Factors Influencing the Creativity of Chinese Upper-Secondary-School Students Participating in Programming Education

Purpose: This study explored whether instructional characteristics, learner characteristics, family socioeconomic status, and gender influence creativity in the context of programming education in China.Methods: A total of 851 upper-secondary-school students in Beijing, China, were surveyed using the Creativity Scale, Programming Learning Scale, Programming Teaching Scale and Family Socioeconomic Status Questionnaire. SPSS (version 22) was used for correlation analysis, t-test and regression analysis.Results: (1) Teachers’ programming teaching method and management; students’ programming learning approach, attitude, and engagement; gender; and family economic capital were all significantly associated with creativity. (2) There were significant differences between males and females in terms of creativity, programming learning approach and programming learning attitude. (3) Learner attitudes, engagement, and approach, and their family economic capital, were strong predictors of creativity, with the strongest influence of learners’ attitudes to programming learning and weaker influence of family economic capital.Conclusion: The main factors that influence creativity in the context of programming education are programming teaching method, programming teaching management, programming learning approach, programming learning attitude, programming learning engagement and family economic capital. Among these, learner factors (attitude, engagement, and approach) and family economic capital are the key factors influencing creativity. These findings provide a basis for improving the creativity of Chinese programming learners and inspire teachers to consider learner factors and gender differences as they design and manage their instruction. Furthermore, the influence of family economic capital on the creativity of learners cannot be ignored.

Method Study on Improving Teaching Efficiency of Compulsory Courses --Taking Laser Principle and Application as an Example

At present, students major in photo electricity information science and engineering, measurement and control technology and instrumentation of colleges and universities are not interested in the compulsory courses which require higher theoretical basis. And teaching efficiency of such courses is bad. Aiming at the issue, we put forward some important measures on how to motivate students’ interest and improve the teaching efficiency of compulsory courses of such majors with a combination of course: Laser Principle and Application. From the aspect of teachers, a teacher shall accumulate rich application examples in various fields and prepare lessons efficiently. It is a precondition for improving compulsory course teaching efficiency. It is also effective guarantee to carry out vivid classroom teaching with a combination of cutting-edge technological development. Besides, it is fundamental guarantee for a teacher to bring in diversification means in the big data era and adopt advanced teaching methods. From the aspect of students, rich learning interest and positive learning attitude are the fundamental power to improve compulsory course teaching efficiency. In addition, necessary engineering practice ability cultivation is the fundamental goal.

Project-based learning oriented STEAM: the case of micro–bit paper-cutting lamp

The main purpose of the living technology curriculum is to cultivate students' interest in learning science and technology, and further to utilize their experience of learning instructions and develop their ability to integrate interdisciplinary knowledge and skills. In recent years, as countries have begun to emphasize the concept of interdisciplinary integration in the school education, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, STEM) focuses on cultivating interdisciplinary talents. With this, STEAM highlights the role of ART because other dimensions of STEM are expected to be effectively integrated through the cultivation of aesthetics; the purpose of this study is to design a STEAM curriculum for elementary school children and to explore the impact of STEAM education on the creativity. The content of this course is based on the PBL (Project-Based Learning) with the teaching activities combining with “Chinese Paper-cutting” and “BBC micro: bit”. The teaching process is used the strategy of creative thinking instruction. The research method adopts a one-group pretest–posttest design based on a purposive sampling of 21 students from one class in an elementary school. The research tools included the records of learning feedback and the creativity assessment. The empirical findings show that the project-based learning incorporating STEAM activity has a positive significant influence on students’ development of creative recognition. Since the empirical results are constricted by the short-term STEAM course, the STEAM course with the art-oriented still benefits the STEAM education and Learning effectiveness of elementary school students. The implication of interdisciplinary interactive Lamp of Paper Carving with Micro:Bit is expected to contribute to further development of STEAM course. Since the curriculum is only last for few weeks, it is too short to affect the emotional facet of creativity. Future researches are suggested to extend the teaching period and evaluate the long-term influence of PBL STEAM on students' learning attitude.

The readiness of Iraqi EFL teachers to use mobile learning in teaching English in schools

The importance of mobile learning (M-learning) has increased during the outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Level of English foreign language (EFL) teachers to use the technology should be assessed to understand the perception and readiness of EFL teachers to use M-learning. Building on existing literature, this study proposed that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating condition will affect positively the readiness to use M-learning. The study also proposed attitude as a mediator and technology self-efficacy as a moderator. The data was collected from 163 EFL teachers in Iraq. The findings showed that facilitating condition, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence affected positively the readiness to use M-learning. Attitude fully mediated the effect of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence on readiness to use M-learning. Technology self-efficacy did not moderate the effect of the variables but it has a significant direct effect on readiness to use M-learning. Decision makers are recommended to enhance the infrastructure and to initiate training courses to enhance the information technology knowledge of the EFL teachers.

Flipping the Classroom

The new Coronavirus Pandemic has revealed the need for a methodological redefinition of teaching and learning attitude of teachers and students, through the pedagogical use of digital technologies. Therefore, this article aims to present reflections on the use of the Flipped Classroom methodology as a re-signifying possibility for the teaching of Philosophy in Higher Education, considering the context of remote emergency teaching. Assuming that there is a concern with the didactic-pedagogical and sociopolitical process of teaching and learning that constitutes teaching practice in the teaching of Philosophy in Brazilian Academies, the question is: what are the advantages and challenges of using the flipped classroom methodology in the process of teaching and learning Philosophy in Higher Education? For this, two fundamental aspects of the formal educational process are discussed: the first refers to the didactic-pedagogical and sociopolitical aspects of the teaching and learning process that constitute the teaching practice, as the content and didactics are emphasized. that is, the “what” and the “how to teach” and the second, it is about the need for re-signification/updating of traditional teaching in face of active methodologies. Based on the current context of remote teaching and/or hybrid teaching in Higher Education in Brazil, it is concluded that is necessary to reframe pedagogical practice in terms of the production of academic knowledge, without losing sight of the conditions in which it is produced.