The social competence of highly gifted math and science adolescents

Involving 740 highly gifted math and science students from two different countries, Korea and the United States, this study examined how these gifted adolescents perceived their interpersonal ability and peer relationships and whether there were differences between these two groups by demographic variables. Based on the survey data, results showed that our gifted students perceived their interpersonal ability and peer relationships at levels comparable to or higher than those of their non-gifted counterparts. They were satisfied and confident with their peer relationships and did not identify negative effects of being gifted when forming and maintaining friendships. Differences were found between Korean and American students by gender in their profiles of interpersonal ability and peer relationships. Positive self-portrayal of social competence found for our sample disputed previous studies suggesting that highly gifted students tend to struggle with social relationships. Given that each group of students had different educational, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds, the results should also be interpreted with caution.     

Autopsy-Based Learning is Essential But Underutilized in Medical Education: A Questionnaire Study

To this day, autopsies and dissections have been essential in medical education, but declining autopsy numbers have endangered this long-standing tradition. Students' perceptions of these teaching methods should be constantly updated to help educators understand how to achieve their teaching goals. The purpose of this study was to explore the state of autopsy- and dissection-based teaching in two Finnish universities based on the experiences of the students, survey their perceptions of such teaching, and to compare the Finnish situation with students' perceptions in other countries as it emerges from medical literature. A questionnaire went to 859 second-, fourth-, and sixth-year medical students. The questions concerned dissection and autopsy classes these students had attended, the views of the students in regard to the number of classes, and the benefits of and attitudes towards autopsy teaching. An open question of how to improve autopsy teaching was included. The response rate was 19.4%. Most respondents requested more autopsy and dissection classes, especially practical education. They found autopsies most beneficial in learning anatomy and dealing with one's own emotions related to death. Their experiences proved least beneficial for interaction with the relatives of a deceased patient and for people skills. Integrational methods and focusing on the main learning outcomes were suggested as improvements. Overall, students found dissection and autopsy teaching important, but felt concerned about the diminishing autopsy numbers. Focusing on main learning objectives and better integration of autopsies in the teaching of different specialties could help to utilize autopsies to a greater extent.     

Language and reading: Some perceptual prerequisites

Conclusion Since Orton first noted the communicative and perceptual deficits of reading impaired children, many investigators have attempted to delineate in more detail the nature of perceptual impairment in children with language and reading disabilities. Considerable advances in our knowledge concerning the manner in which speech is processed as a code have occurred since Orton’s time. These advances have made it possible to demonstrate a more direct link between perceptual deficits and the development of communication skills, including reading. Presented at the 30th Annual Conference of The Orton Society, Indianapolis, November 1979.     

Education and liberalism: pursuing the link

This paper uses data from the 1970 Birth Cohort Study in the UK to explore the well-established link between ‘liberal’ social values and education. Whilst the link itself is well-established, the underlying mechanism is not; the paper explores empirically mechanisms that have been proposed for this link. In particular it considers the effects of social background, ‘ability’, personal efficacy and field of study on social values to explore both direct and indirect effects of education. The paper finds that, whilst there are important effects of social background and ability on social values, these do not explain the effect of educational attainment. Moreover, differences according to field of study suggest that the most likely mechanism linking education with liberal values is one of socialisation.     

Educating to Build Bridges

In March 2012, 30 faculty and 49 students from all over the world met in El Calafate, Argentina, during two intense weeks. It was the second Latin American School for Education, Cognitive, and Neural Sciences (LASchool), sponsored by the James S. McDonnell Foundation. The LA School seeks to critically examine research findings potentially relevant to the development, design, and implementation of effective educational practices, and to foster a new generation of researchers able to operate at the interface between education and science. Here we introduce a special issue which brings together theory, experiments, and educational interventions which emerged from ideas presented and discussed during the 2012 LASchool.     

Climate Change in the Mainstream Turkish Press: Coverage Trends and Meaning Dimensions in the First Attention Cycle

This article examines how climate change is represented by the mainstream press in a developing country context characterized by long-term avoidance of the issue. Study 1 establishes the issue coverage trends in two mainstream Turkish newspapers (1997–2013). Study 2 focuses on the news sections of these papers that were used for reporting about the issue in the first attention cycle (1997–2009) to summarize the knowledge and meaning dimensions presented to the Turkish public sphere. The findings show that the issue became part of the press agenda only after the mid-2000s, with a peak in 2007 (Study 1), and that climate change is represented as anthropogenic and alarming/uncontroversial, by drawing on dramatic consequences. These are constructed simultaneously as already “out there” in the country, and as to be dealt with globally, that is, from outside (Study 2). We discuss the findings by linking them to findings from other developing countries.     

Am I their cup of tea? Vice-principals’ perception of suitability for principalship

This paper attempts to address the principal shortage issue from the concept of fit perceived by job applicants. It links vice-principals’ perception of suitability for principalship to their conception of how well they can match with the selection criteria set out by school hiring bodies. Based on evidence collected from aspiring principals in Hong Kong, the study found that the respondents believed their suitability for a principal position was generally measured against four criteria by school hiring bodies; namely generic managerial skills, communication and presentation skills, knowledge and experience, and religious value orientation. Respondents were confident about their capability in the first three attributes, but were less assured about the last one. The results further showed that respondents’ perceived deficiency in the religious related attribute affected their confidence in being considered a suitable candidate. Implications of the findings for policy makers and practitioners are discussed.     

Perceived environmental characteristics and psychosocial factors associated with physical activity levels in adolescents from Northeast Brazil: structural equation modelling analysis

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the direct and indirect associations between perceived environmental characteristics and psychosocial factors and physical activity levels in adolescents from Northeast Brazil. The sample was composed of 2,361 adolescents aged 14–19 years (56.6% female). Physical activity was measured using a questionnaire and environmental (perceived environmental characteristics) and psychosocial (self-efficacy, social support from parents and friends for physical activity) factors with previously validated scales. Perceived environmental characteristics were not directly associated with the levels of physical activity, but exhibited significant indirect associations, mediated by self-efficacy in males. Self-efficacy and social support were positively and directly associated with physical activity levels, and part of the associations between social support and physical activity was mediated by self-efficacy. Perception of self-efficacy and social support, important factors associated with physical activity levels in adolescents, should be the target of interventions aimed at increasing physical activity. Favorable environments for physical activity also need to be considered, since they have a positive influence on the self-efficacy of adolescents.