Formal music education not only enhances musical skills, but also conceptions of teaching and learning: a study with woodwind students

This paper studies conceptions of woodwind students regarding learning and teaching music, within the framework of implicit theories. It analyzes whether there are differences related to participants’ instruction level, and whether it is possible to identify profiles according to their conceptions. Sixty-eight students from three different levels at 14 Spanish conservatories took part voluntarily in this study. A multiple-choice questionnaire was used, which comprised 16 dilemmas on different situations typical of learning and teaching music. Three answers were presented for each dilemma, corresponding to the three implicit theories identified in recent years: direct, interpretative, and constructive. For each dilemma, participants were requested to choose the option they most agreed with and the one they least agreed with. Data were analyzed using chi-square tests of independence, multiple correspondence analysis, and ascending hierarchical classification. From the results obtained we can state that as students’ age and level of instruction increase, so does the level of sophistication of their conceptions. Three conceptual profiles were identified: direct, direct-interpretative, and constructive, which are consistent with prior results on conceptions of teaching and learning in other domains. Implications for education are discussed.     

Science indicators and science patterns in Europe

In this communication we perform an analysis of European science, investigating the way countries are joined in clusters according to their similarity. An extremely clear pattern arises, suggesting that geographical and cultural factors strongly influence the scientific fabric of these countries. Although it is seen that one of the major factors behind Science in Europe is, apparently, geographical proximity, bilateral cooperation between countries cannot fully account for the respective similarity. Long-term policies, planning and investment are also visible in the results.     

Transformative environmental education: a collective rehearsal for reality

This paper puts forward an alternative view on sustainable development, arguing that the separation between the economy, the environment and the social in the Brundtland model obscures the societal character of the economy, the economic bases of the social, and the fact that the environment is a societal product. We differentiate between strong and weak sustainability, arguing that the threat of environmental degradation can only be addressed at the level of the relations of production, consumption and political relations. Building on this perspective, we advocate a form of transformative environmental education which engages learners and teachers in a process of self‐reflective transformation. We illustrate this through two examples: action competence and Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed.     

Motives of cheating among secondary students: the role of self-efficacy and peer influence

A survey research study was conducted with a sample of 100 secondary students from a local secondary school about the motives of cheating. The primary focus of this study was the interplay among variables of self-efficacy, peer influence and cheating. The results showed that students with low self-efficacy were more likely to cheat than those who perceived themselves as efficacious. It was further found that peers played a significant role in discouraging cheating by expressing disapproval and informing teachers of dishonest behaviour.     

The Development of Hierarchical Representation of Two-Dimensional Space

Adults represent the location of a point in a 2-dimensional space using 2 independent dimensions. They encode location along these dimensions both at a fine-grained level and categorically. In reporting location, they combine and weight the fine-grained and categorical information. In Experiment 1, we found that children as young as 5 years use the same 2 independent dimensions in fine-grained spatial coding of location in a circle as are used by adults—radius and angle. However, categorical coding and hierarchical combination are seen only for radius, at both 5 and 7 years. The adult pattern, where angle as well as radius is coded hierarchically, emerges by 9 years. Experiment 2 shows that there is nothing intrinsically difficult about the categorical coding of angular information; when angle is the only dimension to be encoded, younger children use hierarchical coding. Changes in 2-dimensional hierarchical coding may be due to cognitive load factors and to changes in ability to assign frames of reference.     

A comparison of parent and professional perceptions of children with autism spectrum disorder in Portugal

Improving early intervention in Portugal for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) requires parents and professionals to collaborate in assessing and planning intervention programmes. This article analyses parental and professional assessments of children with ASD, in the dimensions of social communication, repetitive behaviours and restricted interests, and sensory processing. The study presents contrasting perspectives from professionals and parents from a range of socio‐academic backgrounds. The sample consists of 136 Portuguese children (aged three to six years old) with ASD and involves children, parents and professionals from across the country. All children, at the time, were in preschool and receiving early special education intervention. Parents and professionals used the Assessment Scale for Children with ASD to complete the assessments. The results show that parents rate children's development and learning more positively compared to professionals; and that this difference is more significant in the field of social communication. Further, parents with higher academic qualifications showed statistically significant differences in comparison with professionals in the social communication dimension. These findings are discussed in relation to the literature and some suggestions are made regarding certain practices related to intervention in early childhood.     

Investigating cognitive change as a dynamic process / Investigar el cambio cognitivo como proceso dinámico

Abstract

In this introduction to the special issue ‘Dynamic aspects of cognitive development and learning’ we emphasize the current need for studies that address, in depth, the dynamic aspects of cognitive development and learning. We integrate cognitive development and learning into the concept of cognitive change. We then reflect on the scope and limitations of certain procedures that are implemented to turn these processes of cognitive change into limited objects of empirical research. This reflection will allow us to ask ourselves about the potential and validity of studies resulting from these procedures to inform educational and health-related practices. After presenting some methodological alternatives to explain cognitive change in a more productive way, we present the six studies that make up this special issue. The selection seeks to offer a rich repertoire of ideas; data collection, analysis and visualization methods; and evidence and explanations of situated processes of change in an evolutionary-educational arc extending from the first months of life in the context of familiar interactions, to adult learning.     

Psychometric properties and optimizing of the Bracken School Readiness Assessment

Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability - The Bracken School Readiness Assessment (BSRA) has been used in large studies such as the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). Important...