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The present study aims to examine the effect of the flipped classroom model on the academic achievement and critical-analytic thinking skills of students from different socio-economic backgrounds. For this purpose, two schools in the same province, attended by children from families with varying socio-economic levels, were included in the study. The study sample consisted of a total of 82 students: 30 from a secondary school with students from a low socio-economic background and 52 from another secondary school with students from a high socio-economic background in the 2021-2022 academic year. The study was designed based on the quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest control groups. Experimental and control groups consisting of one class each, and four classes in total, were selected from the schools using the random assignment method. The total application period was 9 weeks while the duration of the experimental applications was 7 weeks (28 class hours). In the present study utilizing Edpuzzle, an online platform, interactive videos were developed in accordance with the learning outcomes of the course. Data were collected using the 25-item "Sun, Earth and Moon Achievement Test" applied to determine the learning levels of the students and the 72-item "Cornell Conditional Reasoning Test" applied to measure critical-analytic thinking skills. In conclusion, it was revealed that although there was no significant change in critical-analytic thinking skills, the flipped classroom model provided a significant increase in the academic achievement and critical-analytic thinking skills of students from both socio-economic backgrounds.

Thermodynamics is one of the most complex topics in chemistry. Cognitive Load Theory claims that the complexity of a subject is mainly due to element interactivity - how many elements an individual must organise simultaneously in her/his working memory to master a topic. The simultaneous processing of various chemistry and mathematics concepts to learn thermodynamics puts a strain on the working memory capacity of the learner. Accordingly, what kind of change occurs in a learner's cognitive processes according to the level of element interactivity is an issue that needs to be investigated. The aim of this study is to reveal the basic indicators of element interactivity and investigate the effects of instructional design on understanding subjects with different element interactivity levels. With this objective in mind, educational software comprising eight distinct sessions for instructional design was developed in accordance with the Cognitive Load Theory. The sample consisted of 37 freshmen who were taking classes in the Chemistry Department of a public university in Turkey. The instructional design was implemented with the experimental group while the control group followed the lecturer's instructional design. The results indicate that, in terms of the cognitive load in the learning process, the study time and the learning at the retention and transfer level are among the basic indicators of the element interactivity. This study also determined that the instructional design that is developed according to Cognitive Load Theory can provide effective learning at the retention and transfer levels in subjects with high element interactivity.

Any science teacher must first acquire analytical thinking skills in order to give their students the ability to think analytically. Therefore, the candidacy period is important for teachers to develop and transform this skill into professional knowledge. Based on this idea, the current research aims to determine the ability of third-grade preservice science teachers to use analytical thinking skills. An Analytical Thinking Test is used in the research conducted survey method. This test consists of twenty case-based science scenarios in total from four different learning fields. These scenarios are designed according to the analytical thinking skill dimensions of Marzano's Taxonomy. Preservice science teachers (N=158) from two public universities have participated in the study. It was determined that the majority of preservice science teachers weakly used their analytical thinking skills. It was revealed that preservice science teachers had difficulties respectively in classification -- specification -- error analysis -- generalization -- comparison according to Marzano's taxonomy from most to least while solving scenarios. It is recommended that the science educators develop the designs to improve the analytical thinking skills of the candidates in the courses they conduct on the basis of the results of the research. In addition, science educators should pay attention to development in the dimensions of classification and specification by considering the alternative conceptions of the preservice science teachers.

Elementary teachers (N = 160) from two districts responded to survey questions about inservice professional development and administrator feedback and support for implementing research-based, effective classroom and behavior management (C/BM) strategies. Results indicated slightly more than half (55%) of teachers reported their participation in formal, inservice professional development activities improved their ability to implement research-based C/BM strategies. A higher percentage (77%) of teachers reported they receive adequate feedback from their current school supervisor (e.g., principal, curriculum/instructional coach) on their use of C/BM. Teachers' reported specific ways for school and district administrators to better prepare and support them for challenges related to C/BM. Implications are provided for improving inservice professional development and administrator feedback to promote teachers' use of effective classroom and behavior management practices.

