Differential relations of constructivist and didactic instruction to students' cognition,motivation, and achievement     

Youyan Nie  Shun Lau 《Learning and Instruction》2010,20(5):411-423

This study examined how constructivist and didactic instruction was related to students' cognitive, motivational, and achievement outcomes in English classrooms, using a sample of 3000 Grade 9 students from 108 classrooms in 39 secondary schools in Singapore. Results of hierarchical linear modeling showed differential cross-level relations. After controlling for students' prior achievement, constructivist instruction was a significant positive predictor of students' deep processing strategies, self-efficacy, task value, and English achievement, whereas didactic instruction was a significant positive predictor of students' surface processing strategies and a negative predictor of English achievement. Our findings underscore the importance of linking instructional practices with multiple outcomes, including psychological factors that are important for student learning.  相似文献   

Quality input and sustainability in early immersion classrooms: A case study of an experimental school in Macao     

Sylvia S. L. Ieong  Sin Peng Lau 《Frontiers of Education in China》2011,6(1):92-105

This paper looks into the case of a school in Macao nominated as the first (and so far the only) China-Canada-United States English Immersion (CCUEI) centre in the Macao Special Administrative Region (Macao SAR) China for the experimentation and application of English immersion instruction (EI) in the K1-3 and Primary 1–2 classes. Drawing on Krashen’s Input Hypothesis (1982) and Cummins’ (2000) framework of instruction for language learning and academic achievement in the formal school context, the authors report their observations by analyzing the data collected from school teachers and participation in classes and by reflecting on their experiences, and suggest improvement that can be made to teachers’ linguistic and communicative competence, in terms of quantity and quality of comprehensible input and expected output, and thus the sustainability of English immersion classrooms in a Chinese context.  相似文献   

Disability,curriculum and integration in China     

John Lewis  Stella Chong‐Lau  Julianne Y.C. LO 《欧洲特需教育杂志》2013,28(2):95-106

ABSTRACT

Current data indicate that there are six million young people of school age with disabilities in China. Of these, only about 50 per cent attend any form of schooling, with approximately 220,000 of them enrolled in special schools and classes. The remainder attend regular classrooms. This means that there are about three million students with disabilities who at present lack any access to education. In May 1996 it was declared that in order to improve this situation, over the next five years, China plans to provide school places for 80 per cent of its disabled youngsters. In order to achieve this goal, the Chinese central education authorities have announced a significant change in policy direction towards integration. Instead of their previous commitment to the establishment of increasing numbers of special schools, it is now planned that the current number of about 1,400 special schools will be increased to 2,000, so that all regions of the country have access to at least one. At that point, no more special schools will be built. The extra places needed to increase the school attendance rate of youngsters with disabilities will be created in regular classes in regular schools. This paper gives an overview of the curriculum arrangements in China's four types of special schools, including their historical development, subjects taught, teaching arrangements and management. A number of difficulties confronting China's special education policy‐makers are canvassed and reasons suggested for their increasing commitment to a strategy of integration. It is proposed that China enjoys three advantages in the pursuit of an integrated school system.  相似文献   

Instructional practices and science performance of 10 top-performing regions in PISA 2015     

Kwok-chi Lau  Terence Yuk-ping Lam 《International Journal of Science Education》2013,35(15):2128-2149

ABSTRACT

This study analysed 10 top-performing regions in PISA 2015 on their science performances and instructional practices. The regions include Singapore, Japan, Estonia, Taipei, Finland, Macao, Canada, Hong Kong, China and Korea. The science performances of the 10 regions and their teaching practices are described and compared. The construct of enquiry-based instruction as developed in PISA 2015 is revised into two new constructs using factor analysis. Then, the relationships of the teaching practices with science performance are analysed using hierarchical linear modelling. Adaptive instruction, teacher-directed instruction and interactive application are found positively associated with performance in all regions, while investigation and perceived feedback are all negative. The regions except Japan and Korea tend to have a high frequency of teacher-directed instruction facilitated by more or less authoritative class discussion in class. A fair amount of practical work is done, but not many of them are investigations. The cultural influences on teaching practices are discussed on how an amalgam of didactic and constructivist pedagogy is created by the Western progressive educational philosophy meeting the Confucian culture. The reasons for investigation’s negative association with performance are also explored.  相似文献   

Development and assessment of a device and method for studying the mechanical interactions between shoes and playing surfaces in situ at loads and rates generated by elite athletes     

Richard Kent  Jeff Crandall  Jason Forman  David Lessley  Anthony Lau  Christopher Garson 《Sports biomechanics / International Society of Biomechanics in Sports》2013,12(3):414-429

