Mental computation performance in Australia,Japan and the United States     

Alistair McIntosh  Nobuhiko Nohda  Barbara J. Reys  Robert E. Reys 《Educational Studies in Mathematics》1995,29(3):237-258

The study was conducted to explore performance on a variety of mental computation tasks using two presentation formats (visual and oral). Students at four grade levels between grades 2 and 9 in three countries (Australia, Japan, United States) were given a group administered mental computation test consisting of two parts (oral presentation format, visual presentation format).The sample of nearly 2000 students represents 6 classes at each of four grade levels in each country. Results indicate a wide variation in performance within the sample of each country at each grade level. Differences in performance between countries are also apparent and may reflect variations in instructional focus on mental computation. In particular, Japanese students perform at a higher level at the early grades than do students in either of the other countries sampled. However, by grade 8 this difference narrows in the American sample, and vanishes for the Australian sample. Differences in performance related to presentation format were dramatic for particular items and non-existent for other items. The most consistent effect was found in the Japanese sample where the visual presentation format resulted in higher performance levels on most items.It is hypothesised that superior results on visually presented items are attributable to a greater reliance on use of the standard written algorithm, while superior results on orally presented items indicate a greater tendency to use invented mental algorithms.  相似文献   

Facilitating team-based course designing with conceptual mapping     

Alistair Inglis 《Distance Education》2003,24(2):247-263

A method of rendering the design of a course visible for the purpose of discussion amongst the members of course development teams is described. The paper begins by examining the way in which design is manifested in the area of course materials development and the approaches that have been used in attempting to document designs. The strengths and limitations of the conceptual mapping method are examined and the way in which the method has been used to facilitate the work of course development teams is described. Additional uses of the method and possibilities for future enhancements of the method are discussed.  相似文献   

Excellence in doctoral supervision: an examination of authoritative sources across four countries in search of performance higher than competence     

Alistair McCulloch  Vijay Kumar  Susan van Schalkwyk  Gina Wisker 《Quality in Higher Education》2016,22(1):64-77

Supervision is generally recognised as playing a crucial role in the quality of a research student’s doctoral experience and their academic outcomes and, in common with most areas of higher education, there is an oft-stated desire to pursue excellence in this important area. Excellence in research degree supervision is, however, an elusive concept and on close scrutiny most of the discussions of high-quality supervision, even those that purport to be identifying excellence, refer to competence rather than excellence. This paper examines two potentially national authoritative perspectives from which excellence in research degree supervision might be explicated (codes of practice and learning and teaching awards) from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom but concludes that the complex nature of the activity and the complexity of the concept itself mean that rather than identifying excellence in supervision we can only respond to claims for excellence.  相似文献   

A review of the research of Ference Marton and the Goteborg Group: A phenomenological research perspective on learning   总被引：3，自引：1，他引：3  

Graham Gibbs  Alistair Morgan  Elizabeth Taylor 《Higher Education》1982,11(2):123-145

This article reviews the work of Ference Marton and his group of researchers at the University of Goteborg in Sweden. It describes and explains research into: what students learn; how students approach studying; the relationship between approach to study and learning outcomes; what students understand learning to consist of; and whether it is possible to manipulate students' approach to studying in order to influence the learning outcomes. This review is intended to build up an overall picture of learning as seen from a phenomenological research perspective.  相似文献   

Does research degree supervisor training work? The impact of a professional development induction workshop on supervision practice     

Alistair McCulloch  Cassandra Loeser 《高等教育研究与发展》2016,35(5):968-982

Supervisor induction and continued professional development programmes constitute good practice and are enshrined in institutional policies and national codes of practice. However, there is little evidence about whether they have an impact on either supervisors’ learning or day-to-day practice. Set in a discussion of previous literature, this article unpacks the concepts ‘impact’ and ‘evaluation’ and assesses the medium- and longer term impact of the University of South Australia's doctoral supervisor induction programme, Supervising@UniSA. It suggests that the workshop leads to the acquisition of understanding and knowledge and, for the majority of attendees, also has an impact on supervisory practice.  相似文献   

Oral culture, written records and understanding the twentieth-century colonial archive. The significance of understanding from within     

Alistair G. Tough 《Archival Science》2012,12(3):245-265

The educational institutions that train archivists and records managers in Europe and North America have not engaged with the challenges of orality until very recently. As their counterparts in Africa are modelled on the earlier version of European and North American practice, they do not address the relationship between oral cultures and written records either. This article attempts to address this significant omission. It is grounded on evidence gathered during a fellowship at Chancellor College in Malawi and arises from the author??s work in preparing courses on archives and records management for a planned postgraduate degree. The methodological limitations imposed by the author??s lack of the appropriate African language skills are acknowledged. It is observed that the colonial archive has been subjected to vociferous criticism and that oral history programs have been advocated to fill perceived gaps. Yet, paradoxically the colonial archive is itself largely the product of a process of turning oral communications into written records. The nature of the processes and of the products is discussed. It is argued that these archives, like all archives, need to be interpreted as products of their historical and cultural setting. If users can read them ??with the grain??, then they may be able to utilise them for a range of purposes never envisaged by the creators of the records.  相似文献   

