Brain Processes in Mothers and Nulliparous Women in Response to Cry in Different Situational Contexts: A Default Mode Network Study

SYNOPSIS

Objective: In everyday life, parents must respond to and interact with children while in different situational contexts. How situational contexts influence parents’ responses has not been systematically studied. Here we investigated mothers’ versus nonmothers’ neural responses to infant vocalizations in different situations with different task demands. Design: Using fMRI in 21 women (10 mothers), we explored the effects of being distracted by self-oriented (self-referential decisions about personality adjectives) versus goal-oriented (syllabic counting of personality adjectives) tasks while listening to infant cry in comparison with other emotional sounds (infant laughing, adult crying) on the activity of two medial nodes of the Default Mode Network (DMN): the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). Results: In the self-oriented task while listening to infant cry, both mothers and nulliparas showed (weak) activation of the DMN; this response likely reflects a shift of attention from the task to the cry. In the goal-oriented task, mothers, not nulliparas, showed (weak) activation of the DMN; this result is compatible with interference of emotional sounds while attending to a goal-oriented task, an activity that deactivates the DMN. Conclusions: Mothers are prone to process infant cry and emotional sounds and are less distracted from doing so by situational contexts, demonstrating their greater sensitivity to emotional sounds such as cry. By contrast, situational context influenced brain responses to infant sounds in nulliparas.     

Essay review: Some "unpopular" truths

Drawing on diverse theoretical perspectives and research, this paper focuses on the significance of settings in qualitative research as well as on associated problems with representations of settings in traditional analyses and reports. The central premise developed is that a deeper analysis of settings requires an unraveling of relations among settings in which individuals or groups participate. In this discussion, setting is defined as a fluid and mutable but bounded environment in which particular situations, interactions, and behaviors accrue to it as normal by virtue of history, cultural values, and beliefs. To represent the complexity of identity and power relations in educational research, author suggests six lenses that offer a multilayered picture of participants' lived experiences across multiple settings. These lenses have the potential to broaden researchers' representations of participants beyond what is often available in traditional analyses and reports of qualitative educational research. These six lenses on settings are not meant to be inclusive but to suggest that finer grained examinations of the social and cultural symbols that permeate settings may yield fresh perspectives on lived experience.     

Same place,different experiences: exploring the influence of gender on students’ science museum experiences

Providing learning environments that are motivating for female students and male students alike is a challenge for science educators. This overview of the research conducted in science museums provides initial insights into informal educational settings that allow female visitors to have experiences which foster development of science interest and learning. The discussion of the influence of gender on learning experiences in informal science environments raises questions and calls for further research and more comprehensive reporting of research results. Findings related to gender‐equitable learning in settings such as science museums would be beneficial and extend the present knowledge base in science education.     

The Multitasking Reality of the Parenting Brain

SYNOPSIS

Ecologically valid experimental paradigms are critical if we are to identify meaningful behavioral and neural substrates of parental responsiveness to infant cues. In this commentary, we discuss how Rigo et al. (2019) in their fMRI study of responses to infant cues make advances toward developing a paradigm that better mimics real-world parenting demands. In contrast to the standard infant cue paradigm, Rigo and colleagues exposed participants to infant sounds while engaged in competing goal-directed demands – multitasking. Although several central hypotheses were not confirmed, we hold that the use of ecologically improved paradigms is a necessary step toward understanding the multitasking reality of the parenting brain.     

Preparing general educators to teach in inclusive classrooms: Some food for thought

Abstract

Teacher education programs designed to prepare general education classroom teachers to teach in classrooms that include students with disabilities should be developed based on current research into the variables that are key to the successful inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classroom settings. The authors attempt to build a bridge from research to practice by describing one such research project, presenting some of its findings, and offering some food for thought on designing teacher preparation programs.     

Individual and contextual variables among creative scientists: The new work paradigm

This article discusses the individual and contextual factors that are salient to high levels of creativity among scientists working in organizational settings in the modern world. The article contrasts such scientists with traditional depictions of creative scientists and draws implications for future directions for creativity research and for the education and development of young scientists.     

Learning outdoors or with a computer: the contribution of the learning setting to learning and to environmental perceptions

ABSTRACT

Background: Outdoor learning and computer-based learning are two different alternatives to in-class conventional teacher-centered learning.

Purpose: This study compares the outdoor learning setting with computer-based learning in class. It examines the influence of the two different learning settings on academic achievements, the learning experience, and pro-environmental perceptions.

Sample: A total of 90 elementary school students (third and fourth-grade classes) participated in the study.

Design and methods: The academic knowledge of the study participants was tested through identical exams for both learning settings. In addition, in each group the students’ perceptions were examined by means of a questionnaire about environmental values and the learning experience.

Results: The study demonstrates that academic achievements in the two settings were similar, but the students expressed more enthusiasm about the outdoor learning experience than about in-class learning. In addition, the outdoor learning setting contributed more to promoting positive environmental perceptions even though students did not learn directly about environmental issues and sustainability.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that learning in the natural environment is valuable: Alongside the fostering of computerized learning, it is also important to promoteoutdoor learning settings and integrate both settings by implementing mobile technologies in the outdoor teaching.     

