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教育實踐與研究期刊
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Vol. 18-1（2005/3）

 

This article aims to analyze the Mainland China’s primary schools’ educational reformation policy, including issues and comments. It focuses on the analysis of related literature. The duration of this investigation starts from 1980 to 2004. Mainland China area is the main scope of this research, especially the primary schools’ educational development and reformation policy.

The key points studied in this paper include: (1) discussing the evolution and essence of primary schools’ educational development and reformation policy in Mainland China, (2) commenting on the issues of educational reformation policy, and (3) providing suggestion for references to promote and implement the educational reformation.

 

Keyword: primary schools’ education, educational policy, Mainland China

 

With rapid societal changes, the teaching profession has been facing serious challenges. Many educational reform efforts have emphasized the need for high qualified teachers. Teachers are being called upon to teach in new ways to promote students’ ability of problem-solving and critical thinking and help them become responsible citizens and lifelong learners. However, these changes in teaching will not happen without meaningful and effective professional development opportunities for teachers. This study examined the effects of school organization on teachers’ sense of efficacy. The sample was composed of 398 teachers, randomly selected from 27 primary schools in Taiwan. Teacher Efficacy Scale and School Organization Inventory were administered to the teachers in these schools. Data collected were analyzed by Pearson product-moment correlation, stepwise and multiple regression, t-test, and analysis of variance. Results showed that school organization influenced the development of teachers’ self-efficacy. The bureaucratic structure greatly restricted teacher efficacy. Less bureaucratic schools were crucial to enable teachers to be confident professionals. A regression model using organizational variables to predict teacher efficacy was significant. Among all the organizational variables, professional code had stronger predictive power. Further, the professional type school teachers had a higher sense of efficacy than did the bureaucratic type counterparts. To develop the new professionalism, reform efforts must be devoted to enhancing and maintaining positive teacher efficacy within the context of the school.

 

Keyword: bureaucracy, school organization, teacher efficacy

 

School-based management is a kind of devolution in school management model that prevails in English nations, and becomes the main strategy and the main issue in educational innovation in the late 1980’s. Our country is influenced by this educational innovation which responds to statute and policy. Other aspects in practical level as follows: principal election, new system school administration meeting, school lesson planning commission and etc, all stride forward to school-based management; however, the “the managed system” in our country is still in the initial stage and is necessary for further exploration and investigation.

The core of this article is composed of a series of researches of which school-based management has carried out in school related backgrounds. First of all, we focus on social cerebration development, diversified and abundant educational model transfer, comprehension of form background of school-based management. Moreover, we expound the meaning and the spirit of school-based management and theory basis. Furthermore, we generalize the main concepts of school-based management. Ultimately we use practical contents and participators’ role missions to formulate the advantages and responsibilities of social patriarch, teachers, principals, and educational administrative organizations.

Researchers employed the questionnaire recomposed from “School-Based Management Assessment Tool”. Researchers firstly employed stratified random sampling to choose 27 schools as the sample. Secondly, the questionnaires were sent to the principals so as to pass on them to the respondent concerned.

In addition to expecting completely and perfectly formed system, we arrange relevant evaluations of practical school-based management both domestic and overseas. Therefore, we submit feasible suggestions according to the development of our country and we would like to contribute what we have found to all personnel who work hard in the field and especially to the personnel who work in the front line.

 

Keyword: school-based management, school-based autonomy

 

This study aims to investigate how teachers utilize their practical knowledge in participating in school-based curriculum evaluation (SBCE). New curriculum policy emphasizes that curriculum should build on the needs of each particular school. To ensure curriculum quality, internal evaluation system, SBCE, has become one of the concerns in schools. This study is to explore several questions: If teachers exercise evaluation over curriculum development, how do they decide on elements to consider in SBCE? If it is the case that SBCE encourages teachers to act as curriculum researchers and innovators, what are the bases for formulating their strategies or making their judgment on the merit of curriculum? How do they decide on evaluation strategies to implement?

