Young children's encoding of images based on motor and verbal modes of mediation

Twenty-four kindergarten subjects were given practice producing a geometric production when given the three dimensional object. Six children were told how to draw the projections, six children drew the projections, six children drew the projections and were told how to draw the projections, and six children were told to remember the drawings. Using a two-way analysis of variance, the main effect of motor activity (drawing the projections) was significant (p < .05). It was concluded that children's learning activities should be motor based, rather than verbal.     

An evaluation of social learning procedures designed to aid students with conduct problems

A social learning based intervention program for conduct problem students in the middle grades is described and evaluated. Multiple outcome measures were used to assess treatment effects. Teachers' reports on behavior checklists and daily ratings of targeted behaviors indicated improvement with 9 of the 12 consecutively referred students. A more conservative criterion of improvement on measures from two independent sources indicated improvement with 7 students. All of the 12 students received improved scores on at least one outcome measure, and the program was well received by teachers.     

Cable Communications

Walter S. Baer's Cable Television: A Handbook for Decisionmaking

Baer's basic report (New York: Crane, Russak and Co., 1974 -- $11.00)

Cable Television: Franchising Considerations

Steven Rivkin's Cable Television: A Guide to Federal Regulations

Cable Television: Developing Community Services

The Complete Guide to Cable Marketing (Washington, D.C.: National Cable Television Association, 918 16th St., N.W., 1973 -- $4.95, or $2.95 if NCTA member, paper)

Bridger Mitchell and Robert Smiley's Cable, Cities and Copyrights (Santa Monica, Calif.: Rand Corporation, 1973 -- $3.00, paper)     

Teacher–student relationship quality and math achievement: The mediating role of teacher self-efficacy

The relation between social dyadic variables such as teacher–student relationship quality (TSRQ) and student achievement have been well-documented within prior work; however, less research has focused on how TSRQ associates with achievement. We used longitudinal structural equation modeling to investigate the extent that teacher self-efficacy mediated the relationship between TSRQ and math achievement for 881 children in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study. Teacher–student closeness had moderate to large positive effects on teacher self-efficacy, whereas teacher–student conflict had small to moderate negative effects on teacher self-efficacy, which then had small positive effects on math achievement. Closeness only had indirect effects on math achievement via teacher self-efficacy, whereas conflict had direct and indirect effects on math achievement. The results were consistent across grades, lending strength to the findings. This study provides researchers and practitioners evidence of an area that can be developed to potentially enhance student success in math.     

Blended professionals,technology and online learning: Identifying a socio‐technical third space in higher education

The idea of a ‘third space’ located between academic and professional domains has proven useful in exploring changing academic and professional roles in higher education, including in online learning. However, the role of technology in accounts of third space activity remains under‐explored. Drawing on research into the introduction of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) at three UK higher education institutions, it is argued that both social and technical factors must be considered to understand, plan for and manage the third space roles and structures which emerge in such initiatives. This study focuses on learning designers, confirming that they act as third space ‘blended professionals’ in the somewhat distinctive case of MOOC development. However, it also proposes the concept of a socio‐technical third space in which blended professionals act as hubs in a metaphorical network of activity, using social and technical means to shape their own roles and those of others.     

Exploring the applicability of the Semantic Web for discovering and navigating Australian Indigenous knowledge resources

ABSTRACT

Semantic Web ontology files can be flexibly programmed to delineate metadata relationships in machine-readable formats to create relational pathways for discovering resources both on and off the Internet. There is a global community of Semantic Web developers and users across a broad multi-disciplinary range of interests who create and share extensible open-source ontologies. In this article, the author will explore the functionality of Semantic Web techniques for representing the ontologies of relatedness through kinship that typically underpin Australian Indigenous knowledge systems, and investigate their potentials for meeting persistent demands among leading Australian Indigenous collections creators and users to be able to search and discover their hereditary knowledge resources in ways that reflect and reinforce their enduring cultural values, ways of knowing and rights-management concerns.     

Professionalisation of action sports in Australia

Abstract

An Australian analysis of global sporting megatrends has noted the rise in prominence of action sports. Over the past few decades, action sports have continued to evolve and fragment. Changes in the high-performance sector have been particularly evident through the highly visible inclusion of action sports such as BMX, snowboarding, surfing, skateboarding and sports climbing in the Olympic Games. However, while there has been a swift rise in the prominence and position of action sports globally, relatively little is known about the impact of the shifting formalization and professionalization of these sports and their participants. Focussing on the Australian context, this article seeks to capture and critique the professional development of coaches and athletes, while drawing on examples from BMX, surfing and skateboarding. Further, implications of funding, research and new media technologies on the knowledge, expertise and credentials of elite action sports participants are discussed. Findings of the systematic analysis suggest that there are differing opportunities for professionalization of action sports both nationally and internationally, with the subsequent recommendation being that sporting organizations join forces to support the advancement of athletes and coaches.     

Large qualitative sample and thematic analysis to redefine student dropout and retention strategy in open online education

Open online education experiences persistently high dropout rates, and the efficacy of dropout interventions has been questioned. Despite considerable research, dropout reasons are not fully understood, and further in-depth investigation has been called for. Prior qualitative retention studies have frequently relied on smaller samples that are unable to generate deeper appreciation of dropout reasons. Over 200 in-depth interviews were therefore conducted with students that had dropped out of open online education. The probability-based qualitative sample facilitated capture of subthemes down to a 5% incidence level or frequency of occurrence. Thematic analysis revealed 41 subthemes within 10 broad dropout reasons. While the broad dropout themes have been identified previously, the subthemes are new and provide richer understanding. This study also captured students' suggestions for what might have prevented their dropout. Thematic analysis identified 19 subthemes within 5 broad intervention themes that respond to the root dropout causes. Many intervention subthemes address personal and learner context dropout factors that have often been considered uncontrollable and unavoidable. This paper therefore redefines dropout in open online education and offers new insights for improving retention. It also provides a strategic framework for evaluating dropouts and prioritising student-informed interventions that respond to the main dropout causes.

Practitioner notes

What is already known about this topic

• Persistently high open online education dropout suggests existing interventions are ineffective.
• Prior qualitative retention studies identified the main dropout reasons, but small sample sizes failed to generate deeper insights and more in-depth investigation has been called for.

What this paper adds

• A probability-based qualitative sample of 226 participants captured dropout subthemes down to a 5% level of incidence or frequency of occurrence.
• Thematic analysis identified 41 subthemes, within 10 broad dropout reasons. These subthemes are new and offer richer understanding.
• Thematic analysis also identified 19 subthemes within 5 broad dropout intervention areas that students suggested could have prevented their dropout. These include new insights for addressing dropout causes that have often previously been considered unavoidable.

Implications for practice and/or policy

• The strategic framework provides a retention management approach that prioritises responding to the main dropout causes with student-informed interventions.
• This approach and the deeper understanding afforded by robust qualitative investigation should help reduce persistently high dropout rates.

     

The correlates and influences of career‐related continuous learning: Implications for management professionals

Management personnel are increasingly aware that career success depends on the ability to continuously learn and adapt to the environment. However, scant attention has been paid to how learning activities contribute to managerial success. This study examines the degree to which involvement in career‐related continuous learning affects managerial career success. Career success as defined in this study comprises both objective (ascendancy) and subjective (organizational commitment, professional commitment, career satisfaction) elements. Five hypotheses are tested using linear regression modeling. Results indicate that as individuals increase participation in career‐related continuous learning, their managerial career success increases as well.