Irrelevant information: Some effects on children's problem-solving

Children of 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 years of age were given simple, social-matching problems. Two conditions were employed: each involved verbal presentation but in one (Condition V) no concrete representation was involved while in the other (Condition M) models were also used. Within each condition, information was provided which was (a) sufficient, (b) superfluous, (c) irrelevant or which displayed a combination of these characteristics. For all age groups, the problems containing only irrelevant information were the most difficult, although Condition M enhanced the performance of younger children while depressing that of 7- and 9-year-olds. The results were interpreted as supporting the view that a major source of difficulty for the child may lie in selecting the appropriate referent. Some inferences are drawn regarding the abilities of children to cope with ambiguity.     

Gendered transitions,career identities and possible selves: the case of engineering graduates

This article, drawing upon the Paired Peers project, a longitudinal qualitative study (n = 90), examines how seven UK engineering graduates, four women and three men, construct their career identities during the transitionary period from university to work. It explores how gender and the occupational cultures that reside within the sector, and the wider sociocultural context, affect women’s careers identities, choices and trajectories. The longitudinal design, characteristics of the cohort and the theoretical framework of possible selves contribute to the originality of this empirical research. In this paper, we show how female graduates gradually adapted their occupational aspirations and career identities to fit with socio-cultural expectations and how they struggled to construct viable ‘engineering’ selves in the vital career identity development phase of their first years of employment when most female STEM graduates change careers.     

Negotiating self- and peer-feedback with the use of reflective journals: an analysis of undergraduates’ engagement with feedback

Abstract

Self- and peer-feedback are commonly used in higher education, and in most cases, it is assumed that students will engage with the feedback. There is, however, limited systematic exploration of how students use the feedback. This study proposes a structured reflective journal for students to engage with both self- and peer-feedback in the context of teamwork competencies. In total, 519 undergraduates’ self- and peer-ratings and feedback and a matching number of reflective journals were coded for how students internally negotiate self- and peer-feedback on teamwork competencies. The analysis of ratings shows upward trajectories of self- and peer-ratings over time, and the analysis of journals suggests students were more effective in building their teamwork competencies when they negotiate their experiences by giving attention to positive affect, goal intention and performance. These findings highlight the importance of priming students to be reflective of self- and peer-feedback via a written and codified reflective journal.     

Measurement of Some Aspects of Critical Thinking

This study investigated the effects of personalization, an offer of survey results, gender, level taught, and location (state) on survey return rates. Six hundred surveys were mailed to public school teachers in Nebraska and Wyoming. The overall return rate was 70.5%. A significant main effect was found for personalization. Also, personalization increased responses to the initial mailing. No other effects were necessary to provide adequate model fit. Results suggest personalization as operationalized in this study to be effective in increasing returns.