A new approach to the assessment of children's mathematical competence

The report is a translation of part of a Swedish paper entitled “On Students' Achievement in Mathematics after Finishing Comprehensive School”. The intention of the investigation was to

- diagnose the retention of some basic skills in some topics in algebra and geometry,

- reveal difficult steps in the learning processes in these topics.

Starting with a complicated question, e.g. the equation \(\frac{{3x - 2}}{2} = \frac{x}{3}\) a sequence consisting of 5–15 problems were constructed. Each new problem followed by the preceding one by taking away one or two details. \(\begin{gathered} 3(3x - 2) = 2x \\ {\text{ 9}}x - 6 = 2x \\ {\text{ 7}}x - 6 = 0 \\ {\text{ 7}}x = 6 \\ \end{gathered} \) is an example of a sequence belonging to the equation above. From about 10 complicated problems (“top-items”) and their sequences, in all 130 items, 10 sub-tests were put together in such a way that the pupils who took the test were not aware of the sequences but found no connection between the problems. Many surprising results were found, e.g., that the students scored higher on 14/(x+2)=2 than on 4/x=3, that the difficulty in finding the area of a triangle depended on the position of the triangle and that the problems “Simplify a/a ², a²/a, a/a” were of quite unequal difficulty. A discussion about the students' thinking in patterns and mechanically learning ends the report.     

History and Nature of Science in High School: Building Up Parameters to Guide Educational Materials and Strategies

This article presents the main results of a research examining the didactic transposition of history and philosophy of science in high school level. The adaptation of history of science to this particular level, addressing some aspects of the nature of science aiming at the students’ critical engagement, was analyzed by examining both the historiographic requirements of history of science and the pedagogical recommendations of science teaching. The research included the elaboration of a pilot course on the history of optics, with historical texts and educational activities, and its application in a high school. We used three episodes of the history of optics, addressing some epistemological points, especially criticizing the naive empirical-inductive view of science. It was possible to identify a series of obstacles in using history of science and conveying philosophical views. Their analysis resulted in devising strategies to surmount or to circumvent them. We implemented those strategies in the classroom and analyzed the data that was obtained. As a result, we substantiated several of our proposals and found that some solutions require improvement. We suggest some generalizations, which can be understood as initial parameters for guiding the use of history and philosophy of science in science teaching. We used a qualitative methodology of educational research to plan, to collect and to analyze the data, examining the interaction between students, teacher and knowledge.     

American influencies in Brazilian physical education: clues in the specialised periodical press (1932–1950)

This study investigates the American presence and influences in the physical education press to understand the way in which that presence influenced and contributed to the production of a sports culture in the first half of the twentieth century. As historical sources, the study uses periodicals in the field that were published in the period 1932–1950. As a theoretical frame of reference, it uses the repertoire of the New Cultural History in terms of strategy, tactics and devices. It is written in a narrative way, following Ginzburg's style, presenting data and contextualizing them with the historic scene. Clues enabled us to infer that the American presence, which was catalysed by the Brazilian Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), sought to shape a sports culture from physical education and society. This effort reflected the yearning of Brazilian intellectuals for modernisation and an attempt at cultural colonisation by the government of the USA.     

Factor structure of child behavior scale scores in peruvian preschoolers

Behavior rating scales aid in the identification of problem behaviors, as well as the development of interventions to reduce such behavior. Although scores on many behavior rating scales have been validated in the United States, there have been few such studies in other cultural contexts. In this study, the structural validity of scores on a Spanish translation of the six‐factor Child Behavior Scale (CBS) was assessed in a sample of 265 Peruvian preschool children who ranged from 2 to 6 years in age. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a four‐factor structure, and reliability estimates for scores on the four factors were adequate. The authors suggest replicating the study and examining the utility of CBS scores in predicting future problem behaviors in this population. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Effects of Parent Implemented Visual Schedule Routines for African American Children with ASD in Low-Income Home Settings

