Are there peer effects associated with having English Language Learner (ELL) classmates? Evidence from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K)

Over the past decade, several state and federal policies have directed schools to mainstream English Language Learner (ELL) students into English-only instruction classrooms. While there is mixed evidence on the effects of these immersion policies on the ELL students, research examining potential peer effects on their non-ELL classmates is non-existent. This paper begins to fill in this gap by using a nationally representative longitudinal sample of children in early elementary grades. Results indicate that having an ELL classmate during kindergarten and first grade is associated with lower test score gains in reading but not necessarily in math for non-ELL students whose primary language is English, controlling for unobserved fixed school characteristics as well as individual characteristics. The negative peer effects on reading test score gain are sensitive to the frequency of within classroom ability grouping usage, gender, and household income level of non-ELL children.     

Sektion p?dagogische Freizeitforschung und Sportp?dagogik

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Professional Learning Through Everyday Work: How Finance Professionals Self-Regulate Their Learning

Professional learning is a critical component of ongoing improvement and innovation and the adoption of new practices in the workplace. Professional learning is often achieved through learning embedded in everyday work tasks. However, little is known about how professionals self-regulate their learning through regular work activities. This paper explores how professionals in the finance sector (n-30) self-regulate their learning through day-to-day work. Analysis focuses on three sub-processes of self-regulated learning that have been identified as significant predictors of good self-regulated learning at work. A key characteristic of good self-regulation is viewing learning as a form of long-term, personalised self-improvement. This studyprovides a foundation for future policy and planning in organisations aiming to encourage self-regulated learning.     

Influence of source credibility on students’ noticing and assessing comprehension obstacles in science texts

This study aims to analyse the effect of source credibility on students’ identification and assessment of comprehension obstacles in science texts. Source credibility was manipulated by providing 12th grade students with paragraphs supposedly taken from science textbooks or, alternatively, from students’ reports. The paragraphs contained information expected to be difficult to understand by the participating students. The students were instructed to report any comprehension obstacle they might find and to rate the comprehensibility of the paragraphs. There was no effect of source credibility on noticing and reporting comprehension obstacles in the conditions of our experiments. However, there was a significant finding regarding comprehensibility scores. The students rated the comprehensibility of the paragraphs supposedly taken from science textbooks higher than the comprehensibility of the same paragraphs supposedly taken from peer reports. The finding has implications on the way students approach the understanding of science texts. An enhancement of students’ feelings of competence in dealing with scientific subject matter would have a beneficial effect on students’ assessment and validation of information in science texts.     

Analysis of the body composition of Paralympic athletes: Comparison of two methods

Body composition is a physiological variable associated with physical activity and, in some cases, is related to athletic performance. Our objectives were to describe the body composition of participants in three distinct Paralympic sports and to compare the values of body density and estimated body fat obtained from the Paralympic athletes on the National Team by air-displacement plethysmography (ADP) and by the anthropometric method (skinfolds (SFs)). The sample consisted of 70 volunteers of both genders. The body composition of the volunteers was evaluated using the ADP in a Bod Pod^® and seven SFs. There were no significant differences between the values obtained by ADP and SF for body fat percentage (p?=?.58) and body density (p?=?.49). Analysis by Bland–Altman plots showed mean differences of 0.56?±?4.94 (?9.12–10.23) and ?0.0017?±?0.0113 (?0.024–0.020) for body fat percentage and body density, respectively. In conclusion, body composition analyses of Paralympic athletes by the ADP and SF methods show similar results, and ADP should be used as the first option when available. When the use of ADP is not possible, estimating body density and fat percentage by SF is a viable alternative for Paralympic athletes when future comparisons will use the same analysis method.     

Managers Making Sense of Millennials: Perceptions of a Generational Cohort

The study of generational cohorts has seen an increase in popularity in scholarly and popular literature. Millennials comprise the newest cohort to enter the workplace. This study explores how managers use social categorization to make sense of their Millennial-generation employees. Data were collected through interviews conducted with managers in order to learn how they viewed and described Millennials. Twenty-five managers in the hospitality industry were interviewed. Data were analyzed by searching for membership categorization devices (MCDs), then patterns in usage and meaning of the devices were explored. Three patterns were identified in using MCDs to reference Millennials: “kids”, “age group,” and “Millennials”/variations of the term. These findings are examined in reference to how they may inform managerial behavior as well as guide further study of generational cohorts.     

Career interests of students in psychology specialties degrees: psychometric evidence and correlations with the RIASEC dimensions

In this study, we present the development of a vocational interest scale for university students studying psychology. Three dimensions were extracted through principal component analysis, namely, organizational, educational, and clinical psychology. A second study with confirmatory factor analysis replicated the same three factors obtained in the first study. We found significant positive correlations between clinical and educational psychology with the social dimension of Holland’s model. The enterprising dimension appeared to be significantly and positively correlated with the organizational psychology component. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Cryptography in Context: Co-teaching Ethics and Mathematics

Abstract

Many of the applied mathematics courses we teach touch upon a range of rich and important ethical issues – issues that, for a number of reasons, are rarely openly discussed in class. In this work, we describe a sequence of activities co-designed and co-taught by philosophy and mathematics faculty in the hopes of bridging the divide between the application and implementation of modern cryptography and the ethical dilemmas it creates. Although we have specifically focused on one area of applied mathematics at one particular type of institution, we highlight throughout the work the areas in which our approach can be changed to suit different content areas and student populations.     

Kinetics of Thermal‐Degradation of Betanins: A Teaching Mini‐Project for Undergraduates Employing the Red Beet

A 4‐week mini‐project is proposed for an experimental Physical Chemistry course applied in Food Science training. Activities include preparation of beet extract for the extraction of betanins and analysis of the kinetics of betanins in thermal degradation at three temperatures (60, 70, and 80 ºC). In addition to developing common laboratory routines (for example, dilution and use of the UV‐Vis spectrophotometer), students will have contact with the usual procedure for evaluating use of natural dyes in the food industry.