Cognitive load theory,the transient information effect and e-learning

When using modern educational technology, some forms of instruction are inherently transient in that previous information usually disappears to be replaced by current information. Instructional animations and spoken text provide examples. The effects of transience due to the use of animation-based instructions (Experiment 1) and spoken information under audio-visual conditions (Experiment 2) were explored in a cognitive load theory framework. It was hypothesized that for transient information presented in short sections, animations would be superior to static graphics, due to our innate ability to learn by observing. For transient information in long sections, animations should lose their superiority over static graphics, due to working memory overload associated with large amounts of transient information. Similarly, the modality effect under which audio-visual information is superior to visual only information should be obtainable using short segments but disappear or reverse using longer segments due to the working memory consequences of long, transient, auditory information. Results supported the hypotheses. The use of educational technology that results in the transformation of permanent into transitory information needs to be carefully assessed.     

Popularizing the ancestry of man: Robert Ardrey and the killer instinct

This essay examines Robert Ardrey (1908-1980)-American playwright, screenwriter, and prolific author-as a case study in the popularization of science. Bringing together evidence from both paleoanthropology and ethology, Ardrey became in the 1960s a vocal proponent of the theory that human beings are innately violent. The essay shows that Ardrey used his popular scientific books not only to consolidate a new science of human nature but also to question the popularizer's standard role, to reverse conventional hierarchies of scientific expertise, and to test the boundaries of professional scientific authority. Understanding how he did this can help us reassess the meanings and uses of popular science as critique in Cold War America. The essay also shows that E. O. Wilson's sociobiology was in part a reaction to the subversive political message of Ardrey's science.     

Hiding in plain sight: Paratextual utterances as tools for information-related research and practice

Through a qualitative content analysis of a purposive sample (the 2010 finalists of the Canadian Governor General's Literary Awards in both French and English), this study investigates what information can be gleaned from the book-as-object using peritext as a research tool. Using the theories of Gérard Genette, who defined the paratext, and Pierre Bourdieu, this research posits that paratextual utterances serve as an expression and tool of the cultural realm of publication and can be used for informational purposes in library and information science (LIS) research and practice. Findings indicate that the peritext is a rich source for gathering information about authorship and publishing as it reveals contextually relevant information, shares the author's informational tools, constructs the author, markets titles, and provides relevant information for specific age groups and genres. Discussion centers on the impact for libraries and the LIS community, with a focus on readers' advisory.     

The changing discourse on race in contemporary Cuba

During the last decade, the positivist perspective of social reality has lost credibility in education and other fields, giving way to a wide range of alternative conceptions of social science. This proliferation is welcome but confusing. This paper examines several intellectual traditions within the “post‐positivist camp” and identifies a number of approaches to decoding social reality as guidelines for field‐based research.     

Strategic and bonding effects of enhancing the student feedback process

In order to produce distinctiveness that leads to competitive advantage, higher education institutions must remain cognizant that students are co-creators. Thus, to create genuine value in educational service delivery, there is a need for a more highly developed understanding of the student-institutional intersection. The present research contributes to the marketing of higher education by developing and testing a model related to the antecedents of a broader conception of student feedback as part of student/customer orientation and co-creation. Conceived as customer feedback, student feedback to an educational institution can be positive (compliment), negative (complaint), or be an idea for an improvement to any person, or service group of the institution. Perceived ease of the feedback process and perceived usefulness, customer orientation and affective commitment are found as antecedents to intention to provide feedback. The result is a model with conceptual and managerial implications for strategically bonding students to universities.     

The learning and study strategies inventory: A South African application

500 disadvantaged students volunteered to complete the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory at the University of the Witwatersrand. The purpose was two-fold. Firstly, for diagnostic purposes, students and tutors were provided with learning strategy profiles. Secondly, for research purposes, results were analysed on a group and sub-group basis. This analysis revealed that the most problematic components of learning, as perceived by the students, were in the affective areas of motivation and anxiety. Test taking strategies and selecting main ideas were also perceived as weaknesses. A few differences were also found when the variables of gender, language and faculty were introduced.     

Changes in the representation of dynamism in fifth grade children

According to research on mental representation carried out in the Piaget tradition (Galifret-Granjon, 1981; Piaget & Inhelder, 1966), the cognitive processes of decentration in terms of the states (initial and final) and anticipation (of change and movement) form the basis of the reconstruction of a dynamic situation. Children centered primarily on the initial and final states have great difficulty creating a mental representation of a dynamic situation. This study, based on a socio-constructivist approach (Gamier, 1985), seeks to help children develop these two fundamental processes. The pedagogical analysis focuses first on the observation of children's behaviour while playing ball in a group and then on the graphic representation of their actions drawn by the children after each play session. We saw in the children's game definite changes stemming from decentration. We also noticed that the children were centering less on the states in their graphic production which became increasingly rich in codes.     

Electronic Portfolio Adoption for Teacher Education Candidates

Programs of professional development for preservice teachers of young children in the United States attempt to align their program goals and candidate performances to The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Association of Childhood Education International (ACEI), and their particular state standards. In addition they attempt to teach candidates to be knowledgeable and reflective practitioners who use the best practices in their field. This article will address one university’s attempt to adopt this process and utilize electronic portfolios. The article will include examples of course objectives, standards, rubrics, and candidate performances interwoven through program matrices in order to insure the proper delivery of instruction while maintaining flexibility and creativity. It is hoped that the article will foster discussion about the strengths and challenges of accountability and academic freedom in preparing candidates in early childhood education.