To understand the particular details of a case and particular perspectives on SBCE, this study adopts a naturalistic case study with one- year engagement in research site in order to interpret teachers’ practical knowledge situated actions in SBCE. The methods of data gathering includes field observation, interview, meeting discussion and documentation. Several strategies are utilized in the research process, such as long-term participation, triangulation, peer checking, member checking, thick description, in order to ensure research trustworthiness.

Based on the interpretation of field data, this study proposes several findings: teachers’ practical knowledge in SBCE is broader than it is in traditional instructional design and built on multiple bases for further judgment; the structure of teachers’ practical knowledge matches the rationales of new curriculum policy; it exists some principles to lead teachers’ curriculum practice. In the final section, it provides several implications to help educators understand the nature of, as well as teachers’ role in, SBCE, and attract more attention and stimulate more research on this topic.

 

Keyword: school-based curriculum evaluation, teachers’ practical knowledge, curriculum image

Curriculum evaluation was ignored in Taiwan curriculum reform for a period of time. However, in the Nine-Year Joint Curriculum, the curriculum evaluation was listed in the national curriculum. When we care “what did the curriculum evaluate?” and ”how did the curriculum evaluate?”, we should cared about the person that included principals, teachers, and professors. They shall influence the development of curriculum evaluation.

This study applied the focus interview to understand the roles, positions, and difficulties when presidents, teachers, and professors working on curriculum evaluation. Moreover, the professors’ functions and inquiry of who should be the professor in the field would be analyzed. Finally, the research would like to propose the reform possibilities for curriculum evaluation, presidents, teachers, and professors.

 

Keyword: curriculum evaluation, principal, teacher, professor

 

This study attempted to find out how an English teacher’s instructional methods influenced students’ English learning from the perspective of multiple intelligences. Therefore, the purpose of this study was twofold. The first purpose was to investigate the kinds of multiple intelligences instructional methods which the teacher used in the English class. The second purpose was to find out how instructional methods influenced students’ English learning from the perspective of multiple intelligences. Non-participative observations, interviews, and document gathering were used to collect data. The results showed that when a teacher’s instructional method fit in students’ most developed multiple intelligences, students learned better. Moreover, effective use of instructional method was also a very important factor influencing students’ learning.

 

Keyword: multiple intelligences, instructional method, English teaching and learning

 

This paper reports the result of a study aimed to empirically determine the effects of technology, specifically the integration of e-learning within English language teaching, on students’ perception of teacher’s role. In this study administered during the school year 2002-2003, there were 396 participants enrolled as freshman students at Takming College. Participants were divided into experimental (e-learning) E-group and controlled (traditional) T-group. The former received e-learning training, an integral component of English teaching that employs digitalized materials and Information & Communication Technology (ICT)-based support oriented towards fostering autonomy and self-regulated foreign language learning; while the latter, the traditional paper-based materials without ICT-based support. The results of the study show that the students’ perception of the teacher’s role remains unchanged. Such findings reveal that the role of ELT teacher within e-elearning is, analogous to an interactive teacher of the earlier conventions, a multifaceted one with strategy-oriented tasks ranging from Facilitation, Advising, Conducting experiments, Engineering activities, and Supporting divergent learning styles, pathways and creative productions (FACES). As tasks complementing each other to effectively achieve autonomy as an education goal within foreign language education, they are completed flexibly and accordingly, certainly not singly nor independently of each other.

 

Keyword：foreign language teaching & methodology, teaching strategies, teacher’s role, e-learning

 

Being inspired by Gardner’s (Gardner, Tremblay, & Masgoret, 1997) plea to expand the spectrum of the social-educational model to different learning contexts, in terms of culture, language, and educational policies, this paper aims to examine other variables that affect the motivation of Asian EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners. Expectancy-Value Theory (Lewin, 1951) is introduced to the model to strengthen the study. The sample consisted of 451 first-year college students with Mandarin as their first language. The proposed model was tested using the linear structural equation analysis. It was concluded that the new motivational factors, such as Expectancy, Perceived Ability, Valence, add to our understanding of motivation in learning English as a foreign language among Asian learners.

