The Information Age

A FEW GOOD MEN FROM UNIVAC by David E. Lundstrom (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1987—$19.95)

DYNAMICS OF INFORMATION MANAGEMENT: CONCEPTS AND ISSUES edited by Indu B. Singh and Vic M. Mishra (Norwood, N j: Ablex Publishing, 1987—$37.50)

HIGH-TECH SOCIETY: THE STORY OF THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTION by Tom Forester (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1987—$19.95)

THE IDEOLOGY OF THE INFORMATION AGE edited by Jennifer Daryl Slack and Fred Fejes (Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing, 1987—$37.50)

INNOVATION IN ELECTRONIC MAIL by Peter Vervest (Amsterdam and New York: Elsevier Science/North Holland, 1987—$61.00)     

Using Video Games to Support Pre-Service Elementary Teachers Learning of Basic Physics Principles

The purpose of this work is to share our findings in using video gaming technology to facilitate the understanding of basic electromagnetism with pre-service elementary teachers. To this end we explored the impact of using a game called Supercharged! on pre-service teachers’ understanding of electromagnetic concepts compared to students who conducted a more traditional inquiry oriented investigation of the same concepts. This study was a part of a larger design experiment examining the pedagogical potential of Supercharged! the control group learned through a series of guided inquiry methods while the experimental group played Supercharged! during the laboratory sections of the science course. There was significant difference F(2,134) = 4.8, p < 0.05, η² = 0.59 between the control and experimental groups on the gains from pre-to-post assessment with an effect size of d = 0.72. However, while students in the experimental group performed better than their control group peers, they rated their knowledge of the topic lower than the control group (M _post-control = 3.0, M _{post-experiment} = 2.7), leading to further examination of their laboratory journals. Results of this study show that video games can lead to positive learning outcomes, as demonstrated by the increase in test scores from pre- to post-assessment. Additionally, this study also suggests that a complementary approach, in which video games and hands-on activities are integrated, with each activity informing the other, could be a very powerful technique for supporting student scientific understanding. Further, our findings suggest that video game designers should embed meta-cognitive activities such as reflective opportunities into educational video games to provide scaffolds for students and to reinforce that they are engaged in an educational learning experience.     

A multidimensional analysis of the 1976 presidential campaign

This article examines the 1976 presidential election campaign through the use of metric multidimensional scaling. Attitudes of a 20‐subject panel were measured weekly for a period of 12 weeks. A series of direct pair comparisons were made among the issues, political parties, candidates, candidate attributes, and the self. Results indicate that (1) voters' attitudes toward the candidates, issues and parties stabilized after the election, (2) the first two debates were the most important events of the campaign, and (3) their greatest effects were felt with a lag of between one and two weeks after the events.     

Improvements in fundamental movement skill competency mediate the effect of the SCORES intervention on physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in children

Numerous studies have identified a positive association between fundamental movement skill (FMS) competency and physical activity in children; however, the causal pathways have not been established. The aim of this study is to determine if changes in FMS competency mediated the effect of the Supporting Children’s Outcomes using Rewards, Exercise and Skills (SCORES) intervention on physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in children. Eight primary schools (25 classes) and 460 children (aged 8.5 ± 0.6, 54% girls) were randomised to the SCORES intervention or control group for the 12-month study. The outcomes were accelerometer-determined moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and cardiorespiratory fitness. The hypothesised mediators were actual FMS competency and perceived sport competence. Mediation analyses were conducted using multilevel linear analysis in MPlus. From the original sample, 138 (30.0%) and 370 (80.4%) children provided useable physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness data at post-test assessments. There were significant treatment effects for locomotor skills and overall FMSs. Changes in MVPA were associated with changes in object-control skills, overall FMSs and perceived competence. The overall FMSs had a significant mediating effect on MVPA (AB = 2.09, CI = 0.01–4.55). Overall FMSs (AB = 1.19, CI = 0.002–2.79) and locomotor skills (AB = 0.74, CI = 0.01–1.69) had a significant mediating effect on cardiorespiratory fitness. The results of this study conclude that actual but not perceived movement skill competency mediated the effect of the SCORES intervention on physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness.     

