The effect of additional testing on conservation of number performance

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of response climate, by examining the effects of an additional testing experience, on the conservation of number performance of 4- and 5-year-old lower socioeconomic status children. A second purpose was to determine if there is a differential effect of response climate for children at various stages of development and/or for each sex. Results indicated that when compared with a control group, participation in an additional testing session resulted in significantly higher conservation of number performance scores for both male and female 4- and 5-year-old lower socioeconomic children at Level III of development. The greatest difference in this performance, however, was exhibited by males. Additional testing did not significantly affect the performance of males and females at Levels I and II of development.     

Content and method

Educational Sociology: A Subject Index of Doctoral Dissertations Completed at American Universities, 1941–1963. Francesco Cordasco and Leonard Covello, compilers. (New York: Scarcecrow Press, 1965. Pp. 226. $5.00.)

The Prospective Teacher's Knowledge of Library Fundamentals. Ralph Perkins. (New York: Scarcecrow Press, 1965. Pp. 202. $4.50.)

Adolescents and the Schools. James S. Coleman. (New York: Basic Books, 1965. Pp. 121. $4.50.)

The Emergent in Curriculum. Gail M. Inlow. (New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1966. Pp. 353. $6.95.)

Studying History: How and Why. Robert V. Daniels. (New York: Prentice‐Hall, 1966. Pp. 105. $1.50. Paperback)

Physical Education: A Problem‐Solving Approach to Health and Fitness. Perry B. Johnson and others. (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1966. Pp. 486. $6.95.)

Teaching Contemporary Mathematics in the Elementary School. Charles F. Howard and Enoch Dumas. (New York: Harper and Row, 1966. Pp. 309. $7.50.)

Education in Metropolitan Areas. Robert J. Havighurst. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1966. Pp. 260. $3.50 Paperback)

The Adolescent Experience. Elizabeth Douvan and Joseph Adelson. (New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1966. Pp. 471. $7.95.)     

Internet in Yemen: Problems and Prospects (A Case Study)

The Internet has caught the public in its expanding web. It is beginning to reshape other media and is now making its way into countries all over the world including developing countries. Yemen, as a developing country, introduced Internet services in September 1996. The present study attempts to evaluate Internet services in Yemen from inception up to the end of 1998. The study also hopes to find, among other things, how well and how widely the Internet is used in Yemen and to what extent Yemen can benefit from it, and how Yemen participates in the information highway. A questionnaire was used as a tool for collecting data. The homepages hosted at the Tele-Yemen (ISP) Server were scanned and certain criteria were used for their evaluation. The study was able to pinpoint the problems faced by Yemeni users of the Internet, the constraints confronting its diffusion in Yemen and the profits gained by subscribers. The study came up with several suggestions and recommendations that the two authors hope will provide a basis for assessing the prospects for the future of the Internet in Yemen.     

“It-Getting” in the Colbert Nation Online Forum

Previous experimental research that has found that college students exposed to a clip of the popular Comedy Central program entitled The Colbert Report were unable to distinguish its satirical intent from its stated content. To further investigate whether the show's viewers consume The Colbert Report as a satire of conservative television or construe it as a sincere expression of conservative sentiment, the present study examines the content of the program's online discussion forum. Forum posts reflect a diversity of responses to Stephen Colbert and The Colbert Report, many of them recognizing the ironic qualities of the show and its host.     

Isolation of cells for selective treatment and analysis using a magnetic microfluidic chip

This study describes the development and testing of a magnetic microfluidic chip (MMC) for trapping and isolating cells tagged with superparamagnetic beads (SPBs) in a microfluidic environment for selective treatment and analysis. The trapping and isolation are done in two separate steps; first, the trapping of the tagged cells in a main channel is achieved by soft ferromagnetic disks and second, the transportation of the cells into side chambers for isolation is executed by tapered conductive paths made of Gold (Au). Numerical simulations were performed to analyze the magnetic flux and force distributions of the disks and conducting paths, for trapping and transporting SPBs. The MMC was fabricated using standard microfabrication processes. Experiments were performed with E. coli (K12 strand) tagged with 2.8 μm SPBs. The results showed that E. coli can be separated from a sample solution by trapping them at the disk sites, and then isolated into chambers by transporting them along the tapered conducting paths. Once the E. coli was trapped inside the side chambers, two selective treatments were performed. In one chamber, a solution with minimal nutrition content was added and, in another chamber, a solution with essential nutrition was added. The results showed that the growth of bacteria cultured in the second chamber containing nutrient was significantly higher, demonstrating that the E. coli was not affected by the magnetically driven transportation and the feasibility of performing different treatments on selectively isolated cells on a single microfluidic platform.     

Effective consultants: a conceptual framework for helping school systems achieve systemic reform

A growing number of organisations – universities, non-profits, independent consultants – are emerging as partners to school systems pursuing systemic improvement. This proliferation invites questions probing the interaction between school systems and their consulting partners. Drawing on a cross-disciplinary review of literature, this theoretical paper (1) explores the processes and strategies used by consulting organisations as partners to school systems and (2) proposes a conceptual framework as a starting point for implementation and evaluation of effective consulting for systemic improvement.     

Perceived Family Influences in Talent Development Among Artistically Talented Teenagers in Singapore

Though there have been quite a number of research studies focusing on how Singaporean families promote literacy and instill values of academic excellence inside the home, little has been written about how families nurture the gifts of teenagers talented in the arts in the Singaporean context. This article highlights how the family influences the talent development of teacher-nominated teenagers who are identified to be among the top in visual arts, dance, theater, music, and academics. Through in-depth interviews conducted with the 14 talented teenagers, the researcher highlights their family's involvement and interest in the arts, their parents' occupational backgrounds, as well as family values and activities that the young artists-in-training perceive to be influential in shaping the development of their artistic talents. Reflections on patterns of childrearing in the Asian context are likewise discussed.     

A structured analysis of e-government studies: Trends and opportunities

E-government involves the use of information and communications technology to facilitate government interaction with citizens, employees, businesses and other governments. E-government studies provide a platform to examine prior developments, and explore future opportunities in the field. This paper presents a theoretical model for the analysis of e-government studies and further uses a bibliometric analysis to examine constructs such as theoretical perspectives, methods, and units of analyses. We examine current trends in e-government research, and discuss emerging opportunities.