Vol. 25-2（2012/12）
-
Yun-Hsia Pai
This study investigates differences in mathematics word-problem solving performance among 5th and 6th grade mathematics underachievers with and without cram schooling, and the effect of their elementary school teachers’ and cram school teachers’ teaching approaches on word-problem solving performance. The word-problem test is comprised of three parts, including problems requiring low, average, and high level of reading comprehension. Participants were given word-problem tests appropriate to their grade level. Students’ mathematics teachers in cram schools and elementary schools were given a questionnaire on their teaching approaches. First, there were no significant differences in math word-problem solving performance and learning retention between 5th grade mathematics underachievers with and without cram schooling. However, word-problem solving performance and learning retention of the 6th grade underachievers with cram schooling were significantly better than those without. Regression analysis of math word-problem performance in 5th grade underachievers revealed that the more cram school teachers used a constructivist teaching approach, the higher their scores were on the total, average, and high level math word-problem tests. In contrast, the more cram school teachers used the direct teaching approach, the lower scores math underachievers got on the average level word-problem tests. The 6th grade math underachievers’ performance can be explained by their intelligence. Moreover, the direct teaching approach was demonstrated to have a negative effect on underachievers’ performance solving low level word-problems. In addition, word-problem solving performance was not related to the numb er of hours per week they learned mathematics in cram schools.
Keyword：cram school, math word-problem, reading comprehension,supplementary school education, underachievers
-
Eye Movements During Geometry Proof Reading:Text Contrasting With Figure and the Colored Effects
Chi-Yao Chen & Chao-Jung Wu
The reading comprehension of geometry proofs necessitates a coherent mental representation of all the information conveyed in the figure and text. Eye movements can be used to assess the perceptual and cognitive processes, and how colored figures affect the integration of text and figures during comprehension. For our experiment, we used four junior high school level geometry proofs with colored/uncolored figures to examine 31 undergraduate students who had learned but have not mastered geometry proofs. First, the participants’ eye movements were recorded during reading. A paper-and-pencil recall test was then administered to the participants after the reading procedure. The data reveal that half of the fixations were located on figures, and the proportion of fixations to the pixels of the figures was greater than that of the texts. The results suggested that the reading of geometry proofs depended more on figures that organized the statements using a specific status and provided cues for the geometry proof properties compared to text. Working memory limitations increased the regression time for figures. Additionally, figures provided utility cues for recalling geometric properties, which assisted readers in performing deductions and verifications. Colored figures influenced the visualization of undergraduate students when reading geometry proofs. This reduced the initial reading comprehension time of one theorem, but did not affect the regression time and comprehension exhibited in the recall tests. Valid analyses of eye movements when reading geometry proofs must be supported by definitions of mathematical words and data-screening skills.
Keyword：eye movements, geometry proof, mathematics reading
-
The Effects of Adlerian Group Counseling on Adolescents With Internet Addiction
Yu-Rong Liao & Ting-Chia Lien
The purpose of the study was to explore the immediate and follow-up counseling effects of Adlerian group counseling on Internet addiction, self-concept, and social interest of adolescents with Internet addiction. The study used the quasi-experimental design. The subjects consisted of 18 adolescents with Internet addiction. They were eighth graders from a junior high school in Hsinchu. They were selected based on their report of Internet use through the Internet-Use Scale and interviews conducted by the researchers. These adolescents were assigned to an experiment group and a control group. The experiment group was treated with 8 sessions of Adlerian group counseling. Instruments for measuring the effects included Chen Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS), Self-Concept Scale, and Social Interest Scale. All the data were analyzed by one-way ANCOVA. Furthermore, the feedback and interview results of the experiment group members were both used to support the quantitative results of this research. The major findings of this study were: First, Adlerian group counseling had significant immediate effects on the subjects’ Internet addiction, withdrawal symptoms of Internet addiction, self-concept, and connection of social interest. Second, Adlerian group counseling had significant long-term effects on the subjects’ time management problems of Internet addiction, and self-concept. In light of above findings, recommendations are offered for counselors and for future research.
Keyword：Adlerian group counseling, Internet addiction, self-concept, social interest
-
Ruo-Lan Liu & Da-Sen Lin
The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between college experiences, learning outcomes and destination after graduation for first-generation and non-fist-generation college students. Survey data from the “higher education database” built by the NTNU Education Research and Assessment Center were used for data analysis. The present study specifically adopted data collected in School Year 2005 on third-year students and the data from tracking students in the senior year and one year after graduation. The college experiences consisted of academic and aspiration, social assets, financial assets, and cultural assets. And the learning outcomes include graduation rating and employability. Results of the study show that, the financial assets and cultural assets of first-generation college students are lower than that of non-first-generation college students and there is no significant difference in social assets between the two groups. First-generation college students who had low educational aspiration, longer work hours, positive peer relationship and career planning capabilities had a higher percentage rate of working full time within one year of graduation. For both first-generation and non-first-generation college students who had higher educational aspiration, more academic involvement, and those who went to cram school and had higher graduation rating also had a higher percentage rate of studying full time after graduation. However, first-generation college students who read a wider range of books had a lower percentage rate of studying full time after graduation. Finally, recommendations for planning effective programs and promoting first-generation students’ learning quality and employment are presented.
