A Study of Ability Grouping and the Self-Concept

Abstract

This study Investigated the relationships between acceptance of self, academic self-concept and two procedures used to group seventh-grade students for Instruction. The two facets of the self-concept were indexed for 323 heterogeneously grouped students and 244 homogeneously grouped students. Chi-square tests were applied to study the data by total groups, sex and achievement levels. Regardless of grouping procedures used, high achievers reported significantly more positive academic self-concepts (.01), while these concepts for low achievers were significantly less positive (.01). No other significant differences were found. It was concluded that grouping procedures do not significantly effect either facet of the self-concept, but success In school significantly influences the academic self-concept regardless of the grouping procedure used.     

Do Picture Books About Starting Kindergarten Portray the Kindergarten Experience in Developmentally Appropriate Ways?

This study examines the illustrations and the texts of thirteen picture books for young children on the topic of preparing for and starting kindergarten to assess whether, and to what extent, they depict forty-nine criteria for developmentally appropriate kindergarten practice. Results show that the books vary in quality and coverage, but they are strongest at foregrounding developmentally appropriate learning contexts, depicting child-sized play areas, and accurately representing 5-year-old child development. There is a pressing need, however, for authors and illustrators to pay increasing attention to portraying positive child/teacher interactions, racial and ethnic diversity, family involvement, and quiet time and private spaces.     

PICTORIAL REPRESENTATION OF ADULTS AS OBSERVED IN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

The 37 Caldecott Medal award‐winning children's books and 129 runner‐up books were subjected to a content analysis in order to evaluate the portrayal of adults in children's literature, both fictional and nonfictional. Of the total 166 books analyzed, 43 were excluded from the data because they contained no adult portrayals. For the 123 books subjected to final content analysis, and the 751 characters contained in these books, the data revealed statistically significant differences on four variables: (1) more male than female adults were represented; (2) more healthy than physically handicapped adults were portrayed; (3) more positive than negative or neutral illustrations of adults occurred; (4) adults were represented more in fictional than in nonfictional children's books. Results were interpreted as demonstrating that children's literature portrays neither adult figures nor adult life in a realistic manner.     

Culture or Disability? Examining Deaf Characters in Children’s Book Illustrations

Picture books can influence how children perceive those from backgrounds and cultures different from their own. Studies have been conducted examining how the text of children’s literature portrays multicultural characters or characters with disabilities. However, few have looked specifically at the portrayal of characters through illustrations, despite growing understanding of the importance that illustrations play in text comprehension. Fewer still have analyzed children’s literature for depictions of deaf characters and characteristics of Deaf culture. One recent study examined children’s picture books for portrayals of deaf individuals in the text; however, examining illustrations may provide additional information for both hearing and d/Deaf (For the purpose of this paper, capital “D” Deaf refers to people who are recognized part of the Deaf community; “d” deaf refers to the inability to hear or people unable to hear; d/D includes both populations.) readers about deafness and the Deaf population. In addition, while illustrations are important for all young readers, they may be particularly important for d/Deaf readers who are by nature visual learners. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to conduct a content analysis of illustrations in 20 picture books targeted to ages 4 to 8?years for messages linked to pathological and cultural models of deafness. In addition, results were compared to previous analyses of the text in the picture books. Results indicated that the illustrations do not represent deaf characters from a cultural perspective. Instead, similar to the text, illustrations present deaf characters more frequently as having a pathological condition or disability, that should be fixed through medical interventions in order to fit into a hearing world.     

Preferred social organization of learning formats among pupils experiencing different kinds of internalizing problems in secondary school

The aims of this study were to investigate the dimensionality of internalizing problems among secondary high school pupils and to find out about their preferences for the social organization of learning formats. We wanted to see if preferences varied for pupils reporting different kinds of internalizing problems. Five hundred and one pupils in Grades 8, 9 and 10 (aged 13–16 years) from two secondary schools in a city in the south of Norway participated in the study. The results indicate that internalizing problems can be sub‐divided into symptoms of depression, symptoms of anxiety and social passive behaviour. We found a high association between symptoms of depression and symptoms of anxiety. However, scores for social passivity showed relatively low associations with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Our results indicated that all pupils with internalizing difficulties had lower than average negative preferences for most of the learning formats. Our results also suggest that depressed pupils have a particularly low preference for individual work, whereas socially passive pupils are most negative about whole class interactions.     

