The influence of being ready to learn on children’s early school literacy and numeracy achievement

This study investigated the extent to which learning readiness, prior‐to‐school experiences, and child and family characteristics influence children’s literacy and numeracy achievement across the first year of primary school. A sample of 104 kindergarten children was recruited from 16 classrooms and followed from the beginning to the end of their first year of primary school. At the start of school, parents provided information on children’s prior‐to‐school experiences and their preparedness for school; teachers provided ratings of children’s self‐directedness and cooperative participation; and children’s cognitive ability was assessed using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test – III. Classroom quality was observed and rated mid‐year. Children’s literacy and numeracy achievement was assessed at the end of the school year, using the Who Am I? (WAI?). Regression analyses indicated that WAI? scores were predicted by child age, gender, cognitive ability and teacher‐rated learning readiness at the start of school. Discussion focuses on the importance of the ‘ready child’ for early academic success.     

Improving the learning of newly qualified teachers in the induction year

Newly qualified teachers of mathematics and science are a precious resource and it important that they are provided with appropriate support and challenge during their first year in post. This study examines the developing thinking and practice of a group of such teachers in England and the influence of their mentors within the workplace context of the school. We argue that thinking and practice is restricted by the concern to ‘fit in’, by the belief that behaviour management should be addressed before teaching can be developed and by a lack of attention to the development of pedagogical thinking. We conclude that there is a need to change the beliefs and practices of induction mentors and develop their skills in discussing pedagogical ideas. This is most likely to be achieved within a school‐wide culture of continuing professional learning.     

Approaches to studying and perceptions of the academic environment among university students in China

It has been claimed that students from “Confucian-heritage” cultures approach studying in higher education differently from Western students. This study investigated the experiences and the approaches to studying of students at a university in China. A total of 356 students completed both the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) and the Revised Approaches to Studying Inventory (RASI). Their responses to the CEQ yielded two factors concerned with student support and course demands. Their responses to the RASI yielded two factors: a deep/strategic approach and a surface approach. Students who rated their courses positively in terms of student support were more likely to adopt a deep/strategic approach. Students who rated their courses positively in terms of course demands were less likely to adopt a surface approach. In broad terms, the students' perceptions and approaches to studying were similar to those of Western students, though with some specific differences. The findings add to the literature on Chinese students' approaches to learning and also have practical implications for teachers seeking to promote more desirable forms of studying in their students.     

Measuring Student Involvement: A Comparison of Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory in the Construction of Scales from Student Surveys

This study compares the psychometric utility of Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT) for scale construction with data from higher education student surveys. Using 2008 Your First College Year (YFCY) survey data from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program at the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, two scales are built and tested—one measuring social involvement and one measuring academic involvement. Findings indicate that although both CTT and IRT can be used to obtain the same information about the extent to which scale items tap into the latent trait being measured, the two measurement theories provide very different pictures of scale precision. On the whole, IRT provides much richer information about measurement precision as well as a clearer roadmap for scale improvement. The findings support the use of IRT for scale construction and survey development in higher education.     

Are the Effects of Student–Faculty Interaction Dependent on Academic Major? An Examination Using Multilevel Modeling

Using multilevel models, this study examined whether and why the strength of association between student–faculty interaction and student cognitive skills development varies across academic majors. The study utilized data from the 2008 University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES) and a sample of 43,014 students from 119 academic majors across nine campuses. The results indicate that the impact of interaction with faculty on students’ cognitive skills development significantly varies by academic major. Findings also suggest that some aspects of departmental climate can potentially magnify the effects produced by student–faculty interaction.     

Vision for action in toddlers: the posting task

Three experiments examine 18- to 24-month-old (N = 78) toddlers' ability to spatially orient objects by their major axes for insertion into a slot. This is a simplified version of the posting task that is commonly used to measure dorsal stream functioning. The experiments identify marked developmental changes in children's ability to preorient objects for insertion, with 18-month-olds failing completely and 24-month-olds succeeding easily. In marked contrast, 18-month-olds preorient their empty hands for insertion into the same slots. This developmental dissociation between aligning hands and aligning objects to slots suggests that the key developmental change is in action with the goal of object-to-object alignment versus action on an object.     

MRSQ Informatics Education columns: past, present and future

This is the last Informatics Education column under the current editors. The outgoing editors identify six key themes that reflect the changes in informatics education over their seven-year tenure. The themes are picked from the 29 previous columns published under their editorship. The first and key theme is technology, and this one theme is the basis for the other five. The incoming editors project what they expect to see as key themes for future columns. Together, this column looks at the past, present, and future state of informatics education in the United States.     

A snapshot of the student experience: exploring student satisfaction through the use of photographic elicitation

Student satisfaction is both an important and yet controversial issue within the higher education sector, which is typically measured through policy-driven metrics such as the National Student Survey. However, less is understood about the qualities of a satisfying student experience ‘as lived’ from the perspective of the student, thus questioning the adequacy of such measures. In response to this, the current study used student-driven photographic elicitation as a means of more adequately capturing the holistic student experience. This entailed nine final-year undergraduate psychology students who each gathered a series of photos, which formed the basis for discussion in an interview. Thematic analysis of the narratives of the interview discussions revealed several main themes surrounding their experiences. These were: ‘Learning Environment’, ‘Work–Life Balance’ and ‘Wider University Community’. Findings are discussed with reference to the implications of student satisfaction, and national metrics used for measuring it, for institutional policies of recruitment and retention.     

Effects of reintegration difficulties,perceived message acceptance and perceived autonomy support on U.S. military Veterans’ evaluations of messages encouraging them to seek behavioral health care

This online experiment integrates confirmation, politeness, and self-determination theories to examine how Veterans evaluate family members’ messages encouraging them to seek behavioral health care. Veterans (N?=?226) evaluated messages manipulated to express high or low levels of acceptance and autonomy support, completed outcome measures (persuasiveness, relational impact, identity management, emotions), and reported on their own reintegration difficulties. Positive associations were found between perceived message acceptance and three outcomes, and perceived autonomy support and two outcomes. Reintegration difficulties were associated with more negative message perceptions. Perceived acceptance and autonomy support also mediated a number of associations between manipulated message features and outcomes, as well as reintegration difficulties and outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Explaining Australia’s increased share of ISI publications—the effects of a funding formula based on publication counts

Australia’s share of publications in the Science Citation Index (SCI) has increased by 25% in the last decade. The worrying aspect associated with this trend is the significant decline in citation impact Australia is achieving relative to other countries. It has dropped from sixth position in a ranking of 11 OECD countries in 1988, to 10th position by 1993, and the distance from ninth place continues to widen.The increased publication activity came at a time when publication output was expected to decline due to pressures facing the higher education sector, which accounts for over two-thirds of Australian publications. This paper examines possible methodological and contextual explanations of the trends in Australia’s presence in the SCI, and undertakes a detailed comparison of two universities that introduced diverse research management strategies in the late 1980s. The conclusion reached is that the driving force behind the Australian trends appears to lie with the increased culture of evaluation faced by the sector. Significant funds are distributed to universities, and within universities, on the basis of aggregate publication counts, with little attention paid to the impact or quality of that output. In consequence, journal publication productivity has increased significantly in the last decade, but its impact has declined.