Mixed Doubles: Political Hegemony,Urban Entrepreneurialism and the Australian Open Tennis Championships     

Alistair John  Bob Stewart  Brent McDonald 《国际体育史杂志》2013,30(2):162-178

The National Tennis Centre in Melbourne, Australia, occupies a symbolic role in the repositioning of a once ‘rust-belt’ city as a place for ‘footloose’ capital and tourism. This paper explores the decisions that have been made by successive Victorian state governments between 1984 and 1998 to construct and upgrade the National Tennis Centre. Thematic content analysis of three daily newspapers, and one monthly tennis magazine, was undertaken to map political decisions and accompanying public discussion surrounding the foundation and upgrades of the National Tennis Centre. Successive state governments, representing both the left and right side of politics, have adopted an urban entrepreneurial approach to development and economic regeneration of Melbourne since the early 1980s. Targeting sport as a competitive advantage, significant public investments have been made to ‘sell’ this product to consumers identified as citizens and tourists. Worthy of note, and of particular concern, is the limited consultation with important interest groups, particularly environmentalists and the citizenry, when creating an elite sporting entertainment centre.  相似文献   

Changing attitudes and emotions toward coyotes with experiential education     

Carly C. Sponarski  Jerry J. Vaske  Alistair J. Bath  TA Loeffler 《The Journal of environmental education》2013,44(4):296-306

ABSTRACT

An experiential education program was designed to target risk perceptions and preventative measures that make people feel comfortable in human-coyote interactions. The research was conducted in a Canadian national park where a coyote caused a human fatality in 2009. Based on previous research, we explored the effects of an experience-based coyote education program on people's (a) attitudes toward, (b) fear of, (c) likelihood of, and (d) control over coming into contact with coyotes. A pre-post-test experiment (n = 150; 96% completion rate) was conducted. The experiential education approach to wildlife safety and coexistence communication had a significant positive effect on people's attitudes, significantly decreased their sense of fear toward coyotes, significantly decreased their sense of likelihood, and increased their sense of control in human-coyote interactions.  相似文献   

Body mass changes during training in elite rugby union: Is a single test of hydration indices reliable?     

Katherine Elizabeth Black  Alistair David Black  Dane Baker  Kirsty Fairbairn 《European Journal of Sport Science》2018,18(8):1049-1057

There is limited research studying fluid and electrolyte balance in rugby union players, and a paucity of information regarding the test–retest reliability. This study describes the fluid balance of elite rugby union players across multiple squads and the reliability of fluid balance measures between two equivalent training sessions. Sixty-one elite rugby players completed a single fluid balance testing session during a game simulation training session. A subsample of 21 players completed a second fluid balance testing session during an equivalent training session. Players were weighed in minimal clothing before and after each training session. Each player was provided with their own drinks which were weighed before and after each training session. More players gained body weight (9 (14.8%)) during training than lost greater than 2% of their initial body mass (1 (1.6%)). Pre-training body mass and rate of fluid loss were significantly associated (r?=?0.318, p?=?.013). There was a significant correlation between rate of fluid loss in sessions 1 (1.74?±?0.32?L?h^?1) and 2 (1.10?±?0.31?L.?h^?1), (r?=?0.470, p?=?.032). This could be useful for nutritionists working with rugby squads to identify players with high sweat losses.  相似文献   

Approaches to studying in distance education   总被引：3，自引：0，他引：3  

John T.E. Richardson  Alistair Morgan  Alan Woodley 《Higher Education》1999,37(1):23-55

Responses to the Approaches to Studying Inventory were obtained from 2,288 post-foundation students taking courses by distance learning at the Open University. A factor analysis of their subscale scores produced a solution that was commensurable with results of earlier research carried out with campus-based students. Indeed, their approaches to studying were more appropriate to the avowed aims of higher education, but this could be attributed to age differences between campus-based and distance-learning students. The approaches to studying of distance-learning students were affected by background variables such as gender, age, academic discipline and prior education, and they were more appropriate to the avowed aims of higher education than those of other students taking foundation courses by distance learning. Even when effects of background variables were taken into account, the distance-learning students' approaches to studying were related to pass rates and final grades. In particular, there was a strong negative association between reproducing orientation and academic outcome.  相似文献