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Previous studies have examined the effects of service-learning on student outcomes, but the dynamics and the mechanism of student development have received little attention. The present study aims to investigate how students construct their understanding of course content through service-learning, as well as the role of varied experiences. Eighty-four students were randomly assigned to two different conditions: the low-varied experiences condition (n = 36), in which students served the same child with autism throughout the programme, and the highly-varied experiences condition (n = 48), in which students served two children with autism successively. A total of 483 reflective journals written by students in a 6-week timeframe were analysed. The results indicated that students gained benefits from service-learning in terms of knowledge construction, and the overall change in students' knowledge construction fluctuated throughout the service-learning process. In addition, students in the highly-varied experiences condition also demonstrated some differences in knowledge construction changes, indicating that varied service experiences might interfere with students' knowledge construction at the turning point of task changing. The implications for service-learning and instruction are also discussed.

Recent years have witnessed contrasting trends in summer total rainfall (STR) over the Tibetan Plateau (TP), with an increase in the northern and a decrease in the southern TP. This study identifies four significant centers of rainfall trends: eastern TP ("region A"), Qiangtang Plateau ("B"), Qaidam Basin ("C"), and the northern foothills of the Himalayas ("D"). Heavy rainfall dominates STR trends in regions A and D, accounting for 55.6% and 52.0%, respectively. In region B, moderate and light rainfall contribute almost equally, accounting for 37.3% and 44.8% of the STR trend, respectively. Region C is primarily influenced by light rainfall, explaining 71.2% of the STR trend. Notably, the contributions of different rainfall intensities to STR in each region vary annually, with region A experiencing more heavy rainfall, region B having moderate dominance but less light rainfall, and region C and D showing reduced and increased light rainfall contributions, respectively. Mechanistically, the strengthening of the upper-level westerly jet and the South Asian High, coupled with changes in moisture transport and convective available potential energy, collectively cause variations in rainfall intensity, characterizing the spatial heterogeneity in STR in the TP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]