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social interactions was to produce a data source that could be used to assist in the identification of socially withdrawn children, and to select efficient training contexts in which to develop the social behavior repertoire of withdrawn youngsters.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context data, the developmental progression of social skills acquisition, and the selection of treatment contexts for withdrawn children.     

Using blended learning and out-of-school visits: pedagogies for effective science teaching in the twenty-first century

Background: Recent research and curriculum reforms have indicated the need for diversifying teaching approaches by drawing upon student interest and engagement in ways which makes learning science meaningful. Purpose: This study examines the integration of informal/free choice learning which occurred during learning experiences outside school (LEOS) with classroom learning using digital technologies. Specifically, the digital technologies comprised a learning management system (LMS), Moodle, which fits well with students’ lived experiences and their digital world. Design and Method: This study examines three out-of-school visits to Informal Science Institutes (ISI) using a digitally integrated fieldtrip inventory (DIFI) Model. Research questions were analysed using thematic approach emerging along with semi-structured interviews, before, during and after the visit, and assessing students’ learning experiences. Data comprised photographs, field notes, and unobtrusive observations of the classroom, wiki postings, student work books and teacher planning diaries. Results: We argue, that pre- and post-visit planning using the DIFI Model is more likely to engage learners, and the use of a digital learning platform was even more likely to encourage collaborative learning. The conclusion can also be drawn that students’ level of motivation for collaborative learning positively correlates with their improvement in academic achievement.     

Teaching the ultimate crime: Genocide and international law in the criminal justice curriculum

The rapid expansion of international law and the establishment of an international criminal court have resulted in new justice institutions that should not be ignored in criminal justice curricula. Genocide, as the focal point of an entire course or a unit within other courses, provides instructors with an organizational framework for addressing a wide variety of topics related to international law. This paper discusses how the crime of genocide can be integrated into criminal justice curricula and the opportunities it provides for examining international law, history, current events, and the interdependence of criminal justice system components. A course on genocide taught to advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students is described and evaluated.     

The Influence of Student Development Level on Improving Counselor Student Empathy

This cross‐sectional study explored the influence of student development and year‐in‐program on the improvement of affective/trait‐based empathy and cognitive/skill‐based empathy. Two 2 × 2 analyses of variance between 1st‐ and 2nd‐year counseling students revealed mixed findings on the relationship between cognitive development and empathy levels. Results demonstrated clearly, however, that students' affective and cognitive empathy increased from their 1st to 2nd year in a counseling program.     

Reactions to College Withdrawal,

Problems in validly determining reasons for withdrawal from college are reviewed. This study examines the reasons given by several different subgroups of withdrawals, hopefully circumventing some of these problems. Questionnaires were sent to 1135 students (and to their parents) who had withdrawn from three liberal-arts colleges. Different subgroups of withdrawals reported quite different reasons for leaving. Academic dismissals reported more severe problems (both academic and personal) than did voluntary withdrawals (who ranked second) and transfers (who had fewest problems). Students who withdrew during a semester did so for very different reasons than did end-of-the-year withdrawals. Few differences were associated with class standing (i.e., freshman, sophomore, etc.) at the time of withdrawal. Implications of the results are briefly discussed.     

Examining how parent and teacher enthusiasm influences motivation and achievement in STEM

Abstract

Parents and teachers play an important role in stimulating student motivation. The aim of this study was to examine if both parent and teacher enthusiasm could predict intrinsic motivation toward STEM activities, and if motivation would be associated with improved STEM achievement over one year in a one-year prospective examination of 288 Swedish students in their final year of a Science High School program (143 females and 145 males). Surveys of parent and teacher enthusiasm were collected at baseline, and student intrinsic motivation and GPA in STEM were assessed at baseline and at the end of the year. Baseline GPA and intrinsic motivation as well as follow-up intrinsic motivation were significantly associated with later GPA. Finally, intrinsic motivation mediated the relation between teacher and parent enthusiasm and change in GPA. Findings show the importance of parent and teacher enthusiasm for adolescent’s intrinsic motivation and achievement in STEM.     

Self-Confidence as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Competitive Anxiety Intensity and Interpretation

The aim of this study was to examine whether self-confidence mediated the relationship between competitive anxiety intensity and direction. Elite (n = 102) and nonelite (n = 144) participants completed the self-confidence subscale of the Competitive Trait Anxiety Inventory-2 and the worry and somatic subscales from the Sport Anxiety Scale. Consistent with procedures recommended by Baron and Kenny (1986), linear regression analyses were used. The findings for elite athletes revealed worry intensity to significantly predict self-confidence and worry direction. However, when self-confidence was controlled, worry intensity did not predict worry direction over that which was significantly predicted by self-confidence. Within the analysis for somatic symptoms, only self-confidence was found to predict somatic symptom direction. For the nonelite athletes, worry and somatic symptom intensity predicted both self-confidence and direction, and direction when self-confidence was controlled. The findings for the elite athletes suggest self-confidence mediates the relationship between performers' worry symptoms and subsequent directional interpretations. However, the findings suggest that high levels of self-confidence and low symptom intensity are needed for nonelite athletes to demonstrate a less debilitative interpretation.