Behavioural disorders in Danish schools: a quantitative survey

Behavioural problems in schools have been a topic of political debate in Denmark recently. The last time the topic was in the news was before the establishing of special educational provisions for pupils with social and emotional disorders in the 1960s. As a result of the recent debate, a national survey was made. It shows that the incidence of serious problems is 10 per cent. Comparisons with earlier studies indicate that there is an increase in behavioural problems during the first years of primary schooling. A multivariate analysis shows that pupils gender, the degree of urbanization, teacher experience and geographical location are significant predictors of disturbance, while school size, class size, teacher age and gender are insignificant.     

Investigating Stage-Sequential Growth Mixture Models with Multiphase Longitudinal Data

This article investigates three types of stage-sequential growth mixture models in the structural equation modeling framework for the analysis of multiple-phase longitudinal data. These models can be important tools for situations in which a single-phase growth mixture model produces distorted results and can allow researchers to better understand population heterogeneity and growth over multiple phases. Through theoretical and empirical comparisons of the models, the authors discuss strategies with respect to model selection and interpreting outcomes. The unique attributes of each approach are illustrated using ecological momentary assessment data from a tobacco cessation study. Transitional discrepancy between phases as well as growth factors are examined to see whether they can give us useful information related to a distal outcome, abstinence at 6 months postquit. It is argued that these statistical models are powerful and flexible tools for the analysis of complex and detailed longitudinal data.     

Viewing students consistently: how stable are teachers’ expectations?

ABSTRACT

Over the past 50 years, research has shown that teacher expectations can influence student outcomes. Many studies have examined within-year effects. There is, however, a paucity of research that has investigated the stability of teachers’ expectations across a single year, and there are no studies that have examined stability beyond 1 year. The current study examined the stability of 94 teachers’ expectations within 3 separate years and across 3 years in mathematics and reading. In both subject areas, teachers’ expectations remained relatively stable from beginning to end-of-year for each separate year and also across 3 years. Additionally, teachers who under- or overestimated their students by more than half a standard deviation continued to do so across all periods in the study. This was despite the teachers having different students each year. The study suggests that teachers view students’ capabilities similarly despite having different student cohorts.     

Influence of Scaffolding on Information Literacy and Argumentation Skills in Virtual Field Trips and Problem-Based Learning for Scientific Problem Solving

International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education - Success in problem-based learning requires both strong information literacy to search for, evaluate, and use information effectively,...     

Protein immobilization techniques for microfluidic assays

Microfluidic systems have shown unequivocal performance improvements over conventional bench-top assays across a range of performance metrics. For example, specific advances have been made in reagent consumption, throughput, integration of multiple assay steps, assay automation, and multiplexing capability. For heterogeneous systems, controlled immobilization of reactants is essential for reliable, sensitive detection of analytes. In most cases, protein immobilization densities are maximized, while native activity and conformation are maintained. Immobilization methods and chemistries vary significantly depending on immobilization surface, protein properties, and specific assay goals. In this review, we present trade-offs considerations for common immobilization surface materials. We overview immobilization methods and chemistries, and discuss studies exemplar of key approaches—here with a specific emphasis on immunoassays and enzymatic reactors. Recent “smart immobilization” methods including the use of light, electrochemical, thermal, and chemical stimuli to attach and detach proteins on demand with precise spatial control are highlighted. Spatially encoded protein immobilization using DNA hybridization for multiplexed assays and reversible protein immobilization surfaces for repeatable assay are introduced as immobilization methods. We also describe multifunctional surface coatings that can perform tasks that were, until recently, relegated to multiple functional coatings. We consider the microfluidics literature from 1997 to present and close with a perspective on future approaches to protein immobilization.     

The Influences of Sports Viewing Conditions on Enjoyment from Watching Televised Sports: An Analysis of the FIFA World Cup Audiences in Theater vs. Home

This study investigates how experiences of viewing sports content in a movie theater differ from typical television viewing conditions in a home. The results of analyses showed that the viewing condition (theater vs. home) influenced audiences’ sense of presence when watching mediated sports, which, combined with the attractiveness of the game, would determine the suspenseful nature of the media experience, as well as the subsequent enjoyment.     

The effects of prior reputation and type and duration of charitable donation on celebrities’ personal public relations: an investigation based on attribution theory

Charitable donations made by celebrities are being increasingly reported by news media in South Korea. This experimental study has examined the effects of celebrities’ prior reputations, and the duration and type of charitable donation they perform, on young participants’ evaluations of these celebrities (i.e. motive attribution, attitudes toward the celebrities, and related purchase intentions). The results ascertained the main effects of prior reputation and duration and type of donation on the dependent variables. Most notably, the results also found the interaction effect of duration and type of donation on the participants’ evaluation of motive attribution. That is, participants who were exposed to news stories concerning celebrities’ volunteer efforts, or monetary contributions that involve volunteer efforts, performed over long periods of time reported the highest level of motive attribution. Based on these results, this study discussed theoretical and practical implications.