Enumeration of briefly presented items by the chimpanzee (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pan troglodytes</Emphasis>) and humans (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Homo sapiens</Emphasis>)

In this study, we compared the performances on an enumeration task (numerical labeling task) of 1 chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) and 4 humans. In this task, two types of trials, with different exposure durations of the sample that was to be enumerated, were used. In the unlimited-exposure trials, the sample remained on until the subject made a choice. In the brief-exposure trials, the sample was presented for 100 msec and then was masked. The results show clear differences between the different species. The main differences had to do with accuracy during the unlimited trials and response times during the brief trials. Detailed analyses of the pattern of response times for the chimpanzee and of looking-back behavior during the task suggests that the enumeration process underlying the subject’s performance was not counting but estimation.     

Fall and rise of a D<Subscript>2</Subscript>O ice cube in liquid H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O

In this section of Resonance, we invite readers to pose questions likely to be raised in a classroom situation. We may suggest strategies for dealing with them, or invite responses, or both. “Classroom” is equally a forum for raising broader issues and sharing personal experiences and viewpoints on matters related to teaching and learning science.The demonstration described in this article is to show that while H₂O ice floats in water, D₂O ice sinks in water, proving the higher density of ‘heavy water’. This experiment can be done in a classroom or in an auditoriam.     

Use of hierarchical linear modeling and curriculum-based measurement for assessing academic growth and instructional factors for students with learning difficulties

The main purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how to apply the Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) technique to multi-wave Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) measures in modeling academic growth and assessing its relations to student- and instruction-related variables. HLM has advantages over other statistical methods (e.g., repeated measures ANOVA, Structural Equation Modeling) in modeling academic growth. The advantages include allowing more flexible research designs in collecting multiple data points and estimating growth rates and their relations to correlates in more reliable, accurate ways. CBM, as a multi-wave progressmonitoring system, also has distinctive psychometric features that facilitate longitudinal research on academic skill development. These features include provision of multiple data points within short time periods, good validity and reliability, and sensitivity for detecting small degrees of change. Finally, research questions related to assessing the academic growth of students with learning difficulties and using assessment results to improve educational practices for them are discussed     

How to realize a negative refractive index material at the atomic level in an optical frequency range?

INTRODUCTION Recently, a new type of artificial compositematerials (so-called left-handed media or negativerefractive index media) whose electric permittivityand magnetic permeability are simultaneouslynegative (corresponding to a negative refractiveindex) over a certain frequency band has attractedconsiderable attention due to its extraordinaryelectromagnetic properties (Pendry, 2000; Shelbyet al., 2001; Grbic and Eleftheriades, 2004; Chen eal., 2004). The negative refractive inde…     

The Views of Youth on Their Educational Rights: A Case Study of Secondary Students from two Northern Ontario High Schools

A case study is reported involving 32 applied and academic program student volunteers aged 15–18 years from two high schools located in Northern Ontario, Canada. Students were interviewed regarding a number of educational policy and school climate issues. The study examines perceptions of rights as an aspect of the school learning environment. The need for greater school community and additional supports for struggling students was voiced by students across both program groups. Students strongly endorsed either a meritocratic or an equalitarian perspective on rights issues with both philosophies represented to some extent in both program groups. Surprisingly, students across both program groups expressed little interest in their education rights or their legal rights generally. The importance of fostering school community and student interest in rights issues is discussed. Also considered is the role of the social science researcher in providing youth a forum for the discussion of social policy issues.     

The design,implementation, and evaluation of a digital interactive globe system integrated into an Earth Science course

The aim of this study is to design and implement a digital interactive globe system (DIGS), by integrating low-cost equipment to make DIGS cost-effective. DIGS includes a data processing unit, a wireless control unit, an image-capturing unit, a laser emission unit, and a three-dimensional hemispheric body-imaging screen. A quasi-experimental study was conducted to evaluate the learning effectiveness of our system. A total of 105 junior high-school students from Taiwan participated in this 8-week experiment. The students were divided into three individual groups of 35 students each, with one control group and two experimental groups (EG1 and EG2). The results of one-way mixed design ANOVA indicated that participants in the experimental group, who used the DIGS, outperformed the other two groups, in the post-test as well as in the delayed test. These findings demonstrate that the proposed DIGS can effectively enhance the performance of the learners in an Earth Science course.     

Understanding Nonsocial Play in Early Childhood

Nonsocial play continues to be perceived as a behavior that is detrimental young children’s development. The research evidence in this area is mixed but lends itself to a more positive view of nonsocial play. Despite the substantial amount of literature available, the terminology used fails to be consistent and may prove to be distracting and confusing to practitioners and caregivers. This paper reviews the current literature on young children’s nonsocial play. Distinctions among different types of nonsocial play are identified, as well as some reasons children engage in these activities. By developing a better understanding of the role of nonsocial play in early childhood, caregivers may better understand when children need their help in promoting more social types of play and when intervention may or may not be necessary.