Do the Demographic Differences Manifest in Motivation to Learn Science and Impact on Science Performance? Evidence from Sri Lanka     

Anthoni Durage Asoka De Silva  Ali Khatibi  S. M. Ferdous Azam 《International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education》2018,16(1):47-67

The present study examined whether gender, ethnicity, instructional medium and school category differences manifest in science performance and motivation to learn science among secondary school students in Sri Lanka. The mean of five successive term test scores was used as the measure of science performance. Level of motivation in terms of six dimensions was measured by using the Science Motivation Questionnaire. A sample of 1316 grade 11 students representing Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim ethnic groups from the three categories of public schools, which provide instructions in the vernacular languages of Sinhala or Tamil, participated in the study. Girls showed significantly higher performance in science compared to boys, and there was a significant gender difference in the levels of motivational dimensions in favor of girls. Although Tamil medium students possessed a higher level of motivation to learn science, Sinhala medium students outperformed their Tamil medium counterparts in science performance. Significant differences in science performance between Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim students were also observed. However, motivation towards learning science between Tamils and Muslims was not significantly different. Highly significant differences in both motivation to learn science and performance in science were found between three categories of schools. The present study provides information to education officials who have to achieve equity across gender, ethnicity, medium of instruction, and school category, teachers who deliver the subject and school principals who design academic support programs.  相似文献   

Maximal lactate steady state in trained adolescent runners     

Omar Ali Almarwaey  Andrew Mark Jones  Keith Tolfrey 《Journal of sports sciences》2013,31(2):215-225

The aims of this study were: (1) to identify the exercise intensity that corresponds to the maximal lactate steady state in adolescent endurance-trained runners; (2) to identify any differences between the sexes; and (3) to compare the maximal lactate steady state with commonly cited fixed blood lactate reference parameters. Sixteen boys and nine girls volunteered to participate in the study. They were first tested using a stepwise incremental treadmill protocol to establish the blood lactate profile and peak oxygen uptake ([Vdot]O₂). Running speeds corresponding to fixed whole blood lactate concentrations of 2.0, 2.5 and 4.0?mmol?·?l^?1 were calculated using linear interpolation. The maximal lactate steady state was determined from four separate 20-min constant-speed treadmill runs. The maximal lactate steady state was defined as the fastest running speed, to the nearest 0.5?km?·?h^?1, where the change in blood lactate concentration between 10 and 20?min was?<0.5?mmol?·?l^?1. Although the boys had to run faster than the girls to elicit the maximal lactate steady state (15.7 vs 14.3?km?·?h^?1, P?<0.01), once the data were expressed relative to percent peak [Vdot]O₂ (85 and 85%, respectively) and percent peak heart rate (92 and 94%, respectively), there were no differences between the sexes (P?>0.05). The running speed and percent peak [Vdot]O₂ at the maximal lactate steady state were not different to those corresponding to the fixed blood lactate concentrations of 2.0 and 2.5?mmol?·?l^?1 (P?>0.05), but were both lower than those at the 4.0?mmol?·?l^?1 concentration (P?<0.05). In conclusion, the maximal lactate steady state corresponded to a similar relative exercise intensity as that reported in adult athletes. The running speed, percent peak [Vdot]O₂ and percent peak heart rate at the maximal lactate steady state are approximated by the fixed blood lactate concentration of 2.5?mmol?·?l^?1 measured during an incremental treadmill test in boys and girls.  相似文献   

Prioritization of intellectual capital indicators in knowledge-based industries: Evidence from pharmaceutical industry     

Gholamhossein Mehralian  Hamid Reza Rasekh  Peyman Akhavan  Ali Rajabzadeh Ghatari 《International Journal of Information Management》2013

During the last decade, intellectual capital (IC) and intangible assets have been widely considered as critical tool to deliver successful business in an intensive-knowledge environment. Accordingly, the main goal of this paper is therefore to develop and prioritize the most important indicators of intellectual capital in knowledge-based industries. Based on an extensive literature review, a valid and reliable questionnaire was designed. In order to data gathering, it was sent out to participants from both academic and university who qualified well in pharmaceutical practice. In order to exact prioritization of indicators, fuzzy TOPSIS technique as a MADM model was used. The fuzzy TOPSIS results revealed participants remark high concerns especially about knowledge and skills of managers and employees regarding to human capital, high concerns particularly about positive climate, ratio of investment in R&D and numbers of R&D projects according to structural capital, while considering the relational capital, more attention was paid to customers and strategic cooperation such as alliances and licensing.  相似文献   

Facilitating enterprise application integration adoption: An empirical analysis of UK local government authorities     

Muhammad Mustafa Kamal  Ray Hackney  Maged Ali 《International Journal of Information Management》2013

local government authorities (LGAs) are organised around operational structures with business processes spanning within departments and across other government organisations. In such an organisational setting, the harmonisation of Information Technology (IT) operations, integration of cross-departmental processes and the underlying Information Systems (IS) signifies a challenge in delivering integrated services. This paper attempts to explore enterprise application integration (EAI) adoption in the UK local government authorities (LGAs). Despite the hype of EAI adoption in private domain, its application in LGAs is inadequate as there is a lack of adoption models/frameworks that can be used by the public sector. The context of the study is to consider the transformation of IT infrastructure management and operations with EAI technologies. The empirical findings, generated through a detailed case analysis, manifestly exemplify that EAI predominantly acts as a ‘back-office’ technology that facilitates operations by developing a flexible and maintainable integrated IT infrastructure. Our proposed framework is believed to be imperative and unique as it provides a more systematic way to examine the adoption of integration technologies, extends the established norms for EAI adoption by utilising a prioritisation technique to classify the importance of factors. The contribution of the research extends the literature on EAI and identifies theoretical and practical opportunities that facilitate LGAs in their decision-making process to produce more robust proposals for EAI adoption.  相似文献   

