THE IMPACT OF A ‘CITIZEN AFFAIRS’ WORKSHOP ON ANOMIA,LIFE SATISFACTION AND INTERNAL‐EXTERNAL CONTROL IN A SELECTED GROUP OF OLDER ADULTS

An educational experience designed to increase knowledge of the political process, provide peer interaction, and promote civic involvement did appear to enhance internal locus of control in a selected sample of older adults. No significant changes in anomia or life satisfaction occurred. Implications of the findings for educational programming for older adults are discussed. It is suggested that the SRS model used in the study should be tested further for exploring the impact of educational programs upon internal‐external control.     

Defining the Learner Feedback Experience

A surge in the proliferation of educational technology tools and models means that postsecondary learners and instructional designers have more options than ever before. Selecting the most appropriate tool for a given learner-centered instructional situation is challenging. The construct of feedback is central to an effective learner-centered instructional design. The present summary of the research on feedback in learner-centered instructional design models provides a rationale for the value of defining the dimensions of a high-quality learner feedback experience. Six dimensions of feedback are proposed; namely, timeliness, frequency, distribution, source, individualization, and content. Key questions posed include whether an analysis of the learner’s feedback experience is a better proxy for measuring the quality in postsecondary online learning than grades, satisfaction, or regular and substantive contact.     

Vocational Safety Preference of College Men With and Without Attention‐Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: An Exploratory Study

For college students with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which is associated with increased accidental injury, mindfulness regarding safety issues in vocational choice may be indicated. In this study, a group of male college students with ADHD‐predominantly inattentive type (ADHD‐IA) reported placing less emphasis on job safety than did their peers when considering their professional direction. College counselors might help prevent work‐related injury for similar clients by broaching the topic of safety when discussing vocational choice.     

MOOC instructor designs and challenges: what can be learned from existing MOOCs in Indonesia and Malaysia?

The purpose of this study was to explore Indonesian and Malaysian instructors’ perceptions of massive open online course (MOOC) design and how they deal with the design challenges. Surveys, email interviews, and course reviews are the main data-collection methods employed in this sequential mixed methods study. Forty-six instructors participated in the survey, and nine of them voluntarily participated in an email interview. The findings revealed that half of the courses were delivered using a hybrid/blended type of MOOC. Personal motives, institutional encouragement, and altruism were among the main reasons for instructors to offer MOOCs. Preparation, attraction, participation, and assessment were the categories used to explain the design strategies used by these instructors in designing their courses. The survey also revealed that collaboration encouragement, participant engagement, video development, and time constraints were the primary design challenges that the instructors experienced during the design process. Furthermore, most instructors sought advice from other MOOC instructors, MOOC providers, their institutions, video tutorials, and open educational resources (OERs) to surmount their design challenges.

     

Quality Management Procedures Influence the Food Safety Practices at Childcare Centers

Childcare in the United States (US) has become a necessary part of life for most working parents with the increased use of center-based childcare over the past three decades. Approximately 13 million preschoolers attend some form of childcare. Literature indicates the main predictors of quality childcare programs are adequate experience and specialized training of childcare staff. A growing concern among researchers, however, is the limited training among childcare professionals in the area of food safety. Children have minimal control of food safety risks because other people prepare their meals. A questionnaire was developed and mailed to childcare center directors in Texas and Iowa to identify the demographic, food safety and other practices that influence the training and decisions made by childcare center directors. Results indicate the need of continual management and food safety training for both directors and staff in order to provide a safe environment for young children.     

Operant responding with free access to the reinforcer: A replication and extension

This study was conducted to assess the maintenance of operant responding in the presence of free access to the reinforcer. The results replicated earlier research using food reinforcement and demonstrated that the same general results could be obtained with water reinforcement.     

When is a science analogy like a social studies analogy? A comparison of text analogies across two disciplines

This textbook survey analyzes the construction and use of analogies in social science texts and compares the results to an earlier analysis of physical science texts. Although the results indicate that the categories in the Curtis and Reigeluth classification system for analogy construction were consistent across disciplines, several differences were revealed related to how and when the analogy is used as an instructional design strategy.     

Introducing the R2D2 Model: Online learning for the diverse learners of this world

The R2D2 method—read, reflect, display, and do—is a new model for designing and delivering distance education, and in particular, online learning. Such a model is especially important to address the diverse preferences of online learners of varied generations and varied Internet familiarity. Four quadrants can be utilized separately or as part of a problem‐solving process: the first component primarily relates to methods to help learners acquire knowledge through online readings, virtual explorations, and listening to online lectures and podcasts. As such, it addresses verbal and auditory learners. The second component of the model focuses on reflective activities such as online blogs, reflective writing tasks, self‐check examinations, and electronic portfolios. In the third quadrant, visual representations of the content are highlighted with techniques such as virtual tours, timelines, animations, and concept maps. Fourth, the model emphasizes what learners can do with the content in hands‐on activities including simulations, scenarios, and real‐time cases. In effect, the R2D2 model is one means to organize and make sense of the diverse array of instructional possibilities currently available in distance education. It provides new ways of learning for diverse online students, and demonstrates easy‐to‐apply learning activities for instructors to integrate various technologies in online learning. When thoughtfully designed, content delivered from this perspective should be more enriching for learners. The R2D2 model provides a framework for more engaging, dynamic, and responsive teaching and learning in online environments.     

An examination of knowledge prioritisation in secondary physical education teacher education courses

A number of terms have been used to describe knowledge needed for teaching, one of which is subject knowledge. How knowledge for teaching is conceptualised in teacher education prioritises some knowledge bases over other knowledge bases. Further, knowledge prioritised by student teachers is influenced by socialisation prior to and during an initial teacher education course and priorities for student teachers as they develop as teachers. Previous research in physical education teacher education points to the pre-eminence of content knowledge above other knowledge bases. The purpose of this study was to look at what knowledge is prioritised by student teachers, school-based mentors and university tutors working on three secondary physical education initial teacher education courses in England. Results showed that content knowledge was seen as having greater importance for student teachers and mentors, but university tutors generally conceptualised subject knowledge more broadly, suggesting that it should be seen as covering a number of knowledge bases needed for teaching. These results are discussed in relation to socialisation processes in education and phases of development. Although there is a clear physical education focus to this work, it is possible that student teachers learning to teach other subjects may also focus excessively on subject content knowledge above other knowledge bases.