Evaluating Mediated Perception of Narrative Health Messages: The Perception of Narrative Performance Scale

Narrative media health messages have proven effective in preventing adolescents' substance use but as yet few measures exist to assess perceptions of them. Without such a measure it is difficult to evaluate the role these messages play in health promotion or to differentiate them from other message forms. In response to this need, a study was conducted to evaluate the Perception of Narrative Performance Scale that assesses perceptions of narrative health messages. A sample of 1185 fifth graders in public schools at Phoenix, Arizona completed a questionnaire rating of two videos presenting narrative substance use prevention messages. Confirmatory factor analyses were computed to identify the factor structure of the scale. Consistent with prior studies, results suggest a 3 factor structure for the Perception of Narrative Performance Scale: interest, realism, and identification (with characters). In addition, a path analysis was performed to test the predictive power of the scale. The analysis shows that the scale proves useful in predicting intent to use substances. Finally, practical implications and limitations are discussed.     

UNDERSTANDING TEST‐TYPE ASSIGNMENT: WHY DO SPECIAL EDUCATORS MAKE UNEXPECTED TEST‐TYPE ASSIGNMENTS?

We interviewed special educators (a) whose students with disabilities (SWDs) were proficient on the 2008 general education assessment but were assigned to the 2009 alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA‐MAS), and (b) whose students with mild disabilities took the 2008 alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards (AA‐AAS) and then the 2009 AA‐MAS. We explored teachers’ rationales for test‐type assignment, student characteristics, and quality of instruction to determine the test‐type decisions’ appropriateness. All teachers based their decisions on combinations of factors in the guidelines plus subjective and noninstructional factors. Findings raised concerns about the subjectivity of the assessment assignment system and the inappropriate grade‐level instruction for SWDs. Future research, implications of these findings, and limitations are discussed.     

International trends in health science librarianship part 11: Japan and Korea

This is the 11th in a series of articles exploring international trends in health science librarianship. The previous article in this series looked at the Far East (Greater China, Hong Kong and Taiwan). The current issue surveys developments in Japan and Korea. The next issue will explore trends in South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka). Next year all four issues will be devoted to trends in four regions in Africa (Southern Africa, East Africa, West Africa and North Africa. JM     

Beginning to untangle the strange coupling of power within a neoliberal early education context

Policymakers across the globe continue to promote access to early education programmes as a means to improve children's readiness for school. Many of their reforms are rooted in a neoliberal conception of governance that frames policy solutions through economic rather than democratic terms. Such policies foster an image of the successful learner as one who becomes an earner and consumer rather than an active member of the larger democratic society. This shift in the conception of publicly supported early education affects teachers of young children in multiple ways. This article examines how a sample of early educators in the USA responded to a set of neoliberal reforms in their pre-kindergarten teaching context. Examining their responses, which ultimately mimicked their policy-makers’ neoliberal reforms, reveals the subtlety of these policies in overtaking their attempts to resist them. It also illuminates the challenges they and other early educators face as policy-makers’ neoliberal policies continue to alter the purpose and direction of early childhood. Finally, it ends by considering the ways in which early educators working in similar contexts might respond to and navigate such reforms.     

Evidentiary Competence: Sixth Graders'' Understanding for Gathering and Interpreting Evidence in Scientific Investigations

With the growing emphasis on the development of scientific inquiry skills, there is a strong need for more research on students' ability to collect and interpret evidence. This paper calls attention to the notion of evidentiary competence that refers to the concepts and reasoning skills involved in the collection, organization, and interpretation of data. We proposed a set of concepts and skills involved in evidentiary competence and examined sixth of them—the priority, relevancy, objectivity, replicability of evidence, and the interpretation of examples and tables—using a written instrument contextualized in atmospheric science. Analyses of 40 sixth grade students' answers and explanations revealed that their understanding of scientific evidence and the data collection process was quite weak in several respects. For example, many students neither appreciated the role of empirical evidence in scientific inquiry, nor distinguished relevant evidence from irrelevant evidence, nor understood the importance of reliable and objective observations, nor interpreted examples and tables appropriately. Results suggest that more explicit instructions are needed in order to strengthen students' ability to collect and interpret data, especially in the current data rich information age.     

计算机辅助合作讨论中开放和性别对批判性思维培养的影响

这项研究考察了学生在参与计算机辅助合作讨论中,思想开放和性别对批判性教学的影响。研究发现：1）思想开放的学生在讨论问题时在提出的反驳次数上会有明显差异;2）性别不同的学生在提出反驳的次数上有显著差异;3）思想开放程度不同的男生之间,提出反驳的次数有显著差异;而在女生中则没有这种差异。4）思想开放程度不同的学生在面对挑战时作出的反应是一样的。这些发现表明了思想开放程度与性别之间是如何相互作用的、计算机辅助合作讨论中开放是如何影响学生的表现的,以及应对策略如何能用来分析和建构批判思维讨论的。     

An investigation of user perceptions and behavioral intentions towards the e-library

The purpose of this paper is to explore the understanding of e-library usage and e-library acceptance behaviors. In this paper, we use the technology acceptance model (TAM) and flow theory as theoretical frameworks in order to propose a new model for explaining users' intentions to cont'inue using the e-library. The sample for this study consisted of Korean elementary students that use an e-library system (booktobi). Booktobi, which was established in 2005 in Korea, is the earliest and most famous e-library for elementary school students in Korea. The data for this study were gathered in February 2009 by means of a paper-and-pencil survey. In total, 541 students participated in the study, and a total of 395 students completed the survey, resulting in a response rate of 73%. Of the 395 participating students, 192 were male and 203 were female. With respect to age and education, most of the participating subjects were between 11 and 13 years old. The participants had approximately six to seven years of computer and Internet experience and reported spending an average of 1 to 4 hours on the computer and/or Internet every day. In terms of their usage tendencies, 34% of respondents chose gaming, 29% chose chat-rooms, 19% chose Web browsing, 13% chose e-mail, and 5% chose downloading.The results of this study indicate four major findings. First, interface characteristics (in terms of terminology, screen design, and navigation) can indirectly influence the perceived usefulness via the perceived ease of e-library system use. Second, system characteristics (in terms of relevance and system quality) can directly influence the perceived usefulness of e-library systems. Three, system quality can positively influence both perceived usefulness and the perceived ease of e-library system use. Finally, the total influence of the perceived ease of use can be singled out as a primary determinant of behavioral intention. Although smaller in magnitude, the significant effect of system quality on perceived usefulness suggests that by improving the fit between e-library systems and user information needs, we cannot only generate positive perceptions about the usefulness of e-libraries but also about the ease of their use. These findings highlight the importance of e-library system characteristics and, in particular, system quality.     

Design of mixed H2-dissipative observers with stochastic resilience for discrete-time nonlinear systems

A linear matrix inequality based mixed H₂-dissipative type state observer design approach is presented for smooth discrete time nonlinear systems with finite energy disturbances. This observer is designed to maintain H₂ type estimation error performance together with either H_∞ or a passivity type disturbance reduction performance in case of randomly varying perturbations in its gain. A linear matrix inequality is used at each time instant to find the time-varying gain of the observer. Simulation studies are included to explore the performance in comparison to the extended Kalman filter and a previously proposed constant gain observer counterpart.