The bibles of the research scientist

Considerable attention has been focused on the relationship between nonverbal communication behavior and student perceptions of the teacher. One important observation is that teachers frequently emit nonverbal messages that contradict their verbal ones, but the effects of this modal discrepancy are not well understood. In the present study, vocal cues are isolated as the nonverbal behavior for study. The interaction of vocal cues and verbal messages is examined with respect to its impact on teacher credibility. The results indicate that the students’ perceptions of sociability are influenced by perceived discrepancy between words and attitudes. Perception of competence, on the other hand, appears to be dependent on positive vocal cues.     

Developing and Piloting a Baselining Tool for Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship (ESDGC) in Welsh Higher Education

Mainstreaming Education for Sustainable Development in higher education is vital if graduates are to possess the abilities, skills, and knowledge needed to tackle the sustainability issues of the future. In this article we explain the development and piloting of a baselining tool, the Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship Development Framework, developed with support from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales. We draw comparisons with the Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment and Rating System Program, developed by the North American Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. The resulting framework offers consistency with existing Welsh Government strategic documentation, builds on increasing momentum, and has relevance across the higher education sector globally.     

Differential Contributions of Development and Learning to Infants' Knowledge of Object Continuity and Discontinuity

Sixty infants divided evenly between 5 and 7 months of age were tested for their knowledge of object continuity versus discontinuity with a predictive tracking task. The stimulus event consisted of a moving ball that was briefly occluded for 20 trials. Both age groups predictively tracked the ball when it disappeared and reappeared via occlusion, but not when it disappeared and reappeared via implosion. Infants displayed high levels of predictive tracking from the first trial in the occlusion condition, and showed significant improvement across trials in the implosion condition. These results suggest that infants possess embodied knowledge to support differential tracking of continuously and discontinuously moving objects, but this tracking can be modified by visual experience.