Religion and educational progress: Two historical cases with contemporary relevance

This study comprises accounts of how two western societies achieved legislative provision for mass education in the latter 1800's: England and Wales in 1870, and Nova Scotia in 1864 and 1865. The accounts are used to illuminate the bearing that religion had on those educational reforms and thereby to show better how religion can contribute to educational progress today.In both cases, the society's major religious groups were in sympathy with the principle of universal elementary education supported by taxes. But differences among and within the groups over the religious character and/or the control of the schools did constitute an obstacle to be overcome. Public officials who championed mass education were supportive of the advancement of religion, yet they placed limits on religious expression and control in education in order to achieve a balance of interests. A vision of the promise of mass education and their duty to procure it animated the officials. This vision harmonized with their religious motivation.Today there is an educational challenge equal to that which faced the universalizers in the 19th century: discerning the limits, fiscal and functional, of universalized educational systems so as to optimize their contribution to meeting educational needs, which have assumed crisis proportions. Educational interests and religious interests (along with others) should come together to define and respond to the challenge. Common aspirations, if not immediately apparent, would emerge, as they did in the two historical cases.     

Hemispheric specialization and the language abilities of autistic children

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between patterns of hemispheric specialization for speech processing and language ability in autistic children. 17 male autistic children, 6-18 years of age, and 17 normal children, matched for chronological age and gender, were tested. Measures of hemispheric asymmetry were differences in the averaged cortical evoked responses taken from right and left hemisphere scalp locations to linguistic and nonlinguistic auditory stimuli. A comprehensive battery of language tests was administered to autistic subjects. Autistic children's direction of hemispheric asymmetry in response to linguistic stimuli differed significantly from that of normal subjects. The majority of autistic subjects showed reversed (right hemisphere dominant), but not necessarily reduced, patterns of hemispheric asymmetry. Autistic children with more advanced language abilities were more likely to exhibit a normal direction of hemispheric asymmetry. The possibility that a shift from right to left hemisphere processing of speech occurs as the autistic child acquires spoken language is discussed.     

Educational technology and the social sciences in the University of Malaya

This paper examines the role played by educational technology in the four social science faculties of the University of Malaya. Some explanation of what is meant by educational technology is first given. This involves considering three approaches to educational technology found in the literature and these provide a convenient frame of reference for examining the situation in the four faculties. The prevailing conception of educational technology in the faculties is the least developed and least comprehensive of the three approaches. Reasons are advanced for changing the existing situation in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Recommendations in this direction are made and it is suggested that they are applicable not only to the University of Malaya but similar institutions of higher education as well.Paper presented at the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning (ASAIHL) Seminar on Modern Technology in ASAIHL Universities, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, October 16–17, 1981.     

Socialization of perceived academic competence among highly competent children

A sample of 81 academically competent third graders and their parents were studied (1) to determine whether the illusion of incompetence documented for fifth graders appears in younger children, (2) to examine whether parents' competence-related perceptions significantly distinguish children with varying levels of perceived academic competence, and (3) to develop a predictive model of the association between parent and child competence beliefs. More than 20% of the children--equal proportions of girls and boys--had self-perceptions that seriously underestimated their actual high abilities, and displayed a corresponding pattern of disparaging self- and other-achievement attitudes. Mothers' and fathers' perceptions of their children's abilities varied significantly with the perceived competence status of the children, as did the children's perceptions of their parents' appraisals. Using path analysis, preliminary support was found for a model in which children's perceptions of competence are influenced more by their parents' appraisals than by objective evidence of their achievements. The results are discussed in the context of research on the socialization of math attitudes and new work on parental belief systems.     

Motivation in gifted students

This study investigated the factors which had influenced the role of motivation in the high levels of achievement of a sample of fifteen gifted students, aged 14/15 years, in five secondary schools in England. The students were interviewed individually, and their parents and teachers were also interviewed for validation of the students' comments. The results indicated the influences of teaching and learning provision, of support and of social and emotional factors on the students' motivation. The role of motivation in the realisation of the students' high ability, in achievement of personal goals and in maintaining the progress and achievements of those who had problems was also clear. Evidence of the importance of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in the students' achievement was also shown.     

