The impact of standards‐based reform on teachers: the case of ‘No Child Left Behind’

Standards‐based reform is a trend affecting the educational systems of nations around the world, driven by desires to create educational systems suited to increasing economic productivity. In the USA, The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 includes goals of reducing achievement gaps and getting ‘highly qualified’ teachers in all classrooms. Critics warned the legislation could exacerbate achievement gaps and actually drive quality teachers out of the field. To assess these arguments, we surveyed all K‐8 teachers in one school district, using both standardized items and an open‐ended question. Survey responses indicate that instructional time and professional development opportunities in non‐tested areas are being reduced and that future teacher retention and recruitment may be problematic for this district. Open‐ended responses reveal numerous sources of dissatisfaction and stress for teachers, allowing us to make connections between NCLB's outcomes and teacher dissatisfaction. Importantly, these effects and relationships are not limited to high‐minority or low‐income schools, but exist in all schools in this district. Such findings suggest unintended consequences for the legislation as well as failure to achieve its stated goals.     

Preservice teachers’ implicit attitudes toward students with and without immigration background: A pilot study

Minority students are often disadvantaged in school. One factor contributing to this disadvantage may be teachers’ judgments; these may, in turn, be influenced by implicit attitudes. Implicit attitudes often guide automatic behavior, which comes into play when cognitive resources are restrained. This is particularly important for preservice teachers, who lack experience in the classroom. In an affective priming task, results showed ambivalent implicit attitudes toward students with immigration background and positive implicit attitudes toward native students. Such asymmetrical implicit evaluations could bias preservice teachers’ interactions with students in the classroom. Acquiring an understanding of the influence of implicit attitudes during their academic studies might help preservice teachers counter implicit and automatic influences.     

双任务中内隐运动技能学习对提高保持成绩的作用

本实验研究的目的是,调查在双任务条件下一个运动系列能否被不觉察地掌握,内隐学习是否比外显学习更有效地增加保持.36名实验对象被随机分为内隐学习组或外显学习组.要求所有被试通过敲击一个键盘上的F和J键,来移动计算机屏幕上的横杆,去接住一个下落的小球.一个固定的5种小球下落曲线的系列被安插在每组15次练习的中段.同时,实验参加者需要数每组练习中的所听到的嘟嘟声的数目,以作为第二项任务.在掌握该技能后的24小时进行3次保持测验.ANOVA分析发现固定小球下落曲线段的接球成绩随着练习的增加而提高,但是练习对随机段没有作用.尽管两种练习条件下,运动技能学习成绩没有差异,但内隐学习组比外显学习组在模拟接球的保持测试和第二项任务中表现较准确.这些结果显示内隐学习是一个改善运动技能长期记忆的有效手段,并且与外显学习相比,它在练习中占用较少的认知资源.     

Application of the neuromuscular fatigue threshold treadmill test to muscles of the quadriceps and hamstrings

PurposeThe purposes of the present study were: (1) to determine whether the physical working capacity at the fatigue threshold (PWC_FT) model that has been used for estimating the onset of neuromuscular fatigue in the vastus lateralis (VL) during incremental treadmill running could also be applied to the vastus medialis (VM), biceps femoris (BF), and semitendinosus (ST) muscles; and (2) if applicable, to compare the running velocities associated with the PWC_FT among these muscles.MethodsEleven subjects (age 21.7 ± 1.8 years) performed an incremental treadmill test to exhaustion with electromyographic signals recorded from the VL, VM, BF, and ST.ResultsThe results indicated there were no significant (p > 0.05) mean differences in the running velocities associated with the PWC_FT for the VL (14.4 ± 2.0 km/h), VM (14.3 ± 1.9 km/h), BF (13.8 ± 1.8 km/h), and ST (14.7 ± 2.3 km/h). In addition, there were significant inter-correlations (r = 0.68–0.88) among running velocities associated with the PWC_FT of each muscle. Individual results also indicated that 9 of the 11 subjects exhibited identical PWC_FT values for at least 3 of the 4 muscles, but there were no uniform patterns for any intra-individual differences.ConclusionThe findings of the present study suggested that the PWC_FT test is a viable method to identify neuromuscular fatigue in the quadriceps and hamstrings during incremental treadmill exercise and results in consistent PWC_FT values among these muscles.     

Behavioral, Affective, and Social Correlates of Involvement in Cross-Sex Friendship in Elementary School

The purpose of this study was to compare children with and without cross-sex friends on measures of social and cognitive competence, endorsement of sex-role stereotypes, and family composition. Subjects were 723 third and fourth graders (377 girls, 346 boys) from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds; 35% were African American. Measures included sociometric assessments of peer acceptance, friendship, and behavioral reputation, as well as self-reports of perceived self-competence and endorsement of sex-role stereotypes. In addition, teachers completed ratings of children's social and cognitive competence. In all, 92 children, about 14% of the sample, had one or more reciprocal opposite-sex friends; for 21 of these children, their cross-sex friendships were their primary or only friendships. African American children were more likely than European American children to have opposite-sex friends. Involvement in cross-sex friendships was unrelated to the gender make-up of the classroom, but was related to family structure. Comparisons of the children who had primarily or only cross-sex friends to matched groups of children who had only same-sex friends and to children who had cross-sex friends secondarily to same-sex ones revealed a number of differences between the groups in social competence and relationships with peers. Overall, children with primarily opposite-sex friends had poorer social skills than other children with friends, although they were less stereotyped about sex roles than other children, and were better adjusted than children with no friends on most measures. In contrast, children involved in opposite-sex friendship secondarily to same-sex friendship were as well adjusted socially as children with only same-sex friendships. These results suggest that children with cross-sex friends differ among themselves, depending on the primacy of the cross-sex relationship.     

Personality correlates of faculty and course evaluations

This study explored the interactions of classroom experiences and selected student and faculty personality variables in faculty and course evaluations. University instructors from five disciplines and their students participated in the study. Students completed the Locus of Control Scale, Mehrabian Achievement Scale, Instructor Evaluation Form, and a semantic differential scale to assess course content and structure. Pearson and canonical correlations indicated that a student's need to achieve is significantly related to faculty evaluation. Similarly, evaluation of course content and structure was significantly related to student personality variables.