A comparison of the mystery motivator and the Get 'Em On Task interventions for off‐task behaviors

Attending to instruction is a critical behavior for academic success. Many elementary school teachers, however, identify disruptive and inattentive classroom behaviors as key barriers to students' successful educational performance. This study examined the impact of two class‐wide positive behavior support programs. The Mystery Motivator and Get 'Em On Task interventions were implemented in an alternating treatments design with fifth grade participants to decrease off‐task behaviors. Results indicated that both interventions effectively decreased off‐task behavior at the class‐wide level. Implications and suggestions for future research on evidence‐based behavioral interventions are discussed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Increased plasma zonulin in patients with sepsis

Introduction:

Zonulin is a eukaryotic protein structurally similar to Vibrio cholerae’s zonula occludens toxin. It plays an important role in the opening of small intestine tight junctions. The loss of gut wall integrity during sepsis might be pivotal and has been described in various experimental as well as human studies. Increased levels of zonulin could be demonstrated in diseases associated with increased intestinal inflammation, such as celiac disease and type 1 diabetes. We therefore investigated the role of plasma levels of zonulin in patients with sepsis as a non-invasive marker of gut wall integrity.

Materials and methods:

Plasma level of zonulin was measured in 25 patients with sepsis, severe sepsis or septic shock according to ACCP/SCCM criteria at the first day of diagnosed sepsis. 18 non-septic post-surgical ICU-patients and 20 healthy volunteers served as control. Plasma levels were determined by using commercially available ELISA kit. Data are given as median and interquartile range (IQR).

Results:

Significantly higher plasma concentration of zonulin were found in the sepsis group: 6.61 ng/mL (IQR 3.51–9.46), as compared to the to the post-surgical control group: 3.40 ng/mL (IQR 2.14–5.70) (P = 0.025), as well as to the healthy group: 3.55 ng/mL (IQR 3.14–4.14) (P = 0.008).

Conclusion:

We were able demonstrate elevated levels of plasma zonulin, a potential marker of intestinal permeability in septic patients. Increased zonulin may serve as an additional mechanism for the observed increased intestinal permeability during sepsis and SIRS.     

‘Shit shows’ or ‘like-minded schools’: charter schools and the neoliberal logic of Teach For America

Over the past three decades, two neoliberal educational reform efforts have emerged in tandem – the charter school movement and Teach For America (TFA). This paper critically examines the relationship between these entities through the lens of TFA corps members placed in charter schools, and explores two types of schools described by interviewees, namely, ‘shit shows,’ and ‘like-minded schools.’ Grounded in corps members’ teaching experiences, this paper argues that even at its best, the close partnership between TFA and charters can create a mutually reinforcing educational subculture that is isolated from broader educational discourses and practices. At its worst, this partnership can result in the ill-advised ‘propping up’ of under-funded, mismanaged, ill-equipped charters that might otherwise struggle to find adequate staffing and, consequently, close. This paper suggests that these two tendencies – toward corps members’ insularity and poor placement – have the potential to conflict with the charter movement’s and TFA’s stated purposes of improving the quality of schooling for disadvantaged and marginalized students.     

Lesson study in teacher development: A paradigm shift from a culture of receiving to a culture of acting and reflecting

This article describes how lesson study creates a process of teacher learning whilst developing student learning through collaborative planning, guided observation and reflection. It presents a framework for conducting lesson study in a teacher development programme in Lower Austria. The role of knowledgeable others in the development of ownership for educational change towards competence‐oriented teaching and learning is explored and an overview of the organisational requirements and practical effects in the implementation of professional learning communities is given. In doing so, the article sheds light on training strategies and material development. Thus, insights on a paradigm shift in teacher development towards learning focused on discourse and reflected action are presented.     

Global rankings in the Nordic region: challenging the identity of research-intensive universities?

