Partial reinforcement and resistance to extinction in honeybees

Previous experiments have shown the partial reinforcement effect in honeybees under conditions which permit an interpretation in terms of sensory carryover. In the five experiments reported here, the effect was sought under conditions which would require an interpretation in terms of associative reinstatement. Since it is not feasible to train honeybees in widely spaced trials, several different interpolated-trials procedures were employed which had in common the feature that nonrewarded response to a stimulus never was followed by rewarded response to the same stimulus. Implications of the negative results for the interpretation of the overlearning-extinction effect and successive negative contrast in honeybees are considered.     

Spreadsheets as a Simulation Tool for Solving Probability Problems

This article illustrates the use of spreadsheets as a simulation tool for solving a collection of probability problems.     

Experimenting in distance education: The African virtual university (AVU) and the paradox of the World Bank in Kenya—A rejoinder

This rejoinder is in response to criticism against the African Virtual University (AVU), an internet-based education modality, by Amutabi and Oketch [2003. Experimenting in distance education: the African Virtual University (AVU) and the Paradox of World Bank in Kenya. International Journal of Educational Development 23, 57–73]. By closely focusing on AVU “foreignness”, its equity effects, as well as questions about its sustainability, this riposte argues that the origins, developments and modus operandi of the new virtual educational system mirrors that of the state universities in Kenya. The paper concludes by arguing in favor of the theory of isomorphism as a more comprehensive analytical framework for assessing complexities of the development and role of internet-based education in developing countries.     

Visualising the temporal aspects of collaborative inquiry-based learning processes in technology-enhanced physics learning

This study presents new ways of visualising technology-enhanced collaborative inquiry-based learning (CIBL) processes in an undergraduate physics course. The data included screen-capture videos from a technology-enhanced learning environment and audio recordings of discussions between students. We performed a thematic analysis based on the phases of inquiry-based learning (IBL). The thematic analysis was complemented by a content analysis, in which we analysed whether the utilisation of technological tools was on a deep-level, surface-level, or non-existent basis. Student participation was measured in terms of frequency of contributions as well as in terms of impact. We visualised the sequence of the face-to-face interactions of two groups of five students by focussing on the temporal aspects of IBL, technology enhancement and collaborative learning. First, instead of the amount of time the groups spent on a specific IBL phase, the between-group differences in the most frequent transitions between the IBL phases determined their differential progress in the CIBL process. Second, we found that the transitions were triggered by the groups’ ways of utilising technological tools either at the deep level or at the surface level. Finally, we found that the level of participation inequity remained stable throughout the CIBL process. As a result, only some of the members of the groups played a role in the most frequent transitions. Furthermore, this study reveals the need for scaffolds focussing on inquiry, technological and collaborative skills at the beginning of the learning process.     

Drug-exposed infant cases in juvenile court: risk factors and court outcomes

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine which factors were significantly associated with court outcomes for drug exposed infants in dependency court. METHOD: A longitudinal study of 118 drug exposed infant social services and juvenile court files of petitioned cases through all court hearings, using chi-squares and logistic regressions data analysis. RESULTS: There was an overrepresentation of minority mothers who were poor, unemployed, undereducated, and single, with prior referrals to the dependency system and criminal records. The chi-square analysis suggested that variables such as ethnicity, past referrals, and criminal record were significantly associated with court outcomes for all hearings, with minority cases less likely to receive family maintenance orders, and more likely to have their children placed out of home. The regression analysis however showed a different pattern. Ethnicity and prior referrals disappeared as significant risk factors altogether. Only at the initial dispositional hearing did a criminal record significantly influence court decisions. In subsequent hearings, mothers' compliance with court orders and attending court hearings became the significant factors associated with court outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Mothers' behavior was more important for court outcomes than ethnicity, past referrals, and criminal record. It is therefore imperative that mothers are motivated to successfully comply with court orders by offering culturally appropriate services and facilitating attendance at court hearings.     

Direct and indirect effects of textual and individual factors on source-content integration when reading about a socio-scientific issue

Reading and Writing - The purpose of this study was to test a hypothesized model that specified direct and indirect effects of textual and individual factors on readers’ ability to integrate...