Throughout history, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have overcome countless challenges to achieve their goals of maintaining cultural traditions, providing key leadership and role models, assuring economic functions, addressing issues between minority and majority populations, and producing Black agents for research, institutional training, and information dissemination within the Black and other minority communities. Using a Scholarly Personal Narrative (SPN), this article focuses on the function, legacy, and relevance of current HBCUs. Using W. E. B. Du Bois's "double consciousness" as a theoretical framework, each of the 12 contributing scholars address these questions: How have you reconciled your individual strivings? Has the HBCU placed a role in your reconciliation process? What SPN is emblematic of your reconciliation process? These questions are addressed through vivid narrative accounts that speak to the critical constructs of belonging--Black identity; gifted education, selfhood, spirituality, and theoretical frameworks. Each of these constructs represents an identity vector that points inward to the core--the HBCU.

The development of student civic engagement has featured in Indian educational policies for decades as a critical goal of schooling. However, the narrowness of the prescribed K-12 curricula, and the intense focus on competitive exams, do not support such an outcome. To overcome this problem, ABC School in India decided to pilot service-learning in its middle-school classroom. The idea was to assess the effects of such a program on students and the community's welfare. Analysis of data from surveys, focus groups, and interviews showed that the service-learning project might have supported increased civic engagement in some students while also enhancing the welfare of the community served. No prior peer-reviewed empirical studies have been published on the nature and effects of service-learning at schools in India.

Advent of internet has a revolutionary impact on every sector of economy and so is with the education sector, which has witnessed the evolution of online education through scalable educational technology, namely, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The purpose of this paper is to summarize the pool of available knowledge related to MOOCs in the scholarly literature, published during the period 2013-2020. One hundred and two available published studies in peer reviewed journals & conferences searched in major academic databases have been reviewed and presented in the systematic literature review. The findings have been divided under the various research themes of MOOCs including geographical contribution of MOOC studies, citation trends, prominent research themes, theoretical frameworks and methodological rigor in the existing scholarly works. The results demonstrate that most empirical research were conducted by the researchers having affiliation to institutions based out of United States followed by institutions in the developing economies of China and India. The most focused area of research in MOOCs is on MOOC adoption. Limited research has happened on poor MOOC completion status, the instructor-related topics and on democratization of MOOC. Thrust areas of MOOC researches and future research directions are also discussed.

This paper addresses the issues of knowledge production, which interrogate and disrupt dominant narratives that subjugate Black females related to their identity. We contextualize our discussion through the lens of critical consciousness and critical media literacy by exploring the role of popular media in identity development/imposition for Black females. We outline issues of Black female identity politics by framing them through the description of critical media literacy as a 21st century literacy, with Black Feminist Theory as our theoretical lens. Similar discussions have remained centered in the field of Media Studies and there has been inadequate attention to these issues in the education realm, particularly as they relate to Black females and their self-concept and self-empowerment.

Working with a post-secondary student with intellectual disability, an adapted alternating treatments design was used to compare sight-word acquisition across three computer-delivered learning trial interventions: one with fixed 5-s response intervals, another with fixed 1-s response intervals, and a third with self-determined intervals. Visual analysis of session-series graphs suggest that all three interventions increased sight-word acquisition with the 5-s and self-determined interventions causing more steady and consistent learning per session than the 1-s intervention. Analysis of the time-series graph suggests that the self-determined intervention caused superior learning rates to the other interventions. From an applied perspective, the self-determined intervention is the most appropriate remedial procedure for this student because it resulted in the most rapid learning. Discussion focuses on the value of making relative-effectiveness decisions based on measures of learning as a function of time spent learning (learning speed) versus measures of learning as a function of sessions or trials.

This theoretical article reflects on a recent development in adult literacy studies: transnational adoptees relearning their heritage languages. Literacy and adoption scholars have studied the replacement of the heritage language with a second language and reported it as a permanent loss. Returning to the country of origin, return adoptees challenge such notion by relearning the heritage language as part of their homecoming. We explore how this heritage language relearning could be seen as a renegotiation of the language hierarchies between the adoptive community and the community of origin of languages in the relationship between the adoptive region and the region of origin. Building on Gayatri Chakrabarty Spivak's "Enabling Violation" concept, we deploy a postcolonial perspective on understanding heritage language relearning in transnational adoptees. We discuss how language relearning can challenge and reproduce the asymmetrical relation between adoptees' position in the Global North and their first families in the Global South. We argue that heritage language relearning can open the door for adoptees to engage with transnational literacy, carving out global learning trajectories and reconnecting their adoptive and first world. The last section of this article discusses adoption organisations' dialectic response to this shift by partaking in the organisation of heritage language classes for adoptees. We argue that adult education centres and literacy educators can play a pivotal role in further institutionalising these heritage language classes for transnational adoptees.

