Humor,Philosophy and Education

Abstract

This article begins by examining the bad reputation humor traditionally had in philosophy and education. Two of the main charges against humor—that it is hostile and irresponsible—are linked to the Superiority Theory. That theory is critiqued and two other theories of laughter are presented—the Relief Theory and the Incongruity Theory. In the Relief Theory, laughter is a release of pent-up nervous energy. In the Incongruity Theory, humor is the enjoyment of something that violates ordinary mental patterns and expectations. The development of the Incongruity Theory is traced in thinkers like Aristotle, Kant, Schopenhauer and Kierkegaard, and refinements are suggested to the theory. The Incongruity Theory, it is argued, helps us to appreciate the affinity between philosophy and humor, especially the genre known as stand-up comedy. The article concludes by using Robert Nozick’s analysis of wisdom to show how dramatic comedy embodies practical lessons for living well.     

Effects of academic performance on the relationship between child maltreatment and deviant behavior: A national study in Taiwan

BackgroundChild maltreatment has been found to significantly increase the risk of deviant behavior. Academic performance has been shown to have an indirect effect on the relationship between child maltreatment and deviant behavior. However, not all adolescents who have been maltreated engage in deviant behavior, so the relationship between child maltreatment and deviant behavior has remained unclear.ObjectiveThe aim of this research was to examine the potential mediating and/or moderating effects of academic performance on the relationship between child maltreatment and deviant behavior.Participants and settingThe data in this study were from a nationwide study examining the consequences of childhood maltreatment in Taiwan. The database consisted of data from 2321 adolescents.MethodsA secondary data analysis was conducted. Self-report data were obtained on childhood maltreatment experiences, academic performance, and deviant behaviors. Path analyses and a generalized linear model were used to examine the effects of academic performance on the relationship between child maltreatment and deviant behavior.ResultsMost participants were male (61.4%), with a mean age of 15.9 years. The mean scores of self-rated academic performance and deviant behavior were 2.86 and 8.2, respectively. A total of 83% participants reported having experienced childhood maltreatment. In this study, academic performance was found to have a moderating rather than a mediating effect on the relationship between child maltreatment and deviant behavior. Among adolescents who had been maltreated during childhood, those who self-rated poorer academic performance were more likely to have a higher deviant behavior score than those who self-rated better academic performance.ConclusionsGood academic performance can be a buffer that reduces the risk of deviant behavior among individuals with a history of childhood maltreatment. Healthcare professionals and educators can tailor early prevention and intervention educational programs targeted toward adolescents with experience of childhood abuse or poor academic performance to prevent the incidence of deviant behavior and thus break the cycle of violence.     

Qualitative review synthesis: the relationship between inattention and academic achievement

Background: A body of literature has emerged that links inattentive symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to poor academic achievement. Major variation across studies renders conclusions about this relationship complex.

Purpose: This review will provide a qualitative synthesis of these studies that (1) use community samples and (2) examine inattention as a separate dimension from hyperactivity/impulsivity. The aim of this review is to ascertain whether the relationship documented between inattention and academic outcomes in ADHD also holds for the dimensional trait of inattention as manifest in non-clinical community samples of children and adolescents, taking into consideration both academic achievement and academic performance across age.

Design and methods: A comprehensive search was carried out using two databases. The PRISMA guidelines were used to report the search steps. The QUIPS tool was used to rate the quality of studies, followed by a best evidence synthesis to summarise these results.

Results: Out of 1748 citations found, 27 articles met the specific inclusion criteria. Results point to a strong effect according to the best evidence synthesis: 7 studies that have low risk of bias found that teacher-rated inattention is significantly predicative of poor academic achievement in community samples of children.

Conclusions: This review provides support for a consistent, negative relationship between classroom inattention as reported by teachers and both standardised academic test achievement and classroom performance outcomes for children in preschool (moderate evidence), elementary school and longitudinally from elementary to high school. The average relationship was stronger when classroom performance was measured, as compared to standardised achievement. However, the quantitative strength of relationship has not been confirmed with a meta-analysis due to heterogeneity and too few high-quality studies identified. Variance across the studies in terms of the strength of association suggests that other unexamined factors (e.g. cognitive function or motivation) may be contributing to this relationship. Implications for educators and clinicians who work within the school setting are discussed.     

