Can teachers predict their students' wait time preferences?

The study examined students' preferences for wait times of 3 seconds versus .9 second, teachers' ability to accurately predict their students' preferences, and the reasons both groups of participants gave for their choices. Thirty-five middle school science classes watched two versions of a videotaped science review lesson. The versions differed only in length of time the teacher paused after questions before she called on students to respond. When asked which version would produce more learning and when asked which version they preferred (after being told how the two versions differed), significantly more students chose the one with the longer wait time. Significantly more teachers predicted these choices accurately than inaccurately. Students identified think time, time use, teacher helpfulness, and topic ease as reasons for their choices.     

Making Dutch pupils media conscious: preadolescents’ self‐assessment of possible media risks and the need for media education

Despite clear European and Dutch policies about media education, there is currently no media education curriculum in Dutch schools. A survey among preadolescents (n = 257) in six primary schools in the Netherlands included questions regarding media access, fears, risks, parental mediation of television and the internet, and the need for media education. Findings indicate an overall high saturation of media, but media choice depends on sociodemographic factors. Preadolescents are given rules for using the internet more often than for TV. Boys feel more confident about media use, and few participants report negative experiences or perceive risks while using the internet. Pupils feel a high need for media education, and those who are already thinking critically about media demand lessons more often. Therefore, both technical knowledge about media and critical awareness of the influence of media must be taught.     

A Five-Year Follow-Up: Teachers�� Perceptions of the Benefits of Home Visits for Early Elementary Children

The purpose of this study was to replicate previous research about teachers?? perceived benefits of home visits to determine if they remained stable. Furthermore, the investigation sought to find out whether home visits impacted variables often associated with improved school success (i.e., school attendance, academic performance, parent engagement). Participants were 29 kindergarten through second grade teachers in a rural, Midwestern school district who conducted home visits at the beginning of the school year. Seventeen of the teachers participated in the earlier study. Revised surveys were completed. Results are consistent with those of the previous study. Specifically, teachers reported these positive effects: beneficial relationships and better communication with parents, more appreciation of the influence of the child??s home environment related to school performance, and a better understanding the child??s behavior in school. In addition, teachers identified a connection between the home visits and variables related to school success. Thus, teachers?? perceptions reinforced the importance of conducting home visits.     

SciVal Experts: a collaborative tool

SciVal Experts is a resource for finding experts and fostering collaboration. The tool creates researcher profiles with automatically updated publication and grant information and faculty-inputted curriculum vitae, more fully capturing a researcher's body of work. SciVal Experts indexes campus-based "experts" by research topic, allowing faculty to find potential research partners and mentors, furthering translational research opportunities and dissemination of knowledge.     

Psychometric Properties of the Abbreviated Perceived Motivational Climate in Exercise Questionnaire

The purpose of this study was to develop an abbreviated version of the Perceived Motivational Climate in Exercise Questionnaire (PMCEQ-A) to provide a more practical instrument for use in applied exercise settings. In the calibration step, two shortened versions’ measurement and latent model values were compared to each other and the original PMCEQ using a three-group CFA invariance testing approach with previously collected exercise setting data (N = 5,427). Based on the model fit and reliability values, the 12-item version performed better than the 17-item version. The resultant 12-item PMCEQ-A’s CFA model estimates were then compared to the PMCEQ’s model values for two different, previously conducted studies of exercise settings (N = 414 and 770). The more parsimonious 12-item PMCEQ-A can be used by exercise psychology researchers to gain insight into members’ perspectives on the motivational climate and may lead to developing effective strategies to enhance members’ experiences and commitment.     

The boundaries of information sharing and integration: A case study of Taiwan e-Government

The paper explores boundaries of cross-boundary information sharing and integration in the context of Taiwan e-Government by using an integrated framework of boundaries adopted from the literature. The discussion of the various boundaries provides a thorough lens to understand the complexity of cross-boundary information sharing and integration. The adopted framework of boundaries is proved to be a useful analytical tool to perceive various vertical and horizontal boundaries in initiatives of cross-boundary information sharing and integration in different e-Government contexts. A new process boundary in the vertical dimension is also identified. In addition, the case shows that centralized information systems can help government agencies to cross the boundaries of information sharing and reduce the number of boundaries government agencies may encounter. Lastly, it is perceived that vertical boundaries are not always easier to cross than horizontal boundaries.