This paper describes a qualitative case study of a fledgling IT organisation's espoused journey to becoming a learning organisation (LO). In particular, it examines how that change journey was informed and impacted by notions and elements embedded in Örtenblad's (2004) model of a LO. It derives insights from the organisation's experience to determine whether and how the model needs to be refined or re-interpreted for organisations pursuing the benefits of becoming a LO. The study concludes that Örtenblad's model has value in guiding such change and affirms the heightened importance of facilitating an appropriate climate for learning (CL), and of meaningfully contextualising learning processes within an organisation's formal and informal learning structure (LS), on that LO journey. The study is unique in identifying the relative influence and importance of Örtenblad's elements, the need for a more nuanced interpretation of those elements, and of evolving rather than developing a new model.

The advent of Internet heralded the rise of scalable educational technology dubbed as massive open online course (MOOC). Easy to use, access, economical as well as flexible, provide students lot of freedom and the advantage of self-paced learning. Despite all these merits, MOOC adoption is low in the higher educational institutions (HEIs) of India. The aim of this study is to explore the factors affecting the behavioural intention to adopt MOOCs among Generation Z (Gen Z) enrolled in the Indian HEIs. The study uses the extended UTAUT2 model with additional constructs of language competency and teacher influence to explore MOOC adoption among the Gen Z. Using online survey, data of 483 students was collected from HEIs of India using stratified random sampling and analysed using partial least square-structure equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique. The results establish the general applicability of UTAUT2 model in context of MOOC in Indian settings with explanatory power of 69.9% and highlights the positive influence of price value, hedonic motivation, facilitating conditions, performance expectancy and effort expectancy on MOOC adoption. However, the constructs of social influence, habit, language competency, and teacher influence unexpectedly do not have an impact on Behavioural Intention of Gen Z towards MOOC adoption. Based on the research findings, study implications and future directions of the research have been suggested.

The purpose of this manuscript is to detail pre and post changes that occurred after a principal, Dr. Doyle, was moved from one middle school to another. Dr. Doyle brought an established partnership with him to his new school including a teacher residency program, UTeach replication program, and an on-site course. The results of ANOVAs are presented regarding the school climate according to student and teacher perspectives. Significant results were found on a number of variables including student belonging, bullying, and teacher autonomy.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted existing educational systems worldwide. Due to lockdowns in several countries, the educational institutions have been directed by governments to move towards online learning. The challenge for educational institutions and faculty members is to assess the influence of various factors that would enable adoption of online learning by students in higher education. This study investigates the influence of awareness of COVID-19 (AOC19), computer & internet self-efficacy (CISE), and online communication self-efficacy (OCSE) on perceived net benefits (NB) of the students and their intention towards the online learning (INT). The study further analyzes the mediating role of students' attitude towards online learning (ATOL). Data of 1023 students of higher education across multiple universities in India were collected and analyzed using structural equation modelling through AMOS 24 and mediation analysis through 'PROCESS' macro for SPSS. The findings revealed that, AOC19 positively influenced students' NB and INT; CISE had a significant inverse relationship with NB, and partially significant positive relationship with INT; OCSE was observed to be a significant predictor of NB with positive direct relationship; ATOL had a significant full mediation among CISE and NB, and acted as significant partial mediator between CISE and INT, AOC19 and NB, AO19 and INT, OCSE and NB, and OCSE and INT. This paper would be useful for the faculty members, institutions and education technology companies in the higher education domain by enabling an understanding of the attitude, perception and intention of the students towards online learning during the COVID-19 scenario.

Adapted alternating treatment designs were used to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of two computer-based sight-word-reading interventions among three elementary school students with an intellectual disability. Each intervention provided 30 stimulus--response--stimulus--response learning trials. One intervention included fixed 3-s response intervals. The second intervention had each participant self-determine each response interval. Results suggest that both interventions caused similar increases in sight-word acquisition. Following the experimental phase, each student was given 5 opportunities to choose which intervention they would complete; 100% of the time (i.e., 15/15), students chose the self-determined intervention. Discussion focuses on the importance of student preference and future research on the relationship between allowing students to self-determine response intervals and learning, attention, inappropriate behaviors, on-task behaviors, and preference.