Keyword：college experiences, destination after graduation, first-generation college students, learning outcomes
-
Wen-Hsuan Peng, Lung-Fei Lin, & Ching-Chi Chen
The research aims to construct an indicator for exemplary science teachers’ professional development and to explore which capabilities are to be possessed by exemplary science teachers in primary schools based on the perspectives maintained by science teachers with different backgrounds (science teachers prior-to and under employment in primary schools as well as professors in pre-service training institutions). By employing the Delphi Technique, the research establishes its indicator and compiles the "dimensions" in the indicator into a weighted survey to study the dimensional differences among science teachers’ perspectives. Purposive sampling was adopted as science teachers are invited to rate the degrees of importance for items listed in the questionnaire and 161 valid questionnaires are collected and ranked based on the dimensional importance. Alternative Analytic Hierarchy Process (A-AHP) is applied to calculate the weight distribution so that the differences among raters of various backgrounds and the resulting overall capacities identified can be compared. The results of the research show that“classroom management and lab management”, “professional teaching skills,” and “expertise related to science” are the most important capabilities for a science teacher according to the viewpoints shared by science teachers of different backgrounds. The weight analysis results show that the overall capabilities of an exemplary science teacher may be determined by their professional teaching skills which accounts for the highest weight (20.22%) of the overall capabilities, followed by science expertise (16.13%), and the classroom and lab management (16.13%).
Keyword：Alternative Analytic Hierarchy Process (A-AHP), Delphi Method
-
An Exploration of the Professional Development of a Science Teacher Through Structured Reflection
Chin-Fei Huang & Chia-Ju Liu
The aim of this study was to investigate the professional development of a science teacher through structured reflection. The participant in this case study is a junior high school science teacher who has taught science for 6 years. Before teaching, the participant needed to write the resource folios and to design teaching strategies; after teaching, the participant reflected the teaching practice by comparing the design of teaching strategies with resource folios. Data collection includes resource folios, classroom observations, students’ feedback, and interviews. The results show: (1) The science teacher had two viewpoints of teaching. The first point of view is to identify the role of teachers as learning promoter and students’ learning motivation needs to be promoted. However, the strategies employed during teaching practice did not reflect his viewpoints of teaching. The second viewpoint is to use frequent testing as the main teaching strategy, however without thorough discussion of important concepts, students fail to learn from the tests; (2) by using structural reflection instrument the science teacher in this case study could focus on the reflection of the conflicted views of teaching and teaching practice, and this reflection can improve professional development. Some suggestions are discussed in this study.
Keyword：reflection, resource folios, science teacher
-
Chuan-Li Su & Yij-Jyh Hwang
After the Labor Union Act revision in June 2010, teachers may legally form teachers’ unions. However in a county or city, the participation rate of teachers’ unions must be higher than 50% to be legally qualified with negotiating rights. Most studies on teachers’ unions focused on potential forthcoming problems while the factors affecting teachers’ inclination towards participating teachers’ unions were less investigated. The present study uses the 2008 full-time teachers’ census data in Taitung and conducts a path analysis on the influence mechanism of teachers’ inclination to participate in organizations. The major findings are: (1) 20.8% of teachers in Taitung show inclination to participate in teachers’ unions whereas 42.1% of them incline to join teachers’ associations. (2) Teachers with more than 16 years of service are less inclined to join teachers’ unions than their counterparts with 0-5 years of service; teachers with administrative responsibilities and substitute teachers are less inclined to join teachers’ unions than full-time teachers. (3) The higher the teachers’ resistance consciousness and consciousness of professional autonomy, the higher the inclination to participate in teachers’ unions and associations. (4) Teachers who take director positions are less inclined to join teachers’ unions because they have lower resistance consciousness; substitute teachers show lower inclination to participate in teachers’ unions due to lower consciousness of professional autonomy.
Keyword：resistance consciousness, teachers’ organization, the consciousness of professional autonomy
-
I-Hua Chang & Hung-Chin Yen
This study explores the dimensions of school distributed leadership, verifying its factor structure. First, based on discussions in related literature, this study used the triarchic theory of interaction among the leaders, followers, and situation as the basis of its theory before developing the measurement items. Second, 1,027 teachers from public elementary schools in Taiwan were selected for data collection, and were randomly divided into calibration sample, validation sample, and cross-validation sample. Using exploratory factor analysis, four factor dimensions (open-minded principal, members’ positive beliefs, members’ positive participation, and school atmosphere) for the measurement model were determined. To further validate the appropriateness of the measurement model, we compared the strategies of the competing models, finding that the multiple-factor oblique model and the hierarchical model were the appropriate measurement models for school distributed leadership. The results of this study provide a theoretical framework and can be used to measure and to better understand the status of school distributed leadership.
Keyword：distributed leadership, educational leadership, measurement model
