Relation of Young Children's Parasympathetic Reactivity During a Learning Task to Their Self-Regulation and Early Academic Skills

There is growing interest among educational researchers in using heart rate variability (HRV) as an index of children's capacity to regulate their physiological arousal. Links between HRV and young children's self-regulation have, however, been inconsistent, and there is limited research on children's HRV in learning-related contexts. HRV was collected from 86 children aged 3.41 to 5.83 years before, during, and after they engaged in a learning interaction with an examiner. Higher HRV during a pre-learning episode and a larger drop in HRV during the learning interaction were associated with stronger behavioral performance on self-regulation and early academic skill assessments. Children's capacity to modulate their HRV in response to learning opportunities may be linked to their broader self-regulation and early academic skill development. Effects varied by episode and gender, underscoring a need for further research to rigorously evaluate the utility and generalizability of HRV in authentic educational settings.     

Engaged or excluded: LGBTQ youth's participation in school sports and their relationship to psychological well-being

Sports participation has been shown to positively affect youth well-being. However, research has also shown that sports environments can be unsafe for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth. Using data from a large study on school-related experiences of LGBTQ secondary students who reported on their extracurricular activities in school, (N = 15,813), this study examined LGBTQ youth's participation in school sports, the effects of participation on well-being and school belonging, and whether any such benefits of participation varied by transgender status and gender binary identity. Over a quarter of LGBTQ respondents in our study had participated in school sports, and being transgender and being nonbinary were related to a lower likelihood of sports participation. Transgender males and transgender nonbinary youth had the lowest likelihood of sports participation. In general, LGBTQ youth who participated in sports had increased well-being and greater school belonging. However, in regard to self-esteem, transgender nonbinary youth appeared to have greater benefit from participating in sports than did their transgender male and transgender female peers. Considering these results, schools have a responsibility to ensure that school sports are safe and welcoming for LGBTQ youth.     

Correction to: Let’s Talk Play! Exploring the Possible Benefits of Play-Based Pedagogy on Language and Literacy Learning in Two Title I Kindergarten Classrooms

Early Childhood Education Journal - The original version of this article unfortunately contained an error in Abstract section, in-text reference citation and reference section.     

Parent Mastery of Conversational Reading at Playgroup in Two Remote Northern Territory Communities

Early Childhood Education Journal - This paper explores strategies that support Aboriginal parents’ mastery of evidence-based early learning strategies, and their impact on young Aboriginal...     

Integration of physical health and sensory processing assessment for children with autism spectrum disorder in schools

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often undergo various assessments and evaluations as part of the diagnostic process, identification and classification for special education eligibility, and continued progress monitoring for skill growth. Such evaluations may include cognitive, social and emotional, behavioral, and speech evaluations, among other skill and ability assessments. One other area for assessment that clinicians may consider examining when working on evaluations for individuals with ASD includes the integration of assessments capturing physical and sensory needs. Physical health identifiers that may be included in such evaluations cover physical exercise, sleep, diet and food sensitivities, and elimination. Additionally, sensory evaluations may consider auditory, olfactory, taste, tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive sensory abilities and needs. This practitioner-focused chapter includes a brief review of each of the aforementioned physical and sensory abilities and their connection to ASD. Further, implications for practitioners in their assessment of ASD are explored with practical tips and recommendations for providers to use for their future assessments for ASD.     

Sustaining Change in Universities: Continuities in Case Studies and Concepts

Tertiary Education and Management - My book, CreatingEntrepreneurial Universities, based onmid-1990s research in five Europeanuniversities, set forth five ``pathways oftransformation'' by...     

Vendor-assisted e-selection and online ordering: optimal conditions

In response to demands from libraries, a number of library materials vendors have converted their in-house working databases into e-selection and online ordering tools for their customers. Some libraries have embraced these new sources to select titles and then export bibliographic, ordering, and invoice records into their automated acquisitions systems. These libraries have integrated the use of the vendor databases (e.g., GOBI, Collection Manager, Otto-Editions, I libri) into their daily selection and ordering operations. This article will address the forces behind this new approach, some results, the benefits, implications, trade-offs, and optimal conditions for success of this acquisition method. The authors will assess these issues through a more in-depth examination of the experiences at the University of North Carolina Academic Affairs Library and at the University of Chicago Libraries as well as findings in the literature.