Classroom climate in regular primary school settings with children with special needs

This study investigates the classroom climate in two settings of the 6th‐grade class (a setting of children with special needs and a setting without children with special needs), focusing on aspects of satisfaction and cohesiveness on one side and friction, competitiveness and difficulties on the other. The study results indicate the existence of both positive and negative consequences of the integration of hearing‐impaired pupils. Heterogeneity achieved by the presence of children with special needs included positive benefits for all pupils in the mainstream classroom and helped to prevent friction and a competitive atmosphere, and provided opportunities for accepting exceptionalities, and developing social skills, ethical values and empathic abilities among school peers. On the other hand was concern related to difficulties of cognition, the only dimension on which comparative settings statistically and significantly differed concerning the classroom climate with integrated pupils.     

Disrupting the 'boys don't read' discourse: Primary school boys who love reading fiction

This article disrupts dominant discourses around boys and reading that often homogenise young males as reluctant, disengaged and, at times, adversarial readers. Rather than essentialising boys, we argue there is a need for a more sophisticated knowledge base about the influences, constraints and diverse experiences of boys as readers in society today. Drawing on interviews (n = 30) with Year 4 (8 to 9-year-old) boys at six schools, we consider their personal recounts of their enjoyment in reading, their preferred reading choices and narratives related to their experiences as readers at school. Analysis highlights boys' emerging reading interests, sophisticated and specific reading preferences, and changes in reading identities over time. Boys' preferences for particular fiction authors, novel series and genres dispute the common assumption in educational contexts that boys prefer to engage with non-fiction books. This finding is significant, as negative gendered stereotypes can impact on boys' reading self-concepts. It is also critical given Jerrim and Moss's recent research highlighting the importance of fiction in the development of reading skills. We consider implications for pedagogical practices that broaden reading experiences for the diversity of emerging masculine reading identities in nations such as Australia, where there is an absence of reading for pleasure in education policies.     

Sociometric Predictors of the Self Concept among Fifth and Sixth Grade Children

Abstract

Theories of self-concept usually maintain that the individual’s self-esteem is reflected in peer ratings. The purpose of this 6tudy is to isolate factore of self-esteem and of peer ratings and to determine significant relationships between the derived factors. Over two hundred elementary pupils were selected from two metropolitan areas.

Approximately half were black, disadvantaged pupils; the remainder were white with above average cultural advantages. The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI) and a semantic differential (SD) were administered to all students. From a factor analysis of responses to the SEI, four factors of self-esteem and a lie scale emerged.

Three SD factors were obtained from a factor analysis of the peer ratings. One significant canonical correlation (.325 p = .01) resulted from the correlation of the three SD factor scores with scores on the five SEI factors. “Activity” dominated the relationship between peer feelings and self-concept dimensions.     

Supporting Latino high school students’ science motivational beliefs and engagement: examining the unique and collective contributions of family,teachers, and friends

Abstract

High school underrepresented minority students in the US are at an increased risk of dropping out of the STEM pipeline. Based on expectancy-value theory, we examined if Latino students’ perception of support from parents, siblings/cousins, teachers, and friends in 10th grade predicted their science ability self-concepts and values, which in turn predicted their classroom engagement. Survey data were collected from 104 Latino high school students and their science teachers. The findings suggest that adolescents’ perceptions of overall support and home-based support predicted adolescents’ science ability self-concepts at 10th grade while controlling for their 9th grade self-concepts. Although adolescents reported high support from teachers, teacher or school-based support alone was not a strong correlate of their motivational beliefs. Perceived support was indirectly related to classroom engagement through adolescents’ ability self-concepts. Feeling supported across home and school may be necessary to sustain adolescents’ science motivational beliefs and, in turn, their science classroom engagement.     

