Low‐Income Ethnically Diverse Children's Engagement as a Predictor of School Readiness Above Preschool Classroom Quality

This study examined whether children's observed individual engagement with teachers, peers, and tasks related to their school readiness after controlling for observed preschool classroom quality and children's baseline skills. The sample included 211 predominately low‐income, racially/ethnically diverse 4‐year‐old children in 49 preschool classrooms in one medium‐sized U.S. city. Results indicated that children's positive engagement with (a) teachers related to improved literacy skills; (b) peers related to improved language and self‐regulatory skills; and (c) tasks related to closer relationships with teachers. Children's negative engagement was associated with lower language, literacy, and self‐regulatory skills, and more conflict and closeness with teachers. Effect sizes were small to medium in magnitude, and some expected relations between positive engagement and school readiness were not found.     

Departing from the beaten path: international schools in China as a response to discrimination and academic failure in the Chinese educational system

International schools are commonly depicted in the academic literature and popular press as offering elite educational credentials to an elite, oftentimes international, student body. In this paper, I draw on a case study of a Canadian international school to argue that a new form of international school is emerging in China – one that offers a haven for domestic students from certain competitive and discriminatory features of the Chinese educational system. Fieldwork was conducted at a Canadian curriculum high school for Chinese citizens in Beijing. Most students at the school were internal migrants or children of China’s ‘new rich’ entrepreneurial class; that is, their families had economic resources but occupied precarious social positions in contemporary Chinese society. Analyses reveal that the international school offers a pathway to obtain baseline academic credentials in the absence of other opportunities for progress in the Chinese educational system. Together with evidence of dramatic growth in international schools and tracks in China, this case study suggests the emergence of a new type of international education programme that departs from a picture of international education as ‘elite’ in terms of student body, academic environment, and expected educational trajectories of graduates. The paper also develops our understanding of class and educational strategies in contemporary China.     

Cognitive ability and cognitive style: finding a connection through resource use behavior

Instructional Science - The goal of this study was to investigate cognitive style (the visualizer–verbalizer dimension) and cognitive ability (spatial and verbal abilities) in terms of...     

Increasing interest in social studies: Social perspective taking and self-efficacy in stimulating simulations

This study examined the potential of simulations to bolster interest in middle school social studies classrooms. Using a pre–post-design, we examined 305 middle school students (49% female) who participated in the web-based GlobalEd simulation. In contrast to the motivation declines middle school students usually experience, participants in this simulation became more interested in social studies. We investigated four hypotheses as to why these increases may have occurred. We found no support for the possibility that, (a) students’ interest in a particular issue area or (b) their increased valuing of the subject matter, were related to their increased interest. However, results suggested that, (c) the challenging nature of the activity and (d) students’ increased propensity to engage in social perspective taking may have bolstered their interest in social studies. The discussion explores future research directions and whether implications for classroom teachers are warranted given the correlational nature of the research.     

Learning action learning: a journey

The action learning set (ALS) is an often-used tool in practice development to facilitate group reflection. As such, its use evolves in the hands of the participants as they become more comfortable with the process and as trust develops amongst group members. This paper aims to discuss the journey of one ALS over a 2-year period. It seeks to highlight the process of learning through an ALS and the complexity of making the process meaningful for the participants. The role of trust within an ALS cannot be overstated. This was an imperative factor in the overall effectiveness of the set.     

New Pathways into Robotics: Strategies for Broadening Participation

This paper suggests new strategies for introducing students to robotics technologies and concepts, and argues for the importance of providing multiple entry points into robotics. In particular, the paper describes four strategies that have been successful in engaging a broad range of learners: (1) focusing on themes, not just challenges; (2) combining art and engineering; (3) encouraging storytelling; (4) organizing exhibitions, rather than competitions. The paper describes a new technology, called the PicoCricket, that supports these strategies by enabling young people to design and program artistic creations that integrate light, sound, music, and motion. The paper concludes with an analysis of robotics activities in three educational environments, examining how these new strategies and technologies can engage young people with diverse interests and learning styles.     

Probation Simulation: A High-Impact Practice

High-impact practices (HIPs) implemented in criminal justice have traditionally been designed as stand-alone courses. However, HIPs can also be integrated into existing criminal justice courses to deepen student empathetic understanding of key roles and concepts. As such, the purpose of the present study is threefold. First, we provide a discussion of a HIP probation simulation project created as a key part of an undergraduate community corrections elective course utilizing the D.E.A.L. Model for Critical Reflection for all assessments. Second, we examine student experiences at the conclusion of the HIP by performing a content analysis of the summary experience papers for themes related to their overall experience, and individual empathetic experiences as a probationer and probation officer. Third, we discuss suggested modifications for future iterations of this and similar HIPs implemented within existing criminal justice courses.     

Wrist-based cut-points for moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity for the Actical accelerometer in adults

Wrist-based accelerometers are increasingly used to assess physical activity (PA) in population-based studies; however, cut-points to translate wrist-based accelerometer counts into PA intensity categories are still needed. The purpose of this study was to determine wrist-based cut-points for moderate- and vigorous-intensity ambulatory PA in adults for the Actical accelerometer. Healthy adults (n = 24) completed a four-phase treadmill exercise protocol (1.9, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.2 mph) while wearing an Actical accelerometer on their wrist. Metabolic equivalent of task (MET) levels were assessed by indirect calorimetry. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were generated to determine accelerometer counts that maximised sensitivity and specificity for classification of moderate (≥3 METs) and vigorous (>6 METs) ambulatory activity. The area under the ROC curves to discriminate moderate- and vigorous-intensity ambulatory activity were 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.90–0.97; P < 0.001) and 0.96 (95% CI: 0.94–0.99; P < 0.001), respectively. The identified cut-point for moderate-intensity ambulatory activity was 1031 counts per minute, which had a corresponding sensitivity and specificity of 85.6% and 87.5%, respectively. The identified cut-point for vigorous intensity ambulatory activity was 3589 counts per minute, which had a corresponding sensitivity and specificity of 88.0% and 98.7%, respectively. This study established intensity-specific cut-points for wrist-based wear of the Actical accelerometer which are recommended for quantification of moderate- and vigorous-intensity ambulatory activity.