Why School is not Easy: An Analytical Perspective

An overarching theory that enables a systematic study of learning recently has been developed. Motivation, for example, is something we all think we know when we see. It was an important step to recognize that motivation can be conceptualized in terms of allocating working memory and especially attention to a learning task. The unified learning model (ULM) was synthesized from the literature with this in mind. Using the ULM as a basis for analysis, it is possible to consider all aspects of learning. A good place to begin concerns schools in general and why, in particular, school is not thought of as being easy. The ULM explains that allocating working memory often requires effort, and any exertion of such effort may be perceived as being hard. This paper is an analysis of school learning and especially science learning (STEM learning) in terms of the ULM.     

Comprehension of the night and day cycle among French and Cameroonian children aged 7–8 years

Cultural Studies of Science Education - In this article, we compared French and Cameroonian schoolchildren’s initial conceptions and comprehension of the night and day cycle in order to test...     

Hospitalized youth and child abuse: A systematic examination of psychiatric morbidity and clinical severity

Many children and adolescents who require psychiatric hospitalization have been physically or sexually abused, yet the association between reported histories of abuse and the complexity and severity of mental illness among psychiatrically hospitalized youth is poorly described with regard to current inpatient psychiatric practice. We sought to determine the association between histories of abuse and psychiatric complexity and severity in psychiatrically hospitalized youth including comorbidity patterns, psychotropic medication use, reason for admission and length of hospitalization. A systematic chart review was performed on 1433 consecutive psychiatric hospitalizations of children and adolescents that occurred over a 10-month period. Children with a history of abuse were more likely to be diagnosed with multiple DSM-IV-TR disorders than non-traumatized children. A history of sexual abuse was associated with more medication use than in their non-traumatized peers and a higher likelihood of treatment with antipsychotic medications, both at admission and discharge. Physical and sexual abuse were independently associated with increased length of stays, with exposure to both physical and sexual abuse associated with a 2-day increase in duration of hospitalization compared to non-traumatized patients. The findings from this study draw attention to the adverse impact of abuse on psychiatric morbidity and complexity and suggest the need for trauma-informed treatment in psychiatric hospital settings.     

Facebook class groups of high school students: their role in establishing social dynamics and learning experiences

The study’s main aim was to explore the role of Facebook class groups, created and managed by high-school students, in facilitating social dynamics and learning experiences. Fourteen Facebook class groups were observed online and students were subsequently questioned through focus-group interviews. Our findings show that Facebook class groups can promote both bonding and learning. Bonding can be enhanced because Facebook class groups foster a sense of solidarity and unity among students. Also, Facebook can stimulate (social) learning because students gain more insights in the subject matter and are challenged to carry out an evaluation of their own study methods and progress. Therefore, drawing on the theories of seamless learning and affinity spaces, we conclude that Facebook class groups are important for social affiliation and effective learning.

     

Is the supply of continuing education in the anatomical sciences keeping up with the demand? Results of a national survey

Continuing education (CE) is an essential element in the life‐long learning of health care providers and educators. Despite the importance of the anatomical sciences in the training and practice of clinicians, no studies have examined the need/state of anatomy‐related CE nationally. This study assessed the current landscape of CE in the anatomical sciences to contextualize preferences for CE, identify factors that influence the perceived need for CE, and examine the association between supply and demand. Surveys were distributed to educators in the anatomical sciences, practicing physical therapists (PTs), and anatomy training programs across the United States. Twenty‐five percent (9 of 36) of training programs surveyed offered CE, certificates, or summer series programs related to anatomy. The majority of PTs (92%) and anatomy educators (81%) felt they had a potential or actual need for anatomy related CE with the most popular formats being online videos/learning modules and intensive, hands‐on workshops. The most commonly perceived barriers to participating in CE for both groups were program location, cost, and duration, while educators also perceived time of year as a significant factor. Logistic regression analyses revealed that no investigated factor influenced the need or desire for PTs to engage in anatomy related CE (P ≤ 0.124), while teaching experience and the highest level of learner taught significantly influenced the perceived need among anatomy educators (P < 0.001). Overall, quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed a robust need for CE that strategically integrates anatomy with areas of clinical practice and education. Anat Sci Educ 11: 225–235. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.     

Creating Communities of Shared Practice: The challenges of assessment use in learning and teaching

Teachers and researchers in the field of educational assessment have a strong professional interest in evaluating practices that constitute effective educational assessment at the classroom level. In pursuing these goals it is fundamental for teachers and pupils to grow in a community of shared practice where nothing in the assessment process is hidden and students become assessors of their own learning. The challenge for students and teachers within present-day classrooms is understanding and learning how these communities are created. This paper is based on action research carried out to investigate our own teaching of the subject of assessment at postgraduate level. The focus of the research was to integrate current research evidence within educational assessment into our own professional practice. Such research suggests that to improve learning and indeed teaching, educational assessment must be formative in both function and purpose and must put the student at the centre of the assessment process. The paper describes the processes and procedures by which common meanings of published criteria and assessment quality for masters level coursework held by one community of assessors were shared and interpreted by students to enable them to articulate their own learning through student-self assessment.     

Serving Latino Farmworker Students in Michigan Summer Migrant Programs: Directors’ Perspectives

This survey and interview-based study examined the perspectives of 30 of the 38 migrant directors in Michigan, covering 26 summer migrant programs. Among the findings of this study were an unexpected inverse relationship between the size of programs and the frequency and number of external services and referrals they are able to provide for students; a widespread concern with interstate credit accrual and communication between state programs as well as differences in program directors’ perceptions of the ease of interstate communication; and a generally positive response to the suggestion of a new statewide evaluation protocol for migrant programs.