Language Use Contributes to Expressive Language Growth: Evidence From Bilingual Children

The unique relation of language use (i.e., output) to language growth was investigated for forty‐seven 30‐month‐old Spanish–English bilingual children (27 girls, 20 boys) whose choices of which language to speak resulted in their levels of English output differing from their levels of English input. English expressive vocabularies and receptive language skills were assessed at 30, 36, and 42 months. Longitudinal multilevel modeling indicated an effect of output on expressive vocabulary growth only. The finding that output specifically benefits the development of expressive language skill has implications for understanding effects of language use on language skill in monolingual and bilingual development, and potentially, for understanding consequences of cultural differences in how much children are expected to talk in conversation with adults.     

Dragons,Ladybugs, and Softballs: Girls’ STEM Engagement with Human-Centered Robotics

Journal of Science Education and Technology - Early experiences in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are important for getting youth interested in STEM fields, particularly for...     

自动避碰数学模型研究中须考虑的几个问题

本文简要回顾了国内外自动避碰数学模型的研究情况，并结合作者在此领域的探索，提出了在自动避碰数学模型研究中须考虑的几个问题，为建立较为合理的自动避碰数学模型提供了一定的参考依据。     

A qualitative analysis of the factors determining the quality of relations between a novice physical education teacher and his students’ families: implications for the development of professional identity

The purposes of this study were: (a) to analyze the factors determining the quality of relationships between a novice physical education (PE) teacher and his students’ families and (b) understand the implications of these relationships for his professional identity. The data stemmed from detailed teacher’s diaries written by the participant throughout his first five years of teaching. The data analysis followed several rounds of cyclical inductive-deductive processes in order to identify and classify the patterns related to the aforementioned purposes. The results, presented in two sections, show two distinct sets of factors, which, respectively, had very different implications for the development of the teacher’s professional identity. On the one hand, in the first three years of teaching, there appeared 11 specific ‘struggle factors’ (6 socio-cultural and structural factors and 5 family prejudices toward PE) that threatened the teacher’s initial pedagogical passion and lead to a great deal of hesitation and discouragement on his part; on the other hand, in the fourth and fifth years, due to the teacher’s ongoing commitment and (self-)reflective practice, there emerged eight ‘success factors’ (one from the families and seven from the teacher) that transformed his previous discouragement into hope and self-confidence. Besides the detailed analysis of all these factors and their implications, some additional recommendations for PE teacher education programs and further research are provided.