EDUCATION ABOUT AGING: A RATIONALE

Based on a review of studies on children's and adolescents’ attitudes and conceptions about aging and older people and on studies analyzing media content such as children's literature, textbooks, and public television programs to determine how older persons are portrayed, a rationale is provided for systematic education about aging in the public schools of the United States.     

Building inclusive education on social and emotional learning: challenges and perspectives – a review

This article focuses on conceptual and empirical issues related to the links between social and emotional learning (SEL) and inclusive education. SEL can be defined as the process of socialisation and education related to personal, interpersonal and problem‐solving skills and competencies. This process takes place in formal and informal settings and is influenced by a complex interplay of individual, situational and cultural factors. Beside a person‐centred focus, effective SEL interventions are provided within supportive learning environments and are directed at enhancing the social–emotional environmental factors that influence learning. Underlying theories and models related to SEL are reviewed, completed by empirical data stemming from prevention science, and developmental psychology. The role of SEL will be investigated with respect to children with emotional–behavioural difficulties and their social and cultural context. Finally, the multifaceted role of SEL and its preventive potential in inclusive school settings through modifications of input and content, teaching strategies and processes, as well as the improvement of learning environments are outlined.     

Relationships among cooperation-competition and locus of control in social and academic situations among children in traditional and open classrooms

The relationships among cooperation-competition, perceptions of locus of control in social situations, and perceptions of locus of control in intellectual-academic situations was compared among 89 fourth- and fifth-grade students in traditional and open classrooms. Children from the open education setting displayed substantially more cooperative behavior on Madsen's marble-pull game than children from the traditional school. They also made significant gains in cooperative behavior from the first to the second trial, while the difference between trials was not significant for the traditional students. Traditional students displayed significantly higher internality for locus of control in academic settings, while perceptions of locus of control in social settings did not differ for the two groups. Academic and social locus of control judgments were significantly correlated for the open education students, but not for the students from traditional classrooms.     

Bedeutung der familialen Lebenswelt für die Gesundheit von Kindern und Jugendlichen

Family is the central place of socialization during childhood and adolescence. What are the determining factors of family life that are important for the health of children and adolescents and in which stages of their life do these factors take effect? The question is answered with reference to the general health of children and adolescents as rated by their parents. The analysis is conducted with data from the KiGGS study 2003–2006 which is representative of Germany (n?=?17641, age: 0–17 years). The gender-specific effects of different family factors on good health are analysed in five age groups using binary logistic regression analysis including structural, socioeconomic and origin-related factors of family as well as housing conditions and family cohesion. Bivariate analysis indicates significant effects on general health for almost all included factors (at least in some age groups). Multivariate analysis shows family cohesion to be the most important factor for good health. In boys a bilateral migration background also has an adverse effect on good general health until the beginning of adolescence.     

A HUMANISTIC APPROACH TO EDUCATION OF OLDER PERSONS

Many older adults will seek additional education during their lifetimes. Since these persons differ widely in their physical, social, intellectual, and psychological characteristics, it is important that educational programs for older people recognize the uniqueness of the learner, that these programs be humanistic in design and implementation. The perceptual‐humanistic frame of reference is used as the basis for the discussion of learning and a consideration of the qualities that determine teacher effectiveness. The desirable characteristics of educational programs for older persons are then derived in terms of the perceptual‐humanistic point of view. The need in such programs for emphasis on the fundamental and individual worthiness and capabilities of the older learner is noted.     

The legislative requirements for measuring quality in transnational education: Understanding divergence while maintaining standards

Australian universities have been actively engaged in transnational education since the 1990s. The challenges of assuring quality have seen a changing regulatory framework increasingly designed to ensure equivalence of standards wherever a course of study is offered and however it is delivered. Transnational Higher Education has grown significantly and the issues that flow from operating across jurisdictions, cultures and contexts have been addressed primarily by institutions themselves in complying with regulation. This article identifies how the Australian quality agency TEQSA (Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency) has revised its Standards Framework to support divergence appropriate to local culture and context, while assuring quality provision across the student life cycle. It concludes that the maturity of the quality agency may not yet reflect the provision of transnational education in practice. The article identifies a need for significant further research so that theory and practice can reflect opportunities to better serve students in a mature quality environment.     

