The Effect of a Mastery Learning Technique on the Performance of a Transfer of Training Task

This study evaluated the effect of using the mastery learning technique of self‐directed feedback, reinforcement, and remediation of knowledge on the performance of a work‐related task. The mastery learning intervention was conducted via a workbook which provided feedback to participants on their knowledge attainment after instruction, yet before the evaluation of the transfer task. The study utilized a randomized subjects, post‐test‐only control group design with 130 participants. The hypothesis that mastery learning would have a positive effect on transfer of knowledge from the classroom to a work‐related task was supported. Implications for instructional design and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

The innovation–economic growth nexus: Global evidence

This paper extends the line of research attempting to link innovation to economic growth by addressing some unexplored questions. Using global patent data, this paper empirically investigates the importance of both the quantity and quality of innovation on economic growth, controlling for past measures of inventive inputs. Moreover, our research examines how innovation inputs can be translated into per capita growth under the various economic structures and stages of economic development. Based on a sample of 58 countries for the period 1980–2003, our empirical results indicate that countries hosting firms with higher quality patents also have higher economic growth. Furthermore, we have some evidence that those countries that increase the level of patenting also witness a concomitant increase in economic growth.     

Contributions and Constraints to the Implementation of Inclusive Education in Lesotho

This article reports on a study that investigated the extent to which central ministry policy initiatives result in large‐scale educational change in developing countries. Specifically, Lesotho's policy of inclusive special education was examined as a case study. The study employed a multi‐method approach to yield a large data‐set. Results indicate that policy implementation was limited in both depth (the approaches to inclusive education in some schools) and breadth (the number of schools that have received training in inclusive education). Where implementation was present, perceived teacher knowledge and skill was a strong predictor of success and teachers had positive attitudes toward children with disabilities.     

Evaluating online learning communities

This article reviews recent evaluation studies of online learning communities to provide a systematic understanding of how such communities are evaluated. Forty-two representative studies were selected and categorized into a newly developed taxonomy of online learning community evaluations. This taxonomy is divided into four components: evaluation purpose, evaluation approach, measures for evaluation, and evaluation techniques. The findings suggest that it is inappropriate to conceptualize evaluation of such communities as a one-size-fits-all, generalizable measure of “good” or “bad.” Instead, we recommend a comprehensive, on-going, diagnostic approach to measuring clusters of indicators, or syndromes, of a particular OLC and examining the causal relation assumed by the evaluators between what is measured and the success of OLC as an imputed outcome.

In practice: Engaging men in violence prevention

The University of South Carolina offers an innovative academic course about men's roles in violence prevention. Learn how Changing Carolina has successfully changed students' views on men, violence, and prevention.     

Effective Early Literacy Skill Development for Young Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners: An Experimental Study of Two Methods

Ninety-four Spanish-speaking preschoolers ( M age = 54.51 months, SD  = 4.72; 43 girls) were randomly assigned to receive the High/Scope Curriculum (control n =  32) or the Literacy Express Preschool Curriculum in English-only ( n =  31) or initially in Spanish transitioning to English ( n =  31). Children's emergent literacy skills were assessed before and after the intervention in Spanish and English. Children in the English-only and transitional groups made significant gains in their emergent literacy skills in both Spanish and English compared to the control group, The English-only and transitional models were equally effective for English language outcomes, but for Spanish-language outcomes, only the transitional model was effective. The results suggest that a targeted early literacy intervention can improve Spanish-speaking preschoolers' preliteracy skills.     

R.S. PETERS AND JÜRGEN HABERMAS: PRESUPPOSITIONS OF PRACTICAL REASON AND EDUCATIONAL JUSTICE

A bstract .  The contribution of philosophical ethics to the development of a just conception of education becomes increasingly complex under modern conditions of democratic pluralism. This is because the justification of moral policies for education faces the skeptical challenge of showing how the substantive moral principles upon which a policy rests do not arbitrarily privilege one culturally situated conception of justice over others. In this essay, Christopher Martin argues that this challenge highlights how any legitimate moral point of view on education requires public justification, where a valid moral policy must be demonstrated to be worthy of recognition in a public setting and justified through the reciprocal exchange of reasons. He develops the scope and nature of public justification through an analysis of R.S. Peters's Ethics and Education and the work of Jürgen Habermas. Both Peters and Habermas argue that public justification entails necessary and unavoidable presuppositions of practical reason, presuppositions that form the basis of a procedural theory of moral justification. Martin discusses the implications of such a procedural approach for the development of educational policy.     

The role of pre-service and in-service teacher training (PITT) programmes in preparing teachers for HIV curriculum integration

Despite significant global efforts to mitigate HIV and AIDS, the epidemic continues to be a serious problem to the human race. It has claimed many productive individuals, including teachers, administrators, and parents, and has left millions of traumatized and orphaned children. Unfortunately, few teachers are prepared to take on the extra tasks of teaching and providing support that the disease creates within school settings. Teacher training institutions and governments are challenged to provide teachers with the knowledge and skills they need to take on these new and changing roles. This article explores the role of current pre-service and in-service teacher training (PITT) programmes and offers evidence that teachers need more and better training to integrate HIV education into the mainstream curriculum in Africa. We argue that the success of HIV interventions in the sector depends on the quality and relevance of the PITT programmes being offered.     

The validity of reading comprehension rate: Reading speed,comprehension, and comprehension rates

This article describes a secondary analysis of a brief reading comprehension rate measure, percent comprehension questions correct per minute spent reading (%C/M). This measure includes reading speed (seconds to read) in the denominator and percentage of comprehension questions answered correctly in the numerator. Participants were 22 4th‐, 29 5th‐, and 37 10th‐grade students. Results showed that reading speed accounted for much of the variance in Broad Reading Cluster scores and subtest scores of the Woodcock–Johnson III Tests of Achievement across all grade levels. Converting reading speed to the rate measure %C/M increased Broad Reading Cluster variance accounted for in the 4th‐ and 5th‐grade sample, but decreased the Broad Reading Cluster variance accounted for in the 10th‐grade sample. Discussion focuses on the importance of reading speed and the failure to enhance validity of a brief rate measure in more skilled readers by incorporating a direct measure of comprehension. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.