Search results for "education"
showing 10 items of 26766 documents
Worldviews and National Values in Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care Curricula
2021
This paper examines how worldviews and national values are displayed in the national (Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) curricula of Sweden, Finland and Norway. The specific interest is to investigate what similarities and differences there are between these three ECEC curricula with regard to the position of religions and other worldviews. ECEC is often the first societal arena for children to enter and to negotiate their personal values, worldviews, and memberships in relation to the values represented in the surrounding social context. Countries employ different policies for dealing with diversity. Home languages for example, are often supported whereas for home cultures and worl…
Parental Perceptions of the Ideal Foreign Language Teacher : Voices from Eight Countries
2020
Early language education has become a global trend as parents from around the world increasingly enroll their children in language classes at preschool or pre-preschool ages. The younger the FL learners are, the greater the parents’ role in their children’s learning process – and the more they may be motivated to be involved in their children’s schoolwork, learning aims, and the way they are being instructed. But what do they want from FL teachers when their children are just beginning their language studies? This topic brought together 14 students from different parts of the world. Students from Canada, China, Colombia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, and Vietnam enrolled in the…
Multiple modalities in insect warning displays have additive effects against wild avian predators
2019
Allocation to different components of defence has been suggested as an explanation for the existence of multiple aposematic morphs in a single population. We tested whether there are trade-offs between warning colouration and chemical defence or whether these have an additive effect when combined, using blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) as predators and the polymorphic wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis) as prey. We used artificial edible models (with and without the moths’ defensive fluids) with paper wings whose colour and pattern properties matched those of real moths. When the models were presented sans defensive fluids or when the fluids were presented without colour cues, we detected n…
The Effect of Predator Population Dynamics on Batesian Mimicry Complexes.
2022
Understanding Batesian mimicry is a classic problem in evolutionary biology. In Batesian mimicry, a defended species (the model) is mimicked by an undefended species (the mimic). Prior theories have emphasized the role of predator behavior and learning as well as evolution in model-mimic complexes but have not examined the role of population dynamics in potentially governing the relative abundances and even persistence of model-mimic systems. Here, we examined the effect of the population dynamics of predators and alternative prey on the prevalence of warning-signaling prey composed of models and mimics. Using optimal foraging theory and signal detection theory, we found that the inclusion …
The impact of life stage and pigment source on the evolution of novel warning signal traits
2021
Our understanding of how novel warning color traits evolve in natural populations is largely based on studies of reproductive stages and organisms with endogenously produced pigmentation. In these systems, genetic drift is often required for novel alleles to overcome strong purifying selection stemming from frequency-dependent predation and positive assortative mating. Here, we integrate data from field surveys, predation experiments, population genomics, and phenotypic correlations to explain the origin and maintenance of geographic variation in a diet-based larval pigmentation trait in the redheaded pine sawfly (Neodiprion lecontei), a pine-feeding hymenopteran. Although our experiments c…
Linguistic, Contextual, and Experiential Equivalence Issues in the Adaptation of a Performance-Based Assessment of Generic Skills in Higher Education
2022
This qualitative study investigated the various linguistic, contextual, and experiential equivalence issues embedded in a performance-based instrument aimed at assessing generic skills in higher education. A rigorous translation and adaptation process (American English to Finnish) was conducted on one instrument, namely Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA+) International. The data were obtained from cognitive laboratories (n = 13), with think-alouds and follow-up interviews conducted among Finnish undergraduate students. Content logs were created, and the data were analyzed thematically. The findings revealed that linguistic and contextual equivalence issues were more prominent than experie…
Effectiveness of a kindergarten-based intervention to increase vegetable intake and reduce food neophobia amongst 1-year-old children: a cluster rand…
2021
Background: Children’s first years of life are crucial to their future health. Studies show that a varied diet with a high intake of vegetables is positive in several domains of health. The present low vegetable intake amongst children is, therefore, a concern. Food neophobia is a common barrier to vegetable intake in children. As most Norwegian children attend kindergarten from an early age, kindergartens could contribute to the prevention of food neophobia and the promotion of vegetable intake. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a cluster randomised trial amongst 1-year-old children in kindergarten to reduce food neophobia and promote healthy eating. Methods: Kin…
Interaction in online learning environments : how to support collaborative activities in higher education settings
2006
Collaboration promoted and supported by instructional technology has the potential to lead learners to deeper understanding and knowledge building. There have been optimistic views that any web based interaction can be educationally valuable. However, online learning environments do not, as such, guarantee that learners will achieve genuine collaboration. It seems that there are several difficulties facing those who wish to employ online learning environments as a medium for productive learner interaction. The particular aim of this exploration of interaction and learning in computer supported collaborative learning environments was to study the interplay between learners and consider the w…
Infographics as a Reflective Assignment Method in Requirements Engineering e-Course?
2019
Our Work in Progress Paper in Innovative Practice Category focuses on how learners’ experience use of infographics in advanced level e-course on requirements engineering (RE). Infographics are visual representations of information in such a way that information can be easily understood at a glance. Most of the previous infographics studies have been conducted in the context of inquiry learning. To complement this research, we studied how learners experience use of infographics as a method for reflective assignment and hence if the usage of infographics supported conceptualization about RE. We adopted a qualitative content analysis approach, applying thematic network analysis to the data rec…