Using Microsoft<Superscript>®</Superscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">PowerPoint</Emphasis>™ to Support Emergent Literacy Skill Development for Young Children At-Risk or Who Have Disabilities

The increasing availability and use of technology applications for teaching emergent literacy skills in early childhood education settings nationwide requires that early childhood education professionals develop skills with readily available software programs. This paper provides general recommendations in using Microsoft^® PowerPoint? to support emergent literacy skill development for young children at-risk or who have disabilities. Specific suggestions are presented in the areas of phonological awareness, alphabetic principles, comprehension, concepts about print, and vocabulary development.     

Campus Strategic Action in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fisher</Emphasis> Case: Organizational Stakeholder Advocacy Across the Field of Higher Education

Using a census sampling, this analysis evaluates the campus structures and practices that are predictive of a campus being affiliated with stakeholder legal advocacy regarding the Fisher Supreme Court affirmative action case of 2013. Findings reveal that a campus utilizing selective admissions operated as a sufficient, but not a necessary, requirement to prompt stakeholders to take a legal position in the case. Also, campuses that enrolled and graduated the largest percentages of nonwhite students were inclined to have stakeholders submit amicus briefs advocating support for UT-Austin and the use of race in selective college admissions.     

Integrating PCR theory and bioinformatics into a research-oriented primer design exercise

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a conceptually difficult technique that embodies many fundamental biological processes. Traditionally, students have struggled to analyze PCR results due to an incomplete understanding of the biological concepts (theory) of DNA replication and strand complementarity. Here we describe the design of a novel research-oriented exercise that prepares students to design DNA primers for PCR. Our exercise design includes broad and specific learning goals and assessments of student performance and perceptions. We developed this interactive Primer Design Exercise using the principles of scientific teaching to enhance student understanding of the theory behind PCR and provide practice in designing PCR primers to amplify DNA. In the end, the students were more poised to troubleshoot problems that arose in real experiments using PCR. In addition, students had the opportunity to utilize several bioinformatics tools to gain an increased understanding of primer quality, directionality, and specificity. In the course of this study many misconceptions about DNA replication during PCR and the need for primer specificity were identified and addressed. Students were receptive to the new materials and the majority achieved the learning goals.     

Temperamental Shyness and Anger/Frustration in Childhood: Normative Development,Individual Differences,and the Impacts of Maternal Intrusiveness and Frontal Electroencephalogram Asymmetry

This study used latent growth curve modeling to identify normative development and individual differences in the developmental patterns of shyness and anger/frustration across childhood. This study also examined the impacts of maternal intrusiveness and frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry at age 4 on the developmental patterns of shyness and anger/frustration. 180 children (92 boys, 88 girls; M_age = 4.07 years at baseline; 75.6% White, 18.3% Black, 6.1% multiracial/other) participated in the study. Normative development included significant linear decreases in shyness and anger/frustration. Individual variation existed in the developmental patterns. Children with left frontal EEG asymmetry showed a faster decreasing pattern of shyness. Children who experienced higher maternal intrusiveness and had left frontal EEG asymmetry showed a slower decreasing pattern of anger/frustration.     

Child Care for Children in Poverty: Opportunity or Inequity?

Data from a nationally representative survey of child care centers and a 5-site, observational study of centers were used to examine the quality of care provided to children from low-income families. Comparisons were made to a national sample of centers; among Head Start, public school-sponsored, and other community-based subsidized centers; and among centers that served families from differing socioeconomic groups. The quality of care in centers that served predominantly low-income children was adequate, but highly variable, with structural indices exhibiting higher quality than observations of global quality and of staff-child interactions. When compared to Head Start and public school-sponsored centers, the community-based centers had smaller groups and fewer children per teacher for preschoolers, but also had less well educated and compensated staff. Centers that predominantly served children from upper-income families provided the highest quality of care across multiple indices, and those that predominantly served children from middle-income families almost uniformly provided the poorest quality of care. The centers that served children from low-income families did not differ significantly in quality from the upper-income centers on most indices. However, the teachers in these programs were observed to be less sensitive and more harsh than teachers in the centers that served more advantaged families. The implications of the findings for research and policy are discussed.