GAP: a Graphics Authoring Package which produces BASIC from graphical input

The authors argue that there is a need for a microcomputer software authoring package which produces graphics. The novel feature of the Graphics Authoring Package (GAP) which they developed is that it produces Basic code from the user's graphical input. GAP is described together with the results of an evaluation study. The results indicate that the package is easy to use, effective in rapidly producing graphics code and that, in general, it fills a gap in the current range of educational software.     

Analysis of Personality,Suicide, and Self‐Injury in Emerging Adulthood

Nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI) is a maladaptive coping strategy that is of significant clinical concern for behavioral health professionals in college settings. Relationships between NSSI, acquired capability for suicide, interpersonal cognitions, and five‐factor model personality traits were assessed in a survey‐based study that included 192 young adults in a college setting. Results indicated that those with an affirmative suicide attempt history, greater acquired capability for suicide, and elevated neuroticism had an increased likelihood of lifetime NSSI.     

Persuasive communication: A theoretical model for changing the attitude of preservice elementary teachers toward metric conversion

This study was based on Hovland's four-part statement, “Who says what to whom with what effect,” the rationale for persuasive communication, a theoretical model for modifying attitudes. Part I was a survey of 139 perservice elementary teachers from which were generated the more credible characteristics of metric instructors, a central element in the “who” component of Hovland's model. They were: (1) background in mathematics and science, (2) fluency in metrics, (3) capability of thinking metrically, (4) a record of excellent teaching, (5) previous teaching of metric measurement to children, (6) responsibility for teaching metric content in methods courses and (7) an open enthusiasm for metric conversion. Part II was a survey of 45 mathematics educators where belief statements were synthesized for the “what” component of Hovland's model. It found that math educators support metric measurement because: (1) it is consistent with our monetary system; (2) the conversion of units is easier into metric than English; (3) it is easier to teach and easier to learn than English measurement; there is less need for common fractions; (4) most nations use metric measurement; scientists have used it for decades; (5) American industry has begun to use it; (6) metric measurement will facilitate world trade and communication; and (7) American children will need it as adults; educational agencies are mandating it. With the “who” and “what” of Hovland's four-part statement defined, educational researchers now have baseline data to use in testing experimentally the effect of persuasive communication on the attitude of preservice teachers toward metrication.     

Perceived teacher directiveness,student variables,grades, and satisfaction: aptitude x treatment interactions?

Researchers have reported that student authoritarianism, dogmatism, intelligence, convergent-divergent abilities, conceptual level, anxiety, compulsivity, achievement motivation, achievement orientation, locus of control, independence-dependence, and extraversion-introversion interact with teacher directiveness in relation to grades and satisfaction. Evidence that the student variables are moderately intercorrelated suggested that some of the interactions may not be independent. The present study was initiated to simplify the multivariate nature of these interactive patterns by carrying out a modified stepwise regression analysis of the twelve interactions which could result in a lesser number of nonredundant interactions emerging, weighted according to how much unique variance they could account for in grades and satisfaction. Data were collected from 445 students in the classes of 26 Grade 11 and 12 English teachers at five schools in regard to English grades, satisfaction with the teacher and the course, the 12 student variables, and perceived teacher directiveness. Only achievement motivation produced significant interactions. Consequently, the planned regression models could not be constructed.     

Association between self-reported health and physical and/or sexual abuse experienced before age 18

OBJECTIVE: The present study evaluated the association between women's health and physical and sexual abuse suffered before age 18. METHODS: A total of 3,568 randomly sampled insured women ages 18-64 completed a telephone interview to assess history of physical only, sexual only, or both physical and sexual abuse before age 18 (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System); and current health (Short Form-36, Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression, Presence of Symptoms surveys). Adjusted analyses compared the health of women with physical abuse only, sexual abuse only, or physical and sexual abuse to the health of women without these abuse histories. RESULTS: Poorest health status was observed in women with a history of both physical and sexual child abuse compared to women without these abuse histories. In models that adjusted for age and income, women with both abuse types had increased prevalence of depression (prevalence ratio, 2.16), severe depression (PR, 2.84), physical symptoms (PR range, 1.33 for joint pain to 2.78 for nausea/vomiting), fair/poor health (PR, 1.84), and lower SF-36 scores (3.15-5.40 points lower). Women with physical abuse only or sexual abuse only also had higher prevalence of symptoms and lower SF-36 scores but the associations were not as strong. CONCLUSIONS: This study adds to the literature showing a graded association between multiple adverse events in childhood and adult health.     

Examining Teachers' Use of iPads: Comfort Level,Perception, and Use

While there is evidence of the growing popularity of iPads and other tablets in K–12 education, little is understood about how teachers use these devices in their instruction. This study examines 342 teachers' comfort level with and perception toward iPad use and any changes that occurred over the implementation year. Using a mixed-methods design, this study found significant differences in comfort level by years of teaching and school levels. Female teachers, teachers with 20 years or less of teaching experience, and elementary school teachers were more positive about their perception toward iPad use than the other groups. High school teachers' perception was the lowest overall. Analyses of teacher interviews revealed affordances, challenges, and diverse ways of how teachers used iPads in their instruction. Implications for practice and research are discussed.     

Instrumental responses become associated with reinforcers that differ in one feature

In three experiments, thirsty rats were trained to make several instrumental responses whose outcomes differed in which of two relatively inconsequential flavor features they contained. In Experiment 1, one of the features was subsequently devalued by pairing it with lithium chloride; in Experiment 2, it was enhanced in value by pairing it with sucrose. In both experiments, differences in the value of the features resulted in parallel differences in the likelihood of the responses during a subsequent extinction test. In Experiment 3, the animals chose between these responses in the presence of discriminative stimuli that had signaled the occurrence of these different features following another response. The stimuli selectively augmented the likelihood of the response with which they shared training by the same-flavored consequence. These results indicate that rats can separately encode features that differ along one dimension, both in the association between an instrumental response and its outcome, and in the association between a discriminative stimulus and that outcome.     

Measuring Parent Receptivity Towards the Classroom Environment Using a Rasch Measurement Model

This study investigated parent-reported receptivity towards the classroom environment and classroom outcomes. Classroom environment was based on a five-aspect model: (1) provision of information from the child; (2) beliefs about the school; (3) provision of information from teachers; (4) teachers' commitment to working with parents; and (5) confidence in communicating with teachers. Classroom outcomes were based on two aspects: (1) educational values (importance of schooling, involved with learning; seeing a future through learning, desire to learn, and importance of learning); and (2) learning outcomes (achieving, and views of child's engagement in school work). For each aspect, items were written in an ordered-by-difficulty pattern so that, for example, Item 2 involved Item 1 and ‘more’, making it conceptually ‘harder’ to agree with Item 2 than with Item 1. There were four Likert response categories (SDA, DA, A, and SA). Using the extended logistic model of Rasch, an interval-level, unidimensional scale was created with item difficulties for classroom environment aspects and classroom outcomes calibrated on the same scale as the receptivity measures. The sample consisted of 518 parents of students from three secondary schools in Western Australia. The item sample was 30. The proportion of observed variance considered true was 0.94. The items for each aspect were found to be ordered from ‘easy’ to ‘hard’ in line with the hypothesised model of receptivity and the data fitted the measurement model well. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.