Supporters of low literate adults

ABSTRACT

According to the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), a large proportion of adults in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries have low literacy proficiency levels. There exist widespread stereotypes about adults who have difficulties with reading and writing, stereotypes which portray them as a socially isolated group with severe problems getting by in everyday situations that require reading and writing. Yet many people know adults who have difficulties with reading and writing (e.g. from their families, workplaces, or circles of friends or acquaintances) and support them in dealing with literacy-related tasks. To offer an additional perspective, this paper focuses on these literacy supporters. It draws on on qualitative and quantitative data gathered in 2013 and 2014 in Germany. The findings indicate that there are various types of support, from taking over tasks in informal learning settings or participation in reading and writing classes. This article discusses the results of this study in the wider context of literacy mediation, which is well established in international research but far less prominent in Germany.     

An historical view of the clinical and research base of functional analysis

Abstract

A functional analysis of behavior is of paramount importance in conducting a functional assessment. This paper reviews the historical clinical and empirical research bases of functional analysis of behavior. Specific landmark studies in the development of this assessment methodology are presented. Implications of functional analysis assessment methods for school settings are discussed     

What we know now: education,neuroscience and transdisciplinary autism research

Background: Knowledge about the brain has been growing rapidly since the 1990s as a result of developments in neuroscientific research linked to improvements in functional neuroimaging and other brain imaging technologies. As the brain is the ‘principal organ involved in learning’ (1), it would seem reasonable to assume that education should be one of the chief beneficiaries of this research, leading to advances in our understanding of how people learn, the development of new curricula and innovative teaching and learning approaches. However, the linkage between neuroscience and education has, historically, always been weak, and, we suggest, continues to be so, notwithstanding important research initiatives since the year 2000.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to critically explore current theoretical understanding of joint neuroscientific and educational research, herein referred to as ‘neuroeducational’ research. There is a particular focus on a critique of the transdisciplinary model as applied in a study of imitation in learners with autism.

Main argument and sources of evidence: The review of the literature in the first half of the paper identifies the key barriers to neuroeducational research, including neuromyths, lack of shared understanding, the problem of the translation of neuroscientific findings to schools and clashing research assumptions, methodologies and traditions. However, a model of transdisciplinarity is presented as a possible way forward. This model is tested in the second half of the paper against the experiences of the authors in conducting transdisciplinary research in autism and imitation in the secondary classroom. Here, we develop the concepts of ‘transfer affordances’, ‘transfer challenges’ and ‘transfer opportunities’ to structure our analysis of the various dimensions of the transdisciplinary research process. These new concepts are defined, and their relevance and utility explained.

Conclusions: The main conclusion of the paper is that the transdisciplinary research process within neuroeducation is complex, far from fully understood and requires further mapping. It is proposed that the concepts of ‘transfer affordances’, ‘transfer challenges’ and ‘transfer opportunities’ are useful theoretical ideas in pursuit of this aim.     

How can simulation help with learning project work skills? Experiences from higher education in Finland

ABSTRACT

Background: Effective project management and project work skills are important requirements in higher education and many other work place settings. Simulation-based learning, with its use of simulated scenarios and environments, may be a helpful way of supporting skill development. However, much more needs to be understood about the possibilities and challenges that can be involved in the application of this method of learning and teaching, from the perspectives of the learners.

Purpose: This exploratory qualitative study sought to describe university lecturers’ experiences and views of simulation as a method of learning and teaching project skills. The simulation method was tested in Finland, in the context of the national Research and Development Expert Coaching Programme, which was developed for the staff of the Universities of Applied Sciences.

Research methods: Data were collected via a questionnaire with two open questions, to which total of 12 multi-professional participants, all lecturers from Universities of Applied Sciences, were asked to respond in essay form. The data was analysed using inductive content analysis.

Results: Overall, our analysis suggests that participants felt that simulation-based learning was suitable for learning project work. According to the participants, the method helped them learn concrete project work skills, identify and manage challenging situations and promote dialogical sharing between professionals.

Conclusion: The results indicate that simulation can be used to promote project work competence of both new and more experienced project workers in various fields. It is suggested that the method is suitable for both initial and continuing education.     

Researching educational apps: ecologies,technologies, subjectivities and learning regimes

ABSTRACT

Apps are becoming increasingly important in education. However, critical educational research has hardly ever undertaken up-close analyses of educational apps. This article provides an extensive analysis of one ‘learning to code' app called Grasshopper. Drawing from the field of Science and Technology Studies, the article adopts a theoretical framework that situates app analyses at the dimensions of apps' situated ecologies, their platform and algorithmic technologies, the enacted user subjectivities and, as the sum of these previous dimensions, the projected learning regimes. Making use of the methodological entry points of app websites, stores and interfaces, the article makes visible and analyzes the app’s infrastructural settings, actively invokes different app situations, and uses these to advance the inquiry by offering a multidimensional point of view that navigates different scalar dimensions of educational apps. In doing so, the article examines learning to code through its concrete sociomaterial practices, and the specific pedagogies and sorts of education that are employed in order to bring about such learning.     

