Academic achievement in the context of the school necessarily involves a whole range of factors. The education system and schools in particular, have assumed the primacy of cognitive attributions in the learner over that of any other factors in the shaping and honing of individual academic achievement. However, the literature revealed that the learning process within the school environment feeds on a plethora of explanations for academic success or otherwise. Much work by researchers has focused on factors other than the cognitive, in an attempt to explain good or weak academic achievement. Certainly the separation of the cognitive from the affective in terms of achievement is impractical, as revealed by the literature. However the literature also contradicts received wisdom which suggests the omniscience of the cognitive as an explanatory tool for academic performance. This investigation focused on factors other than the cognitive in order to seek reasons for academic success. Three important affective factors were selected from the literature in order to ascertain whether these factors played a role in academic achievement or indeed if there was a relationship between these factors and scholastic success or otherwise. An empirical investigation was conducted which consisted primarily of a questionnaire for form four students in English classes. The questionnaire consisted of four sections with a total of 81 items. It was completed by 271 students attending five schools in Mutare Zimbabwe. Statistical analyses revealed that the affective factors attitudes towards English, self-concepts of academic ability and student perceptions of their teachers of English correlated significantly. The analyses also revealed that the selected factors took up 33% of the variance and that within that 33% the area in which students lived was the most important factor contributing to academic achievement whilst I.Q. and student self-concept of academic ability followed closely. The results of the literature study and the empirical investigation demonstrated that there are factors other than the cognitive which are important in terms of academic success in school As a result recommendations were made regarding school based programmes where the aim is to enhance affective factors and therefore achievement. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Psychology of Education)

This study was prompted by serious problems regarding specific teaching and learning problems in calculus at the technikon. The general aims were to identify and analyze particular teaching and learning problems relating to 2nd level engineering courses in calculus and to recommend improvements which could increase student performance in engineering calculus courses. An extensive study revealed world wide concern in calculus reform. The empirical research instruments consisted of structured questionnaires given to staff and students from nine technikons plus interviews. Five serious problem areas were identified: student ability in mathematics, content difficulty, background difficulties, timetable pressures and lecturer's presentation. The impact of training technology on calculus was investigated. Recommendations were that routine exercises can be done on computer with extra tutorial time for computer laboratory projects. Background recommendations suggested that schools give more time to trigonometry and coordinate geometry and that bridging courses at technikons for weaker students be developed. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Didactics)

本研究主要在瞭解數位典藏運用於國中生物教學的現況，以國中生物教師與國一學生為研究對象，探討生物教師使用數位典藏網站尋找教學資源的相關經驗，以及應用於生物教學的教學成果，並從這些經驗中分析出目前數位典藏運用於生物教學的現況，提出相關建議以提供生物教師教學上之參考。研究目的包括：瞭解國中自然與生活科技領域生物教師尋找教學資源的方式，使用數位典藏網站蒐集教學資源的經驗以及應用於生物教學的效果與看法，瞭解數位典藏網站應用於國中生物教學時學生的學習效果，綜合生物教學現況，提出改善方法與建議。 本研究採用訪談法與問卷調查法，以數位典藏生物相關網站為主要研究範圍，研究對象以國中生物教師與國一學生為主，針對數位典藏運用於教學的成果，訪談5位國中生物教師，瞭解教師運用網站教學的過程與教學效果，以及選取國一5個班每班30位學生為問卷施測對象。將5位教師的訪談資料綜合分析與歸納，以及學生問卷統計與分析，提出研究結果。 研究結果，本研究分別從「教師訪談」與「學生問卷」兩個面向提出研究結論。於教師訪談面向得出結論為：（一）收集生物教學資源的管道與使用網路蒐集教學資源的動機方面：收集生物教學資源的管道以網路資源、多媒體教學光碟以及報章雜誌為主，使用網路蒐集教學資源的動機在於網路資源豐富與多元、不受時間與空間的限制、使用網路尋找教學資源方便與快速、數位化資料方便教師整理教學資源與製作補充教材。（二）使用數位典藏網站蒐集生物教學資源的優點與困難方面：優點包括網站資料豐富且適合生物教學使用、資料逐年更新與增加以及具權威性且值得參考。其困難點包括適合教學使用的資料不夠豐富、資料不易查找、特殊檔案類型無法下載或下載後無法開啟。（三）數位典藏網站資源運用於生物教學的成果方面：提供學生互動、多媒體的學習方式，使教學活潑有趣；圖片素材豐富，能使學生的注意力集中，配合學習單與作業練習，引導學生做課後延伸學習。（四）數位典藏網站運用於生物教學的現況與困境方面：生物課程時間有限，使用數位典藏網站教學的機率不高；學校上網速度、電腦設備以及教師本身資訊的應用能力，是教師決定是否使用數位典藏網站的原因之一；相關的教學補充資源豐富，容易取得與播放，使用數位典藏網站機率降低。 於學生問卷面向則分別從「數位典藏網站應用於生物教學的看法與學習成果」及「數位典藏網站應用於生物教學的優缺點」兩方面做成結論。