Low-income, minority families are underrepresented in the literature on parent training for school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although the use of visual supports, such as visual schedules, is considered to be an evidence-based practice for children with ASD in school, it is not known whether this strategy is effective for minority, low-income families when implemented by the parent in the home setting. This study used a multiple-baseline across routines design replicated across two African American child-mother dyads to examine the effects of a parent-implemented visual schedule procedure on child independent schedule use and between-activity transitions. Parent participants were trained to implement a visual schedule intervention during home routines. Although a functional relation was demonstrated across routines for one mother-child dyad, results varied across participants, highlighting the importance of treatment fidelity. Implications for future research, including the challenges involved in parent-implemented interventions in low-income settings for minority children with ASD, are addressed.     

Strands of Science Teaching

Science & Education - The paper introduces a tool for analyzing the teaching venue (where and how the teaching happens) of science teachers, called Strands of Science Teaching (SST)....     

Interplay between childhood maltreatment, parental bonding, and gender effects: impact on quality of life

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine associations between childhood adversity, parental bonding, gender, depressive symptoms, and quality of life in non-treatment-seeking adults from the community. METHOD: Effects of differential parental rearing were compared in adults who reported a high degree of childhood maltreatment (n=72) and those who reported no significant adverse events in childhood (n=69). Subjects completed retrospective measures of childhood maltreatment and perceived parenting style, as well as measures of current depressive symptoms and quality of life. RESULTS: The subjects without childhood maltreatment were younger and endorsed less current depressive symptomatology than did subjects with childhood maltreatment. While the subjects without a history of maltreatment reported more "optimal" bonding experiences with their parents, the maltreatment group members were more likely to characterize their early parental bonding experiences in terms of "affectionless control" (p<.001 for both maternal and paternal parenting), "affectionate constraint" (p=.025 for maternal parenting and p=.004 for paternal parenting), or "weak or absent" bonding (p<.001 for both maternal and paternal parenting). Results of a multiple regression analysis revealed that overall quality of paternal care (p=.015) and current level of depressive symptoms (p<.001) were significant independent predictors of adult quality of life. Gender effects between subjects providing parental bonding data were limited to the group with childhood maltreatment. CONCLUSION: These findings extend previous work documenting a relationship between early life maltreatment and suboptimal parental bonding, suggesting gender-specific effects of maternal and paternal care. Effects of childhood maltreatment on quality of life in adulthood appear to be linked with the quality of childhood paternal care and the occurrence of depressive symptomatology in adulthood, suggesting possible targets for primary or secondary prevention.     

The magic of hope: Hope mediates the relationship between socioeconomic status and academic achievement

Two studies examined whether hope partially mediates the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and academic achievement. Guided by recent theoretical formulations about social class and the social cognitive process, in Study 1 a mediational pathway from SES to academic achievement via hope was documented in a diverse sample of adolescents. The mediational pathway was replicated in Study 2 in a minority sample of high school students. In both studies, hope was found to partially mediate the relationship between SES and grade point average. In addition, the unique contribution of hope to academic achievement replicated across the 2 studies, indicating that the additional stressors and challenges associated with being a minority did not affect the mediation. These results have implications for achievement gap interventions.     

Dynamics of affective states during complex learning

We propose a model to explain the dynamics of affective states that emerge during deep learning activities. The model predicts that learners in a state of engagement/flow will experience cognitive disequilibrium and confusion when they face contradictions, incongruities, anomalies, obstacles to goals, and other impasses. Learners revert into the engaged/flow state if equilibrium is restored through thought, reflection, and problem solving. However, failure to restore equilibrium as well as obstacles that block goals trigger frustration, which, if unresolved, will eventually lead to boredom. The major hypotheses of the model were supported in two studies in which participants completed a 32-35 min tutoring session with a computer tutor. Their affective states were tracked at approximately 110 points in their tutoring sessions via a retrospective affect judgment protocol. Time series analyses confirmed the presence of confusion-engagement/flow, boredom-frustration, and confusion-frustration oscillations. We discuss enhancements of the model to address individual differences and pedagogical and motivational strategies that are inspired by the model.