Language Development at Home and School: Gains and losses in young bilinguals

In this paper we examine the topic of the language development of three young bilingual children at both home and school. Our aim is to consider the language issues that arise in such children, taking into account their parents' language background and experience of school systems, language practices and 'policy' in the home, and the children's experience of a year of nursery school as reported by their teachers. We try to show how different strands of the children's experience fit together; their 'mother tongue', their mothers' aspirations for them, their teachers' view of their progression, and their competence in English, all considered against the background of current curriculum guidance. We conclude with an examination of the gains and losses these children have made in the school system so far, and with an analysis of what the roles of 'mother tongue' might be for children in these and similar circumstances.     

Publication productivity in doctoral research departments: Interdisciplinary and intradisciplinary factors

Examination of a national data set reporting departmental levels of publication productivity in 23 disciplines revealed very large differences between disciplines, with the mean departments in the most productive disciplines averaging more than 10 times the number of publications of the mean departments in the least productive disciplines. The differences within disciplines were also very large. Analyses of the characteristics of departments associated with productivity showed great variation across disciplines. Regression analyses indicated the importance of size and internal university support rather than federal support. Similar results are reported for the number of citations to the work of departments. The implications of these results for program review and the reputations of departments are reviewed.     

A comparison of student reactions to biology instruction by interactive videodisc or conventional laboratory

This study was designed to learn if students perceived an interactive computer/videodisc learning system to represent a viable alternative to (or extension of) the conventional laboratory for learning biology skills and concepts normally taught under classroom laboratory conditions. Data were collected by questionnaire for introductory biology classes at a large midwestern university where students were randomly assigned to two interactive videodisc/computer lessons titled Respiration and Climate and Life or traditional laboratory investigation with the same titles and concepts. The interactive videodisc system consisted of a TRS-80 Model III microcomputer interfaced to a Pioneer laser-disc player and a color TV monitor. Students indicated an overall level satisfaction with this strategy very similar to that of conventional laboratory instruction. Students frequently remarked that videodisc instruction gave them more experimental and procedural options and more efficient use of instructional time than did the conventional laboratory mode. These two results are consistent with past CAI research. Students also had a strong perception that the images on the videodisc “were not real” and this factor was perceived as having both advantages and disadvantages. Students found the two approaches to be equivalent to conventional laboratory instruction in the areas of general interest, understanding of basic principles, help on examinations, and attitude toward science. The student-opinion data in this study do not suggest that interactive videodisc technology serve as a substitute to the “wet” laboratory experience, but that this medium may enrich the spectrum of educational experiences usually not possible in typical classroom settings.     

Acquisition of behavioral control by the auditory features of an imprinting object

Presentations of a visible moving object immediately suppressed ongoing distress vocalization in newly hatched ducklings, but presentations of only the auditory features of the object initially had no effect. However, as the ducklings received more and more exposure to the visible moving object, the object’s auditory features gradually acquired the ability to suppress distress calls themselves. These auditory features failed to develop suppressive properties in ducklings which received prolonged exposure to those features but never saw the object in motion. The gradual acquisition of behavioral control by the auditory features of a moving object is taken to represent the essence of the imprinting process.     

Exploring immigrant students' adjustment to learning in their new cultural setting

The adjustment of non-English speaking immigrant students to learning was explored by comparing the learning characteristics of immigrant students with those of a matched group of Canadian students. Eleven immigrant students and eleven Canadian students from three grade 4 classrooms in three schools in a large Western Canadian urban school system were assessed on academic achievement, attitude to school, English proficiency, academic self-concept, and quality of teacher-student interaction. Data on attitudes of teachers toward immigrant students and on attitudes of parents of immigrant students towards the mother culture and learning in a second culture were also collected. Results indicated that immigrant students did not differ significantly from Canadian students on any of these variables. Findings were supported by other Canadian studies on immigrant students and the research on second language learning. The adjustment of immigrant students to learning appeared to be dependent upon three factors: length on time in the second culture, the proportion of immigrant students within a classroom, and the cultural harmony in both home and school settings.     

The use of open data as a material for learning

Educational technology research and development - Open data has potential value as a material for use in learning activities. However, approaches to harnessing this are not well understood or in...     

Influences affecting the development of students' critical thinking skills

This study estimates the relative and unique effects on changes in critical thinking of three dimensions of students' college experience: curricular exposure, formal classroom and instructional experiences, and out-of-class experiences. Students' classroom/instructional and out-of-class experiences both make positive, statistically significant, and unique contributions to gains in critical thinking above and beyond students' precollege characteristics and level of critical thinking. Theoreticians have long speculated that students' academic and nonacademic experiences jointly influence change, and this study supports that belief. The design and instruments in this study may be of interest to persons involved in assessment or the study of college impact.Paper presented at the meeting of the Association for Institutional Research, New Orleans, LA, May 1993.The National Center on Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, and Assessment is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), under Grant No. R117G10037. The opinions herein do not necessarily reflect the position or policies of OERI, and no official endorsement should be inferred.     

A comparison of student performance following instruction by interactive videodisc versus conventional laboratory

This experimental study compared an interactive computer/videodisc learning approach to the conventional laboratory approach for learning biology concepts and science process skills. Students at a large midwestern university were randomly assigned to instruction on respiration and biogeography by interactive videodisc or a traditional laboratory investigation teaching the same concepts. The videodisc delivery system consisted of a TRS-80 Model III microcomputer interfaced to a Pioneer laser disc player and a color TV monitor. Results show no statistically significant differences between the two approaches for student grades on laboratory quizzes, laboratory reports, and the laboratory final exam. However, the interactive videodisc group required approximately one-half the classroom time used by the conventional laboratory group. The two approaches appear equivalent when evaluated by traditional learning outcomes, but the interactive videodisc strategy was significantly more time efficient than a traditional laboratory approach.