A New Autonomy-Supportive Way of Teaching That Increases Conceptual Learning: Teaching in Students' Preferred Ways

We tested the educational utility of “teaching in students' preferred ways” as a new autonomy-supportive way of teaching to enhance students' autonomy and conceptual learning. A pilot test first differentiated preferred versus nonpreferred ways of teaching. In the main study, a hired teacher who was blind to the purpose of the study taught 63 college-age participants in small groups the same 48-minute lesson in one of these two different ways, and we assessed participants' perceived autonomy support, autonomy-need satisfaction, engagement (self-report and rater scored), and conceptual learning (self-report and rater scored). Multilevel analyses showed that participants randomly assigned to receive a preferred way of teaching perceived the teacher as more autonomy supportive and showed significantly greater autonomy-need satisfaction, engagement, and conceptual learning. Mediation analyses using multilevel modeling for clustered data showed that this way of teaching enhanced conceptual learning because it first increased students' autonomy. We conclude that “teaching in students' preferred ways” represents a way of teaching that increases students' autonomy, engagement, and conceptual learning.     

High Quality Preschool Programs: What Would Vygotsky Say?

The paper considers the definition of high quality preschool from a Vygotskian perspective. Similarities and differences in the issues faced in Russia and those in the United States are discussed as background. Three major ideas are considered from the work of Vygotsky and of his students/colleagues, Daniel Elkonin and Alexander Zaporozhets. The first is the Cultural Historical paradigm as the basis for defining development, which emphasizes the importance of underlying cognitive and social-emotional competencies. The second is the idea of "Leading Activity" with dramatic play defined as the leading activity for preschool. The third is the idea of "amplification" or enrichment rather than acceleration of learning. The article ends with a definition of quality based on these three constructs.     

Perceptions of anatomy: critical components in the clinical setting

The evolution in undergraduate medical school curricula has significantly impacted anatomy education. This study investigated the perceived role of clinical anatomy and evaluated perceptions of medical students' ability to apply anatomical knowledge in the clinic. The aim of this study was to develop a framework to enhance anatomical educational initiatives. Unlike previous work, multiple stakeholders (clinicians, medical students, and academic anatomists) in anatomy education were evaluated. Participants completed an eleven-point Likert scale survey written by the investigators. Responses from both clinical educators and medical students at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and College of Medicine suggest that medical students are perceived as ill-prepared to transfer anatomy to the clinic. Although some areas of patient management differ in relevancy to anatomical education, there are areas of clinical care which were uniformly ranked as relying heavily on anatomical knowledge (imaging and diagnostic studies, physical examination, and arrival at correct diagnosis) by a variety of clinical specialists. Our results suggest a need for advanced anatomy courses to be taught coincidental with medical students' clinical education. Development of these courses would optimally rely on input from both clinicians and academic anatomists, as both cohorts rated clinical anatomy similarly (P ≥ 0.05). Additionally, we hypothesize that preclinical students' application of anatomy would be enhanced if clinical context was derived from areas of clinical care which rely heavily on anatomy, whereas courses designed for advanced medical students will benefit from anatomical context focused on specialty specific aspects of clinical care identified in this study.     

The Effects of Attachment Styles and Efficacy of Communication on Avoidance Following a Relational Partner's Deception

This investigation examined the effects of attachment styles and efficacy of communication on avoidance following a relational partner's deceptive communication. Efficacy of communication was explored as a mediating variable. Students (n = 123) who reported being deceived by their relational partner were recruited for the study. The data revealed that, compared to individuals with other attachment styles, those with a high anxious/ambivalent attachment tendency were more likely to avoid discussing the deception with their partner. In addition, efficacy of communication was negatively associated with avoidance. The results further revealed, however, that efficacy of communication mediated the link between attachment and avoidance. More specifically, highly anxious/ambivalent individuals were more likely to perceive relatively low efficacy of communication, and such perception, in turn, influenced their avoidance. Findings of the study provide an explanation for the association between attachment and avoidance.     

Public Library Services For Wheelchair-Bound Young People In Singapore

This is an exploratory study of public library services in Singapore for young people (defined as those people between thirteen to nineteen years of age) who are wheelchair bound. The research was carried out originally in 2000, but the study still informs policy makers in the Singapore system. Three main research questions are explored:

• What are the information needs of wheelchair-bound young people?

• What are their perceptions of libraries and library services?

• What are the problems they face in using library facilities and services?

The study involves eleven wheelchair-bound people between the ages of twelve and twenty who were selected by means of a purposive sample.

