Television teaching by professional performers?

Conclusions When comparing the high level of performance by the deviant academic-taught section with the lack of smooth delivery on the part of the class’ instructor, it is apparent that in this study the two do not appear to be related. “Verbal tics,” for example, did not appear to impede the achievement level of this section. Also, when considering the results among the five other sections studied, it is apparent that 1) experienced communicators performed about as well as experienced teachers; and 2) in this classroom experiment, experienced teachers performed as well as or better than experienced communicators.     

Mental arithmetic in children with mathematics learning disabilities: the adaptive use of approximate calculation in an addition verification task

The adaptive use of approximate calculation was examined using a verification task with 18 third graders with mathematics learning disabilities, 22 typically achieving third graders, and 21 typically achieving second graders. Participants were asked to make true-false decisions on simple and complex addition problems while the distance between the proposed and the correct answer was manipulated. Both typically achieving groups were sensitive to answer plausibility on simple problems, were faster at rejecting extremely incorrect results than at accepting correct answers on complex addition problems, and showed a reduction of the complexity effect on implausible problems, attesting to the use of approximate calculation. Conversely, children with mathematics disabilities were unaffected by answer plausibility on simple addition problems, processed implausible and correct sums with equal speed on complex problems, and exhibited a smaller reduction of the complexity effect on implausible problems. They also made more errors on implausible problems. Different hypotheses are discussed to account for these results.     

Studying ordinary events in a field devoted to the extraordinary

Although a general understanding of the phenomenon of giftedness is evident in the literature, missing is a body of information on the thoughts and actions of gifted persons in those situations that we suspect influence the emergence of extraordinary accomplishment. In this article I propose a change in direction for the study of the advanced development. Grounded in the theoretically based research of Feldman and Vygotsky, I argue that we focus on the ordinary parts of life that contribute to extraordinary achievements. People should be studied within a field over a period of time. We have tended to look at characteristics of persons and products and, less so, on the process that yielded extraordinary accomplishment. Whatever methodologies we use, they must allow us to look at the individual and at the situation in detail. Suggestions for conducting such studies are offered.     

Parental influences on adolescent problem behavior: revisiting Stattin and Kerr

High school students (approximately 14-18 years old; N=2,568) completed questionnaires in which they reported on their involvement in substance use and delinquency, and their perceptions of parental warmth, control, monitoring, and knowledge. Three alternative models were compared describing the nature of relations among these variables. Problem behavior was best predicted by a model that included indirect effects of warmth, control, and monitoring (all by way of parental knowledge), as well as direct effects of control and monitoring. Analyses are framed and findings are discussed with reference to recent work by Stattin and Kerr (2000; Kerr & Stattin, 2000) on the measurement and meaning of parental monitoring.     

Young refugees’ and asylum seekers’ career choices: a qualitative investigation

International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance - A major challenge for refugees and asylum seekers is social and professional integration. Using constructivist and capability...