Trying to Make a Lever Work at Ages 1 to 4: The Development of "Functions" (Logico-mathematical Thinking)

To find out if children could make functions before age 4, 73 children aged 1 to 4 were encouraged to imitate the use of a lever to make a beanbag fly up. Functions are mental relationships that preoperational children can make between 2 things at a time in a unidirectional way (Piaget, Grize, Szeminska, &; Bang, 1968 Piaget, J., Grize, J.-B., Szeminska, A. and Bang, V. B. 1977. Epistemology and psychology of functions, Boston: Dreidel. (Original work published 1968)[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]/1977). The child's construction of the following 3 functions was hypothesized and confirmed: (a) As a function of being pushed down, the up end of the board (the lever) goes down; (b) as a function of this descent, the down end of the board goes up; and (c) as a function of this ascent of the board, the beanbag flies up. Three developmental levels were found, and educational implications are discussed.     

Childhood maltreatment and conduct disorder: Independent predictors of criminal outcomes in ADHD youth

ObjectiveChildren with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at heightened risk for maltreatment in childhood and criminality as they enter into adolescence and early adulthood. Here, we investigated the effect of moderate to severe childhood maltreatment on later criminality among adolescents/young adults diagnosed with ADHD in childhood while accounting for the contributions of other known risk factors such as early conduct disorder (CD).MethodsEighty-eight participants from a longitudinal study of children diagnosed with ADHD and screened for comorbid disorders at age 7–11 years were assessed for maltreatment histories at the time of the 10-year adolescent follow-up. Detailed juvenile and adult criminal records were obtained from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services approximately 3-years after commencement of the follow-up study. We used regression analyses to determine predictors of adolescent/young adult criminal behavior.ResultsModerate to severe childhood maltreatment increased the risk of adolescent/young adult arrest over and above the risk associated with childhood CD, while both childhood maltreatment and childhood CD significantly increased the risk of recidivism. ADHD youth classified as maltreated were three and a half times more likely to be arrested when compared to ADHD youth without a maltreatment classification.ConclusionWe established maltreatment as a risk factor for criminality in ADHD youth and demonstrated that this relationship was independent of the contributions of CD, and established risk factor for antisocial behavior in this population. The findings highlight the need for maltreatment screening in children with ADHD in order to identify those at heightened risk for criminal activity, and target treatment to improve outcome in this high-risk group of children.     

The knowledge society and the internationalization of Japanese higher education

The internationalization of higher education is considered to be a major policy agenda in the global knowledge society. For Japan, internationalization has been a key driver in academic and social advancement, while its traditional culture and national identity have also been retained. Recently, a series of policies have been presented by the government, university, and industry to attract more students and top calibre researchers from Asia and further afield, and to enhance exchange and collaboration, internationalization at home, and global human resource development. Concurrently, the controversial nature of internationalization has been pointed out, as well as the stagnant mobility of Japanese students and their inward-looking attitude. This paper discusses the internationalization of Japanese higher education by examining the relevant policy, practice, and perceptions of the people and institutions concerned. The major findings reveal the complexity of internationalization as a dynamic process of change, its vulnerability and marginality, and the extent of the gap between policy and practice. The author also addresses the increased relevance of the research in this field to policy-making and practice in education and its contribution to the production of new knowledge.     

Comparative Education in a Microcosm: Methodological Insights from the International Schools Sector in Hong Kong

Many studies in the field of comparative education take national education systems as the basic unit of analysis. The present paper has been conceived within this tradition, but has a different angle of approach. It focuses on 47 international schools in a small territory. Some of the international schools were grouped into larger systems but others were free-standing institutions. The focus of the paper thus lies at an intersection between cross-national and intra-national comparisons. It makes methodological observations on the nature of comparisons that are possible within such a microcosm, and on the conceptual lessons that can be derived from such analysis.     

Education and socio-political change: The continued growth and evolution of the international schools sector in Hong Kong

This paper adds to the broad literature on education and socio-political change by presenting the distinctive case of the international schools sector in Hong Kong. It examines the growth of the sector and changing roles of the institutions within it. The sector was initially created to serve various foreign populations, but has increasingly served the local population too. Much of the evolution has been caused by social and political transition. The sector is not large, but is an instructive barometer of wider changes. The authors thank the schools and other bodies which provided data for this chapter. They also thank colleagues who commented on drafts, particularly Bob Adamson, Sharon Eng, Mark Mason and David Post.     

Scientific evidence by fluorescence spectrometry for safflower red on ancient Japanese textiles stored in the Shosoin Treasure House repository

Shosoin textiles, handed down from the eighth century in Nara, Japan, have entranced many people with their beautiful colors made from natural dyes. Dye analysis of the Shosoin textiles, including the red carpet laid inside the workshop hall at the Todaiji Temple in Nara, used for the inauguration of the statue of the Great Buddha in the temple in 752 AD; a red undergarment and a gown with a tie-dyed design worn by craftsmen in the Todaiji Temple; and embroidered shoes belonging to Empress Komyo (701–760 AD), were conducted by excitation–emission matrix fluorescence spectrometry equipped with a fiber optics probe. Comparison of the spectra to references identified safflower red (Carthamus tinctorius L.) in the red or orange areas on these original textiles. The spectrometry of the gown and the shoes offered the identification not only of safflower red but also of amur cork tree. This study finds these examples to be the oldest scientifically confirmed presence of safflower red on historic textiles at present.