On the Need for Dionysian Education in Schools Today

Although much has been written about Friedrich Nietzsche's views on education over the years, and much has also been written about Dionysus, god of wine and ecstasy, very little attention has been given to the meaning of, and need for, Dionysian education. In this article, Sean Steel attempts to begin that project. Drawing Nietzsche's articulation of the Dionysian, Apollonian, and anti‐Dionysian into the orbit of broader scholarship on Dionysus, Steel invites readers to think about what a Dionysian education might look like in a modern‐day school setting, as well as to consider what challenges exist for the implementation of such a vision of education.     

Reexamining the Link Between Cultivation Factors and Viewer Involvement: Investigating Viewing Amount as a Catalyst for the Transportation Process

In an effort to expand on prior cultivation research involving narrative processing (Bilandzic &; Busselle, 2008 Bilandzic , H. , &; Busselle , R. W. ( 2008 ). Transportation and transportability in the cultivation of genre-consistent attitudes and estimates . Journal of Communication , 58 ( 3 ), 508 – 529 . doi: 10.1111/j.1460–2466.2008.00397.x [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]), this study examined the interrelationships between viewing amount and the transportation process. Results showed that transportation mediated the relationship between genre-specific television viewing and perceived realism, while overall television viewing directly predicted reduced counterarguing. In addition, structural equation modeling was employed to test a combined cultivation-transportation model leading to changes in viewer excessive drinking perceptions. Findings indicated that genre-specific television viewing indirectly influenced beliefs through increased transportation. Conversely, a significant, direct path was found between overall viewing and excessive drinking beliefs, supporting the original cultivation perspective.     

An Integrated Knowledge Framework to Characterize and Scaffold Size and Scale Cognition (FS2C)

Size and scale cognition is a critical ability associated with reasoning with concepts in different disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. As such, researchers and educators have identified the need for young learners and their educators to become scale-literate. Informed by developmental psychology literature and recent findings in nanoscale science and engineering education, we propose an integrated knowledge framework for characterizing and scaffolding size and scale cognition called the FS2C framework. Five ad hoc assessment tasks were designed informed by the FS2C framework with the goal of identifying participants' understandings of size and scale. Findings identified participants' difficulties to discern different sizes of microscale and nanoscale objects and a low level of sophistication on identifying scale worlds among participants. Results also identified that as bigger the difference between the sizes of the objects is, the more difficult was for participants to identify how many times an object is bigger or smaller than another one. Similarly, participants showed difficulties to estimate approximate sizes of sub-macroscopic objects as well as a difficulty for participants to estimate the size of very large objects. Participants' accurate location of objects on a logarithmic scale was also challenging.     

Mathematics Anxiety in Young Children: An Exploratory Study

This study explored the nature of mathematics anxiety in a sample of 106 ethnically and linguistically diverse first-grade students. Although much is known about mathematics anxiety in older children and adults, little is known about when mathematics anxiety first emerges or its characteristics in young children. Results from exploratory factor analysis indicated that mathematics anxiety in first grade is a multidimensional construct encompassing negative reactions, numerical confidence, and worry. Negative reactions were related specifically to foundational mathematical concepts whereas numerical confidence was related specifically to computation skill; worry was not related to any outcome. Levels of mathematics anxiety did not differ by sex or language background. Overall, negative reactions and numerical confidence were found to be the most salient dimensions of mathematics anxiety in this sample.     

Understanding the Routine Expression of Deceptive Affection in Romantic Relationships

Studies suggest that individuals regularly communicate inauthentic affectionate messages to their romantic partners. Yet, most studies do not describe this process, what constitutes deceptive affection, or the functions involved. The study involved a 7-day diary in which participants recorded what they lied about, why they lied, and how they used affection to deceive their romantic partners. Results indicate that participants lied about their own feelings, feelings about their partners, or feelings about the situation. They communicated deceptive affection using verbal messages of confirmation or avoidance, and incorporated nonverbal cues of haptics, proxemics, and kinesics. Motives for the deception included face-saving, conflict management/avoidance, and emotion management. This study provides a clearer picture of how deceptive communication may support and maintain romantic relationships.     

Stereotypes of Aging: Their Effects on the Health of Seniors in North American Society

Seniors are routinely subjected to negative stereotypes regarding their physical and cognitive abilities. The power and prevalence of cultural stereotypes of aging essentially results in a “double-whammy” to seniors. First, they influence the way that seniors are treated by society. Second, cultural stereotypes affect how seniors see themselves. The ramifications here are important, for research suggests that stereotypes influence decisions to engage in cognitive and physical activity, the ability to recover from disease and, ultimately, the length and quality of life. Considering the demographic trends in North America, finding ways to effectively minimize and counteract the most negative stereotypes remains a pressing social concern.     

“Emerging” organized crime hypotheses in criminology textbooks: The case of African-American organized crime

Contemporary textbooks exhibit competing historical perspectives regarding so-called “emerging” organized crime groups. Some texts argue that organized crime committed by groups other than Sicilian/Italian-Americans is now emerging. Others hold that many of the “emerging” groups have been organizing crime for some time and that it is the research in this area that is emerging. This paper briefly examines these propositions, presenting the two groups of thought regarding African-American organized crime. The author then presents a literature review of African-American organized crime research to assist scholars and instructors attempting to better understand the competing perspectives.     

Right is Wrong: an examination of the effect of right justification on reading

Previous attempts to examine the effects of different types of text format on reading have focused on the improvement of reading. The present study investigated the effect of using a text format that might be predicted to disrupt reading. In this study 56 individuals were presented with reading material presented in right-justified format and in'ragged'uneven line format. Subjects performed significantly worse on right-justified material. Subjects who were classified as good readers on the basis of a pretest were more affected than poor readers. It is suggested that this may result from differences in the reading style of good and poor readers.     

Using Spacing to Enhance Diverse Forms of Learning: Review of Recent Research and Implications for Instruction

Every day, students and instructors are faced with the decision of when to study information. The timing of study, and how it affects memory retention, has been explored for many years in research on human learning. This research has shown that performance on final tests of learning is improved if multiple study sessions are separated—i.e., “spaced” apart—in time rather than massed in immediate succession. In this article, we review research findings of the types of learning that benefit from spaced study, demonstrations of these benefits in educational settings, and recent research on the time intervals during which spaced study should occur in order to maximize memory retention. We conclude with a list of recommendations on how spacing might be incorporated into everyday instruction.     

A review of primary and secondary influences on sport expertise

Sport scientists have examined numerous factors influencing the acquisition and manifestation of high levels of performance. These factors can be divided into variables having a primary influence on expertise and variables that have a secondary influence through their interaction with other variables. Primary influences on expertise include genetic, training, and psychological factors while secondary influences include socio‐cultural and contextual elements. This paper reviews the factors affecting the development of expert performance in sport and suggests directions for future research.