Young Spanish-English speaking children’s reading attitudes in relation to language skills

Background: Reading attitudes are recognised as an influencing factor on the language and literacy achievement of school age monolingual English-speaking children. The relationship between reading attitudes and achievement in young Spanish-speaking English Learners (ELs) remains understudied.

Purpose: The aim of the current study was to describe reading attitudes of young Spanish-speaking ELs and to examine the relationship between attitudes and language performance.

Method: The investigators utilised the Elementary Reading Attitudes Survey (ERAS) with 204 participants: 100 ELs in kindergarten and 104 in first grade. Investigators administered standardised measures of language and literacy performance. Correlational analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between attitudes and performance on language assessments.

Findings: Significant mean differences were observed between girls and boys, with girls showing more positive attitudes towards recreational reading. Phonological awareness skills showed a significant strong correlation with academic reading attitudes for children in kindergarten. Spanish receptive vocabulary showed significant positive correlation with reading attitudes. No significant grade differences were found in overall mean reading attitudes.

Conclusions: Overall, students in both grades demonstrated generally positive attitudes towards reading, despite potential language barriers. Findings substantiate a positive relationship between reading attitudes and receptive vocabulary, and phonological awareness skills in young children.     

Differences in the Processing of Prefixes and Suffixes Revealed by a Letter-Search Task

A letter-search task was used to test the hypothesis that affixes are chunked during morphological processing and that such chunking might operate differently for prefixes and suffixes. Participants had to detect a letter target that was embedded either in a prefix or suffix (e.g., ‘R’ in propoint or filmure) or in a non-prefix beginning or non-suffix ending (e.g., ‘R’ in cropoint or filmire). Prefixed and suffixed letter-strings comprised real stems and affixes but never formed a real word. Effects of letter cluster frequency were also investigated by manipulating the frequency of non-affix beginnings and endings. Letter search took longer in suffixes compared with non-suffix endings but not for prefixes compared with non-prefix beginnings. Moreover, performance was not affected by letter cluster frequency. We interpret our findings in the light of recent accounts of morpho-orthographic segmentation and the different function of prefixes and suffixes.     

The Technical and Vocational Education Initiative and economic performance in the United Kingdom: an initial assessment

Government support for the Technical and Vocational Education Initiative (TVEI) is based largely on the belief that it will contribute to the improvement of the UK's economic performance. This paper reviews evidence on the relationship between education and training, workforce skills and economic performance, and concludes that it would be helpful if TVEI's objectives were to be expressed in more detail, so as to provide a better basis for evaluation.     

A Comparison of the Vocational Aspirations of Paired Sixth-Grade White and Negro Children Who Attend Segregated Schools

Abstract

A short experiment in 9th grade civics classes, comparing the effects of divergent and convergent study questions on both divergent and convergent post-test performance, revealed some differential patterns among predictive and post-test measures. It was found that performance on the convergent post-test was more predictable, that a verbal subtest of the Minnesota Tests of Creative Thinking contributed to the prediction of performance (in addition to what was predicted by an achievement index) on the divergent but not the convergent post-test, and that performance was generally more predictable when pupils were tested in the same manner they had studied.     

Assessing computer technology in the criminal justice classroom: A case study

Previous research examining computer-assisted teaching is inconclusive. Some studies find enhanced student performance while others find no difference from traditional-approach pedagogy. This case study compares student performance and course evaluations for computer-assisted and traditional-approach sections in three criminal justice courses: crime theory, criminal courts, and inequality in the justice system. Overall results indicate a significant difference between student performance in computer-assisted and traditional classes. Yet differences are not the same for each course. The theory course shows the least difference while the courts course had the greatest difference. Student evaluation data indicate computer-assisted activities are enjoyed, yet differences from traditional-approach sections are not significant. Questions for future research on the use of technology in teaching are raised.     

