Outcomes of first year secondary students in a computer‐augmented physics program on measurement

Measurement is a foundational topic in secondary school physics that must be taught to all beginning secondary education students in Kenya. The secondary level offers education for students who are aged between 12‐ and 18‐years‐old. Physics teachers in the Rift Valley province identified the topic of measurement as an area that is difficult to teach through traditional methods. This study explored the effectiveness of a computer‐augmented physics (CAP) program on teaching the topic of measurement to first year secondary students. A total of 118 secondary education students (65 males and 53 females) participated in the study. They were randomly selected and randomly assigned to three similar classrooms situated in three schools easily accessible by the Njoro‐Menengai and Nakuru‐Marigat roads better and served as the treatment and control groups. Except for the treatment group, all groups received the same course content for a period of six weeks. The findings of the study affirmed the impact of innovation on the students’ learning outcomes in that the mean gains of the participants in the CAP treatment were significantly higher than that of their counterparts in the regular program. Also, the results indicated that the mean differences between the experimental group and the control group were statistically significant in favour of the treatment group. The findings also showed no relationship between the participants’ gender and their learning outcomes. The study concludes that the use of the computer to augment conventional physics teaching has major implications for secondary physics in this area.     

From natural numbers to numbers and curves in nature - II

In this second part of the article we discuss how simple growth models based on Fibbonachi numbers, golden section, logarithmic spirals, etc. can explain frequently occuring numbers and curves in living objects. Such mathematical modelling techniques are becoming quite popular in the study of pattern formation in nature.     

Salivary cortisol as a predictor of socioemotional adjustment during kindergarten: a prospective study

This study, based on a sample of 172 children, examined the relation between average afternoon salivary cortisol levels measured at home at age 4.5 years and socioemotional adjustment a year and a half later, as reported by mothers, fathers, and teachers. Cortisol levels were hypothesized to be positively associated with withdrawal-type behaviors (e.g., internalizing, social wariness) and inversely related to approach-type behaviors, both negative and positive (e.g., externalizing, school engagement). Higher cortisol levels at age 4.5 predicted more internalizing behavior and social wariness as reported by teachers and mothers, although child gender moderated the relation between cortisol and mother report measures. An inverse relation was found between boys' cortisol levels and father report of externalizing behavior. A marginal inverse relation was found between child cortisol levels and teacher report of school engagement. Behavior assessed concurrently with cortisol collection did not account for the prospective relations observed,suggesting that cortisol adds uniquely to an understanding of behavioral development.     

Are mathematics disabilities due to a domain-general or a domain-specific working memory deficit?

The relationship between verbal and visual-spatial working memory and mathematical computation skill was examined in children and adults with and without disabilities in mathematics. A hierarchical regression analysis showed that, when partialing for the influence of reading ability, age, and gender, mathematical computation was better predicted by verbal than by visual-spatial working memory. Furthermore, the results showed that the relationship between mathematics ability and working memory were not significantly moderated by age but were stable across a broad age span. We concluded that, regardless of age, deficits in mathematics are mediated by both a domain-general and a domain-specific working memory system.     

A Whole-School Approach to Guidance: A Hong Kong Experience

As in England, approaches to guidance/pastoral care in Hong Kong have in recent years become more proactive and less exclusively reactive. This paper presents an example of this, focusing on a secondary school in Hong Kong which has sought to implement a whole-school approach through developmental guidance programmes. The writers' evaluation of this suggests that the integration of guidance/PSE into the whole-school curriculum was feasible, with a favourable outcome perceived by the school community. The findings also identified a number of important factors which facilitated the implementation and development of the policy.     

Peer interaction in a structured communication task: comparisons of normal and hyperactive boys and of methylphenidate (Ritalin) and placebo effects.

Peer communication patterns were assessed as school-aged boys participated in a dyadic referential communication task. The responses of comparison boys were compared to those of hyperactive boys on methylphenidate (Ritalin) and on placebo in a double-blind crossover design. 2 separate systems for assessing communication were developed, a qualitative system designed to capture the "flavor" of interaction and a quantitative system focused on specific types of communicative content. Task products and completion times were also scored. The results suggest that hyperactive children, regardless of medication status, are less likely than comparison peers to (a) modulate ongoing or habitual behavior patterns in response to externally imposed shifts in role-appropriate behaviors; (b) maintain consistent, uninterrupted goal orientation; and (c) respond to subtle social learning opportunities. In this situation, methylphenidate appeared to have a greater impact on behavioral style than on competence, decreasing perceived intensity without influencing efficiency. A mild medication-induced dysphoria was also documented. Directions for future research and the need for caution in clinical interpretation are discussed.     

Teleconferencing in student teacher supervision

Demands for accountability, tighter fiscal policies and political pressures required many post-secondary institutions in the early 1980s to seek new strategies for improving their cost efficiency. Advances in communication technology were perceived by some institutions as a means of maintaining and even diversifying services at minimal cost. Although positive economic returns often appeared attractive, educational benefits were frequently less than anticipated. Misunderstanding, poor communication and insufficient information, as well as professional conservatism, resistance to change and support for traditional practices, tended to prevent contemporary communication systems from being applied extensively in higher education.     

College choice in the church-affiliated sector of higher education: The influence of congregational cultural orientation

The relationship between a Midwest church-affiliated institution and its supporting congregations provides an opportunity to investigate part of the sociological environment within which a college-choice decision is made for students of a strong denominational orientation. Applying the local-cosmopolitan dichotomy used by previous researchers, this study hypothesized that the cultural orientation of local congregational leaders reflects norms that are aligned to congregational enrollment support or nonsupport for the denominational university. The findings demonstrate that the concepts of cultural, social, and ecclesiological localism-cosmopolitanism are helpful in explaining an individual's support for the denominational university. Also, differing cultural orientations among congregational leaders are related to the degree to which the congregation supports the university with the enrollment of youth.