An evaluation of factors influencing reading literacy across Italian 4th grade students

Questionnaire data from the PIRLS 2006 study in Italy provided a number of indices in order to summarize factors of educational context influencing reading achievement. The aim of the present paper is to study the relationships between school factors, teacher factors, family factors, student factors and reading achievement by means of multilevel regression analysis. Results show that pupils＇ attainment in reading is significantly related to： （1） home educational resources （home/student level effect）; （2） parents＇ attitudes toward reading （home/student level effect）; （3） students＇ attitudes toward reading; （4） students＇ reading self-concept; and （5） teacher career satisfaction （school/teacher level）.     

Serial position effects in social transmission of food preference

The serial position effect in Long-Evans rats was evaluated in two experiments. In Experiment 1, the effect in a group for which an interstimulus interval (ISI) was introduced between items in a list of demonstrators was compared with that in a group without an ISI. With an ISI, a recency effect was produced. In Experiment 2, a serial position effect group was compared with four groups in which either the distinctiveness or the context of the middle item was changed, relative to the items on either side of it. A von Restorff effect was produced when a rat from a different strain was used as a demonstrator in Position 2. The results for Experiment 1 are discussed in relation to interstimulus effects in monkeys and those for Experiment 2 with respect to changes in the physical properties of middle items.     

Fetal Genotype for the Xenobiotic Metabolizing Enzyme NQO1 Influences Intrauterine Growth Among Infants Whose Mothers Smoked During Pregnancy

Maternal smoking during pregnancy retards fetal growth and depresses infant birth weight. The magnitude of these effects may be moderated by fetal genotype. The current study investigated maternal smoking, fetal genotype, and fetal growth in a large population sample of dizygotic twins. Maternal smoking retarded fetal growth in a dose-dependent fashion. In a subsample of 497 twin pairs whose mothers smoked during pregnancy, a functional polymorphism in the NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase gene ( NQO1 Pro187Ser; rs1800566) was significantly associated with fetal growth within families. The effect was strongest among moderate smokers. This is the first demonstration that fetal genotype for an enzyme involved in tobacco smoke metabolism influences intrauterine growth independent of maternal genotype. Future studies should conduct formal tests of Fetal Genotype × Maternal Smoking interactions.     

Roda Boa, Roda Boa: Legitimate peripheral participation in diasporic capoeira

Capoeira, the Brazilian dance and martial art, is taught across the world. Learners acquire vital knowledge and are socialised as capoeiristas through legitimate peripheral participation, in particular when watching games in the roda. The roda, the circle within which the capoeira game is played, is a classic place for learning by legitimate peripheral participation to occur. Watching, listening, and feeling the energy of the roda are central to the acquisition of capoeira abilities and capabilities, especially the tacit, indeterminate knowledge and skills.     

Enacting whole-school relationships and sexuality education in England: Context matters

Evidence from intervention evaluations suggests that achieving meaningful and lasting social, behavioural and attitudinal change from relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) in schools requires more than just a curriculum. Whole-school approaches appear particularly promising since they work at multiple levels. For instance, they may: engage with carers, communities and local services; address iniquitous cultures and norms; change school policies and practices; and actively involve young people themselves. They have also been advocated to tackle sexual harassment and abuse in schools. Currently, however, such approaches have not been rigorously evaluated in the UK. This article focuses on the whole-school elements of two recent RSHE pilot studies conducted in English secondary schools. We describe how these elements were variably enacted in different settings. We analyse contextual factors that help account for these differences, including: teacher and departmental professional identity and autonomy; broader education policy including high-stakes testing and school inspection judgements; the significance of support staff; and staff–student relationships and partnerships. We argue that the likely impact of whole-school approaches and RSHE in schools more generally will depend on attending to all of these factors. The paper contributes firstly to debates about the theory and practice of RSHE by highlighting the significance of processes and cultures beyond the classroom in enabling or constraining positive change. Secondly it contributes to scholarship that elucidates the role of contexts, broadly defined, in understanding the enactment of policy and practice.     

If You Will It?: The Early History of Non-Orthodox Secondary Day Schools in Los Angeles

ABSTRACT

The development of non-Orthodox Jewish day schools in Los Angeles in the 1970s to 1990s can be attributed to a combination of factors, including the city’s geography, the deterioration of public education, court-ordered busing that began in the 1970s, and strong rabbinic personalities. Yet, as elementary day schools proliferated throughout the city, educators struggled to keep secondary day schools afloat. Contributing factors to the challenges secondary schools faced included sprawling city geography, lack of communal support, and parental desire to send children to established high schools with proven track records for college preparation and admission.     

Correction to: Interaction rituals,emotions, and early childhood science: digital microscopes and collective joy in a multilingual classroom

Cultural Studies of Science Education -     

Validity and Reliability of the School Physical Activity Environment Questionnaire

The goal of the current study was to establish the factor validity of the Questionnaire Assessing School Physical Activity Environment (Robertson-Wilson, Lévesque, & Holden, 2007 Robertson-Wilson, J., Lévesque, L. and Holden, R. R. 2007. Development of a questionnaire assessing school physical activity environment. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 11: 93–107. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) using confirmatory factor analysis procedures. Another goal was to establish internal reliability and test–retest reliability. The confirmatory factor analysis results of this study supported a slightly altered version of the Questionnaire Assessing School Physical Activity Environment's school physical activity environment subscale. Internal reliability was adequate, while test–retest reliability was questionable. In brief, the pattern of findings indicated that while the original Questionnaire Assessing School Physical Activity Environment is likely adequate for some research purposes, a slightly modified version (Questionnaire Assessing School Physical Activity Environment-R) was psychometrically stronger. However, given the distinct differences in samples used in the original validation study and the current study, more research on the psychometric properties of the Questionnaire Assessing School Physical Activity Environment is needed to determine if the current results and Robertson-Wilson et al.'s (2007 Robertson-Wilson, J., Lévesque, L. and Holden, R. R. 2007. Development of a questionnaire assessing school physical activity environment. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 11: 93–107. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) results are sample specific.     

From Distance Education to Online Learning: Practical Approaches to Information Literacy Instruction and Collaborative Learning in Online Environments

The increasingly ubiquitous nature of online learning has necessarily changed pedagogical approaches in the 21st century. This article will present an overview of the evolution of distance learning with a particular emphasis on current models and emerging methods of instruction for online learners. The authors detail how various learning management systems and tools as well as online learning objects can be used as mechanisms for creating a platform for student investment and ownership in the learning process. Additional discussion will focus on how these methods and approaches can enhance teaching, training, and peer collaboration within the library workplace.