Nonpromotion: A pseudoscientific solution

The practice of retaining or holding students back a grade is gaining in popularity. A comprehensive review of the literature over the past 16 years supports that view and uncovers great discrepancies between educators' beliefs and confirmable evidence regarding retentions. This article describes actual retention practices in two Utah school districts and compares the children recommended for retention with a control group. These two groups were found to be significantly different in intellectual ability, academic achievement, and adjustment characteristics. In order to measure the effects of nonpromotion, the retained children's growth was compared to the growth of academically similar-functioning children who were recommended for retention but were promoted. These recommended-for-retention children were retested one year after the retention decision was made. Retention was not found to benefit the children academically or in personal or social adjustment.     

Pre-service teachers' use of problem-solving in primary science

The use of problem-solving in science instruction implies a change in the teacher's role from dispensing content information to encouraging critical reflective thinking in the student. For problem-solving to become an integral part of the science curriculum, teachers must make it the focus of their instruction. This study investigated the extent to which pre-service primary teachers used the problem-solving approach in their science instruction. It also identified the factors affecting their efforts to teach science using this approach. The issues considered are important in whether problem-solving becomes part of the science curriculum, as teaching behaviour influences student learning outcomes. Specializations: science eeducation Specializations: educational measurement, research methodology.     

Do certain groups of children profit from a grade retention?

As more children are being held back a grade as a result of tougher academic standards, the practice of retention and its effects was studied in two Utah school districts. Retention was not found to benefit the children academically or in personal or social adjustment. The purpose of this article is to further analyze the data in order to study retention effects for subgroups of children commonly believed to profit from being retained. In this reanalysis, three independent variables were added in order to address the following questions: (a) Is retention beneficial for children if supplementary academic instruction is provided? (b) Is retention beneficial if the children are average or above in intelligence? (c) Also, is retention beneficial if it occurs in kindergarten or 1st grade? Retention was not found to benefit these subgroups of children.     

Élaboration d'un environnement logo favorable au développement d'habiletés en manipulation procédurale

Résumé Un environnement pédagogique propice à l'acquisition et à l'expression des habiletés procédurales en Logo est mis au point et accueille des enfants de 10–12 ans dans un projet d'une durée de 8 mois. Dans des phases successives de familiarisation et d'évaluation des compétences, on propose aux 10 participants une série de mises en situation requérant la manipulation de procédures en programmation Logo. Une analyse des comportements des enfants en termes de leurs habiletés fines et distinctes permet d'observer leur compétence et intérêt à manipuler des procédures. La discussion met en perspective l'importance des habiletés acquises et retrace les conditions environnementales qui en favorisent et supportent l'expression. Les limites dans les compétences observées sont aussi soulignées, ceci dans une perspective d'identification des étapes encore à parcourir dans la poursuite de l'acquisition et de la maîtrise des habiletés procédurales.

---

A learning environment that facilitated the acquisition and expression of procedural skills in LOGO was set up for children in the 10 to 12 year range. In successive phases of familiarization and evaluation of competence over an eight month period, ten participants were placed in a series of situations that required them to manipulate programming procedures in LOGO. A fine-grained analysis of each of the children's behavior revealed their competence and interest in manipulating procedures. The importance of the acquired skills and the environmental conditions that favor and support their expression are discussed. Limits in the competencies observed are highlighted in order to identify the further steps to be taken in the acquisition and mastery of procedural skills.

     

让孩子在起跑线开始游戏

我最小的女儿乐希莉由于先天性心脏缺陷在她两岁那年接受了手术治疗,当她清醒过来后,身上还插着管子和戴着监视器。即便如此,她问的第一个问题就是:我可以下床玩吗?当然,她     

Cross-Professional Partnerships: Innovation in Continuing Education for Social Workers and Extension Educators

There is a need to train professionals across disciplines to work collaboratively on program development and implementation to address the caregiving issues prevalent in our aging society. The North Carolina State University Departments of Social Work and Family and Consumer Sciences provided a training opportunity for social workers and county extension educators. The goals of the “Institute” were to provide a continuing education program that cultivated partnerships to develop and implement innovative local programming for older adults and their families. The program was also intended to increase the partnership capacity in the involved counties. This paper describes and evaluates the continuing education program and the potential of this training model for community partnership-building in the service of elders and families.