Do young children think of television images as pictures or real objects?

Three studies investigated whether 3‐ and 4‐year‐olds interpret television images as mere pictorial representations of objects or as real, physically‐present objects. Four‐year‐olds gave clear evidence of making the former interpretation whereas 3‐year‐olds seemed to make the latter one. However, the data suggest that the younger children's errors reflect a failure to differentiate conceptually between television images and their referent objects rather than a conviction that real objects populate television sets.     

Effect of the Learning Consortium: One District's Journey

The Learning Consortium has provided the conditions for Consortium partners to construct a more meaningful approach to instructional change. Those conditions focus on four opportunities: (1) to build on individual accomplishments; (2) to create a broader view of the educational picture; (3) to share and interact with wider audiences; and (4) to re‐focus on the future. This article applies those conditions to illustrate the Durham Board of Education's efforts to extend the instructional practices of their teachers. The major message is that extending the instructional practices of teachers requires an intensive effort over time.     

Effects of an art-based environmental education camp program on the environmental attitudes and awareness of diverse youth

ABSTRACT

This study used a combination of surveys and drawing-based metrics to evaluate whether integration of art-based activities into EE camp programing could enhance environmental orientations of diverse youth ages 6–12 (n?=?285) in Athens, GA, USA. Compared to a control group, art-based EE had a positive effect on children’s eco-awareness and environmental knowledge. However, effects of the art-based EE were comparable to those observed for a conventional EE summer camp. Interactions between the treatment and demographic variables (e.g., gender, age, race/ethnicity) were minimal, suggesting that both types of EE programing worked well for different groups of youth. Results highlight the potential value of art in EE research and practice.     

Children put the national tests to the test

Much is known about what teachers, parents and educationalists think about the National Tests. But what do the children think? This article describes part of a research project, ‘Children's Perceptions of the National Tests’ (partially supported by the QCA), in which a team of researchers from the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate explored the user-friendliness of the national assessment materials. The article focuses on the KS2 Reading Comprehension tests and discusses salient features, identified by the children, of the stimuli and answer booklets.     

Development of an Instrument to Assess Student Opinions of the Quality of Distance Education Courses

This study describes the development of a learning process of genetic counseling and basic genetics using an e-learning model and its application to a group of psychologists in the state of Parana in southern Brazil. The aim was to analyze the impact on the increase of knowledge in the presented subjects and the possibility of applying this project on a larger scale. The results of two observations were compared. The observations consisted of scores on the same exams, applied before and after taking the course. Results indicated that the remote education process is indeed a viable alternative for genetic counseling education and is validated for application in large scale together with Centers for Family Health Care Assistance of the Brazilian Ministry of Health Care.     

Factors Related to Rural Young Adolescents' Participation in Outdoor,Noncompetitive Physical Activity

Purpose: Young adolescents who have little interest in participating in competitive team sports are at an increased risk for physical inactivity. Noncompetitive outdoor physical activity can provide young adolescents with increased opportunities to participate in physical activities that appeal to them and have positive health effects. The purpose of this study was to examine factors related to rural young adolescents' participation in noncompetitive outdoor physical activity to inform intervention design. Method: Young adolescents aged 10 to 14 years old (N = 1,032) from 1 rural county completed a self-administered questionnaire assessing constructs from self-determination theory (SDT) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) related to noncompetitive outdoor physical activity. Structural equation modeling was used to examine an integrated conceptual model of hypothesized relationships among constructs. Results: The hypothesized conceptual model provided a good fit to the data with greater perceptions of autonomy support and self-determined motivation having statistically significant positive indirect effects on participation in noncompetitive outdoor physical activity mediated by the constructs of the TPB. All direct paths in the model were statistically significant; however, the direct effect of attitudes on intention was weak (.08) and self-determined motivation had no indirect effect on intention through attitudes (.03). Conclusions: Constructs of SDT and TPB should be accounted for by interventions targeting noncompetitive outdoor physical activity among young adolescents. More research is needed to determine young adolescents' preferences for noncompetitive and competitive physical activity and the potential influence that noncompetitive outdoor physical activity may have on total daily physical activity.