Classroom Anxiety and the Examination Performance of Test-Anxious Students

Abstract

This study examined the academic performance of low, moderate, and high test anxiety students within two classrooms which differed significantly in the mean level of anxiety aroused by examinations. When differences in classroom anxiety were not considered, a significant negative linear trend was observed between anxiety level and academic performance (p < .001). No differences were found in the academic performance of low test anxiety students within the two classrooms, but a significant interaction (p C .05) was observed between classroom anxiety level and the academic performance of moderate and high test anxiety students. Moderate test anxiety students tended to obtain slightly higher examination scores in the High Anxiety Section than in the Low Anxiety Section, white the opposite was true for high test anxiety students.     

The effect of language on the performance of second‐language students in science examinations

It has been established by previous researchers that changes in the wording of multiple‐choice examination questions can significantly affect pupil performance. In this study recent ‘home’ General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) and ‘overseas’ General Certificate of Education (GCE) papers were examined for questions in which the language could be simplified, and modified questions were prepared. When performance on the original and modified forms of the questions was compared for a sample of British school pupils, no statistically significant difference emerged. When performance on the same questions was examined for a sample of pupils for whom English was the second (or third) language, there were significant differences in their performance on modified and unmodified versions of the questions.     

Relative Spelling Ability as a Predictor of the Academic Performance of Superior Ability College Freshmen

Abstract

It was hypothesized and demonstrated that, for superior ability college freshmen, failure to develop spelling ability to the same level as general verbal ability is associated with poor academic performance. However, the same relationship did not hold for lower levels of academic ability.

Since the spelling score was not reflecting finer discriminations of academic aptitude within the superior group, it was suggested that it was indicative of the attitudes or motives that determine the performance of such high ability students.     

Private vs public child welfare systems: A comparative analysis of national safety outcome performance

BackgroundEnsuring the safety of American children is one of the chief mandates of the U.S. Child Welfare System. Yet system differences, including privatization remain an area of concern for whether safety of children is achieved.ObjectiveThis study examined the effect of privatization policy on the performance of state child welfare systems in terms of achieving national safety outcome standards.Participants and SettingN₁ = 10 states systems (5 privatized and 5 public systems) with N₂ = 118,761 foster care cases located throughout the U.S.MethodUsing data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), safety outcome performance measures were assessed, as were child-/case factors to predict the likelihood of the system types meeting the national safety outcome standards.ResultsLogistic regression models of child, case, and system factors predicting the likelihood state systems met national safety outcome performance standards were statistically significant. Private systems, compared to non-private systems, were found to have lower odds of meeting the safety outcome 1 standard (OR = 0.41, 95% CI = 0.40–0.42), but greater odds of meeting the safety outcome 2 standard (OR = 6.79, 95% CI = 6.56–7.02).ConclusionsThe implementation of privatization policy in state child welfare/foster care service delivery was found to have mixed results in terms of the national safety outcome standards.     

Initial Considerations When Applying an Instructional Sensitivity Framework: Partitioning the Variation Between and Within Classrooms for Two Mathematics Assessments

ABSTRACT

Drawing inferences about the extent to which student performance reflects instructional opportunities relies on the premise that the measure of student performance is reflective of instructional opportunities. An instructional sensitivity framework suggests that some assessments are more sensitive to detecting differences in instructional opportunities compared to other assessments. This study applies an instructional sensitivity framework to compare student performance on two different mathematics achievement measures across five states and three grade levels. Results suggest a range of variation in student performance among teachers on the same mathematics achievement measure, variation between the two different mathematics achievement measures, and variation between grade levels within the same state. Findings highlight initial considerations for educators interested in selecting and evaluating measures of student performance that are reflective of instructional opportunities.     

Difficult Words and the Beginner

ABSTRACT

The authors investigated the effects of a 5-week note-taking skills instructional program on note-taking and reading comprehension performance of elementary students. The participants included 349 fourth-grade students from 2 elementary schools in Taiwan. The Note-Taking Instruction group received approximately 40 min of note-taking skills instruction per week for 5 weeks in contrast to the free note-taking group and the free-recall writing group who did not receive any instruction. A note-taking evaluation task and a comprehension test were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the instruction on students’ performance in note taking and reading comprehension, respectively. The study yielded 2 findings: first, teaching students a note-taking strategy significantly improved their performance in note taking and reading comprehension, and second, poor readers showed the greatest gains in note-taking skills with instruction.     