Global university rankings currently attract considerable attention, and it is often assumed that such rankings may cause universities to prioritize activities and outcomes that will have a positive effect in their ranking position. A possible consequence of this could be the spread of a particular model of an “ideal” university. This article tests this assumption through an analysis of a sample of research-intensive universities in the Nordic region. Through document analysis and interviews with institutional leaders and staff from central administration, the study explores whether high-ranked Nordic universities take strategic measures as a response to global rankings, and whether the traditional identities of the universities are changing, as they are influenced and affected by the rankings. The study shows that rankings have a relatively modest impact on decision-making and strategic actions in the Nordic universities studied, and that there are few signs of rankings challenging the existing identities of the universities in this region.     

Which features make illustrations in multimedia learning interesting?

How can illustrations motivate learners in multimedia learning? Which features make illustrations interesting? Beside the theoretical relevance of addressing these questions, these issues are practically relevant when instructional designers are to decide which features of illustrations can trigger situational interest irrespective of individual differences. We analysed ratings of illustrations with respect to four potentially interest-triggering features (concreteness, personal relevance, ease of comprehension and unexpected information) and to situational interest. A methodological contribution was to show how multilevel modelling can be applied to take individual differences into account in several respects. Situational interest was predicted by 957 ratings of the four features on an intra-individual level (level 1). Inter-individual differences were controlled by modelling individuals on level 2 (N?=?82 high-school students). Concreteness, personal relevance and ease of comprehension of illustrations are what mainly triggered situational interest. Nearly, 55% of the situational interest variance was explained by inter-individual preferences, thus, highlighting the usefulness of multilevel modelling to control for individual differences.     

Writing by academics: a transactional and systems approach to academic writing behaviours

The literature on academic writing in higher education contains a wealth of research and theory on students’ writing, but much less on academics’ writing. In performative higher education cultures, discussions of academics’ writing mainly concern outputs, rather than the process of producing them. This key component of academic work remains under-theorized, and the exact nature of the challenge of academic writing is understated at best and misunderstood at worst. This paper offers a new approach to academic writing, based on a transactional and a systems model, which aims to understand academic writing practices. This paper offers a new explanation of the challenge of academic writing, defining factors that enable and inhibit academics’ writing.     

Conceptions of intelligence and learning and perceptions of self-efficacy among students at the end of primary school

Several studies have focused on the role of students’ conceptions of intellectual ability, the learning process and the self-efficacy. However, these three parameters have not been integrated and analysed within the same model. Against this background, the objective of our research is to identify the links that develop between these three constructs. To this end, we have put forward two hypotheses: 1. The conception that intelligence is constructed directly and positively affects the conception that learning is a constructive process. This has a positive impact on perceived self-efficacy. 2. The conception that intelligence is a fixed trait directly and positively affects the conception that learning is a reproductive process and leads to lower perceptions of self-efficacy. To test these hypotheses, we conducted research using a questionnaire distributed among 1112 students in their last year of primary school. The questionnaires were subject to statistical analysis using structural equation modelling. The results confirm our hypotheses and thus show the relevance of our model.     

Embedded Stem Priming Effects in Prefixed and Suffixed Pseudowords

Previous research has repeatedly revealed evidence for morpho-orthographic priming effects in suffixed words. However, evidence for the morphological chunking of prefixed words is sparse and ambiguous. The goal of the present study was to directly contrast the processing of prefixed and suffixed pseudowords within the same experiment. We carried out a masked primed lexical decision experiment, in which the same target (AMOUR [LOVE]) was preceded by a prefixed (préamour [prelove]), a nonprefixed (brosamour [broslove]), a suffixed (amouresse [lovedom]), and a nonsuffixed (amourugne [lovedel]) prime. The results revealed significant priming across all four conditions. Moreover, priming was modulated by individual differences in reading proficiency. High-proficiency readers showed evidence for embedded stem priming effects, independent of whether stems occurred in combination with a real affix or a nonaffix. This finding is of relevance to recent morphological processing theories, suggesting that embedded stems represent salient activation units during the reading of complex pseudowords.