Choreography of Characters: Movement and Posture in Illustrated Texts for Children

This paper begins with the premise that very often, in analysing or just talking about illustrated books, one uses the word ‘movement’, or ‘motion’, to express the characteristics of a picture or a series of them. In the research literature, remarks on movement link with the dynamics of a story, depicting action, alternating situations, and the liveliness and diversity of the book as a whole. In regard to both pictures and texts, however, the concept of movement remains rather abstract and vague; we mostly talk about an illusion, whose origin is difficult to express precisely. This article discusses the concept of movement first in the broader sense and then seeks an alternative viewpoint on analysing movement in illustrated children’s literature. It particularly emphasises movement in relation to the characters, inspired by ideas from modern dance. Examples are drawn from the illustrations and texts of the Moomin books by Finnish artist and author Tove Jansson.     

Using Exploratory Talk to Enhance Problem-solving and Reasoning Skills in Grade-7 Science Classrooms

This study investigates whether the generation of exploratory talk in grade seven, second-language science classrooms in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, has a positive effect on learners in terms of their problem-solving and reasoning skills and whether socio-cultural milieus (urban, peri-urban and rural settings of schools) have an effect on any cognitive gains that may be made by learners. The findings were that there is a clear and statistically significant improvement in the mean test scores on problem-solving and reasoning of pupils who participated in the classroom discussion initiative (exploratory talk) over those of the comparison groups. This result was consistent in both the first- and second-studies that were undertaken. There was also a significant difference between the gains in problem-solving and reasoning test scores of the three socio-geographical settings in which the participating schools are found.     

Gifted Pupils as Sources of Inspiration in the Class?

Abstract

Hofset, A. (1971). Gifted Pupils as Sources of Inspiration in the Class? Scand. J. educ. Res. 15, 3, 137‐148. The purpose of the present investigation has been to test the reality of the statement that gifted pupils are a source of inspiration in their classes. To make it testable, we formulated the question thus: Is the school achievement better and the attitude towards school more positive in classes with many (4 or more) gifted pupils ( plus‐classes) than in classes with few (0 or 1, minus‐classes)? Our assumption was that a possible inspiring effect will reveal itself in achievement and/or attitudes. We also wanted to know whether the presence of gifted classmates will reduce the other pupils’ chances of being chosen as class leaders. Data from the primary grades 3, 5, and 7 were collected in 1963‐67. The total number of pupils was approximately 2,000. There were no significant achievement differences between plus‐ and minus‐classes. The attitude towards school (self‐reported) was slightly more positive in plus‐classes in grade 5. In grade 3 there was no attitude difference. Leadership choice status was lower for most pupil categories in plus‐classes in grade 5, but not in grade 3.     

Knowledge acquisition in Biochemistry,Physiology and Anatomy within the context of problem-based learning

Abstract

The study sought to examine the current Zimbabwean school system; establish the extent to which it is conducive to students making decisions about the selection of subjects they learn at school; to examine the nature of children's rights and the extent to which these rights are practiced in schools and in the prevailing socio-economic and political milieu. A stratified random sample of 100 pupils, 24 teachers and five school heads was used in this study. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected using a questionnaire, an interview schedule and observing both pupils and teachers. The study found that teachers and pupils seemed to be aware of pupils’ rights to participate in deciding the subjects they studied; and most teachers and school heads felt it was more of their duty to decide for pupils because of their immaturity. Therefore, determining the school curriculum content should involve school heads, teachers and pupils instead of choices being made and the content dictated to pupils.     

苏北地区城镇中高年级小学生学习动机与主观幸福感的关系研究——以宿迁市为例

本论文旨在对城镇小学生学习动机与主观幸福感的关系进行调查与研究。通过问卷调查法,对三所学校342名小学生施测学习动机量表和主观幸福感问卷,分析得出:学习动机有显著的年级、性别和群体差异,而主观幸福感有显著的年级差异;家庭满意度是影响学习动机、主观幸福感的第一位因素;学业满意度对学习动机影响尤其显著。     

They Can Succeed

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect on sixth-grade pupils' rending abilities when sixth-grade science materials were rewritten to a lower level of readability.

One unit of a sixth-grade science textbook was analysed and rewritten to a “third-grade” level of readability. Four hundred sixth-grade pupils were randomly assigned to the control and experimental groups. The control Ss rend the grade level material while experimental Ss read the rewritten text. Subjects completed a comprehension test after reading each of three assignments.