Some Bases Used by Students in Choosing Partners in the Chemistry Laboratory

Abstract

The effects of mobility upon performance on standardized group tests of mental ability of disadvantaged children in 18 elementary schools in New York City were assessed.

Among nontransient pupils there was no significant difference between the mean Otis Alpha test score at the third grade and the mean Otis Beta score which was taken three years later at the sixth grade. However, the Otis Alpha scores of these nontransients were significantly higher than that of their third-grade transient classmates. Also, the Otis Beta scores of these same non transients were significantly better than that of their sixth-grade classmates.

This study emphasized differences in the test performance of transient and nontransient pupils in a school population of disadvantaged children and pointed up the need for separate longitudinal analyses of these two groups.     

Executive function performance and trauma exposure in a community sample of children

ObjectiveThough children exposed to familial violence are reported to have difficulties with a range of emotional and behavioral problems (e.g., lower school achievement) that implicate executive function (EF) deficits, relatively little research has specifically examined EF as a function of trauma exposure in children.MethodsBased on parent report of children's exposure to potentially traumatic events, children (N = 110; Age_Mean = 10.39) from an ethnically diverse community sample were compared across three trauma-exposure groups: familial trauma, non-familial trauma, and no trauma. Children completed a battery of tests to assess working memory, behavioral inhibition, processing speed, auditory attention, and interference control.ResultsFamilial trauma (relative to non-familial and no trauma exposure) was associated with poorer performance on an EF composite (composed of working memory, inhibition, auditory attention, and processing speed tasks); the effect size was medium. Both trauma-exposure status and dissociation symptoms explained unique variance in EF performance after controlling for anxiety symptoms, socio-economic status, and potential traumatic brain injury. While IQ and EF performance were related, SES predicted unique variance in IQ (and not EF) scores, while familial-trauma exposure did not.ConclusionsThe contribution of trauma exposure to basic executive functioning held after taking into account symptoms (anxiety and dissociation), socio-economic status, and possible traumatic brain injury exposure. EF problems may provide one route via which maltreated children become at risk for peer, academic, and behavior problems relative to their peers.Practice implicationsEF problems may provide one route via which maltreated children become at risk for peer, academic, psychological, and behavior problems relative to their peers. Recently, intervention strategies have emerged in the anxiety and mood disorder treatment literatures that appear to effectively target EFs. As future research continues to specify the relationship between child trauma exposure and EF performance, these innovative treatments may have important practice implications for addressing EF deficits.     

Concepts before coding: non-programming interactives to advance learning of introductory programming concepts in middle school

ABSTRACT

Background and Context: Learners struggle with conceptual understanding of introductory programming concepts such as variables, expressions, and loops.

Objective: We examine whether and how designed activities for conceptual exploration support preliminary engagement with and learning of foundational and often hard-to-grasp programming concepts for students in grades 6–8.

Method: Drawing on principles from dynamic mathematics, we developed a suite of non-programming digital and unplugged activities embedded in a curriculum before students engage in Scratch block-based programming. We conducted empirical research in three middle school classrooms in diverse urban US schools and examined student performance through mixed qualitative and quantitative methods.

Findings: Learning gains were significant and not predicted by grade, gender or prior academic preparation. Free-choice projects of students showed statistically greater (correct) use of key concepts compared to those not in the study.

Implications: Our work demonstrates the promise of novel approaches such as interactive non-programming activities for deeper understanding of programming concepts.     

'Moonlight and Magnetism': A theatrical performance of electromagnetism,poetry and dance as a stimulus for ideas to use in the lecture theatre

'Moonlight and Magnetism' was designed as a performance involving science, poetry and modern dance to communicate the concepts of electromagnetism. The intention is to demonstrate that electricity, electromagnetism and waves can be viewed and expressed in many different ways. The principles of induction can be explained by equations, words and in the performance by a series of dance movements. Whilst the performance itself is not for an undergraduate course, there may be useful ideas to stimulate colleagues into looking at lecturing on science and engineering topics in new ways. Engineers look at their subject from a technical perspective. Should we, as teachers, stimulate our students and broaden their viewpoint by introducing, at some point in lecture courses, entirely different viewpoints?