In Memoriam: Jerome Bruner (1915–2016). Polymath and pioneer in cognitive development and education / In Memoriam: Jerome Bruner (1915–2016). Erudito y pionero del desarrollo cognitivo y la educación

Jerome Seymour Bruner died on 5 June 2016 at the age of 100. Beginning as a standard experimental psychologist working with laboratory animals, he next ventured into the field of human social psychology, working in intelligence and public opinion polling during World War II. He then gained fame for his ‘New Look’ studies of perception. With A Study of Thinking Bruner took his place as a leader of the ‘Cognitive Revolution’, a movement that restored the mind to its traditional place at the core of psychology. Studies in Cognitive Growth was the developmental sequel to A Study of Thinking. It contained a number of path-breaking studies that, in essence, asked how the adult hypotheses and concept-attainment strategies documented in A Study of Thinking originated and developed in childhood. Unfortunately, these experiments on the developmental origins of adult concept attainment strategies largely got lost in the controversy over Bruner’s criticisms of Piaget. Bruner’s interest in educational experimentation, exemplified in The Process of Education, continued throughout his life. In later years he made annual pilgrimages to Reggio Emilia, a small city in northern Italy famous for its outstanding approach to early childhood education, much of it in the Brunerian tradition. Jerry Bruner’s passion for ideas and his optimistic belief that all problems were, if not actually solvable, at least attackable brought new excitement to the study of the mind of the child.     

Educational research: What (a) to do about impact!

There is a growing emphasis being placed on identifying the utility and value of social science research by government and other funders as they seek justification for its funding in the current economic climate. Even if this was not the case, however, educational researchers have been facing criticism about insufficient impact of their work from a variety of sources and for a variety of reasons since the mid‐1990s. There are considerable and enduring challenges in demonstrating the value of educational research in terms of its impact on practice and policy, not least because of the complexity of the educational contexts it seeks to influence. This paper examines these challenges from the perspectives of the purposes and audiences that educational research serves, how it is perceived by government and in the media, and how the extent of its impact might be improved through addressing the needs of its various audiences.     

The Dispositions and Skills of a Ph.D. in Education: Perspectives of Faculty and Graduate Students in One College of Education

Twenty-two faculty and graduate students were interviewed in one college of education in order to understand what the college and its constituents view as the skills, habits of mind, and dispositions needed to obtain a Ph.D. in Education. Analysis of the data was conducted using professional socialization as a theoretical framework, allowing for an understanding of the different perspectives of this topic as viewed through a developmental lens. Implications for theory and practice are included.

Engineers' professional learning: a practice-theory perspective

With the increasing challenges facing professional engineers working in more complex, global and interdisciplinary contexts, different approaches to understanding how engineers practice and learn are necessary. This paper draws on recent research in the social sciences from the field of workplace learning, to suggest that a practice-theory perspective on engineers' professional learning is fruitful. It shifts the focus from the attributes of the individual learner (knowledge, skills and attitudes) to the attributes of the practice (interactions, materiality, opportunities and challenges). Learning is thus more than the technical acquisition and transfer of knowledge, but a complex bundle of activities, that is, social, material, embodied and emerging. The paper is illustrated with examples from a research study of the learning of experienced engineers in the construction industry to demonstrate common practices – site walks and design review meetings – in which learning takes place.     

Biology Undergraduate Students’ Graphing Practice in Digital Versus Pen and Paper Graphing Environments

Journal of Science Education and Technology - Graphing is an important practice for scientists and in K-16 science curricula. Graphs can be constructed using an array of software packages as well...     

Shared Picture Book Reading Interventions for Child Language Development: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Interventions that train parents to share picture books with children are seen as a strategy for supporting child language development. We conducted meta-analyses using robust variance estimation modeling on results from 19 RCTs (N_total = 2,594; M_childage = 1–6 years). Overall, book-sharing interventions had a small sized effect on both expressive language (d = 0.41) and receptive language (d = 0.26). They had a large effect on caregiver book-sharing competence (d = 1.01). The impact of the intervention on child language was moderated by intervention dosage, with lower dosage associated with a minimal impact. Child age and caregiver education level were unrelated to child outcome. This review and meta-analysis confirms the promise of book-sharing interventions for enhancing and accelerating child language development.     

Is stroke smoothness a reliable indicator of fatigue in ergometer rowing?

A measure of stroke smoothness (SS) has been presented previously to indicate the degree to which rowers produce an “ideal” handle force profile that of the positive half of a sine wave [2]. This study aimed to determine the influence of fatigue on SS. Ten male rowers completed a maximal intensity trial. Fast Fourier transform methods were used to calculate SS which was given by the amplitude of the fundamental frequency as a percentage of the sum of the first ten peaks. Visual inspection of the data showed indications of a reduction in movement coordination as a function of fatigue. However, SS did not change significantly between the first, middle and last ten strokes (p = 0.205), despite a 21% reduction in mean power between the start and end of the trial. The results suggested that although the shape of the force profile can qualitatively indicate a reduction in movement coordination, the smoothness of the force profiles remains similar with fatigue.     

University students’ perceptions of the Internet: an exploratory study

Focus group participants are more sophisticated in their perceptions and appreciation of both Internet resources and traditional library resources than was hypothesized. They do not, however, associate the Internet with the library and do not think of asking a librarian for help when using the Internet for research.