  相似文献   

Hierarchical and Multidimensional Academic Self-Concept of Commercial Students     

Alexander Seeshing Yeung  Hong-Sheung Chui  Ivy Cheuk-yin Lau 《Contemporary educational psychology》1999,24(4):360

  相似文献   

Improving educational assessment： A computer-adaptive multiple choice assessment using NRET as the scoring method     

Lau Sie Hoe Lau Ngee Kiong Hong Kian Sam Hasbee Bin Usop 《美中教育评论》2009,6(5):51-60

Assessment is central to any educational process. Number Right （NR） scoring method is a conventional scoring method for multiple choice items, where students need to pick one option as the correct answer. One point is awarded for the correct response and zero for any other responses. However, it has been heavily criticized for guessing and failure to credit partial knowledge. Despite continued research in scoring methods, conventional NR scoring method remains the most popular and widely used procedure. Thus, the problem of crediting partial knowledge and guessing still exist. In addition, the current assessment practices do not take students＇ misconceptions into consideration. Thus, there is a need to propose a new scoring method that is able to minimize guessing, credit partial knowledge, yet able to diagnose misconceptions. This study proposed the development of a Computer-Adaptive Assessment Software （CAAS） for MC items using the new Number Right Elimination Testing （NRET） which take into consideration these three elements. This paper described the rational for using the NRET, the design and development of CAAS and the results of the pilot study carried out in three secondary schools in Malaysia.  相似文献   

A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF PISA’S ASSESSMENT ON SCIENTIFIC LITERACY     

Kwok-Chi Lau 《International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education》2009,7(6):1061-1088

The OECD “Programme for International Student Assessment” or (PISA) is one of the largest-scale international efforts that have been launched to assess students’ scientific literacy. Such an international assessment would likely exert a profound impact on the science education policies of the participating countries/regions, including Hong Kong. This paper sets out to examine critically how scientific literacy has been assessed by PISA through analyzing its assessment frameworks and released sample items. It was found that the PISA 2000 and 2003 assessments of science have used a narrower definition of scientific literacy, as compared to that of PISA 2006 and what scientific literacy was construed for science education. However, even PISA 2006 appears to be more valid in its assessment framework, its validity was also called into question when the sample items for the trial study were examined. Knowledge about science was found largely about the processes of science, rather than the nature of science as described in the assessment framework. Besides, it intertwined with knowledge of science in a hidden manner. The application of knowledge of science in novel, real-life situations was also jeopardized because of the issue of curricular relevance. Besides these major problems, the article has discussed the problems with the concept of scientifically investigable questions and identifying research question of an investigation. Overall, the findings raised concern over what the PISA’s measure of scientific literacy actually means.  相似文献   

Complementary roles of care and behavioral control in classroom management: The self-determination theory perspective     

Youyan Nie  Shun Lau 《Contemporary educational psychology》2009

This study examined how classroom management practices—care and behavioral control—were differentially associated with students’ engagement, misbehavior, and satisfaction with school, using a large representative sample of 3196 Grade 9 students from 117 classes in Singapore. Results of hierarchical linear modeling showed differential relations. After controlling for students’ gender and socioeconomic status, both care and behavioral control were positively related to student engagement. Moreover, behavioral control was a significant negative predictor of classroom misbehavior and care was a significant positive predictor of satisfaction with school. Our findings underscore the importance of blending care and behavioral control to achieve multiple goals of classroom management.  相似文献   

An investigation of user perceptions and attitudes towards learning objects     

Siong-Hoe Lau  Peter C. Woods 《British journal of educational technology : journal of the Council for Educational Technology》2008,39(4):685-699

This study empirically evaluates the technology acceptance model drawn from Information Systems (IS) literature to investigate how user beliefs and attitudes influence learning-object use among higher education learners by evaluating the relationships between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude, behavioural intentions and actual use. In the study, 601 potential learning-object users were presented with an introductory demonstration of learning objects for a Digital Systems course. Following the demonstration and practice, data on user beliefs, attitudes and intention to use learning objects were gathered, while data on actual use of learning objects was collected at the end of the semester. Subjects with prior experience using the learning objects were eliminated from further analysis, resulting in a final sample of 481 users. structural equation modelling was employed to test the hypothesised study model. The analysis showed that both the user beliefs and attitudes have significant positive relationships with behavioural intention and that behavioural intention accurately predicted the actual use of learning objects. The results extend the validity of the TAM into a learning object context and clearly pointed out that it can be used to predict users' future behaviour.  相似文献