Behavior Breakthroughs™: Future Teachers Reflect on a Focused Game Designed to Teach ABA Techniques

This article examines the use of a focused educational game. The game, Behavior Breakthroughs™, was created to teach people that work with children with autism, appropriate behavior management techniques. A group of undergraduate, teacher education students played the game and provided feedback on their experiences.     

El desarrollo de la explicación de procesos biológicos: cómo entienden los niños la causa de una enfermedad y su curación

Resumen

Partiendo de un interés por los aspectos cognitivos de la representación infantil de la enfermedad, se examinan los tipos de explicación causal acerca del origen, evolución y curación de la enfermedad, en 100 niños entre 4 y 13 años. Se observan diferencias estadísticamente significativas en el tipo de explicación causal encontrado en los distintos grupos de edad, desde una concepción de la relación causa-efecto estática, mágica y dominada por los índices perceptivos, hasta una concepción de la misma como un proceso dinámico en el que intervienen factores externos e internos al organismo. Sólo un 50% de los sujetos mayores (11–13 años) son capaces de dar una explicación fisiológica o psicofisiológica que refleje un razonamiento formal. Se discuten las implicaciones prácticas de este tipo de estudios, tanto en el campo de la clínica como en el de la educación para la salud.     

Transformational Leadership in the Planning of a Doctoral Program

Growing criticism of existing educational leadership preparation programs seems to focus on a lack of contextual relevancy and instructional leadership. Universities and school districts need to develop more formal, collaborative, long-term relationships focused on the nature of principal preparation, moving beyond acculturation to district norms and irrelevancy to building future leaders' capacity for continuous educational improvement. Educational administration as an applied field demands that we answer key questions regarding the development of effective practitioners.     

Re‐asserting the place of context in explaining student (under‐)achievement

One popular view of student achievement is that the quality of teaching students receive plays an important part in whether or not they do well at school. In this article we draw attention to ‘context’ as a complementary explanation, particularly regarding achievement differences between students from different socio‐economic backgrounds. In making these observations, we utilise data from one Australian secondary school located in an economically depressed rural community. Drawing on the insights of Bourdieu, our focus is on the broader social and economic influences that can adversely position students and schools, as well as work to inform the institutional stance that schools take in relation to their students.     

The Stability of Perceived Motor Competence of Primary School Children from Two Countries over One Year

ABSTRACT

Children’s positive perceived motor competence (PMC) provides motivation for physical activity. Theoretically young children (<8 years) have inflated PMC but as children cognitively develop, perceptions are hypothesized to decrease. This study investigated strength of PMC association over time, whether any change was negative (i.e. PMC decreased) and sex differences. A total of 198 children participated, 88 (44.4%) girls and 110 (55.6%) boys, aged 8.37–11.3 years at time point one (T1). Test–retest reliability using intraclass correlation was moderate for locomotor and moderate-to-good for object control perception. Hierarchical regression analysis showed PMC at T1 positively predicted significant variance one year later (T2) for locomotor (23.1%) and object control skill (5 items: 37.7%; 7 items: 39.9%). Whilst boys and girls differed on perception level there was no interaction between PMC and sex. Incongruent with previous theoretical perspectives this study identified stability in children’s PMC across an important developmental period.