（一）數位典藏網站應用於生物教學的看法與學習成果方面：學生對於網站教學方式感到新奇有趣，網站上的圖片與影片能幫助課程內容的理解，網站上的資訊比課本豐富，與老師互動的機會變多，以及課後延伸學習資料豐富。（二）數位典藏網站應用於生物教學的優缺點方面：在優點方面，學生認為上課活潑有趣、圖片生動容易懂以及比課本資料更豐富多元；在缺點方面，包括內容太多、複雜難懂、用網路學習覺得麻煩以及無電腦與網路就無法上課。 根據研究結果，本研究提出之建議包括：（一）建置國中教學專區於數位典藏網站；（二）建議針對數位典藏內容再予加值運用；（三）開放下載使用數位典藏網站資源；（四）建構完善的學校網路環境；（五）增加網路授課時間；（六）提升教師資訊應用能力。 / The study is mainly to understand the situation of digital archives applied to biology teaching at junior high schools; targeting biology teachers at junior high schools and the first year junior high school students to explore related experiences of biology teachers using digital archives website to seek for teaching resources and the teaching outcomes applied to biology teaching, to analyze the situation of digital archives applied to biology teaching from these experiences for the time being, and to propose suggestions to biology teachers in terms of a reference to teaching. The research purposes include : understand the way the biology teachers at junior high schools search for teaching resources in nature and life science fields, their experiences in collecting teaching resources over digital archives website and the effects and viewpoints of applying digital archives to biology teaching, so as to understand the learning effect of digital archives websites on students while applying to biology teaching at junior high schools. The study introduces interview and questionnaire survey and follows a scope of digital archives related websites; targeting biology teachers at junior high schools and the first year junior high school students, with 5 biology teachers at junior high schools interviewed upon the outcomes of digital archives applied to teaching in order to understand the process of website teaching used by teachers and the teaching effect, and with 30 students of the 5 classes of first year student selected as questionnaire respondents, in which the research outcome will be proposed after comprehensive analysis and summary of interview data with 5 teachers, as well as a statistic analysis of student questionnaires. The study is concluded in terms of two perspectives – “teacher interview” and “student questionnaire”, respectively, in which the conclusions made from the perspective of teacher interview are : (1) channels to collect resources for biology teaching and the motives to use the internet to collect teaching resources : channels to collect resources for biology teaching are web, multimedia tutorial CD and newspapers/magazines-based, the motives for using internet to collect teaching resources - abundant and diverse resources online, no time and space limit, convenient and rapid search of teaching resources online, e-data helps teachers consolidate and make supplementary course materials. (2) Advantages and difficulties in using digital archives websites to collect resources for biology teaching : the advantages include rich website data that fit for biology teaching, update and addition of information from year to year make the data authoritative and is worth referencing. The difficulties include insufficient data for teaching, inaccessibility to data, unavailability of special file type download and opening after download. (3) Outcomes of website resources of digital archives applied to biology teaching : provide students an interactive and multimedia learning manner and enable a vivid and interesting teaching; rich picture materials to get students’ attention along with learning sheet and assignment practice to guide students to conduct learning after school. (4) Situation and dilemma of digital archive website applied to biology teaching : a limited biology curriculum has enabled low probability of teaching over digital archive website; the internet speed, PC equipment at schools and teachers’ capability in applying the information, are one of the reasons for teachers to decide whether to use the digital archives website; rich supplementary resources for related teaching, accessibility and playing have reduced a chance of using the digital archives website. The conclusions of student questionnaire were made from the “viewpoints and learning effect of digital archives websites applied to biology teaching” and “advantages/disadvantages of digital archives websites applied to biology teaching” respectively. (1) “viewpoints and learning effect of digital archives websites applied to biology teaching”: a manner of teaching online is new and interesting to students, the images and videos on the web help understand the course contents, the information online is more abundant than that of