Participants’ evaluation of consultation: implications for training in school psychology

Evaluation of graduate students’ consultation skills is essential to competent practice in school settings. Congruence of evaluation of the consultation experience has been shown as an important factor in the development of competent consultants in other, related disciplines. The current study analysed student consultant and teacher consultee perspectives on several dimensions, including school system entry, knowledge gaps, territorial concerns, role ambivalence, and problems inherent in student–staff member interaction. Results of tests for congruence of ratings of providers and recipients of consultation services suggest a number of concerns regarding the preparation of graduate student consultants for successful practise in school settings, including inadequate preparation for systems entry, conflict over shared problem solving and the need to balance expertise with collaboration, and graduate student’s lack of knowledge of instructional practices. Implications for training graduate students in school-based consultation are discussed.     

Enhanced learning through design problems – teaching a components-based course through design

This paper describes a teaching method used in an electrical machines course, where the students learn about electrical machines by designing them. The aim of the course is not to teach design, albeit this is a side product, but rather to teach the fundamentals and the function of electrical machines through design. The teaching method is evaluated by a student questionnaire, designed to measure the quality and effectiveness of the teaching method. The results of the questionnaire conclusively show that this method labelled ‘learning through design’ is a very effective way of teaching a components-based course. This teaching method can easily be generalised and used in other courses.     

Professional Development and Its Impact on Children in Early Childhood Education and Care: A Meta-Analysis Based on European Studies

This study reviews the European evidence on the impact of professional development (PD) of pre-school educators on child outcomes. A meta-analysis investigates how PD of pre-school educators in formal pre-school centers in Europe affects child outcomes. The European studies are quite recent and limited in numbers, and our results show a significant positive effect of PD on child outcomes with an overall effect size of 0.35 (with a 95% confidence interval from 0.20 to 0.51). The magnitude is slightly smaller than corresponding results based on US studies, but indicates a general positive effect of PD on child outcomes.     

Event history analysis of longitudinal data: a methodological application to sport sponsorship

Abstract

Despite its potential to make causal inferences and unearth insights related to between-subject variation over time, a small percentage of sport-related research is considered longitudinal in nature. One of the inherent challenges is that advanced quantitative methodologies, such as multi-level modelling approaches, are required to analyse such data. Therefore, this study is designed to assist those seeking to analyse longitudinal data by defining several important aspects of the event history analysis (EHA) methodology. The study’s goal was to conceptually demystify EHA by defining several fundamental concepts, including censoring, the survivor function and hazard function, through the application of EHA approaches to the durations of sport sponsorships. The authors conclude by demonstrating the implications of utilizing EHA approaches and identifying several potential applications of EHA for future sport-related research, with the goal of encouraging further sport scholarship utilizing approaches suitable for the analysis of longitudinal data.     

A survey of K-12 teachers’ utilization of social networks as a professional resource

Teachers are increasingly using social networks, including social media and other Internet applications, to look for educational resources. This study shares results from a survey examining patterns of social network application use among K-12 teachers in the United States. A sample of 154 teachers (18 males, 136 females) in the United States answered questions about their use of social network applications, their comfort with Web 2.0, and their use of empirically-based resources from social networks. Results provide a user update on factors that predict overall engagement with social networks, which included comfort and trust in using social networks, as well as higher age. We also explored the most popular applications used by teachers and the most popular reasons for their use. Finally, we implemented a new survey methodology to gauge responses about empirically-based posts on social networks and discuss results in the context of balancing free resources with high-quality pedagogical information.     

Mapping remote and multidisciplinary learning barriers: lessons from challenge-based innovation at CERN

This paper presents the experienced difficulties of students participating in the multidisciplinary, remote collaborating engineering design course challenge-based innovation at CERN. This is with the aim to identify learning barriers and improve future learning experiences. We statistically analyse the rated differences between distinct design activities, educational background and remote vs. co-located collaboration. The analysis is based on a quantitative and qualitative questionnaire (N?=?37). Our analysis found significant ranking differences between remote and co-located activities. This questions whether the remote factor might be a barrier for the originally intended learning goals. Further a correlation between analytical and converging design phases was identified. Hence, future facilitators are suggested to help students in the transition from one design phase to the next rather than only teaching methods in the individual design phases. Finally, we discuss how educators address the identified learning barriers when designing future courses including multidisciplinary or remote collaboration.     

Effect of a prolonged altitude expedition on glucose tolerance and abdominal fatness

In the present study, we investigated the effect of a long-term mountain expedition on glucose tolerance and insulin action. Twelve registered mountaineers ages 31 years (SD = 1.1) participated in a 25-day expedition at a 2,200-3,800-m altitude with an average duration of 8 hr per day. Arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) was substantially reduced during hiking. Glucose tolerance and insulin responses were measured prior to and twice during the expedition period. Maximal oxygen consumption increased from 43.0 +/- 2.7 to 49.1 +/- 2.2 mL/kg/min. Percentage of body fat decreased from 19.4 +/- 6.8% to 16.9 +/- 5.9%. The area under the curves for insulin and glucose during the oral glucose tolerance test were also reduced in Days 3 and 25. The present study demonstrated that altitude hiking activity is an effective lifestyle intervention to improve insulin action.     

The development of the solarized latent image

An investigation has been made of the development of the solarized latent image with p-amino-phenol, pyrogallol and hydroquinone developer without potassium bromide, and with a series of hydroquinone developers containing potassium bromide from 0.002N to 0.269N solution. These developers represent a series with different reduction potentials. The investigation was restricted to a pure silver bromide emulsion.It was shown by the application of the Bravais-Pearson method of determination of the correlation coefficient that A. H. Nietz' straight line proportionality between density and the logarithm of the potassium bromide concentration holds in general for normal exposures, but that in extreme cases of exposure and development, deviations from the straight line proportionality are detectable. This proportionality holds only in a limited way for the solarization region. At the threshold of the first reversal of the solarization there is no correlation at all.The criterion that a family of curves has, or has not, a tie-point was investigated by the determination of the correlation coefficient between density and gamma. It was shown that the tie-point of the solarization curves moves toward the origin of the distance/log E axes with increasing content of potassium bromide in the developer.