Children's multiple interests intersect with their participation in informal learning practices in dynamic ways. Using a theoretical framework illustrating interest as a multifaceted construct that has different f...
Children's multiple interests intersect with their participation in informal learning practices in dynamic ways. Using a theoretical framework illustrating interest as a multifaceted construct that has different forms and a range of scope and durability, this study investigates how children's situational interests and individual interests are developed and reinforced and how they support micro-practices (i.e., any small practices, actions, activities, interactions that occur moment-by-moment) and vice versa. From a larger data set collected from one-time family science learning sessions at a museum, three children (aged 6-10) were strategically sampled to foreground an enhanced understanding of how interest and participation in practice mutually constitute each other. Using video-based interaction analysis, our case study of three children illustrates different patterns where micro-practices intersect with different types of interests at the museum. Even in the same environment with the same exhibits, each child from this case study constructed a unique pathway of forming the collection of micro-practices that was constantly interacting with situational interests and individual interests in specific disciplines, topics, exhibits, or any other various targets. For example, when having a strongly existing individual interest in a specific science discipline, one child's micro-practices were mainly driven by making choices of exhibits that are related to his science interest, while another child did not actively choose exhibits but found her own creative ways to connect her science interest and other new interests. Our study contributes to a more robust conception of interest that highlights the intertwining of multiple, malleable, and moment-by-moment interests and micro-practices in the museum.
Echoing the increasing emphasis on STEM literacy, computational thinking has become a national priority in K-12 schools. Scholars have acknowledged abstraction as the keystone of computational thinking. To foster K-12...
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Echoing the increasing emphasis on STEM literacy, computational thinking has become a national priority in K-12 schools. Scholars have acknowledged abstraction as the keystone of computational thinking. To foster K-12 students' computational thinking and STEM literacy, students' ability to think abstractly should be enhanced. However, the existing curriculum in K-12 education may not adequately equip learners with the proper abstraction needed for the STEM workforce. Given the absence of a synthesized understanding of abstraction, effective instructional guidance for fostering student abstraction is also elusive. To overcome the gap in understanding abstraction, we attempted to conceptualize a synthesized framework of abstraction in computational thinking and proposed a set of design guidelines that may enhance students' uptake of abstraction. In this paper, we describe the importance of abstraction in computational thinking and existing challenges in developing students' ability to perform abstraction. Then, by reviewing the cognitive dimensions of abstraction and the role of abstraction in computing education, we identify three cognitive processes underlying abstraction in computational thinking (e.g., filtering information, locating similarities, and mapping problem structures). We thereby propose a conceptual framework of abstraction in computational thinking. Finally, design guidelines for fostering abstraction in computational thinking are provided with illustrated examples of a tailored STEM-integrative learning environment.
This study examined affix letter spelling among 6th grade Hebrew-speaking children with dyslexia compared with chronologically age-matched and reading level-matched controls. As different languages are characterized b...
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This study examined affix letter spelling among 6th grade Hebrew-speaking children with dyslexia compared with chronologically age-matched and reading level-matched controls. As different languages are characterized by multiple dimensions of affix spelling complexity, we specifically targeted the following unique dimensions relevant to Hebrew: (i) affix envelope transparency;(ii) affix letter prevalence;(iii) internal morpho-phonological competition;(iv) overtness of the phonological-orthographic link;and (v) phono-morpho-orthographic consistency. The research instrument was a spelling task of 244 words containing affix letters, covering all non-root morphological roles, both inflectional and derivational. Results show that for both frequent and infrequent words, 6th graders with dyslexia perform similarly to reading age-matched controls when spelling involves morphological competition or when the phonological morphological and orthographic link is inconsistent. In frequent words the similarity in performance between the groups extends to the overt phonology criterion as well. In addition, 6th graders with dyslexia were assisted by affix letter prevalence but not by demarcation of the affix envelope, compared with reading age-matched controls. Regarding these criteria, the discrepancy between regular and irregular affix spelling was different between dyslexic children and non-dyslexic controls. These findings indicate that morphological knowledge in dyslexia is not a unified system, and while some morpho-orthographic regularities are acquired more easily, other morpho-orthographic regularities are quite challenging.
Our research conducted two iterations of a mixed methods design-based research project with 87 youths, to improve learners' collaboration and knowledge-building by using collaboration scripts during learning-on-th...
Our research conducted two iterations of a mixed methods design-based research project with 87 youths, to improve learners' collaboration and knowledge-building by using collaboration scripts during learning-on-the-move within a mobile computing intervention. We investigated how the informal mobile augmented reality app influenced children's science knowledge related to tree life cycles and how the mobile learning intervention shaped children's collaborative sense-making, which involved coordinating sensory observations with explanations as they walked through forested areas of a nature center. Iteration A included four scripts to support collaborative sense-making and knowledge-building, and Iteration B included two additional scripts to support learning regulation. Our results showed significant, large gains in science content scores between pre- and post-assessment for the children in both iterations;however, no difference in learners' knowledge gain was found when comparing Iterations A and B. We qualitatively coded video-records of 39 small groups to understand children's sense-making related to observational and explanation practices. Iteration B groups, who were provided with two additional collaboration scripts, were better able to engage in collaborative sense-making and peer negotiation as they coordinated observational evidence with explanations of tree life cycle stages. Study implications include when designing out-of-school-time experiences, collaboration scripts can guide complex scientific sense-making that includes observation and explanation when children are learning-on-the-move.
