysis revealed acceptable internal consistency indexes for the main scales and subscales. This inventory might represent a valuable research tool for the assessment of approaches to learning among Portuguese higher education students.  相似文献   

The democratic dilemma     

Fernando Hernandez 《Journal of Educational Change》2009,10(4):397-400

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Allocation of time in self-paced memory tasks: the role of practice, instructions, and individual differences in optimizing performance     

Santiago Pelegrina  M. Teresa Bajo  Fernando Justicia 《Learning and individual differences》1999,11(4):899

Nelson & Narens (1990) proposed that the allocation of study time in self-paced memory tasks depends on the comparison between the norm of study (established before studying) and the level of learning reached. We explored the role of practice, instructions, and individual differences in determining the norm of study and optimizing performance. In Study 1, participants carried out various study trials involving different (but similar) lists of words. In Study 2, participants were instructed to attain either maximum recall or maximum speed. In Study 3, the study time spontaneously used by each participant was estimated. The effect of increasing or decreasing this time was observed. Memory span and speed of lexical processing were also measured. Finally, Study 4 estimated participants were able to adapt performance to objective criteria (e.g., instructions). However, the time that they spontaneously use tends to be the most efficient. Variations in these times lead to losses in efficiency. Differences in processing capacity or motivation seem not to determine the differences in study time.  相似文献