The contributions of ‘hot’ and ‘cool’ executive function to children's academic achievement, learning-related behaviors, and engagement in kindergarten

Executive functioning (EF) refers to higher order thought processes considered foundational for problem-solving. EF has both ‘cool’ cognitive and ‘hot’ emotional components. This study asks: (a) what are the relative contributions of ‘hot’ and ‘cool’ EF to children's academic achievement? (b) What are the relative contributions of ‘hot’ and ‘cool’ EF to learning-related classroom behaviors and observed engagement? (c) Do learning-related classroom behaviors and observed engagement account for the relation between EF and achievement? For a sample of 173 kindergarteners, cool EF predicted math achievement, learning-related classroom behaviors, and observed engagement. Hot EF did not predict any achievement or behavior outcomes when examined concurrently with cool EF. Children's classroom behavior did not account for the relation between cool EF and math achievement, suggesting cool EF and math performance are directly associated.     

Progress from specificity: How to monitor the Paris Declaration in the Malawi education sector

At the time of writing, it is not possible to measure progress accurately, or even assess the baseline status of aid effectiveness in the education sector. Twelve targets en route to the five objectives of the Paris Declaration were set and agreed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); they were to be measured nationally and monitored internationally. These indicators, though, are not specific to either the sector as a whole, or any individual country. While they provide a useful framework within which the effectiveness of aid can be pursued, specificity must be demanded at country and sector level to maximize the potential of harmonized, aligned, government-owned, accountable, and results-managed aid. This article takes a step towards addressing this problem, documenting for the first time the sector- and country-specific targets and indicators for the education sector in Malawi.     

Empathy in history. Understanding a past institution (ordeal) in children and young adults when description and rationale are provided

A total of 150 students, from 8 to 25 years, were interviewed about ordeal¹ in the Middle Ages, after reading a shorter and simplified version of a text used in previous research on this topic (e.g., [Lee, P. J., & Ashby, R. (2001). Empathy, perspective taking, and rational understanding. In O. L. Davis, Jr., S. Foster, & E. Yaeger (Eds.), Historical empathy and perspective taking in the social studies (pp. 21–50). Lanham: Rowman and Littleffeld]). Unlike previous studies, at all ages nearly all students understood that ordeal involved the intervention of God, and was related to religious beliefs different from the present. With age, there was an increase in the number of students also referring to the backwardness of the Middle Ages, or stating that at least some Medieval peoples did not expect ordeal to be decisive about the guilt or innocence of an accused, using it instead to find a culprit in any case, or as a punishment or deterrent.     

Strategies and Intervening Factors Influencing Student Social Interaction and Experiential Learning in an Interdisciplinary Research Team

Faculty have long incorporated students into interdisciplinary research projects to meet increasingly common demands for collaborative research by federal funding agencies. Despite the critical role of experiential learning in building student research skills and capacity, few have explored social interaction mechanisms used to facilitate student experiential learning in an interdisciplinary research team. Drawing upon the New Rural Economy project as a case study, interviews with 13 students from eight Canadian universities were conducted to explore these social interaction mechanisms. While findings revealed an array of social interaction mechanisms used to develop student learning networks, the quality of these mechanisms were mixed; thereby influencing the utilization of these networks for guidance and feedback. As faculty organize social interaction mechanisms, they should consider factors such as previous experience, student and faculty relationships, finances, language, gender, ethnicity, and other issues, that will have an impact on student engagement with experiential learning.

Class-first analysis in a continuum: an approach to the complexities of schools, society, and insurgent science

This essay addresses Katherine Richardson Bruna’s paper: Mexican Immigrant Transnational Social Capital and Class Transformation: Examining the Role of Peer Mediation in Insurgent Science, through five main points. First, I offer a comparison between the traditional analysis of classism in Latin America and Richardson Bruna’s call for a class-first analysis in the North American social sciences where there has been a tendency to obviate the specific examination of class relations and class issues. Secondly, I discuss that a class-first analysis solely cannot suffice to depict the complex dimensions in the relations of schools and society. Thus, I suggest a continuum in the class-first analysis. Third, I argue that social constructions surrounding issues of language, ethnicity, and gender necessarily intersect with issues of class and that, in fact, those other constructions offer compatible epistemologies that aid in representing the complexity of social and institutional practices in the capitalist society. Richardson Bruna’s analysis of Augusto’s interactions with his teacher and peers in the science class provides a fourth point of discussion in this essay. As a final point in my response I discuss Richardson Bruna’s idea of making accessible class-first analysis knowledge to educators and especially to science teachers.     

Teachers’ Use of Scaffolding Strategies During Read Alouds in the Preschool Classroom

Relatively little is known regarding preschool teachers’ use of specific scaffolds, including those high support scaffolds (e.g., co-participating, eliciting, reducing choices) that may be important for children who are struggling to acquire language and literacy concepts. The goal of this study was to characterize preschool teachers’ use of six types of scaffolds (generalizing, reasoning, predicting, co-participating, reducing choices, eliciting; see O’Connor et al. in Ladders to literacy, Paul H. Brookes Publishing, Baltimore, MD, 2005) within the whole group read aloud session. Two specific questions were addressed: (1) To what extent do preschool teachers use high and low support scaffolds during whole group read aloud sessions? and (2) To what extent does preschool teachers’ perceived frequency of use of specific scaffolds correspond to their actual use of scaffolds? Videotaped classroom observations were carried out for five preschool teachers conducting whole group read alouds in their classrooms; frequency of use for six types of scaffolds was coded using systematic observation procedures. Results indicated that teachers showed a preference for three types of scaffolds, all of which were low support, and that the three types of high support scaffolds occurred at very low rates. Additionally, results showed a substantial discrepancy between teachers’ perceived frequency of use of specific types of scaffolds relative to their actual use. Together, findings suggest that preschool teachers may benefit from professional development focused on using a range of scaffolds, to include high support scaffolds beneficial to children who may need high levels of support to participate in read alouds.     

Family Concerns Surrounding Kindergarten Transition: A Comparison of Students in Special and General Education

Kindergarten transition is considered an important developmental milestone for children and families. Children with disabilities may be especially vulnerable during transition and may lack academic and behavioral readiness skills essential for kindergarten. Family concerns surrounding children’s transition were explored in 132 students (n = 29 special education; n = 103 general education) preparing to enter kindergarten. Caregivers responded to a survey on family experiences and involvement in transition and reported on the degree to which they were concerned about kindergarten transition. Caregivers of special education students reported significantly more concerns surrounding their child’s behavior, communication, academic readiness, and overall readiness for kindergarten than did caregivers of general education students. Implications for supporting children and families during transition are discussed.