Elementary school multicultural reading curricula include characters with diverse proper names, which are often unfamiliar and differ phonetically from students' native language. These names could impact reading outcomes by increasing students' cognitive load and/or creating cognitive disfluency. In Study 1, students in grades 1 through 2 read a standard passage including common names and a matched passage including unfamiliar names of Russian origin. A paired samples "t" test indicated unfamiliar diverse names in grade-level passages significantly reduced students' reading comprehension. Study 2 was designed to determine if preteaching diverse names would mitigate their adverse effects on reading comprehension. Results indicated second-grade students who received preteaching comprehended significantly more of the passage than those who did not receive preteaching. Discussion focuses on the need for research clarifying the relationship between multicultural learning materials and academic outcomes and validating efficient methods for familiarizing students with difficult, phonetically unfamiliar words.

It is imperative to foster data acumen in our university student population in order to respond to an increased attention to statistics in society and in the workforce, as well as to contribute to improved career preparation for students. This article discusses 13 learning outcomes that represent achievement of undergraduate data acumen for university level students across different disciplines.

The purpose of this study is to compare teachers' teaching practice based on students' perception towards achievement in the subject of Basic Economics between two different types of secondary schools in Malaysia, the National Secondary Schools (SMK) and Chinese National Type Secondary Schools (SMJK) in the state of Penang, Malaysia. The respondents involved in this study consist of 125, 17 year old students from four SMK schools and 125 students from three SMJK schools in Penang. Survey method was employed in the data collection. The quantitative data obtained was analysed using the SPSS. The research shows that there are significant differences between SMK and SMJK in terms of teachers' teaching practice towards Basic Economics. The result of correlation analysis indicates that correlation between teachers' teaching practice and the students' achievement in SMK is significant unlike in SMJK.

This study was designed to extend the research on tootling interventions, which involves reinforcing students' reporting of their peers' incidental prosocial behaviors. Specifically, a withdrawal design was used to determine if a tootling intervention decreased antisocial/disrespectful interactions of four, teacher-nominated students in an after-school, third-grade classroom. Visual analysis of a repeated-measures graph and effect size estimates suggested that the tootling intervention decreased these interactions. Discussion focuses on future research designed to evaluate the generalizability of tootling interventions and the effects of similar interventions over time and across dependent variables.

An infant or toddler can begin the process of receiving Part C early intervention services by having a diagnosed condition with a high probability of developmental delay (Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, 2004). How states define those diagnosed conditions that begin the initiation process varies widely. Lists of diagnosed conditions were collected from state Part C websites and Part C coordinators for a descriptive analysis. Across 49 states, the District of Columbia, and 4 territories, a final list of 620 unique conditions was compiled. No single condition was listed by all jurisdictions. Hearing impairment was the condition listed by the most states (n = 38), followed by fetal alcohol syndrome (n = 34). Of the 620 conditions, 168 (27%) were listed by only 1 state, 554 (89%) were listed by fewer than 10 states, and 66 (11%) were listed by 10 or more states. Of these 66 conditions, 47 (71%) were listed by fewer than 20 states. Most of these 66 conditions (n = 48; 72.7%) had a prevalence of "very rare or rare," 8 (12%) were "common," 6 (9%) were "very common," and 4 (6.1%) were "unknown." The wide heterogeneity in the number and type of diagnostic conditions listed across states should be further investigated as it may represent imbalances in children with diagnosed conditions gaining access to Part C evaluations and individualized family service plans and potentially the services themselves across states. In addition, providing ready access to lists of diagnosed conditions is a simple step that could help states and Part C programs facilitate access to services.

Students with intellectual disability often have difficulty reading commonly used words. Researchers have found altering printed text from fluent, easy-to-read font, to disfluent, difficult-to-read font can enhance comprehension and recall. An adapted alternating treatments design was used to evaluate and compare sight-word acquisition and maintenance in three postsecondary students with intellectual disability when flashcards were presented in fluent (i.e., 14-point Arial) and disfluent (i.e., 14-point Juice ITC reduced to 70% transparency) fonts. Results showed all three students acquired and maintained both fluent and disfluent words, with two of the three students learning more fluent words. These findings suggest altering fonts to make them difficult to read can hinder, rather than enhance, word learning in students with intellectual disability. Directions for future research are provided with a focus on the need for aptitude-treatment interaction studies.