 

Keyword：expectancy-value theory, social-educational model, linear structural equation, learning motivation, parental encouragement, learning attitudes

 

The purpose of this study was to investigate the distribution of regular exercise on female elementary school teachers, and what activities should be used in different exercise stages. The research data was collected by self-reported questionnaires. A randomly selected sample includes 284 female teachers who teach in Taipei County and Taipei City. After analysis, the result of this study was as following. There was 33.9% of female elementary school teachers has regular exercise. On choosing intervenient activities, if we want to promote someone going from precontemplation or contemplation stage to preparation stage, we would recommend aerobic dance, rhythmic gymnastics or quick walking as one of intervening exercises. If we want to promote someone going from preparation stage to action and maintenance stage, we would recommend yoga, swimming, or qigong which exercise usually works out in group and needs more skills.

 

Keyword: transtheoretical model, stages of change

 

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of variation of run-up velocity curve and utilization rate of run-up speed on long jump. Twenty males studying in the Department of Physical Education served as participants, and their mean age, height and weight were 18.90±1.12years, 175.30±5.07 cm and 65.60±7.42 kg respectively. The Laster Distance Measurement 300 C system (100Hz) was used to record and analyze the full process of 50 meters and long jump kinematics data. Repeated measures t-test and the Pearson’s product-moment correlation were conducted. The summary of results was listed as follows：

The participants reached the fastest velocity at the section of 30-35 meters during 50-meter sprint. The performances of long jump by 13-step and 17-step run-up were better than that by 9-step run-up (p < .05). The distance of 13-step and 17-step run-up is 22.70±1.06 – 30.61±1.48 meters. The curve of the run-up speed during the last 25 meters of whole run-up process indicated that the speed became faster associated with the increasing of running distance. The sectional velocity just before taking off (0– 5 meters) was the fastest (8.93± 0.43 m/s). Each sectional velocity of the last 25 meters of whole run-up process was significantly correlated with the performance of long jump (p < .05). The coefficients were .58, .64, .76, .75, and .67 respectively (from 25 meters to touch-abroad). The average utilization rate of the run-up speed is 94.80±4.2% which did not show significant relation with the performance of long jump (p > .05).

The conclusion of this study is as follows: The velocity of each section of the run-up process is related to the performance of long jump; therefore, the focal point of run-up training should be emphasized on the accelerative skills. The participants’ curve of run-up velocity and utilization rate of the run-up speed are inconsistent with researcher’s expectation, which needs to be further explored if those findings resulted from experimental design.

 

Keyword: long jump, run-up velocity, utilization rate of the run-up speed

 

The purpose of this study was to explore the elementary teacher’s behavior in physical education by the systematic observation of “Physical Education Teacher’s Professional Function” (PETPF). Ten physical education teachers in elementary schools in Kaohsiung county area were chose as subjects.

The results of in-depth analysis and discussion of each research issue were as follows: （1） The dimension of “interactive function”: About 26.4% of physical education teachers in elementary schools pay attention to observe the performance of motor activity. This result compared with that of other studies is very similar. Second, about 21.6% of teachers reports that they always play the role of referee because most teachers divide students into groups to play game in class. （2） The dimension of “function subscripts”: About 82.4% of the teachers and students share executing the function. Second, teachers who delegate carrying out the function to the students take about 12.6%, and teachers who carry out the function by themselves take only 5.0%. The result compared with that of other studies is different. （3） The dimension of “teacher’s behavior direction”: Most teachers whose behavior is directed toward a group or whole class of students take 62.9% and teachers whose behavior is directed toward one student take 22.2%. （4） The dimension of “teacher’s behavior mode”: Teacher’s behavior mode focuses on talking (47.0%) and observing (33.2%). The result compared with that of other studies is similar.


Keyword: elementary teaching, teaching in physical education, teaching behavior, Physical Education Teacher’s Professional Function ( PETPF )

The purpose of this study was to compare the differences of barefoot and shod-foot during running in the following 2 aspects: (1) average angular velocity of achilles tendon on the first 10% of ground contact; (2) the difference of maximum variety about the pronation angle of achilles tendon on ground contact, and explore any problems related to the design of the running shoes used in this experiment. Sixteen male runners participated voluntarily in this study. The high-speed video camera was operated at 125Hz and was used to record the participants when they are performing the treadmill 3.5m/s. Two findings are: (1) the rear outside shoe sole must be tactful in order to decrease the torque when outside rearfoot contacts the ground; (2) the strength at the cushioning of shoe sole and the stability of the arch of foot must be increased in order to minimize the degree of deformation and relative-motion between the foot and shoe and to protect foot.

