Refining the Measure and Dimensions of Social Values of Older People (SVOP)

The research reported in this study concerns older adults from Australia who voluntarily chose to learn the craft of woodturning. The paper examines the literature of adult learning under the themes of presage factors, the learning environment, instructional methods, and techniques for facilitators. The paper then reports on the analysis of two sections of a questionnaire completed by 123 respondents: the first on motivation to learn and the second on learning strategies. The older learners reported using both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, with intrinsic motivation constructed of both general and specific elements. There were four main learning strategies used: actively seeking knowledge, independent learning, dependent learning, and passively seeking knowledge.     

Own Group Oppression, Other Group Oppression, and Perspective Taking

This survey research examined the relationship of awareness of own versus awareness of other group oppression across sexism, racism, and homonegativity, by including perspective taking (PT) as a moderator. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that awareness of sexism (own group oppression) predicted awareness of racism (other group oppression) in a sample of 116 European American females (Study 1), whereas awareness of racism (own group oppression) did not predict awareness of homonegativity (other group oppression) in a sample of 113 U.S. racial minorities (Study 2). High PT, compared to low PT, did not predict a stronger relationship between awareness of own and awareness of other group oppression. Post-hoc speculation on the role of PT in intergroup relations and implications for research and counseling are discussed.     

Using an adaptive expertise lens to understand the quality of teachers’ classroom implementation of computer-supported complex systems curricula in high school science

Background: This exploratory study is part of a larger-scale research project aimed at building theoretical and practical knowledge of complex systems in students and teachers with the goal of improving high school biology learning through professional development and a classroom intervention.

Purpose: We propose a model of adaptive expertise to better understand teachers’ classroom practices as they attempt to navigate myriad variables in the implementation of biology units that include working with computer simulations, and learning about and teaching through complex systems ideas.

Sample: Research participants were three high school biology teachers, two females and one male, ranging in teaching experience from six to 16 years. Their teaching contexts also ranged in student achievement from 14–47% advanced science proficiency.

Design and methods: We used a holistic multiple case study methodology and collected data during the 2011–2012 school year. Data sources include classroom observations, teacher and student surveys, and interviews. Data analyses and trustworthiness measures were conducted through qualitative mining of data sources and triangulation of findings.

Results: We illustrate the characteristics of adaptive expertise of more or less successful teaching and learning when implementing complex systems curricula. We also demonstrate differences between case study teachers in terms of particular variables associated with adaptive expertise.

Conclusions: This research contributes to scholarship on practices and professional development needed to better support teachers to teach through a complex systems pedagogical and curricular approach.     

Accuracy of sequential sub-field synchronization of multiple digital camcorders through numerical optimization

The use of digital camcorders in biomechanical analyses can introduce errors due to inter-camera time offsets. The faster the motion being recorded the greater the error. A sequential synchronization method was developed in this study to achieve sub-field camera synchronization for multiple camcorders through numerical optimization. A recreational golfer performed ten drives while being recorded with four digital camcorders (60-Hz sampling rate). Video signals were sampled at 10,000 Hz to determine the actual inter-camera time offsets. The optimized inter-camera time offsets were computed based on three markers placed on the shaft, each separated by 200 mm. The inter-camera time offset error was computed as the difference between the optimized and actual inter-camera time offsets. The inter-camera time offset error reduced on average from 0.518 to 0.019 fields (1 field = 16.7 ms) or less due to sequential optimization. The optimized global reconstruction errors were less than 19% of the unadjusted values. It was concluded that the ability to synchronize multiple (two or more) cameras using a sequential sub-field optimization strategy promises to extend the use of relatively inexpensive digital camcorders to motions considered too fast for the low field rates of such cameras. The sequential approach presented provides a balance between computation time and reconstruction accuracy.     

The performance of adverse effects search filters in MEDLINE and EMBASE

Background: Search filters can potentially improve the efficiency of searches involving electronic databases such as medline and embase . Although search filters have been developed for identifying records that contain adverse effects data, little is known about the sensitivity of such filters. Objectives: This study measured the sensitivity of using available adverse effects filters to retrieve papers with adverse effects data. Methods: A total of 233 included studies from 26 systematic reviews of adverse effects were used for analysis. Search filters from medline and embase were tested for their sensitivity in retrieving the records included in these reviews. In addition, the sensitivity of each individual search term used in at least one search filter was measured. Results: Subheadings proved the most useful search terms in both medline and embase . No indexing terms in medline achieved over 12% sensitivity. The sensitivity of published search filters varied in medline from 3% to 93% and in embase from 57% to 97%. Whether this level of sensitivity is acceptable will be dependent on the purpose of the search. Conclusions: Although no adverse effects search filter captured all the relevant records, high sensitivity could be achieved. Search filters may therefore be useful in retrieving adverse effects data.     

