A latent profile analysis of teachers’ causal attribution for academic success or failure

European Journal of Psychology of Education - In educational contexts, interpersonal attributional theory (Weiner, 2019) posits that teachers’ beliefs about the causes underlying their...     

Moderate and vigorous physical activity intensity cut-points for the Actical accelerometer

Abstract

Accelerometry is increasingly used as a physical activity surveillance device that can quantify the amount of time spent moving at a range of intensities. This study proposes physical activity intensity cut-points for the Actical accelerometer. Thirty-eight volunteers completed a multi-stage treadmill protocol at 3, 5, and 8 km · h^?1 (2, 3.3, and 8 METs) while wearing Actical accelerometers initialized to collect data in 60-s epochs. Using a decision boundary analytical approach, moderate and vigorous physical activity intensity cut-points were derived for the Actical accelerometer. In adults (n = 26), the cut-point for moderate physical activity intensity occurred at 1535 counts per minute and the vigorous cut-point occurred at 3960 counts per minute. In children (n = 12), the cut-point for moderate physical activity intensity occurred at 1600 counts per minute and the vigorous cut-point occurred at 4760 counts per minute. Improved classification of physical activity intensity using the decision boundary cut-points was observed compared with using mean values for each protocol stage. The cut-points derived are recommended for use in adults. The cut-points derived for children confirm the findings of previous studies.     

The role of location and social strength for friendship prediction in location-based social networks

Recent advances in data mining and machine learning techniques are focused on exploiting location data. These advances, combined with the increased availability of location-acquisition technology, have encouraged social networking services to offer to their users different ways to share their location information. These social networks, called location-based social networks (LBSNs), have attracted millions of users and the attention of the research community. One fundamental task in the LBSN context is the friendship prediction due to its role in different applications such as recommendation systems. In the literature exists a variety of friendship prediction methods for LBSNs, but most of them give more importance to the location information of users and disregard the strength of relationships existing between these users. The contributions of this article are threefold, we: 1) carried out a comprehensive survey of methods for friendship prediction in LBSNs and proposed a taxonomy to organize the existing methods; 2) put forward a proposal of five new methods addressing gaps identified in our survey while striving to find a balance between optimizing computational resources and improving the predictive power; and 3) used a comprehensive evaluation to quantify the prediction abilities of ten current methods and our five proposals and selected the top-5 friendship prediction methods for LBSNs. We thus present a general panorama of friendship prediction task in the LBSN domain with balanced depth so as to facilitate research and real-world application design regarding this important issue.     

The effects of representational format on learning combinatorics from an interactive computer simulation

The current study investigated the effects of different external representational formats on learning combinatorics and probability theory in an inquiry based learning environment. Five conditions were compared in a pre-test post-test design: three conditions each using a single external representational format (Diagram, Arithmetic, or Text), and two conditions using multiple representations (Text + Arithmetic or Diagram + Arithmetic). The major finding of the study is that a format that combines text and arithmetics was most beneficial for learning, in particular with regard to procedural knowledge, that is the ability to execute action sequences to solve problems. Diagrams were found to negatively affect learning and to increase cognitive load. Combining diagrams with arithmetical representations reduced cognitive load, but did not improve learning outcomes.     

Unraveling the influence of domain knowledge during simulation-based inquiry learning

This study investigated whether the mere knowledge of the meaning of variables can facilitate inquiry learning processes and outcomes. Fifty-seven college freshmen were randomly allocated to one of three inquiry tasks. The concrete task had familiar variables from which hypotheses about their underlying relations could be inferred. The intermediate task used familiar variables that did not invoke underlying relations, whereas the abstract task contained unfamiliar variables that did not allow for inference of hypotheses about relations. Results showed that concrete participants performed more successfully and efficiently than intermediate participants, who in turn were equally successful and efficient as abstract participants. From these findings it was concluded that students learning by inquiry benefit little from knowledge of the meaning of variables per se. Some additional understanding of the way these variables are interrelated seems required to enhance inquiry learning processes and outcomes.     