 

Keyword: rearfoot, pronation, barefoot

 

The purpose of the study is to arrange teaching indicators of contents in Mandarin textbooks of every version related to the descriptions of aboriginal images in Grade 1-9 Curriculum. Through text analyses and tabulation, the volume, lesson, title, literary form, narrative point of view, lead character, focal point, and indicated race are separately researched; identities and differences are discussed as well. Additionally, certain issues like six Mandarin Competence Indicators or Benchmarks, blending relative subjects or territories, and ten Core Competences were examined, too. In other words, the writer tried to comprehend the molded characteristics and the descriptive point of aborigines in every version text after the new curriculum guidelines have been put into practice and to explore how these depictions might influence aborigines’ images and predicament. Moreover, the study also aimed to research the gap between ideal and actuality of Mandarin Competence Indicators or Benchmarks arrangement.

 

Keyword: aborigines, grade 1-9 curriculum, mandarin, competence indicators or benchmarks

 

This research aimed to design the appropriate teaching materials and methods of physics in teachers college. In our previous study, a survey was made in respect of elementary school teachers’ attitudes toward physics and their opinions about physics teaching and learning (Chang & Hsin, 2003). The results show that the best way to learn physics is to instruct physics by clarifying concepts with experiment and by including daily life experience, which clearly indicates what elementary school teachers’ needs and also suggests a direction for how to improve physics teaching in teachers college. In this research, we firstly designed the integrated physics curriculum based on the development of concepts, and covered history of science at the place where it was appropriate. Furthermore, questions related to concepts, daily life applications, and demonstrations were collected at the end of each section for the purpose of panel discussion in the class. Then we used the designed materials to teach pre-service elementary school teachers. Our preliminary study indicated that the students liked the way the materials were presented, and they performed quite well. However, there are still a few problems which need to be improved. After these problems are improved, we expect that students’ learning interest, motivation, and achievements can be further enhanced.

 

Keyword: the teaching materials and methods of physics, teachers college

The forming of scientific “research questions” is an embodiment of creativity thinking. This study, combined divergent thinking and convergent thinking, explores the strategies for promoting students’ scientific research questions. The quasiexperimental design was used in this study. Participants were two fourth-grade classes with 49 students in each. One class served as the experimental group and the other class served as the control group. The training model, treated for both group, included the “Mind Mapping Training” and the “Syntax for Forming Question Training”. The only difference in the treatments for two groups was that the experimental group included individual learning and individual instruction for mind mapping. The research findings were as follows: 1. Before this study, student did not have the ability to use “mind mapping “ to express their inherent thinking yet. 2. Through “mind mapping“ practice, students’ abilities to make “mindmapping“ improved obviously. 3. The mind mapping training, which was based on divergent thinking, could increase the scope and diversity of students’ questions. 4. Through individual learning and individual instruction, students’ ability to make mind mapping in science discipline was enhanced effectively. 5. Scientific questions proposed by fourth-grade students were mainly in the category of the low level. 6. The “Syntax for Forming Question Training” played a key role in promoting students’ scientific questions from low-level to high-level. The “Syntax for Forming Question Training” based on convergent thinking could increase the profundity of students’ questions substantially.

 

Keyword: question-asking skill, divergent thinking, convergent hinking, creativity, science learning, mind mapping, scientific research questions

 

The aims of this research were to: (1) analyse the learning outcomes of hands-on astronomical instruction; (2) observe the influence on learning among elementary school students after visiting the observatory; and (3) examine the effect on learning through field astronomical observations.

