Environmental print and word reading

The nature of the earliest stage of reading was examined by comparing two views about the importance of environmental print in children’s learning experiences. One theory holds that environmental print leads to the acquisition of reading through developing rudimentary representations of specific words and logos, while the second theory concerns assembled phonology and asserts that reading begins with knowing letters and their sounds. Supporters of this theory hold that knowledge of environmental print and logos is reading the environment and may not directly facilitate the acquisition of word reading. Two studies were conducted with non-reading preschool children in which environmental print knowledge was assessed and related to word recognition training. In the first session of each study children were presented with accurate representations of environmental print and logos such as ‘McDonalds’ and ‘Stop’ to find the ones they were able to identify and the ones they failed to identify. In the second session learning trials were conducted with those words from the logos that the children identified and also those that they failed to identify and with matching control words. Both studies found that the words from the known logos were more readily learned than the matching control words, but only in Study 1 were the known logo words learned more readily than the ones the children did not know. The results were discussed in terms of Gibson’s (1969) theory of perceptual learning, and supported the view that environment print and logo knowledge facilitated word reading.     

Curriculum Design of a Flipped Classroom to Enhance Haematology Learning

A common trend in higher education is the “flipped” classroom, which facilitates active learning during class. The flipped approach to teaching was instituted in a haematology ‘major’ class and the students’ attitudes and preferences for the teaching materials were surveyed. The curriculum design was explicit and involved four major components (1) the preparation of the students; (2) the weekly pre-class work; (3) the in-class active learning strategies and (4) closing the learning loop using formative quizzes. Each of these components is discussed in detail and was informed by sound pedagogical strategies. Several different sources of information and several freely available software tools to engage the students are discussed. Two iterations are reported here, with improved pass rate for the final examination from 47 to 48 % in the traditional class to 56–65 % in the flipped classroom approach. The majority of students (93 and 89 %) came to the class prepared, after viewing the screencasts and engaged fully with the activities within the face-to-face time. The students perceived that solving case studies (93 %) was the most beneficial activity for their learning and this was closely followed by the production of essay plans (71 %). The majority of students recommended that this approach be repeated the following year (69 and 75 %).     

Sex differences and sex bias on the Boehm test of basic concepts: Do they exist?

Form A of the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts (BTBC) was administered to 180 kindergartners—90 boys and 90 girls. Neither their mean scores nor their standard deviations differed significantly, and the distributions of scores for the two groups were virtually identical. Moreover, the application of three internal criteria for bias yielded totally negative results; thus, there was no evidence of either sex differences or sex bias in the data.     

Understanding Leadership in Major Sporting Events: The Case of the 2005 World Aquatics Championships

The purpose of this paper was to begin understanding leadership within a major sporting event. A case study of the 2005 Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) World Aquatics Championships was built by means of interviews and archival material, using a multi-stakeholder perspective. Findings highlighted that core elements of upper-management level leadership in events were best described by the multiple-linkage leadership theory, which includes task commitment, ability and role clarity, work organization, cooperation and mutual trust, resources and support, and external coordination as the six intervening variables. While charismatic and transformational leadership styles surfaced as contributing to the overall success of an event, the multiple-linkage leadership theory offered a more comprehensive understanding of leadership in major sporting events from a multi-stakeholder perspective.     

Depressive symptomatology in learning-disabled and nonlearning-disabled students

The present study examined the level of depressive symptomatology in a sample of 100 learning-disabled and nonlearning-disabled fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students. Depressive symptomatology was assessed using the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). In addition, students were rated by their classroom teachers on behaviors related to depression based on the DSM-III criteria. It was found that students identified as learning disabled obtained significantly higher scores on the CDI and the behavior rating scale than did children in the regular education classroom. There were no significant differences among grade levels for CDI scores, but a trend was noted. A significant difference was found among grade levels for the behavior rating scale scores. There was a significant positive correlation between CDI scores and teacher ratings of depressive characteristics.     

Developing evidence-based librarianship: practical steps for implementation

Evidence-based librarianship (EBL) is a relatively new concept for librarians. This paper lays out a practical framework for the implementation of EBL. A new way of thinking about research in librarianship is introduced using the well-built question process and the assignment of librarian research questions to one of six domains specific to librarianship. As a profession, librarianship tends to reflect more qualitative, social sciences/humanities in its research methods and study types which tend to be less rigorous and more prone to bias. Randomised controlled trials (RCT) do not have to be placed at the top of an evidence 'hierarchy' for librarianship. Instead, a more encompassing model reflecting librarianship as a whole and the kind of research likely to be done by librarians is proposed. 'Evidence' from a number of disciplines including health sciences, business and education can be utilized by librarians and applied to their practice. However, access to and availability of librarianship literature needs to be further studied. While using other disciplines (e.g. EBHC) as a model for EBL has been explored in the literature, the authors develop models unique to librarianship. While research has always been a minor focus in the profession, moving research into practice is becoming more important and librarians need to consider the issues surrounding research in order to move EBL forward.     

Student Participation in Scholarly Communication and Library Digital Collections: A Case Study from the University of Washington Bothell Library

The University of Washington Bothell & Cascadia College Library recently partnered with a faculty member to develop a digital collection showcasing student-produced digital oral histories. This case study describes the role of the library as faculty partner, student resource, and repository/publisher. Archiving and publishing requirements—such as file formats, agreement forms, and metadata—were integrated into the assignment and included as part of each project's overall evaluation and grade. Librarians provided instruction to teach students about topics related to knowledge production and scholarly communication. Assessment included student feedback surveys and faculty feedback to librarians.     

Video game learning dynamics: Actionable measures of multidimensional learning trajectories

Valid, accessible, reusable methods for instructional video game design and embedded assessment can provide actionable information enhancing individual and collective achievement. Cyberlearning through game‐based, metaphor‐enhanced learning objects (CyGaMEs) design and embedded assessment quantify player behavior to study knowledge discovery and application. CyGaMEs is grounded by analogical reasoning theory, cognitive task analysis and knowledge representation. A construct representation argument for validity using evidence‐centered design warrants CyGaMEs, its web‐based learning environment, Selene: A Lunar Construction GaME, its embedded assessment, and a learning dynamics approach to student, measurement and statistical models. Two studies (US volunteers, Study 1: n = 267, mean (M)_age = 15; Study 2: n = 90, M_age = 12) cross‐validate learning dynamics (learner progress, rate of progress and changes in that rate) for Selene's multidimensional goals while players learn and apply standard‐based science about fundamental geology and space science concepts. Gameplay data analyzed using regression, calculus and hierarchical linear modeling exhibit overall relatively high standardized rates of progress toward each goal statistically higher than zero. For example, adjusting for nesting within individual players, average rate of progress toward the goal of accreting lunar mass is a z‐score of 1.4 (99% confidence interval = 1.40_lower, 1.48_upper) or 1.4 standard deviations above zero.