Different kinds of information affect word learning in the preschool years: the case of part-term learning

Two studies investigated how preschool children's interpretations of novel words as names for parts of objects were affected by 3 kinds of information: (a) whole object familiarity, (b) whole part juxtaposition, and (c) syntactic information indicating possession. Study 1 tested 3- to 4-year-olds and found that although there was evidence that all information affected children's part-term interpretations to some extent, they were most systematic when provided with 2 or more kinds of information. Study 2 adapted the procedure for use with 2.5-year-olds and found the same general pattern of results. Variations across studies were found that may reflect changes in how different kinds of information affect word learning with development.     

Using ‘HOCS-Centered Learning’ as a Pathway to Promote Science Teachers' Metacognitive Development

An element of current reform in science education worldwide is the shift from the dominant traditional algorithmic lower-order cognitive skills (LOCS) teaching, to the higher-order cognitive skills (HOCS)-promoting learning; that is, the development of students' capabilities including those of question asking (QA), critical/system thinking (CST), decision making (DM), problem solving (PS), conceptualisation of fundamental concepts (CFC) and the transfer of these within both the science disciplines and real life interdisciplinary situations. Accordingly, an innovative metacognition-promoting science teacher professional development course, integrating formal and informal science education, was developed and implemented within a traditional model, focusing on the HOCS skills of QA, PS, and CFC. The HOCS promoting teaching and assessment strategies of this course not only enabled participants to reflect on their own learning, but also facilitated their self-reflective assessment, utilising a pre–post designed research-based methodology. The results suggest that such, or similarly appropriate, metacognition-oriented courses can contribute positively to the development of science teachers' HOCS capability.     

Students as Journeymen between Cultures of Higher Education and Work: A Comparative European Project on the Transition from Higher Education to Working Life1

This paper addresses the feasibility of higher education in relation to the demands of work life. The research is a comparative study involving four European countries: Sweden, Norway, Poland, and Germany. The research focuses on the view of freshmen, senior students and later graduates in Psychology and Political Science. Data were obtained by semi‐structured interviews, which were subjected to qualitative analyses. The results indicate that higher education, with some exceptions, seems to produce a discipline‐based identity among the students. These findings may be indicative of the value for employability of classical academic generic skills.     

Infant Proneness-to-Distress Temperament, Maternal Personality, and Mother-Infant Attachment: Associations and Goodness of Fit

66 mother-infant pairs were examined when the infants were 9 and 13 months. The purpose of this report was to examine relations between infant proneness-to-distress temperament, maternal personality characteristics, and mother-infant attachment. There were no main-effect relations between infant proneness-to-distress temperament as assessed at 9 months and infant attachment classification at 13 months. This was true whether security of attachment (A and C vs. B) or proposed temperament (A1-B2 vs. B3-C2) groupings of attachment classifications were examined. Infant proneness-to-distress temperament, however, was associated with maternal behavior and personality. Furthermore, security of attachment could be predicted by an interaction between maternal personality and infant proneness-to-distress. The importance of considering goodness-of-fit relations in predicting attachment security is discussed.     

Enhancing comprehension in small reading groups using a manipulation strategy

Having young readers manipulate objects to correspond to the characters and actions in a text greatly enhances comprehension as measured by both recall and inference tests. As a step toward classroom implementation, we applied this manipulation strategy in small (three-child) reading groups. For successive critical sentences, one child would read the sentence aloud and then manipulate the objects, then the next child would read and manipulate, and so on. Children in a reread control condition also alternated reading the text. For the reread condition, one child would read the critical sentence and then reread it, followed by the next child, and so on. Children who manipulated were substantially more accurate in answering questions about the texts. Thus, the manipulation strategy meets at least some of the criteria for being applicable in a classroom setting, namely it is effective when applied in small groups.     

Transformative pedagogy: Dinka playgroups as spaces for cultural knowledge productions of Western science

Cultural Studies of Science Education - As increasing numbers of families migrate from a range of countries into communities where Western science is viewed as valued curriculum content, a need for...     

The client company marginally utilises the knowledge of highly skilled temporary staff

This study is based on the presumption that there is often an underuse of temporary staff in client companies (CC) with highly skilled professionals. The study combines theories of the flexible organisation and a sociocultural perspective on learning within the framework of an inter-organisational context. The data are based partly on 17 transcribed, semi-structured interviews with individuals in various types of health care and social services. The data are also based on two semi-structured focus group interviews with managers responsible for hiring social workers, nurses and doctors in two different temporary work agencies (TWA) as well as semi-structured focus group interviews with eight managers from a large health care organisation. The results show that CCs only use a limited amount of the highly skilled personnel’s capacity and exclude preconditions for taking over and absorbing knowledge from temporary workers. This contradicts the idea that staffing allows temps to increase their skills and enhance their employability. In addition, both TWA and the CC pronounce an interest in and readiness for deepening the business relationships between them, but they claim the other is responsible for initiation. The results reflect information not only about temporary workers with higher education but also the new business relationship between TWA and CC in the form of combined skills and workplace validation.     

Voices from the Field: Perspectives of U.S. Kinesiology Chairs on Opportunities,Challenges, and the Role of Mentoring in the Chair Position

This study examined perspectives of U.S. collegiate kinesiology department chairs (n = 54/144; 37.5% response rate) relative to: (a) opportunities and most enjoyable aspects of being a department chair, (b) challenges and least enjoyable aspects of being a department chair, and (c) perspectives on mentoring. The majority of participants enjoyed their chair role (90%) and did not aspire to advance in administration (61%). Job-related opportunities included mentoring others, facilitating department success, and leading initiatives (e.g., curricula, policies, and finances). Job-related challenges included a lack of university support, personnel issues, and urgent requests for information. Many had a mentor for a long time (mean = 7.9 ± 7.6 years; range 1 to 28 years), and the majority (71%) did not consider their dean a mentor. Protégés appreciated their mentors’ experience, listening skills, and willingness to share information, advice, and empathy. Results from this study provide helpful information for serving as a kinesiology chair.     

An ‘appropriate’ test taker: the everyday classroom during the national testing period in school year three in Sweden

This article draws on data from a bigger project where we explore what is taking place in the daily life of classrooms during the national testing period in mathematics for 9–10-year-old children in Sweden. Data were produced by observations, video-recordings and interviews with children. The article shows on a micro level how assessment trends, on a macro level, affect children. It further focuses how children through different repertoires of time position themselves as ‘appropriate’ test takers.     

Examining Personal,Perceived, Treatment,and Self-Stigma in College Students: The Role of Parent Beliefs and Mental Health Literacy

ABSTRACT

Although college student mental health concerns are on the rise, many struggling students do not seek psychological treatment when needed. Stigma toward psychological treatment has been demonstrated to influence intent to seek treatment in college student populations. This study aimed to identify factors that predict treatment stigma in college students by examining other forms of student-held stigma, parent-held stigma, and mental health literacy. Results indicated that student-held personal, perceived, and self-stigma all predicted student attitudes toward treatment, while parent-held personal stigma was found to predict self-stigma in students. Those individuals who had received previous education about psychological disorders had lower levels of personal stigma, and, surprisingly, higher levels of self-stigma. Implications for campus outreach programming are discussed.