Guiding Low Spatial Ability Individuals through Visual Cueing: The Dual Importance of Where and When to Look

Research suggests that spatial ability may predict success in complex disciplines including anatomy, where mastery requires a firm understanding of the intricate relationships occurring along the course of veins, arteries, and nerves, as they traverse through and around bones, muscles, and organs. Debate exists on the malleability of spatial ability, and some suggest that spatial ability can be enhanced through training. It is hypothesized that spatial ability can be trained in low-performing individuals through visual guidance. To address this, training was completed through a visual guidance protocol. This protocol was based on eye-movement patterns of high-performing individuals, collected via eye-tracking as they completed an Electronic Mental Rotations Test (EMRT). The effects of guidance were evaluated using 33 individuals with low mental rotation ability, in a counterbalanced crossover design. Individuals were placed in one of two treatment groups (late or early guidance) and completed both a guided, and an unguided EMRT. A third group (no guidance/control) completed two unguided EMRTs. All groups demonstrated an increase in EMRT scores on their second test (P < 0.001); however, an interaction was observed between treatment and test iteration (P = 0.024). The effect of guidance on scores was contingent on when the guidance was applied. When guidance was applied early, scores were significantly greater than expected (P = 0.028). These findings suggest that by guiding individuals with low mental rotation ability “where” to look early in training, better search approaches may be adopted, yielding improvements in spatial reasoning scores. It is proposed that visual guidance may be applied in spatial fields, such as STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine), surgery, and anatomy to improve student's interpretation of visual content. Anat Sci Educ. © 2018 American Association of Anatomists.     

Reproduction and transformation of students’ technology practice: The tale of two distinctive secondary student cases

Disparities in the technology practices, skills and knowledge of school students still exist, despite widespread investment, and use in schools. In order to understand why inequalities remain, we first need a more nuanced understanding of students’ technology practice, including understanding how their backgrounds, circumstances and experiences shape their perceptions of and engagement with technology. This paper proposes that research in the field of educational technology would benefit from a sociological framing in order to highlight how and why students use technology at school and in their everyday lives. The paper reports on a qualitative embedded case study of 13–16-year-old students in two Australian secondary schools. In-depth case studies of two selected students illustrate the complex nature of students’ technology practice. Bourdieu’s concepts of field, habitus and capital are used as a lens through which to view and understand inequalities in students’ technology practice. The findings demonstrate the utility of sociological theory in educational technology research by highlighting systems and structures of reproduction and transformation. Furthermore, the findings can inform an approach to teaching and learning that considers students’ varied experiences, knowledge, perspectives and backgrounds relating to technology.     

Modern dietary guidelines for healthy pregnancy; maximising maternal and foetal outcomes and limiting excessive gestational weight gain

Abstract

Maternal dietary habits influence maternal and foetal health, representing a pathway for intervention to maximise pregnancy outcomes. Advice on energy intake is provided on a trimester basis, with no additional calories required in the first trimester and an additional 340?kcal?d^?1 and 452?kcal?d^?1 needed for the second and third trimesters. Energy intake depends on pre-gravid body mass index (BMI); underweight women are recommended an increase of 150, 200 and 300?kcal?d^?1 during the first, second and third trimester, normal weight women an increase of 0, 350 and 500?kcal?d^?1 and obese women an increase of 0, 450 and 350?kcal?day^?1. The recommendations for carbohydrate and protein intake are 175?g?d^?1 and 0.88–1.1?g?kgBM?d^?1, with no change to fat intake. The number of pre-gravid obese women is rising; therefore, we need to regulate weight in women of childbearing age and limit gestational weight gain to within the recommended ranges [overweight women 6.8–11.3?kg and obese women 5.0–9.1?kg]. This can be achieved using nutritional interventions, as dietary changes have been shown to help with gestational weight management. As pregnancy has been identified as a risk factor for the development of obesity, normal weight women should gain 11.5–16.0?kg during pregnancy. While some research has shown that dietary interventions help to regulate gestational weight gain and promote postpartum weight loss to some extent, future research is needed to provide safe and effective guidelines to maximise these effects, while benefitting maternal and foetal health.     

Writing Characteristics of Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder: A Meta‐Analysis

Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD) frequently experience significant difficulty mastering basic academic skills. This meta‐analysis focuses on one specific potential area of learning difficulties for these students: namely, writing. To identify the extent and depth of the potential writing challenges faced by students with ADHD, we conducted a meta‐analysis comparing the writing performance of grade 1 to 12 students with ADHD to their normally achieving peers. We located 44 papers, yielding 45 studies with 87 effect sizes. The average weighted effect sizes showed that students with ADHD obtained lower scores than their normally achieving peers for writing quality (–0.78), output (–0.64), number of genre elements (–0.69), vocabulary (–0.76), spelling (–0.80), and handwriting (–0.62). Contrary to expectations, moderator analyses found that neither study quality nor the source from which ADHD students were drawn (i.e., school/community vs. clinic/hospital) accounted for variability above sampling error alone.     

Disability hate crime: persecuted for difference

This article briefly discusses the long history of violence towards disabled people which sets the context for an analysis of the modern‐day form of violence known as disability hate crime (DHC). People who look or behave differently to others often find themselves victims of violent crimes. The language used to describe disabled people contributes to their diminished position in society. A brief review of definitions of DHC and exploration of news media coverage of the Pilkington and Askew DHC cases are undertaken. Cultural scapegoating of disabled people is discussed. Disabled people are perceived as contributing to their own victimisation, the lack of support afforded to them by society and the failure of systems meant to protect them. As long as disabled people remain outside mainstream society, they are unlikely to achieve the same levels of respect and protection from crime that other groups in society are afforded.     

School visits to zoos and museums: a missed educational opportunity?

Recent studies in exhibitions have begun to consider the cognitive content of the ‘dialogue’ between visitor and exhibit designer. Such studies have focused on the leisure visitor and not on organised school visits. The study reported here compares the conversational content of primary school and family visitors at the London Zoo and the Natural History Museum, London. The data show that there are common features to the children's interactions with animal exhibits and that the content of the conversations varies little between family groups and school groups both within an institution and between institutions. The lack of any marked distinction between school and family visitors strongly suggests that schools are failing to make effective use of the educational potential of zoos. Secondly, the findings of this study are important in pointing to the features of animal exhibits to which children, and their accompanying adults, attend. The data suggest that there is a gulf between the level of knowledge and understanding visitors bring to the exhibits and the message that the museums and zoos may wish to communicate. It is suggested that more successful education will only be achieved when museums and zoos give more credence to understanding what the visitor already does, or does not, know.     

Multimedia and Online Video Case Studies for Preservice Teacher Preparation

Case studies have been used successfully as a part of teacher education. There are many possibilities in extending the impact of case studies through the use of technology. Video and the Internet could enable demonstration of more examples, dissemination beyond the walls of the classroom, and discussion between geographically dispersed preservice teachers. Several projects are now investigating the possible ways that technology might enhance or extend text case studies. After exploring four existing products, four essential elements for video case studies are proposed. As video case studies move to the Internet, additional issues arise and these are also explored.