Gender differences in mental simulation during sentence and word processing

Text comprehension requires readers to mentally simulate the described situation by reactivating previously acquired sensory and motor information from (episodic) memory. Drawing upon research demonstrating gender differences, favouring girls, in tasks involving episodic memory retrieval, the present study explores whether gender differences exist in mental simulation in children (Grades 4 to 6). In Experiment 1, 99 children performed a sentence–picture verification task measuring mental simulation at sentence level. In Experiment 2, 97 children completed a lexical decision task in which imageability of words was manipulated to measure mental simulation at word level. Only for girls we found faster reaction times for matching versus mismatching sentence–picture pairs (Experiment 1) and high‐imageability versus low‐imageability words (Experiment 2). The results suggest that girls construct more coherent and vivid mental simulations than boys and rely more heavily on these representations. The results emphasize the importance of including gender into reading comprehension research. [Correction added on 13 June 2016, after first online publication: The affiliation of author “Björn B. de Koning” was previously wrong and has been corrected in this current version.]     

Learning about “Half”: Critical Aspects and Pedagogical Strategies in Designed Preschool Activities

This is an empirical inquiry concerning children’s concept development and early mathematics teaching. The intention is to broaden the understanding of preschool children’s perceptions of the concept “half” (as 1 of 2 equal parts of a whole), in designed mathematics teaching settings. Three teachers working with 4–5-year-old children participate in an in-service program, involving continuous and cooperative reflection and theoretically designed teaching activities. Observations of pedagogical strategies and children’s responses reveal that: children show qualitatively different ways of experiencing the same concept; the ways of experiencing are critical for how the intended learning object is perceived; and the dimensions of the learning object are related to each other, suggesting a hierarchical organization of how to perceive aspects of “half.”     

`Alternative' Universities Revisited: A Study of the Distinctiveness of Universities Established in the Spirit of 1968

In the late 60s and early 70s,several universities were set up in variousEuropean countries with the intention ofproviding an alternative to establishedinstitutions of higher education. The newuniversities were expected, amongst otherthings, to experiment with new forms ofleadership and management internally, giveteaching and learning higher priority, and tobe regional relevant institutions for the areain which they were located. The paper analysesto what extent three such universityestablishments: Aalborg University in Denmark,Maastricht University in the Netherlands andTromsø University in Norway have managed tomaintain and develop their alternative profileduring the last thirty years. The studysuggests that even though the universities insome areas have adapted to environmentalpressure, they have managed to keep theirprofile as innovative and alternative.     

Understanding leading as travelling practices

In this paper, we propose the concept of leading as travelling practices in order to understand how enhanced pedagogical practices ‘catch on’ in educational sites. Drawing on parallel case studies in Australia, Sweden and Norway, we analyse how leading practices moved within and between settings, transforming the discursive, material and social conditions for teaching and learning. We examine the composition and ecological connections of these leading practices with professional learning and pedagogical practices in schools and pre-schools. We conclude that practice-informed lens can shed new light on the spread of practices, which foster the conditions necessary for transformed pedagogy.     

The future of value creation and innovations: Aspects of a theory of value creation and innovation in a global knowledge economy

What enhances innovation and value creation in the global knowledge economy? We offer several answers here, chief among them this: Leaders need to move away from focusing on developing innovations and value within the mental models, systems, and organizational solutions of the old industrial economy, with its firm- and product-centric view of value. Instead, they need to focus on providing tailor-made products and services to the newly connected and interconnected customer. They can do this with individualized immediate feedback, a new organizational logic, and new cooperating structures.     

The Influence of Teachers in the Operation of Basic Schools in Iceland1

The governance of basic schools (grades 1–10) in Iceland was transferred from state control to municipal control in 1995 with a new Basic School Act. This transfer was in line with the emphasis on school‐based management that was stressed in the Act. This policy was criticised by many, including teachers and their union representatives. Research indicates that basic principals are very pleased with their new working environment, but showed indication of dissatisfaction amongst teachers. Accordingly, it was of interest to investigate how this policy has influenced the working environment of basic school teachers: Has it facilitated increased autonomy of schools? Has it enhanced participative decision‐making and co‐operation amongst teachers? What kind of pressures and expectations has it generated from parents and municipal educational authorities? A questionnaire was sent to a sample of 750 teachers during the spring of 2005. The findings indicate that there seems to be a gap emerging between the perceived professional independence of schools and the professional independence of teachers. This study also indicates that the general teacher wants to be more involved in decision‐making in his/her school in areas such as development projects, in‐service planning and distribution of financial resources. The study also shows that external demands and pressures on teachers have increased considerably, particularly in urban areas.     

