Effect on development of proportional reasoning skill of physical experience and cognitive abilities associated with prefrontal lobe activity

The present study tested the hypothesis that maturing prefrontal lobes play a role in the development of proportional reasoning skill because the prefrontal lobes are involved in the inhibition of task‐irrelevant information and the representation of task‐relevant information. The hypothesis that reasoning development is in part dependent upon physical experience was also tested. Students (all males) who failed to solve a diagnostic proportions task were administered several tests of prefrontal lobe functions. The students were then randomly assigned to manipulative or verbal tutoring groups. Both groups received a series of individual testing, tutoring and testing sessions on proportional reasoning. As predicted, performance on the prefrontal lobe tasks (measures of inhibiting ability, planning ability, dissembedding ability, and working memory capacity) significantly predicted performance on proportional reasoning tasks following tutoring. Students' computational skills were not a significant predictor. Also, the manipulative group's proportional reasoning performance was significantly higher than that of the verbal tutoring group. Therefore, the present results provide support for the hypothesis that maturing prefrontal lobes and physical experience play roles in the development of proportional reasoning skill. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 37: 1171–1182, 2000     

TweetStorm in #ferguson: How News Organizations Framed Dominant Authority,Anti-Authority,and Political Figures in a Restive Community

After Officer Darren Wilson fatally shot African American teen Michael Brown in August 2014, rioters unleashed their anger on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri. Using content analysis and framing theory, this study analyzed how news organizations covered events in Ferguson on Twitter over the course of a month immediately following the shooting. Protesters were framed as troublemakers; but community leaders were not framed as “rabble-rousers.” Journalists continued to rely on official sources more than alternate sources in spite of criticism of law enforcement and other political elites, but nearly 10% of the coded tweets that relied on official sources included some element of skepticism. Tweets from cable news outlets did not show partisan bias in any significant amount; and traditional legacy news media sources utilized the Twitter platform enhancements—such as article links, photos, links to other content, or hashtags—more than their new digital media counterparts. As Twitter launched #ferguson into the national consciousness, it is quite plausible that the framing of the tweets by news agencies may have molded perceptions of larger issues about the racial health of the nation, established policies of law enforcement, and the challenge of elected leaders to resolve explosive domestic problems.     

An Examination of a Small‐Group Decoding Intervention for Struggling Readers: Comparing Accuracy and Automaticity Criteria

In this study, we compared methods to improve the decoding and reading fluency of struggling readers. Second‐grade poor readers were randomly assigned to one of the two practice conditions within a repeated reading intervention. Both interventions were in small groups, were 20–28 min long, took place 2–4 days per week, and consisted of phonemic awareness training, letter sound practice, and practice in word families. Students in the accuracy condition (n= 27) practiced each page until they reached 98 percent accuracy while students in the accuracy + automaticity condition (n= 29) practiced until they reached rate (30–90 cwpm) and accuracy criteria. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed no differences between practice conditions in decoding accuracy, reading comprehension, and grade‐level text reading fluency. Significant differences favoring the accuracy + automaticity group were found in measures of decoding automaticity.     

Evaluation of an Integrated Bridging Course on Academic Writing for Overseas Postgraduate Students

This study, supported by the Flinders University Research Budget, evaluated the effects of an integrated four‐week bridging course for postgraduate overseas students. It was funded by the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau and focused on the students' academic writing skills in terms of English grammar, expression and spelling as well as on structure, argument and critical analysis. Quantitative data was gathered from the training group and two control groups, one made up of overseas peers, the other of local postgraduate students. Further qualitative data were gathered from the training group through Journal entries and regular discussions. Results showed a significant improvement in expression and structure in the training group's writing from pre‐ to post‐training, with a significantly higher mark awarded by independent raters to post‐training writing. While significant differences between the two overseas groups and the local control group had been recorded on most variables before training, some of these were reduced between the training group and the local group after training. Although results were positive overall, students continued to produce high rates of errors in grammar and to display weaknesses in developing an argument. Journal entries suggested that students began their studies in a state of gross over‐confidence and moved through doubt and concern before reaching a more accurate estimate of their abilities at the end of the bridging course.     

信念无敌

I remember daddy＇s hands folded silently in prayer
And reaching out to hold me, when I had a nightmare     

Daddy’s Hands

I remember daddy’s hands folded silently in prayer And reaching out to hold me, when I had a nightmare