Parental requests for evaluation and authorities’ responses: issues of accord

The present study investigated the reasons of parents request for the initial evaluation to determine their children’s special educational needs (SEN) and the state authorities’ response in the Greek educational system. For the needs of the present study, 250 case files were randomly selected from a state Centre for Differential Diagnosis and Support, which is responsible for the identification, evaluation and intervention for students with SEN. Various data were recorded, such as parental reason for requesting the evaluation, the official designation for each case, whether the parent accepted the evaluation results and whether any individualised intervention plan or other recommendations were specified. The analysis suggested that most cases involved students with learning disabilities, although a certain degree of disagreement in the classification of students was observed. For the majority of cases, parents accepted the official diagnosis; however, the state centre did not offer an intervention plan to benefit the students in the majority of the cases. Implications based on the present study findings are considered.     

Exploring the impact of professional development and professional practice on school leaders’ self-efficacy: a quasi-experimental study

Self-efficacy is extensively discussed within social cognitive theory. This study aimed to explore the impact of professional development and practice on school leaders’ self-efficacy in Cyprus. A quasi-experimental design involving 2 groups of novice secondary deputy head teachers was employed. All participants practised leadership at the time, but the experimental group also attended a leadership training programme. The School Leaders’ Self-Efficacy Scale addressing 8 dimensions was distributed to both groups at the beginning and the end of the school year. A within-group analysis indicated positive effects on self-efficacy regarding evaluating classroom practices for the experimental group. However, for the control group, effects were negative on self-efficacy with regards to evaluating classroom practices, monitoring learning, and leadership of continuing professional development. Between-group analyses revealed positive gains for the experimental group across the 3 aforementioned self-efficacy dimensions. Arising implications are discussed in the context of professional development programmes for school leaders in Cyprus.     

Helping students understand their learning styles: Effects on study self‐efficacy,preference for group work,and group climate

Small tutorial groups in higher education are often composed without regard to students’ gender or broad knowledge background, for example, yet research indicates that composing groups on the basis of gender and prior qualifications may have significant effects on assessment outcomes. Previous studies have also investigated the effects of composing groups on the basis of learning style preference and found no effects. The effect of combining group composition with training in learning styles is unclear, however. In this study we report on the effects of workshop training in learning styles on balanced group members’ study self‐efficacy, preference for group work, group climate, and assessment performance. Although we found no effects, students reported greater self‐awareness of their own learning and acceptance of others’ styles. We conclude that in collaborative learning environments, training may need to go beyond facilitating growth in students’ self‐awareness to include a focus on how to apply this understanding to improving group function and helping others to learn.     

Social support, locus of control, and parenting in three low-income groups of mothers: black teenagers, black adults, and white adults

Mother's social support, their instrumental use of extended family members and of professionals for help, and their sense of personal control were examined as predictors of parenting skill in 3 groups of low-income women. Separate regression models were generated for black adult mothers, white adult mothers, and black teen mothers, all of whom had at least 1 infant. Black teen and white adult mothers who sought help with child-rearing problems from extended family members were more skillful parents. Among white mothers, use of professionals for help with child-rearing problems and mothers' sense of internal control were also significant predictors. Black adult mothers' parenting skill was predicted only by locus of control. These prediction models suggest that in 2 of the groups, social ties to significant others were the linkages through which child-rearing information flowed to affect parenting behavior.     

Sleep,Classroom Behavior,and Achievement Among Children of Color in Historically Disinvested Neighborhoods

Children of color are more likely to have poor sleep health than White children, placing them at risk for behavioral problems in the classroom and lower academic performance. Few studies, however, have utilized standardized measures of both classroom behavior and achievement. This study examined whether children’s sleep (parent and teacher report) in first grade concurrently related to independent observations of classroom behavior and longitudinally predicted achievement test scores in second grade in a sample of primarily Black (86%) children (n = 572; age = 6.8) living in historically disinvested neighborhoods. Higher teacher-reported child sleepiness was associated with lower adaptive behaviors and higher problem behaviors in the classroom, and predicted lower achievement. Parent-reported bedtime resistance and disordered breathing also predicted lower achievement.     

A Meta-analysis of the Impact of Social and Emotional Learning Interventions on Teachers’ Burnout Symptoms

Educational Psychology Review - Over the last decades, extensive research has given considerable attention to teachers’ burnout. Owing to its negative personal, organizational, and social...     

Representational guidance and student engagement: examining designs for collaboration in online synchronous environments

In this paper we report the results of a study which investigated the affordances of multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) for collaborative learning from a design perspective. Utilizing a mixed methods approach, we conducted a comparative study of the effect of varying representational and interactional design features on a collaborative design activity in three online synchronous environments. We compared environments featuring multiple modes of interaction (MUVEs), shared representations (text chat and 2D still images) and text-only features. Sixty-one students enrolled in an undergraduate course on Child Development participated in the study. Participants were asked to design a theoretically-based, developmentally appropriate, preschool classroom setting. Students were randomly assigned to one of three online learning environments that provided varying levels of representation and interaction. Significant differences in collaborative problem solving interactions were found. Participants in the shared representations + text condition evidenced stronger learning outcomes as regards substantive discussion and integration of child development concepts; while participants in the MUVE condition reported the most enjoyment with the experience. These findings are explained by the concepts of representational guidance, representational bias, educational affordances and interface design metaphors. Suggestions for the design of MUVEs for collaborative learning are provided.     

Potenziale schulstatistischer Individualdaten für die Bildungsforschung und Bildungspolitik – Das Beispiel Bremen

Education policy and educational practitioners have increased their demand for evidence-based knowledge. In 2003, the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) decided to establish a core dataset for individual-level administrative school statistics, the ?Kerndatensatz für schulstatistische Individualdaten“, to close the gaps in education statistics and to support evidence-based policy. In the federal state of Bremen, individual-level student data has been collected since 1997/98. These data are of great value for educational planning and policy, educational reporting, as well as educational research, as the analysis of individual educational trajectories depends on the availability of individual-level longitudinal data. Using the Bremen data, this paper demonstrates that highly relevant issues regarding the education system can indeed be analyzed with individual-level student data. Examples include: the effects of age at school entry, educational trajectories and graduation certificates. The results show that demographic information and critical events during early years of education are good predictors for educational success. These findings highlight the potential for student-level data in establishing education policy.     

Interocular transfer in pigeons of color discrimination but not motor response training

Adult pigeons with one eye covered were trained to peck a response key using grain as a reinforcer. In subsequent tests, with the trained eye covered and the control eye open, the birds failed to peck the key. The subjects were then divided into two groups for a second experiment. The first group was trained on a single-key, peck/no-peck color discrimination task with the original control eye covered. When tested for interocular transfer of discrimination performance, these birds failed to respond at all. They were then trained to peck a blank response key with the training eye covered and the control eye open. Control-eye tests after this motor response training resulted in excellent transfer of color discrimination performance. The second group of subjects was trained to peck a blank key with first one eye covered and then the other, before monocular discrimination training was begun. These birds showed excellent transfer of discrimination performance during control-eye tests. These results show that, at least in the operant paradigm, motor response training does not transfer interocularly and this lack of transfer may interfere with transfer of discrimination performance.