Kindergarten Teachers’ Information Technology Teaching Beliefs: The Critical Path Toward Teaching Effectiveness

AbstractWith the advanced information technology application, in education area, computer-assisted instruction has been transferred to the diverse usage of information technology. The research of kindergarten teachers’ teaching belief in the usage of Information Technology and its impact on teaching effectiveness is the aim of the study. With random sampling to distribute and collect questionnaires, 512 kindergarten teachers in Northern Taiwan are selected as the research subjects. With SPSS, Factor Analysis, Regression Analysis, and Hierarchical Regression Analysis are utilized for data analyses. The research outcomes are concluded as follows. 1. Teaching Belief presents partially significantly positive correlations with Teaching Effectiveness. 2. Information Technology appears partially remarkably positive correlations with Teaching Belief. 3. Information Technology reveals partially notably positive correlations with Teaching Effectiveness. 4. Information Technology shows partially significantly moderating effects between Teaching Belief and Teaching Effectiveness. Based on the research outcomes, it is expected to provide some suggestions and reference for kindergartens with Information Technology integrating early childhood education

Influence of Taiwanese Consumer Beliefs in Web Site Attributes and E-Shopping Attitudes on E-Shopping Intentions

This study aimed at investigating Taiwanese consumers\u27 beliefs in Web site attributes and their e-shopping attitudes that influence their intentions to shop for books in e-bookstores. This study utilized the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) as the framework to explain the interrelationships among belief in Web site attributes, e-shopping attitude, and e-shopping intention. This study, using the method of two-stage quota sampling, used a sample of male and female students at different levels of several departments of Far East College. The survey questionnaires were non-randomly distributed to the voluntary participants. The survey was administered to a sample of undergraduate and graduate students who were students at Far East College of Taiwan and had purchased books in e-bookstores. The procedure of this non-experimental study guaranteed participants\u27 anonymity. Three hundred and fifty-one questionnaires were usable for data analysis. The three most important variables in this study were belief in Web site attributes, e-shopping attitude, and e-shopping intention. Independent variables were belief in Web site attributes and e-shopping attitude, and the dependent variable was shopping intention. Web site attributes consisted of four dimensions: Web site content, trustworthiness, interactivity, and marketing mix. In the questionnaire, six important constructs (belief in Web site content, belief in trustworthiness, belief in interactivity, belief in marketing mix, e-shopping attitude, e-shopping intention) were measured on a five-point semantic differential scale. The scale items for these six constructs were developed by modifying instruments in prior studies that had been conducted by different scale developers. The content of the questionnaire was composed of two parts: the first part contained three items inquiring about participants\u27 gender, age, and length of e-shopping experience; the second part contained 26 items to inquire about participants\u27 beliefs in Web site attributes, e-shopping attitudes, and e-shopping intentions. The collected data were processed on SPSS to conduct reliability analysis, factor analysis, descriptive analysis, simple regression, t-test analysis, analysis of variance, and multiple-regression. Findings indicated that e-shopping attitude was a predictor of e-shopping intention and had a positive and significant effect on e-shopping intention. Also, belief in Web site content, belief in trustworthiness, and belief in interactivity were antecedents of e-shopping attitude, but belief in marketing mix did not have an influential effect on e-shopping attitude. Furthermore, belief in marketing mix played an important role in affecting e-shopping intention. Practical implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research are further discussed

Training grant

Issued as Program report, Project no. G-41-53

Effects of metallic contacts on electron transport through graphene

We report on a first-principles study of the conductance through graphene suspended between Al contacts as a function of junction length, width, and orientation. The charge transfer at the leads and into the freestanding section gives rise to an electron-hole asymmetry in the conductance and in sufficiently long junctions induces two conductance minima at the energies of the Dirac points for suspended and clamped regions, respectively. We obtain the potential profile along a junction caused by doping and provide parameters for effective model calculations of the junction conductance with weakly interacting metallic leads.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters. (Fig. 1 became damaged during previous submission process. Fixed now.

Investigating Relationships Among Measures of English and Chinese Handwriting Fluency in Early-Elementary Chinese Dual Language Immersion Students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between English and Chinese handwriting fluency measures in early-elementary Chinese Dual Language Immersion students. This was done by conducting five handwriting fluency tasks among Chinese Dual Language Immersion students and comparing the findings. First, the findings showed that there was a moderate correlation between the participants\u27 English and Chinese handwriting fluencies and that English fluencies predicted Chinese fluencies. However, the students could write English numbers and letters much faster than Chinese characters. Second, as expected, Chinese DLI participants showed that handwriting fluency improved as grade level increased. Third, third-grade students were not much faster than second-grade students on both English number and English Chinese number tasks. The study informs Chinese DLI programs as it shows that supplemental handwriting instruction is likely necessary to narrow the differences between English and Chinese handwriting fluencies. Instructional amount and quality could be improved to increase Chinese fluency, and English and Chinese partner teachers should collaborate more closely and complement each other\u27s handwriting instructional efforts. In summary, this study identifies significant differences in English and Chinese handwriting fluencies, and further studies may be necessary to consider ways to address these differences

Tissue engineering of a human periodontal ligament fibroblast membrane - Alveolar osteoblast scaffold double construct

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

A Theory of Common Dealing with the Internet as an Innovative Distribution Channel

After the emergence of the Internet, an interesting question arises that what is its impact on the firms’ channel and pricing strategies. This paper applies game theory to study the strategic interactions between rational manufacturers, retailers, and consumers, and it generates the following results: 1. The presence of the Internet allows imperfectly competitive manufacturers to better coordinate their pricing, targeting, and channel strategies, thereby minimizing the agency costs involved in common dealing at the traditional outlets, which in turn enhances the manufacturers’ profits. 2. Exclusive dealing may and may not become more prevalent in the presence of the Internet. It all depends on the ratio of the population of switchers to the entire population of consumers. 3. The presence of the Internet allows a monopolistic manufacturer to screen consumers by serving different people at different outlets. Screening is less effective, however, in the case of imperfect competition. 4. A dynamic adjustment process is obtained which describes how a manufacturer should optimally change his channel and pricing strategies when the population of the Internet purchasers grows over time