Metacognitive knowledge in children at early elementary school

In metacognition research, many studies focused on metacognitive knowledge of preschoolers or children at the end of elementary school or secondary school, but investigations of children starting elementary school are quite limited. The present study, thus, took a closer look at children’s knowledge about mental processes and strategies in early elementary school aiming to extend findings on the respective age period. Therefore, at first, a new test that can be administered in group settings and that assesses a broad concept of children’s metacognitive knowledge in early elementary school was evaluated. Furthermore, analyses on the structure of metacognitive knowledge were carried out in cross-sectional as well as longitudinal analyses. In a longitudinal design, the new test instrument was administered to 870 children at the end of first grade and again one year later (N?=?720). Item Response models were used to evaluate the construct validity of the test. Test characteristics were checked based on different fit statistics, test fairness, and discriminant validity. In summary, the test exhibited good psychometric properties. Analyses on the dimensionality of the assessed metacognitive knowledge revealed that different strategies seemed to form rather distinct dimensions of metacognitive knowledge. However, these dimensions showed a rather homogeneous development from first to second grade. Impacts of the findings on theoretical considerations and on the theoretical understanding of metacognitive knowledge and further analyses with metacognitive competence data are discussed.     

How and Why to Measure Personal and Historical Nostalgic Responses Through Entertainment Media

Nostalgia is increasingly and successfully used as a means to attract media recipients. But what are the effects of different types of nostalgic responses through movies, songs, and video games, and how and why should they be measured? To clarify this, the personal and historical nostalgia scales questions were validated in a media context by conducting exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and both regression and correlation analyses (studies 1 and 2). Thus, media researchers can now measure personal and historical nostalgia as a response to and across three different entertainment media: films, music, and video games. The author finds positive effects of personal nostalgia on entertainment media buying and word-of-mouth intentions, contrary to historical nostalgia.     

Further Education of Higher Education Graduates — the More,the Better?

In times of rapid technological and organisational change, it is argued that lifelong further education becomes more and more important for labour market success. Especially in labour market segments for the highly qualified, it is essential to constantly update one's qualifications. This is reflected in the finding that graduates with tertiary education are closely involved in further training measures at the beginning of their life courses. Almost all take part in at least one further training measure in the first five years after graduation. The further education strategies of higher education graduates, however, vary greatly in terms of frequency of participation, duration of measures, financing of the measure and the type of skills acquired. Using a German graduate panel which traces a sample of graduates up to five years after they obtained their degree in 1997 (HIS Absolventenpanel), we analyse which of these strategies are most successful in terms of wages. Using random effect panel models, we find — controlling for a variety of other factors — that the frequency of participation in further education only has a significant positive influence on male graduates' wages. Moreover, it is mainly measures paid exclusively by the employer and courses directed at personality development, i.e. management skills, which have substantial wage premiums.     

Amateur Photographs as Visual Quotes

The participation of amateurs in the production of news has been widely noted as a growing phenomenon. Recent research demonstrates that amateur photographs are understood as raw, additional or potential elements of news content making and are subject to a translation process. In this paper, I introduce the concept of the visual quote to show how news media workers both accommodate and distance themselves from amateur content. In making the connection between amateur photographs and quotes, I aim to shift the understanding of amateur photographs away from the perception that they represent a new form of journalism. Instead I use the concept of the visual quote to identify how news media workers maintain their professional authority over amateur photographs in much the same way as quotes from bystanders are used in written journalism. The concept of the visual quote also acknowledges the role of the camera as a note-taking device in contemporary media use. I argue that the sourcing of amateur photographs is not explicitly disruptive; rather it blends with the existing processes of professional news media practice. It questions claims that the rise of the amateur would lead to fundamental changes in media and society. The research was conducted in 2010/2011 using interview evidence and observations collected at the Australian Leader Community Newspapers chain. Interviews were also conducted with representatives from a further 14 media institutions in Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom. In addition, secondary sources were used to provide further insights and suggest general tendencies in the field.     

