Styles of creativity: Adaptors and innovators in a singapore context

Kirton (1976) described two creative styles, namely adaptors and innovators. Adaptors prefer to “do things better ” whilst, innovators prefer to “do things differently ”. This study explored the relationship between two creative styles (adaptor and innovator) and the Big Five personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience) and how they subscribe to creativity, risks and goal orientations. A total of 206 Polytechnic students from Singapore completed a self-report questionnaire, which consisted of the Kirton Adaptation-Innovation Inventory (Kirton, 1976), NEO-Five Factor Inventory (Saucier, 1994), Learning Goal Scale (Ng, 2003), What Kind of Person Are You Self-Report Inventory (Khatena & Torrance, 1976), Gough’s Creative Adjective Checklist, Risk Scenario, and Risk Taking Attitude Scale developed by Ng. It was found that adaptors were significantly more conscientious and subscribe to risk avoidance, ego approach and ego avoidance orientations than innovators, whilst, innovators were significantly more extraverted and open to experience and are likely to subscribe to creativity, risk taking and mastery goal orientations than adaptors. No significant differences were found between adaptors and innovators in agreeableness. The implications for the findings for the classroom teacher will also be discussed.     

Mothers’ beliefs about risk and risk-taking in children’s outdoor play

Research studies have shown that educational programmes such as camps and field trips can develop affective and social relationships through personal exposure to outdoor experiences among students. This study will illustrate the outcome of a social emotional learning camp organized for 93 Secondary Two students (mean age 14.1) in Singapore. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were carried out during camp to assess students’ social emotional competencies (SECs) such as their self-awareness, social awareness, self-management and relationship management and responsible decision-making. Students were found to have improved in all SECs from the pre–post test questionnaire. From their camp activities and their reflections, students were found to have greater self-awareness, relationship management and self-management skills. However, teachers’ observations showed that students scored lowest in relationship management skills. Students’ self-awareness, social awareness, self-management and relationship management were found to be predictive of responsible decision-making, with 71% of the variance explained. The implications of the findings will be discussed to assist schools in enhancing students’ SECs.     

Testing a student generated hypothesis using student data

We describe an activity that allows students to experience the full process of a statistical investigation, from generating the research question, to collecting data and testing a hypothesis. Implementation of the activity is described both with and without use of clickers, handheld remotes that allow instant data collection.     

An Immodest Proposal

[CICERO] AD C. HERENNIUM DE RATIONE DICENDI (RHETORICA AD HERENNIUM) WITH AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION. By Harry Caplan. The Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1954; pp. lviii+434. $3.00.

WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING. By David P. Edgell. Boston: The Beacon Press, 1955; pp. xv+264. $4.00.

HOOF BEATS TO HEAVEN: A True Chronicle of the Life and Wild Times of Peter Cartwright, Circuit Rider. By Sidney Greenbie and Marjorie Barstow Greenbie. Penobscot, Maine: Traversity Press, 1955; pp. xx+623. $6.00.

MAKING DEMOCRACY A REALITY: JEFFERSON, JACKSON AND POLK. By Claude G. Bowers. Memphis: Memphis State College Press, 1954; pp. ix+170. $3.75.

WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON AND THE HUMANITARIAN REFORMERS. By Russel B. Nye. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1955; pp. vii+215. $3.00.

ROBERT M. LA FOLLETTE. By Fola and Belle Case La Follette. Two vols. New York: The Macmillan Co., 1953; pp. xx+vii+1305. $15.00.

JOHN HART'S WORKS ON ENGLISH ORTHOGRAPHY AND PRONUNCIATION [1551 : 1569 1570], Part I, Biographical and Bibliographical Introductions, Texts and Index Verborum. By Bror Danielsson. Stockholm: Almquist &; Wiksell, 1955; pp. 338.

THE TEACHING OF MODERN LANGUAGES. A volume of studies deriving from the International Seminar organized by the Secretariat of UNESCO at Nuwara Eliya, Ceylon, in August, 1953. Paris, France: UNESCO, 1955; pp. 294. $2.50.

PHILOSOPHY AND ANALYSIS. Edited by Margaret Macdonald. New York: Philosophical Library, 1954; pp. viii+296. §7.50.

AN INTRODUCTION TO DESCRIPTIVE LINGUISTICS. By H. A. Gleason, Jr. New York: Henry Holt, 1955; pp. ix+389. $5.50.

WORKBOOK IN DESCRIPTIVE LINGUISTICS. By H. A. Gleason, Jr. New York: Henry Holt, 1955; pp. 88. $2.25.

LANGUAGE, MEANING AND MATURITY. Edited by S. I. Hayakawa. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1954; pp. xii+364. $4.00.

NOAH WEBSTER'S PRONUNCIATION AND MODERN NEW ENGLAND SPEECH: A Comparison. By Karl‐Erik Lindlad. (American Institute, Upsala University, Sweden: Essays and Studies on American Language and Literature: XI). Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1954, pp. 90. $2.00, paper.

PRINCIPLES OF THEATRE ART. By H. D. Albright, William P. Halstead, and Lee Mitchell. Boston: Houghton Miffln Company, 1955; pp. xii+547. $6.00.

TRAGICOMEDY. By Marvin T. Herrick. Urbana, Illinois: The University of Illinois Press, 1955; pp. 331. $5.00 cloth; $4.00 paper.

AMERICA TAKES THE STAGE ROMANTICISM IN AMERICAN DRAMA AND THEATRE, 1750–1900. By Richard Moody. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1955; pp. viii+328. $5.00.