books, there will be more chance to interact with teachers and rich data for extended learning after school. (2)“advantages/disadvantages of digital archives websites applied to biology teaching”: the class is interesting and cheery to students in terms of advantage aspect, the vivid pictures are easy to understand and are more diverse and abundant than the textbooks; while too much contents, complicated and hard to comprehend, it is bothering to learn over internet and you can’t have class without a PC and internet connection are the disadvantages. The suggestions proposed by the study upon the research outcome include :(1) establish special zone for junior high school teaching on the digital archives websites; (2)add value to the contents of digital archives and make use of it accordingly; (3) availability of download of digital archives website resources ;(4)construct a complete e-environment at schools; (5)extend hours of e-class; (6) foster teachers’ capability in applying the information.

Academic achievement in the context of the school necessarily involves a whole range of factors. The education system and schools in particular, have assumed the primacy of cognitive attributions in the learner over that of any other factors in the shaping and honing of individual academic achievement. However, the literature revealed that the learning process within the school environment feeds on a plethora of explanations for academic success or otherwise. Much work by researchers has focused on factors other than the cognitive, in an attempt to explain good or weak academic achievement. Certainly the separation of the cognitive from the affective in terms of achievement is impractical, as revealed by the literature. However the literature also contradicts received wisdom which suggests the omniscience of the cognitive as an explanatory tool for academic performance. This investigation focused on factors other than the cognitive in order to seek reasons for academic success. Three important affective factors were selected from the literature in order to ascertain whether these factors played a role in academic achievement or indeed if there was a relationship between these factors and scholastic success or otherwise. An empirical investigation was conducted which consisted primarily of a questionnaire for form four students in English classes. The questionnaire consisted of four sections with a total of 81 items. It was completed by 271 students attending five schools in Mutare Zimbabwe. Statistical analyses revealed that the affective factors attitudes towards English, self-concepts of academic ability and student perceptions of their teachers of English correlated significantly. The analyses also revealed that the selected factors took up 33% of the variance and that within that 33% the area in which students lived was the most important factor contributing to academic achievement whilst I.Q. and student self-concept of academic ability followed closely. The results of the literature study and the empirical investigation demonstrated that there are factors other than the cognitive which are important in terms of academic success in school As a result recommendations were made regarding school based programmes where the aim is to enhance affective factors and therefore achievement. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Psychology of Education)

This study was prompted by serious problems regarding specific teaching and learning problems in calculus at the technikon. The general aims were to identify and analyze particular teaching and learning problems relating to 2nd level engineering courses in calculus and to recommend improvements which could increase student performance in engineering calculus courses. An extensive study revealed world wide concern in calculus reform. The empirical research instruments consisted of structured questionnaires given to staff and students from nine technikons plus interviews. Five serious problem areas were identified: student ability in mathematics, content difficulty, background difficulties, timetable pressures and lecturer's presentation. The impact of training technology on calculus was investigated. Recommendations were that routine exercises can be done on computer with extra tutorial time for computer laboratory projects. Background recommendations suggested that schools give more time to trigonometry and coordinate geometry and that bridging courses at technikons for weaker students be developed. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Didactics)