Influences of television: Views from the next generation

This study examines sixth through tenth graders’ open‐ended responses to television's influences on their lives. Results suggest that there is little evidence of clearcut positive or negative interpretations of the medium's influences. Students identified a wide variety of both positive and negative effects of the medium, demonstrating a multifaceted understanding of the role of the medium.     

Childbirth Education and Obstetric Interventions Among Low-Risk Canadian Women: Is There a Connection?

The objective of this study was to examine the associations between attendance at childbirth education classes and maternal characteristics (age, income, educational level, single parent status), maternal psychological states (fear of birth, anxiety), rates of obstetric interventions, and breastfeeding initiation. Between women’s 35th and 39th weeks of gestation, we collected survey data about their childbirth fear, anxiety, attendance at childbirth education classes, choice of health-care provider, and expectations for interventions; we then linked women’s responses (n = 624) to their intrapartum records obtained through Perinatal Services British Columbia. Older, more educated, and nulliparous women were more likely to attend childbirth education classes than younger, less educated, and multiparous women. Attending prenatal education classes was associated with higher rates of vaginal births among women in the study sample. Rates of labor induction and augmentation and use of epidural anesthesia were not significantly associated with attendance at childbirth education classes. Future studies might explore the effect of specialized education programs on rates of interventions during labor and mode of birth.     

Internal and external influences on vocabulary development in preschool children

Competency in society's lingua franca plays a major role in the emergence of social disparities within education. Therefore, the present longitudinal study investigates vocabulary development and its predictors in preschool years. We focus on whether internal (phonological working memory) and external variables (preschool and home learning environment) have different impacts depending on parental native language. The study considers 547 children from 97 German preschools. Children's vocabulary was assessed at the ages of 3, 4, and 5 years. Latent growth curve models show that non-native German language children are characterized by reduced vocabulary at first assessment and lower progress compared to monolingual peers. Phonological working memory has a strong impact on all children's initial vocabulary but also on vocabulary growth in those whose parents speak German as an additional language. The effects of preschool and home learning environment are comparatively smaller.     

Homophobia,Sexism, and Early Childhood Education: A Review of the Literature

We reviewed 31 articles that explored issues related to gender and sexuality in early childhood education (ECE) settings. This body of literature suggests that ECE programs and elementary schools often reinforce the homophobia, heterosexism, and sexism that characterize contemporary U.S. society. A number of the articles described strategies that the teachers of young children can use to promote gender equality, respect for sexual diversity, and healthy sexual development. We concluded our review with a discussion of third-wave feminism, queer theory, and the important role that community college and university-based teacher education programs can play in helping the teachers of young children actively challenge systems of privilege and oppression based on gender and sexuality.     

Towards a geography of emotional analysis

This article is a forum response to a research article on self-reporting methods when studying discrete emotions in science education environments. Studying emotions in natural settings is a difficult task because of the complexity of deciphering verbal and non-verbal communication. In my response I present three main points that build on insights mainly from philosophy and anthropology. The three points are: first, the significance of connecting the visible and measurable with the invisible and intangible; second, what it means to think about the practices of knowing; and third, an argument to map out a geography of analysis that takes also into account who or what emotions are directed at.     

The Importance of Quality for the Accommodation of Amateur Photographs in the Professional News Media

Amateur photographs must fulfill specific standards if they are to be used in professional news media. These standards include news value, credibility, ethics and taste, as well as the technical and aesthetic quality of images. The research presented in this article explores the value of poor-quality photographs for the news industry, and the view that they can be good enough for certain news content. At the same time, this article reveals strong reservations regarding the incorporation of amateur photographs. The article asks whether such findings manifest necessary quality standards, or whether they constitute claims to defend the position of the professional news media. The data for this article were collected in 2010/2011 using observation, interviews and textual analysis.