The Relation Between Preschoolers’ Vocabulary Development and Their Ability to Predict and Recognize Words

By age 2, children are developing foundational language processing skills, such as quickly recognizing words and predicting words before they occur. How do these skills relate to children’s structural knowledge of vocabulary? Multiple aspects of language processing were simultaneously measured in a sample of 2-to-5-year-olds (N = 215): While older children were more fluent at recognizing words, at predicting words in a graded fashion, and at revising incorrect predictions, only revision was associated with concurrent vocabulary knowledge once age was accounted for. However, an exploratory longitudinal follow-up (N = 55) then found that word recognition and prediction skills were associated with rate of subsequent vocabulary development, but revision skills were not. We argue that prediction skills may facilitate language learning through enhancing processing speed.     

On the Operationalisation of Conceptions of Learning in Higher Education and Their Association with Students’ Knowledge and Experiences of Their Learning

Conceptions of learning, as well as other associated aspects of prior knowledge, are theoretically important factors in influencing the manner in which the content and context of learning are engaged. The present study reports on: (a) the operationalisation of some of these factors aimed at isolating sources of explanatory variation that can be used for modelling purposes; and (b) a conservative exploration of the discriminatory power of, and exhibited patterns of association between, such sources of variation as have been isolated. Based on a conservative analytical approach, the results of the present study do not support a single clearly defined empirical model of conceptions of learning and associated constructs. Instead, there is consistent evidence that underlying empirical structures appear to be sensitive to the response context and other factors.     

Links Among Italian Preschoolers’ Socioemotional Competence,Teacher–Child Relationship Quality,and Peer Acceptance

Research Findings: The purpose of the present study was to examine the relations among teacher–child relationship quality (close, conflictive, and dependent), children's social behavior, and peer likability in a sample of Italian preschool-age children (46 boys, 42 girls). Preschool teachers evaluated the quality of the teacher–child relationship and children's social behaviors (i.e., social competence, anger-aggression, and anxiety-withdrawal). Peer-rated likability was measured using a sociometric procedure. Results indicated that conflictual teacher–child relationships were related to high aggressive behavior, and dependent teacher–child relationships were positively associated with children's anxiety-withdrawal. Moreover, we found an indirect association between close teacher–child relationship quality and peer likability through children's social competence. Practice or Policy: The findings provide evidence that the teacher–child relationship is critical for children's social behaviors and that social competence is uniquely related to peer likability.     

Students’ Perceptions of Dynamics Concept Pairs and Correlation with Their Problem-Solving Performance

A concept pair is a pair of concepts that are fundamentally different but closely related. To develop a solid conceptual understanding in dynamics (a foundational engineering science course) and physics, students must understand the fundamental difference and relationship between two concepts that are included in each concept pair. However, all existing research in dynamics and physics education has been focused on the identification and repair of students?? misunderstanding of individual concepts, but not concept pairs. The present research fills the gap of existing research by studying students?? perceptions of dynamics concept pairs and correlation with their problem-solving performance in both particle and rigid-body dynamics. A total of 88 engineering undergraduate students participated in the present study. Students?? perceptions were assessed using a 40-item instrument that included 20 dynamics concept pairs at fundamental Level One and higher-order Level Two. Students?? problem-solving performance was assessed using four exams that included 66 dynamics problems. The coefficients of reliability (Cronbach??s ??) of assessment instruments vary between 0.69 and 0.93. The research findings from the present study show that students were not confident in their understanding of Level-Two concept pairs, especially the relationship between the Principle of Linear Impulse and Momentum and the Principle of Angular Impulse and Momentum, and the relationship between the Principle of Angular Impulse and Momentum and the Conservation of Angular Momentum. A statistically significant correlation exists between students?? perceptions of Level-Two concept pairs and their problem-solving performance on both particle dynamics (r?=?0.355, p?<?0.01) and rigid-body dynamics (r?=?0.351, p?<?0.01). The research findings made from the present study imply that educational efforts should be focused on improving students?? understanding of Level-Two dynamics concept pairs.     

Problems with College Students’English Listening and Speaking and Their Solutions-from the Perspective of Sociolinguistics

This study surveyed what problems and puzzles college students have in English speaking and listening. A question?naire survey was conducted among 157 English-major students in South-Central University...     

Understanding Students’ Perceptions of the Nature of Science in the Context of Their Gender and Their Parents’ Occupation

Science & Education - A thorough understanding of the concept of the nature of science (NOS) is essential to the development of scientific literacy among students, as it provides the students...     

Children’s Self‐documentation and Understanding of the Concepts ‘Healthy’ and ‘Unhealthy’

The present paper describes a study in which 13 children aged 9–11 years, of diverse ethnic, linguistic, and socio‐economic backgrounds, were asked to use a digital camera and small notebook to document the range of things they consider to be healthy and unhealthy. Using open‐ended interview questions, the children were then asked to explain each item, including what it was, why they chose it, and why they thought it was either healthy or unhealthy. The range of definitions of ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ invoked by the children was surprisingly broad, encompassing not only illness and proper nutrition, but also environmental health, mental health, cleanliness, and other meanings. Findings across all 13 children are displayed, and a case study of one child serves as a detailed example of the types of meanings children ascribe to the words ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’, as well as the kinds of analyses being employed on these data. The theoretical implications of these results for research on children’s ideas about health, as well as implications for the design of health interventions, are discussed.     

