RECALL SCORES OF OLD AND YOUNG PEOPLE AS A FUNCTION OF REGISTRATION INTERVALS

The subjects, 24 old (mean age, 69 yr) and 24 young (mean age, 19 yr) people, were given one learning trial on paired associate lists under each of four temporal conditions: (1) 3 sec study (association) interval; (2) self‐paced study interval; (3) self‐paced study interval and 4 sec registration interval; (4) self‐paced study and registration intervals. The response interval for the single recall trial was self‐paced for all conditions. The subject was instructed to use the registration interval to ensure that the association between the paired items was “fixed” in his or her mind. The recall scores of the elderly subjects but not the young subjects improved significantly as a function of the registration interval. The results suggest that with advanced age more time is required for information processing, and specifically for the registration of an association and/or its transfer from primary to secondary memory. The significant improvement of the older subjects from the paced‐study‐interval condition to the self‐paced‐study‐and‐registration‐intervals condition supports the contention that modification of conditions under which the older person is expected to perform can result in substantial performance increments.     

The impact of goal orientation, self-reflection and personal characteristics on the acquisition of oral presentation skills

Although many educators help others to develop oral presentation skills, little research is available to direct the instructional design activities of these educators. In the present article an explorative study on university freshman is described, in which goal-setting, self-reflection, and several characteristics of the subjects during oral presentations were analysed. The research results emphasize the critical impact of motivational constructs, such as self-efficacy and goal orientation, next to the topic of the oral presentation on the acquisition of oral presentation skills.     

Kartellrechtliche Fragestellungen bei Drittmittelverträgen von Universitäten

Im Zuge der Drittmittelaktivitäten der Universitäten, die oftmals in den Bereichen Forschungs- und Entwicklungsverträge, Kooperationsverträge sowie Patentlizenz- und Know-How-Verträge durchgeführt werden, wird in diesem Beitrag in kurzen Zügen umrissen, welche kartellrechtlichen Fragestellungen auf die Universitäten zukommen und daher beim Abschluss von Verträgen zu berücksichtigen sind.     

Training science teachers to utilize better teaching strategies: A research synthesis

This study is a synthesis of practice and research related to the use of behavior analysis to train science teachers. An idealized model (derived from practice) for training science teachers is presented first. Then research related to the categories of the model is reviewed and synthesized. To do this, all available studies on the topic were classified by the type of treatment used to influence the teaching behaviors. The results were meta-analyzed. The effectiveness of training procedures fell into the following order, from lowest to highest: (1) study of an analysis system and self analysis; (2) observing models; (3) analyzing models; and, (4) practice and analysis with feedback. Science educators are encouraged to use the procedures outlined in the model to train better teachers. These results support the idealized model.     

An inquiry-based augmented reality mobile learning approach to fostering primary school students’ historical reasoning in non-formal settings

This study investigated the contribution of a location-based augmented reality (AR) inquiry-learning environment in developing 3rd grade students’ historical empathy and conceptual understanding. Historical empathy is an important element of historical thinking, which is considered to improve conceptual understanding and support the development of democratic citizens by helping students interpret, understand and connect patterns of human activity across time. Fifty-three 3rd grade students, grouped in two research conditions, participated in this study. Students visited an archaeological site with and without the support of an AR learning environment on mobile tablet devices. Data from all students were collected following a pre- and post-test design. Twelve students from the AR condition participated in individual interviews and all AR students took a delayed post-test. The results showed that students’ conceptual understanding and historical empathy increased from pre to post for both conditions. Statistically significant differences were found between the AR field trip and the traditional field trip students in the development of empathy and conceptual understanding. These results add to the literature by supporting the potential of AR technologies for the development of students’ historical empathy; several design implications are also discussed.     

How has Mexican faculty been trained? A national perspective and a case study

This article depicts how faculty members at Mexican higher education institutions have been prepared in order to assume their professional responsibilities. It relies on three elements: First, a secondary analysis of a national faculty survey composed of 3,861 faculty members from 65 institutions; second, 34 interviews conducted in eight higher education institutions; third, a primary analysis of an institution faculty survey in a public autonomous university. Results are presented regarding the following issues: first, the central traits of anticipatory or formative in-site faculty socialization; second, the changes in the highest degree faculty obtained at entry into academic life as compared to the obtained degree at the time of the survey; third, the formative time patterns during faculty’s higher education training, fourth, the conditions of study under which faculty members obtained their graduate degrees; and fifth, the academic inbreeding phenomenon.     

Subitisation in Number Tasks in Children with Down Syndrome

ABSTRACT

This paper presents results from the development of a sequence for teaching/learning number concepts for children with Down syndrome that is adapted to their cognitive characteristics and to certain traits of their executive functioning. The mathematical objective is to promote subitising during the initial number learning in order to develop cardinality, composition-decomposition and number facts. We outline activities with different materials and resources, supported by the use of augmentative communication. We present the results of a case study involving two children with Down syndrome (7 and 8 years of age) who followed the proposed intervention for one academic year. The results indicated a different tendency when using the subitising strategy in both children and also depended on the physical arrangement of the objects to be counted. The benefits found were the children’s flexibility in using subitising and counting in numerical activities and the spontaneous use of augmentative communication.     

Computational Thinking from a Disciplinary Perspective: Integrating Computational Thinking in K-12 Science,Technology, Engineering,and Mathematics Education

This article provides an introduction for the special issue of the Journal of Science Education and Technology focused on computational thinking (CT) from a disciplinary perspective. The special issue connects earlier research on what K-12 students can learn and be able to do using CT with the CT skills and habits of mind needed to productively participate in professional CT-integrated STEM fields. In this context, the phrase “disciplinary perspective” simultaneously holds two meanings: it refers to and aims to make connections between established K-12 STEM subject areas (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and newer CT-integrated disciplines such as computational sciences. The special issue presents a framework for CT integration and includes articles that illuminate what CT looks like from a disciplinary perspective, the challenges inherent in integrating CT into K-12 STEM education, and new ways of measuring CT aligned more closely with disciplinary practices. The aim of this special issue is to offer research-based and practitioner-grounded insights into recent work in CT integration and provoke new ways of thinking about CT integration from researchers, practitioners, and research-practitioner partnerships.

     

An Explanation for School Failure: Moving Beyond Black Inferiority and Alienation as a Policy-Making Agenda

Numerous authors identify a white supremacist ideology that shapes the educational opportunities for racially diverse students. We contend that this ideology informs educational policy and hampers the likelihood that racially diverse populations can achieve success at levels similar to students of European descent. In this paper we define the white supremacist ideology as it informs education policy and practices. Three examples from the United States are then used to illustrate the influence of such an ideology. These examples include the creation and protection of racially segregated schooling; desegregation policies; and the current uses of school report cards. We conclude with the relevance of this discussion to educational debates in Great Britain and South Africa, and recommendations to minimise the influence of this ideology on education policy and school reform efforts.