WILLIAM POEL AND THE ELIZABETHAN REVIVAL. By Robert Speaight. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1954; pp. 302. $4.75.

SPEECH: CODE, MEANING, AND COMMUNICATION. By John W. Black and Wilbur E. Moore. New York: McGraw‐Hill Book Company, Inc., 1955; pp. viii+430. $4.50.

GUIDE TO GOOD SPEECH. By James H. McBurney and Ernest J. Wrage. New York: Prentice‐Hall, Inc., 1955; pp. vi+346. $3.75.

HANDBOOK OF PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE. By Henry A. Davidson. New York: The Ronald Press Company, 1955; pp. xviii+292. $3.75.

TELEVISION PROGRAM PRODUCTION. By Carroll O'Meara. New York: The Ronald Press Company, 1955; pp. vii+361. $5.00.

PREACHING THE WORD WITH AUTHORITY. By Frederick W. Schroeder. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1954; pp. 128. $2.50.

SPEAKING IN THE CHURCH. By John Edward Lantz. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1954; pp. ix+202. $3.75.

A MOUSE IN THE CORNER. By Dorothy Will Simon. Illustrated by Patricia Holston. New York: Exposition Press, Inc.; pp. 63. $2.50.     

香港学前教育学券计划之民意调查

香港特别行政区政府自2007年9月起推行学前教育学券计划.该计划的实施引起了社会各界的争议.研究者以随机抽样方式调查了全港各类幼稚园校长、教师及家长,以期了解各方对学券计划的真实看法.调查发现:(1)受访者对学券计划基本满意.(2)学券计划带来了积极影响.(3)少数人反对学券计划所提的"五大基本原则".(4)学券计划难以提升出生率.(5)公众期望学券计划能惠及全港所有幼稚园,更希望实行免费幼儿教育.     

Factors Contributing to Improved Teaching Performance

This article focuses upon the quality and scholarship of teaching as it pertains to educational and faculty development. We outline what more than 200 faculty members at one institution have done over a 3-year period to make significant and sustained improvements in their teaching, surprisingly with minimal effort. The top three factors leading to improvement were active/practical learning, teacher/student interactions, and clear expectations/learning outcomes. We provide practical applications for change and suggestions for future research. Whitney Ransom McGowan  is a Ph.D. candidate at Brigham Young University (BYU), and she received an M.S. degree in Instructional Psychology & Technology from BYU. She is currently a research assistant for the Assistant to the Academic Vice President at BYU and also performs research at the Center for Teaching & Learning. She can be contacted at whitney.ransom@gmail.com. Charles R. Graham  is an Associate Professor of Instructional Psychology and Technology at Brigham Young University with a focus on technology-mediated teaching and learning. Graham received his Ph.D. in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University. He received his M.S. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois and his B.S. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, from BYU. He is particularly interested in studying the design and evaluation of blended learning environments. He can be contacted at charles_graham@byu.edu.     

Teacher training in K–12 student mental health: A systematic review

Teachers are in a unique position to identify and support students who experience mental health concerns. The purpose of this systematic review was to (a) identify current available evidence-based teacher training programs related to students' mental health, (b) review the content and delivery methods of the training, and (c) evaluate the quality of the research designs and evaluation methods of the training. Most training programs are delivered face-to-face and include interactive discussion and content knowledge. Content varied among the training programs. Most studies found improved knowledge among teachers; however, no studies found improvement in effective communication.     

Impaired eye tracking is associated with symptom severity but not dynamic postural control in adolescents following concussion

Purpose:The purpose of the study was to(1)examine the relationship between self-reported symptoms and concussion-related eye tracking impairments,and(2)compare gait performance between(a)adolescents with a concussion who have normal eye tracking,(b)adolescents with a concussion who have abnormal eye tracking,and(c)healthy controls.Methods:A total of 30 concussed participants(age:14.4±2.2 years,mean±SD,50%female)and 30 controls(age:14.2±2.2 years,47%female)completed eye tracking and gait assessments.The BOX score is a metric of pupillary disconjugacy,with scores<10 classified as normal and≥10 abnormal.Symptoms were collected using the Post-Concussion Symptom Scale(PCSS),and gait speed was measured with triaxial inertial measurement units.We conducted a linear regression to examine the relationship between PCSS and BOX scores and a two-way mixed effects analysis of variance to examine the effect of group(abnormal BOX,normal BOX,and healthy control)on single-and dual-task gait speed.Results:There was a significant association between total PCSS score and BOX score in the concussion group(β=0.16,p=0.004,95%confidence interval(95%CI):0.06‒0.27),but not in the control group(β=0.21,p=0.08,95%CI:
0.03 to 0.45).There were no significant associations between PCSS symptom profiles and BOX scores in the concussion or control groups.There were also no significant differences in singletask(Abnormal:1.00±0.14 m/s;Normal:1.11§0.21 m/s;Healthy:1.14±0.18 m/s;p=0.08)or dual-task(Abnormal:0.77±0.15 m/s;Normal:0.84±0.21 m/s;Healthy:0.90±0.18 m/s;p=0.16)gait speed.Conclusion:The concussed group with impaired eye tracking reported higher total symptom severity,as well as worse symptom severity across the 5 PCSS symptom domain profiles.However,eye tracking deficits did not appear to be driven by any particular symptom domain.While not statistically significant,the slower gait speeds in those with abnormal BOX scores may still be clinically relevant since gait-related impairments may persist beyond clinical recovery.