Exploring latent class based on growth rates in number sense ability

The purpose of this study was to explore latent class based on growth rates in number sense ability by using latent growth class modeling (LGCM). LGCM is one of the noteworthy methods for identifying growth patterns of the progress monitoring within the response to intervention framework in that it enables us to analyze latent sub-groups based not on an arbitrary cut-point but on each group’s growth pattern. Progress monitoring data for number sense were administered in four times for age of 4(n = 58), 5(n = 95), and 6(n = 58) children, by the measure named basic academic skill assessment: number sense developed to assess students’ number sense and includes Number identification, Missing number, Quantity discrimination and estimation. To perform LGCM analysis, M plus 5.0 was used, and Bayesian information criteria and entropy values were used as criteria to determine the number of sub-groups. Results showed that there were 2, 4, and 4 sub-groups according to each age group based on the growth patterns. Each group’s growth patterns were classified differently based on their initial performance and growth level. Advantages and limitations of using LGCM method to analyze latent groups’ growth patterns for screening and identifying children at risk were discussed.     

Neighborhood storytelling networks,Internet connectedness,and civic participation after the Great East Japan Earthquake

This study examines how the neighborhood storytelling network, which is conceptualized in communication infrastructure theory and includes interpersonal, organizational and community media connectedness, and an individual's Internet connectedness affected participation in civic activities in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred on 11 March 2011. Responses from 544 randomly selected people residing in Tokyo reveal that connectedness to a neighborhood storytelling network and one's Internet connectedness have positive effects on participation in civic activities in response to the earthquake. However, the two independent factors (neighborhood storytelling and Internet connectedness) do not exhibit a significant relationship with each other. The result suggests the existence of two different conduits for civic engagement in disaster situations – neighborhood storytelling networks and Internet connectedness – mainly distinguished by age.     

Now I’m Ready: The Impact of a Professional Development Initiative on Faculty Concerns with Program Assessment

This article examines the impact of a faculty professional development effort on the understanding, confidence, and attitudes of education faculty related to program assessment activities. We applied literature on the adoption of innovations, institutional effectiveness, and professional development to a case study of a series of workshops on assessment. The results suggest that faculty members had improved skills and knowledge, understanding, confidence, and attitudes regarding assessment following the workshops. The opportunity for faculty members to collaborate with colleagues on assessment and to develop an understanding of the kinds of supports in place for assessment work were important elements in the gains.     

DISTRIBUTIVE PARTITIONING OPERATION IN MATHEMATICAL SITUATIONS INVOLVING FRACTIONAL QUANTITIES

In the present study, we describe a participating student’s (Carol’s) distributive partitioning scheme and operations along with Steffe’s and his colleagues’ studies about children’s constructions of fraction knowledge as a particular model of mathematical learning. Analysis of Carol’s mathematical behaviors indicates that an operationally common mathematical behavior (distributive partitioning operation) was revealed in various mathematical problem situations such as fraction multiplication, fraction division, and multiplicative transformation between fractional quantities. It both provides a rationale for why becoming versed in one mathematical subject could facilitate working with another mathematical subject and also implies the necessity of describing and defining students’ mathematical behaviors from an operational view of knowledge, which might lead to building foundations of a substantial cognitive map for students’ mathematical development.

     

Genetically encoded X-ray cellular imaging for nanoscale protein localization

Spatial resolution defines the physical limit of microscopes for probing biomolecular localization and interactions in cells. Whereas synchrotron-based X-ray microscopy (XRM) represents a unique approach for imaging a whole cell with nanoscale resolution due to its intrinsic nanoscale resolution and great penetration ability, existing approaches to label biomolecules rely on the use of exogenous tags that are multi-step and error-prone. Here, we repurpose engineered peroxidases as genetically encoded X-ray-sensitive tags (GXET) for site-specific labeling of protein-of-interest in mammalian cells. We find that 3,3^′-diaminobenzidine (DAB) polymers that are in-situ catalytically formed by fusion-expressed peroxidases are visible under XRM. Using this new tag, we imaged the protein location associated with the alteration of a DNA-methylation pathway with an ultra-high resolution of 30 nanometers. Importantly, the excellent energy resolution of XRM enables multicolor imaging using different peroxidase tags. The development of GXET enlightens the way to nanoscopic imaging for biological studies.     

