Effects of US parameters on classical conditioning of cat hindlimb flexion

Unconditioned stimulus (US) intensity and duration were manipulated to determine their effects on cat hindlimb flexion conditioning. Seven consecutive days of acquisition training of a hindlimb flexor response to a tone conditioned stimulus (CS) were followed by 2 days of extinction. Eight animals in each of 12 groups received a 1-, 2-, 3-, or 4-mA, 60-Hz shock delivered to the right hindleg for 25, 50, or 100 msec as the US. Analysis of conditioned-response (CR) frequency indicated that conditioned responding was a positive function of both the intensity and duration of shock, although these variables did not interact with one another. CR latency and amplitude were decreased and increased, respectively, by increases in US intensity. The pattern of results reported here may support a contiguity notion of conditioning, and are discussed in the context of other conditioning preparations.     

Physics students' understanding of relative speed: A phenomenographic study

It is important that students of physics develop both quantitative and qualitative understanding of physical concepts and principles. Although accuracy and reliability in solving quantitative problems is necessary, a qualitative understanding is required in applying concepts and principles to new problems and in real-life situations. If students are not able to understand what underlies quantitative problem-solving procedures nor interpret the solution in physical terms, it is questionable whether they have developed an adequate understanding of physics. The research reported here is part of a larger phenomenographic study that is concerned with the assessment of physics students' understanding of some basic concepts and principles in kinematics. In this article students' understanding of the concept of relative speed is described. A variety of ways of understanding relative speed and of viewing a problem that dealt with this concept were uncovered. The results are used to suggest ways for teachers to proceed in assisting students to enhance their understanding of this concept. The teaching principles outlined concern both teaching relative speed, in particular, and teaching scientific concepts and principles, more generally.     

“‘Sink or swim’: buoyancy and coping in the cognitive test anxiety – academic performance relationship”

This study explores the relationship between students’ self-report levels of cognitive test anxiety (worry), academic buoyancy (withstanding and successfully responding to routine school challenges and setbacks), coping processes and their achieved grades in high-stakes national examinations at the end of compulsory schooling. The sample comprised 325 English students in their final year of secondary school preparing for high-stakes examinations. While controlling for prior attainment and gender, higher worry predicted lower examinations scores. This was partially mediated by less use of effective pre-exam coping strategies. Academic buoyancy moderated the indirect relationship such that the indirect negative relationship from worry to examination performance was stronger when academic buoyancy was lower. The paper concludes that providing in-school training in task-focus and orientation and how to withstand academic pressures may help to ameliorate the influence of performance-interfering worries, and potentially enhance performance among students inclined to worry about examinations.     

Globalisation,Post-modernity and the State: Comparative education facing the third millennium

In this article, the implications for globalisation and Post-modernity are assessed in terms of the self-understanding and practice of comparative education, particularly in relation to contemporary theories of the state, and civil society. It is argued that, while globalisation and post-modernity are usually seen as discrete phenomena, each raises complex questions of difference and hybridity, power and collective action, which can no longer be seen in relation to the nation-state alone. Different meanings of globalisation are canvassed, based in part on Sklair's taxonomy, while examples of the impact of globalisation, especially on higher education, are given. The implications of post-modern thought are also analysed, particularly for research and understanding in comparative education. Referring to Putnam's work on civil society, it is argued that both globalisation and post-modernity are linked to changes in the nature of late capitalism, and crises in the modern state. It is finally argued that neither offers much in practice to the much needed renewal of democracy, including in education; indeed that both arguably contribute to a trend towards individualism, and a retreat from democratic engagement and visions of the social good.     

The impact of training on pre-service teacher attitudes,concerns, and efficacy towards inclusion

Thirty pre-service teachers took part in a nine-week university course focussed on the benefits of inclusive education and the techniques needed to successfully implement it. The Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Inclusion Scale (TATIS), Concerns about Inclusive Education Scale (CIES), and Teacher’s Efficacy in Implementing Inclusive Practices (TEIP) were administered prior to and following the university course. Paired sample t-tests revealed that participants’ attitudes and efficacy increased significantly following the course while their concerns decreased significantly. Mixed design ANOVAs revealed that pre-service teachers without past experience of teaching students with disabilities had the largest improvement in attitudes. Pre-service teachers who were not acquainted with a person with a disability had significantly larger decreases in concern level and increases in efficacy level than those who were acquainted with a person with a disability. These results are discussed and implications for future research outlined.     

Scholarship neglected? How levels are assigned for units of study in Australian undergraduate courses

Undergraduate units of study are typically differentiated by level as introductory, intermediate or advanced. This paper considers the processes used to create such differentiations together with their implications. Results from a survey of current policy and practice in Australian universities are presented. They reveal a paucity of guidance for lecturers as they design their unit presentations and assessment expectations to reflect the level assigned to their unit. There is also a widely held view that academics intuitively know how to interpret unit levels. The authors contend that current policy and practices associated with determining levels of units are inadequate and argue that more explicit definitions and educationally defensible processes are required.     

The Role of Interracial Interaction in the Development of Leadership Skills and Cultural Knowledge and Understanding

While higher education leaders tout the benefits of racial diversity for developing culturally knowledgeable civic leaders, our understanding of these benefits and, in particular, the role of interracial interaction in realizing them, is still emerging. In this study, differences between the effects of interracial contact among students that are close friends versus more casual interracial interactions are examined for their affect on students' leadership skills and cultural knowledge and understanding. Findings suggest that casual interracial interaction is particularly beneficial among students with more racially homogeneous friendship circles, especially with regard to developing leadership skills. In addition, findings indicate that frequent interracial interaction among students may be more important in developing cultural knowledge than involvement in formal activities such as cultural awareness workshops.