Is Educational Research Any Use?

We begin by examining the widespread scepticism about the value of empirical educational research that is found within sections of the philosophy of education community. We argue that this scepticism, in its strongest form, is incoherent as it suggests that there are no educational facts susceptible of discovery. On the other hand, if there are such facts, then commonsense is not an adequate way of accessing them, due to its own contested and variable nature. We go on to examine the claim that teaching is a moral enterprise whose successful pursuit demands the grasp of moral concepts and their implications. We show that while this is the case, it is a necessary, not a sufficient condition for successful teaching, which also requires a grasp of facts that are relevant to effective teaching and learning. Finally we examine some protocols for educational research. John Gingell, John Gingell is head of philosophy programmes at the University of Northampton, UK. He is the author, with Ed Brandon, of ‘In Defence of High Culture’ (Blackwell 2000) and (with Christopher Winch) ‘Philosophy and Education Policy: a critical introduction’ (Routledge 2004). Christopher Winch teaches at King’s College, London, UK. He is the author of ‘The Philosophy of Human Learning’ (Routledge 1998) and ‘Education, Autonomy and Critical Thinking’ (Routledge, forthcoming, 2005).     

青少年药物滥用的防治

随着社会转型所带来的生活方式多元化,青少年药物滥用现象,在威胁着青少年身心健康的同时,也破坏了社会的和谐与发展。一般来说,其形成原因包括自身、家庭、学校和社会等多种因素,因而,预防和解决青少年药物滥用问题,就需要建立一套涉及多个层面的防治体系。     

Qualitative research in psychology: Attitudes of psychology students and academic staff

Qualitative research is experiencing a resurgence within the field of psychology. This study aimed to explore the range of attitudes towards qualitative research in psychology held by students and academics, using the model of attitudes by Eagly and Chaiken as a framework. Twenty‐one psychology students and academics were interviewed about their attitudes towards qualitative research. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. While qualitative research was described as inherent to the psychology profession and useful for generating rich data, some participants felt that this approach was not well respected or considered as legitimate as quantitative methods. Reflecting common misperceptions about qualitative research, participants also expressed concerns that qualitative research was too subjective and had limited generalisability. Furthermore, some participants felt that they lacked the skills and confidence necessary to conduct qualitative research. Large investments in time and resources were identified as barriers to undertaking qualitative research. Identifying attitudes towards qualitative research provides a basis for future work in dispelling myths, promoting attitudinal change and increasing both the use and teaching of qualitative approaches in psychology.     

丁文江与中医——对张起钧与伊广谦关于丁文江之死两文的批评

1丁文江其人丁文江(1887-1936),字在君,江苏泰兴人。1902年,16岁东渡日本,过“谈革命,写文章”的生活。1904年转赴英国,先在东部一个斯堡尔丁镇的中学就读二年。1906年考入剑桥大学,由于财力不济,上了半年便赴欧洲大陆游历。1907年夏去英国格拉斯哥,在一所工科学院(Technical College)选课一年。翌年报考伦敦大学医科,应试未能遂愿,于是改入格拉斯哥大学,主修动物学,副科为地质学,最后一年又将地质学列入主科,地理学为副科。1911年从该校“动物学和地质学双科毕业”,4月回国[1]。1913年,丁文江就任民国政府工商部矿政司地质科科长。次年,北…     

论学习迁移规律在中医教学过程中的地位与作用

学习迁移泛指一种学习对另一种学习的影响,一般指先前学习已获得的知识、技能、方法和态度对以后学习新的知识技能及研究解决问题的影响。通过学习迁移现象在中医教学过程中的不同表现,指出学习迁移规律是符合中医的教学规律的,有意识地应用学习迁移规律能够很好地促进中医教学,并就如何应用学习迁移规律改进中医教学提出了自己的看法。     

协和育才模式与创造性人格

创造性人格是个体创造力的主体部分。协和医科大学的教育模式有助于培养医学生积极的人生态度、高度的自我肯定评价、强烈的内在动机、自主的认知风格以及丰富的情感。在我国高等医学教育改革进程中,普通医学院校应将协和模式与本校实际相结合,加强对医学生创造性人格的培养,增强其创造力,更好地适应国际医学发展的需求。     

THE EFFECTS OF RESPONSE CARDS ON STUDENT AND TEACHER BEHAVIOR DURING VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION

The use of response cards during whole‐class English vocabulary instruction was evaluated. Five low‐participating students were observed during hand‐raising conditions and response‐card conditions to observe the effects of response cards on student responding and test scores and teacher questions and feedback. Responding and test scores were higher for all targeted students in the response‐card condition. The teacher asked a similar number of questions in both conditions; however, she provided more feedback in the response‐card condition.     

Generalizing Teaching Techniques from University to K-12 Classrooms: Teaching Preservice Teachers to Use What They Learn

Preservice teachers learn evidence-based practices in university classrooms but often fail to use them later on in their own K-12 classrooms. The problem may be a missing link in teacher preparation, i.e., failure to teach preservice teachers to generalize newly acquired techniques. Two experiments using multiple baseline designs across participants assessed effectiveness of a model to promote generalization and maintenance of a specific teaching skill. In Experiment 1, preservice teachers’ maintenance of behavior deteriorated from practicum to student teaching when intervention consisted of training to criteria alone. When a programming for generalization component (program common stimuli) was added to the intervention, teachers in Experiment 2 generalized and maintained behavior across settings (student teaching to own classrooms) at a higher average than occurred during intervention.     

汉字频率和构词数对非汉字圈学生汉字学习的影响

探讨汉字频率和构词数对非汉字文化圈的留学生汉字学习效果的影响。实验要求被试对已学过的不同频率和构词数的汉字写出拼音并组词,结果显示,汉字频率对汉字学习效果有影响,而且频率效应的大小受笔画数的制约;实验未发现构词数对汉字学习效果的影响。研究结果表明,语言输入的频率是影响汉语习得的一个重要因素     

An evaluation of counselling and rehabilitation courses for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the services offered by Action for ME to sufferers of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome using measures developed and validated in previous research. Preliminary studies had suggested that clients attending rehabilitation residential courses were benefiting from the service. A further, more in‐depth evaluation process with a greater number of health‐related outcome measures was warranted. In addition, assessment was widened to include other services offered to sufferers of the illness. Data relating to the usefulness and success of the services (rated by the clients) were also collected. Data from client volunteers were collected at baseline (that is, before intervention) and approximately six months later. Quantitative comparative analyses were conducted using within‐group comparisons to assess any improvements in scores at six‐month follow‐up from baseline. Fifty‐six participants completed wide‐ranging questionnaires assessing illness history, psychopathology, psychosocial factors and health and well‐being. Data relating to improvements in illness status and acceptability of treatment were also collected by means of global outcome measures. Both the counselling and residential groups showed improvements in many areas assessed at follow‐up. Most importantly, improvements were indicated in areas such as fatigue and the levels of disability suffered by patients. In addition, there were significant improvements in ratings of mood, anxiety, depression and physical symptoms. Overall, clients reported satisfaction with the care received and most found the services useful. All of the participants who completed the evaluation stated that they would recommend Action for ME services to fellow sufferers. The outcome of the current study is encouraging. The data presented provides evidence of the high level of support and advice Action for ME offers to sufferers of this illness. Furthermore, measurable improvements in scores relating to illness status were accompanied by improvements in mental health and psychosocial variables in the patient group.