The effect of simulation games on learning computer programming: A comparative study on high school students’ learning performance by assessing computational problem-solving strategies     

Nikolaos Pellas  Spyridon Vosinakis 《Education and Information Technologies》2018,23(6):2423-2452

Computer games are quickly gaining momentum by enabling new approaches to teaching and learning experience for programming courses in K-12 curriculum. However, it remains unclear if the game interface and elements created by using three-dimensional (3D) virtual worlds combined with visual programming languages or a visual programming environment can affect students’ learning performance. This quasi-experimental study presents evidence about how a game can assist boys and girls to gain a greater understanding on skills related to CT for developing, implementing and transforming their solution plans into code based on their computational problem-solving strategies. A total of fifty (n?=?50) high school students who volunteered to participate in this study divided into a control group (n?=?25) and an experimental (n?=?25) group that used Scratch and OpenSim with the Scratch4SL palette, respectively to propose their solutions for the same problem-solving tasks via a simulation game. The study findings indicate substantial differences and important points of view about students’ learning performance by assessing their computational problem-solving strategies. Students from the experimental group performed significantly better both in measures of problem-solving and algorithmic thinking. Mean scores on post-questionnaires from the experimental group revealed improvements higher than their control group counterparts in two aspects. First, students of the former group created more complete computational instructions with rules to be specified and delivered the learning goals. Second, students of the same group proposed and applied more correct computational concepts and practices in code. Finally, this study discusses the implications for designing learning experiences using OpenSim with Scratch4SL.  相似文献   

A systematic mapping review of augmented reality applications to support STEM learning in higher education     

Mystakidis  Stylianos  Christopoulos  Athanasios  Pellas  Nikolaos 《Education and Information Technologies》2022,27(2):1883-1927

Education and Information Technologies - While there is an increasing interest in Augmented Reality (AR) technologies in Primary and Secondary (K-12) Education, its application in Higher Education...  相似文献   

On modeling and analyzing multi-agent systems using n-calculus     

于振华  蔡远利 《上海大学学报(英文版)》2007,11(1):58-63

Dynamic architecture of multi-agent systems （MAS） is important for critical systems. As the existing formal specifications of MAS cannot describe its dynamic architecture, a formal approach using n-calculus is presented, which is suited for the describing and analyzing of concurrent MAS with dynamic topology, n-calculus describes the belief-desireintention （BDI） model that represents agent＇s mental states and provides many useful facilities to analyze MAS model such as deadlock, behavior equivalence, and model checking. To illustrate the favorable representation capability of n-calculus, an example of dynamic multi-agent systems in e-commerce is provided. Finally, by using an existing n-calculus supporting tool, MAS model and some key behaviors properties are analyzed and verified.  相似文献   

Influences on the intention to enter higher education: the importance of expected returns     

Maria Eliophotou Menon  Elias Markadjis  Nikolaos Theodoropoulos  Michalis Socratous 《Journal of Further & Higher Education》2017,41(6):831-843

Research points to several determinants of the private demand for higher education, which include individual, social, economic, and institutional variables. Of these variables, economic factors are considered to be highly relevant, especially in the current financial crisis. The paper investigates the link between expected rates of return to higher education and the intention of secondary education graduates to pursue university studies. The effect of additional variables influencing the choice of higher education (ability, gender, socioeconomic status [SES], type of secondary school, area of residence) is also examined. The findings show a significant link between the perceived rates of return and the intention of secondary school graduates to enter tertiary education. With the exception of residence, all independent variables are strong determinants of the intention to enter higher education. The paper also points to the considerable effect of the financial crisis on students’ expectations in that respondents reported lower perceived rates of return compared to previous estimates in the same country. The implications of the findings for higher education policy are discussed.  相似文献   

Food for thought: learning to build local food security and community-based disaster resilience through garden networks     

Kimberley Reis PhD 《Environmental Education Research》2016,22(3):440-441

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Parent and Child References to Letters During Alphabet Book Reading: Relations to Child Age and Letter Name Knowledge     

William Lachner  Andrea Zevenbergen PhD  Jason Zevenbergen 《Early education and development》2013,24(4):541-559

