International students of speech and language therapy in the UK: Choices about where to study and whether to return

The qualification leading to professional practice in speech and language therapy (SLT, also known as speech and language pathology) is not evenly available across the world. Geographic mobility and the availability of information are greater than at any other time in our history. Thus, initial SLT qualification courses in many countries are likely to have students from overseas among their intake. The professional nature of SLT programmes means that many aspects are culturally and linguistically bound. This may impact adversely on international students’ success on such courses. A study of all initial SLT qualifying courses in the UK was undertaken to identify the countries of origin of past and current international students, to explore the reasons behind their decision to study in the UK and to find out where and in what role they planned to work, or were already working, on qualification. Analysis of questionnaire and interview data revealed a wide variety of reasons for studying in the UK; linguistic, cultural, financial, and personal. The students come primarily from Europe, particularly Greece; but also from Asia; Africa and the Americas. Familiarity with English language and the perceived status of UK higher education, together with the related colonial and post-colonial links between the student’s country of origin and the UK, appear to have an impact on students’ decision to study in the UK. The short- and long-term employment plans of respondents are discussed, along with factors influencing decisions about whether to work in Britain, their home country or elsewhere.     

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Educational technology research and development -     

Effects of cooperative incentives and heterogeneous arrangement on achievement and interaction of cooperative learning groups in a college life science course

The purpose of this study was to examine the importance of cooperative incentives and heterogeneous grouping as elements of cooperative learning in a college life science course. Cooperative learning may be defined as a classroom learning environment in which students work together in heterogeneous groups toward completion of some task. Cooperative incentive structures provide some type of group reward based on group products or individual learning. In heterogeneous grouping, students are arranged in order to maximize variety within groups. A 2 × 2 design was utilized in this study. The independent variables considered included (a) use of cooperative incentives in learning groups, and (b) use of heterogeneous grouping in cooperative learning groups. Dependent variables for all treatment groups were scores from a multiple-choice instrument developed for an earlier, related study, along with direct observational data on frequency of cooperative interactions. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used as the data analysis procedure for the achievement portion of the study, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for analysis of the cooperative interaction portion of the study. No significant differences were found between the treatment groups.     

Yoga Improves Academic Performance in Urban High School Students Compared to Physical Education: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Yoga programs within schools have become more widespread but research regarding the potential effect on academic achievement remains limited. This study cluster‐randomized 112 students within a single New York City public high school to participate in either school‐based yoga or physical education (PE) for an entire academic year. The primary outcome was mean annual grade point average (GPA). Psychosocial variables (self‐regulation, executive function, well‐being, and mindfulness) were examined as mediators. The study's primary hypothesis that yoga would improve academic performance was not supported by intent to treat analysis; however, a significant interaction was observed between class assignment and class participation. Among students with higher participation, those assigned to yoga classes had a significantly higher GPA. For example, at 49 classes of participation for both groups, students assigned to yoga classes had an estimated 2.70 higher mean GPA (effect size = 0.31) than students assigned to PE.     

Arithmetic disabilities and ADD subtypes: implications for DSM-IV

This study investigated whether specific academic deficits were associated with attention-deficit disorder (ADD) subtypes. Twenty students (ages 8-12) with attention-deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADD/H) were compared to 20 students with attention-deficit disorder without hyperactivity (ADD/noH). Group differences were compared using a MANCOVA, and paired t tests were used to compare within-group differences. Dependent variables for the within-group differences were four achievement subtest scores from the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery-Revised: Letter-Word Identification, Passage Comprehension, Calculation, and Applied Problems. Consistent with much of the previous research, no significant between-group differences were found on the achievement measures. Significant differences did, however, appear in the six within-group comparisons, all involving lower performance on the Math Calculations subtest. For students with ADD/H, only one comparison (with Math Applied Problems) reached significance. Students with ADD/noH, however, had significantly lower scores on the Calculation subtest compared to all of the other achievement subtests. These results provided additional support for the hypothesis that inattention exerts a specific and deleterious effect on the acquisition of arithmetic computation skills. These findings have important implications for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD as conceptualized in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994), because they suggest that students with ADHD-Predominantly Inattentive Type may be at increased risk for arithmetic calculation deficits.     

Toward Interdisciplinary Learning: Development and Validation of an Assessment for Interdisciplinary Understanding of Global Carbon Cycling

Research in Science Education - This study developed and validated an assessment that measures interdisciplinary understanding using the topic of carbon cycling, the Interdisciplinary Science...