Facilitation and impairment of conditioning in the preweanling rat after prior exposure to the conditioned stimulus

Olfactory aversion conditioning of preweanling rats, 10 or 18 days postnatal, was tested after some had been given nonreinforced experience with the to-be-conditioned odor stimulus. In three experiments, it was established that the amount of prior exposure to the CS determined the effectiveness of conditioning. For both ages, odor-shock conditioning was more likely impaired with longer durations of preexposure. This effect was more apparent in the older animals. Low to moderate degrees of prior exposure to the CS under some conditions facilitated, rather than impaired, olfactory conditioning in the 10-day-old rat. This result is in agreement with one previous study in which facilitation in learning was reported for this age after short-term preexposure to the CS. The present study adds to previous data on differential effects of CS preexposure on conditioning. Although the conditions under which facilitation rather than impairment occurs are not yet clear, age-related differences in the effects of CS preexposure were apparent in the present experiments.     

Konzipierung und Realisierung des Breitband-Wissenschaftsnetzes des DFN-Vereins

Zusammenfassung.   Der st?ndig steigende Bedarf der Einrichtungen aus Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung an Bandbreite zur übertragung multimedialer Daten machte den Aufbau eines Breitband-Wissenschaftsnetzes (B-WiN) erforderlich. Der folgende Bericht erl?utert die Methodik der Konzeptionierung und Realisierung des B-WiN. Das Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft, Forschung und Technologie (BMBF) unterstützt das Projekt im Zeitraum von 1995 bis 1998 mit erheblichen Zuschüssen. Eingegangen am 23. Mai 1996/Angenommen am 13. Juni 1997     

Defining information: An analysis of the information content of documents

In order to characterize the information content of scientific documents an appropriate definition is developed which is based on the facts and data reported therein and on their conceptual interrelationship. The scope and limitations of such a definition are discussed and it is used to carry out the content analysis of a scientific paper and its abstract. The results of these analyses are represented in graphic form, evaluated and compared.     

Elementary teachers' use and perception of rewards in the classroom

In the past four decades much research has gone into the use of rewards in education yet little attention has been given to the use of rewards from the perspective of teachers. This mixed method study examined how elementary school teachers define and use rewards in their classrooms and how various motivational constructs such as goal orientation, self-efficacy, and autonomy relate to teachers' use of rewards. Results revealed that all teachers in our sample use some form of rewards in their classrooms and the majority use some form of tangible rewards. Rewards were most frequently given for behaviour management, but there was a significant relationship between the use of rewards for behaviour and those given for academic achievement. Performance goal orientations for teaching were positively related to the use of tangible rewards and a higher degree of classroom control and negatively related to teacher self-efficacy. When asked to report on the appropriateness of using rewards in the classroom only one-third of the teachers reported that they should be used conditionally.     

Physical education for health and wellbeing: a discourse analysis of Scottish physical education curricular documentation

This paper provides an analysis of the discourses associated with physical education in Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence. We implement a poststructural perspective in order to identify the discourses that underpin the physical education sections of the Curriculum for Excellence ‘health and well-being’ documentation. Discourses related to physical activity and health are particularly prominent, along with a related concern with motor skill development. Our focus lies with the ways in which these discourses are likely to be taken up and deployed within Scottish educational establishments. The paper thus explores the ways in which these discourses might ‘work’ to produce specific effects on practitioners and pupils. This involves speculating about how practitioners and students might engage in specific practices relative to these discourses. We conclude that the discourses identified lend themselves to interpretation and negotiation in multiple ways in the context of Scottish physical education, with specific consequences for the experiences and subjectivities of practitioners and children.     

Classroom behavioural climate in inclusive education – a study on secondary students’ perceptions

Previous studies pointed out that dealing with difficult behaviour is perceived by teachers as a major challenge in inclusive settings. However, research on the students' perception of the classroom behavioural climate (CBC) is rare. Therefore, this study aims to examine students’ perceptions of CBC and to identify predictors of CBC as well as associated variables. The sample consists of 650 German students from secondary schools (5th-9th grade) of whom 83 students are diagnosed with special educational needs (SEN). CBC was measured via four subscales (‘students’ possibilities to study and concentrating on teaching’, ‘disruptive behaviour’, ‘physical and psychological safety’ and ‘caring for the physical environment’). Results show significant differences in students’ perceptions of CBC between students from different school tracks. Furthermore, gender (being male) and SEN (having a) predict the perception of ‘physical and psychological safety’. Additionally, social inclusion, emotional experience as well as teacher support and care are associated with CBC. Accordingly, a positive CBC is important for the successful implementation of inclusive education: while diversity in classrooms is a challenge for behavioural climate, poor behavioural climate may also pose specific barriers to learning for some students with SEN and thus is a general challenge for equity in inclusive classrooms.     

Mindfulness as a Prerequisite to Effective Leadership; Exploring the Constructs that Foster Productive Use of Feedback for Professional Learning

This paper proposes a model that integrates mindfulness, ego, and mindset as filters of the information available for professional learning. The paper explores connections between mindset, ego, and mindfulness that promote or inhibit an educator’s ability to use feedback for learning. A leader’s commitment to creating spaces for meaningful use of all types of feedback promotes a school climate that encourages risk taking in learning. Mindfulness, the cultivation of the ability to pay attention to the present moment non-judgmentally, is a prerequisite skill to the effective delivery and use of feedback to promote professional learning. The development of mindfulness requires practice of a method and the continual application of mindfulness to remain open to learning from feedback.     

ALTERNATIVES IN AURAL REHABILITATION: PROVIDER TRAINING OF NONAUDIOLOGISTS IN THE DELIVERY OF HEARING‐AID SUPPORTIVE SERVICES TO OLDER PERSONS WITH HEARING LOSS

Recently, Patterson and Dancer (1987) suggested a model wherein persons who normally come in contact with older hearing‐impaired persons can be trained to assist the older hearing‐aid user in adjustment to amplification. Their four‐phase educational model offers an alternative to traditional aural rehabilitation programs by using personnel from senior centers, nursing homes, and state and local agencies as program providers.

The present article elaborates more fully on the training that protocol providers will receive from audiologists certified by the American Speech‐Language‐Hearing Association. Providers will be carried through five stages: empathy, effective communication skills, knowledge of the interaction of aging and hearing loss, the phases outlined in the Patterson and Dancer model, and guidelines for referrals. Objective‐based provider and client response criteria are outlined for moving the client from the initial receipt of the hearing aid to its ultimate acceptance and use on a doily basis.