Research Findings: The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency of extratextual references to letters made by parents and preschoolers during shared reading of an alphabet book. The frequency of letter references was also examined in relation to child age and knowledge of letter names. Participants consisted of 44 preschoolers and their primary caregivers. Videotaped book-reading data were transcribed verbatim and coded for their inclusion of 14 types of letter references (e.g., naming requests, labels, repetitions). Significant findings included the following: Parent labels were significantly correlated with child age; and child knowledge of letter names was significantly correlated with parent naming requests, corrections, and repetitions, and child answers and initiations. Practice or Policy: Findings are discussed in reference to the literature regarding parental sensitivity to child age and knowledge in educational interactions with their child.  相似文献   

Measuring Teacher–Child Relationships in the Greek Kindergarten Setting: A Validity Study of the Student–Teacher Relationship Scale–Short Form     

Nikolaos Tsigilis PhD  Athanasios Gregoriadis 《Early education and development》2013,24(5):816-835

Research Findings: The present study was designed to examine the factorial validity of the Student–Teacher Relationship Scale–Short Form (STRS-SF; R. C. Pianta, 2001 Hamre, B. K. and Pianta, R. C. 2001. Early teacher-child relationships and the trajectory of children's school outcomes through eighth grade.. Child Development, 72: 625–638. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and its invariance across gender in the Greek educational context. The STRS-SF comprises 15 items that measure 2 dimensions of teacher–child relationships: Closeness and Conflict. Fifty-six kindergarten teachers completed the STRS-SF about their students (n = 336). A 2-factor model with correlated latent factors was postulated and tested. Confirmatory factor analysis procedures showed marginal fit to the data (comparative fit index [CFI] = .902, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = .066). The fit of the model was further improved by adding 2 error covariances (CFI = .931, RMSEA = .056). Cronbach's alpha coefficient showed adequate internal consistency for Closeness (α = .72) and Conflict (α = .82). In addition, there was a moderate negative association between the 2 subscales (r = ?.38). Examination of STRS-SF invariance showed that it was manifested in the same way across gender. Practice or Policy: The findings of the present study, which was conducted in a cultural context different from the one in which the STRS-SF was developed, seem to support the instrument's factorial validity and equivalence across gender.  相似文献   

Two Are Better Than One: The Joint Influence of Maternal Preparedness for Parenting and Children's Self-Esteem on Academic Achievement and Adjustment     

Jaelyn Farris PhD  Jennifer E. Burke Lefever  John G. Borkowski  Thomas L. Whitman 《Early education and development》2013,24(3):346-365

Research Findings: This study investigated the joint influence of maternal cognitive readiness to parent and children's self-esteem on children's academic achievement and behavioral adjustment in the classroom at age 10. Participants were 153 adolescent mothers and their firstborn children. Findings indicated that low levels of prenatal maternal cognitive readiness to parent were associated with impairments in children's achievement and adjustment at age 10, regardless of the children's level of self-esteem. Among dyads in which mothers were more cognitively prepared for the parenting role, however, children with higher self-esteem showed notably better achievement and adjustment compared to those with lower self-esteem. These results illustrate the joint influence of mothers' preparedness for parenting and children's self-esteem on the school performance of children who are generally considered to be at high risk for impairments in achievement and adjustment. Practice or Policy: Findings are discussed in terms of the enduring impact of cognitive readiness to parent and self-esteem on the academic achievement and behavioral adjustment of at-risk children, with a focus on implications for intervention and prevention based on the specific findings from this study.  相似文献   

Home Literacy Exposure and Early Language and Literacy Skills in Children Who Struggle With Behavior and Attention Problems     

Jill Haak PhD  Jason Downer  Ronald Reeve 《Early education and development》2013,24(5):728-747

Research Findings: This study investigated the relationships between behavior and attention problems and early language and literacy outcomes for 4-year-olds who experienced varied early home literacy environments. Participants were 1,364 children enrolled in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Attention problems and early home literacy exposure both significantly predicted language and literacy outcomes when relevant covariates were controlled. There was also a significant interaction between behavior and attention problems and early home literacy exposure in predicting expressive language abilities. Specifically, early home literacy exposure was related to more advanced expressive language achievement for children with behavior problems. In contrast, children with attention problems performed below their peers on expressive language measures even when they received comparable early home literacy exposure. Practice or Policy: These findings suggest the need for further research on the differential role of early home literacy exposure on the development of early language and literacy skills in children with behavior and attention problems.  相似文献   

School-Based Consultants as Change Facilitators: Adaptation of the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) to Support the Implementation of Research-Based Practices     

Andrew T. Roach PhD  Thomas R. Kratochwill PhD  Jennifer L. Frank PhD 《Journal of educational and psychological consultation》2013,23(4):300-320

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