Preschoolers’ Motivation to Over-Imitate Humans and Robots

From preschool age, humans tend to imitate causally irrelevant actions—they over-imitate. This study investigated whether children over-imitate even when they know a more efficient task solution and whether they imitate irrelevant actions equally from a human compared to a robot model. Five-to-six-year-olds (N = 107) watched either a robot or human retrieve a reward from a puzzle box. First a model demonstrated an inefficient (Trial 1), then an efficient (Trial 2), then again the inefficient strategy (Trial 3). Subsequent to each demonstration, children copied whichever strategy had been demonstrated regardless of whether the model was a human or a robot. Results indicate that over-imitation can be socially motivated, and that humanoid robots and humans are equally likely to elicit this behavior.     

Finnish Mothers’ and Fathers’ Constructions of and Emotions in Their Daily Lives

This article focuses on parents’ construction of and emotions in their everyday lives. The study brings into focus the meanings in the foreground of everyday life, while also revealing new insights into cultural beliefs and prejudices. Interviews were conducted with five nuclear and four divorced families, and each participant (N?=?18) was interviewed twice. The second interview was a photo-narrative interview, for which each participant took photographs pertaining to their daily life. Content and thematic analysis were applied to the data. Three main categories of everyday life emerged from the data: family daily life, couples’ daily life, and one’s own daily life. The importance of and pleasure derived from one’s own daily life were emphasized as the foundation of well-being for both the individual and the whole family.     

The Relationship between the Concepts of ‘Pastoral Care’ and ‘Authority’

Abstract

The term ‘pastor’ clearly has a religious origin and is thought of in connection with providing spiritual sustenance. Such provision must be seen in relation to some concept of authority since the pastor's job could otherwise not be done.

It is likely that the connotation of a pastor in the religious sense has been carried over to the schools, especially when it is considered that schools are traditionally structures of authority.

What is necessary is to insist upon the conceptual link between ‘pastoral care’ and ‘authority’ explicitly, so as to judge the final appropriateness of ‘pastoral care’ in schools.     

Mothers’ and Fathers’ Reports of Their Supportive Responses to Their Children’s Negative Emotions Over Time

Objective. Parents’ emotion socialization practices are thought to be moderately stable over time; however, a partner’s socialization practices could initiate change. Design. We examined mothers’ and fathers’ reports of their supportive responses to their children’s negative emotions when the target child was 7 years old and again at age 10. We tested a dyadic, longitudinal path model with 111 mother–father pairs. Results. Significant actor and partner effects emerged: Parents’ age 7 responses predicted their own age 10 responses and their partners’ later responses. Conclusions. Parents’ reported responses to children’s negative emotions during middle childhood are predicted by their own earlier responses and by their partners’ responses.     

Cross-Grade Comparison of Students’ Understanding of Energy Concepts

The aims of this cross-grade study were (1) to determine the level of understanding of energy concepts of students at different academic grades and the differences in understanding between these grades and (2) to analyse the conceptual development of these students. Two hundred and forty-three students at 3 different levels (high school, undergraduate, and postgraduate) participated in this study. The students’ understandings of energy concepts were determined using a questionnaire, which requested them to define the concept verbally, and to represent it graphically. The most important findings of this study may be summarised as follows. Students from the different groups generally succeeded in defining ‘energy’ in a similar way, namely as the ‘ability to do work’. Nevertheless, some students (including those at university) also provided different alternative conceptions related to the energy concept. In addition, some students also found difficulty in visually analysing the relationships between different variables using graphs. This finding could help explain why attainment levels of all groups falls short in questions that involve the graphical representation of data.     

Links between kropotkin' theory of ‘mutual aid’ and the values and practices of action research

The purpose of this article is to outline some of the key ideas of Peter Kropotkin on Mutual Aid, which can be seen to have a resonance and relevance to the value base and practices of action research. Written in 1902 as a refutation of the appropriation of Darwin's theories by social philosophers, Kropotkin's work stresses the importance of cooperation, rather than competition amongst humans as the basis for a creative, supportive and developmental human community (society). His ideas can be seen to have a particular importance or relationship to the growing body of action research in the community health and social care fields, where Kropotkin's theory can also be seen to support and explain the activity of the growing numbers of self help/mutual aid groups in both condition specific groups and in social/community concerns more generally.     

Two-Year Impact of a Mindfulness-Based Program on Preschoolers’ Self-Regulation and Academic Performance

Research Findings: Students experienced a mindfulness program designed to enhance their self-regulation in prekindergarten and kindergarten. At the end of the 1st year of the program, these students showed improvements in teacher-reported executive function skills, specifically related to working memory and planning and organizing, whereas students in a business as usual control group showed a decline in these areas. No difference between the groups’ receptive vocabulary was found in prekindergarten. At the end of kindergarten, the mindfulness group had higher vocabulary and reading scores than the business as usual group. Practice or Policy: These findings suggest that mindfulness practices may be a promising technique that teachers can use in early childhood settings to enhance preschoolers’ executive functioning, with academic benefits emerging in the kindergarten year.     