Using analysis of variance procedures, the mean comprehension scores and reading rates of the experimental group were found to be significantly higher (.05 level) than those of the control group.     

Social and dimensional comparison effects on academic self-concepts and self-perceptions of effort in elementary school children

By focusing on the domains of math and German, the present study with 200 elementary school children investigated the specific relationships of self-reported grades with academic self-concepts and self-perceptions of effort within the competence-affective separation of academic self-concepts. In addition, possible mediator effects of academic self-concepts were explored. In both domains, self-reported grades positively predicted academic self-concepts of corresponding domains, which, in turn, positively predicted self-perceptions of effort of corresponding domains. However, there were no negative cross-domain achievement effects on academic self-concepts and no negative cross-domain self-concept effects on self-perceptions of effort. Both academic self-concepts mediated the effects from self-reported grades to self-perceptions of effort in corresponding domains. This research indicates that children’s self-perceptions of effort can be inferred by their competence and affective self-concepts.

• Highlights

• Self-reported grades positively predict academic self-concepts of corresponding domains.

• Academic self-concepts positively predict self-perceptions of effort of corresponding domains.

• There are no negative cross-domain achievement effects on academic self-concepts and no cross-domain self-concept effects on self-perceptions of effort.

• Academic self-concepts mediate the effects from self-reported grades to self-perceptions of effort in corresponding domains.

     

Can visual aids in representational illustrations help pupils to solve mathematical word problems more realistically?

We investigated the effect of two visual aids in representational illustrations on pupils’ realistic word problem solving. In part 1 of our study, 288 elementary school pupils received an individual paper-and-pencil task with seven problematic items (P-items) in which realistic considerations need to be made to come to an appropriate reaction. These items were presented together either with representational illustrations, representational illustrations in which an element was added to make the realistic modelling complexity more apparent, or representational illustrations in which this element was cued. In part 2, the pupils received the same P-items together with a realistic and a non-realistic answer option, with the request to choose the best answer. The findings show that there was no positive effect of the visual aids on the number of realistic reactions in part 1 and that when reviewing possible answers to P-items in part 2, there again was no positive effect.     

Using manipulatives to support an embodied approach to learning trigonometry in a South African school: A case study

ABSTRACT

Multiple Intelligence Theory suggests that individuals perceive knowledge in eight different ways. This article reports on a study that explored the role of manipulatives in the teaching and learning of trigonometric ratios in grade 10. The approach attempts in addressing three domains of the Multiple Intelligence Theory (linguistic/verbal intelligence, logical/mathematical intelligence and spatial intelligence). The foundation of this research was a case study contained in the interpretative paradigm involving five grade 10 mathematics pupils at a high school in South Africa. The data was collected from: (1) activity sheet containing written responses of pupils; (2) observations; and (3) semi-structured interviews. The data was analysed and it was found that the use of manipulatives in teaching and learning mathematics played a positive role in leaners understanding of trigonometric ratios at grade 10 level. In general the findings of this study supported other research findings that confirm that manipulatives were important mediating tools in the development of conceptual and procedural understanding of mathematical concepts. Besides these pedagogical implications the study proved that the manipulatives effectively consolidated the features of Lesh's model.     

The Relationship of Self-Concepts to Changes in Cultural Diversity Awareness: Implications for Urban Teacher Educators

This study investigated the relationship between the self-concepts and cultural diversity awareness of 100 European–American pre-service teachers. The Tennessee Self-Concept Scale:2 and the Cultural Diversity Awareness Inventory were administered as a test–retest to ascertain if changes in cultural diversity awareness occurred during a stand-alone multicultural course, and if so were they related to the study participants' pre-test self-concepts. The findings indicate that a statistically significant relationship does exist between total self-concept and total cultural diversity awareness. However, not all five components of self-concept consistently predicted the direction or magnitude of change in the five elements of cultural diversity awareness. These results imply that urban teacher educators should consider both constructs when developing intervention strategies to thwart student resistance to multicultural tenets in stand-alone cultural diversity courses.