What makes a good educator? The relevance of meta programmes

This paper reports the results of a qualitative study which explores the relevance of meta programmes to students' perceptions of teaching quality. Meta programmes are a model of personality preferences from the discipline of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). Research into teaching effectiveness indicates that students rate as important ‘hygiene factors’ such as the teacher's ‘knowledge of the subject’ as well as less tangible qualities including ‘ability to communicate’ and ‘student–teacher rapport’. This study reveals the need for similar qualities but, in some cases, presence of these ‘hygiene factors’ was insufficient; students cited other factors related to personality. Some students were found to like the approach of certain teachers whilst other students rated the same teachers less favourably. When questioned as to why, factors emerged that relate to the distinct teaching style adopted by these teachers that appeared to suit particular students and not others. This study suggests that a teacher's meta programmes influence the approaches adopted in their teaching and these styles suit students with matching meta programme preferences. Where students have different meta programme preferences from the teacher, then, even where the ‘hygiene factors’ are met, this leaves the student dissatisfied. There is potential for teachers to adopt teaching approaches more appropriate for the meta programme profiles of their students. Also, on the part of the students, an increased awareness of their meta programme preferences offers the potential to improve their learning experience.     

The poisoned partner effect in rats: Some parametric considerations

Five experiments are reported establishing the poisoned partner effect (PPE) in rats as a robust phenomenon and indicating some of the factors that control its occurrence. Experiment 1 was a replication of Lavin, Freise, and Coombes (1980) and demonstrated that the PPE could be obtained under the conditions they described. Experiment 2 established that the PPE was not due to sensitization. Experiment 3 indicated that the nonpoisoned partner (NPP) had to be familiar with its poisoned partner in order for the PPE to be observed. Experiment 4 established that, under the conditions employed here, the NPP and its sick partner had to be paired together for at least 30 min following poisoning of the latter for the PPE to occur. Finally, Experiment 5 demonstrated that the NPP and its poisoned partner had to be paired together immediately following the poisoning episode. If 40 min or more was allowed to elapse following poisoning before the two were placed together, the PPE was attenuated. Taken together, these results indicate that the time course of the PPE is similar to that of the effects of the poisoning agent and suggest that some stimulus secreted by the poisoned rat and associated with the administration of the poison is the causative factor in the PPE.     

Analyzing the use of Facebook among university libraries in Hong Kong

In recent years, many academic libraries have started adopting social media by, for example, establishing their own Facebook pages. Our research investigates the current Facebook usage among seven university libraries in Hong Kong. Using a mixed-method research approach, we examined the characteristics of academic libraries Facebook usage and its effectiveness to engage with their patrons, based on online observations and Web content analysis from the publicly available data of the Facebook pages.Our results indicated that most libraries in Hong Kong adopted Facebook as a marketing tool, yet the user engagement level in these pages is low. In addition, we also discovered that communication-related posts and video-type posts can attract the most attention of patrons. Based on these outcomes, we provided some recommendations on the application of Facebook for academic libraries.     

The ‘inclusion’ of elite athletes with disabilities in the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games: An exploratory analysis of British newspaper coverage

The XVII 2002 Commonwealth Games held in Manchester, England, was the first major international multi-sport event to include elite athletes with disabilities (EADs) in its main sports programme and medal table. In this exploratory article we seek to examine some of the complex issues surrounding the inclusion of EADs in the Manchester Games by analysing the coverage afforded those athletes by six national British newspapers. The results suggest that: (1) there was a tendency by the British media to discuss the performances of EADs in terms more-or-less consistent with a medicalized understanding of disability; (2) the inclusion of EADs in the Games signalled the ‘end of a sporting apartheid’ between ‘able-bodied’ athletes and EADs; and (3) that the participation of EADs in the Games was said to reflect the alleged growing ‘inclusion’ of people with disabilities in the wider society more broadly. The paper concludes by discussing some of the unintended consequences of including EADs in the Games, including those brought about by the classification system used to group athletes into events according to their particular impairment. Those which were associated with the supposed need for greater media coverage of EADs in ‘able-bodied’ sports competitions such as the Commonsealth Games.     

Emerging role of protein modification in inflammatory bowel disease

The onset of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) involves many factors, including environmental parameters, microorganisms, and the immune system. Although research on IBD continues to expand, the specific pathogenesis mechanism is still unclear. Protein modification refers to chemical modification after protein biosynthesis, also known as post-translational modification (PTM), which causes changes in the properties and functions of proteins. Since proteins can be modified in different ways, such as acetylation, methylation, and phosphorylation, the functions of proteins in different modified states will also be different. Transitions between different states of protein or changes in modification sites can regulate protein properties and functions. Such modifications like neddylation, sumoylation, glycosylation, and acetylation can activate or inhibit various signaling pathways (e.g., nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and protein kinase B (AKT)) by changing the intestinal flora, regulating immune cells, modulating the release of cytokines such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and ultimately leading to the maintenance of the stability of the intestinal epithelial barrier. In this review, we focus on the current understanding of PTM and describe its regulatory role in the pathogenesis of IBD.

