An Enquiry into Attitude and Performance among Pupils Taking Advanced Level Mathematics

1973 ◽  
Vol 57 (402) ◽  
pp. 350
Author(s):  
M. F. Robins ◽  
J. Selkirk
2005 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 46-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Robinson

Recent second language acquisition (SLA) research into the cognitive abilities implicated in implicit, incidental, and explicit learning, and in learning and performance on tasks differing in their information processing demands has prompted new theoretical frameworks for conceptualizing L2 aptitude. This research is reviewed and related to measures of abilities operationalized in existing aptitude tests, as well as to measures of abilities that are the focus of more recent research in cognitive psychology. Finally, prospects for developing aptitude tests to serve the purposes of predicting both early and advanced level language learning success are discussed in the light of the SLA findings and aptitude frameworks reviewed.


A Biology and Chemistry Primer for Undergraduate Students (ABACUS-1) is a project that has so far developed a General Chemistry Primer which introduces basic chemistry concepts and integrated relevant practical experiments to allow a refresher for Undergraduate students and enhance better performance in science related courses regardless of pre-university subjects studied. Data on applicants’ education background, enrolment and performance was obtained from the Uganda Christian University Faculty of Science and Technology and Admissions Office. Chemistry experts developed ten chapters of the Primer that was made available to students as a reference text. Feedback was obtained in a structured Knowledge, Attitude and Practice survey. Continuous performance tracking was done on tests and exams of students with whom the Primer was piloted. Data was analysed using SPSS and Microsoft Excel 2010. In the 2013/14 Bachelor of Environmental Science (BES) cohort, 3 out of 15 students had sat for Advanced Level Chemistry, 53 % of the students in this program scored below 70% in General Chemistry course unit and all scored above 65% in Environmental Chemistry I before piloting the Primer. After piloting the Primer, 80% of the students in BES program that did not sit for Advanced Level Chemistry scored above 65% in Environmental Chemistry II. In the 2013/14 Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering (BSCEE) cohort, 26 out of 74 students had sat for Advanced Level Chemistry, 81% of these scored above 71% in Environmental Chemistry I and 4 students who scored below 65% did not sit for Advanced Level Chemistry. After piloting the Primer, 74 % of the students in the BSCEE program who did not sit for Advanced Level Chemistry scored above 65%. The Primer could have increased the confidence of the students who did not sit for Advanced Level Chemistry thus boosting students’ education and training.


2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 307-319
Author(s):  
Katie Lavers ◽  
Jon Burtt

In this article Katie Lavers and Jon Burtt investigate BLAKflip and Beyond, a programme of workshops set up by the Australian circus company Circus Oz to mentor and support young Aboriginal performers by providing training and pathways into professional circus. Their analysis is contextualized through an examination of the thirty-year history of Circus Oz, most significantly its roots in the progressive and radical politics of the 1970s. The history of notable and successful Aboriginal performers in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Australian circus is also examined, questioning why, given the relative success of Aboriginal circus performers in the recent past, there are almost none working today. Whiteness as a pervasive characteristic of contemporary Australian performance is offered as a possible cause of this absence, while hopes for the future of Aboriginal circus are discussed with Davey Thompson, the new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Programme Manager at Circus Oz. Katie Lavers is an adjunct faculty member at Edith Cowan University, author of numerous journal articles, and co-editor (with Peta Tait) of The Routledge Circus Studies Reader (2016). Jon Burtt is a lecturer in Dance and Performance Studies at Macquarie University. He is the author of numerous articles on circus pedagogy, and is an advanced-level circus trainer. Lavers and Burtt are currently co-authoring (with Louis Patrick Leroux) a book on contemporary circus (forthcoming 2019).


Author(s):  
Umara Shaheen ◽  
Muhammad Shaban Rafi ◽  
Shazia Aziz ◽  
Noor Ul Ain

Globalization demands dynamism in English as a Second Language (ESL) pedagogy to address the needs of students from diverse cultural, educational and linguistic backgrounds. Students hailing from different countries with varied levels of English proficiency present a serious challenge to instructors. The challenge to meet the needs of diverse students from Afghanistan and Pakistan, for instance, within the same teaching faculty, prompted this study. It attempts to explore Afghan and Pakistani students’ expectations of the first module of English introduced at undergraduate level, i.e., English Comprehension and Composition (ECC) at a Pakistani university, by applying the Expectancy Disconfirmation Model of Satisfaction (Oliver 2015,120). Students’ expectations have been a neglected area of research despite being a significant factor in behavior and performance. This study aims to find out how far the Pakistani and Afghan students’ expectations have been met with Negative Disconfirmation (non-fulfillment), Zero Disconfirmation (fulfillment) or Positive Disconfirmation (enhanced fulfillment). The findings reveal that the Afghan students were enrolled in the Pakistani university as a result of a mutual agreement between the Pakistani and Afghan governments under the Higher Education Commission (HEC)scholarship “Award of 3000 Scholarships to Students from Afghanistan under the Prime Minister’s Directive” had concerns with the advanced level grammar and reading exercises, while Pakistani students complained about insufficient class time, consecutive lectures and lack of adequate practice provided in the classroom. The study suggests a pedagogical framework for the students focusing on Contextualized Task Based Language Teaching (CTBLT) method in combination with Input-oriented approach for the desired academic outputmentioned in the objectives of the course/module.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-19
Author(s):  
Mbonimana Gamariel ◽  
Byishimo Blaise

The goal of this research was to determine the degree to which parental influences impact job choice and performance among advanced level students in Rulindo District, Rwanda. Additionally, the research intended to identify the interaction between children and parents in terms of profession choice and the value of collaboration. The research population consisted of all 2000 pupils enrolled in Rulindo's three elementary schools. The research surveyed a total of 108 pupils, and they all answered. Providing a response rate of 100%. Purposive sampling was employed to sample three schools in Rulindo District, while simple random sampling was utilized to sample the pupils. Questionnaires were employed to gather data. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages. Tables and graphs were used to show the findings. The study's findings indicated that parental variables had an effect on students' profession choices in Rulindo. These variables included the parents' greatest level of education, their employment, their beliefs and expectations, and their parent-child connections. The research advised that parents and children discuss higher level courses before to enrolling in them, emphasizing on the learner's strengths and preferences in order to minimize potential difficulties. This enables students to make informed job choices based on their educational attainment and professional goals.


