Networks in Nigeria: A pilot study on network characteristics and their relation with life satisfaction in a Nigerian sample

Social relationships are a central determinant of life satisfaction. The collectivity of individual social relationships form a social network. This study examines such networks in a Nigerian sample (N = 108). Network size, proportions of positive and negative relationships within those networks, and structural characteristics (e.g., network centrality) were assessed. Furthermore, network characteristics were examined concerning their association with life satisfaction. Results indicate differential relations of network characteristics with life satisfaction. Results are discussed in terms of (1) cross-cultural assessment of network characteristics, (2) life satisfaction as related to social structural characteristics, and (3) differential associations between network types and different aspects of life satisfaction

Quo vadis CPS? Brief answers to big questions

Research on complex problem solving (CPS) has reached a stage where certain standards have been achieved, whereas the future development is quite ambiguous. In this situation, the editors of the Journal of Dynamic Decision Making asked a number of representative authors to share their point of view with respect to seven questions about the relevance of (complex) problem solving as a research area, about the contribution of laboratory-based CPS research to solving real life problems, about the roles of knowledge, strategies, and intuition in CPS, and about the existence of expertise in CPS

Naturwissenschaften in der Erwachsenenbildung: was, wie und wozu vermitteln?

Vor dem Hintergrund einer seit mehr als zehn Jahren andauernden Debatte um Möglichkeiten für eine Verbesserung der naturwissenschaftlichen Bildung in Deutschland zielen die im Folgenden präsentierten Überlegungen darauf ab, den Beitrag der organisierten Erwachsenenbildung für eine Veränderung des Status Quo zu umreißen. Ausgegangen wird von der quantitativen Randständigkeit des Angebots, bevor der Blick auf didaktische Arrangements und Konzepte gerichtet wird. Diese werden auf der Grundlage einer empirischen Studie -mit Blick auf Ziele, Inhalte, Arbeitsformen und Adressaten naturwissenschaftlicher Angebote in der Erwachsenenbildung- analysiert und mit Vermittlungsangeboten in so genannten informellen Lernumgebungen, u.a. Medien, Science Centern, Museen, kontrastiert. Abschließend folgen Überlegungen zu den Konsequenzen, die sich aus der bestehenden Praxis für die verbreitete Forderung nach einer naturwissenschaftlichen Literalität ergeben, insbesondere im Blick auf Forschungsbedarfe in der Erwachsenenbildung

Learning to solve ill-defined statistics problems: does self-explanation quality mediate the worked example effect?

Extensive research has established that successful learning from an example is conditional on an important learning activity: self-explanation. Moreover, a model for learning from examples suggests that self-explanation quality mediates effects of examples on learning outcomes (Atkinson et al. in Rev Educ Res 70:181–214, 2000). We investigated self-explanation quality as mediator in a worked examples—problem-solving paradigm. We developed a coding scheme to assess self-explanation quality in the context of ill-defined statistics problems and analyzed self-explanation data of a study by Schwaighofer et al. (J Educ Psychol 108: 982–1000, 2016). Schwaighofer et al. (J Educ Psychol 108: 982–1000, 2016) investigated whether the worked example effect depends on prior knowledge, working memory capacity, shifting ability, and fluid intelligence. In our study, we included these variables to jointly explore mediating and moderating factors when individuals learn with worked examples versus through problem-solving. Seventy-four university students (mean age = 23.83, SD = 5.78) completed an open item pretest, self-explained while either studying worked examples or solving problems, and then completed a post-test. We used conditional process analysis to test whether the effect of worked examples on learning gains is mediated by self-explanation quality and whether any effect in the mediation model depends on the suggested moderators. We reproduced the interaction effects reported by Schwaighofer et al. (J Educ Psychol 108: 982–1000, 2016) but did not detect a mediation effect. This might indicate that worked examples are directly effective because they convey a solution strategy, which might be particularly important when learning to solve problems that have no algorithmic solution procedure