How and Why to Measure Personal and Historical Nostalgic Responses Through Entertainment Media

Nostalgia is increasingly and successfully used as a means to attract media recipients. But what are the effects of different types of nostalgic responses through movies, songs, and video games, and how and why should they be measured? To clarify this, the personal and historical nostalgia scales questions were validated in a media context by conducting exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and both regression and correlation analyses (studies 1 and 2). Thus, media researchers can now measure personal and historical nostalgia as a response to and across three different entertainment media: films, music, and video games. The author finds positive effects of personal nostalgia on entertainment media buying and word-of-mouth intentions, contrary to historical nostalgia.     

Metacognitive knowledge in children at early elementary school

In metacognition research, many studies focused on metacognitive knowledge of preschoolers or children at the end of elementary school or secondary school, but investigations of children starting elementary school are quite limited. The present study, thus, took a closer look at children’s knowledge about mental processes and strategies in early elementary school aiming to extend findings on the respective age period. Therefore, at first, a new test that can be administered in group settings and that assesses a broad concept of children’s metacognitive knowledge in early elementary school was evaluated. Furthermore, analyses on the structure of metacognitive knowledge were carried out in cross-sectional as well as longitudinal analyses. In a longitudinal design, the new test instrument was administered to 870 children at the end of first grade and again one year later (N?=?720). Item Response models were used to evaluate the construct validity of the test. Test characteristics were checked based on different fit statistics, test fairness, and discriminant validity. In summary, the test exhibited good psychometric properties. Analyses on the dimensionality of the assessed metacognitive knowledge revealed that different strategies seemed to form rather distinct dimensions of metacognitive knowledge. However, these dimensions showed a rather homogeneous development from first to second grade. Impacts of the findings on theoretical considerations and on the theoretical understanding of metacognitive knowledge and further analyses with metacognitive competence data are discussed.     

Assessment of metacognitive knowledge in students with special educational needs

This study investigated whether and, if so, how metacognitive knowledge can be assessed validly in students with special educational needs in a large-scale assessment like the German National Educational Panel Study. In total, 804 sixth-grade students including both regular school students attending the lowest track of secondary education (Hauptschule) and students with special educational needs in learning participated in the study. A scenario-based test of metacognitive knowledge focusing primarily on different aspects of strategy knowledge was implemented. In order to investigate optimal testing conditions, two conditions that varied in terms of administration mode were compared: autonomous reading as in regular test settings and a read-aloud condition. Reading speed and reasoning abilities were assessed as control variables. As expected, regular school students outperformed students with special educational needs in the metacognitive knowledge test. In addition, higher correlations between metacognitive knowledge and reading speed emerged in the autonomous reading condition compared to the read-aloud condition. Contrary to our expectations, a differential boost due to the testing accommodation of reading aloud was, however, only observed in regular students but not in students with special educational needs. The results are discussed with regard to educational and assessment-relevant approaches.     

Further Education of Higher Education Graduates — the More,the Better?

In times of rapid technological and organisational change, it is argued that lifelong further education becomes more and more important for labour market success. Especially in labour market segments for the highly qualified, it is essential to constantly update one's qualifications. This is reflected in the finding that graduates with tertiary education are closely involved in further training measures at the beginning of their life courses. Almost all take part in at least one further training measure in the first five years after graduation. The further education strategies of higher education graduates, however, vary greatly in terms of frequency of participation, duration of measures, financing of the measure and the type of skills acquired. Using a German graduate panel which traces a sample of graduates up to five years after they obtained their degree in 1997 (HIS Absolventenpanel), we analyse which of these strategies are most successful in terms of wages. Using random effect panel models, we find — controlling for a variety of other factors — that the frequency of participation in further education only has a significant positive influence on male graduates' wages. Moreover, it is mainly measures paid exclusively by the employer and courses directed at personality development, i.e. management skills, which have substantial wage premiums.     

Amateur Photographs as Visual Quotes

The participation of amateurs in the production of news has been widely noted as a growing phenomenon. Recent research demonstrates that amateur photographs are understood as raw, additional or potential elements of news content making and are subject to a translation process. In this paper, I introduce the concept of the visual quote to show how news media workers both accommodate and distance themselves from amateur content. In making the connection between amateur photographs and quotes, I aim to shift the understanding of amateur photographs away from the perception that they represent a new form of journalism. Instead I use the concept of the visual quote to identify how news media workers maintain their professional authority over amateur photographs in much the same way as quotes from bystanders are used in written journalism. The concept of the visual quote also acknowledges the role of the camera as a note-taking device in contemporary media use. I argue that the sourcing of amateur photographs is not explicitly disruptive; rather it blends with the existing processes of professional news media practice. It questions claims that the rise of the amateur would lead to fundamental changes in media and society. The research was conducted in 2010/2011 using interview evidence and observations collected at the Australian Leader Community Newspapers chain. Interviews were also conducted with representatives from a further 14 media institutions in Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom. In addition, secondary sources were used to provide further insights and suggest general tendencies in the field.     

Influences of television: Views from the next generation

This study examines sixth through tenth graders’ open‐ended responses to television's influences on their lives. Results suggest that there is little evidence of clearcut positive or negative interpretations of the medium's influences. Students identified a wide variety of both positive and negative effects of the medium, demonstrating a multifaceted understanding of the role of the medium.     

Childbirth Education and Obstetric Interventions Among Low-Risk Canadian Women: Is There a Connection?

The objective of this study was to examine the associations between attendance at childbirth education classes and maternal characteristics (age, income, educational level, single parent status), maternal psychological states (fear of birth, anxiety), rates of obstetric interventions, and breastfeeding initiation. Between women’s 35th and 39th weeks of gestation, we collected survey data about their childbirth fear, anxiety, attendance at childbirth education classes, choice of health-care provider, and expectations for interventions; we then linked women’s responses (n = 624) to their intrapartum records obtained through Perinatal Services British Columbia. Older, more educated, and nulliparous women were more likely to attend childbirth education classes than younger, less educated, and multiparous women. Attending prenatal education classes was associated with higher rates of vaginal births among women in the study sample. Rates of labor induction and augmentation and use of epidural anesthesia were not significantly associated with attendance at childbirth education classes. Future studies might explore the effect of specialized education programs on rates of interventions during labor and mode of birth.     

A current landscape of specific learning disability identification: Training,practices, and implications

Specific learning disability (SLD) identification procedures vary across states (Maki et al., 2015, School Psychol Quart, 30, 457–469); however, the extent to which SLD identification methods are implemented at the district level is not well understood. Moreover, the high‐stakes nature of SLD identification necessitates extensive training, but research regarding graduate and postgraduate training in SLD is limited. This study examined school psychologists’ SLD training and practices through survey methodology. Results showed that a growing number of school psychologists use, prefer, and receive training in response to intervention and pattern of strengths and weaknesses to identify students with SLD while the use of and preference for ability–achievement discrepancy may be decreasing. However, nearly one‐third of school psychologists still reported the use of ability–achievement discrepancy. In addition, over half of school psychologists reported using state department of education guidance documents to inform their SLD identification practices. Implications for training and practice are discussed.