Linguistic experience and phonemic perception in infancy: a crosslinguistic study.

English- and Spanish-learning infants were tested for perception of 2 synthetic speech contrasts differing in voice onset time. The 2 pairs were chosen so that they were native to either Spanish or English. Using the Visually Reinforced Infant Speech Discrimination (VRISD) paradigm, 6--8-month-old infants were taught to respond to a change in auditory stimuli with a headturn. Correct headturns were reinforced by the activation of a lighted animated toy. While Spanish-learning infants provided evidence of discriminating both English and Spanish contrasts, English-learning infants only provided evidence of discriminating their native contrast. The results are discussed in terms of the role of linguistic experience in the development of speech perception skills in infancy.     

Investigating the Impact of NGSS-Aligned Professional Development on PreK-3 Teachers’ Science Content Knowledge and Pedagogy

This pilot study investigates the impact of a 2-week professional development Summer Institute on PK-3 teachers’ knowledge and practices. This Summer Institute is a component of [program], a large-scale early-childhood science project that aims to transform PK-3 science teaching. The mixed-methods study examined concept maps, lesson plans, and classroom observations to measure possible changes in PK-3 teachers’ science content knowledge and classroom practice from 11 teachers who attended the 2014 Summer Institute. Analysis of the concept maps demonstrated statistically significant growth in teachers’ science content knowledge. Analysis of teachers’ lesson plans demonstrated that the teachers could design high quality science inquiry lessons aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards following the professional development. Finally, examination of teachers’ pre- and post-Summer Institute videotaped inquiry lessons showed evidence that teachers were incorporating new inquiry practices into their teaching, especially regarding classroom discourse. Our results suggest that an immersive inquiry experience is effective at beginning a shift towards reform-aligned science and engineering instruction but that early elementary educators require additional support for full mastery.     

Relationships among individual task self-efficacy,self-regulated learning strategy use and academic performance in a computer-supported collaborative learning environment

This study investigates relationships between self-efficacy, self-regulated learning strategy use and academic performance. Participants were 96 undergraduate students working on projects with three subtasks (idea generation task, methodical task and data collection) in a blended learning environment. Task self-efficacy was measured with self-reports administered during each subtask. Learning strategies were assessed by counting each instance of strategy use as it occurred in peer-to-peer conversations typed into a computer software system. Results showed that for each subtask, learners with higher task self-efficacy had higher task performance. Those who used more learning strategies on each subtask also had higher performance. In turn, high performance was associated with high self-efficacy on subsequent subtasks. Surprisingly, results showed that task self-efficacy and learning strategy use were not significantly related during any subtask. Overall, results imply that task self-efficacy, learning strategy use and past performance are important predictors of task performance.     

Ecological Autobiography

This paper presents a discussion of the ecological autobiography as a tool for enhancing an understanding of one's self and the human‐earth relationship. Also presented is a five‐step process for developing one's own ecological autobiography and suggestions on how to make the development of autobiographical essays a part of environmental education programs. A related literature review indicates that focused autobiographies have been used effectively for personal growth, research and curriculum development and that use of the ecological autobiography warrants serious consideration as a tool for environmental education and research.     

Broadband Utilization in Space: Effects of Population and Economic Structure

The Internet segment of the information and communications technology industry has been forecast to reach nearly 1.5 billion users by 2007. Generally referred to as broadband, a number of alternative technologies are now deployed broadly across the United States. This article utilizes a unique data set of 9000 survey responses generated by the Pew Internet and American Life Project in 2004 to examine the impact of several spatial factors, including population size and economic structure, on the likelihood of broadband utilization, after controlling for a set of demographic characteristics. The utilization of broadband is found to be greater with larger cities and in cities with large telecommunications-intensive economic sectors. However, demographic characteristics are also found to be quite significant and relatively stronger than geographic factors in determining broadband utilization.     

In the spirit of William Georgetti: scrutiny of a prestigious national scholarship selection process

Postgraduate scholarship programmes are increasingly important for supporting gifted students from diverse backgrounds. Systems and processes in the application, determination and delivery of scholarships must be robust, transparent, accountable and equitable. However, they are rarely evaluated. One of the most prestigious scholarships in New Zealand – the William Georgetti Scholarship – is investigated here for the impact of student’s grade point averages (GPAs) and sex on applicant’s progression, the level of agreement between Scholarship Board member rankings, and whether applicants or members’ sex is material to any outcomes. Data from 2007 to 2015 were extracted, and contained 301 applicants considered for shortlisting, 78 who were shortlisted and 60 successful recipients evaluated by 17 Scholarship Board members (5 female, 12 male). Mean GPAs significantly increased over time amongst applicants, those shortlisted, and those successful. While 60% of applicants were female, only 49% of those shortlisted were female; however, this was explained by GPA differences. Some 52% of successful applicants were female. Ranking discordance amongst members was relatively high, but no differential sex biases were noted. The empirical results suggest that current systems and processes are consistent with the scholarship’s deed, although the difference in GPA scores between female and male applicants is of concern.