Digital Explanation as Assessment in University Science

Research in Science Education - Assessments in tertiary science subjects typically assess content knowledge, and there is current need to both develop and assess different forms of knowledge and...     

Happy Me a Story

Current research on the foundations of emotional well-being reveals how significant adults can establish roots of happiness in children. Carter (2005) suggests that these roots can be nourished through positive thoughts and emotions; flow and fulfillment; and relating to others, especially through the use of emotional intelligence. Twenty-five literature choices are reviewed and recommended to help adults nurture children’s happiness in these ways.     

Personal tutoring from the perspectives of tutors and tutees

Personal tutoring is considered to be an important support mechanism for students in higher education. However, the existing personal tutoring system at the British University in Egypt has needed for quite some time to be reviewed and improved as anecdotal evidence suggests that it is ineffective. This article therefore aims to identify the factors affecting the personal tutoring system at the university. Data were gathered from four sources: (1) a tutor questionnaire, (2) semi-structured interviews with personal tutors, (3) semi-structured interviews with teaching assistants, and (4) focus group meetings with students. The results indicated a number of factors affecting the personal tutoring system: the students’ lack of awareness of the system and personal tutor role, lack of contact and meetings between both parties, the ‘buy in’ of tutors and tutees, the qualities of the tutors, and the time taken to disseminate information on the system to tutees. It is recommended that the existing personal tutoring system be replaced with a personal tutoring unit within each faculty and that the university establish a central support system for students with learning disabilities and also a counselling service.     

The Implications of COVID-19 for Early Childhood Education in Ethiopia: Perspectives from Parents and Caregivers

Early Childhood Education Journal - Recent research on the effects of COVID-19 on school closures has mainly focused on primary and secondary education, with extremely limited attention to early...     

The impact of L2 German on component processes of reading

Background

In Germany, there is a substantial gap in reading literacy between monolingual children and their L2‐speaking peers. Nevertheless, it is still unclear where these performance differences are rooted.

Methods

We investigated children of grades 5, 6 and 7 with comparable socio‐economic status, who completed a battery of tests assessing their linguistic and executive functioning skills as well as their reading performance on the letter, word, sentence and text level.

Results

Whereas L1 speakers showed better linguistic skills, there was no difference between groups in executive functioning. After controlling for individual differences on each level of reading, groups only differed in text comprehension. This effect, however, disappeared when participants' linguistic skills were additionally controlled.

Conclusions

In sum, results show that reading problems in L2 speakers cannot be attributed to deficits on specific component processes of reading, but to a lack of linguistic skills, which negatively affects reading comprehension.     

The influence of the morphological structure of words on the dynamics of handwriting in adults and fourth and sixth grade children

Reading and Writing - Grapheme and syllable units have been shown to influence the dynamics of handwriting in adults and children, but the influence of morphemes remains to be clarified. We tested...     

Enhancing Social Work Practice with Older Adults: The Role of Infusing Gerontology Content into the Master of Social Work Foundation Curriculum

Based on a geriatric enrichment (GeroRich) effort, this study examines outcomes of infusing aging content across the master of social work (MSW) foundation curriculum. In a longitudinal research design tracking one class, there were no significant changes observed in students' levels of experience and interest in gerontological social work. Significant increases were observed in self-rated levels of gerontological knowledge and practice skills—clinical and macro. Full-time status, less gerontological experience, and higher knowledge predicted greater practice skills at the follow-up. Implications for educating the next generation of social workers to better meet the needs of older adults and their families are discussed.     

Lifelong Learning in Social Work Education: A Review of the Literature and Implications for the Future

Social workers practice in rapidly changing and complex environments where they encounter challenges that include increasing evidence-based practice requirements, a shifting information landscape, and diminishing workplace resources. To address these challenges, social workers need to engage in lifelong learning. The purpose of this article is to explore conceptual elements and assumptions underlying lifelong learning; propose social work specific approaches to lifelong learning; present a conceptual model to orient social work educators to the possibilities inherent in lifelong learning for practice, with inclusion of suggested practice behavior; and offer a research agenda for practice.     

The Examination of the Classification of Students into Performance Categories by Two Different Equating Methods

This study investigates the comparability of two item response theory based equating methods: true score equating (TSE), and estimated true equating (ETE). Additionally, six scaling methods were implemented within each equating method: mean-sigma, mean-mean, two versions of fixed common item parameter, Stocking and Lord, and Haebara. Empirical test data were examined to investigate the consistency of scores resulting from the two equating methods, as well as the consistency of the scaling methods both within equating methods and across equating methods. Results indicate that although the degree of correlation among the equated scores was quite high, regardless of equating method/scaling method combination, non-trivial differences in equated scores existed in several cases. These differences would likely accumulate across examinees making group-level differences greater. Systematic differences in the classification of examinees into performance categories were observed across the various conditions: ETE tended to place lower ability examinees into higher performance categories than TSE, while the opposite was observed for high ability examinees. Because the study was based on one set of operational data, the generalizability of the findings is limited and further study is warranted.     

New books

Parliamentary Procedure. BY ROLLO L. LYMAN AND FRANK W. DIGNAN, Chicago: LaSalle Extension University, 1917, Paper, pp, 30. $0.25.

Argumentation and Debate. BY JAMES MILTON O'NEILL, Craven Laycock and Robert Leighton Scales. New York, MacMillan Co., 1917. Pp. 495 XVI. Cloth $1.50.

The Fundamentals of Oral Expression. BY GLENN NEWTON MERRY, Iowa City, 1917, Published by the Author. Paper, pp. 90. $0.80.