Disciplinary Differences in Self-Regulated Learning in College Students

The personal attributes of self-regulated learning are often described in terms of knowledge base, adaptive motivational beliefs, and appropriate use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies for learning. These attributes are usually assumed to apply across all disciplines and contexts, but there has been little research that has examined the disciplinary differences in these personal attributes of self-regulated learning. The present study examined college students’ knowledge, motivation, and self-regulatory learning strategies in humanities, social science, and natural science college courses. The sample included 380 college students from three different institutions. Students were given a measure of their course knowledge and a self-report measure of their motivational beliefs and use of self-regulatory strategies at the beginning and end of the semester. Three levels of achievement were created from final course grade and ANOVA's were used to examine the differences in knowledge, motivation, and self-regulation by achievement level and discipline. The results suggest that the components of knowledge, motivation, and self-regulation do distinguish high from low achievers in social and natural science courses, but not in the humanities courses. Results are discussed in terms of the generalizability of our models of self-regulated learning across disciplines and implications for measuring self-regulated learning in different disciplines.     

School placement and conductive education: the experiences of education administrators

A placement at the National Institute of Conductive Education (NICE) in Birmingham for children with motor disorders is strongly preferred over mainstream or special schools by some parents, but it has been noted that this is usually refused following the current statementing process. Although funding constraints have been articulated, Angela Morgan, a Research Fellow at the Wolverhampton University Policy Research Institute, and Kevin Hogan, also at the University of Wolverhampton, contend in this article that other explanations are possible, as variability remains in placement decisions. The experiences of education administrators working within the special educational needs departments of local education authorities who make the ultimate decision regarding school placement have hitherto been unexplored. This study offers findings from an exploratory qualitative study, which suggests that administrators are working from disparate understandings of conductive education within an arena fraught with conflict. Recommendations derived from the study include further in-service training for education administrators and prior training for individuals seeking a career in education administration to enhance collaborative working partnerships between administrators and parents.     

The computer in the classroom: a medium for enhancing social interaction with young people with autistic spectrum disorders?

Angela Jacklin is a senior lecturer in education and director of student support at the University of Sussex. William Farr is a teacher at a primary school in Sussex, and a former MA student at Sussex University. In the project reported in this article, they worked together to consider how valuable the computer may be as a medium to enhance social interaction with pupils with autistic spectrum disorders. The research took place in a special school for pupils with severe learning difficulties in the South East of England and involved 12 children from the school's unit for pupils with autism. From this initial group, three pupils were selected for more focused study. Using a mix of qualitative data gathering and analysis stragegies, the research highlighted the importance of social interaction a round the computer and indicated that the computer could be a useful tool for enhancing social interaction. This was found to relate in part to the adult's ability to follow the child's lead, as well as the complex intermingling of events known as 'tricky mixes'. Where this happened, use of the computer appeared to result in more sustained and more positive interactions for young people with autistic spectrum disorders.     

Commercialization of Technology News

While technology news has become a major news genre, the coverage of high-tech products has raised concerns regarding the commercialization of journalism. Drawing on salience transfer and exemplification theory, this study explores how The New York Times and USA Today covered Apple products along quantity and quality dimensions. A content analysis documented a landslide in the amount of coverage on Apple products in both newspapers. Both iPhones and iPads were disproportionately over-covered in relation to their market share. Over one-third of the headlines about the iPhone covered the product favorably. The New York Times published more stories about these gadgets than USA Today did, while USA Today was twice as likely to portray iPhones in a positive light. These findings have raised questions about the commercialization of technology news and its impact on journalism.     

A Multicomponent Library Resource Model to Enhance Academic Global Health Education Among Residency Programs

Global health is becoming an increasingly important component of medical education. Medical libraries have an opportunity to assist global health residents with their information needs, but first it is important to identify what those needs are and how best they can be addressed. This article reports a collaboration between global health faculty and an academic medical librarian to assess the information needs of global health pathway residents and how assessment data are used to create a multicomponent program designed to enhance global health education.     

Walk-In Triage Systems in University Counseling Centers

To meet the complex mental health needs of students, some university counseling centers (UCCs) have implemented walk-in triage intake systems, which have not yet been empirically investigated. This study compared client and clinician differences (N = 5564) between a traditional scheduled intake system (Year 1) and a walk-in triage system (Year 2) at a large, southeastern UCC. Results showed a significant increase in clients’ attendance rates and clinicians’ caseloads, a significant decrease in no-show rates, and no change in students’ symptom severity at intake between Years 1 and 2. Clinicians’ number of scheduled appointments were unchanged, indicating that clinicians were already at maximum capacity for appointments in Year 1. Results are discussed in terms of the benefits and challenges that walk-in triage systems present to students, universities, and UCCs.     

Comparing Web, Correspondence and Lecture versions of a second-year non-major Biology course

A comparison of correspondence and Web versions of the same course indicated that, although the students were very satisfied with the Web version, the correspondence section achieved the higher mean final scores in three of the four semesters while the Web course achieved the higher mean score in only one semester. A literature search indicated that there are very few studies which compare the relative successes of Web-based courses and traditional (lecture) courses as this present study does. In addition most of these other comparative studies are based on only one offering of the Web-based course, whereas the present study evaluates the Web-based course over four different semesters.     

‘A shock of electricity just sort of goes through my body’: physical activity and embodied reflexive practices in young female ballet dancers

Participation in physical activities, in and out of school, remains heavily influenced by social constructions of gendered behaviour. In addition, the body plays a significant part in the presentation of legitimate performances of physical practice and the construction of a physical ‘identity’. The consequence is that in formalized activities many girls (and boys) are provided little chance to experience the pleasurable aspects of physical activity, as well as the added benefits of bodily confidence and knowledge. We suggest that the association of dance with other artistic forms of expression provides an opportunity to contest taken for granted assumptions about sport and physical education. The material for this paper was drawn from observations and interviews conducted with young, female dancers, aged between 9‐ and 11‐years‐old, at an internationally renowned ballet school in London.     

In conclusion: Questions of culture and education

Professor of Education in Developing Countries, and Head of Education and International Development, at the Institute of Education, University of London. She has worked and researched extensively in Africa and Asia. As a social psychologist, she has a special interest in learning, and as an ‘agent of development’, a sensitivity to the diversity of cultural contexts, the significance of context for effective learning and the quality and relevance of educational exports from one setting to another.