Forming, Losing, Renewing, and Replacing Friendships: Applying Temporal Parameters to the Assessment of Children's Friendship Experiences

Friendship formation and dissolution were tracked over time in a summer camp to examine whether such events are valid indicators of individual differences in children's friendship adjustment. Subjects were 216 children ages 8–15 years. Sociometric nominations were used to determine the identities of reciprocal friends. Loneliness at camp was also tracked over time. In addition, data on group acceptance, behavioral reputations, social competence, and behavioral problems were gathered from peers and counselors. Analyses suggested that friendship formation and duration were coherent, independent dimensions of individual differences and distinct from the overall extensivity of involvement in friendships. Regression analyses indicated that the temporal parameters of participation in friendship enhanced the prediction of changes in loneliness at camp. Age and sex differences in temporal parameters were explored, and 4 discrete trajectories for friendship involvement were identified. Children with different trajectories differed in their behavioral profiles from one another and from children who were chronically friendless.     

Distance Education in Africa

Open and distance education strategies in Africa must focus on mitigating/alleviating major problems confronting policy‐makers and education administrators and deal with fundamental issues of access, mass education, relevance, quality, equity and cost effectiveness. Over the last few years, there have been some positive initiatives and developments at the tertiary level, but the picture is not so encouraging as far as general and basic education is concerned.     

Thinking about “design thinking”: a study of teacher experiences

Schools are continuously looking for new ways of enhancing student learning to equip students with skills that would enable them to cope with twenty-first century demands. One promising approach focuses on design thinking. This study examines teacher's perceptions, experiences and challenges faced in adopting design thinking. There is a lack of empirical research on the adoption and implementation of the design thinking process in educational context from the teachers’ point of view. This paper fills this gap and also provides insight on a recent initiative adopted in Singapore schools. Qualitative case study research was carried out in a school using teacher narratives. Data includes in-depth face-to-face interviews and participant observation. The findings show that teachers perceive that design thinking holds the potential for enhancing skills such as creativity, problem solving, communication and team work as well as empower students to develop empathy for others within and beyond the community. The research also highlighted several challenges such as inadequate resources, time constraints, fear of poor grades and the difficulty of shifting to a new way of teaching and learning that differs vastly from the traditional approach. The findings reveal that a piecemeal approach towards curriculum redesign for adopting design thinking may not provide the desired outcomes.     

Targeted yield concept and a framework of fertilizer recommendation in irrigated rice domains of subtropical India

Soil test crop response （STCR） correlation studies were carried out in Vindhyan alluvial plain during 2001 to 2004 taking IR-36 as test crop to quantify rice production in the context of the variability of soil properties and use of balanced fertilizers based on targeted yield concept. The soils were developed on gently sloping alluvial plain with different physiographic settings and notable variation in drainage condition. Soil properties show moderate variation in texture （loamy to clay）, organic carbon content （4.4 to 9.8 g/kg）, cation exchange capacity （10,2 to 22.4 cmol （p＋）/kg） and pH （5.3 to 6,4）, Soil fertility status for N is low to medium （224 to 348 kg/ha）, P is medium to high （87 to 320 kg/ha） and K ranges from medium to high （158 to 678 kg/ha）. Database regarding nutrient requirement in kg/t of grain produce （NR）, the percent contribution from the soil available nutrients [CS （%）] and the percent contribution from the applied fertilizer nutrients [CF （%）] were computed for calibrating and fbrmulating fertilizer recommendations. Validity of the yield target for 7 and 8 t/ha was tested in farmers＇ fields and yields targets varied at less than 10%. The percent achievement of targets aimed at different level was more than 90%, indicating soil test based fertilizer recommendation approach was economically viable within the agro-ecological zone with relatively uniform cropping practices and socio-economic conditions.     

Psychological testing of sign language interpreters

Twenty-eight sign language interpreters participated in a battery of tests to determine if a profile of cognitive, motor, attention, and personality attributes might distinguish them as a group and at different credential levels. Eight interpreters held Level II and nine held Level III Virginia Quality Assurance Screenings (VQAS); the other 11 held Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) certification. Six formal tests, the Quick Neurological Screening Test-II, the Wonderlic Personnel Test, the Test of Visual-Motor Skills (TVMS), the d2 Test of Attention, the Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test, and the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF), were administered to the interpreters. Average scores were high on most of the tests; differences across the three groups were not statistically significant. Results from only one test, the d2 Test of Attention, were significantly correlated with interpreter level. Comparisons between educational and community interpreters also revealed no differences. Personality traits were widely distributed, but one trait, abstract reasoning, tested extremely high in 18 interpreters. Discussion of the potential implications of these results, particularly for educational interpreters, is offered.     

Why does technology integration fail? Teacher beliefs and content developer assumptions in an Indian initiative

Educational technology research and development - This paper explores technology integration and the role of teacher beliefs in this integration to assess a ‘smart-class’ initiative...