Teaching and learning in the special education setting: agency of the diagnosed child

ABSTRACT

This article is based on an extensive study of teaching-learning processes in special educational settings organised for children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). There is a general assumption that children’s learning will be supported through placement in a special class with few students and one or more teachers present. The issues explored concern what educational practices unfold in these settings, i.e. what are the children learning, and how do they participate in the activities? The empirical study is based on video-recorded classroom interaction in eight ADHD-classes during a period of seven years, in total about 200 h. The results show that the interactional format dominating is characterised by one teacher instructing one child at a time. These situations usually seem to follow the well-known Initiative-Response-Feedback (I-R-F) structure. The contributions from the children are generally minimal, and there is no indication that the student’s role in such dyads is more active. Thus, there is little evidence that children’s learning will improve and that they become more focussed and assume a more participatory role in the interactional formats offered in special classes. Also, it is not obvious how experiences of this kind will prepare children for a return to regular classroom or develop towards becoming active citizens.     

Introducing Sexual Diversity into Social Work Education

ABSTRACT

Social workers encounter sexuality-related issues in a variety of practice settings. Yet, less than half of professional preparation programs incorporate content on human sexual diversity in their curricula (Diaz & Kelly, 1991). Such an omission poses problems for competent practice with persons-in-sexual situations, especially in a pluralistic society and a multicultural world where there are varied beliefs, values, and options regarding adult sexual expression. This article describes a humanistic group approach to introducing sexual diversity into graduate social work education. It incorporates democratic values and guidelines, group process, and sexual diversity exercises into a professionally ethical approach to a controversial subject in the classroom.     

A sociocultural analysis of the ethics of involving children in educational research

ABSTRACT

This article explores the ethical complexities of involving children in research in the contexts of their families, schools and communities. We argue for an approach that is dynamic, reflexive, responsive and informed by an understanding of how local cultures impact on and shape negotiations and practices around ethical issues and processes. We use different sociocultural lenses to analyse the complexities of ethical processes and practices at the beginning of a research project which explored children’s informal and everyday learning. The article contributes to ethical debates about involving children with research through foregrounding the multiplicities and complexities that emerge when researchers are attentive to the practices and values of the settings that children’s and researchers’ lives traverse.     

Using Web-Based Cases to Enhance,Extend, and Transform Pre-Service Teacher Training

Abstract

This study was part of a two-year review regarding the use of Web-based case conferencing to enhance, extend, and transform the learning of pre-service teachers in an introductory educational psychology course. First, Web conferencing enhanced the learning opportunities within educational psychology by providing an electronically shared space for hundreds of students to share, discuss, and reflect on case situations common in K-12 school settings. Second, this environment extended learning by including students from other universities and countries. Finally, instead of strictly relying on instructor cases and commentary, the Web transformed the learning process by allowing students to generate cases online and provide timely and relevant peer feedback. Across the two years of this study, students generated more than a thousand case situations that tended to focus on classroom management, motivation, and controversial issues or hot topics. Within these case situations, students were extremely task focused and offered each other extensive peer feedback. Despite many positive findings, various problems were encountered such as procrastination, limited text referencing, and few justified statements. Several future directions and recommendations are outlined.     

Successfully Mentoring Undergraduates in Research: A How To Guide for Mathematicians

Abstract

Undergraduate research occurs in a variety of mathematical fields and in diverse settings, but all mentors of undergraduates face a number of common considerations. This article is a brief guide to help faculty with various levels of previous mentoring experience lead students in research projects. In particular, we discuss the issues of picking appropriate research problems, recruiting students, setting expectations, moving research forward, and helping students to communicate their work.     

Stories about teaching: Using qualitative data to promote reflective practices

Abstract

In this article two teacher educators describe an approach they have used with preservice early childhood and early childhood special education majors. They explain how the approach that they call “stories about teaching” resembles, yet differs from case study methods. The authors explain the process they used to develop, pilot, and use stories derived from qualitative data that they gathered in various early childhood settings. They explain how discussions based on the stories have provided their students opportunities to explore real‐life teaching situations from multiple perspectives, increase the depth of their reflections, and link theory to practice. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.     

The Superintendent's Leadership in School Improvement: A Rural Perspective

ABSTRACT

This paper contains a brief review of the research literature on superintendents’ leadership for school improvement as an introduction. Following that, the patterns of five superintendents’ leadership that evolved in five school improvement sites is reported; the activities in which the superintendents engaged in five quite different organizational settings is the focus. In addition, the strategies and events used by external assisters assigned to the sites to develop and enhance leadership behaviors are shared. The paper concludes with a short discussion of the unique conditions and influences on rural superintendents and their leadership for increasing educational effectiveness.