The study of literature and culture in a web‐based environment

The rationale behind the project is based on the belief that the study of a work of literature can effectively open a window of opportunity for pupils to study other countries’ cultures and identities as well as contribute to pupils’ own identity construction and to the understanding of the identity of others. Information and communication technologies serve as an educational catalyst for collaborative learning which transcends national boundaries and presents pupils with the opportunity to study cultural and identity similarities and differences, to strengthen their national identities and, at the same time, to appreciate the characteristics of other identities and cultures.

L’étude de la Littérature et de la Culture dans un environnement fondé sur la Toile

L’idée qui sous‐tend ce projet repose sur le fait que l’on croit que l’étude d’une ?uvre littéraire peut effectivement constituer une fenêtre pour les élèves, l’occasion d’étudier les cultures et les identités d’autres pays tout en contribuant à la construction de la propre identité de ces élèves et à la compréhension de l’identité des autres. Les TIC servent de catalyseur éducatif pour faciliter l’apprentissage collaboratif qui transcende les frontières nationales et offre aux élèves l’occasion d’étudier les ressemblances et les différences de cultures et d’identités, de renforcer leurs identités nationales et en même temps d’apprécier les caractéristiques d’autres identités et cultures.

Das Studium von Literatur und Kultur in einer Web‐basierten Umgebung

Die logische Grundlage dieses Projekts ist die Überzeugung, dass ein Studium im Bereich von Literatur wirksam sowohl ein Fenster zum Einblick in andere Kulturen und Identitäten öffnen kann, als auch zum eigenen Identitätsaufbau der Schüler und zum Verständnis der Identität anderer beitragen kann. ICT dient damit als Bildungskatalysator für kooperatives Lernen, damit die nationalen Grenzen überwunden werden können und bietet den Schülern die Gelegenheit, kulturelle‐ und Identitätsähnlichkeiten und Unterschiede zu erkennen, um ihre nationalen Identitäten zu stärken und gleichzeitig die Merkmale anderer Identitäten und Kulturen kennen und schätzen zu lernen.     

Homework Stress: Construct Validation of a Measure

This article presents 2 studies aimed at validating a measure of stress experienced by children and parents around the issue of homework, applying Benson's program of validation (Benson, 1998 Benson, J. 1998. Developing a strong program of construct validation: A test anxiety example. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 17: 10–17. doi: 10.1111/j.1745–3992.1998.tb00616.x[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). Study 1 provides external validity of the measure by supporting hypothesized relations between stress around homework and students’ and parents’ positive and negative affect, students’ sense of competence, and students’ type of motivation. In Study 2, the measure was administered to students with and without learning disability—2 groups assumed to differ in the level of stress experienced while doing homework. Results of both studies support the validity of the measure.     

The continual need for improvement to avoid derailment: a study of college and university administrators

Understanding what relates to the behaviours associated with derailment (i.e. failure or burnout in managerial positions) may prevent costly outcomes of derailment for the manager, co‐workers and the organization. The outcomes of derailment are especially pertinent with those working in college and university administration as many, including faculty, other staff and students, depend on these administrators. Data collected about 173 middle‐ and top‐level college and university administrators from 88 different colleges and universities across the USA revealed that self‐ and observer‐ratings (peers and direct reports) of willingness to improve negatively related to boss ratings of derailment. Specifically, the more administrators were willing to improve (and the more others believed those administrators were willing to improve), the less likely it was that bosses believed those administrators displayed the characteristics and behaviours associated with derailment. We conclude with a discussion of our findings including guidance for college and university administrators.     

Validity of a portable force platform for assessing biomechanical parameters in three different tasks

The aim of this study was to determine the precision and accuracy of the vertical and anterior–posterior force components of the portable PASCO PS-2142 force plate. Impulse, peak force, and time to peak force were assessed and compared to a gold standard force plate in three different tasks: vertical jump, forward jump, and sprint start. Two healthy male participants performed ten trials for each task, resulting in 60 trials. Data analyses revealed good precision and accuracy for the vertical component of the portable force plate, with relative bias and root mean square (RMS) error values nearly the same in all tasks for the impulse, time to peak force, and peak force parameters. Precision and accuracy of the anterior–posterior component were lower for the impulse and time to peak force, with relative bias and RMS error values nearly the same between tasks. Despite the lower precision and accuracy of the anterior–posterior component of the portable force plate, these errors were systematic, reflecting a good repeatability of the measure. In addition, all variables presented good agreement between the portable and gold standard platforms. Our results provide a good perspective for using the aforementioned portable force plate in sports and clinical biomechanics.     

Using the history of calculus to teach calculus

An historical approach to the teaching of calculus provides the students with a better understanding of the material than the standard approach and helps as well to introduce them to the relationship between mathematics and other aspects of our culture. In this article, I describe in some detail a course in calculus which is based on such an approach.     

Phonology constrains the internal orthographic representation

Four experiments explored the composition and stability of internalorthographic representations of printed words. In three experiments,subjects were presented on successive occasions with words that wereconsistently spelled correctly or were consistently misspelled. On thesecond presentation, subjects were more likely to judge both kinds ofwords as correctly spelled than on the first presentation, suggesting thattheir preexperimental orthographic representations had been altered tomatch what they had seen on the first presentation. However, onlymisspellings that were consistent with the correct phonology wereaccepted; spellings that altered the phonology were rarely accepted,suggesting that some parts of the orthographic representation are lessstable than others. Also, subjects' reliance on orthographic vs.phonological memory when judging a word's spelling was affected by thekinds of other misspellings in the list. Lists that contained somephonologically implausible spellings for real words (e.g., *assostance)induced subjects to rely more on phonological plausibility when judgingthe correctness of other words in the list and less on orthographic memory.An individual grapheme in an internal orthographic representation wasunstable when there were many phonologically acceptable alternatives forit. The results are contrary to the view that the strength of an internalrepresentation is uniform across all its graphemes and is a function only ofvisual experience with the printed form. Results were interpreted in thecontext of a theory that considers spelling knowledge to be a by-productof the reading process, a process that involves phonological analysis.     

Psychosocial adjustment in adolescent child molesters

This study compared adolescent child molesters (n = 31) with nonsex offending delinquents (n = 34) and normal adolescents (n = 71) on standardized measures of social competence and psychological adjustment. The measures included the Adolescent Assertiveness Scale, the Survey of Heterosocial Interactions, the Self-Consciousness Scale, the Social Anxiety and Distress Scale, the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale, the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Norwicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale, and the Jesness Inventory. Results were consistent with predictions. Molesters showed significantly more global maladjustment than normals and were more socially anxious and threatened by heterosocial interactions than nonsex offending delinquents. A discriminant function analysis suggested that molesters, more than delinquents, were likely to perceive themselves as socially inadequate and to be externally oriented in their attributional style. Results support the hypothesis that social skill deficits and social isolation are risk factors that may predispose some adolescents to commit sexual crimes against children.     

Implementation of the Mason,DeMers & Middleton consultation and program evaluation model in an Israeli school integration project

A project designed to foster integration between middle and upper-middle socioeconomic status students on the one hand and lower SES students in need of special educational attention and enrichment on the other was initiated at the Gush Etzion Regional Elementary School in Israel. Two school counsellors were invited to serve as consultants to and evaluators of the project. The counsellors decided to adopt the consultation and program evaluation model suggested by Mason, DeMers & Middleton (1984) as a basis for their work. A qualitative analysis of the consultation and program evaluation indicates that the model employed facilitated an effective and efficient contribution by the counsellors to the success of the integration project, especially regarding the advancement of the lower SES population both educationally and socially.