The Ghost in the Touchscreen: Social Scaffolds Promote Learning by Toddlers

This study examined the effect of a “ghost” demonstration on toddlers’ imitation. In the ghost condition, virtual pieces moved to make a fish or boat puzzle. Fifty‐two 2.5‐ and 3‐year‐olds were tested on a touchscreen (no transfer) or with 3D pieces (transfer); children tested with 3D pieces scored above a no demonstration baseline, but children tested on the touchscreen did not. Practice on the touchscreen (n = 23) by 2.5‐ and 3‐year‐olds prior to the ghost demonstration did not improve performance. Finally, children who learned the puzzle task via a social demonstration and were tested on the touchscreen (n = 26) performed better than the ghost conditions. Taken together, these studies demonstrate that social demonstrations enhance learning from novel touchscreen tools during early childhood.     

The Concept of Readiness in the Academic Department: A Case Study of Undergraduate Education Reform

While there has been emphasis on the institution and individual classroom as loci of learning and reform, less attention has been paid to the academic department. However, precisely because its structure is so endemic to institutions of higher education, the academic department may be the most logical and potent site for change. Using a case study approach, this paper examines the conditions under which change in undergraduate education takes hold and flourishes in the academic department, advances the concept of readiness, and explores its implications for those who wish to promote change in the department. Virginia S. Lee  is managing member and consultant, Virginia S. Lee & Associates, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in teaching, learning, and assessment in higher education. She received her B.A. from Smith College, her M.B.A. from New York University, and her Ph.D. from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Special interests include the design and implementation of institution-wide curriculum reform efforts, course and curriculum design, inquiry-guided learning, intensive learning, outcomes-based assessment, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Michael R. Hyman  is Director of Graduate Programs and Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology at North Carolina State University. He received his B.S. from University College, London, his M.B.A. from Oregon State University, and his Ph.D. from Bristol University. His major research interest is the biodegradation of environmental pollutants. Geraldine Luginbuhl  is Interim Department Head and Professor in the Department of Microbiology at North Carolina State University. She received her B.S. from Stanford University and her Ph.D. from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has a longstanding interest in undergraduate education and, recently, inquiry-guided learning.     

The effects of college students’ perfectionism on career stress and indecision: self-esteem and coping styles as moderating variables

This study identified the subgroups (latent classes) of Korean college students according to the influence of perfectionism on career stress and indecision, and explored the effects of sub-factors of perfectionism on career stress and indecision for each subgroup. Also, the study examined how individual self-esteem and stress coping styles affect the subgroup classification. Data from 476 South Korean college students were analyzed via mixture regression and logistic regression. Four latent classes were identified. In class 1, career indecision increased as self-oriented perfectionism increased, and career stress increased as socially prescribed perfectionism increased. In class 2, career stress increased as self-oriented perfectionism increased, whereas both career stress and career indecision decreased as others-oriented perfectionism increased. In class 3, both career stress and career indecision increased as others-oriented perfectionism increased. In class 4, career stress and career indecision decreased as others-oriented perfectionism increased, while career stress increased as socially prescribed perfectionism increased. In differentiating the classes, self-esteem and coping styles were analyzed as predictor variables. The results indicated that self-esteem helped to distinguish class 1 from class 2, and class 1 from class 3. Avoidance-oriented coping style could distinguish class 1 from class 3. Career counselors would benefit by noting that the influence of each sub-trait of perfectionism on career-related issues may vary by latent class, and that self-esteem and coping styles may moderate the effects of perfectionism on career-related issues.

     

Four narratives about online international students: a critical literature review

In the current higher education context, offering online programmes is seen as an effective means to recruit more international students. However, supporting online international students studying at a distance is not a simple task for both universities and tutors. The problem mainly stems from a lack of theoretical understanding of online international students and their learning experiences. The present article, therefore, aims to address the gap, by systematically, yet critically reviewing relevant academic narratives about online international students. Our review reveals four types of narratives presented in the literature, describing online international students in particular ways: unspecified others with a rapid increase in their numbers, specific others with deficits, specific others as pedagogical resources and active participants in international learning communities. We discuss the merits and the drawbacks of each type of narratives for online educators seeking pedagogical suggestions about supporting online international students.     

Affective, cognitive and vocational skills: The employers' perspective

The employers' perspective of the functions of higher education is examined. The basic approach is a comparison between public and private sector recruitment behaviour and their perspective of the role of the university. The former places most importance on academic record while the latter places as much, if not more, on experience and the affective skills. These differences are attributed to differences in organizational behaviour. However, both see the primary role of the university as that of developing problem-solving abilities rather than specific skills. Education should be made practical through the development of these abilities and the affective skills rather than occupation-specific competences.     

