“Tell me about”: a logbook of teachers’ changes from face-to-face to distance mathematics education

Educational Studies in Mathematics - In 2020, the emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic brought a drastic and sudden change in teaching practices, from the physical space of the classrooms to the...     

Early Adverse Experiences and Repeated Wheezing From 6 to 30 Months of Age: Investigating the Roles of Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal Axis Functioning,Child Sex,and Caregiving Sensitivity

This study examined associations among early adversity, diurnal cortisol, child sex, and caregiver sensitivity at age 6 months in relation to wheezing in children (47% male) followed to 30 months. Analyses included 676 mother-child dyads, 393 of whom completed an observational caregiver sensitivity measure. Participants were primarily ethnic minorities (42.7% Black, 25.4% Hispanic); 22.1% of children had ≥ 1 wheezing episode. Higher adversity was associated with increased wheeze frequency and blunted diurnal cortisol slope. The indirect effect of adversity on wheezing through cortisol slope was significant for females, but not males. Higher caregiver sensitivity was protective against wheezing for males, but not females, with high cortisol. Findings suggest complex associations among adversity, cortisol, child sex, and caregiver sensitivity in predicting wheezing.     

Sophomores speaking: An exploratory study of student research practices

This article describes an exploratory study of the research behaviors of sophomore students at a small liberal arts college. In light of the transitional nature of the sophomore year and the limited data available on the research practices of sophomores, the authors sought to better understand the following: Students’ topic selection, help-seeking behavior, types of sources consulted, source selection criteria, research challenges, and changes in information-seeking behavior from the first year to the sophomore year. This article describes findings from a survey and in-depth interviews, and it offers recommendations for further research.     

Young People's Conceptions of Environment: A phenomenographic analysis

Environmental education in schools is an important strategy in achieving environmental improvement. However, it needs to be based on children's understandings of environment rather than on assumptions of what children know and believe. This paper reports on a research project where school children's answers to a question 'I think the term/word environment means ' were analysed using the qualitative research method of phenomenography. Six distinct conceptions were isolated, ranging from the least sophisticated--environment as a place--to the most inclusive and expansive--environment and people in a relationship of mutual sustainability. An important qualitative difference was found between conceptions that treat the environment as an object and relational conceptions. The implications of these findings for environmental education are discussed.     

Teaching without a blackboard and chalk: conflicting attitudes towards using ICTs in higher education teaching and learning

This article, derived from a three-year ethnography of distributed medical education provision in a Canadian university, explores the ways in which information and communication technologies are used by teachers and students in their everyday work within technologically rich teaching environments. The environments being researched are two university campuses: a campus at the main university site and a satellite campus in a neighbouring province. The article seeks to contrast dominant, institutional discourses of technology use in higher education teaching with the everyday practices of staff and students. The article concludes that there is a gap between policy and practice in distributed education and that the teaching and learning experience and context of staff and students in different sites need to be analysed in depth, in terms of: whether the experience of learning across sites can be positioned as being comparable; the extent to which technology ameliorates learning and teaching; and understanding the work done by staff.     

Burnout and quality of life among Greek municipal preschool and kindergarten teaching staff

Burnout and quality of life (QoL) were assessed among 415 preschool and kindergarten teaching and assisting staff pertaining to Athens Municipal Nursery. MBI-ES and WHOQOL-BREF were used to collect data. Results revealed average to high levels of burnout; the emotional exhaustion was the salient dimension. QoL was satisfactory to high, except the ‘Environment’ section that was rated as moderate. Higher burnout was identified amongst those with permanent and open-ended work contracts, widows, the eldest, the more experienced and educated and those suffering from health problems. Lower QoL was associated with higher burnout. Data could guide multilevel policies for preventing burnout and improving QoL.     

Three types of conduct‐problem boys in an educational setting

Third grade boys identified as being disruptive to on‐going classroom activities were grouped according to their teacher's ratings of their behaviour characteristics as unco‐operative (Type I), easily flustered (Type II), and unco‐operative and easily flustered (Type III). No significant differences in performance existed between types on individually administered tests of perception and psycholinguistic abilities. On group administered tests of academic achievement and intelligence, the uncooperative boys did significantly better than the other two types. It was also determined that the easily flustered boys did substantially better on individually administered measures of IQ. than they did on group administered measures. These findings suggest that teachers should avoid using group tests to evaluate disruptive boys they perceive as being easily flustered.     

The relationship of intelligence,self‐concept and locus of control to school achievement for Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal Children

This research examines variables related to the school achievement of Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal students. Thirty‐five indigenous students and fifty‐eight non‐Aboriginals in Grade eight completed a Coopersmith Self‐Esteem Inventory and the Intellectual Responsibility Questionnaire. These scores, together with information on intellectual ability, school achievement on teacher‐made English and mathematics tests, sex, school and ethnic origin, were entered in a multiple regression equation. No difference between the two groups emerged on scores of self‐esteem and locus of control. However, the predictors of achievement for each group differed significantly. Intellectual ability was the best predictor of achievement for non‐Aboriginals, while locus of control was the most important predictor for the indigenous group. Results are discussed in relation to recent research and classroom implications.     

Supporting adaptive learning pathways through the use of learning analytics: developments,challenges and future opportunities

Learning Analytics (LA) and adaptive learning are inextricably linked since they both foster technology-supported learner-centred education. This study identifies developments focusing on their interplay and emphasises insufficiently investigated directions which display a higher innovation potential. Twenty-one peer-reviewed studies are identified via a systematic review and classified based on the dimensions of a proposed framework. The findings of the review suggest that interesting work has been carried out during the last years on the topic. We conclude with a need for more research on the topic in specific learning domains and settings. Recommendations include: a clear strategy for adaptation augmented by LA, the combination of on-task with pre-task measures, and the combination of system-controlled adaptation with user-controlled adaptation. Future trends include the emergence of constructivist-collaborative environments that provide insightful models of complex student behaviour.