Subjects in this study were two fifth grade classes from an elementary school in Taipei County -- one as the experimental group and the other as the control group. The experimental group received the hands-on astronomical instruction, whereas the control group received standard astronomical instruction. Before and after the astronomical instruction, both groups were assessed with the following tests: (1) The achievement assessment of astronomical concepts (KR21=.76), (2) Attitudes toward the sun, stars, and the moon (α=.95). The major findings are listed as follows: 1. In the achievement assessment of astronomical concepts, students who received hands-on astronomical instruction performed significantly better than those who received standard instruction. 2. On attitudes toward the sun, stars, and the moon, the experimental group performed significantly better than the control group. 3. Through hands-on astronomical instruction, students can apply their knowledge to their daily lives by transforming abstract astronomical knowledge into hands-on activity. Students in the experimental group also performed better on their creativity, thinking, multiple intellectual abilities, and cooperative learning. 4. After visiting the observatory, students were found to be more interested in astronomy. Feedback from the subjects showed that 76% students wished to visit the observatory again. It seemed to suggest that paying a visit to the observatory will stimulate students’ life-long learning of astronomy. 5. Feedback of the field astronomical observation showed that this experience helped students to improve their knowledge, interest, and skills. Through operating the telescope, students gained a sense of achievement and fulfilled their curiosity. This will be the motivation for their future learning in astronomy.

 

Keyword: astronomical instruction, the visit of observatory, science and technology, field astronomy observation, hands-on teaching

 

Based on the statements of cell-related curriculum and the analysis of alternative conception of the elementary and middle schools students and according to the elementary and middle schools cell-related curriculum analogy teaching and students’ reported data, this research is intended to devise the so-called “Analogism Tests of Cell Concepts” (ATCC). The purpose of the instrument is to testify whether the students could obtain more cell-related concepts through analogy teaching, whether the students’ alternative conception resulted from their failure in understanding the analogy relation so that they did not have concepts migration. The contents of ATCC were divided into three parts: the elementary school test papers, the junior high school test papers, and the senior high school test papers. ATCC contains four components: graph analogy, model analogy, narrating analogy, and complex analogy. This research has established superficial validity, content validity, and construct validity. ATCC is able to allow the contents of test questions to reflect the cell-related curriculum in elementary and middle schools. The test items also can reflect how students form their alternative conception. Four components were extracted from ATCC, and they explained 51.24% (elementary school test papers), 51.55% (junior high school test papers) and 48.05% (senior high school test papers) of the variation.

This research took grade 5, grade 7 and grade 11 students as subjects in Taipei areas. The results showed that the internal consistency reliability of ATCC were 0.6653 (elementary school test papers), 0.7021 (junior high school test papers) and 0.7451 (senior high school test papers). The research found that the reliability and validities of ATCC were satisfactory. The factor analysis revealed that the Difficulty Index for ATCC were 0.392~0.735 (elementary school test papers), 0.433~0.875 (junior high school test papers), and 0.387~0.896 (senior high school test papers); the Discrimination Index for ATCC were 0.314~0.686 (elementary school test papers), 0.174~0.693 (junior high school test papers), and 0.151~0.698 (senior high school test papers). Finally, inappropriate test questions or test items were revised according to the results of difficulties and resolutions of ATCC.

 

Key words: the Analogism Tests of Cell Concepts, graph analogy, model analogy, narrating analogy and complex analogy

 

The Taiwanese government has executed a number of policies to encourage teachers to integrate the information and computer technology into instruction at various levels of education. However, teachers at the kindergarten level seem to be ignored. Some research studies have been done to understand how to integrate information and computer technology into kindergarten.

This research has developed out of the recent concern in Taiwan with integrating computers into the early childhood curriculum. The aim of this study is to explore an early childhood teacher’s experiences of designing and integrating information and computer technology at a public kindergarten in Taipei.

Findings are categorized into different topics, such as: approaches for integrating technology into kindergartens through the use of thematic instruction, design and digital materials created for young children, the reaction of young children toward the technology, and the behavior of young children at the computer corner. Based on these findings, the following conclusions are drawn： (1) Eight contexts are suggested to integrate information and computer technology into the early childhood instruction. (2) Technological alternatives are suggested for teachers to use in leading the class discussion, telling stories, implementing a competition and setting up a instructional corner. (3) Young children love the computer and retain the information presented by the software.

 

Keyword: information technology integrated instruction, early childhood education, kindergarten, action research

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