Research Insights Into The Relationship between Teachers’ Acceptance Attitudes,Their Role Concepts,and Students’ Acceptance Attitudes

Abstract

In experiment I, two teachers of adolescent students were given video feedback of their teaching behavior in regard to two types of teacher "postures/’ the effect of which was to change their behavior in specific directions. Experiment II, a replication, was conducted with elementary students and demonstrated that change in specific teacher behaviors appeared to produce changes in academic response rate in pupils. Results were discussed relative to teacher training.     

The Efficacy of Multimedia Stories in Preschoolers’ Explicit and Implicit Story Comprehension

Oral language provides a foundation for reading comprehension. Story comprehension is a fundamental oral language skill; it covers making inferences, identifying main ideas, monitoring, perspective-taking, and applying working memory capacity. Complex reasoning and perspective-taking are key factors in deep reading comprehension. Preliterate children’s deeper story comprehension skills can be initial indicators of their later reading comprehension. Thus, the purpose of this research is to investigate preliterate preschool children’s story comprehension skills in detail. This study focuses on the additional multimedia features of digital storybooks and whether they hinder or promote young children’s explicit and implicit comprehension in a small group reading activity. The findings revealed that (a) children in the multimedia-enhanced storybook group outperformed the print storybook group in terms of both explicit and implicit story comprehension, (b) explicit story comprehension was higher than implicit story comprehension for both groups, and (c) the children recalled significantly more story elements and the length of the story retellings was greater with the aid of animated illustrations. The findings indicate that a digital storybook provides close temporal contiguity of text and visuals and may enhance story understanding by concretizing the narration. The study provides evidence that multimedia stories can foster children’s implicit story comprehension and inferential thinking about the content of the story.     

Students’ Independent Use of Screencasts and Simulations to Construct Understanding of Solubility Concepts

As students increasingly use online chemistry animations and simulations, it is becoming more important to understand how students independently engage with such materials and to develop a set of best practices for students’ use of these resources outside of the classroom. Most of the literature examining students’ use of animations and simulations has focused on classroom use with some studies suggesting that better outcomes are obtained when students use simulations with minimal guidance while others indicate the need for appropriate scaffolding. This study examined differences with respect to (1) student understanding of the concept of dissolution of ionic and covalent compounds in water and (2) student use of electronic resources when students were asked to complete an assignment either by manipulating a simulation on their own or by watching a screencast in which an expert manipulated the same simulation. Comparison of students’ pre- and posttest scores, answers to assignment questions, near-transfer follow-up questions, and eye-tracking analysis suggested that students who viewed the screencast gained a better understanding of the dissolving process, including interactions with water at the particulate level, particularly for covalent compounds. Additionally, the eye tracking indicated that there were significant differences in the ways that the different treatment groups (screencast or simulation) used the electronic resources.     

How Do Low-Income Chilean Parents Support Their Preschoolers’ Writing and Math Skills in a Grocery Game?

This study examined how parents supported children’s writing and math and whether parents’ support predicted children’s academic skills from the beginning of pre-kindergarten to the end of kindergarten. Two hundred ten Chilean parents from low-income households were observed playing a grocery game with their preschoolers (M = 53 months). The grocery game (a game where dyads make a grocery list together and shop at a pretend store) could be used to foster writing and mathematics. Coders noted how often parents engaged in writing support, provided math support, and displayed directiveness (i.e., taking over the child’s activity). Children’s literacy and math skills were assessed at the beginning of pre-kindergarten and the end of kindergarten. Research Findings. Parents engaged in little writing support but displayed moderate levels of math support and high levels of directiveness in the grocery game. Parents’ math support uniquely predicted gains in children’s math skills, while parents’ directiveness negatively predicted gains in children’s literacy skills. Practice or Policy. Results from this study have the potential to inform parent-focused interventions. Findings highlight the need to provide parents with specific strategies to support their children’s literacy and math development and guidance about embedding these strategies into family routines.     

Building a Professional Learning Community: Teachers’ Documentation of and Reflections on Preschoolers’ Work

This study describes teachers’ experiences in a preschool professional learning community (PLC) in order to gain understanding of the role of documentation in group learning. A central underlying assumption of PLCs is that teacher learning involves talking with colleagues about teaching and grappling with the issues embodied in everyday classroom life. We utilized a qualitative case study design in order to emphasize the situated and contextual nature of teachers’ professional learning in context. Data sources included the following: observations of PLC sessions, interviews with participating teachers, and the classroom documentation teachers shared during the sessions. We found that the incorporation of documentation in the PLC made implicit assumptions about children visible in order to be scrutinized. In addition, the teachers’ reflections on the documentation highlighted conflicting notions about teaching as either technical practice or inquiry. In contrast to traditional delivery approaches to teacher learning, we argue that PLCs focused on documentation encourage teachers to problematize practice rather than simplify it. The process of reflecting on children’s work made shifts in thinking about the nature of teaching possible.