An international online survey of the practices and perceptions of higher education professors with respect to the assessment of learning in the classroom

In a context where public action must demonstrate its effectiveness and efficiency, and where the links between teaching and the quality of learning are regularly highlighted, it seems relevant to identify the trends and logic that govern university professors’ decisions with respect to the modes of learning assessment favoured within the framework of their delivery of teaching services. Moreover, given that university teaching practices are changing rapidly due to the introduction of different views of the learning process, one might conclude that the same holds for assessment practices. Through our research work, we led to the development of a trilingual (English, French and Spanish) online survey devoted to an international investigation into the classroom assessment practices of higher education teachers. This survey proposes an online platform that will allow institutions of higher learning to document some of their current practices and to compare observed trends with what is happening elsewhere, in accordance with differing missions and traditions. These research notes are thus intended to describe the survey itself and to show how the questionnaire and individual items were structured, in addition to providing an overview of treatments within and between institutions that followed the testing.     

Gene-environment processes linking aggression, peer victimization, and the teacher-child relationship

Aggressive behavior in middle childhood is at least partly explained by genetic factors. Nevertheless, estimations of simple effects ignore possible gene-environment interactions (G × E) or gene-environment correlations (rGE) in the etiology of aggression. The present study aimed to simultaneously test for G × E and rGE processes between aggression, on the one hand, and peer victimization and the teacher-child relationship in school, on the other hand. The sample comprised 124 MZ pairs and 93 DZ pairs assessed in Grade 1 (mean age = 84.7 months). Consistent with rGE, children with a presumed genetic disposition for aggression were at an increased risk of peer victimization, whereas in line with G × E, a positive relationship with the teacher mitigated the genetically mediated expression of aggression.     

Early Nonparental Care and Social Behavior in Elementary School: Support for a Social Group Adaptation Hypothesis

This study examined the contribution of nonparental child‐care services received during the preschool years to the development of social behavior between kindergarten and the end of elementary school with a birth cohort from Québec, Canada (N = 1,544). Mothers reported on the use of child‐care services, while elementary school teachers rated children's shyness, social withdrawal, prosociality, opposition, and aggression. Children who received nonparental child‐care services were less shy, less socially withdrawn, more oppositional, and more aggressive at school entry (age 6 years). However, these differences disappeared during elementary school as children who received exclusive parental care caught up with those who received nonparental care services. This “catch‐up” effect from the perspective of children's adaptation to the social group is discussed.     

Bio-electrospraying and aerodynamically assisted bio-jetting whole human blood: Interrogating cell surface marker integrity

Bio-electrospraying and aerodynamically assisted bio-jetting are two direct cell handling approaches recently pioneered, which have demonstrated significant applicability to the life sciences. These two bioprotocols have undergone scientific rigor, which have seen these techniques been explored in conjunction with a wide range of immortalized, primary and stem cells, and those whole organisms. Those studies have demonstrated a cellular population of >70% viable post-treatment in comparison with controls. Although, these studies assessed cellular viability, cell surface molecules play a critical role in several cellular functions, in particular, have importance to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Thus, in the studies reported herein, we demonstrate post-treated viable cells retain their cell surface marker expression levels in comparison to controls, over both short and long time points. Therefore, these studies further push back the frontiers of both bio-electrosprays and aerodynamically assisted bio-jetting in their endeavor as novel strategies for tissue engineering and regenerative biology∕medicine with possible targeted clinical utility.     

Towards a codification of practical knowledge

As practical knowledge seems to have a central place in organisational issues, we focus on possibilities of studying and formalising it. From an unusual theoretical perspective, we view practical knowledge as embodied knowing that is only manifest through action in a particular situation. Although this knowledge is largely implicit, we try to make what is articulable explicit. After highlighting the stakes involved in the codification of practices, we review the ontological and epistemological assumptions underlying the method developed. The method is founded on participant observation, a video recording of a situated subjective perspective and an ex post interview using this perspective to aid an actor in making part of his/her practical knowledge explicit. We present its implementation within research on polar expeditions in order to understand how an experienced actor deals with risks. In conclusion, we point out (1) the importance of this kind of data in knowledge management, (2) some lines of further research.