Numeracy Abilities of Children in Grades 4 to 6 with Mild Intellectual Disability in Singapore

Mathematics is an important aspect of daily life. Basic numeracy skills are needed to accomplish everyday tasks. However, research regarding the relationship between cognitive ability, mental age, and basic numeracy skills for children with intellectual disability (ID) is scarce. This research study investigated the correlation between intellectual ability and the development of number sense and arithmetic abilities in individuals with ID. Thirty-two students from a special school for individuals with ID in Singapore participated in this research study. Based on the results, basic numeracy is more closely correlated to the mental ages of the students than their intelligence quotient. This finding will be discussed and suggestions for future research will be provided.     

Does higher education foster critical and creative learners? An exploration of two universities in South Korea and the USA

This paper describes two studies that explore students' beliefs about critical and creative learning at two universities, and considers the implications of those beliefs in comparison to the universities' stated education goals. One is a mixed method study of students at a top university in Korea, and the second is a comparative study between the Korean university and a United States (US) university. The first study found that both high-achievers and the general population at a top Korean university perceived their critical and creative abilities as lower than their receptive learning abilities, and that higher achievers were neither more critical nor creative than lower achievers. The second study finds that the Korean university students, compared to US students, were more likely to rate their receptive learning ability as higher than their critical and creative learning abilities. Comparisons across year of higher education (HE) suggest that Korean students' perceptions did not significantly change with respect to year in school, while US students' perceptions of critical learning abilities significantly increased across school years. Results are discussed with respect to the impact of culture, epistemological beliefs, and HE instruction on critical and creative learning.     

On-chip recalcification of citrated whole blood using a microfluidic herringbone mixer

In vitro assays of platelet function and coagulation are typically performed in the presence of an anticoagulant. The divalent cation chelator sodium citrate is among the most common because its effect on coagulation is reversible upon reintroduction of divalent cations. Adding divalent cations into citrated blood by batch mixing leads to platelet activation and initiation of coagulation after several minutes, thus limiting the time blood can be used before spontaneously clotting. In this work, we describe a herringbone microfluidic mixer to continuously introduce divalent cations into citrated blood. The mixing ratio, defined as the ratio of the volumetric flow rates of citrated blood and recalcification buffer, can be adjusted by changing the relative inlet pressures of these two solutions. This feature is useful in whole blood assays in order to account for differences in hematocrit, and thus viscosity. The recalcification process in the herringbone mixer does not activate platelets. The advantage of this continuous mixing approach is demonstrated in microfluidic vascular injury model in which platelets and fibrin accumulate on a collagen-tissue factor surface under flow. Continuous recalcification with the herringbone mixer allowed for flow assay times of up to 30 min, more than three times longer than the time achieved by batch recalcification. This continuous mixer allows for measurements of thrombus formation, remodeling, and fibrinolysis in vitro over time scales that are relevant to these physiological processes.     

Learning science through talking science in elementary classroom

Elementary students in grade two make sense of science ideas and knowledge through their contextual experiences. Mattis Lundin and Britt Jakobson find in their research that early grade students have sophisticated understandings of human anatomy and physiology. In order to understand what students’ know about human body and various systems, both drawings and spoken responses provide rich evidence of their understanding of the connections between science drawings and verbal explanations. In this forum contribution, we present several theoretical connections between everyday language and science communication and argue that building communication skills in science are essential. We also discuss how young participants should be valued and supported in research. Finally we discuss the need for multimodal research methods when the research participants are young.     

Predictive validity of a three-dimensional model of performance anxiety in the context of tae-kwon-do

We tested the predictive validity of the recently validated three-dimensional model of performance anxiety (Chang, Hardy, & Markland, 2009) with elite tae-kwon-do competitors (N = 99). This conceptual framework emphasized the adaptive potential of anxiety by including a regulatory dimension (reflected by perceived control) along with the intensity-oriented dimensions of cognitive and physiological anxiety. Anxiety was assessed 30 min before a competitive contest using the Three-Factor Anxiety Inventory. Competitors rated their performance on a tae-kwon-do-specific performance scale within 30 min after completion of their contest. Moderated hierarchical regression analyses revealed initial support for the predictive validity of the three-dimensional performance anxiety model. The regulatory dimension of anxiety (perceived control) revealed significant main and interactive effects on performance. This dimension appeared to be adaptive, as performance was better under high than low perceived control, and best vs. worst performance was associated with highest vs. lowest perceived control, respectively. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of the regulatory dimension of anxiety.     

Cultural Frame Switching and Emotion Among Mexican Americans

Recent evidence indicates that bicultural individuals shift between interpretive frames rooted in different cultures in response to cues encountered in a given situation. The explanation for these shifts has been labeled cultural frame switching. The current research sought to investigate the effect of priming culture among Mexican Americans. Culture was primed by exposing either Mexican or American icons to Mexican Americans prior to the individuals completing an attribution task followed by completing questionnaires assessing emotion. Results revealed that participants primed with American icons reported fewer external attributions and less positive emotion than did participants primed with Mexican icons.     

The impact of professional learning on in-service teachers’ pedagogical delivery of literacy-infused science with middle school English learners: a randomised controlled trial study in the U.S

ABSTRACT

Research in the United States show that professional learning (PL) can improve classroom instruction. However, teachers, especially educators in the content areas, receive insufficient training specific to meeting the language and academic needs of English learners (ELs). The purpose of the current randomized controlled trial (RCT) study was to introduce a high-quality PL program for supporting middle school teachers in teaching science to ELs through classroom observations, so as to evaluate whether in-service science teachers’ instructional delivery can be shaped by intensive, structured, and ongoing PL. Results indicated that after receiving PL, treatment teachers allocated a significantly higher portion of their instructional time in teaching content language, developing students’ expressive language skills, small group and pair activities, implementing strategies evidenced to effective with ELs, and providing more opportunities for students to participate in hands-on activities that were content-related and grade-appropriate. Practical implications for PL were discussed for an international audience.     

Development and evaluation of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) best care practices in long-term care online training program

ABSTRACT

We developed online training modules focused on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) designed to improve best care practices in long-term care settings, such as nursing homes, as a part of a federal grant focused on improving geriatric education for interprofessional (collaboration among different professions providing patient care) team members working in primary care settings. Faculty and clinicians with ADRD-expertise created and implemented an online asynchronous “ADRD Best Care Practices in Long-Term Care” program that includes audio-visual recorded presentations, a threaded case study, and supplemental information. Prior to enrolling in the course, participants complete a demographic survey and a modified 15-item version of the Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale. After completing the modules, participants complete a satisfaction survey and the ADKS. A total of 94 participants completed both the pre- and post-surveys. Satisfaction evaluation data showed that the majority of participants reported that the information presented was very clear (74.5%), was useful for their work (88.3%), and would improve the care that they provide to their geriatric patients (93.6%). Out of 15 possible.     

How to improve the design of experimental studies in computing education: Evidence from the international assessments

Education and Information Technologies - Cluster randomized trials are frequently used in educational research for methodological reasons. This study aims to improve the efficiency of cluster...