The long and winding road: A grounded theory of reminiscence among Filipino residents in nursing homes

Although reminiscence is a naturally occurring process in late adulthood, not all older adults reminisce effectively. Notably, feelings of guilt, loneliness, bitterness and regret lead to despair and remorse rather than integrity. In spite of this, little is known about the process of reminiscence among Filipino older adults. This grounded study aims to develop a model that describes how a select group of older Filipino patients residing in nursing homes in the Philippines experience reminiscence.

Strauss and Corbin’s (1990) grounded theory design was employed in this study. A total of eighteen (18) Filipino older adults in nursing homes were purposively selected to participate in one-on-one, semi-structured interviews. These were then transcribed into field texts and analyzed through open, axial and selective coding. Member checking procedure was employed to ensure that the emerged themes were sensible and consistent with the participants’ lived experiences.

Through constant comparative method, the findings of this study presented the development of a three-phase process (Reactivating, Reconstructing and Reframing) that describes the reminiscence experiences of a select group of Filipino nursing home residents. The emergent theoretical model invites nurses as quality care providers to renew and restructure interventions to promote effective reminiscence.     

‘Making the grade’: a grounded theory explaining the student experience of Asian and Middle-Eastern postgraduates in a British university

The aim of this study was firstly to describe the experiences of international students living and studying in a UK university, to understand and explain their responses to those experiences and to make recommendations to stakeholders in the light of the findings. The research found that international students’ two biggest concerns are their English language skills and their detachment from domestic students. International students were surprised at the size of the challenges they faced and worked hard to bridge the gap between their academic and sociocultural skills and those needed in the UK. International students provided emotional, practical and academic support to each other, but the academic support they offered to each other was not always reliable. International students engaged in a process of identity change during which they gained the skills they needed to be academically successful. Recommendations in regard to the academic and pastoral support of international students are made.     

Multilevel Analysis of Multiple-baseline Data Evaluating Precision Teaching as an Intervention for Improving Fluency in Foundational Reading Skills for at Risk Readers

In this article, multiple-baseline across participants designs were used to evaluate the impact of a precision teaching (PT) program, within a Tier 2 Response to Intervention framework, targeting fluency in foundational reading skills with at risk kindergarten readers. Thirteen multiple-baseline design experiments that included participation from 35 kindergarten students were included in the current analysis. By combining data from a series of multiple-baseline studies using a multilevel model, we analyzed outcomes to determine an estimated treatment effect. The results indicate that across participants and across studies, PT showed an average increase of 15 correct responses in foundational reading skills per minute. This immediate influence on rates of core reading skills was statistically significant. Moreover, the treatment had a significant positive effect on the time trend indicating that rates in foundational reading skills increased more across time during the treatment phase compared to the baseline phase. The study provides evidence that the obtained rates in foundational reading skills at the end of the intervention were retained after removing the intervention. From the outcomes of the multilevel model, PT can be considered as a promising Tier 2 intervention to increase reading fluency with individuals who are at risk of reading failure.     

The relative effectiveness of an inanimate stimulus and a live surrogate during imprinting in Japanese quail,Coturnix coturnix japonica

It has been demonstrated repeatedly that stimuli vary in their effectiveness in eliciting and maintaining imprinting. Agreement has not been reached, however, with regard to the ideal imprinting model for laboratory studies. This situation is in part a result of the inability to replicate precisely natural parameters in the laboratory. Thus laboratory results are often inconsistent with field research. In order to develop a more biologically appropriate imprinting stimulus, a live Japanese quail hen was conditioned to serve as an imprinting object. An imprinting study was then performed to assess the dimensions of effectiveness of the live model. Comparisons between the live model and a decoy yielded different patterns of imprinting in young Japanese quail.     

Expert — Novice differences in science investigation skills

Many school students experience difficulty in conducting science investigations (Hackling & Garnett, 1991; Murphy, 1988). Students in Western Australia have poorly developed skills of problem analysis, planning and carrying out controlled experiments, basing conclusions only on obtained data, and recognising limitations in the methodology of their investigations. This paper compares the work of 10 expert scientists and 10 Year 12 science students as they conducted a laboratory based investigation. The results provide insights into expertise in science investigation skills. Specializations: Science teacher education, development of problem-solving expertise, concept development and conceptual change, assessment of laboratory work. Specializations: Chemistry education, concept development and conceptual change, role of laboratory work.     

What changes in infant walking and why

This study compared the relative contributions of growing body dimensions, age, and walking experience in the development of walking skill in 9- to 17-month-old infants (N = 210), 5-6-year old kindergartners (N = 15), and college students (N = 13). Kinematic measures derived from participants' footprints showed characteristic improvements in walking skill. As children became bigger, older, and more experienced, their steps became longer, narrower, straighter, and more consistent. Improvements reflected a narrowing base of support and increasing control over the path of progression. Although both infants' age and the duration of their walking experience contributed to improvements in walking skill, experience was the stronger predictor. This finding suggests that practice is the more important developmental factor for helping infants to conquer their weak muscles and precarious balance.     

Can We Learn From Student Mistakes in a Formative,Reading Comprehension Assessment?

This article describes an ongoing project to develop a formative, inferential reading comprehension assessment of causal story comprehension. It has three features to enhance classroom use: equated scale scores for progress monitoring within and across grades, a scale score to distinguish among low‐scoring students based on patterns of mistakes, and a reading efficiency index. Instead of two response types for each multiple‐choice item, correct and incorrect, each item has three response types: correct and two incorrect response types. Prior results on reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, and predictive utility of mistake subscores are briefly described. The three‐response‐type structure of items required rethinking the item response theory (IRT) modeling. IRT‐modeling results are presented, and implications for formative assessments and instructional use are discussed.