Findings indicate that most participants enjoyed reading books but did not read newspapers. The computer was used primarily as a recreational tool, and the convenience of the Internet appealed to them. There were, however, problems in using computer equipment in the libraries. School libraries were generally inaccessible. There were also problems in using public library services and facilities as well as being in public places. Their use of public libraries was infrequent. They were unaware of the full range of library facilities and services.

The study concluded that there was a need and demand for library services by wheelchair-bound young people. Their information needs and reading habits were no different from those of any young person. Current library promotions were inadequate in stimulating or sustaining their awareness and interest. Transportation was the main obstacle in getting to libraries. The problems faced in using libraries were mainly related to architectural and physical access to library facilities and services.     

The effects of morphological structure on reading proficiency—A developmental study

The present report with three inter-related studies examined the effects of morphological complexity on reading proficiency in 103 fourth graders, 88 fifth graders and 107 sixth graders trichotomized into below average, average and above average readers. The reaction time paradigm and the developmental framework with three age groups provided more sensitive and stable results for inferring mental processes in accessing the lexicon. Study 1 on lexical decision with visually presented words and non-words with different morphemic boundaries suggests that words can be accessed in a decomposed state as morphemes by children. Study 2 and the complementary Study 3 requiring the vocalization of derived or base forms of words primed by target items in sentence frames indicate that words might be accessed in full forms. Further, the depth of derivational morphology and of base morphology with correlated phonological changes affect reading proficiency.     

The use of microcomputer technology in a modular approach to reading and reading difficulties

This paper outlines the theoretical framework of a two-year two cohort study of inter-related modules to model reading in 300 grades 4, 5 and 6 readers, and describes the specially designed microcomputer programs written in Turbo Pascal to implement this modular approach. In brief, the modular approach postulates the interrelated phonological, morphological modules in processing words and sentence/paragraph processing. These three modules or components are subserved by 10 measurable tasks all implemented on the microcomputer (IBM-PC compatible) with reaction time measures as indices of the different facets of verbal efficiency. Statistical analyses of the large data sets for Phase 1 show the linear structural equation modelling fits the data reasonably well. In particular, the morphology task consistently explains between 32% to 44% of the variance in reading performance in the three grades. The findings lend themselves to specific approaches to habilitation in the different components or sub-components.This study was supported by a grant (No. 410-86-0048) from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada awarded to Che Kan Leong. Simon Lock and Jacky Lau were responsible for the microcompurter programming. Edward Danskin, Melvin Kelley, Donald Simmons, Louise Sellinger, Kristin Strauss and Tara Wiley carried out the experimentation with individual children in the schools. The cooperation of the principals, the teachers and the subjects was greatly appreciated. Requests for reprints should be addressed to Dr. C. K. Leong, Department for the Education of Exceptional children, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada, S7N OWO.     

The Effects of an Education Program on Home Renovation for Fall Prevention of Korean Older People

This study aims to verify the effects of an education program on home renovation for fall prevention among older people, more specifically fall efficacy and home renovation intentions. A quasiexperimental study with nonequivalent control and comparative groups was conducted to demonstrate the effects of the education. A total of 51 older people participated, and fall efficacy and behavioral intentions towards home renovation were measured twice, before and after the education, by survey and in-depth interview. After the education, the fall efficacy of the experimental group had increased more than that of the control and comparative groups. In terms of the behavioral intention towards home renovation, a considerable proportion of the experimental group showed actual behavioral changes in housing improvements; for instance, repairing handrails on staircases or applying antislip spray to their bathroom. The results demonstrate that the provision of appropriate education could be used as a crucial intervention for fall prevention because it can encourage confidence and preventive behaviors.     

论21世纪中国大学图书馆的机构重组

文章首先论述了大学图书馆机构重组的可行性、必然性和必要性;欧美先进国家大学图书馆的发展情况,现代通讯及计算机技术的迅猛发展,传统的机构模式已不适应当前中国教育改革形势;接着回顾了近年来处于重组过渡期的中国大学图书馆的现状;最后重点描述了21世纪中国大学图书馆在宏观与微观上的几种重组模式,并对图书馆内的机构重组模式设想作了重点描述。认为以组建图书馆集成化系统为目的的重组机构是中国大学图书馆发展进程中一项重要战略决策。论文最后指出：观念陈旧、人员素质不高、条件尚未具备是中国大学图书馆机构重组过程中的主要阻力,在机构重组的设想与实施过程中,馆级与校级领导起到“一夫当关,万夫莫开”的关键作用。