The present study examined individual differences in theory of mind (ToM) among a group of 60 children (7-11 years-old) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and average intelligence. Using open-ended and structured tasks to measure affective ToM, cognitive ToM, and spontaneous social attribution, we explored the nature of ToM and assessed whether ToM predicts the phenotypic heterogeneity in ASD through structural equation modeling. Affective ToM uniquely predicted social symptom severity, whereas no ToM types predicted parent reported social functioning. Our findings suggest that differentiating among theoretical components is crucial for future ToM research in ASD, and ToM challenges related to reasoning about others' emotions may be particularly useful in distinguishing children with worse social symptoms of ASD.

A concurrent multiple-baseline across-tasks design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a computer flash-card sight-word recognition intervention with elementary-school students with intellectual disability. This intervention allowed the participants to self-determine each response interval and resulted in both participants acquiring previously unknown words across all word sets. Discussion focuses on the need to evaluate and compare computer flash-card sight-word recognition interventions with fixed and self-determined response intervals across students and dependent variables, including rates of inappropriate behavior and self-determination in students with intellectual disability.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop a model of motives and career choice based on learning styles in order to apply the model in teaching business. Although the relationship between learning and McClelland's (1961) three motives (achievement, affiliation, and power) as confirmed that motives are "learned," little research has examined if learning styles are the key factor to classify motivation into three different implicit motives and whether those motives affect students' career choice. Design: The article first examines the Kolb's (Kolb, 1984, 1999; Kolb & Kolb, 2005) learning styles including active experimentation (AE), reflective observation (RO), abstract conceptualization (AC), and concrete experience (CE). It then measures the learning styles and Holland's (1985) six career types including realistic, investigative, artistic, conventional, enterprising, and social by the three McClelland (1985) motives including achievement, power, and affiliation using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) 2015 software (Pennebaker, Booth, Boyd, & Francis, 2015). Finally, the article compared the factors of learning styles and career types against each other based on the three motives in order to discuss the teaching strategies for students in their career choice. Methodology: The study has used LIWC 2015 (Pennebaker et al., 2015) software to find the scores of achievement, power, and affiliation motives in the four Kolb's learning styles (Kolb, 1984, 1999; Kolb & Kolb, 2005), and the six career interests (Holland, 1985). Correlation analysis was conducted among the motive values to find the relations among the learning styles, motives, and career choice. Findings: (a) The two learning styles of AC and AE stimulate the need for achievement; (b) the learning style of RO stimulates the need for power; (c) the learning style of CE stimulates the need for affiliation; (d) people with a high achievement motive would be fit in artistic, investigative, and realistic careers; (e) people with a high power motive would be fit in conventional and enterprising careers; (f) people with a high affiliation motive would be fit in a social career. Originality of the research: Efficient teaching techniques applied based on the study findings indicate that (a) teaching high achievement students will use more challenge techniques such as assignments and projects for thinking and doing training, (b) teaching high power students will use more control techniques such as discussions and presentations for observation training, and (c) teaching high affiliation students will use more socially oriented techniques such as writing tasks for emotion training.

Using detailed data on the 2008 graduating class from an elite engineering institution in India, we evaluate the impact of affirmative action policies in higher education focusing on three issues: targeting, catch up, and mismatch. We find that admission preferences effectively target minority students who are poorer than average displaced nonminority students. Moreover, we find that minority students, especially those in more selective majors, fall behind their same-major peers in terms of grades as they progress through college. We also identify evidence in favor of the mismatch hypothesis: Once we control for selection into majors, minority students in more selective majors end up earning less than they would have had if they had chosen a less selective major.

The rise of interest in the learning organization (LO) concept attests to the value of learning by individuals and organizations for continuous improvement and adaptability to the ever-changing environment. Although the LO concept originated from business contexts, it was subsequently extended to educational organizations, particularly to schools. This paper presents research on the way LO is practised by a school in Singapore that subscribes to the LO philosophy. Using Ortenblad's four integrated LO aspects (organizational learning, learning at work, learning climate and learning structure) as a framework of analysis, the research shows that the school practises the four aspects in a way that is unique to its school context, but that wider cultural factors have to be taken into account when interpreting LO in an Asian school context.

