CLASSROOM CLIMATE IN AN ORTHODOX DAY SCHOOL: The Contribution of Emotional Intelligence,Demographics, and Classroom Context

I had completed a long list of wonderful ideas for the Synagogue School of the 21st Century, and was about to sit down and write my paper, when my eye glanced upon the Spring-Summer 1990 issue of Jewish Education. When I noticed the articles of Alvin Schiff and Rela Geffen Monson, I read through them before beginning to write: Lo and behold, everything I had written down and was already there — in Jewish Education under the title, “Toward the Year 2000.”     

Computed tomography‐enhanced anatomy course using enterprise visualization

Rapid changes in medical knowledge are forcing continuous adaptation of the basic science courses in medical schools. This article discusses a three‐year experience developing a new Computed Tomography (CT)‐based anatomy curriculum at the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, including describing the motivations and reasoning for the new curriculum, the CT‐based learning system itself, practical examples of visual dissections, and student assessments of the new curriculum. At the heart of this new curriculum is the emphasis on studying anatomy by navigating inside the bodies of various living individuals utilizing a CT viewer. To assess the students’ experience with the new CT‐based learning method, an anonymous questionnaire was administered at the end of the course for three consecutive academic years: 2008/2009, 2009/2010, 2010/2011. Based upon the results, modifications were made to the curriculum in the summers of 2009 and 2010. Results showed that: (1) during these three years the number of students extensively using the CT system quadrupled (from 11% to 46%); (2) students' satisfaction from radiologists involvement increased by 150%; and (3) student appreciation of the CT‐based learning method significantly increased (from 13% to 68%). It was concluded that discouraging results (mainly negative feedback from students) during the first years and a priori opposition from the teaching staff should not weaken efforts to develop new teaching methods in the field of anatomy. Incorporating a new curriculum requires time and patience. Student and staff satisfaction, along with utilization of the new system, will increase with the improvement of impeding factors. Anat Sci Educ 6: 332–341. © 2013 American Association of Anatomists.     

The impact of the medium of instruction: The case of teaching and learning of computer programming

Despite the seemingly good prospects in the Information Technology (IT) industry, the expected number of students who are interested in the relevant subjects has been limited. While numerous studies have explored the influence of various variables on programming course participation and performance at a personal level, there have been few studies conducted at a policy level. This study examined the impact of the medium of instruction (MOI) on student learning of computer programming in Hong Kong. It also examined the effects of gender and prior academic ability on programming performance. No gender differences in programming performance were found in the sample after prior academic ability was controlled. Prior academic ability affected performance differentially. Chinese-medium instructed students tended to outperform their English-medium instructed counterparts and middle and low-ability students in English-medium schools were notably at-risk. In view of these results, we argue that the MOI issue is further complicated by student ability. This provides a new understanding of the impact of the MOI on student learning. At a policy level, the results offer empirical evidence for policy-makers to rethink the current MOI policy. At a school level, we propose some metacognitive and cognitive strategies to address the needs of those at-risk learners. Finally, we intend to raise a series of questions that warrant further discussion and investigation.     

The Differential Effects of Direct Address on Parasocial Experience and Identification: Empirical Evidence for Conceptual Difference

Whereas parasocial experience is conceptualized as imagined interaction identification is defined as the merging of one’s identity with a character’s. Thus, having a character face the camera and directly address viewers should increase the sense of parasocial experience but not affect the intensity of identification. An experiment compared the levels of parasocial experience and identification among viewers of clips from the show House of Cards that included or omitted direct address tested this prediction. Results provide support for the previously theorized conceptualdistinction between parasocial experience and identification.     