The long-term lack of structural resources in game studies has been a constant obstacle preventing researchers from academicizing video game community knowledge and gamer competence (Lin, 2011). The difficulty lies in...
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Background Most health professions in the United States have adopted clinical or practice doctorates, sparking an ongoing debate on whether physician assistants/associates (PAs) should transition from a master's t...
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Background Most health professions in the United States have adopted clinical or practice doctorates, sparking an ongoing debate on whether physician assistants/associates (PAs) should transition from a master's to a doctorate as the terminal degree for the profession. Although more studies are anticipated, there is no validated instrument assessing perceptions of various stakeholders regarding an entry-level PA doctoral degree. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a novel self-report measure to assess perceptions of an entry-level PA doctoral degree. Methods A multifaceted, mixed-methods approach was adopted. Based on a comprehensive literature review of the doctoral transition experiences in other health professions, an initial version of perceptions of an entry-level terminal PA doctoral degree scale (PEDDS) was generated. This scale was pilot tested with a group of PA faculty, students, and clinicians. Then, a cross-sectional survey consisting of 67 items was conducted with a national random sample of practicing PAs and PA students. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted to ensure the validity of PEDDS. A principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted to reduce the number of items and reveal the underlying structure of PEDDS. Results The PCA confirmed 10 factors of PEDDS consisting of 53 items as the best-fit factor structure with adequate internal consistency of subscales. Those factors include a) expected positive impact on the PA profession, b) expected impact on prerequisites, (c) expected impact on the student preparedness as PA faculty and educators, (d) expected impact on the student preparedness as clinicians, (e) expected impact on accreditation and certification, (f) expected impact on curriculum, (g) expected impact on PA educators, (h) expected positive impact on diversity, (i) expected negative impact on the PA profession, and (j) expected impact on the student competency. Conclusions The present study highlight
Gray matter has been shown to be greater in early bilingual adults relative to monolingual adults in regions associated with language (Mechelli et al., 2004), and executive control (EC;Olulade et al., 2016). It is not...
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Gray matter has been shown to be greater in early bilingual adults relative to monolingual adults in regions associated with language (Mechelli et al., 2004), and executive control (EC;Olulade et al., 2016). It is not known, however, if language experience-dependent differences in gray matter volume (GMV) exist in children. Further, any such differences are likely not to be the same as those observed in early bilingual adults, as children have had relatively shorter duration of dual-language exposure and/or less development of brain regions serving EC. We tested these predictions by comparing GMV in Spanish-English early bilingual and English monolingual children, and Spanish-English early bilingual and English monolingual adults (n = 122). Comparing only children revealed relatively more GMV in the bilinguals in bilateral frontal, right inferior frontal, and right superior parietal cortices (regions associated with EC). Bilinguals, however, had less GMV in left inferior parietal cortex (region associated with language). An ANOVA including these children with bilingual and monolingual adults revealed interactions of Language Background by Age Group. There were no regions of more GMV in bilinguals relative to monolinguals that were less pronounced in children than adults, despite the children's shorter dual-language experience. There were relative differences between bilingual and monolingual children that were more pronounced than those in adults in left precentral gyrus and right superior parietal lobule (close to, but not directly in areas associated with EC). Together, early bilingual children manifest relative differences in GMV, and, surprisingly, these do not diverge much from those observed in studies of bilingual adults.
This study critically reviews intersectional research (IR) published in the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) journals and presents a framework for future work in IR. First, we identified 10 IR approaches f...
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This study critically reviews intersectional research (IR) published in the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) journals and presents a framework for future work in IR. First, we identified 10 IR approaches from previous literature and classified them into four perspectives: conceptual, category-based, alternative philosophy-based, and alternative analysis-based perspectives. Utilizing the framework, we found that the majority of IR in HRD has (a) drawn on an intra-categorical approach, (b) focused on the intersection of gender and race, (c) centered on the United States context, and (d) depended on qualitative research methodology. We also examined the IR trends in HRD over time and observed that IR has recently incorporated more diverse approaches and identities and has explored some non-US contexts. To advance IR and better understand the complexity of intersectionality at work, future research needs to continue diversifying research approaches, methods, subjects, and contexts.
Existing research has established immense importance in contextual learning for second language development. However, to provide real-life context in the learning of a foreign language is challenging. To help create s...
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Existing research has established immense importance in contextual learning for second language development. However, to provide real-life context in the learning of a foreign language is challenging. To help create such a learning environment, our previous research developed an innovative system called the R&T System, utilizing robots (R) and tangible objects (T) with Internet of Things (IoT sensors). As the R&T system is still new, there is no sufficient knowledge about what learning obstacles learners would encounter in such a context-rich environment and how best to support them. To explore these issues, in the current study, we designed an English vocabulary game to engage learners to interact with the R&T System. Adopting an action research methodology, we first conducted a pilot study with 12, fourth grade students to identify learning obstacles in a game setting. They were randomly assigned to two groups, one with learning support and the other without learning support. The experiment lasted for four weeks. Both pre-test and post-test on English vocabulary were used to measure the effectiveness of these learning support mechanisms. From the video recordings of the participants' engagement with the R&T System, the results reveal that the learning support mechanisms had positive impact on the participants' learning performance and significantly reduced the occurrences of learning obstacles. This research could serve as a useful reference for future research when designing learning support for contextual vocabulary learning supported by a robotic system.
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