The cognitive profile of creativity in design

The objective of the study was to explore the cognitive profile of creativity in design by applying a new approach to the assessment of creativity based on the theory of meaning (Kreitler & Kreitler). The assessment of meaning enables to identify cognitive processes that characterize an individual as well as those necessary for good performance of some cognitive act, such as creativity. It was hypothesized that creativity in design will include partly cognitive components identified in previous studies of creativity and partly new ones. The participants were 52 students in a school of design, who were administered a designing task and the Meaning Test, assessing a broad range of cognitive processes. The design products were assessed for creativity by three experienced architects. The cognitive processes, differentiating significantly between the students who produced highly creative designs and those who produced less creative ones, were interpreted as constituting the cognitive profile of creativity in design. The obtained profile supported the hypothesis and provided information about the cognitive processes of creativity in design, which may also be used for promoting creativity in design students.     

Enhancing the written medium for culturally diverse learners via reciprocal interaction

A positive view of culturally diverse learners is advocated. The written medium can serve as an opportunity for self-expression and empowerment. A reciprocal interaction model that allows for student control and capitalizes on student interest is far more culturally responsive than current deficit models.     

A Constructivist Model of Mentoring,Coaching, and Facilitating Online Discussions

This case study of an online graduate course determines the message characteristics of the instructor, volunteer teaching assistants, and students in online discussions, and proposes a mentoring, coaching, and facilitating model for online discussions. The researchers developed a coding system based on the literature of mentoring, coaching, and facilitating to identify the characteristics of conference discussion messages. The instructor fostered the development of volunteer teaching assistants into coaches and of student discussion facilitators into facilitators of learning. The proposed constructivist model fosters active learning, provides scaffolding for students to become facilitators of learning, and suggests creative ways for online instructors to manage different types of teaching responsibilities. Recommendations for further research are included.     

Profiles of Childhood Maltreatment: Associations with Sexual Risk Behavior during Adolescence in a Sample of Racial/Ethnic Minority Girls

This study examines associations between childhood maltreatment and developmental trajectories of sexual risk behaviors (SRBs) in a sample of 882 sexually active adolescent girls, predominantly Hispanic or Black, assessed every 6 months between 13 and 23 years. Latent profile analyses revealed four distinct maltreatment profiles: Low Maltreatment (76%), Moderate Emotional Neglect Only (15%), Severe Physical/Emotional Abuse (3%), and Severe Sexual Abuse (6%). Multilevel growth analyses showed the Moderate Emotional Neglect Only and Severe Sexual Abuse profiles exhibited more SRBs starting in late adolescence, and the Severe Sexual Abuse profile also exhibited a faster increase than the Low Maltreatment profile. Understanding heterogeneity within maltreated populations may have important implications for healthy sexual development.     

Meaning profiles of dwellings,pathways, and metaphors in design: implications for education

The study deals with the roles and interrelations of the meaning-based assessments of dwellings, pathways and metaphors in design performance. It is grounded in the Meaning Theory [Kreitler, S., and H. Kreitler. 1990. The Cognitive Foundations of Personality Traits. New York: Plenum], which enables identifying the cognitive contents and processes underlying cognitive performance in different domains, thus rendering them more accessible to educational training. The objectives were to identify the components of the meaning profiles of dwellings, pathways, and metaphors as perceived by design students; to analyse their interrelations; and to examine which of the identified components of these constructs serve as best predictors of design performance aided by the use of metaphors. Participants were administered a design task and questionnaires about the Dimensional Profiles of Dwellings, Pathways, and Metaphors, based on the meaning system. Factors based on the factor analyses of the responses to the three questionnaires were used in regression analyses as predictors of the performance score in a design task. The following three factors of the dimensional meaning profiles of metaphors were significant predictors of design performance: sensory, functional, and structural evaluations. Implications for design education are discussed, primarily concerning the important role of metaphor in design problem-solving.     

EFFECTS OF TRANSFER ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS AT THE FOUR‐YEAR INSTITUTION

This study presents an in‐depth meta‐analysis of transfer shock, the grade point average (GPA) drop experienced by many community college transfer students. The purpose of the study was to identify all possible studies dealing with transfer shock and to report the magnitude of GPA change from the last quarter or semester at the community college to the end of the first quarter or semester at the senior institution. The study also researched the amount of recovery of GPA obtained by the community college transfer students at the 4‐year institution.

The search revealed 62 studies that reported the magnitude of GPA change. The studies showed that although community college transfer students in 79% of the studies experienced transfer shock, the majority of the magnitude of GPA change was one half of a grade point or less.

Of the studies that showed that community college transfer students experienced transfer shock, 67% reported that students recover from transfer shock, usually within the first year after transfer. Significantly, 34% of these studies showed community college transfer students recovered completely from transfer shock, 34% showed nearly complete recovery, and 32% showed partial recovery.

Because admission criteria for community college transfer students are based almost solely on academic performance, it is important for admissions personnel to consider the GPA recovery phenomenon in the decision process, not just the transfer‐shock phenomenon.     

PREFERRED LEARNING STYLES OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE CAREER AND TRANSFER STUDENTS

The purpose of this study was to ascertain differences in learning styles of 400 community college students in career and transfer programs as measured by the Canfield Learning Styles Inventory. Independent variables were program area and sex. Dependent variables were scores regarding each of the Learning Style Inventory Scales for the following categories: (a) conditions, (b) content, (c) mode, and (d) expectation. The data indicated: (1) female students have greater interest in areas of qualitative, people, and listening, (2) male students have a greater interest for the inanimate, (3) career students have greater interest for inanimate, greater expectations for average and below average performance, and (4) transfer students have greater expectations for above average performance.     

Introduction to the Special Issue on Interdisciplinary Conversations (Part 2): The Impact of Interdisciplinary Conversations on Courses

Abstract

The two parts in this special issue address interdisciplinary conversations involving mathematics courses in the first 2 years of undergraduate work. The special issue was inspired by work funded by the National Science Foundation under a grant titled “SUMMIT-P.” The special issue includes papers written about projects both from SUMMIT-P and from outside of SUMMIT-P. Part II focuses on what the results of interdisciplinary collaboration look like in the classroom.