Innovations in Career Counseling

The work world is now full of uncertainty and change as a result of forces such as globalization, downsizing, advancing technology, and increased diversity in the work force. Further, people cannot count on maintaining a job with one company, or even one career, throughout their work lives. In order to meet clients' needs, career counselors must utilize approaches that are compatible with these realities. We review a set of approaches for career counseling that should be effective for clients now and into the future. Specifically, we argue for a holistic approach to career counseling, use of the Personal Career Theory as a client-centered approach to counseling sessions, incorporating creative interventions that draw upon chance events and flexible decision-making, and an emphasis on building interpersonal skills and relationships. We conclude with a summary of recommendations for career counseling practice.     

You can run but you can’t hide: a grounded theory analysis of suppression among older prisoners in the Philippines

ABSTRACT

Numerous studies have dealt with suppression and its long-term effects. However, little is known about the dynamics of suppression among older prisoners in the context of a developing country like the Philippines whose penal conditions are currently in crisis. This grounded theory investigation is an attempt to describe the process of how a select group of older prisoners (n = 25) from the largest penitentiary in the Philippines experiences suppression. Field texts were subjected to thematic analysis involving open, axial and selective coding. Interestingly, the researchers’ Yo-yoing model of Suppression emerged to portray stages of their suppression experiences. The model shows four stages: devastating, or the rapid heightening of emotions upon encounter of intrusive situation; contemplating, or the progressive receding of the wallowing emotions given one’s gradual realization of the situation; diverting, or the use of various diversionary activities to relieve tension; and iterating, or the unexpected recurrence of the past characterized by “rebounding” a feeling of suffering. The emerged model may become valuable to guide health professionals and gerontological workers in developing appropriate interventions and support mechanisms to improve the overall mental health and well-being of this vulnerable group.     

An Extension of Four IRT Linking Methods for Mixed-Format Tests

Under item response theory (IRT), linking proficiency scales from separate calibrations of multiple forms of a test to achieve a common scale is required in many applications. Four IRT linking methods including the mean/mean, mean/sigma, Haebara, and Stocking-Lord methods have been presented for use with single-format tests. This study extends the four linking methods to a mixture of unidimensional IRT models for mixed-format tests. Each linking method extended is intended to handle mixed-format tests using any mixture of the following five IRT models: the three-parameter logistic, graded response, generalized partial credit, nominal response (NR), and multiple-choice (MC) models. A simulation study is conducted to investigate the performance of the four linking methods extended to mixed-format tests. Overall, the Haebara and Stocking-Lord methods yield more accurate linking results than the mean/mean and mean/sigma methods. When the NR model or the MC model is used to analyze data from mixed-format tests, limitations of the mean/mean, mean/sigma, and Stocking-Lord methods are described.     

Sociological Perspectives on Ethnic Minority Teachers in China: A Review of the Research Literature

Improving the quality of education has been a central goal of the People’s Republic of China since its founding in 1949. Particular concern has been focused on ethnic minority areas where educational quality lags behind that of other regions. Since 1986 the State Education Commission has been working toward the implementation of nine years of compulsory education for all Chinese children nationwide. Implementing this policy has been particularly challenging in the less developed areas of western China where many ethnic minorities live. The solution rests in training an adequate number of teachers who are themselves from ethnic minority groups or who are willing to teach ethnic minority children. This article reviews a significant and growing body of English-language literature, drawn from the sociology of education, on minority teachers and teachers of minorities in the People’s Republic of China.     

Excellence and equity in high-performing education systems: policy lessons from Singapore and Hong Kong / Excelencia y equidad en sistemas educativos de alto rendimiento: lecciones de las políticas educativas en Singapur y Hong Kong

In recent years, both Singapore and Hong Kong have been ranked top in international education rankings. They are widely admired as high-performing education systems (HPES) and, not surprisingly, among the best education systems in the world. The success stories of Singapore and Hong Kong education have aroused widespread attention internationally among different stakeholders, such as policymakers, researchers and practitioners, to investigate if it is possible for their policies and practices to be learned and borrowed by other countries. In this article, we stress the importance of context in understanding policy phenomena and possibilities for policy transfer. The Singapore and Hong Kong education systems are facing critical issues such as the economization of education, educational disparities and the paradigm shift from meritocracy to parentocracy. How well they deal with these policy issues will determine if their present international standing continues into the future. This article provides a critical review of their education policies to explore how these policies can be refined and adjusted in order to cope with the challenges facing both education systems.