Towards an electronic independent learning environment for statistics in higher education

This study focuses on the feasibility of implementing independent learning in a traditional university and the feasibility of providing this independent learning by means of an electronic interactive learning environment. The target group contained students enrolled in an applied statistics course at the Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the University of Gent (RUG). Three experimental variables were designed: learning environment, delivery and support. This created five different learning conditions to which subjects were assigned at random. The present study gives empirical evidence that an electronic-based independent learning environment with discernible support devices can take its place in a traditional university setting. Our results indicate that the cognitive outcomes of students' learning in a computer-based environment are neither fostered nor hindered by attitudes towards computers. The merely cognitive aspect of attitude towards computers, i.e., interest in learning about computers, affects the perception of structure in the materials; more interested students have a better perception of structure. Students with better prior knowledge and having fewer problems with statistics have a better perception of the learning access to the contents. In order to construct electronic learning environments, further investigation is needed into student characteristics interacting with learning environment characteristics, and this is currently in progress by our group.     

Parental Authoritarian Control and Cognitive Complexity

Studies on the conceptual system proposed by Harvey et aJ (1961) suggested that the concrete mode of cognitive functioning is associated with certain developmental factors such as restricted exploration of the environment, overcontrol by parents, avoidance of uncertainty, conformity to external superimposed norms, and discouragement of independence, etc. Using the framework of Harvey, Schroder et al (1967) specified two types of training methods, one of which he called the deductive method. Parents adopting this method provide the child with ready made and fixed rules. The child is taught to avoid uncertainty by looking externally for rules. The variety of perceptions and responses available to the child is highly restricted. The environment is so structured that it is unrealistically oversimplified. Schroder et al believe that this type of training method would bring out a cognitive structure which is characterized by compartmentalization and inability to think in terms of degrees or relativeness.     

The effect of three surface conditions,speed and running experience on vertical acceleration of the tibia during running*

Research has focused on parameters that are associated with injury risk, e.g. vertical acceleration. These parameters can be influenced by running on different surfaces or at different running speeds, but the relationship between them is not completely clear. Understanding the relationship may result in training guidelines to reduce the injury risk. In this study, thirty-five participants with three different levels of running experience were recruited. Participants ran on three different surfaces (concrete, synthetic running track, and woodchip trail) at two different running speeds: a self-selected comfortable speed and a fixed speed of 3.06 m/s. Vertical acceleration of the lower leg was measured with an accelerometer. The vertical acceleration was significantly lower during running on the woodchip trail in comparison with the synthetic running track and the concrete, and significantly lower during running at lower speed in comparison with during running at higher speed on all surfaces. No significant differences in vertical acceleration were found between the three groups of runners at fixed speed. Higher self-selected speed due to higher performance level also did not result in higher vertical acceleration. These results may show that running on a woodchip trail and slowing down could reduce the injury risk at the tibia.     

Consolidation of paint on stained glass windows: Comparative study and new approaches

Stained glass windows belong to the most precious pieces of art in many European countries. Examples of heavily endangered paint on glass are reported in the literature and mainly related to condensation effects and air pollution, as stained glass windows preferably remain in their original architectural surrounding. Several surface coatings and paint treatments have been proposed to consolidate and protect degraded paint. Very often, the selection of the materials is based more on practical aspects than on scientific research. This study concerns the comparison of some traditional, modern and newly developed consolidants for the preservation of historic glass paintings. Experiments have been carried out with model painted glass samples simulating weathering phenomena of originals. Traditional materials like Paraloid B72, modern ones like SZA (proposed by the Fraunhofer-Institut für Silicatforschung, ISC), and three new consolidants prepared by the sol–gel method and based on different hybrid organic–inorganic alkyl-alkoxysilane systems have been considered. The adhesion, penetration, stability, hydrophobicity, mechanical and chemical resistance are properties and requirements tested to prove their effectiveness and range of use. The three new materials developed in this study for the consolidation of paint on glass have the potential to offer alternatives to existing materials. Nevertheless, further research is necessary before their application in restoration workshops can be recommended. A strategic approach is requested to avoid risks for these valuable historical originals and to contribute to the long-term preservation of the paint on stained glass windows in their original sites.