A chimpanzee’s (Pan troglodytes) long-term retention of lexigrams

In this experiment, a chimpanzee’s (Pan troglodytes) long-term retention was examined. The chimpanzee, Lana, was trained to use lexigrams (geometric symbols representing linguistic units) for foods, colors, and objects when she was 2 years of age. At the age of 27, her recognition of three sets of lexigrams was examined. One of these sets (long term lexigrams) included five object lexigrams, one color lexigram, and one food lexigram, none of which had been seen by Lana for more than 20 years. The second set (different-referent lexigrams) contained lexigrams that are still present on current lexigram keyboards, but had been assigned new referents. The third set (same-referent lexigrams) contained lexigrams that had been kept on the keyboards Lana had used and that had retained the same referents. A food, a colored square, or an object was presented, and Lana had to select, by using a joystick, a lexigram on a computer screen. Lana chose the correct lexigram at a level significantly greater than chance for five of the seven lexigrams that she had not seen for more than 20 years.     

Impact of legislation on post‐school transition practice for young people with additional support needs in Scotland

A longitudinal study was conducted to understand post‐school transition practice for young people with additional support needs (ASN) before and after the implementation of key legislation, the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, amended in 2009. Primary data were collected from one local authority in Scotland. Twelve professionals involved in post‐school transition planning were interviewed in 2004 and eight in 2010. Minutes of transition meetings from one school for three young people prior to the implementation of the Act and four after the implementation were analysed. Results show some changes since the implementation of the Act.     

ADHD,parent perspectives and parent–teacher relationships: grounds for conflict

Educational policy and the school effectiveness movement often involve rhetoric about the benefit of parent involvement in schools, but high‐quality relationships between parents and teachers are not always straightforwardly achieved, and this may be particularly true in the case of parents of children presenting with academic problems and/or social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. A systematic review of qualitative research was conducted to explore the school‐related experiences of parents of pupils diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Six studies reported in seven papers met the inclusion criteria. High‐quality parent–teacher relationships were found to be the exception, with mothers feeling silenced and criticised. Findings show commonalities with wider research about parents, but identify additional grounds for conflict resulting from parental blame for pupils' disruptive behaviour, and the ambivalent nature of the concept of ADHD.     

Exploring the Utility and Student Perceptions of Synthetic Cadavers in an Undergraduate Human Anatomy Course

The synthetic cadaver is a high-fidelity model intended to replace or supplement other anatomy learning modalities. Academic attainment and student perceptions were examined in an undergraduate human anatomy course using a combination of plastic models and synthetic cadavers to learn lower body anatomy (“Experimental group”), compared to a Historical group who used only plastic models. Grades on an upper body test, for which both groups used only plastic models, were compared to ensure that no academic differences existed between groups (P = 0.7653). Students in the Experimental group performed better on the lower body test for which they used both plastic models and synthetic cadavers (median = 73.8% (95% CI: 72.0%-75.0%) compared to the Historical group (70.1% (95% CI: 68.3%-70.7%), P < 0.0001); however, less than half of students (49%) attributed this to the synthetic cadavers. Students' perception of laboratory resources (P < 0.0001) and learning experience (P < 0.0001) both improved with the addition of synthetic cadavers compared to using only plastic models, and 60% of students in the Experimental group agreed that the synthetic cadavers would be a key reason that they would choose that institution for undergraduate studies. This investigation showed improved student grades when plastic models and synthetic cadavers were combined, in addition to improved student perceptions of the learning experience. Results of the student questionnaires also suggested that although synthetic cadavers carry a notable up-front cost, they may be a useful recruitment tool for institutions.     

The role of feedback in the under-attainment of ethnic minority students: evidence from distance education

In UK higher education, the attainment of ethnic minority students is lower than that of white students, and this remains the case when differences in entry qualifications have been taken into account. The present study investigated whether the under-attainment of ethnic minority students might be due to the nature of the feedback that they received for their assignments. The assignments submitted by 470 ethnic minority and 470 matched white students taking a distance-learning course were compared using a computer system, Open Mentor, to categorise the feedback given by tutors based on a scheme devised by Bales. Asian and black students and students of mixed ethnicity obtained lower marks for their assignments than did the white students. However, there were only small differences between the ethnic minority students and the white students in terms of the pattern of feedback that they received, and these disappeared when the marks that they had received for their assignments had been taken into account. It is concluded that students from all ethnic groups received feedback that was commensurate with their marks, and that the origins of the attainment gap in ethnic minority students in UK higher education must be sought elsewhere.     

Social Justice Education in a Diverse Classroom: Examining High School Discussions about Race,Power, and Privilege

High school students who participate in social justice education have a greater awareness of inequities that impact their school, community, and society, and learn tools for taking action to address these inequities. Also, a classroom that consist of students with a diverse set of identities creates an ideal circumstance in which a teacher can build upon student differences in order to facilitate meaningful discussions about social justice, especially issues of race. Therefore, in this article we use qualitative case study approaches to examine a high school course on social justice education, paying specific attention to the classroom pedagogy and dialogue on issues of race, power, and privilege. The course was purposefully diverse in enrollment, which brought students together who might not have had interactions with each other prior to the class. We employ Hackman's (2005) five components of social justice education (SJE) as a framework for the analysis of the pedagogy and discussions constructed in the classroom, as well as a common language for what constitutes as social justice education in our research inquiry. Students in the course developed a facility for defining and identifying various forms of oppression and injustice. However, we questioned to what extent these very same issues played out in the class dialogue. Due to the level of student diversity, the course was a unique space to learn about racism and intersecting issues of social justice. However, there was still some student resistance to acknowledging certain aspects of racism. In conclusion, we discuss how social justice education is not absolved from, but rife with complex racial politics.     

From eligibility assessment to intervention for students with autism spectrum disorder

The mean age of identification for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) occurs during the months before children enter kindergarten. The incidence and prevalence of “autistic behaviors” in the general population are not fully understood, however, census-matched studies of these behaviors have yielded important new data. As children presenting with behaviors characteristic of ASD enter school, school psychologists are increasingly faced with the assessment and determination of individuals with disabilities improvement act (IDEIA) eligibility, often with students yet to be formally diagnosed with ASD. In many US states, a clinical diagnosis of ASD is not required for a child's eligibility to be served under the category of other health impaired as autism. Nor does a diagnosis of ASD automatically qualify a student as eligible under IDEIA. Eligibility hinges on educational impact. This article briefly reviews the current state of knowledge as it relates to understanding and evaluating children with suspected ASD in the schools, offers a framework for assessment, and discusses a set of proposed guidelines to assist in effectively utilizing assessment data in the development of individualized education plan goals.