A developmental perspective on full- versus part-day kindergarten and children's academic trajectories through fifth grade

Children's kindergarten experiences are increasingly taking place in full- versus part-day programs, yet important questions remain about whether there are significant and meaningful benefits to full-day kindergarten. Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study's Kindergarten Cohort ( N = 13,776), this study takes a developmental approach to examining associations between kindergarten program type and academic trajectories from kindergarten (ages 4–6 years) through 5th grade (ages 9–12 years). Full-day kindergarten was associated with greater growth of reading and math skills from fall until spring of kindergarten. Initial academic benefits diminished soon after kindergarten. The fade-out of the full-day advantage is in part explained by differences in the children who attend part- and full-day kindergarten as well as school characteristics.     

Hybrid Deterministic Views About Genes in Biology Textbooks: A Key Problem in Genetics Teaching

A major source of difficulties in promoting students’ understanding of genetics lies in the presentation of gene concepts and models in an inconsistent and largely ahistorical manner, merely amalgamated in hybrid views, as if they constituted linear developments, instead of being built for different purposes and employed in specific contexts. In this paper, we report the results of a study about how textbooks can provide the grounds for the students’ construction of such hybrid views about genes. These views are a key problem in genetics teaching, because they make it more difficult that students properly understand this central biological concept and strengthen genetic deterministic ideas, which characterize a widespread discourse about genes in the public opinion. We analyzed 18 textbooks using categorical content analysis, employing categories derived from the literature addressing the historical development of gene models and concepts. Our findings indicate that the analyzed textbooks do convey hybrid views about genes, with no correspondence to scientific models related to this biological concept. These views reinforce genetic deterministic discourses and may lead students to serious misunderstandings about the nature of genes and their role in living systems, with consequences to future learning about genetics.     

Students’ views of assessment in project-led engineering education: findings from a case study in Portugal

According to the demands of the Bologna process, new educational methods and strategies are needed in order to enhance student-centred learning. Project work is one of those approaches. This paper aims to evaluate the impact of project-led education (PLE) on students’ learning processes and outcomes, within the context of a first-year engineering programme. It explores students’ perceptions about assessment procedures and processes. Data collection was based on individual surveys at the end and the beginning of each PLE edition and through focus groups, after a period of six months. Findings are presented according to emerging themes from the data analysis, focusing mainly on students’ perspectives of learning and assessment, the role of formative and summative assessments in PLE and their impact on learning. Implications for improving assessment practices are discussed.     

“My Child is Your Child”: Family Behavior in a Mexican Science Museum

Abstract In this paper we describe the particularities of Latin American museum visitors as learners through an exploratory study that took place at Universum, Museo de las Ciencias, a science museum located in Mexico City. The exploration of the learning experiences of Latin American family groups was carried out by means of a case study approach and from a socio‐cultural theory perspective. This inquiry of 20 family groups reveals that nuances of the concept of “family,” in the Mexican context, are important in studying family learning in museum settings. The prominent roles of the extended family and interactions within family groups are discussed as intrinsic traits of a family’s museum learning. In addition, the outcomes of this study highlight the impact that the Latin American notion of educación has on museum education and research, as it encompasses issues that relate to the perpetuation of socio‐cultural values, child‐rearing, and ultimately, cultural identity.     

Engaging students in learning: findings from a study of project-led education

This paper reports on findings from a three-year study of project-based learning implemented in the first year of the Industrial Engineering and Management programme, at the University of Minho, Portugal. This particular model was inspired on project-led education (PLE), following Powell and Weenk's [2003. Project-Led Engineering Education. Utrecht: Lemma] work. It aims to analyse students’ perceptions of PLE as a learning device and its implications for faculty and students’ role in teaching and learning. Data collection took place in two phases through individual surveys and focus groups to students. Findings suggest the importance of PLE as a device to enhance meaningful learning and provide evidence from students that it helps to increase their engagement in learning. Implications of PLE for faculty and students role in teaching and learning will be discussed in the paper.     

Participant characteristics and process variables predict attrition from a home-based early intervention program

Although advocates of home visits claim that they improve access to preventive interventions for socially disadvantaged families, home visiting programs often report high dropout rates. This study investigated factors predicting attrition in a sample of 434 low-income, first-time mothers in a German program modeled on the Nurse–Family Partnership program. Both participant characteristics and process variables associated with attrition were examined. The results indicated that 38.5% of the mothers left the program before completing 75% of the enrollment time; 62% of those left for addressable reasons (e.g., losing interest in program participation). Arguably, these participants might be retained through program modifications. Almost half of the dropouts left the program before completing 25% of the enrollment time. Program dropouts were younger and did not experience pregnancy-related risks. With regard to process variables, a high frequency of unsuccessful visit attempts and low maternal engagement during the home visits increased the risk for attrition. Self-referral, a high percentage of time spent on parenting issues as well as a high percentage of grandmother participation during visits contributed to participant retention. Among mothers with a high number of risk factors for child abuse and neglect, partner (husband or boyfriend) participation during visits positively influenced the retention rate. Since process variables explained a larger amount of variance in attrition compared to participant characteristics, it is reasonable to focus on the intervention processes when trying to reduce attrition.     

Aggression in news comments: how context and article topic shape user-generated content

News editors listed online aggression as one of the main constraints to audience participation and debate in the media. However, previous studies offer contradictory evidence on how aggression affects the amount and civility of user participation. Furthermore, a large portion of these studies focus on the Anglo-Saxon context and follow an experimental design. This study addresses these issues through a content analysis of over 26,000 news comments from two Portuguese newspapers, testing how aggression in comments relates to the number of replies it generates and the aggressiveness of these replies. Results show that aggression generates more aggression in comment sections, but may also increase participation. The latter effect is moderated by the article topic, an important caveat that may explain different outcomes in previous works. The practical implications of these findings and paths for future research are discussed.