Academic Self-Concept and Academic Self-Efficacy: Self-Beliefs Enable Academic Achievement of Twice-Exceptional Students

Many studies have reported that twice-exceptional (2e) students were vulnerable in psychological traits and exhibited low-academic self-concept and academic self-efficacy. Such vulnerability may cause their academic failures. This study applied interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), a qualitative approach to investigate the perceptions of academic self-concept and academic self-efficacy in six 2e students from a Singapore secondary school. Results demonstrate that 2e students could possess high-academic self-concept and academic self-efficacy that empower their academic success. This study suggests strategies such as focusing on the 2e students’ strength areas and developing their interests in particular academic domains to enable their development of high-academic self-concept. We also recommend practices such as creating the experiences of success, practicing effective parental and teacher support, and providing positive peer influence to foster 2e students’ high-academic self-efficacy.     

Children's views of Teaching Assistants in primary schools

This study reports primary children's perceptions of the role of the Teaching Assistant (TA) in three state primary schools in South West England. Through the use of a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews, an exploration was made of how children view TAs, who are commonly found delivering the curriculum alongside the teacher in the classroom. A simple questionnaire was completed by 419 junior children and 86 infant and junior pupils were interviewed, giving children a ‘voice’ about an environment which they inhabit for a substantial proportion of their lives. The results show that children between the ages of 5–11 perceive the role of the TA to be of value and their work to be useful and helpful. Their accounts of the TAs' work in general and in relation to themselves, in particular, were clear and insightful. They distinguish between teacher and TA in terms of training, vocation and responsibility. Most children consider themselves to be confident and willing to ask for help but a significant minority reported that they preferred not to ask for help. The implications of the findings for further research on children's views and for educational practice are discussed.     

The roles of specialist provision for children with specific speech and language difficulties in England and Wales: a model for inclusion?

Children with specific speech and language difficulties pose a challenge to the education and health systems. In addition to their language difficulties they are also at risk of literacy and social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The main support for children with more severe difficulties has been enhanced provision in mainstream schools (language units or integrated resources) and special schools. The move to an inclusive education system challenges this tradition. This paper reports the results of interviews with heads of language units/integrated resources and head teachers of special schools (n = 57) as part of a larger study within England and Wales. Their views are considered with reference to criteria for entry to specialist provision, the development of collaborative practice between teachers, teaching assistants and speech and language therapists, and the implications for inclusive education.     

We’re Creative on a Friday Afternoon: Investigating Children’s Perceptions of their Experience of Design &; Technology in Relation to Creativity

In the last 15 years there has been an increased emphasis in both educational research and curriculum development upon investigating children’s perspectives of their experience of learning. Children naturally have very particular and important insights to offer in helping us to develop our understanding of teaching and learning. However, research into children’s perceptions in the field of primary Design &; Technology education is still at a very early stage (Lunt in International handbook of research and development in technology education, Sense Publishers, Utrecht, 2009a). For example, in three reviews of educational research in Design &; Technology (Kimbell in A guide to educational research, The Woburn Publishers, London, 1996; Eggleston in Teaching and learning design and technology: a guide to recent research and its applications, Continuum, London, 2000; Harris and Wilson in Designs on the curriculum? A review of the literature on the impact of design and technology in schools, Department for Education and Skills, London, 2003) there are only passing references made to eliciting and considering pupils’ views and, in the studies where it does occur, it is used as a supplementary method of data collection rather than as a focus of research. The work which exists is small-scale and the majority of studies relate to secondary-aged pupils. The research that we have recently undertaken has tried to redress this gap. It has focused on primary children’s (aged 9–11 years) perceptions of Design &; Technology in general (Benson and Lunt in PATT 18 international conference on design and technology educational research: teaching and learning technological literacy in the classroom, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, 2007) and latterly creativity in Design &; Technology. It has been claimed by many that Design &; Technology is a ‘creative’ subject which develops children’s creative abilities. This is a bold claim and one that needs careful consideration. This paper sets out a framework for thinking about creativity drawn from a review of the literature and uses evidence of children’s perceptions of their experience of Design &; Technology to compare practice with theory in an attempt to raise questions and issues relevant to both policy and practice.     