The Role of Disordered-Eating Cognitions and Psychological Flexibility on Distress in Asian American and European American College Females in the United States

The present study investigated whether different forms of disordered-eating-related cognitions and psychological flexibility were associated with psychological distress among female Asian American and European American college students in the United States. Disordered-eating-related cognitions examined in the present study included thoughts (a) associated with the fear of gaining weight, (b) on perceived importance of having an ideal weight and shape as a means of being accepted by others, and (c) of perceived self-worth related to self-control over diet and weight levels. Data from 87 Asian American and 231 European American female college students were used for the present analyses. In both groups, all forms of disordered-eating cognitions were positively associated with psychological distress, which was in turn inversely associated with psychological flexibility. In the Asian American group, cognitions on perceived importance of having an ideal body shape and weight to be socially accepted by others and psychological flexibility were uniquely related to psychological distress when controlling for other disordered-eating cognitions (i.e., thoughts related to fear of weight gain, self-worth from feeling in control of eating), age, and Body Mass Index (BMI). In the European American group, when controlling for other study variables, only psychological flexibility uniquely related to psychological distress. Implications of the present findings for counseling practice are discussed.     

Linked to innovation: Shaping an innovative climate through network intentionality and educators’ social network position

This study investigates whether educators’ cognitive and structural social capital is associated with perceptions of innovative climate in charter schools. We explore a new concept to assess educators’ cognitive social capital, namely network intentionality, meaning the extent to which an educator is intentional in connecting and interacting with others. We hypothesize that network intentionality (cognitive social capital) is related to the extent to which educators perceive their school’s climate to be innovative, but that this relationship is dependent on the educator’s position in their school’s social network (structural social capital). Findings suggest that the relationship between cognitive social capital and perceptions of innovative climate is partly mediated by structural social capital. In other words, those educators with high network intentionality, as evidenced by an orientation towards connecting others, also perceive the school’s climate as being more innovative, partly because this strong network intentionality is associated with more out-going relational activity. This work provides unique insights into the factors that may be associated with teacher collaboration in successful charter schools serving traditionally underserved populations, and suggests ideas for schools wishing to support teacher collaboration and innovation.     

Vertical jumping and leg power normative data for English school children aged 10–15 years

Abstract

Although vertical jumping is often incorporated into physical activity tests for both adults and children, normative data for children and adolescents are lacking in the literature. The objectives of this study were to provide normative data of jump height and predicted peak leg power for males and females aged 10.0–15.9 years. Altogether, 1845 children from 12 state primary and secondary schools in the East of England participated in the study. Each child performed two countermovement jumps, and jump height was calculated using a NewTest jump mat. The highest jump was used for analysis and in the calculation of predicted peak power. Jump height and predicted peak leg power were significantly higher for males than females from the age of 11 years. Jump height and peak power increased significantly year on year for males. For females, jump height and predicted peak leg power reached a plateau after age 12 and 13 years respectively. This study provides normative data that can be used as a tool to classify jumping performance in children aged 10–15 years.     

A comparison of the physiological response to simulated altitude exposure and r-HuEpo administration

Concerns have been raised about the morality of using simulated altitude facilities in an attempt to improve athletic performance. One assumption that has been influential in this debate is the belief that altitude houses simply mimic the physiological effects of illegal recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEpo) doping. To test the validity of this assumption, the haematological and physiological responses of 23 well-trained athletes exposed to a simulated altitude of 2650-3000 m for 11-23 nights were contrasted with those of healthy volunteers receiving a low dose (150 IU·kg^-1 per week) of r-HuEpo for 25 days. Serial blood samples were analysed for serum erythropoietin and percent reticulocytes; maximal oxygen uptake ([Vdot]O_2max) was assessed before and after r-HuEpo administration or simulated altitude exposure. The group mean increase in serum erythropoietin (422% for r-HuEpo vs 59% for simulated altitude), percent reticulocytes (89% vs 30%) and [Vdot]O_2max (6.6% vs -2.0%) indicated that simulated altitude did not induce the changes obtained with r-HuEpo administration. Based on the disparity of these responses, we conclude that simulated altitude facilities should not be considered unethical based solely on the tenet that they provide an alternative means of obtaining the benefits sought by illegal r-HuEpo doping.     

Psychometric Note on the Reliability of the Sport Competition Anxiety Test: Form C

Abstract

Data collected from 736 fourth, fifth, and sixth grade children using Martens SCAT-C yielded moderately high values of split half reliability. Internal consistency coefficients were relatively high (.81 to .85) and similar to the values reported in the Martens test manual when calculated using the appropriate test, eliminating use of the KR-20. The SCAT-C was also found to be generalizable to fourth grade populations even though originally its use was not intended with this age group.