The influence of unsupervised time on elementary school children at high risk for inattention and problem behaviors

In the last few decades, changing socioeconomic and family structures have increasingly left children alone without adult supervision. Carefully prepared and limited periods of unsupervised time are not harmful for children. However, long unsupervised periods have harmful effects, particularly for those children at high risk for inattention and problem behaviors. In this study, we examined the influence of unsupervised time on behavior problems by studying a sample of elementary school children at high risk for inattention and problem behaviors. The study analyzed data from the Children's Mental Health Promotion Project, which was conducted in collaboration with education, government, and mental health professionals. The child behavior checklist (CBCL) was administered to assess problem behaviors among first- and fourth-grade children. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the influence of unsupervised time on children's behavior. A total of 3,270 elementary school children (1,340 first-graders and 1,930 fourth-graders) were available for this study; 1,876 of the 3,270 children (57.4%) reportedly spent a significant amount of time unsupervised during the day. Unsupervised time that exceeded more than 2 h per day increased the risk of delinquency, aggressive behaviors, and somatic complaints, as well as externalizing and internalizing problems. Carefully planned afterschool programming and care should be provided to children at high risk for inattention and problem behaviors. Also, a more comprehensive approach is needed to identify the possible mechanisms by which unsupervised time aggravates behavior problems in children predisposed for these behaviors.     

Data quality management,data usage experience and acquisition intention of big data analytics

Big data analytics associated with database searching, mining, and analysis can be seen as an innovative IT capability that can improve firm performance. Even though some leading companies are actively adopting big data analytics to strengthen market competition and to open up new business opportunities, many firms are still in the early stage of the adoption curve due to lack of understanding of and experience with big data. Hence, it is interesting and timely to understand issues relevant to big data adoption. In this study, a research model is proposed to explain the acquisition intention of big data analytics mainly from the theoretical perspectives of data quality management and data usage experience. Our empirical investigation reveals that a firm's intention for big data analytics can be positively affected by its competence in maintaining the quality of corporate data. Moreover, a firm's favorable experience (i.e., benefit perceptions) in utilizing external source data could encourage future acquisition of big data analytics. Surprisingly, a firm's favorable experience (i.e., benefit perceptions) in utilizing internal source data could hamper its adoption intention for big data analytics.     

Beyond Interaction: The relational construct of 'Transactional Presence'

This paper presents the novel construct of 'Transactional Presence' in consideration of a distance student's perceptions of psychological presence on the part of teachers, peers, and institutions. Relevant distance education literature is analyzed through the lens of interpersonal relationships, and concepts such as telepresence and social presence are drawn from media and communication studies. When the two streams of literature reviewed are merged, it is conjectured that the perception of presence concerned must be influenced by distance students' idiosyncratic needs for connection with learning resources and sources of support. This notion of presence, designated 'Transactional Presence', is defined as the degree to which a distance student perceives the availability of, and connectedness with, other parties involved in a given distance education setting. The construct's potential significance is explored in view of enriching distance education theory and research.     

Patterns of coparenting and young children's social–emotional adjustment in low-income families

This study identified coparenting patterns using data collected across 2007–2010 from low-income couples (N = 2915; 26.90% non-Hispanic White; 9.41% non-Hispanic Black; 34.24% Hispanic, 29.27% other or mixed race) with young children (M = 3.65 years; SD = 1.31 years; 48% girls) and examined relations with children's social–emotional adjustment. Latent profile analysis revealed four coparenting patterns: mutual high-quality (43.4%), moderate-quality, mothers less positive (31.8%), moderate-quality, fathers less positive (15.9%), and low-quality, mothers less positive (8.9%). When parents' perspectives on coparenting were positive and congruent, children fared best. Children also fared well when coparenting quality was moderate, and mothers were less positive than fathers. When coparenting quality was moderate and fathers were less positive than mothers, children showed the poorest adjustment.