NIE Data Repository (National Institute of Education)
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Related Data for: Developing a learning progression for climate change in geography education
No full textClimate change is taught explicitly as a topic in the Singapore school geography curriculum. In responding to the city state’s desired outcomes of education and meeting its standards of twenty-first century competencies, it is important for learners to develop criticality and dispositions to engage climate change issues. Based on previous studies conducted by the PI over the last four years, it has been found that geography students have misconceptions about this topic that are similar to those found in other students around the world. In reviewing the literature on methodologies that examine how best geography can be learned, the Learning Progression (LP) approach offers an empirics-based roadmap for building students’ holistic knowledge base and in confronting the fragmented and often incomplete understanding of the climate change issue. The study endeavours to answer the key question of how school geography curriculum can be designed for learning about climate change and how it can be enacted in the classroom based on the outcomes of this research study. The methodology is adapted from the common practice of establishing a hypothetical learning progression (HLP), testing and validating the HLP to develop the empirical learning progression (ELP) before determining intervention strategies to test if students can learn climate change better through this approach. The findings will contribute towards the curriculum design and development of the climate change topic, offer a case study in geography teaching and learning informed by the OER’s instructional core model, provide opportunities for evidenced-informed delivery of NIE’s pre-service and in-service programmes on geography education, and foster deeper professional collaborations between NIE, MOE-HQ and schools. More importantly, the research study will inform the teaching and learning of climate change within the wider context of geographical and environmental education in the international community
Related Data for: Fiber Bragg grating sensors for clinical measurement of the first metatarsophalangeal joint quasi-stiffness
No full textAssessing the mobility of the first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) of a human foot is useful in clinical practice but there are no standard methods of measurement. The present study developed a new instrumentation using Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor and load cell to quantify the first MTPJ quasi-stiffness in a clinical setting. This system is portable, lightweight, and allows quantification of quasi-stiffness over different ranges of motion in both loading and unloading directions. The laboratory setting validation results showed that FBG sensors could measure MTPJ angular displacement with reasonably good accuracy. The proposed system was successfully trialed in a hospital setting operated by a clinician on eight human subjects. Non-linear torque-angular displacement relationship was observed in both loading and unloading phases, with varying MTPJ quasi-stiffness in the early [loading 6.30 (2.62) Nmm/o unloading 8.46 (2.29) Nmm/ o], middle [loading 7.13 (2.17) Nmm/ o, unloading 11.11 (2.94) Nmm/ o], and late [loading 24.54 (7.14) Nmm/ o, unloading 14.50 (4.77) Nmm/ o] ranges of motion. The new method for measuring the first MTPJ quasi-stiffness established in the present study serves as a reference and opens up opportunities for future clinical investigations
Related Data for: Validation of in-shoe force sensors during loaded walking in military personnel
No full textThe loadsol® wireless in-shoe force sensors can be useful for in-field measurements. However, its accuracy is unknown in the military context, whereby soldiers have to carry heavy loads and walk in military boots. The purpose of this study was to establish the validity of the loadsol® sensors in military personnel during loaded walking on flat, inclined and declined surfaces. Full-time Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel (n = 8) walked on an instrumented treadmill on flat, 10° inclined, and 10° declined gradients while carrying heavy loads (25 kg and 35 kg). Normal ground reaction forces (GRF), perpendicular to the contact surface, were simultaneously measured using both the loadsol® sensors inserted in the military boots and the Bertec instrumented treadmill as the gold standard. A total of eight variables of interest were compared between loadsol® and treadmill, including four kinetic (impact peak force, active peak force, impulse, loading rate) and four spatiotemporal (stance time, stride time, cadence, step length) variables. Validity was assessed using Bland–Altman plots and 95% Limits of Agreement (LoA). Bias was calculated as the mean difference between the values obtained from loadsol® and the instrumented treadmill. Results showed similar force-time profiles between loadsol® sensors and the instrumented treadmill. The bias of most variables was generally low, with a narrow range of LoA. The high accuracy and good agreement with standard laboratory equipment suggest that the loadsol® system is a valid tool for measuring normal GRF during walking in military boots under heavy load carriage
Related data for: Implicit theories of intelligence and achievement goals: A look at students’ intrinsic motivation and achievement in mathematics
No full textThe present research seeks to utilize Implicit Theories of Intelligence (mindsets) and Achievement Goal Theory to understand students’ intrinsic motivation and academic performance in mathematics in Singapore. 1,201 lower-progress stream students (596 males, 580 females, 25 missing data), ages ranged from 13 to 17 years (M = 14.68 years old, SD = 0.57), from 17 secondary schools in Singapore took part in the study. Using structural equation modeling, results confirmed hypotheses that incremental mindset predicted mastery-approach goals and, in turn, predicted intrinsic motivation and mathematics performance. Entity mindset predicted performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals. Performance-approach goal was positively linked to intrinsic motivation and mathematics performance; performance-avoidance goal, however, negatively predicted intrinsic motivation and mathematics performance. The model accounted for 35.9% of variance in intrinsic motivation and 13.8% in mathematics performance. These findings suggest that intrinsic motivation toward mathematics and achievement scores might be enhanced through interventions that focus on incremental mindset and mastery-approach goal. In addition, performance-approach goal may enhance intrinsic motivation and achievement as well, but to a lesser extent. Finally, the study adds to the literature done in the Asian context and lends support to the contention that culture may affect students’ mindsets and adoption of achievement goals, and their associated impact on motivation and achievement outcomes
