Book Reviews

Towards Electronic Journals: Realities for Scientists, Librarians and Publishers by Carol Tenopir and Donald W. King. Washington, DC: SLA Publishing, 2000 Science Editing and Information Management edited by Connie J. Manson. USA: Geoscience Information Society, 1999. Pp. 118. Paperback, $25.00. ISBN 0‐934485‐30‐5 Futurize Your Enterprise: Business Strategy in the Age of the E‐Customer by David Siegel. Chichester: Wiley, 1999. Hardback, £19.50, ISBN 0‐471‐357634 The Impact of Electronic Publishing on the Academic Community (the Wenner–Gren International Series, Volume 73) edited by I. Butterworth. London: Portland Press 1998, Pp. 191. Price £75. ISBN 1‐85578‐122‐0 University Library Spending on Books and Journals: A Major Concern by Peter Sowden. Available from CAPP at the Publishers Association (1 Kingsway, London WC2B 6XF)     

Perceived interplay between flexible learning spaces and teaching,learning and student wellbeing

In recognition of the evolving learning needs of twenty-first century school students, changes to teaching practices and the incorporation of technology are increasingly accompanied by modifications to the built classroom environment. Typically rows of desk and chairs are replaced with a range of furniture that can be configured in various ways to facilitate teaching and learning. This article explores the perceived relationship between these flexible learning spaces and teaching, learning and wellbeing outcomes. The perceptions and experiences of 12 school principals, 35 teachers and 85 students from four primary and four secondary schools in Australia were examined. Flexible learning spaces were reported to facilitate student-centred pedagogy and selfregulation, collaboration, and student autonomy and engagement. Modified spaces were reportedly more enjoyable, comfortable and inclusive and allowed greater interaction. The findings are discussed in light of Beaton’s five key design principles of student-centred learning environments to explore the connection between the physical classroom environment and teaching and learning. Self-Determination Theory is used to interpret how elements of the physical space facilitate the creation of a social environment that encourages greater motivation to learn and increases student wellbeing. The research contributes to an understanding of how flexible learning spaces are used and with what effect, thereby addressing a present gap in the literature.     

Evaluation of Self by Young People with Down Syndrome

There have been relatively few studies of self-esteem with young people with moderate and severe intellectual disability. One reason for this is likely to be measurement difficulties. The purpose of the present study was to assess the usefulness of three measures of self-esteem in 72 young people with Down syndrome aged from 17 to 24 years. Forty-five young people, mean VMA 5 years 10 months, were assessed on the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children and the Joseph PreSchool and Primary Self-Concept Screening Test. Nineteen young people, mean VMA 8 years 9 months, completed the Self-Perception Profile for Learning Disabled Students. Validity was assessed by reading scores and by interviews with the young people and their parents. Eight young people with the most severe intellectual disability could not do any test; the remainder were able to respond to the format of the appropriate tests. On all measures they rated themselves positively. Internal consistency estimates were high, but validity was only demonstrated for the Self-Perception Profile for Learning Disabled Students, supporting its use with the young people who had VMAs of around 7 years. Evaluation of self also showed a standard developmental trend.     

Sharing Stories: Parents' Involvement in Reading with Inner-City Nursery Children

Recent research has underlined both the benefits of parents reading stories to their children before they start school and of parental involvement in the early reading stages. A one-year project was carried out in the nursery class of an inner-city primary school to set up a regular book borrowing service to enable and encourage parents to read regularly to their pre-reception class children. The level of parental and child interest was monitored throughout. An attempt to measure the effect of the input was made by testing the children involved in the project at the end of their reception class year. Although the results do not show any significant difference in the level of achievement between the experimental school and the two control schools, the project did reveal an unexpectedly high level of parental interest in orienting children towards literacy.     

