Effects of achievement standards,choice, sex,and educational level on mathematical performance

The study assessed the effects of achievement standards, and choice of such standards, on mathematics performance in conditions where no tangible rewards were presented for reaching such standards. Elementary, junior high, and high school students performed a multiplication task in conditions where they chose standards, had standards imposed by an experimenter, or had no standards. Results demonstrated that high school students worked more multiplication problems when they chose standards than when identical standards were imposed by an experimenter or when no standards were present. Moreover, male students who chose standards worked more problems than did male students who had no standards; this effect was not found for female students.     

Structural Learning and Open Education

In this article, the author explores the "algebra for all" issue to raise awareness about the many facets of this dilemma facing educators at the middle and high school levels. She discusses both sides of this controversial issue, especially regarding its impact on students' futures relative to higher education and employment. The author concludes that unless dramatic reform occurs in the delivery of algebra so that all students benefit from such instruction, students must make the decision to take algebra based on individual needs, interests, and desires.     

Teaching the biological consequences of alcohol abuse through an online game: impacts among secondary students

A multimedia game was designed to serve as a dual-purpose intervention that aligned with National Science Content Standards, while also conveying knowledge about the consequences of alcohol consumption for a secondary school audience. A tertiary goal was to positively impact adolescents' attitudes toward science through career role-play experiences within the game. In a pretest/delayed posttest design, middle and high school students, both male and female, demonstrated significant gains on measures of content knowledge and attitudes toward science. The best predictors of these outcomes were the players' ratings of the game's usability and satisfaction with the game. The outcomes suggest that game interventions can successfully teach standards-based science content, target age-appropriate health messages, and impact students' attitudes toward science.     

Anatomical Sciences Education Vol. 5, Issue 3, 2012 Cover Image

Medical students at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at The University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada, learn clinical facts about the hepatobiliary system as transplant surgeon Dr. Vivian McAlister (at the far right) demonstrates Whipple's procedure in the anatomy laboratory. In this issue of ASE, Ullah and colleagues describe an extracurricular student initiative known as the Surgically Oriented Anatomy Program (SOAP), which aims to deliver anatomy teaching from a surgical perspective through the philosophy of “education through recreation”.     

Effects of segmenting,signalling, and weeding on learning from educational video

Informed by the cognitive theory of multimedia learning, this study examined the effects of three multimedia design principles on undergraduate students' learning outcomes and perceived learning difficulty in the context of learning entomology from an educational video. These principles included segmenting the video into smaller units, signalling to direct students' attention to relevant information, and weeding to remove any non-essential content (SSW). It was hypothesized that the SSW treatment would decrease perceived learning difficulty and facilitate the transfer of knowledge and the structural knowledge acquisition. Results of the study demonstrate that participants in the SSW group outperformed the non-SSW group on the tests of knowledge transfer and structural knowledge acquisition and reported lower levels of learning difficulty. These findings support the use of SSW to help novice learners organize and integrate knowledge from complex, dynamic audio-visual media like video.     

Conceptualizing a narrative simulation to promote dialogic reflection: using a multiple outcome design to engage teacher mentors

Experienced teachers, tasked with mentoring, often find themselves inundated with large amounts of didactic information as they prepare for guiding new interns. In an effort to develop training that would both prepare new mentors and revitalize experienced mentors, a state Educational Professional Standards Board enlisted the help of instructional designers to develop an innovative online course. The focal point of the course design is a narrative simulation, embedded with standards-based information, that provides user-selected, multiple outcomes as decision points to support dialogic reflection. Theoretical and practical considerations for conceptualizing this multiple outcome strategy, quality review components and design specifications are discussed.     

Strategies for Transitioning Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorders to Kindergarten

In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), worldwide. Since children with ASD have limited social interaction and communication skills, they tend to lag behind their peers without disabilities in many areas. In particular, they are unable to easily transition smoothly from one stage of their life to another. Transitions from preschool settings to kindergarten and beyond should be a critical issue of concern for educators and parents of young children with ASD. The results of a survey completed by 65 preschool teachers from Ghana and 210 of their counterparts in the United States of America, about characteristics of effective transition programs for children with ASD, are presented. Implications for preschool teacher preparation and transition planning are discussed.