Easing the transition from school to HE: scaffolding the development of self-regulated learning through a dialogic approach to feedback

High quality feedback is known to be essential for learning, yet in higher education it has been highlighted as a problem area in the UK by both the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) and National Student Surveys. Furthermore, a recent study has shown that there is a fault-line between the highly structured guidance system that exists in schools/colleges and the culture of ‘independent’ learning that is promoted in higher education and suggests that this is a significant barrier to a successful transition. This article reports research to improve the transition for first-year undergraduates by providing a structured set of guidance activities (scaffolding) as a means of an extended induction into the assessment processes in higher education. The activities are based on the dialogic feedback cycle, which encompasses principles of feedback as dialogue, emphasising guidance at the start of and during an assignment rather than summative written feedback. The intervention was evaluated by means of a questionnaire and supported by focus groups. The questionnaire was administered to a control group and an intervention group. Results showed statistically significant improvements (p < 0.05) in students’ perceptions of their understanding of assessment tasks and criteria and increased confidence in terms of completing assessment tasks and self-regulated learning.     

The emergence of gestures in the first year of life in the Infant School classroom

European Journal of Psychology of Education - The psychological literature on the development of gestures during the first year of life has been limited. It has mainly focused on the development of...     

Object permanence in the African Grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus)

An African Grey parrot was assessed for object permanence using tasks designed for human infants. The subject showed concepts of object permanence directly comparable to primate and nonprimate mammalian species similarly tested. Because the subject has also been the focus of a study on interspecies communication, the results are discussed in terms of the possible relationship between sensorimotor intelligence and language-like behaviors.     

Going Beyond Mathematics Anxiety in Primary and Middle School Students: The Role of Ego‐Resiliency in Mathematics

Previous research examined the influence of math anxiety (MA) on performance in mathematics, but few studies compared the contribution of MA to other forms of anxiety, such as test and general anxiety (GA). Unlike MA, ego‐resiliency promotes the management of challenges, and has been positively associated with mathematics performance. In this study, we investigated the specific influence of MA, test‐ and GA, and ego‐resiliency on mathematics performance after controlling for intelligence. Children from grades 5 to 8 (N = 274) were assessed with self‐report tools measuring MA, test and GA, and ego‐resiliency, and completed intelligence and mathematical tasks. The results of structural equation models showed that MA had a main negative effect on mathematics performance, over and above the effect of test‐ and GA. Ego‐resiliency had a positive effect on mathematics performance, and was negatively associated with GA. Our findings are discussed in terms of the implications for intervention programs to reduce anxiety and sustain ego‐resiliency.     

太阳系外行星大小是木星两倍

After two years of painstaking(艰苦的)research,scientists have determinedthe precise size of a planet beyond oursolar system by measuring tiny shifts in the flit of light comingfrom its parent star.The team studied tiny variations in the tilt of light comingfrom a small star called Gliese 876,which iS about one-thirdthe size of our sun and about 15 light years away.Astronomersalready had determined that at least two planets are orbiting(绕轨道飞行)around the star,though they could not say specifi-cally how large the objects were.The new findings show that the more distant planet isbetween 1.89 and 2.4 times the size of Jupiter.Previous es-timates ranged from 1.9 to 100 times the mass of Jupiter.The technique.called astrometry(天体测定),has beenaround for decades,but has never before been used to deter-     

The Developmental Roots of Disaffection?

Recent studies have shown that self‐esteem may play an important role in the onset of disaffection among secondary age pupils. It has been suggested that low‐achieving pupils deal with the threat posed to their self‐esteem by poor academic achievement by re‐organising their domain‐specific evaluations so that investment is increased in potentially more rewarding areas (in being part of a scholastic counter‐culture). In this vein, an exploratory study was conducted in which self‐esteem, mood/affect, and perceptions of social support were examined in 62 high and low achieving Year 7 (mean age: 11.8) pupils. We found differences between high‐ and low‐achieving pupils in a variety of constructs, including academic self‐esteem, mood/affect, and global self‐worth. Further, within‐group correlations revealed distinct differences between high and low achieving pupils, in the relationships between self‐esteem, mood/affect, and social support. The findings are discussed in relation to suggested psychosocial mechanisms in the onset of disaffection. In particular, differences between the findings of this and other studies involving older participants are examined, and Year 7 is tentatively suggested as a critical period of self‐esteem re‐organisation for low achievers.     

Film Biographies

A PRIVATE VIEW by Irene Mayer Selznick (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1983---$16.95)

A PASSION FOR FILMS: HENRI LANGLOIS AND THE CINEMATHEQUE FRANCAISE (New York: The Viking Press, 1983---$16.95)

MOVIE STAR: A LOOK AT THE WOMEN WHO MADE HOLLYWOOD by Ethan Mordden (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1983---$19.95)     

Characteristics of extracurricular physical activity and cognitive performance in adolescents. The AVENA study

Abstract

The aim of this report was to examine the associations between some characteristics (i.e., structure and number) of extracurricular physical activity (EPA) and cognitive performance in adolescents. A total of 1662 adolescents (880 girls; 13.0–18.5 years) from 5 Spanish cities (Granada, Madrid, Murcia, Santander and Zaragoza) were included in this study. Structure (organised and non-organised) and number of EPAs, and participation at vigorous intensity during EPA were self-reported. Cognitive performance (verbal, numeric and reasoning abilities, and an overall score) was measured with the “SRA-Test of Educational Ability”. Results showed that vigorous EPA was positively associated with all cognitive variables. Adolescents who practiced an organised EPA had higher scores in 3 of the 4 cognitive variables than those who practiced a non-organised EPA (all P < 0.05). Likewise, the group who participated in more than one EPA had higher cognitive performance in all variables than the group who participated in only one EPA (all P < 0.05). Regardless of potential confounder variables, including vigorous EPA, both structure and number of EPAs were each other independently associated with cognitive performance. Therefore, structure and number of EPAs may positively influence cognitive performance in adolescents. Participating in multiple, organised EPA may have benefits for cognitive performance.