Reflections on Plowden

ICT can make a useful contribution to the development of early literacy but exploiting this potential in developmentally appropriate ways requires early years educators to meet the challenge of outlining the ways and means this process requires. As early years professionals we need to think not only about the ways in which ICT can help to enhance our current practices in literacy but also about how our concept of literacy itself might need to change. Clarifying our view of our role and responsibilities in relation to technological change and young children's literacy experiences in a rapidly changing world of communication could be one way of ensuring that at least some of these changes meet our needs and those of the children we work with.     

Engineering perceptions of female and male K-12 students: effects of a multimedia overview on elementary,middle-, and high-school students

Computer-based multimedia presentations employing animated agents (avatars) can positively impact perceptions about engineering; the current research advances our understanding of this effect to pre-college populations, the main target for engineering outreach. The study examines the effectiveness of a brief computer-based intervention with animated agents in improving perceptions about engineering. Five hundred sixty-five elementary, middle-, and high-school students in the southwestern USA viewed a short computer-based multimedia overview of four engineering disciplines (electrical, chemical, biomedical, and environmental) with embedded animated agents. Students completed identical surveys measuring five subscales of engineering perceptions immediately before and after the intervention. Analyses of pre- and post-surveys demonstrated that the computer presentation significantly improved perceptions for each student group, and that effects were stronger for elementary school students, compared to middle- and high-school students.     

Perceptions of studying during adolescence: student typologies and the relationship with attainment

This research explores perceptions of studying among students taking public examinations at age 16. Cluster analysis was used to classify 826 Year 11 students, in their final year of compulsory schooling, according to their study typology. Pupils were drawn from eight outer London schools and completed a self-report questionnaire to assess perceptions of studying. The analysis revealed six distinctive groups with differences in the use of metacognitive, effort-management, time-management and study strategies. The groups differed in relation to attainment and the amount of homework that students reported completing. Clusters were identified with poor students, who had become disengaged with their studies, and hard working students, who valued the task and adopted a variety of strategies. Other clusters displayed poor time management strategies, use of planning and organisational strategies. For the future, it appears important to understand characteristics that are exhibited by individual students, if all are to be assisted in achieving their potential.     

Learning outcomes and dropout intentions: an analytical model for Spanish universities

The dropout rate among Spanish university students is very high compared to the European mean, creating a pressing need for the introduction of policies and programmes aimed at increasing rates of persistence. In this article, we study this problem by combining students’ perceived learning outcomes with their dropout intentions, and we propose a research model that considers subjective factors that might impact this decision. The model is estimated for two degree courses: Business Administration and Nursing. The estimation method uses structural equations based on the partial least squares algorithm. This allows the construction of indices for the variables of interest, enabling us to make comparisons between courses and over time. To reduce dropout intentions, efforts need to be focused on obtaining better cognitive outcomes, as well as on achieving a higher level of student satisfaction with their university experience.     

Cultivating Curiosity: Integrating Hybrid Teaching in Courses in Human Behavior in the Social Environment

This study illustrates an experience of implementing a hybrid model for teaching human behavior in the social environment in an urban university setting. Developing a hybrid model in a BSW program arose out of a desire to reach students in a different way. Designed to promote curiosity and active learning, this particular hybrid model has students engage in weekly online activities between their weekly on-ground classes. This article reviews key pedagogical concerns and presents preliminary findings, including student feedback, instructor observations, and strategies for faculty interested in developing such courses.     

Classroom and Grade Level Differences in the Stability of Teacher Expectations and Perceived Differential Teacher Treatment

Using two independent samples of urban elementary school children from Grades 1, 3, and 5, this study explored the long-term stability of classroom learning environments that differ in the extent of differential teacher treatment favoring high achievers over low achievers, as reported by students. Classroom differences ('high' versus 'low') in perceived differential treatment were highly stable from fall to spring in Grades 3 and 5, but not in Grade 1. Stability in (a) individual children's reports of differential treatment, and (b) teacher expectations for children's year-end reading achievement was accentuated in classrooms where differential treatment was pronounced early in the year, particularly in the higher elementary grades. Findings suggest that there would be heightened risk for problematic teacher expectancy effects and other maladaptive learning outcomes in these classrooms, because stable or rigid performance expectations are coupled with classroom instructional patterns that consistently convey these expectations to children. In contrast, risk is likely to be reduced in classrooms where high and low achievers are treated more equitably in the eyes of children, because teachers' expectations for children are more flexible, and children take longer to discern differences in treatment. The overall consistency of findings in two samples supports the generalizability of the conclusions reached.     

