Relationship between toy and material use and the occurrence of social interactive behaviors by normally developing preschool children

The purpose of this naturalistic study was to identify the kinds of social behaviors that normally developing preschool children exhibit while manipulating various toys and materials found in most preschool settings. One hundred fifteen 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds in four day-care centers were observed during free play periods. Thirty-eight available toys and play materials were rated as to whether they were used in an Isolate, Parallel, Sharing/Cooperative, or Physical Assistance context. The resulting data on toy/material use are discussed in terms of selecting physical stimuli in social behavior modification efforts that clearly set the occasion for positive social interaction.     

The activity context of preschool children's social interactions: A comparison of high and low social interactors

The purpose of this observational study of the activity context in which preschool children engaged in positive social interactions was to produce a data source that could be used to assist in the identification of socially withdrawn children, and to select efficient training contexts in which to develop the social behavior repertoire of withdrawn youngsters. Eleven high-rate and 10 low-rate social interactors, ranging in age from 36 to 72 months, were observed for 12 10-minute sessions across a 3-month period. Six activity contexts were coded by trained observers: Observer, Isolate, Parallel, Game, Cooperative, and Fantasy. The results indicated that: (a) Low-rate children engaged in significantly more Isolate and Observer activity than did high-rate children. (b) High-rate children engaged in significantly more Cooperative and Fantasy activity than did low-rate children. (c) There were no significant differences between groups for Game and Parallel activities. Results are discussed in terms of the concurrent validity between frequency of interaction measures and the activity context data, the developmental progression of social skills acquisition, and the selection of treatment contexts for withdrawn children.     

Elementary Statistics with Minitab

Computer packages are available which can take much of the tedium out of the computational aspects of statistics and, we hope, thereby improve comprehension of the concepts. This article describes how the software package Minitab was incorporated into two elementary statistics courses, one at Kingston Polytechnic in England, the other at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the United States.     

Assessing the effect on high school teachers of direct and unrestricted access to the internet: A case study of an east central florida high school

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect direct and unrestricted access to the Internet had on a group of high school teachers. Based on the naturalistic inquiry paradigm, this study explored the barriers these teachers encountered when using the Internet, how and when they elected to use the Internet, the factors that influenced their continued use of the Internet, and the transitions they experienced from using the Internet. Data collection was based on Patton's (1990) three approaches to interviewing; data analysis was based in part on Miles and Huberman's (1984) model of data reduction and display and on Spradley's (1979) task of domain analysis. Findings suggested: that teachers require ongoing Internet training, technical support, home Internet access, and time in which to learn and incorporate the Internet into their classes; that Internet use can increase teachers' self-esteem and improve their attitudes toward computers and education; and that use of the Internet by teachers encourages them to restructure their classes and schedules to accommodate Internet resources within their classrooms.     

The ‘Third Wave’: education and the ideology of parentocracy

In this paper it will be argued that we are entering a ‘third wave’ in the socio‐historical development of British education and that similar trends are also evident in the USA, Australia and New Zealand. The ‘first wave’ can be characterised by the rise of mass schooling for the working classes in the late nineteenth century. The ‘second wave’ involved a shift from the provision of education based upon what Dewey called the “feudal dogma of social predestination” to one organised on the basis of individual merit and achievement. What is distinct about the ‘third wave’ is the move towards a system whereby the education a child receives must conform to the wealth and wishes of parents rather than the abilities and efforts of pupils. In other words, we have witnessed a shift away from the ‘ideology of meritocracy’ to what I will call the ‘ideology of parentocracy’. This paper will consider the evidence to support this conclusion and examine its sociological significance.

     

Student Use of Internet Study Rooms for Out-of-Class Group Study in Introductory Biology

This paper describes a pilot study in which undergraduates in an active introductory biology class (Biol 100) used online, virtual study rooms to study together outside of class in small groups. The study was conducted (a) to determine whether students who had access to Internet study rooms would make use of them for out-of-class group study, and (b) to find out how students perceived their online group study experience in comparison with face-to-face group study. Self-reported data were obtained at the time that multiple-choice exams were administered in the large class of Biology 100. The survey was completed by 90 of the students who had signed up for online study rooms. The results indicated that 47 students used their online study rooms to study for the final exam together with other members of their in-class teams. More than half of the students who provided written comments were positive about their online experience. Even those who strongly preferred face-to-face meetings expressed willingness to use online study rooms in a pinch.     

Assessment rubrics: towards clearer and more replicable design,research and practice

‘Rubric’ is a term with a variety of meanings. As the use of rubrics has increased both in research and practice, the term has come to represent divergent practices. These range from secret scoring sheets held by teachers to holistic student-developed articulations of quality. Rubrics are evaluated, mandated, embraced and resisted based on often imprecise and inconsistent understandings of the term. This paper provides a synthesis of the diversity of rubrics, and a framework for researchers and practitioners to be clearer about what they mean when they say ‘rubric’. Fourteen design elements or decision points are identified that make one rubric different from another. This framework subsumes previous attempts to categorise rubrics, and should provide more precision to rubric discussions and debate, as well as supporting more replicable research and practice.     

Children,Stressful Life Events and School Adjustment: an Australian study

A sample of 1,114 urban children ranging in age from 5‐13 years was assessed for the occurrence of 25 stressful life events across the life span. Children reported an average of six events during their lifetimes. Developmental trends and gender differences were noted in terms of certain stressful life events (SLEs). The children were also rated by their teachers on a number of measures of adjustment to school. Children who had experienced three to eight serious SLEs were rated as less well adjusted on a variety of behavioural measures than those children who had experienced no such serious life events.