Author(s):  
H. M. Thieringer

It has repeatedly been show that with conventional electron microscopes very fine electron probes can be produced, therefore allowing various micro-techniques such as micro recording, X-ray microanalysis and convergent beam diffraction. In this paper the function and performance of an SIEMENS ELMISKOP 101 used as a scanning transmission microscope (STEM) is described. This mode of operation has some advantages over the conventional transmission microscopy (CTEM) especially for the observation of thick specimen, in spite of somewhat longer image recording times.Fig.1 shows schematically the ray path and the additional electronics of an ELMISKOP 101 working as a STEM. With a point-cathode, and using condensor I and the objective lens as a demagnifying system, an electron probe with a half-width ob about 25 Å and a typical current of 5.10-11 amp at 100 kV can be obtained in the back focal plane of the objective lens.


Author(s):  
Huang Min ◽  
P.S. Flora ◽  
C.J. Harland ◽  
J.A. Venables

A cylindrical mirror analyser (CMA) has been built with a parallel recording detection system. It is being used for angular resolved electron spectroscopy (ARES) within a SEM. The CMA has been optimised for imaging applications; the inner cylinder contains a magnetically focused and scanned, 30kV, SEM electron-optical column. The CMA has a large inner radius (50.8mm) and a large collection solid angle (Ω > 1sterad). An energy resolution (ΔE/E) of 1-2% has been achieved. The design and performance of the combination SEM/CMA instrument has been described previously and the CMA and detector system has been used for low voltage electron spectroscopy. Here we discuss the use of the CMA for ARES and present some preliminary results.The CMA has been designed for an axis-to-ring focus and uses an annular type detector. This detector consists of a channel-plate/YAG/mirror assembly which is optically coupled to either a photomultiplier for spectroscopy or a TV camera for parallel detection.


Author(s):  
Joe A. Mascorro ◽  
Gerald S. Kirby

Embedding media based upon an epoxy resin of choice and the acid anhydrides dodecenyl succinic anhydride (DDSA), nadic methyl anhydride (NMA), and catalyzed by the tertiary amine 2,4,6-Tri(dimethylaminomethyl) phenol (DMP-30) are widely used in biological electron microscopy. These media possess a viscosity character that can impair tissue infiltration, particularly if original Epon 812 is utilized as the base resin. Other resins that are considerably less viscous than Epon 812 now are available as replacements. Likewise, nonenyl succinic anhydride (NSA) and dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) are more fluid than their counterparts DDSA and DMP- 30 commonly used in earlier formulations. This work utilizes novel epoxy and anhydride combinations in order to produce embedding media with desirable flow rate and viscosity parameters that, in turn, would allow the medium to optimally infiltrate tissues. Specifically, embeding media based on EmBed 812 or LX 112 with NSA (in place of DDSA) and DMAE (replacing DMP-30), with NMA remaining constant, are formulated and offered as alternatives for routine biological work.Individual epoxy resins (Table I) or complete embedding media (Tables II-III) were tested for flow rate and viscosity. The novel media were further examined for their ability to infilftrate tissues, polymerize, sectioning and staining character, as well as strength and stability to the electron beam and column vacuum. For physical comparisons, a volume (9 ml) of either resin or media was aspirated into a capillary viscocimeter oriented vertically. The material was then allowed to flow out freely under the influence of gravity and the flow time necessary for the volume to exit was recored (Col B,C; Tables). In addition, the volume flow rate (ml flowing/second; Col D, Tables) was measured. Viscosity (n) could then be determined by using the Hagen-Poiseville relation for laminar flow, n = c.p/Q, where c = a geometric constant from an instrument calibration with water, p = mass density, and Q = volume flow rate. Mass weight and density of the materials were determined as well (Col F,G; Tables). Infiltration schedules utilized were short (1/2 hr 1:1, 3 hrs full resin), intermediate (1/2 hr 1:1, 6 hrs full resin) , or long (1/2 hr 1:1, 6 hrs full resin) in total time. Polymerization schedules ranging from 15 hrs (overnight) through 24, 36, or 48 hrs were tested. Sections demonstrating gold interference colors were collected on unsupported 200- 300 mesh grids and stained sequentially with uranyl acetate and lead citrate.


Author(s):  
D. E. Newbury ◽  
R. D. Leapman

Trace constituents, which can be very loosely defined as those present at concentration levels below 1 percent, often exert influence on structure, properties, and performance far greater than what might be estimated from their proportion alone. Defining the role of trace constituents in the microstructure, or indeed even determining their location, makes great demands on the available array of microanalytical tools. These demands become increasingly more challenging as the dimensions of the volume element to be probed become smaller. For example, a cubic volume element of silicon with an edge dimension of 1 micrometer contains approximately 5×1010 atoms. High performance secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) can be used to measure trace constituents to levels of hundreds of parts per billion from such a volume element (e. g., detection of at least 100 atoms to give 10% reproducibility with an overall detection efficiency of 1%, considering ionization, transmission, and counting).


1986 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
pp. 264-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
GH Westerman ◽  
TG Grandy ◽  
JV Lupo ◽  
RE Mitchell

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