Childcare Educators’ Perceptions of and Solutions to Reducing Sitting Time in Young Children: A Qualitative Study

Young children spend a high proportion of their time at childcare sitting. Reducing sitting time or breaking up prolonged periods of sitting may be positively associated with health outcomes among children. The purpose of this study was to identify childcare educators’ perceptions of what environmental and policy modifications could be made within early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings to reduce sitting time among children during childcare. Eighty-seven educators from 11 ECEC centres participated in 11 focus groups between September 2013 and November 2013. Each focus group was audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. A semi-structured schedule was developed to investigate the educators’ perceptions of the influences on children’s sitting time at childcare. A problem–solution tree was developed to determine potential solutions for reducing total and prolonged sitting time in young children at childcare. Most educators were unaware of the high levels of sitting time among young children. Educators identified that childcare practices, the physical environment and the weather were factors that influenced children’s sitting time. Potential solutions to reduce sitting time were to break-up prolonged sitting time by using movement breaks, standing desks, movement transitions between activities, relocating key facilities around the space to promote movement, and integrating movement during learning activities. Also, educators suggested that posters could be used to increase awareness among educators about the benefits of reducing sitting time. Educators identified key practices that could be modified to reduce young children’s sitting time in childcare. These potential solutions should be evaluated to understand their effectiveness.     

Investigating the medium effect in computer-aided assessment of school Chemistry and college Computing national examinations

This article presents results of a comparison between paper and computer tests of ability in Chemistry and Computing. A statistical model is employed to analyse the experimental data from almost 200 candidates. It is shown that there is no medium effect when specific traditional paper examinations in Chemistry and Computing are transferred into electronic format. The effect of rewording for computer‐delivered test questions is also investigated and again the conclusion is that no evidence of a difference could be found. These results were obtained as part of the Project for Assessments in Scotland using Information Technology (PASS‐IT).     

Incorporating partial credit in computer-aided assessment of Mathematics in secondary education

In a mathematical examination on paper, partial credit is normally awarded for an answer that is not correct, but, nevertheless, contains some of the correct working. Assessment on computer normally marks an incorrect answer wrong and awards no marks. This can lead to discrepancies between marks awarded for the same examination given in the two different media. The current paper presents possible solutions to this problem and the results of experiments designed to test how successful these solutions are in practice. In light of the findings, developments to the assessment engine have been made and some questions redesigned for use in real automated examinations. The results were obtained as part of the Project for Assessments in Scotland using Information Technology (PASS‐IT): a major collaborative programme involving the leading educational agencies in Scotland (see http://www.pass‐it.org.uk for more details). PASS‐IT has demonstrated that the computer can help measure lower order student skill profiles provided the computer assessment package is sophisticated enough. Optional steps are required to mimic partial credit; randomisation of parameters is needed for practice and the avoidance of copying; the ability to capture and mark automatically mathematical expressions and short free text responses; and the delivery in a number of feedback modes are all vital ingredients of an automatic assessment system. PASS‐IT has shown how to ensure that education drives technology and not vice versa. Finally, collaboration has been paramount within PASS‐IT and should continue. No single group has all the keys to unlock the future of computer‐aided assessment. Scotland is well placed to move forward and e‐assess where its students e‐learn in a large range of subjects such as those delivered via the SCHOLAR Programme (see http://scholar.hw.ac.uk ). It should be done too by ensuring that teachers remain central to the learning cycle by supporting the demanding work they do through the supply of suitably filtered data on student performance. Special educational needs can also be addressed more effectively by the use of technology.     

Public television in 1976: A projection of station operation and costs

Periodically, technology develops what is touted as a new medium which makes all others obsolete. Television was going to erase radio, tape was going to do away with disc recordings, and quadrasonic sound will do away with stereo which in turn replaced monaural recording methods. Getting the most attention on these lines now is cable television and the competing methods of home video recording—cartridges, cassettes, videodiscs etc. In the following article, Mr. Christians, a Ph.D. candidate in communications at the University of Illinois, suggests that the so‐called home video “revolution” is really nothing of the kind—but rather more of the same content and controlling interests merely wrapped in different garb.