A Modified Comparative Fit Index for Factorial Invariance Studies

As a prerequisite for meaningful comparison of latent variables across multiple populations, measurement invariance or specifically factorial invariance has often been evaluated in social science research. Alongside with the changes in the model chi-square values, the comparative fit index (CFI; Bentler, 1990) is a widely used fit index for evaluating different stages of factorial invariance, including metric invariance (equal factor loadings), scalar invariance (equal intercepts), and strict invariance (equal unique factor variances). Although previous literature generally showed that the CFI performed well for single-group structural equation modeling analyses, its applicability to multiple group analyses such as factorial invariance studies has not been examined. In this study we argue that the commonly used default baseline model for the CFI might not be suitable for factorial invariance studies because (a) it is not nested within the scalar invariance model, and thus (b) the resulting CFI values might not be sensitive to the group differences in the measurement model. We therefore proposed a modified version of the CFI with an alternative (and less restrictive) baseline model that allows observed variables to be correlated. Monte Carlo simulation studies were conducted to evaluate the utility of this modified CFI across various conditions including varying degree of noninvariance and different factorial invariance models. Results showed that the modified CFI outperformed both the conventional CFI and the ΔCFI (Cheung & Rensvold, 2002) in terms of sensitivity to small and medium noninvariance.     

Family disruption and academic functioning in urban,black youth

The purpose of this study was to examine from an ecological perspective the relationships between multiple levels of family disruption and children's academic functioning in a sample of 390 urban, Black adolescents at age 14. Subjects in this cohort have been followed longitudinally since before their birth. Data from previous assessments at birth and age 7 years allowed for control of important correlates in this analyses. Examination of this unique sample, using multisource data collection procedures, provides important information about the many family disruptions among urban, low‐income families and the effects of these disruptions on academic outcomes. Results revealed several consistent findings, the most notable of which is that, when parents were married, adolescents demonstrated significantly higher grades, mediated through paternal involvement. Of all variables studied, the role of fathers in the lives of these adolescents was the most influential on academic outcomes. In this unique sample, even variables such as involvement with child protective services were not significantly related to outcomes after important control variables were factored into analyses. Results of this study have important implications for future research and for prevention and intervention efforts in urban, at‐risk samples. Emphasis is made for work in the school context, particularly for school psychologists. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Teaching about complex systems is no simple matter: building effective professional development for computer-supported complex systems instruction

The recent next generation science standards in the United States have emphasized learning about complex systems as a core feature of science learning. Over the past 15 years, a number of educational tools and theories have been investigated to help students learn about complex systems; but surprisingly, little research has been devoted to identifying the supports that teachers need to teach about complex systems in the classroom. In this paper, we aim to address this gap in the literature. We describe a 2-year professional development study in which we gathered data on teachers’ abilities and perceptions regarding the delivery of computer-supported complex systems curricula. We present results across the 2 years of the project and demonstrate the need for particular instructional supports to improve implementation efforts, including providing differentiated opportunities to build expertise and addressing teacher beliefs about whether computational-model construction belongs in the science classroom. Results from students’ classroom experiences and learning over the 2 years are offered to further illustrate the impact of these instructional supports.     

Making the Invisible Visible in Science Museums Through Augmented Reality Devices

Despite the potential of augmented reality (AR) in enabling students to construct new understanding, little is known about how the processes and interactions with the multimedia lead to increased learning. This study seeks to explore the affordances of an AR tool on learning that is focused on the science concept of magnets and magnetic fields. Seventy students in grades 5 through 7 participated in the study in a non- AR or AR condition. Findings showed that students in the AR condition interacted with the magnets significantly longer and demonstrated higher amounts of teamwork. In interviews, students identified five affordances of the AR on learning that are closely related to the literature on dynamic visualizations, such as the ability to visualize invisible phenomenon and scaffolds that focus attention on relevant information.     

Social media communication strategies of government agencies: Twitter use in Korea and the USA

This study examines Twitter use by the central government in Korea and the federal government in the USA by employing the webometric technique to extract their Twitter activity (basic Twitter statistics such as the numbers of followers, followings, and Tweets) and the social network analysis technique to map the relationship between their Twitter accounts and the direction of outlinks in their Tweets. The results of the initial analysis indicate some differences in Twitter strategies between the two governments. For example, Korean ministries were well connected through a dense network, engaged in collective cooperation, and retweeted common content to reinforce their collective agendas regardless of their main administrative functions, whereas US government departments were less collective and more individualistic and retweeted those messages that specifically fit the purpose of each department. In addition, the results for outlinks indicate that US government departments preferred private sources of information, whereas Korean ministries, government sources.