School-Age Children Adapt the Dynamics of Lexical Competition in Suboptimal Listening Conditions

Although the ability to understand speech in adverse listening conditions is paramount for effective communication across the life span, little is understood about how this critical processing skill develops. This study asks how the dynamics of spoken word recognition (i.e., lexical access and competition) change during soft speech in 8- to 11-year-olds (n = 26). Lexical competition and access for speech at lower intensity levels was measured using eye-tracking and the visual world paradigm. Overall the results suggest that soft speech influences the magnitude and timing of lexical access and competition. These results suggest that lexical competition is a cognitive process that can be adapted in the school-age years to help cope with increased uncertainty due to alterations in the speech signal.     

A cognitive diagnostic analysis of the Social Issues Advocacy Scale (SIAS)

‘What would an ideal social justice advocate look like, and how do our graduates compare?’ is asked by training programs in the helping/health professions (e.g. counselling and psychology, nursing, and education) that have social justice advocacy (SJA) as a core competency. We demonstrate a method for answering this question empirically – cognitive diagnostic modelling (CDM). We used the four dimensions of the Social Issues Advocacy Scale (SIAS; Nilsson, Marszalek, Linnemeyer, Bahner, &; Hanson Misialek, 2011 Nilsson, J. E., Marszalek, J. M., Linnemeyer, R. M., Bahner, A. E., &; Hanson Misialek, L. (2011). Development and assessment of the Social Issues Advocacy Scale. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 71(1), 258–275. doi:10.1177/0013164410391581[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) as attributes of SJA, and fit SIAS responses to a CDM of 16 attribute mastery profiles. One-quarter of the sample had a profile suggesting SJA attitudes without action; one-fifth, a profile suggesting monitoring SJA in politics without participation; and one-eighth, a profile suggesting individuals rarely engage in action without SJA attitudes. We also found significant relationships between mastery profiles and degree pursued, degree field, and political affiliation. These results demonstrated the utility of CDM for training program assessment of SJA.     

How to manage an information state: Jean-Baptiste Colbert’s archives and the education of his son

This article examines the archival methods developed by Colbert to train his son in state administration. Based on Colbert’s correspondence with his son, it reveals the practices Colbert thought necessary to collect and manage information in his state encyclopedic archive during the last half of the 17th century.

National Vocational Qualifications: the candidates' experience

PURPOSE: To examine the experience of studying for an National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) by past and present candidates in the library and information science sector, their reasons for choosing this qualification and its impact on completion. METHODOLOGY: Following a review of the literature, a number of NVQ candidates were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Candidates were contacted via e-mail through NVQ Centres and the LondonLinks e-mail list. There is a focus on health libraries as the flexibility and work-based nature of NVQs enable more staff to access training and education in this sector, despite the not uncommon low levels of staffing. RESULTS: NVQ Centres have gained experience since NVQs were launched 10 years ago. More support is offered to candidates and a number of issues such as isolation, are no longer a problem. An interesting result was the high number of candidates who had gone on to higher education following the completion of an NVQ. CONCLUSIONS: The NVQ is a useful method of providing staff with an opportunity to gain a recognized qualification. A significant number of candidates reported that the NVQ was ultimately a positive experience that improved their working practices. It can be an important first step for non-professional staff, but the future remains uncertain.     

Implementation of a project-based molecular biology laboratory emphasizing protein structure-function relationships in a large introductory biology laboratory course

In introductory laboratory courses, many universities are turning from traditional laboratories with predictable outcomes to inquiry-inspired, project-based laboratory curricula. In these labs, students are allowed to design at least some portion of their own experiment and interpret new, undiscovered data. We have redesigned the introductory biology laboratory course at Brandeis University into a semester-long project-based laboratory that emphasizes concepts and contains an element of scientific inquiry. In this laboratory, students perform a site-directed mutagenesis experiment on the gene encoding human γD crystallin, a human eye lens protein implicated in cataracts, and assess the stability of their newly created protein with respect to wild-type crystallin. This laboratory utilizes basic techniques in molecular biology to emphasize the importance of connections between DNA and protein. This project lab has helped engage students in their own learning, has improved students' skills in critical thinking and analysis, and has promoted interest in basic research in biology.     

Differing gender preferences for educational media among Thai students studying English at university

There have been many reports indicating that there are differences between male and female students in various issues in education. This research examined the preferences for various forms of educational media by freshmen students studying English in Thailand. Approximately 3000 students at seven university campuses in central Thailand were surveyed on their preferences for the media used in and out of English classes. The results indicate many similarities between the male and female choices. Overall, students believed that traditional media were effective for in-class learning, but the media used in alternative classroom activities are more enjoyable. The students thought that entertaining media and the internet are popular ways to learn English and can be better utilized in classes. There was a stronger interest in the internet among male students. Overall, this study shows that there is a great interest from all students to have more technologically focused media available to help them learn.     

Computational thinking learning experiences,outcomes, and research in preschool settings: a scoping review of literature

Education and Information Technologies - When implemented appropriately, computational thinking (CT) experiences in early childhood settings build essential literacy skills and foster initial...     

Rate-distortion optimized frame dropping and scheduling for multi-user conversational and streaming video

INTRODUCTION Video packets are transmitted over the Internet using a best-effort service. Therefore, a large number of simultaneous video streams or cross traffic arriving at a network node (e.g. a multimedia gateway) may sometimes exceed the node’s forwarding capacity, i.e., the incoming data rate may exceed the outgoing data rate at the node. In this paper, we consider a scenario where M streaming videos and N conversa- tional videos pass through a network node with lim- ited forwardi…     

Motivating Children to Learn Effectively: Exploring the Value of Intrinsic Integration in Educational Games

The concept of intrinsic motivation lies at the heart of the user engagement created by digital games. Yet despite this, educational software has traditionally attempted to harness games as extrinsic motivation by using them as a sugar coating for learning content. This article tests the concept of intrinsic integration as a way of creating a more productive relationship between educational games and their learning content. Two studies assessed this approach by designing and evaluating an educational game called Zombie Division to teach mathematics to 7- to 11-year-olds. Study 1 examined the learning gains of 58 children who played either the intrinsic, extrinsic, or control variants of Zombie Division for 2 hr, supported by their classroom teacher. Study 2 compared time on task for the intrinsic and extrinsic variants of the game when 16 children had free choice of which game to play. The results showed that children learned more from the intrinsic version of the game under fixed time limits and spent 7 times longer playing it in free-time situations. Together, these studies offer evidence for the genuine value of an intrinsic approach for creating effective educational games. The theoretical and commercial implications of these findings are discussed.