Schools are continuously looking for new ways of enhancing student learning to equip students with skills that would enable them to cope with twenty-first century demands. One promising approach focuses on design thinking. This study examines teacher's perceptions, experiences and challenges faced in adopting design thinking. There is a lack of empirical research on the adoption and implementation of the design thinking process in educational context from the teachers' point of view. This paper fills this gap and also provides insight on a recent initiative adopted in Singapore schools. Qualitative case study research was carried out in a school using teacher narratives. Data includes in-depth face-to-face interviews and participant observation. The findings show that teachers perceive that design thinking holds the potential for enhancing skills such as creativity, problem solving, communication and team work as well as empower students to develop empathy for others within and beyond the community. The research also highlighted several challenges such as inadequate resources, time constraints, fear of poor grades and the difficulty of shifting to a new way of teaching and learning that differs vastly from the traditional approach. The findings reveal that a piecemeal approach towards curriculum redesign for adopting design thinking may not provide the desired outcomes.

The current workforce composition of the academy is comprised of multiple generational cohorts, Traditionalists, Leading Edge Boomers, Trailing Edge Boomers, Generation Xers and Millennials. Despite the plethora of research identifying a myriad of differences in the way these generational cohorts approach work and social activities little attention has been paid to their perceptions of the psychosocial aspects of the academic work environment. The present study used the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire II to assess job perceptions of 434 academic personnel across four generational cohorts. A direct discriminant function analysis revealed Trailing Edge Boomers perceived a greater effort-reward imbalance than Traditionalists/Leading Edge Boomers and Generation Xers, and Millennials perceive less imbalance than all other generations. There were also generational group differences in perceived stress and health. These results draw attention to the value of knowing the generational composition of a higher education institution in order to take into account the unique needs of each generational cohort when planning ways to improve recruitment, retention, and productivity of administrators, faculty and staff.

We describe an active learning exercise to teach students about social stigma. After lecturing on the topic, the instructor distributes a worksheet and shows several clips from the movie "Shrek," pausing after each clip to lead a discussion of the concepts. We provide information about the movie scenes, the student worksheet, and instructor discussion guide. Students who attended a lecture on stigma and participated in the "Shrek" exercise (n = 14) scored higher on an assessment of the concepts than students who viewed the lecture and completed a self-reflection exercise (n = 13) as well as students who only viewed the lecture and did not participate in an exercise (n = 13). Students (N = 52) also indicated that they enjoyed the exercise and believed it provides clarification of the topics above and beyond the lecture material. Thus, our "Shrek" active learning exercise is a useful tool for helping students learn about the sensitive issues of social stigma.

A body of literature asserts that group work can be beneficial in enhancing learning and in developing specific skills among students. This research builds on the literature and on Gardner's (2006a) five notions of mindsets: disciplined, synthesising, creation, ethical and respectful, as a descriptive framework to explore and understand the benefits and skills learnt or developed through group work. Gardner describes mindset as a way of thinking and acting. A qualitative research project was undertaken in a New Zealand university using in-depth interviews with post-experience students. The findings suggest that, though the post-experience students do possess skills that enabled them to integrate diverse perspectives, make new connections with shared knowledge and evaluate critically, they often lack specific mindsets that are critical in organisations that rely on group work to enhance their productivity.

One of the key factors that contribute to effective management of schools is the professional development of principals. The role of the principal has become more complex with the dynamic and constant reforms in the educational environment. The present study focuses on the professional development of principals in New Zealand and Singapore. The identified categories for comparison include similarities in knowledge on leadership, models and skills that are important for aspiring principals. Differences include the selection process, programme design, modes of learning, futuristic projects and visits to other institutions. The study contributes to our understanding of key dynamics in the professional development of aspiring principals by identifying categories for comparison and discussing their relevance for analysing similarities and differences between these. The study also points to relevant interactions between professional development and the local environment.

