Choosing Strategies of Children and the Impact of Age and Gender on Library Use: Insights for Librarians

Libraries continue to be an important source of books for young people, though relatively little is known about how gender and age influence visitation frequency for this purpose. In addition, while supporting children to choose books is part of the role of both school and public librarians, little is known about the strategies and processes children use to select books, and the beliefs and attitudes that underpin them. Findings from the 2016 Western Australian Study in Children's Book Reading offer insights into these areas that can support librarians to guide book choice, and they encourage targeted intervention to ensure that boys and older children make use of their libraries to support their literacy growth.     

Making Connections: Learning and Teaching Chemistry in Context

Even though several studies have reported positive attitudinal outcomes from context-based chemistry programs, methodological obstacles have prevented researchers from comparing satisfactorily the chemistry-learning outcomes between students who experience a context-based program with those who experience a content-driven program. In this narrative inquiry we are able to address the question: how do the recalled experiences of a student and her teacher in context-based and concept-based chemistry programs compare? From the student’s unique perspective of experiencing both programs with the same teacher, we have constructed our collective account around four themes; namely, the extent to which the student makes connections between chemistry concepts and real-world contexts, developing research independence through engaging in extended experimental investigations related to contexts, learning chemistry concepts through contexts, and conceptual sequencing in a context-based program. The student reported real-world connections between chemistry concepts and contexts, found her engagement in the context-driven tasks interesting and productive, and identified connected sequences of concepts across the contexts studied. Despite difficulties for teachers who are required to shift pedagogies, the student’s lived experiences and outcomes from a context-based program provide some encouragement in working through these issues.     

Building a model to define the concept of teacher success in Hong Kong

The research studies how outstanding teachers from Hong Kong conceptualize teacher success or effectiveness. This study adds to the knowledge base concerned by raising the importance of the coexistence of personal attributes and professional qualities as well as contextual factors, in bringing out the success of a teacher. It draws the attention of teacher educators/trainers and school administrators to the necessity of viewing the concept of teacher success from a broader perspective, instead of focusing narrowly on the professional qualities of a teacher. It also provides insights for school administrators in selecting teachers or supporting their work.     

Synergizing geriatric research and education in an allied health profession with an older adult community advisory board: development and process outcomes

ABSTRACT

Community advisory boards (CABs) have been used to improve research outcomes involving specific communities and populations, including older adults. There is potential to synergize the use of CABs to encompass both research activities and the education of healthcare professionals to help meet increasing demands for a geriatric healthcare workforce in aging populations worldwide. We describe the development and process outcomes of a CAB that synergizes geriatric research and education of students in an allied health profession (occupational therapy). Implementation costs from June 2017–June 2019 were recorded. In-depth interviews were conducted with CAB participants, who were community-dwelling older adults living in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Interview data were analyzed using a constant comparison method based on a grounded theory approach. Themes were derived regarding barriers, facilitators, and benefits of CAB participation for older adults. Fourteen older adults (aged 65 and over) were initially recruited. The total direct cost of CAB implementation was 4050 United States Dollars over two years. Barriers to CAB participation for older adults included unexpected schedule conflicts due to illness and lack of understanding of the research process, while facilitators included accessible meeting spaces, staff support, flexible participation options, and financial support (e.g., transportation). Perceived benefits of CAB participation included gains in social capital, more positive views of research, and social connectedness. Key lessons learned are described and can be used to inform a novel approach to developing and implementing CABs to improve outcomes of geriatric research and education.     

Early Adverse Experiences and Repeated Wheezing From 6 to 30 Months of Age: Investigating the Roles of Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal Axis Functioning,Child Sex,and Caregiving Sensitivity

This study examined associations among early adversity, diurnal cortisol, child sex, and caregiver sensitivity at age 6 months in relation to wheezing in children (47% male) followed to 30 months. Analyses included 676 mother-child dyads, 393 of whom completed an observational caregiver sensitivity measure. Participants were primarily ethnic minorities (42.7% Black, 25.4% Hispanic); 22.1% of children had ≥ 1 wheezing episode. Higher adversity was associated with increased wheeze frequency and blunted diurnal cortisol slope. The indirect effect of adversity on wheezing through cortisol slope was significant for females, but not males. Higher caregiver sensitivity was protective against wheezing for males, but not females, with high cortisol. Findings suggest complex associations among adversity, cortisol, child sex, and caregiver sensitivity in predicting wheezing.     

To search or to browse: How users navigate a new interface for online library tutorials

As academic libraries create online learning objects, it is important to consider whether such resources actually reach and answer the questions of intended users. This study considers three points of inquiry for one academic library: How its users make their way to the library's tutorials; user preference for searching or browsing for resources, when given both modes of access; and the kinds of online learning objects or tutorials users are seeking. A close examination of Web analytics and users’ search terms within the tutorials interface helped to illustrate patterns of access and highlighted users’ needs for tutorials and online learning objects.     

An examination of alternate assessment durations when assessing multiple‐skill computational fluency: The generalizability and dependability of curriculum‐based outcomes within the context of educational decisions

The current study extended previous research on curriculum‐based measurement in mathematics (M‐CBM) assessments. The purpose was to examine the generalizability and dependability of multiple‐skill M‐CBM computation assessments across various assessment durations (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 minutes). Results of generalizability and dependability studies (N = 104 students) suggest that relative interindividual decisions can rely on the results from 1‐minute administrations for low‐stakes decisions and the results of 4‐minute administrations for high‐stakes decisions. Moreover, absolute intraindividual decisions can rely on the results from 4‐minute administrations for low‐stakes decisions and 13‐minute administrations for high‐stakes decisions. The implications and limitations of these results are discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 615–622, 2005.