Release from latent inhibition with delayed testing

A conditioned emotional response procedure was used to study the interactive effects of stimulus preexposure and retention interval in rats. In Experiment 1, the subjects were conditioned by presenting a light CS paired with mild footshock as the US. Half of the subjects were given nonreinforced preexposure to the CS, and the others were not. Separate preexposed and nonpreexposed groups were then tested 1,7, or 21 days after conditioning. Suppression of ongoing activity was used to assess the degree of conditioned fear. Latent inhibition was found at the 1-day retention interval; the preexposed subjects displayed less conditioned fear than did the nonpreexposed subjects. In contrast, equally strong conditioned fear was expressed by the preexposed and the nonpreexposed groups tested after the 7- and the 21-day retention intervals. These results indicate a release from latent inhibition similar to that obtained with conditioned taste aversions (Kraemer & Roberts, 1984). The results of Experiment 2 suggest that retention-interval-induced increases in sensitization, pseudoconditioning, or neophobia cannot account for the release from latent inhibition effect obtained in Experiment 1. The implications of these findings for a retrievaloriented view of latent inhibition are discussed.     

Teacher-student relationships as compensatory resources for aggressive children

This 2-year prospective investigation examined the association between the quality of teacher-student relationships and children's levels of aggression in a sample of 140 second- and third-grade aggressive children (M age = 8.18). Consistent with the proposed dual-risk compensatory hypothesis, positive teacher-student relationships were more beneficial for aggressive African American and Hispanic children than for aggressive Caucasian children. Data did not support a moderating effect of negative parent-child relationship quality on the association between supportive teacher-student relationships and aggression. Findings underscore the importance of recruiting and preparing teachers capable of establishing supportive relationships with aggressive African American and Hispanic children. Results also suggest the need for multiple reporters of relationship quality in future research.     

Modelling Facebook usage among university students in Thailand: the role of emotional attachment in an extended technology acceptance model

The aim of this study is to examine the factors that influenced the use of Facebook among university students. Using an extended technology acceptance model (TAM) with emotional attachment (EA) as an external variable, a sample of 498 students from a public-funded Thailand university were surveyed on their responses to five variables hypothesized to predict their actual use of Facebook. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling and the results showed that perceived usefulness (PU), attitude towards technology use (ATU), and EA had direct and significant influences on actual use, while perceived ease of use (PEU) was an indirect determinant of Facebook use. EA has direct and significant influences on all core variables in the TAM: PU; PEU; ATU; and actual use. Together, the PU, ATU, and EA explained 35.1% of the variance in students' usage of Facebook. Relatively, the variation in ATU and PU accounted by their determinants amounted to 55.5% and 50.2%, respectively.     

Math and Science Scholars (MASS) Program: A Model Program for the Recruitment and Retention of Preservice Mathematics and Science Teachers

The shortage of certified teachers in mathematics and science in Texas classrooms is a major concern and mirrors national tends. Dramatic increases in shortages of teachers have stimulated the design of new certification programs that recruit and place teachers in classrooms as quickly as possible (Texas Center for Educational Research, 1999). While maintaining several of the characteristics of traditional certification programs, the Math and Science Scholars (MASS) Program streamlines the certification process, supports preservice students through tuition remission and scholarships, and provides quality mentoring and early fiend experiences in K–12 classrooms with well-qualified teachers. The strategies in this model program are dramatically increasing the numbers of undergraduate majors in mathematics and science considering high school teaching as a career.     

Examining the role of technology-related policy and constructivist teaching belief on English teachers’ technology acceptance: A study in Chinese universities

This large scale study investigated the influences that technology-related policies and teachers’ constructivist teaching beliefs have on their intention to use technology in Chinese universities. Data were collected from 696 English teachers working in 59 Chinese universities. Five variables (subjective norm, constructivist teaching belief, perceived importance of policy, computer self-efficacy and voluntariness) were examined in this study. Results indicated that perceived importance of policy, constructivist teaching beliefs and subjective norm were significant antecedents of perceived usefulness. The relationship between subjective norm and teachers’ intentions to use technology was moderated by voluntariness. Besides perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use also had significantly influenced English teachers’ behavioural intention. Overall, the research model explained 69% of variance of teachers’ intentions to use technology. This study has the potential to enrich our understanding of technology acceptance in teaching by contextualising the study in the rarely researched English teaching context in Chinese universities. The findings from this study also provide suggestions for policy makers and teacher educators.     

Nonnative English-speaking teaching assistants and student performance

In recent years, much concern has been expressed about the quality of instruction provided by foreign teaching assistants (TAs) in higher education. Critiques of the use of foreign TAs generally argue that they often impede the learning process because of language barriers. The present study examines the effect that nonnative English-speaking TAs had on student performance over five semesters at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Multiple ordinary least squares regression is used to analyze the relationship between student grades and nonnative English-speaking TAs. Subsamples based on a TA's geographic region of origin and instructional area are also analyzed. In addition, course drop rates and the impact of TA training programs are examined to determine possible influence on the results. The results of the analysis consistently indicate slightlybetter performance in sections conducted by nonnative English-speaking TAs.     

Optimal time-delayed open/closed-loop control of a damped beam

Vibration suppression of a structurally damped beam via open and closed-loop controls is investigated. In doing so, minimization of a weighted, energy-based performance measure leads to closed-form expressions for optimal open-loop parameters in terms of feedback gains. The control problem is then completed by optimizing these feedback parameters numerically. Methods to determine optimal terminal time of control are also presented. Furthermore, techniques are established to optimize the response and performance of a system experiencing a known feedback time delay. Different types of optimization are proposed and, for each one, the trade-off between performance and computational efficiency is fully discussed.     

Precocious readers: a cognitive or a linguistic advantage?

European Journal of Psychology of Education - We investigated the role of linguistic and cognitive processes in reading precocity from kindergarten to grade 2. A sample of 33 precocious readers was...