Youth Perspectives on Parental Career Influence

The role of parents in youth career development is generally acknowledged though, often, perfunctorily. This inquiry examines youth perceptions of parental influence on their career development. We ask young men and women about specific career development attitudes and behaviors that bear on their relations with their parents. The sample consists of survey data from 362 high school juniors. The results confirm the trend of recent studies that report compatibility between parent and youth values, aspirations, and plans. Of all the people to whom youth can turn for help with making career plans, most look to their mothers. The findings apply across gender, to young men as well as young women; and they apply across race, to minority youth as well as majority-culture youth. The results underscore the importance of parents as allies and resources for career counselors in facilitating youth career development.     

Need supportive instructor training: perspectives from graduate teaching assistants in a college/university physical activity program

Background: In the U.S. college/university setting, physical activity courses are often offered as part of the general education program, where students earn college credits towards the completion of their degree program. These courses are typically taught by graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), who face several challenges in instructing undergraduate students. Often, GTAs are thrust into their roles without the preparation that traditional teachers receive as customary with education degrees. Literature on need supportive teacher training, as part of self-determination theory, indicates that teachers including GTAs, can be successfully trained to meet the needs of their students regardless of years of previous experience. Presently, there is little information on the impact of such a training program from the perspective of the GTAs participating in the program.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to provide in-depth perspectives on need supportive training through examination of GTAs reflections of the training process.

Participants and setting: Fourteen GTAs from a university physical activity and healthful living program were recruited for this study, but two dropped out. All participants taught one of the following courses: aerobics, basketball, body conditioning, bowling, flag football, golf, racquetball, soccer, tennis, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, or yoga.

Data collection: Teaching reflections were written by participants at the end of a year-long training program.

Data analyses: Written reflections completed by the GTAs were analyzed via content analysis. Data were organized by how strategies were implemented, most/least successful use of the strategies, and adherence to the training. Once organized, the data was examined by two different researchers independently and themes were shared with participants as part of the member checking process. Searches for negative cases were utilized during the analysis process as well.

Findings: Across the data, it was determined that the GTAs felt the training to be beneficial, influencing much of how they worked with students. Results suggested that GTAs found several ways to implement the reviewed need supportive teaching strategies, including giving students the choice of activities and group membership. They were also able to better respond to students’ negative affect and give explanatory rationales. Goal setting was a consistently used strategy by the GTAs; however, it was cited as one of the least successful strategies due to the inability to effectively follow-up on the goals made during classes with the students. Additionally, it was noted that the GTAs had difficulties with devising their own ways of implementing the strategies and relied heavily on the examples that were provided during their training sessions.

Conclusion: In better understanding, the perceptions of GTAs who engage in need supportive training programs, researchers can better gauge the effectiveness of such programs and how they can be improved. Future research should focus on how to help GTAs to engage in more creative ways of using need supportive teaching strategies in physical activity environments.     

The impact of consumers’ perceptions regarding the ethics of online retailers and promotional strategy on their repurchase intention

Cause-related marketing (CRM) has become increasingly popular and widely adopted by large companies. However, not much attention has been paid to the effect of CRM on small or unknown online retailers. As ethical concerns about the Internet continue to rise, consumers' perceptions regarding the ethics of online retailers (CPEOR) become important when making a purchase decision. This research uses the self-signaling theory to examine how online retailers’ information management and promotional strategy (CRM vs. Price Discount) may emit signals and impact on the consumers’ repurchase intention. It was assumed that a high CPEOR would work better with a CRM-based strategy, which is fundamentally aligning in ethics. However, the experimental results surprisingly revealed that when CPEOR was high, the consumers’ repurchase intention increased in the case of a Price Discount-based promotion when compared to a CRM-based promotion; the effect was the opposite when consumers’ CPEOR was low. ANCOVA was used to analyze the data while setting certain variables as covariates. This research is a meaningful contribution to the literature and serves as an important reference for e-commerce practitioners to understand how they can wisely manage the information on the online storefront to signal their consumers and create an incremental value for the business.     

Perceptions and intentions of secondary students in rural Australia to progress to university

ABSTRACT

This article explores four critical factors in the determining of regional and remote school students’ intentions to progress to university. Three of these factors are based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB): students’ attitudes, the opinions of their significant others (social capital), and students’ perceptions of control. A fourth factor, students’ knowledge about university, is also examined, extending the TPB. The research model tested used the responses of a survey of 620 school students from remote and regional areas in New South Wales, Australia. Results show that students’ attitudes towards university and perceptions about social capital are the most important predictors of their intentions to progress to university. In addition, students’ knowledge about university was found to be a significant contributor to students’ attitudes and perceptions of control.