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This study investigated students’ turn-taking patterns during dialogic collaborative problem solving, with analysis based on the participation-shift analytical framework. 168 primary fourth-grade students were assigned to 42 groups and worked on three mathematical problems for a total of 30 minutes. Group-level analysis revealed that most students accessed the conversational floor by receiving it from the last speaker. Usurping a floor offered to another person and claiming a floor opened to the whole group were positively associated with the intensity and the balance of group discussion. Individual-level analysis further identified four latent profiles of individuals with distinct turn-taking styles: turn-receivers (i.e., receiving the floor assigned by the last speaker) (15%), turn-usurpers (20%) (usurping the floor when it was offered to another person), turn-claimers (10%) (claiming the floor when it was opened to the whole group) and turn-balancers (55%) (no strong turn-taking tendency). Individual participation rates and prior Chinese grades proved to be the two most significant unique predictors of individual membership in the turn-usurper profile. The findings suggest ensuring students’ equitable access to the conversational floor and provide teachers with several specific turn-taking related approaches to promote equity and respect in peer talk. more...

Pictures are commonly used to represent problems. However, it is unclear how the addition of pictures affects students’ problem-solving performance. The multimedia effect in problem solving describes the phenomenon whereby an individual’s problem-solving performance is enhanced when equivalent pictures are added to illustrate or replace part of the problem text. Using meta-analytic techniques, this study sought to determine the overall size of the multimedia effect in problem solving and the possible boundary conditions (k = 51; N = 38,987; Range n = 10 – 31,842; Median n = 63). The results showed a significant small-to-medium multimedia effect size on response accuracy (Hedges’s g = 0.32) and a significant medium-to-large multimedia effect size on students’ response certainty (Hedges’s g = 0.74), but no significant multimedia effect on response time. The results for the effects of decorative pictures were not sufficient for a reliable interpretation. Representational (Hedges’s g = 0.24) and organizational (Hedges’s g = 0.52) pictures had a significant and positive impact on response accuracy, but informational or multiple pictures across studies did not have a significant aggregate effect on an individual’s response accuracy. These findings suggest that the multimedia effect in problem solving is diverse and limited by multiple boundary conditions. Further primary studies are needed to further investigate the multimedia effect in problem solving. more...

Support from teachers is essential to students’ career preparation and planning, but few instruments assess their career-related support. We describe the development and validation of the Career-related Teacher Support Scale (CRTSS) among Chinese technical college students (N = 1674). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicate: (a) three types of perceived career-related teacher support; (b) best fit for a bi-factor model with a general factor and three sub-factors, with (c) the general factor explaining more common variance than sub-factors; (d) measurement invariance across genders; (e) good reliability and validity. Implications for researchers, policy makers, teachers, and students are discussed. more...

Mealworms are commercially reared on diets comprising of mixed grains. Substituting grains with agro-food industry by-products creates opportunities to valorize by-products and lowers the cost of insect rearing practices. In this study, three by-products (mushroom spent corn stover, highly denatured soybean meal, and spirit distillers’ grains) as treatments and wheat bran as control were used to rear mealworms. For growth performance, mealworms dry weights reared on three by-products were 53–67% of control. Feed conversion and utilization ratios ranged from 36 to 45% and 50 to 57% of control, respectively. For nutritional profile, protein and fat fractions ranged from 70 to 76% and 6 to 12% of mealworm dry weight, respectively. Leucine, lysine, methionine + cysteine, threonine, and valine were the limiting amino acids comparing with FAO/WHO requirements. The major fatty acids were linoleic acid (C18:2, 30–38%), oleic acid (C18:1, 24–34%), and palmitic acid (C16:0, 14–17%). The comparable nutritional profile demonstrated the potential to rear mealworms using these three cheap by-products. The results provide a reference for insect farmers to formulate the diets for obtaining specific insect products with desired nutrient composition. more...

