Second-order conditioning of the pigeon’s keypeck

Pigeons learned to peck a keylight (S2) when it was paired with a stimulus (S1) that already evoked keypecking. Control procedures showed that S2 acquired control over responding because it was paired with S1 and because S1 had a conditioning history, thereby supporting the claim that S2 was a second-order conditioned stimulus. Second-order conditioning occurred as rapidly when S1 was a keylight as when it was a tone. Test procedures showed that after second-order conditioning, responding to S2 was markedly debilitated by the extinction of responding to S1, indicating that the ability of S2 to evoke a response importantly depends upon the continued ability of S1 to do so. Our demonstration that directed motor action in the pigeon is susceptible to second-order conditioning suggests a new interpretation of conditioned reinforcement in instrumental learning. Our demonstration that the effectiveness of S2 depends upon the continued effectiveness of S1 indicates that S-S associations are formed in this version of the second-order conditioning experiment.     

Preservice Teachers’ Research Experiences in Scientists’ Laboratories

To promote the use of scientific inquiry methods in K-12 classrooms, departments of teacher education must provide science teachers with experiences using such methods. To comply with state and national mandates, an apprenticeship course was designed to afford preservice secondary science teachers opportunities to engage in an authentic, extended, open-ended inquiry. This study describes three teachers’ apprenticeship experiences with a research scientist. Our model included placing preservice teachers with scientists in expert/novice roles where each teacher would be actively engaged in constructing knowledge. From triangulating interview, laboratory notebook, and reflective summary data resources, we identified common themes from re-occurring statements. Findings indicated that participants acquired scientific skills and content knowledge; however, they expressed limited use of these in their classrooms.     

The multimedia case as a tool for professional development: an analysis of online and face-to-face interaction among mathematics pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, mathematicians, and mathematics teacher educators

In this study, we consider the potential of multimedia cases as tools for teacher professional development. Specifically, we examined online and face-to-face discussions that occurred within groups composed of pre-service mathematics teachers, in-service mathematics teachers, mathematicians, and mathematics teacher educators. Discussions within these heterogeneous groups tended to focus on issues of classroom implementation of the tasks shown in the multimedia case. Secondary foci of discussion included task characteristics and appropriateness of tasks for engaging students in thinking about mathematical concepts and processes. Analysis of contributions to discussions across group member type revealed differences that suggest that the variety of backgrounds and experiences of group members can blend in ways that support rich and critical discussions of mathematics, teaching, and learning.     

Teachers' education, classroom quality, and young children's academic skills: results from seven studies of preschool programs

In an effort to provide high-quality preschool education, policymakers are increasingly requiring public preschool teachers to have at least a Bachelor's degree, preferably in early childhood education. Seven major studies of early care and education were used to predict classroom quality and children's academic outcomes from the educational attainment and major of teachers of 4-year-olds. The findings indicate largely null or contradictory associations, indicating that policies focused solely on increasing teachers' education will not suffice for improving classroom quality or maximizing children's academic gains. Instead, raising the effectiveness of early childhood education likely will require a broad range of professional development activities and supports targeted toward teachers' interactions with children.     

Revisiting emancipatory teacher research: a psychoanalytic perspective

This paper addresses the issue of how human beings construct themselves as subjects and the parameters within which this is achieved. We question models in which idealism shapes the trajectory of identity formation and consider how identity might be seen alternatively as a somewhat awkward amalgam of identifications with diverse discursive domains. The particular focus is on teachers conducting ‘emancipatory’ practitioner research and on how the researcher understands his/her interface with the situation he/she is researching. We survey a range of theoretical models as offered by some leading writers, with particular reference to Jacques Lacan, and consider each in relation to how the teacher researcher might be understood. We provide as an example an account of one teacher researcher examining issues of ethnicity and gender in her secondary school French classes.     

Making sense of modernity's maladies: health and disease in the Industrial Revolution

The industrialization and urbanization of Britain during the 19th century gave the medical profession something to think about. In particular, were the radical changes taking place in society responsible for the sudden rise in endemic and epidemic disease? This article (part of the Science in the Industrial Revolution series) examines the reactions of two key figures in the history of British public health, James Philips Kay and Thomas Southwood Smith, to this question. Their outlooks typify the tendency of Victorian medical practitioners to construct economies of health that saw disease as a consequence of the violation of natural laws and cycles rather than as a product of industrial modernity.     

Psychometric Properties of the Full and Short Versions of the Quality of Life Instrument Package: Results from the Ontario province-wide study

Results that bear upon the psychometric properties of the Quality of Life Instrument Package are presented. The reliability and validity of quality of life data from a probability sample of 500 persons with developmental disabilities in Ontario were assessed. The data indicate that most of the instruments found in the package met acceptable psychometric standards. In some cases, specific domain scores need to be interpreted with caution. The Full Version of the instrument seems appropriate for ongoing practical program planning with clients. The Short Version seems especially appropriate for evaluation and monitoring purposes.     

Taiwanese International Students: Acculturation Level and Vocational Identity

This study explored the relationship between acculturation level and vocational identity among 112 graduate and undergraduate Taiwanese international students attending two midwestern universities. The results revealed that Taiwanese international students who were older and who had a shorter length of U.S. residency were more likely to identify themselves as Asian. The results also indicated that Taiwanese international students who were older and who had a lower acculturation level had higher vocational identity.