Parent–child pre–school activities can affect the development of literacy skills

This paper considers the nature of joint (parent–child) pre–school activities in the home, and their potential to contribute to the development of early reading skills. Parents gave details of the nature and frequency of any play–based activities that they routinely completed with their children. Their children were assessed on various aspects of phonological awareness, as well as their receptive vocabulary and short–term memory at four years old. One year later they completed a similar battery that also included measures of reading and spelling ability. Children who engaged in a variety of pre–school, parent–child activities showed the best achievement in reading one year later. The frequency of joint activities was also found to impact on reading attainment, vocabulary, memory and aspects of phonological awareness. The importance of shared storybook reading for later independent reading ability was reiterated by this study.     

Prosodic awareness and children’s multisyllabic word reading

Prosodic awareness (the rhythmic patterning of speech) accounts for unique variance in reading development. However, studies have thus far focused on early readers and utilised literacy measures which fail to distinguish between monosyllabic and multisyllabic words. The current study investigated the factors that are specifically associated with multisyllabic word reading in a sample of 50 children aged between 7 and 8 years. Prosodic awareness was the strongest predictor of multisyllabic word reading accuracy, after controlling for phoneme awareness, morphological awareness, vocabulary and short-term memory. Children also made surprisingly few phonemic errors while, in contrast, errors of stress assignment were commonplace. Prosodic awareness was also the strongest predictor of stress placement errors, although this finding was not significant. Prosodic skills may play an increasingly important role in literacy performance as children encounter more complex reading materials. Once phoneme-level skills are mastered, prosodic awareness is arguably the strongest predictor of single word reading.     

Quantification of maximal power output in well-trained cyclists

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to compare mechanical variables derived from torque-cadence and power-cadence profiles established from different cycle ergometer modes (isoinertial and isokinetic) and modelling procedures (second- and third-order polynomials), whilst employing a novel method to validate the theoretical maximal power output (P_max). Nineteen well-trained cyclists (n = 12 males) completed two experimental sessions comprising six, 6-s maximal isoinertial or isokinetic cycling sprints. Maximal pedal strokes were extracted to construct power–cadence relationships using second- and third-order polynomials. A 6-s sprint at the optimal cadence (F_opt) or optimal resistance (T_opt) was performed to assess construct validity of P_max. No differences were found in the mechanical parameters when derived from isokinetic (P_max = 1311 ± 415, F_opt = 118 ± 12) or isoinertial modes (P_max = 1320 ± 421, F_opt = 116 ± 19). However, R² improved (P < 0.02) when derived from isoinertial sprints. Third-order polynomial modelling improved goodness of fit values (Standard Error, adjusted R²), but derived similar mechanical parameters. Finally, peak power output during the optimised sprint did not significantly differ from the theoretical P_max in both cycling modes, thus providing construct validity. The most accurate P-C profile can be derived from isoinertial cycling sprints, modelled using third-order polynomial equations.     

Elinor M. Brent-Dyer’s Chalet School Series: Literature as an Historical Source

This article examines whether Elinor M. Brent-Dyer’s Chalet School books—a series of girls’ school stories spanning the late 1920s to the early 1970s—can be regarded as historical sources for the study of physical education and dance in girls’ boarding schools during this period. An overview of her experience as teacher and headmistress, an examination of the training and role of PE teachers during this time, and observations on the role other staff played in games coaching and dance teaching confirms that this children’s literature is an accurate representation. The incorporation of contemporary details in her writing, through referencing current events for example, strengthens the case for acknowledging this. However it is concluded that the source becomes less accurate in the latter half of the series when Brent-Dyer lost contact with the education world and with young people.