Processing of identity and conditional relations in monkeys (Cebus apella) and pigeons (Columba livid)

Learning & Behavior - As a test of differential processing of identity and conditional relations, subjects were first highly trained on 0-sec delay identity matching (IM) and conditional...     

Achievement emotions with location-based mobile augmented reality: An examination of discourse processes in simulated guided walking tours

The purpose of this study is to experimentally manipulate discourse processes hypothesized to impact the emotions students experience when interacting with handheld augmented reality devices in informal learning settings. Research conducted in the field is often limited by practical constraints, requiring heavy investments in time and resources to collect data from large samples of students. To demonstrate the feasibility of our proposed method, a guided walking tour with 60 students using a location-based augmented reality app was simulated in the context of a controlled laboratory setting. The difference between groups of students clustered into distinct profiles of positive and negative self-reported emotions was attributed to patterns in the mined dialog between students and tour guide. Furthermore, student engagement predicted the ability to recall topics covered in the tour. We discuss the implications and directions for future research in tour simulations conducted in a laboratory setting as a means to evaluate the role of mobile technologies in enhancing learning and desirable emotions.     

Reactive attachment disorder: Implications for school readiness and school functioning

School readiness and functioning in children diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) are important issues due to the dramatic impact RAD has on multiple areas of development. The negative impact of impaired or disrupted early relationships, characterized by extreme neglect, abuse, parental mental illness, domestic violence, and repeated changes in caregivers is examined. A key component of social and emotional development is self‐regulation, which is a critical variable in school readiness and is often impaired in children with RAD. Highlighted topics include the academic and school areas which may exacerbate attachment disturbances as well as ways in which teachers and other school professionals can encourage the development of more productive relationships. Interventions are provided which lead to greater success in school for these children. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 43: 471–479, 2006.     

ICT,educational technology and educational instruments. Will what has worked work again elsewhere in the future?

Computers in education have been around for more than 30 years. They have been the vector not only of diverse forms of educational technology, but also of many new kinds of learning activities using software instruments. With the gradual trivialization of computer systems, the initially rather positive expectations about computers in education have progressively turned into more skeptical attitudes about the use of ICT. What is really working with computers in education? Was the investment worth the outcomes? The number of scientific studies focusing on these issues is huge. Most of their results have been obtained either by very focused experiments on some educational technology, generally involving a limited number of students, or by surveys, taking into account large numbers of learners but with little control about the kind of activities that were actually organized. Overall, hardly any conclusive results about possible causal implications of using ICT in learning have been obtained and there is no evidence about the stability of existing results over time. This paper, particularly taking into account the French experience, draws attention on the specific case of software instruments. These instruments do not exactly aim at performing more efficiently existing activities, but lead to invent new learning activities better in line with constructivist views. It suggests that, besides studies about what works, more research is in order about how it works and contends that what will work in the future is linked to the capability of the teaching profession and their allies to collectively build and discuss new interrogations and solutions to pedagogical problems, which will sustain and regulate the many discoveries of innovators.     

The evaluation of faculty development programs

This article reviews literature pertinent to the evaluation of faculty development programs and presents data from several studies conducted at two institutions. These data were consistent with those previously reported in that faculty participants consistently expressed satisfaction with development services. In addition, one study found that most faculty members voluntarily took some action to improve their instructional effectiveness, though only a minority pursued these efforts in depth. Volunteers who worked intensively with a faculty development consultant improved more on objective measures of effectiveness than did those who were only superficially involved in improvement efforts; those who received no consultative assistance failed to improve significantly. Evidence from a final study provided a control for faculty motivation and led to the conclusion that improvement was contingent both on faculty desire to improve and on the availability of professional assistance.     

Caregiver perceptions of inclusive playgrounds targeting toddlers and preschoolers with disabilities: has recent international and national policy improved overall satisfaction?

The purpose of the current study was to survey and interview caregivers of children with disabilities (ages 2–5 years) to obtain their input as to whether current playground equipment meets their child's needs. A total of 149 participants agreed to participate. Caregivers (i) indicated that their child with a disability could not fully participate in the playground's offerings, (ii) felt that the playground was not appropriate for their child with a disability and (iii) dreamed of a fully inclusive playground that met their child's needs. The results also demonstrate that social participation barriers continue to remain for families who have children with disabilities despite the passing of international human rights standards targeting individuals with disabilities and a global focus in improving the overall well‐being of children with disabilities.     

Immersion,Reflection, Failure: Teaching Graduate Students to Teach Writing Online

ABSTRACT

A common challenge facing those who prepare graduate students to teach writing online is the need to help those students connect online writing instruction (OWI) theory with their classroom practice. The authors present how graduate students are prepared to teach writing online at three universities and then synthesize those approaches to highlight three principles that can guide effective OWI preparation for graduate students in any program: immersion, reflection, and failure.     

Change in Family Income-to-Needs Matters More for Children with Less

Hierarchical linear modeling was used to model the dynamics of family income-to-needs for participants of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care (N = 1,364) from the time that children were 1 through 36 months of age. Associations between change in income-to-needs and 36-month child outcomes (i.e., school readiness, receptive language, expressive language, positive social behavior, and behavior problems) were examined. Although change in income-to-needs proved to be of little importance for children from nonpoor families, it proved to be of great importance for children from poor families. For children in poverty, decreases in income-to-needs were associated with worse outcomes and increases were associated with better outcomes. In fact, when children from poor families experienced increases in income-to-needs that were at least 1 SD above the mean change for poor families, they displayed outcomes similar to their nonpoor peers. The practical importance and policy implications of these findings are discussed.