An assessment of the efficiency of Spanish schools: evaluating the influence of the geographical,managerial, and socioeconomic features

The aim of the present paper is to explore the efficiency of Spanish schools while simultaneously considering data envelopment analysis (DEA) and multivariate analysis. Test scores from the Program for International Assessment reports are used as outputs while the resources of each institution are considered as inputs to the analysis. The methodology utilized determines the DEA efficiencies under various input/output combinations and the results are interpreted through the application of factor analysis and property‐fitting techniques. The objective of the study is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each type of school and the connections with the way in which the efficiency is obtained. In the light of the results, the study concludes that there exist differences related with two of the criteria considered: the type of management of the schools and the parental socioeconomic level of the students. However, no differences appear when the geographical location of the institutions is considered to characterize the entities.     

论现象学方法对设计思维的深化及对设计教育的启发

运用现象学的“回到事情本身”与“本质直观”的方法,可以使人们深入理解设计的本质。设计是善的目的及其可视化表达,设计思维是指向“人的自由”的目的思维,设计思维的每个阶段都贯穿着人的自由。设计教育应立足于设计思维的本质,从设计判断力、设计表达力、设计创造力等方面培养学生的自由创造精神。     

社会主义核心价值观融入高职英语教学研究

在经济全球化、文化碰撞融合、价值多元化的开放时代,高职学生的价值观形成遇到挑战。社会主义核心价值观兼顾国家、社会、个人三个层面,是新时代中国发展、社会进步和个人发展的根本指针。高职英语课堂是中西文化交融的前沿阵地。为了培养有德行、有技能的新时代劳动者,最终实现“以德立人、以技立业”,高职英语课堂有责任融入社会主义核心价值观,将知识传授、技能培养与德育相结合。     

Teacher regulation of multiple computer-supported collaborating groups

Teachers regulating groups of students during computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) face the challenge of orchestrating their guidance at student, group, and class level. During CSCL, teachers can monitor all student activity and interact with multiple groups at the same time. Not much is known about the way teachers diagnose student progress and decide upon appropriate interventions when they regulate multiple groups synchronously. This explorative study describes the strategies and experiences related to regulating the activities of seven groups of students, as reported by two teachers, and aimed to widen the framework for describing teacher regulation of CSCL settings that are characterized by synchronicity. Recurring themes included the high amount of information load teachers experienced while diagnosing students’ needs, the focus and level of regulation, and the way the teachers used prior knowledge of students to decide on an intervention after diagnosis. Both teachers valued the ability to monitor student progress online, and mentioned the necessity of students being able to follow the teacher’s activity as well. Theoretical implications are described in terms of understanding teacher regulation, synchronicity, and information load. Practical implications are described for lowering information load.     

Learning effectiveness of applying automated music composition software in the high grades of elementary school

The paper is mainly to explore the automated music composition experiences for the students in the high grades of elementary school who are unfamiliar with the professional music theory. The proposed Automated Composition for Music Education (ACME) software was developed to help the students to compose the rhythm and melody themselves, while chord configuration and arrangement are automatically generated. Subsequently, sixth-year students of a non-experimental school were recruited to use the software for the completion of its development. Analysis of learning effectiveness at the reaction level, analysis of learning-level learning effectiveness, correlation analysis of the reaction- and learning-levels learning effectiveness has been performed with a significant result. The correlations between each component of learning effectiveness at the reaction and learning levels were also found. Finally the students in the experimental group using the ACME teaching materials showed a better learning effectiveness at both reaction level and learning level, than those of the students in the comparison group.     

College students’ academic motivation,media engagement and fear of missing out

The concerns about the consequences of mental problems related to use of social media among university students have recently raised consciousness about a relatively new phenomenon termed Fear of Missing Out (FoMO). Drawing on the self-determination theory and on the assumption that low levels of basic need satisfaction may relate to FoMO and social media engagement, the aim of the present research was to examine for the first time possible links between FoMO, social media engagement, and three motivational constructs: Intrinsic, extrinsic and amotivation for learning. Data were gathered from 296 undergraduate students by using the following scales: Social Media Engagement (SME), Fear of Missing Out (FoMOs) and Academic Motivation. The SME is a new scale, specifically designed for this study to measure the extent to which students used social media in the classroom. This scale includes three categories: Social engagement, news information engagement and commercial information engagement. Path analysis results indicated that the positive links between social media engagement and two motivational factors: Extrinsic and amotivation for learning are more likely to be mediated by FoMO. Interpretation of these results, their congruence within the context of the theoretical frameworks and practical implications are discussed.     

Secondary school educators' perceptions and practices in handling cyberbullying among adolescents: A cluster analysis

School educators play an important role in cyberbullying management. Since scarce earlier research indicated low perceived competence of school educators in handling cyberbullying, more insight is needed in what determines their actions and how to improve these practices. This study assessed school educator practices, their perceptions and context factors from a behavior change theoretical framework, and investigated educator clusters related to this. An online survey was conducted among 451 secondary school educators (teachers, principals, school counselors). School educators mostly used recommended actions (i.e. conversations with pupils, enlisting professionals for support, parental involvement, providing supportive victim advice). Four educator clusters were identified: ‘referrers’ (65%), ‘disengaged’ educators (14%), ‘concerned’ educators (12%) and ‘use all means’ educators (9%). The first two clusters were less adept at handling cyberbullying and comprised mostly teachers, particularly indicating a need for training teachers. Our findings show a need for tailored educator training, e.g. by job position, gender, school size and grade. The behavior change theoretical framework can help target educators' particular needs.     

广西水利电力职教集团在基层水利人才队伍建设中的作用

分析了广西水利行业职工队伍的结构及其存在的问题,介绍了广西水利电力职业教育集团的基本情况,论述了该集团的运作方式及其在基层水利人才队伍建设中进行的有益的探索,探讨了集团今后的发展思路。     

Complexities of digital technology use and the teaching and learning of function

Many argue that digital technologies have the potential to enhance the teaching and learning of mathematics. However, the availability of technology is not sufficient to realise this potential. The study reported takes a detailed approach to investigate the utility of the particular offerings of the available technologies in the teaching and learning of a specific area of mathematics, functions. Sixteen affordances identified in the data are described. The complexity of the process involved in resolving a situation where particular affordances would be useful so as they are perceived and enacted is detailed. Finally, a grounded theory framework arising from the data analysis from this study that can be used to explain, predict and guide action in other digital environments is presented.