Deficit theorisations of Chinese Learners studying in western countries are criticised for dichotomising learning attributes into Surface- or Deep-learning approaches. Subsequent context-dependent, small culture studies of students transiting between cultures theorise learning as a dynamic journey of adapting to a range/continuum of learning attributes. Here we employ the transformative learning theory to examine whether pedagogical interventions could facilitate adaptation to deeper learning strategies by couching discipline-specific detail/facts within the discipline's theoretical structure. Our longitudinal case-study of Chinese Learners in an Australian tertiary institution revealed that (1) Achievement-motivated CLs were more likely to harness the benefits of this discipline-specific pedagogical intervention and move towards independent, student-centred learning than Surface-motivated CLs; (2) Achievement-motivated CLs were less likely to normalise teacher-centredness than Surface-motivated CLs despite being exposed to examination tips early in their enrolment; and (3) fluency in the host language is instrumental to adapting successfully to deeper learning.

Background: The high prevalence of attention problems in children warrants concern, as it is a risk factor for internalizing and externalizing problems. There lies a need to understand possible factors that may mediate this link so that interventions may be targeted to alleviate these mediators and interrupt the link between attention problems and negative outcomes. Objective: This study investigated the role of peer problems in the association between attention problems and internalizing problems, and between attention problems and externalizing problems in an Asian sample (N = 312). Method: Participants' data were from the archival records of an outpatient child psychiatric clinic. Results: Findings indicated that peer problems was a statistically significant mediator for both associations. Additionally, peer problems was a complete mediator for the association between attention problems and internalizing problems, but a partial mediator for the link between attention problems and externalizing problems. Conclusions: Findings suggest that the association between attention problems and internalizing and externalizing problems occurs via an indirect mediated pathway, through peer problems. These findings provide some preliminary evidence for the design and evaluation of future intervention studies aimed at the peer group level for the amelioration of peer problems in children with attention problems.

The present study describes high school students' conceptions about acids and bases in terms of pH, pOH, microscopic level, strength, and concentration. A total of 27 high school students participated in the study. The data was collected using 3 POE tasks and a semi-structured interview. The data analysis demonstrated that most of the students had poor understanding related to a drawing of weak and strong acids. In addition, the findings revealed that the POE's were effective in terms of gathering students' predictions and reasons for the prediction of outcomes in an open-ended format. The POE tasks also revealed that some of the students had misconceptions regarding pH and pOH. The students believed that pH was a measurement of the acidity, while pOH was a measurement of the basicity. The findings obtained have certain implications for the secondary chemistry program.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore practitioner and post-colonial perspectives on the implementation of learning organisation theory and practice in a non-Western setting. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative interpretive study, using in-depth interviews and participant observation, was conducted in two public organisations in Singapore. The study looked at relationships between the concepts of the learning organisation and of Singapore national culture, as the members of the organisations saw them. This study is presented and then discussed in commentaries from two different perspectives, i.e. the "insider" perspective of a Singaporean practitioner, and the "outsider" perspective of a New Zealand academic using a post-colonial critique. Findings: The findings indicate that Western LO practitioners need to pay specific attention to the cultural values expressed by non-Western organisational members, and to their own cultural limitations and biases which may be embedded in the implementation of LO programmes. This process requires an active dialogue between both parties. Practical implications: The findings indicate that practitioners need to pay specific attention to the cultural values of employees, and to the cultural assumptions of new management programmes, when adopting Western concepts of management to non-Western organisations. Originality/value: This is an empirical study that reveals the particular tensions experienced in two specific non-Western organisations when LO practice was introduced without explicit exploration of its Western cultural underpinnings. The paper argues that the development of an LO discourse of organisational post-colonialism can provide a valuable critical framework to examine the global mobilisation of LO concepts.

School leadership literature suggests that school effectiveness and ongoing improvement rely on school leaders and principals. Despite significant contributions made by principals towards teaching and learning in schools, there have been few studies that explore principals' perceptions of the factors underpinning their successes and achievements. Drawing on one of Senge's disciplines, personal mastery, this research examines principals' perceptions of some processes that enable their successes. A qualitative research project was undertaken in Singapore using in-depth interviews. Analysis was informed by movement between theoretical dimensions and emerging themes from participants' discussions of their leadership experiences. The findings suggest that personal mastery has a positive influence upon principals and their ability to demonstrate effective school management. (Contains 2 tables.)