Teacher–Child Interactions in Infant/Toddler Child Care and Socioemotional Development

Research Findings: The teacher–child relationships that develop in infant/toddler child care provide a critical caregiving context for young children’s socioemotional development. However, gaps remain in researchers’ understanding of the individual-level processes that facilitate socioemotional development, specifically in center-based child care programs. Guided by ecological theory, this article offers a review of the current literature on this topic, including influential factors and developmental outcomes associated with teacher–child interaction quality, the teacher–child relationship as a compensatory mechanism for children facing risk, and differential susceptibility to caregiving experiences. Practice or Policy: Within the context of infant/toddler child care, many opportunities exist for researchers to refine the measurement of individual teacher–child interactions, test young children’s self-regulation as an outcome variable, and develop understanding of compensatory and differential susceptibility mechanisms. Clarifying these processes will inform early childhood education teacher training in terms of how teachers can best facilitate healthy socioemotional outcomes, especially for the most vulnerable children.     

FROM NEAR‐RUBBLE TO REBIRTH: A FORMER CHURCH BUILDING AS A CENTERPIECE OF COLLABORATION FOR CHILDREN

This article describes the collaborative efforts of multiple organizations and individuals in transforming a doomed church in a large urban community into an exemplary public Pre‐k through Grade 2 laboratory school. Central to this emerging facility was the commitment of all cooperating parties to focus upon meeting the educational, health, and social needs of each child through school, home and community involvement. Unique to this collaboration has been the continual involvement of higher education institutions in Western New York in the planning, organization and implementation of this project. Further, infusion of the latest in computer and video technology with distance learning capability supported cross‐fertilization and friendships among higher education professionals and their students from a variety of related disciplines.     

Design and Evaluation of an Algorithm Animation of State Space Search Methods

We describe the design and evaluation of an algorithm animation of artificial intelligence search algorithms. As well as the usual single step mode for assistance in learning the individual steps of an algorithm, the system supports an innovative burst mode for visualizing qualitative characteristics. A formal empirical study was conducted with the aim of determining if this algorithm animation of search methods would make a suitable alternative laboratory activity to the more traditional activity of programming implementations of search methods. Results provide good evidence that the animation laboratory activity is a viable alter native for reinforcing students understanding about state space search methods.     

Case studies in the acquisition of belief 1982–1987: A critical perspective

This is one of a series of studies on how and why public school administrators at various status levels arrive at beliefs regarding selected school policy and implementation decisions. In this study the subjects were building and central office administrators who participated in curriculum decision making during the years 1982–1987. Of particular interest was identification of internal and external system sources which the participants thought had influenced them to believe that effected changes were or were not needed. Estimates of the power of major influence origins and the sources of such power were sought as well. A very large majority of administrators attributed major curriculum change influence to internal system sources. On the other hand, the highest ranking study participant presented the most notable exception to that view. Explanation of these phenomena is the focus of this work.     

Teachers’ Perceptions of a Fundamental Movement Skill (FMS) Assessment Battery in a School Setting

Fundamental movement skills (FMS) competence is low in adolescent girls. An assessment tool for teachers is needed to monitor FMS in this demographic. The present study explored whether the Canadian Agility and Movement Skill Assessment (CAMSA) is feasible for use by physical education (PE) teachers of Australian Year 7 girls in a school setting. Surveys, focus group interviews, and direct observation of 18 specialist PE teachers investigated teachers’ perceptions of this tool. Results indicated that the CAMSA was usable in a real-world school setting and was considered a promising means to assess FMS in Year 7 girls. However, future iterations may require minor logistical alterations and further training for teachers on how to utilize the assessment data to enhance teaching practice. These considerations could be used to improve future design, application, and training of the CAMSA in school-based PE.