Death education--where is thy sting?

We are not free to choose whether anyone will learn about death, though we have some choice about how they will learn. The author discusses the basic questions that need to be answered in planning death education at any level, and the possible goals, in terms of cognitive gain, skills, and attitudinal objectives. Some principles in regard to teaching methods and evaluation are described, with illustrations from the experiences of medical students and others. It is important that the teacher should be able to deal with the problems that such programs may arouse. Cheap emotional arousal is easy to produce, but trivial, unless creatively used for a valued purpose and adequately resolved. Death is infinitely exploitable, and the growth of death voyeurism via "education" is alarming. The capacity to recognize and avoid being exploited or exploiting others must be one of our principle educational objectives.     

Sex Differences in Spatial Competence: the ability of young children to map ‘primed’ unfamiliar environments

Abstract This paper reports on a study set up to investigate the effects of gender related differences in home range behaviour on the acquision of spatial and environmental skills amongst a group of children aged 8 to 11. The population was divided to form two groups (A and B) of similar sex composition and environmental experience. The children were informed that the aim of the project was to construct a map of an unfamiliar area which they were to visit. The two groups were ‘primed’ about their task in different ways, with children in Group B undertaking a slightly more complex exercise. The results show that whilst ‘priming’ has the effect of reducing disjunction between the spatial capabilities of boys and girls on simpler tasks, when the exercise is complicated boys do much better than girls in all but one of the spatial assessments. Such evidence lends further support to those who argue that the more extensive movements of boys through the environment leads to superior spatial ability. The educational implications of the results are considered.     

Volume contents

Volume Contents

Volume contents     

Memories of reward events and expectancies of reward events may work in tandem

A common assumption is that expectancies of reward events in instrumental tasks are established on the basis of Pavlovian conditioning. According to the tandem hypothesis, tested in the four runway investigations reported here employing rats, memories of reward events may serve as the conditioned stimuli eliciting expectancies. In Experiments 1–3, rats were trained under a schedule of partial reward (P), which did not produce increased resistance to extinction, and subsequently shifted to consistent reward (C). According to the tandem hypothesis, the shift to the C schedule should result in increased resistance to extinction if, as hypothesized, under the P schedule the memory of reward, S^R, came to elicit the expectancy of nonreward,_EN. This hypothesis was confirmed under a variety of conditions. It was shown that increased resistance to extinction could not be attributed to the P schedule alone, to the rats receiving two schedules, P and C, to stimuli other than S^R eliciting E_N, or to the rats forgetting reward-produced memories when expecting nonreward (Experiment 4). It was shown that the tandem hypothesis could explain the divergent findings obtained in prior studies employing a shift from P to C as well as in the present study.     

The psychological significance of secondary sexual characteristics in nine- to eleven-year-old girls

82 9-11-year-old girls were seen in order to study the onset of puberty as represented by breast and pubic hair growth. Girls filled out self-report scales, mothers rated their daughters' breast and pubic hair development using schematic representations of the Tanner stages, and height was measured by a nurse practitioner. Breast growth, but not pubic hair growth, was expected to be associated with a positive body image, positive peer relationships, superior adjustment, and the rating of adult roles as important (marriage, children, and careers). These expectations were confirmed for all but the adult role measures. Controlling for pubic hair growth did not alter the findings for breast development. Associations with height also were examined. Height was linked to superior adjustment and career importance. These findings are discussed in terms of possible roles that different pubertal events may play in the self-definitions of young adolescents as well as the meaning of various physical changes to the girl and to others.     

The Potential of Interactive Video

Interactive video combines two well‐established media, video cassette and computer‐assisted learning (CAL), in an attempt to combine the advantages and overcome the deficiencies of both. The paper describes a feasibility study of the medium, using a package that includes a video presentation intercut with interactive CAL programs, on the subject of signals in communication technology. The necessary hardware is described, and two ways of authoring the educational software are compared. Finally, the educational implications of the new medium are discussed together with a consideration of the logistic and administrative problems it presents.     

The Inclusion of Informal Environments in Science Teacher Preparation

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

The Roles of Parental Support and Family Stress in Adolescent Sleep

The current study examines the association between parental support and adolescent sleep under varying levels of family stress. Participants included 316 adolescents (M_age = 16.40 years, 43% male) and their parents (M_age = 45.67 years, 91% mothers) from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Both adolescents and parents completed questionnaires and adolescents wore wrist actigraphs and completed self‐reports on their sleep for 7 consecutive days. Results indicated that under contexts of family stress, more parental support was linked to longer sleep duration, less sleep variability, and less time spent awake during the night. Findings suggest that under contexts of family stress, cohesive family relationships may provide a sense of stability and security that is necessary for healthful sleep.     

Concept mapping for the development of medical curricula

Increased use of problem-based approaches to medical education has highlighted the challenges of curricular revision and interdisciplinary development. Venturing beyond disciplinary boundaries can be difficult, despite a desire to create interdisciplinary courses and adopt new ways of teaching. Concept mapping is an effective tool for developing an integrated curriculum. This article includes examples of concept maps that represent an entire veterinary curriculum, specific courses, and case-based exercises. The author argues that concept mapping is a valuable tool for curriculum development of any scope or discipline, but is particularly helpful for creating interdisciplinary courses and case-based exercises.     

Modernisation and Gender: education and employment in post‐Mao China

The article explores the impact of the modernisation drive in education in post‐Mao China on the education and employment of women. It argues that the market forces unleashed in the Chinese economy, after the death of Mao and the rejection of his policies, have affected women's education and employment adversely. The rhetoric of modernisation when linked to the logic of the market in a political context where the state does not countenance opposition, and an emerging civil society that is only just beginning to establish itself, leads to women being disadvantaged in new and significant ways. In both education and employment, women are being disadvantaged. Traditional values regarding the roles that women play in society, that had never been confronted by the communists under Mao, are being used to marginalise women in the areas of education and employment. Women are putting up resistance, but in the context of political control by the'Communist Party, this is a difficult task.