Changes in the cross-country ski base properties resulting from the ski use

In this work, changes in the cross-country ski base properties resulting from stone grinding, skiing, waxing and re-stone grinding have been investigated. The surface topography, crystallinity, wettability and sliding properties of cross-country ski bases were recorded using a selection of measurement techniques: non-contact chromatic confocal microscopy, contact-type surface roughness analyser and scanning electron microscopy (topography), Raman spectroscopy (crystallinity), contact angle measurement (wettability) and a ski tester (sliding properties). The tested skis were used for 150 km and waxed 35 times. The ski base surface became smoother and the orientation and crystallisation of the base material increased. Wear decreased the hydrophobicity and increased the sliding friction. Even though re-grinding did not restore all of the ski base properties, re-grinding improved the wettability and sliding properties. The results help to optimise stone grinding interval to maintain the performance of the skis.     

General or Specific Learning of Figure‐Ground Perception

Abstract

B?, O. 1978. General or Specific Learning of Figure‐Ground Perception. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 22, 129‐153. Two training programs, one for auditory and one for visual figure‐ground perception, were constructed. The training effect for each program was tested in small groups of 8 pupils and the gain compared with a control group. The pupils were partly from an institution for brain damaged children and partly from an institution for mentally retarded. The effect measured was the pre‐test‐post‐test difference on tests for auditory and for visual figure‐ground perception. Both training groups showed higher gain score than the control group on both tests, but the effect was significant only for visual training on visual figure‐ground perception.     

Learning to argue as a biotechnologist: disprivileging opposition to genetically modified food

In the public discussion of genetically modified (GM) food the representations of science as a social good, conducted in the public interest to solve major problems are being subjected to intense scrutiny and questioning. Scientists working in these areas have been seen to struggle for the position of science in society. However few in situ studies of how the debate about science appears in learning situations at the university level have been undertaken. In the present study an introductory course in biotechnology was observed during one semester, lectures and small group supervision concerning GM food were videotaped and student’s reports on the issue were collected. The ethnographic approach to Discourse analysis was conducted by means of a set of carefully selected and representative observations of how a group of students learn to argue and appropriate views held in the Discourse they are enculturated into. While socio-scientific issues (SSIs) are often associated with achieving scientific literacy in terms of “informed decisions” involving “rational thought and Discourse” this study shows that SSI in practice, in the context studied here, is primarily concerned with using scientific language to privilege professional understandings of GMOs and discredit public worries and concerns. Scientific claims were privileged over ethical, economical and political claims which were either made irrelevant or rebutted. The students were seen to appropriate a Discourse model held in the biotechnological community that public opposition towards GMO is due to “insufficient knowledge”. The present study offers insights into biotechnology students’ decision making regarding socio-scientific issues, while also demonstrating the utility of Discourse analysis for understanding learning in this university context. Implications for reflection on the institutional Discourse of science and teaching of controversial issues in science are drawn and the study contributes to the investigation of claims of scientific literacy coupled to SSIs and argumentation     

Effects of a Reading Strategy Training Aimed at Improving Mental Simulation in Primary School Children

This study investigated the effects of a mental simulation training targeted at improving children’s reading comprehension. In a 4-week period, one group of third and fourth graders (n?=?75) learned to draw upon their sensorimotor memories and experiences to mentally simulate text (experimental training group), whereas another group (n?=?51) received the schools’ regular reading comprehension instructions (control training group). Pre-to-posttest differences in general reading comprehension, reading motivation, and mental simulation (distinguishing between perceptual and motor simulation) were examined to evaluate the trainings’ effectiveness. Compared to the control group, children who had received the mental simulation training showed improved performance on general reading comprehension (in Grade 3) and scored higher on reading motivation (in Grades 3 and 4). There were no performance differences between groups on the mental simulation measures. These findings indicate that it is beneficial for children to encourage and teach them to connect their sensorimotor experiences to the text they are reading.