Growth of Cognitive Skills in Preschoolers: Impact of Sleep Habits and Learning-Related Behaviors

Research Findings: The present study used a longitudinal design to identify how sleep habits and learning-related behaviors impact the development of cognitive skills in preschoolers (ages 3–5). Sixty- seven children with parental report and cognitive skill assessment data were included. Scores on the Differential Ability Scales (C. Elliott, 1990 Elliott, C. 1990. Differential Ability Scales: Introductory and technical handbook. New York: Psychological Corporation..  [Google Scholar]) were obtained at ages 3, 4, and 5. A Sleep Questionnaire (D. Gozal, 1998 Gozal, D. 1998. Sleep disordered breathing and school performance in children.. Pediatrics, 192: 616–620.  [Google Scholar]) with 12 items from the Child Behavior Checklist (T. M. Achenbach &; L. A. Rescorla, 2000 Achenbach, T. M. and Rescorla, L. A. 2000. Manual for ASEBA preschool forms &; profiles. Burlington: University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth, &; Families..  [Google Scholar]) related to children's attention and activity levels was administered at age 3. Growth curve changes in cognitive scores were estimated using hierarchical linear modeling. Parental reports of nighttime sleep duration predicted level of cognitive skills at 3 years. The effect of sleep duration on cognitive scores was constant across age. Practice or Policy: Sleep and learning-related behaviors distinguish the cognitive skills children bring to preschool programs and impact gains made in skills while in preschool.     

Platform War vs. Platform Synergy? A Longitudinal Analysis of Media Substitution between Personal Computers and Mobile Devices

ABSTRACT

Research on media substitution theory has examined substitutional and/or complementary relationships between new and existing media. This study focuses on the growth of mobile platforms and investigates the relationship between mobile devices and personal computers. Using Nielsen’s panel data that provide electronically recorded media usage (N = 2,396), this study analyzes yearly changes in time allocation to mobile devices and PCs at total and content-specific usage levels during mobile 4G transition. Results suggest a complementarity dynamic between mobile devices and PCs; however, the patterns were more nuanced in light of the role of individual and structural factors when determining media choice.     

Revisiting disposition assessment in teacher education: broadening the focus

Today's teacher education programmes across the world strive to equip future teachers with the high‐quality knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to teach students. The assessment of teacher dispositions has thus become essential to cultivate those qualities. However, the current approach to disposition assessment in the United States focuses on personal characteristics and character‐related dispositions and is frequently used as a sorting device to identify those who appear to be inadequately disposed to teaching. Expanding on earlier work by the author and colleagues, this paper examines the issue of whether more efforts should be made to incorporate elements to assess competence‐related dispositions in conjunction with the character‐related dispositions across assessment tools and, if so, how this could be accomplished. In addition, this paper will clarify some dispositional concepts and terms used interchangeably that actually differ from one another and can confuse the consistency of disposition assessment. Finally, a framework for assessing technology disposition as an example of competence‐related disposition and for broadening the focus of disposition assessment is suggested.     

The commuter student and student satisfaction

This study examined the variables associated with student satisfaction on a commuter campus. A sample of 38 classes was used and resulted in 782 undergraduates responding to questionnaires. The variables included were: age, student level, student's grade, perception of educational benefits, and satisfaction with college experience. A causal model was built and tested in order to determine the direct and indirect effects of these variables upon student satisfaction. While the student level had a negative influence upon satisfaction, both age and grade had a moderate effect upon student satisfaction. The perception of educational benefits seemed to be the most critical variable in predicting student satisfaction.     

A young child’s dialogic appropriation of programmable robots

This qualitative case study explores a 6-year-old boy’s dialogic appropriation of programmable robots. The study was conducted in two robotics education programs for children aged four to seven. Drawing on Bakhtin’s (1981) notion of appropriation, we found that the focal child actively engaged with the programmable robots by (1) transforming the given features of the robots, (2) hybridizing the programming practice with the ordinary practices of his peer culture and (3) constructing his own perspective on the agency of robots and the meaning of programming. We argue that the ways in which the focal child engaged with the programmable robots went beyond mere adoption of the robots but rather took the form of dialog.     

复杂环境下战略人力资源管理的选择原理和方法

20世纪90年代以来，组织环境的相对稳定性和可知性正被不确定性、复杂性所替代，实施组织变革和战略人力资源管理以获取竞争优化已越来越受到人们的重视。本文从概念系统分析角度，描述了环境的复杂性特征，组织的复杂性与组织变革的关系，外部环境复杂性和组织复杂性的耦合效应。在此基础上，对不同类型企业的战略人力资源管理选择、战略人力资源管理的重点进行了探讨。     

The education of academically gifted students in South Korea: Innovative approaches in shadow education

Shadow education contributes to the learning and academic careers of Korean students. It benefits, in particular, gifted students who are strongly motivated and who outperform their peers academically. In this study, we explored the innovative characteristics of shadow education curricula for gifted students in terms of curricular programmes, methods, and teaching-learning materials. Also, we explored how shadow education practices meet the academic abilities and needs of students. Informed by a literature review and qualitative research methods, the results reveal how common shadow education is; effects of shadow education; and innovative elements used in shadow education for gifted students in Korea. Overall, we found that shadow education plays a crucial role in gifted education; it is a necessary component for understanding academic excellence among students in Korea. The findings are helpful for teachers, curriculum developers, and policymakers as they explore how public schooling can help to support strongly motivated and academically advanced students.     

Electric charge-mediated coalescence of water droplets for biochemical microreactors

This work proposes the use of charged droplets driven by the Coulombic force as solution-phase reaction chambers for biological microreactions. A droplet can be charged near an electrode under dc voltage by direct contact to the electrode. This process is called electrical charging of droplet (ECOD). This charged droplet can then be transported rapidly between electrodes following the arc of an electric field line by exploiting electrostatic force. As on-demand electrocoalescence, both alkalization of phenolphthalein and bioluminescence reaction of luciferase in the presence of adenosine triphosphate are studied to test the feasibility of the biochemical microreactors using ECOD. Two oppositely charged droplets are merged to have a color change immediately after microchemical reaction. The applicability of an ECOD-driven droplet to measurement of glucose concentration is also tested. The glucose concentration is measured using a colorimetric enzyme-kinetic method based on Trinder’s reaction [J. Clin. Pathol. 22, 158 (1969)]. The color change in the merged droplet is detected with an absorbance measurement system consisting of a photodiode and a light emitting diode.