Young children's number sense in Finland,Hong Kong and Singapore

This study examines young children's number sense in subjects from Finland (n=254), Hong Kong (n=246), and Singapore (n=130). Chinese, English and Finnish versions of the Early Numeracy Test (ENT; Van Luit et al., 1994) were used. Two highly correlated aspects of number sense were measured, one reflecting children's abilities to organize and compare quantities (i.e. relational skills), and the other pertaining to their ability to operate with number-word sequence (i.e. counting skills). The results showed significant age-related gain on the relational and counting scales. No gender or language differences were found. The children in Hong Kong and Singapore outperformed those in Finland in relational and counting tasks starting at the age of four years. The children in Singapore also had better relational and counting skills than those in Hong Kong. Differences in teaching were assumed to explain the findings.     

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE AND ONLINE INQUIRY-BASED SCIENCE READING: EVIDENCE FROM EYE TRACKING

This study employed eye-tracking technology to examine how students with different levels of prior knowledge process text and data diagrams when reading a web-based scientific report. Students’ visual behaviors were tracked and recorded when they read a report demonstrating the relationship between the greenhouse effect and global climate change in 2 diagrams and 4 textual sections. Based on the pretest scores, 13 participants were categorized into high and low prior knowledge (PK) groups. Eye-tracking measures including the total reading time, total fixation duration, and total regression number on each area of interest of the 2 groups were compared. A heat map was further used to show the overall visual distribution of each group. In addition, the inter-scanning transitions between the textual and graphical information of the 2 groups were compared and further confirmed by the patterns of the scan paths. The results revealed that overall students spent more time reading the textual than the graphical information. The high PK students showed longer fixation durations and more regressions on the graphics than the low PK students. Meanwhile, the high PK students showed more inter-scanning transitions than the low PK students not only between the text and graphics but also between the 2 data diagrams. This suggests that the high PK students were more able to integrate text and graphic information and inspect scientific data which is essential for online inquiry learning. This study provides eye-tracking evidence to show that low PK students have difficulties integrating scientific diagrams with expository texts and inspecting scientific data diagrams that are commonly shown in websites. Suggestions are made for future studies and instructional design for online inquiry-based science learning.     

Class matters in the interview setting? Positionality,situatedness and class

In this article we argue that despite methodological and analytical advancements in the field of social class research, these developments have not led to a wholehearted discussion about class positionality and situatedness in relation to interviewer–participant dynamics. Despite—or perhaps due to—this methodological gap, there remains an unspoken expectation that class matching, particularly when investigating working‐class groups and practices, is desirable as it engenders empathy on the part of the interviewer which allows for openness on the part of the participant. The team of four interviewers reflect upon their varying experiences of conducting interviews about class with a group of middle‐ and working‐class students at university, arguing that even if class matching between participant and researcher were possible, shared class position does not necessarily equate with similar life experiences, or enable a strong rapport nor a more ethical analysis or understanding of working‐class people's lives. We explore some of the complexities regarding the class‐related positions of the researchers and the participants and consequently advocate that class researchers engage in reflexive practices in order to explore the myriad ways in which the researcher's own class history and current class position both advantage and disadvantage the research process, often in unpredictable ways.     

Exploring the role of gratitude in the professional experience of pre-service teachers

The burgeoning body of empirical research in the area of positive psychology points to the beneficial effect of gratitude on factors that could be relevant to some of the challenges faced by pre-service teachers. Although the topic of gratitude has also long been discussed in other fields, there has been a noticeable absence of mention in teacher education research, and in education more broadly. The present article presents a theoretical framework for considering gratitude in the context of pre-service teachers’ professional experience. It then outlines a small qualitative pilot study of outcomes reported by six pre-service teachers when they consciously applied gratitude in their second practicum. The practicum was undertaken in a variety of primary- and secondary-school settings. Each participant reported positive effects in the areas of improved relationships, enhanced wellbeing, and improved teaching outcomes. Although this was a small exploratory study, the findings align closely with wider empirical work on gratitude. We propose that the outcomes reported by participants in this small study point to the value of further research on the role of gratitude in educational contexts and of considering practices of gratitude in teacher education pedagogy.     

What Students Want: A Vision of a Future Online Learning Experience Grounded in Distance Education Theory

ABSTRACT

As online learning continues to evolve many have proposed that we think differently about our pedagogical approaches, to move beyond the replication of the face-to-face experience. Here we explore the student and faculty visions of the future using a Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation (ZMET) method that uses images to metaphorically represent how individuals feel or relate to particular concepts. Focus group interviews with a small sample of faculty and students suggest a desire for a more personalized learning experience, but one that is still highly social within learning communities.     

A nurturing and problem-solving approach for abuse-prone mothers

This paper reports on a series of treatment programs for abuse-prone mothers. The basic premise was that abusive mothers could not nurture their children because they had never been nurtured themselves. Therefore, the first requisite was that they be given to without being asked to give back. Hairdressing was chosen as a socially acceptable way to touch, and thus physically nurture adults, as it is considered neither infantile nor sexually questionable. The first group demonstrated that this type of nurturing was helpful in creating a prosocial support network for isolated mothers. However, when problem-solving activity was substituted for nurturing in an attempt to foster the mothers' coping skills, the group disintegrated. The second group was designed to maintain the nurturing element while using group-generated crises to teach problem-solving skills. Findings from the third and fourth groups confirmed the value of this combination, as it did the importance of providing support to staff (professionals and volunteers) in their work with people whose needs are “like bottomless pits” [3]. Expert consultation on the effective use of the small group process to meet these needs was also established as necessary.     

Matthew effects in young readers: reading comprehension and reading experience aid vocabulary development

The authors report data from a longitudinal study of the reading development of children who were assessed in the years of their 8th, 11th, 14th, and 16th birthdays. They examine the evidence for Matthew effects in reading and vocabulary between ages 8 and 11 in groups of children identified with good and poor reading comprehension at 8 years. They also investigate evidence for Matthew effects in reading and vocabulary between 8 and 16 years, in the larger sample. The poor comprehenders showed reduced growth in vocabulary compared to the good comprehenders, but not in word reading or reading comprehension ability. They also obtained lower scores on measures of out-of-school literacy. Analyses of the whole sample revealed that initial levels of reading experience and reading comprehension predicted vocabulary at ages 11, 14, and 16 after controlling for general ability and vocabulary skills when aged 8. The authors discuss these findings in relation to the influence of reading on vocabulary development.