Related Data for: Making visible a teacher’s pedagogical reasoning and actions through the use of pedagogical documentation
No full textMathematics education research has focused on developing teachers’ knowledge or other visible aspects of the teaching practice. This paper contributes to conversations around making a teacher’s thinking visible and enhancing a teacher’s pedagogical reasoning by exploring the use of pedagogical documentation. In this paper, we describe how a teacher’s pedagogical reasoning was made visible and highlight aspects of his thinking in relation to his instructional decisions during a series of lessons on division. Implications for professional learning are discussed
Related Data for: Application of instrumented paddles in measuring on-water kinetics of front and back paddlers in K2 sprint kayaking crews of various ability levels
No full textThis study used instrumented paddles to obtain on-water kinetic variables of two-seater (K2) crews during sprint kayaking. A total of 74 male kayakers of various ability levels (national team: 9, recreational club: 38, school team: 27) comprising 39 K2 crews were recruited. Both the front and back paddlers were provided with an instrumented paddle to perform 200-m maximal effort paddling in a reservoir. Force, power, and temporal variables were extracted from the paddle data. Difference among groups were compared using a factorial Analysis of Variance. Results showed that the force, power, and temporal characteristics of the front and back paddlers were similar during maximal effort sprint kayaking. Proficient kayakers produced greater kinetic outputs than less proficient kayakers, while the coordination strategy based on timing differences at key events between the two crew members in a K2 boat was similar across ability levels. These data can be useful for coaches, sport scientists, and athletes in planning and monitoring the training
Related Data for: Nonlinear pedagogy and its role in encouraging twenty-first century competencies through physical education: A Singapore experience
No full textNonlinear Pedagogy is an exploratory approach to teaching and learning Physical Education that can be potentially effective to help children acquire relevant twenty-first century competencies. Underpinned by Ecological Dynamics, the focus of Nonlinear Pedagogy is on the learner and includes the provision of less prescriptive instructions and guided discovery which serve to develop greater autonomy, competency, and relatedness in the learning process. This paper describes a study that examines the factors that contributed to motivation, enjoyment, and the development of twenty-first
century competencies in Primary School Children. One hundred and thirty-three children were taught over seven weeks to play a modified-tennis game either with a Nonlinear Pedagogy or a Linear Pedagogy (i.e., more teacher-centred) approach in a Singapore school. While findings from the intrinsic motivation inventory (IMI) questionnaire showed that there was no difference for the subscales measured, student and teacher interviews indicated that the Nonlinear Pedagogy approach created a learning environment that facilitated perceived competence, autonomy, and relatedness, thus potentially enhancing intrinsic motivation and enjoyment during practice. Nonlinear Pedagogy encourages teachers to create representative learning
designs through the inclusion of a variety of modified games, the freedom to choose, an emphasis on exploration and problem-solving, and can be relevant to develop twenty-first century competencies
Related Data for: Bilingual children’s perceived family language policy and its contribution to leisure reading
No full textThis study investigated and compared family language policies (FLPs) from the perspectives of two groups of Singaporean bilingual children: 2,971 English-Chinese and 780 English-Malay children (aged 9–11 years). It also examined how different FLP components – namely, language beliefs, practices, and management – influenced their leisure reading enjoyment and reading amount. We found that although both groups of children attached equal importance to their two languages, their language practices tilted towards their stronger language, English. Both groups of children also reported different patterns of language management efforts at home. Regression analyses revealed differential effects of language beliefs, practices, and management on reading enjoyment and amount in the children’s two languages. For both groups and all languages, language beliefs explained the least amount of variance in reading enjoyment and amount compared to language practices and management. For English, language management accounted for more variance than language practices, whereas for the children’s weaker language (i.e., their ethnic language), both language management and language practices were significant predictors. Results emphasize the critical role of FLP in maintaining children’s ethnic languages. Therefore, it is imperative for parents, educators, and policymakers to identify and implement strategies to bolster language management and practices within the home and school environments
Related Data for: The influence of daily living skill profiles in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder on early intervention teachers' perceptions of their educational placement
No full textResearch on early intervention (EI) teachers’ perceptions toward the educational placement of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been limited. This study examined the influence of daily living skills (DLS) profiles on EI teachers’ perception of educational placement in preschool students with ASD using vignettes featuring students with varying DLS profiles but with average academic abilities and motor skills. It also examined the influence of a child’s age on teachers’ perceptions and the teacher-related factors influencing these perceptions. Sample consisted of 118 participants (mean age = 31.9 years, SD = 8.48) randomly assigned to one of three conditions, where they were told that the students in the vignettes needed (1) full assistance, or (2) partial assistance, or (3) no assistance in DLS. They then rated whether the students would be suitable for entry into a mainstream primary school. Results indicated that teachers perceived children needing full or partial assistance in DLS to be less suitable for mainstream education. The child’s age also influenced the teachers’ perceptions. No association between teacher-related factors and teachers’ perception was found. Importance of DLS in EI was implied
Related Data for: Applying concepts of plant nutrition in the real-world: Designing vertical farming systems
No full textThis integrated STEM activity on the design of a vertical farming system has biology as the lead discipline and relates to the concept of photosynthesis. Students investigated the optimal design of vertical farms that will deliver appropriate amounts of water, sunlight and carbon dioxide to plants such that there will be optimal yield. Through design, testing and refinement of their design, students appreciate the connections between photosynthesis, food supply and design