     

Microbial control of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella L.(Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae) using bacteria (Xenorhabdus nematophila) and its metabolites from the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae

Cells and cell-free solutions of the culture filtrate of the bacterial symbiont, Xenorhabdus nematophila taken from the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae in aqueous broth suspensions were lethal to larvae of the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella. Their application on leaves of Chinese cabbage indicated that the cells can penetrate into the insects in the absence of the nematode vector. Cell-free solutions containing metabolites were also proved as effective as bacterial cells suspension. The application of aqueous suspensions of cells of X. nematophila or solutions containing its toxic metabolites to the leaves represents a possible new strategy for controlling insect pests on foliage.     

Learning strategies in an 'ideal' computer-based learning environment

An experiment was conducted with 30 postgraduate students to discover how they might go about learning from an 'ideal' computer-based environment. A system was created which preserved the appearance of a computer-based interaction, yet which freed itself from the constraints of current technology. The students, although not aware of this at the time, were in fact interacting with two human experts, backed up with appropriate documentation and computer files, via a computer screen. The results suggest a number of different learning strategies linked to relatively successful and less successful learning. Implications for the design of computer-based learning materials are discussed.     

Avoidance,classical, and pseudoconditioning as a function of species-specific defense reactions in high- and low-avoider rat strains

Rats of the Australian High Avoider (AHA) and Australian Low Avoider (ALA) strains and their reciprocal crosses were exposed to 50 trials of one of three shuttlebox procedures. The avoidance group received pairings of a tone and shock. If the animals shuttled during the tone, they avoided the shock. If they waited until the shock came on, they could then escape it. The classical group received pairings of the tone and a brief inescapable shock. If they shuttled during the tone, the tone ceased and they immediately received the shock. If they did not shuttle, they received the brief shock at the termination of the tone. The pseudoconditioning group received the tone and the shock explicitly unpaired. If they shuttled during either the tone or the shock, the stimulus was terminated. There was no acquisition of anticipatory responding under the pseudoconditioning procedure. All groups evidenced an increase in anticipatory responding over trials under the classical procedure. The AHAs acquired the response faster and reached a higher asymptote than did the ALAs. Performance of the two reciprocal crosses fell in between. A similar pattern was observed under the avoidance procedure, albeit at slightly higher response levels. Subsequent studies established that the AHAs acquired a one-way avoidance response quickly, but were impaired on a passive avoidance task, whereas the reverse was the case for the ALAs. The reciprocal crosses were proficient at both tasks. These results suggest that shuttlebox avoidance is largely accounted for by classical conditioning of the predominant defensive response. When that response is compatible with performance on the task, acquisition is rapid (AHAs), and when it is not, acquisition is slow (ALAs).     

‘The accommodation I make is turning a blind eye’: faculty support for student mothers in higher education

The levels of support which faculty provide to students have been linked to a number of positive effects on students such as lower rates of attrition, greater satisfaction with college life, enhanced self-concept, improved academic performance and more likelihood of remaining enrolled in college through stressful life periods. There are surely fewer periods of life that are busier than new motherhood. This paper presents research carried out at a higher education institution in the United Arab Emirates. We look at the ways in which faculty interact with new student mothers and employ interviews to explore ways in which faculty acknowledge and offer academic and pastoral support to the new mothers. Their perceptions of students’ coping strategies when they combine motherhood and college studies are reported, and the ways in which faculty navigate college policy which relates to the student mothers. Faculty saw themselves as being extremely supportive and flexible towards new mothers. Whilst undergraduate student motherhood was uncommon in their home countries, it was generally felt that the increased organization, efficiency, time management and resilience witnessed in student mothers were assets to the college community. This study also has wider applicability to faculty support of non-traditional students in other settings.     

Talking to children about science is harder than we think: characteristics and metacognitive judgments of explanations provided to children and adults

Adults modify the way they speak to children to support children’s learning across several domains. However, no previous research has studied whether adults change their language when explaining science to children. The current study examined if and how adults change the manner in which they talk about science when providing explanations to children vs. providing explanations to other adults. Participants (N = 81) were video recorded while explaining basic science concepts to children and adults. Recordings were later analyzed to determine if and how participants changed the quality and content of their explanations. The results confirmed that adults did change their explanations when talking to children about science by providing more potentially beneficial, but also disadvantageous, information. Participants perceived that they provided more accurate explanations to children, but appeared to be making metacognitive judgments largely based upon the changes made that could be beneficial to learning. Taken together, this work suggests that science may be a domain in which adults are not well equipped to modify and monitor their language to children.