Do students learn to model OR/MS problems better by using computer-based interactive tutorials and, if so, does increased interactivity in the tutorials lead to better learning? In order to determine the effect of different levels of interactivity on student learning, we used screen capture technology to design interactive support materials for modeling and solving the transportation problem in a spreadsheet. A controlled experiment was carried out and the results indicate a general support for the effectiveness of interactive tutorials in enhancing students' learning of modeling concepts. However, the study also found that excessive interactivity increased the cognitive load for the students and hindered their learning by making it difficult for them to consolidate concepts, integrate previous knowledge, and create meaningful mental models of the process.

Students are considered to be the main "customers" in universities and polytechnics and increasingly they seek to have their needs met. This is one of the main reasons for persistent calls for the improvement of teaching in higher education. Tutors play an important role in the delivery of undergraduate education, although they are often perceived as a "neglected" or "invisible" group. This paper assesses students' perceptions of tutors and the factors that contribute to their learning in a New Zealand university. Survey questionnaires were administered to management students at the end of their course, to gather information on their perceptions of tutor effectiveness and to reflect on their overall tutorial experiences. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were undertaken of the data collected. The results supported the initial hypotheses that the learning environment, positive and constructive feedback and stimulating tutorials improve student learning and lead to higher levels of student satisfaction with their learning experiences at university. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

The cross-sectional study investigated South African rural high school learners' choice of sexual abstinence in order to be able to develop tailored health education messages. All Grade 9 learners from one class at each of 10 randomly selected rural high schools participated. The Integrated Model for Motivational and Behavioural Change was used to elicit attitudes, social influences, self-efficacy and intentions towards sexual abstinence. Chi-square and t-tests were used for bivariate analysis. In total, 454 learners, mean age 16.7 years (standard deviation 1.41) range 14-20 years, participated, of whom 246 (54.2%) were female. When comparing learners reporting abstinence (n = 252) with those not abstinent (n = 202), abstinent learners were significantly more often females (P less than 0.005), younger (16.5 years versus 17.1 years, P less than 0.005) and drank less alcohol (P less than 0.005). Abstaining girls believed that their friends and parents think that they should abstain from sex, that their friends abstained from sex and that abstinence helped them to mature emotionally. Abstinent boys expressed intentions to abstain from sex until marriage. Targeted intervention research is required to encourage South African rural high school learners to delay their sexual initiation to reduce their risk of human immunodeficiency virus infection. Different abstinent messages are needed for boys and girls to address the different patterns of behaviour observed.

In Singapore, "decentralization" and "school-based reforms" are key words within the current education reform agenda. This article argues that a key success factor in this agenda is transformational leadership in school. With more autonomy given to the school, transformational leadership at the school level will facilitate the development of school culture and staff capacity, which will in turn facilitate bottom-up initiatives. This article reviews the literature on transformational leadership, reports some research on transformational leadership in schools in other countries, and draws on the results of previous research on transformational leadership in a Singapore school to support its argument.

Purpose: To report on a case study that examines how the Learning Organisation (LO) concept can be applied in a Singapore school and the challenges that the school faces in the process. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative research inquiry was adopted using ethnographic methods. Data includes in-depth face-to-face interviews, observation of meetings, informal conversations with students and parents. The study adopted an interpretive paradigm based on post-positivist theories. Findings: While the LO concept can be applied in the school context to its benefit, there can be potential cultural conflicts, ambiguities and paradoxes, as highlighted in the paper. The wider societal culture has a profound influence on how the structures, authority and relationship between subordinates and superiors in a school. Research limitations/implications: Empirical data is limited to only one school in Singapore. A longitudinal study involving more schools in Singapore will generate a better sense of the benefits and challenges of LO in schools. Practical implications: Singapore schools need to address the cultural norms of hierarchy and conformity in order to fully embrace the LO concept. Originality/value: There is a lack of empirical research on how the LO model can be applied in an Asian school context. This paper represents a first attempt to fill this gap and also offers some practical recommendations to schools that are aspiring to be learning schools.

Describes the use of Web technology to improve teaching effectiveness in a graduate level course. Explains use of the Web to obtain immediate and systematic feedback from students on lecture and other course activities, analyzes feedback to determine how the course can be improved, and discusses technology utilization and future possibilities. (LRW)