Effect of intersolution interval,chlordiazepoxide, and amphetamine on anticipatory contrast

Previous experiments have shown that the intake of a 0.15% saccharin solution is suppressed if saccharin access is followed by access to 32 % sucrose in brief daily pairings. The present experiments found that: (1) the degree of suppression was not altered when no time elapsed between presentation of the two solutions each day (15 sec had been the minimum in previous experiments and was used as the control in this experiment); (2) the degree of suppression was not altered by chlordiazepoxide (6, 12, or 20 mg/kg), although the drug had large appetite-stimulating effects; (3) suppression was not influenced by amphetamine (0.25 or 0.50 mg/kg); and (4) contrast could be established or eliminated, even after extended training, by manipulating the sequences of solutions presented (saccharin-saccharin or saccharin-sucrose). The results were interpreted in terms of a contrast effect based on the learned anticipation of a preferred substance. The chlordiazepoxide data suggest that this contrast is different from successive negative contrast, and the intersolution interval data suggest that the occurrence of contrast rather than a reinforcement effect is not due to a time gap between presentations of the two solutions.     

The Conceptualization and Development of the Practical Epistemology in Science Survey (PESS)

Research in Science Education - Various inquiry approaches have been promoted in science classrooms as a way for students to engage in, and have a deeper understanding of scientific discourse....     

Behind the Rhetoric: women academic staff in colleges of higher education in England

The paper is based on research into the position of women academic staff in a sample of colleges of higher education in England. This reveals a pattern of entrenched sexual inequality in these institutions, especially at middle and senior management levels. A similar pattern has been found in the university and polytechnic sectors of higher education. However, in the colleges there is an even greater disjunction between the sexual distribution of students and staff. The research is related to recent literature on equal opportunities in education. It is argued that the formal curriculum of equal opportunities is continually subverted by a hidden curriculum of unequal opportunities. Finally, several approaches to positive intervention are suggested.     

Educational Achievement of Immigrant Adolescents in Spain: Do Gender and Region of Origin Matter?

This study explores the educational achievement of immigrant youth in Spain employing data from 3 waves of the Longitudinal Study of Families and Childhood (Pànel de Famílies i Infància), a representative sample of children in Catalonia first interviewed at ages 13-16 in 2006 (N = 2,710). Results suggest consistent disadvantage in achievement among first-generation students. Differences in achievement between the second and third generations are apparent in bivariate analyses, but are explained by observable characteristics in multivariate analyses. Gender-specific analyses uncover a large achievement gap between first-generation girls and their third-generation counterparts, but no equivalent gap for boys. Region-of-origin differences are modest, with the exception of Latin American adolescents who exhibit the lowest educational outcomes. The significance of perceptions about school on achievement are discussed.     

Theory and legitimacy in professional education: a practitioner review of reflective processes within programmes for new academic staff

The authors review research literature on coherent theoretically based approaches to the use of reflective processes within programmes of initial professional education for new academic staff. Employing a novel methodology that incorporates practitioner perspectives, they establish a framework that highlights the role of personal and social factors, and also pedagogic and theoretical considerations, in shaping reflective processes. The included studies identified participants who had engaged in certain categories of reflection. Certain fundamental outcomes, however, such as changes in professional commitment, were never seen across an entire cohort. The article thus discusses the intended learning outcomes that programmes might legitimately seek to meet.

Dans cet article, nous examinons la littérature de recherche portant sur les approches théoriques cohérentes sur l’usage des processus réflexifs dans le cadre de programmes d’éducation professionnelle initiale pour le personnel académique novice. A l’aide d’une nouvelle méthodologie incorporant les perspectives du praticien, nous établissons un cadre qui met en lumière le rôle des facteurs sociaux et personnels, de même que les considérations théoriques et pédagogiques, mettant en forme les processus réflexifs. Les études visées par l’article ont permis d’identifier des participants s’étant engagés dans certaines catégories de réflexion. Des conséquences fondamentales, telles que le changement au niveau de l’engagement professionnel, n’ont cependant pas été observés pour l’ensemble de la cohorte. Nous discutons donc des objectifs d’apprentissage que les programmes pourraient, de façon légitime, chercher à atteindre.     

Irrelevant information: Some effects on children's problem-solving

Children of 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 years of age were given simple, social-matching problems. Two conditions were employed: each involved verbal presentation but in one (Condition V) no concrete representation was involved while in the other (Condition M) models were also used. Within each condition, information was provided which was (a) sufficient, (b) superfluous, (c) irrelevant or which displayed a combination of these characteristics. For all age groups, the problems containing only irrelevant information were the most difficult, although Condition M enhanced the performance of younger children while depressing that of 7- and 9-year-olds. The results were interpreted as supporting the view that a major source of difficulty for the child may lie in selecting the appropriate referent. Some inferences are drawn regarding the abilities of children to cope with ambiguity.     

Attribution of Career Facilitators by Eminent Women from Canada and Finland

Highly successful contemporary women from two countries, Canada and Finland, were surveyed in an attempt to identify the elements in their lives that facilitated or prevented their achievement level. This work is exploratory research into the similarities among factors that promote female achievement. The overall purpose was to expand our understanding of female talent development applicable to contemporary girls and women despite their national origin. In total, 1553 Canadians and 424 Finns, listed in a Who's Who biographical publication of each country were invited to participate. There were 827 respondents from Canada and 280 from Finland who chose to participate in the study. Data were collected by means of a written questionnaire dealing with career development. The two sample sets were then compared by their responses to the demographic questions. The two groups were very similar as to birth order, education, marital status and motherhood. Main results show that in recalling their past, the eminent women reported that their own qualities and personal convictions were the primary reasons for attainment of prominence or fame. Both Finns and Canadians also gave considerable credit to the close members of their families. Spouses and parents were reported as supplying much encouragement and support. Professors/instructors/coaches, school teachers, colleagues and friends were also seen as encouragers. Both groups of women identified the same five factors as being most detrimental to their careers: stereotypical attitudes of others, being female, children, availability of childcare, and parents' socioeconomic status. Findings are discussed in the light of the available research literature, and implications for educating gifted females are proposed.     

Mandated Psychological Assessments for Suicide Risk in a College Population: A Pilot Study

This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of a protocol mandating psychological assessment of college students exhibiting specific signs of suicide risk and/or nonsuicidal self-harm. Thirty-seven current and former students who had been documented as at risk completed a structured interview in person or by phone. Outcomes suggest this protocol identifies students at risk for suicide, with 27% having made an attempt at some point in their lives and 50% having been suicidal at the time the report was written. The majority of participants endorsed the value of this intervention.     

Improving teaching self-efficacy for teachers in inclusive classrooms in Hong Kong

This study investigated changes in teacher self-efficacy for inclusive practice using a mixed method research design. Participants were 417 in-service teachers in Hong Kong taking a 1-week basic teacher-training course about inclusive education. Data were collected pre and post participation in the course using the Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practices Scale (TEIP). A series of five in-depth focus-group interviews provided greater clarification of the perceptions and efficacy issues of teachers. The best predictors to participants’ teaching self-efficacy were confidence in teaching students with special education needs (SEN) and knowledge of legislation and policies for inclusive practice. From the focus-groups, results demonstrated a more positive attitude change towards students with SEN with a number of essential factors emerging as highly beneficial for inclusive teaching in Hong Kong (i.e. caring and love, school environment and curriculum adaption). The discussion considers the role of short training programmes as an appropriate means to improving self-efficacy for teaching within inclusive classrooms in Hong Kong.