MEANINGFULNESS AND INTERFERENCE AS FACTORS IN PAIRED‐ASSOCIATE LEARNING WITH THE AGED

A group of young and elderly females were tested on a paired‐associate task. The responses of the paired‐associates were consonant‐vowel‐consonant trigrams (CVCs) that were either high in association value (AV) on Glaze norms and low on Archer norms, or low in AV on Glaze norms and high on Archer. The results indicated that older individuals made more intrusion errors on the CVCs high in AV on the Glaze norms but low on the Archer norms. Results showed that associations were being formed across the life‐span of the individual.     

Teachers' attitudes towards integration / inclusion: a review of the literature

On the assumption that the successful implementation of any inclusive policy is largely dependent on educators being positive about it, a great deal of research has sought to examine teachers' attitudes towards the integration and, more recently, the inclusion of children with special educational needs in the mainstream school. This paper reviews this large body of research and, in so doing, explores a host of factors that might impact upon teacher acceptance of the inclusion principle. The analyses showed evidence of positive attitudes, but no evidence of acceptance of a total inclusion or ‘zero reject’ approach to special educational provision. Teachers' attitudes were found to be strongly influenced by the nature and severity of the disabling condition presented to them (child-related variables) and less by teacher-related variables. Further, educational environment-related variables, such as the availability of physical and human support, were consistently found to be associated with attitudes to inclusion. After a brief discussion of critical methodological issues germane to the research findings, the paper provides directions for future research based on alternative methodologies.     

Evaluation of the Meaning of Life Program in Israel

During the 2009–2010 academic year, 10 schools participated in the Meaning of Life educational program, an adaption of the popular U.S. Laws of Life program. The program sought to encourage each participant to develop a personal approach to finding meaning in life. To evaluate the success of the program, we conducted a study to compare measures of psychological health among participants in the program. We administered questionnaires to participants pre- and postintervention that dealt with the following topics: Meaning in Life, Perceived Hope, Self-Efficacy, Virtues and Values Enacted, and School Climate. We conducted an analysis on a sample of 256 Jewish children (91 boys, 165 girls) and 396 Arab children (155 boys, 241 girls) in 8 schools. Results yielded convergent and construct validity among the 5 measures. Differential results were found among the different schools in both Jewish and Arab samples. From this data we discuss implications for future research.     

Foreign Systems

Burton Paulu, Television and Radio in the United Kingdom (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1981---$39.50)

Annual Review of BBC Audience Research Findings, both Numbers 5 (1977/78) and 6 (1978/79) (BBC Broadcasting Research, The Langham, Portalnd Place, London WIA IAA---L1.50 and £5.00 respectively, paper)

Elias Hedinsson, TV, Family and Society: The Social Origins and Effects of Adolescents' TV Use (Almqvist & Wiksell International, Gamla Brogatan 26, P.O. Box 62-5-101, 20 Stockholm, Sweden---125 Swedish kroner)

Nordicom Review of Nordic Mass Communication. Research (Nordic Documentation Center for Mass Communication Research, Department of Political Science, Yniversity of Goteborg, Storgaten 13, S-411 24 Goteborg, Sweden---no price or frequency of issue given)

Copyright Reporter (GPO Box 3793, Sydney 2001---A$90 in Australia/A$120 by air mail outside of Australia for 12 monthly issues)

Media Information Australia (P.O. Box 305, North Ryde, NSW 2113---A$18 per year to overseas readers)

Fixing the News: Critical Perspectives on the Australian Media by Keith and Elizabeth Windschuttle, eds. (Sydney: Cassell Australia, 1981---A$9.95, 321 pp.)

Australia into the 80s by Phillip Bell and Kathe Boeringer, eds.; and Media in Crisis by Kathe Boeringer, et al, eds. (Communication, Technology and Control Foundation, P.O. Box 217, Broadway 2007---A$8.00 and A$5.00 , paper)

The Last New Movie: The Australian Film Revival (Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1981-- 4377773, 337 pp.)

Les Langues Modernes, Vol. LXXIV, Nos. 5-6 for 1980 (Association des professeurs de langues vivantes de l'enseignement public, 19 rue de la Glacire, 75013 Paris---price not given, paper)     

Building inclusion and resilience in students with and without SEN through the implementation of narrative speech,role play and creative writing in the mainstream classroom of primary education

ABSTRACT

Based on the theory of inclusion, the present 3-year pilot program (2013–2016) deals with narrative speech, role play and creative writing as a useful tool to build resilience in primary school students with and without Special Educational Needs (SEN) in the mainstream classroom. The specific aim of the program was to help students develop a series of fundamental psychosocial skills, such as a positive sense of inner self and the ability to cooperate and relate to others by familiarising with them in recognising and expressing the basic emotions of joy, sadness, fear and anger. Under the systematic cooperation among the general education teacher, the special education teacher and the rest of the teaching staff, the concept was to involve the maximum of the school teachers in order to create a Community of Practice, Collaboration, Sharing Learning and Action. Using an action-based research approach, the data from the present work allowed the participating students to demonstrate a range of socio-emotional skills, including those necessary for self-awareness. Similarly, the teachers involved in the project in each class built positive relations with their students and the rest of the teachers as well, whom they encouraged to participate in various collaborative tasks through similar programs.     

A Combination of Hand-held Models and Computer Imaging Programs Helps Students Answer Oral Questions about Molecular Structure and Function: A Controlled Investigation of Student Learning

We conducted a controlled investigation to examine whether a combination of computer imagery and tactile tools helps introductory cell biology laboratory undergraduate students better learn about protein structure/function relationships as compared with computer imagery alone. In all five laboratory sections, students used the molecular imaging program, Protein Explorer (PE). In the three experimental sections, three-dimensional physical models were made available to the students, in addition to PE. Student learning was assessed via oral and written research summaries and videotaped interviews. Differences between the experimental and control group students were not found in our typical course assessments such as research papers, but rather were revealed during one-on-one interviews with students at the end of the semester. A subset of students in the experimental group produced superior answers to some higher-order interview questions as compared with students in the control group. During the interview, students in both groups preferred to use either the hand-held models alone or in combination with the PE imaging program. Students typically did not use any tools when answering knowledge (lower-level thinking) questions, but when challenged with higher-level thinking questions, students in both the control and experimental groups elected to use the models.     

Building a Culture of Engagement through Participatory Feedback Processes

In response to school environments in which teachers and students feel disconnected from the learning process, we developed a three-part curriculum feedback system with the goal of creating a school-wide culture of engagement through participatory feedback processes. Here we describe the barriers to participation and ownership that are addressed by our curriculum feedback process, provide a rationale for each component of the multi-prong feedback process, and illustrate how each part of the feedback system was implemented in our pilot schools. We argue that addressing feedback regularly, optimizing the process to be user-friendly, and demonstrating appreciation for positive and constructive feedback can help any curriculum supervisor foster a school-wide culture of engagement among teachers and students.