Comparing active game-playing scores and academic performances of elementary school students     

Serhat Bahadır Kert  Meryem Köşkeroğlu Büyükimdat  Ahmet Uzun 《Education 3-13》2017,45(5):532-542

In the educational sciences, many discussions on the use of computer games occur. Most of the scientists believe that traditional computer games are time-consuming software and that game-playing activities negatively affect students’ academic performance. In this study, the accuracy of this general opinion was examined by focusing on the real game-playing scores of an elementary school students in Turkey. First, researchers selected a single-player strategy game. Second, the selected game was given to 105 fifth-grade students, who had not played it before, so that they could play it over a 30-minute period. The most successful student of the group finished the 23rd level of the game and collected 8152 points in total. In order to investigate the correlation between strategy game performance and academic performance, researchers derived the students’ average exam scores for six different courses (mathematics, physical science, science and technology, visual arts, music, and social sciences) from official documents. At the end of the study, it was found that participants’ mathematical or physical science skills were positively correlated with game success; however, a negative relationship was not exists between an individual's computer game success and academic performance.  相似文献   

Non-formal education     

Ali Hamadache 《Prospects》1991,21(1):109-124

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Main trends in graduate study in basic sciences in Turkish universities: a quantitative overview     

Ali Uzun  Mehmet Emin Özel  Cengiz Yalçin 《Higher Education》1990,20(4):485-497

This paper seeks to trace the development of graduate studies in basic sciences in Turkish universities from origins to the present day. The study includes a sketch of the historical background of higher education from its start in medieval madrasahs and Istanbul Darulfunun (The House of Sciences), to the transition into present-day university education, i.e., to the beginnings of modern graduate study and the emergence of new universities. Empirical statistics are given to substantiate the rapid growth of graduate study and of the number of degrees produced since the 1980s. The mean number of Ph.D. Degrees per year has increased from a few in a single university in the 1930s to nearly a hundred in today's twenty seven universities in Turkey in the 1980s. Finally, a quantitative overview of the growth trends in graduate study in basic sciences as well as an assessment of the present degree productivity of Turkish universities are presented.  相似文献   

An Empirical Examination of Factors Affecting Group Effectiveness in Information Systems Projects     

Bassam Hasan  Jafar Ali 《Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education》2007,5(2):229-243

Although group project concepts and skills have become a major component in most information systems (IS) academic programs, very little research has attempted to examine factors that may improve or undermine effectiveness of IS group projects. Accordingly, based on relevant literatures, this study develops and empirically tests a model of factors affecting IS group project effectiveness. The research model posits that group cohesion and group efficacy will have positive effects on group effectiveness (project success and expected impact), whereas perceived loafing is expected to have a negative effect on IS group effectiveness. Data collected from 104 students working in 29 groups to complete semester‐long projects in two IS courses revealed that group efficacy had positive impact on group effectiveness and perceived loafing demonstrated a partial effect. Contrary to expectations, the impact of group cohesion was nonsignificant. These results could be useful in evaluating groups' potential for success and creating conditions conducive to enhancing effectiveness and success of IS student group projects.  相似文献   

A qualitative analysis of context-aware ubiquitous learning environments using Bluetooth beacons     

Sohaib Ahmed  Sameena Javaid  Moazzam Fareed Niazi  Anzar Alam  Adnan Ahmad  Murad Ali Baig 《Technology, Pedagogy and Education》2019,28(1):53-71

The use of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons is becoming widespread for context-aware learning environments. This technology can be used in indoor and outdoor settings such as museums, shops, home and schools in order to identify the location of learners and their contexts. Specifically, in the constructivist view of learning, learners can use such sensing technology for constructing knowledge and experiencing learning at any time, anywhere. However, exploration of such technology has been limited in the constructivist context-aware ubiquitous learning (U-learning) literature. For this purpose, the authors evaluated two android-based U-learning applications: one was an outdoor learning environment in a garden, the other was about locating books in a library. The applications were implemented and tested with school and university students. The qualitative results are presented in this article, and show how such sensing technology is promising for both pedagogical environments.  相似文献   

The Japanese education system with special emphasis on higher education     

Ali M. El-Agraa  Akira Ichii 《Higher Education》1985,14(1):1-16

The purpose of this article is to provide a brief analysis of the Japanese educational system and to give a somewhat detailed discussion of Japanese higher education. Its main conclusions are: although the bulk of higher education is catered for privately, the prestige institutions tend to be public ones; the character of the system as a whole seems to reflect Japanese society very clearly indeed since it supports high growth industries, reinforces the traditionally accepted distinction between the sexes, and determines both the structure of wages and salaries in general and its sex variance in particular; and that there are very serious problems currently confronting Japanese educationalists - these relate to the official inspection of textbooks, the emergence of anti-teacher violence within schools and the reduction in the size of the public subsidy to private education.The authors are extremely grateful for helpful comments and suggestions from Margaret B. Sutherland, Professor of Education, University of Leeds and Dr. Penny Francks, specialist on modern Japanese history at the Department of Chinese Studies, University of Leeds. However, the usual disclaimer applies.Ali M. El-Agraa is a Senior Lecturer in Economics, School of Economic Studies, University of Leeds, England and is the Visiting Professor in charge of International Economics and Middle Eastern Studies, Graduate School of International Relations, International University of Japan, Niigata for the period September 1984–August 1985. Akira Ichii is Professor of Economics, University of Chuo in Tokyo and is currently (April 1982–March 1984) a Visiting Fellow in the School of Economic Studies, University of Leeds.  相似文献