This study examined Chinese technical education students’ (N = 18) perceptions of career-related support received from teachers using thematic analysis. Six themes emerged from the interviews: enhancement of self-improvement and self-exploration, informational support, career-related role models, instrumental support, emotional support and support for autonomy. In relation to career development students mentioned teachers of three types as giving the most support: professional (trade) teachers, class teachers, and career guidance staff. These findings contribute to the literature by identifying the types of career-related teacher support most valued in technical education in Mainland China. Recommendations for research and practice are included. more...

In 1984, China joined the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), which was established by the United Nations’ World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which consists of 188 member states and one member organization. Since then, China has taken an active role in various initiatives organized by the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) and has shared resources and experience with its Codex member states, thus effectively promoting the development of the Chinese food additive standards system. Instead of a country where almost no systematic food additive standard were available, China has become the host country of the CCFA’s sessions. China’s food additive industry is the only one that is supported by international standards, out of the industries of the International Standard Industrial Classification and China’s national economy. Based on this case, four strategic milestones are summarized by retrospectively analyzing the history of the development of Chinese food additive standards from 1978 to the present. China is expected to share its valuable experience and provide references for the improvement of food additive standards systems in multiple developing countries, so promoting food safety and trade harmonization. With the advances in core technologies in the food industry, the future development of food additive standardization is also forecast in this review. more...

The positive human attributes of passion and perseverance for long-term goals (referred to as ‘grit’) can be linked to wide range of positive educational, psychological, and employment outcomes. The original grit theory posits that there are two dimensions which characterize determination for long-term aspirations ―perseverance of effort and consistency of interests―but some studies using quantitative design have suggested that consistency of interests may not be associated with adaptive outcomes in collectivist and interdependent societies. The aim of the qualitative study described here was to explore the meaning and significance of ‘grit’ in a collectivist society (Philippines). Participants were 10 Filipino undergraduate students who were interviewed individually and asked to describe specific life experiences wherein they have successfully achieved long-term goals despite challenges in life. Findings suggest that there are three key themes which characterize determination for long-term goals in this collectivist setting, namely perseverance of effort, consistency of interests, and adaptability to situations. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed. more...

Career-related parental support plays an essential role in the process of promoting young people’s career development. Currently, research on career-related support from parents in China is still fairly limited; but at a time when the employment situation in China is changing rapidly, it is considered especially important to study this topic with reference to students attending Chinese vocational schools. This paper briefly summarizes some of the Western and Chinese research on career-related parental support, with a focus on identifying any differences between the two, as influenced by gender, socioeconomic status, or other factors. The literature was also examined for any longitudinal effects of career-related parental support on aspects of career development. Suggestions are provided for strategies to help promote this type of parental support in low socio-economic families where inappropriate expectations may prevail. Brief suggestions for future research and intervention are also provided. more...

Pictures are commonly used to represent problems. However, it is unclear how the addition of pictures affects students’ problem-solving performance. The multimedia effect in problem solving describes the phenomenon whereby an individual’s problem-solving performance is enhanced when equivalent pictures are added to illustrate or replace part of the problem text. Using meta-analytic techniques, this study sought to determine the overall size of the multimedia effect in problem solving and the possible boundary conditions (k = 51; N = 38,987; Range n = 10 – 31,842; Median n = 63). The results showed a significant small-to-medium multimedia effect size on response accuracy (Hedges’s g = 0.32) and a significant medium-to-large multimedia effect size on students’ response certainty (Hedges’s g = 0.74), but no significant multimedia effect on response time. The results for the effects of decorative pictures were not sufficient for a reliable interpretation. Representational (Hedges’s g = 0.24) and organizational (Hedges’s g = 0.52) pictures had a significant and positive impact on response accuracy, but informational or multiple pictures across studies did not have a significant aggregate effect on an individual’s response accuracy. These findings suggest that the multimedia effect in problem solving is diverse and limited by multiple boundary conditions. Further primary studies are needed to further investigate the multimedia effect in problem solving. more...