Influence of motivational beliefs and strategies on recall task performance in elementary, middle and high school students

In the present study, we propose a model describing how motivational beliefs and strategies influence study performance of students at three different school levels: elementary (age 8-10), middle (11-14), and first year high school (15). Participants were administered the AMOS 8-15 instrument (Cornoldi et al. 2005) designed for measuring the influence of motivational beliefs and strategies on recall task performance. Results of multigroup analysis confirmed the relations proposed in our model between motivational beliefs and strategies for all three groups, the largest difference being in how these aspects influenced performance on recall tasks: in elementary and middle school, motivational beliefs have direct influence on performance, whereas in high school they influence performance through strategy use.     

Preschoolers' Communicative Functions During Shared Book Reading With Mothers and Fathers

Research Findings: This study examined whether the communicative behaviors of preschoolers during shared-reading interactions differ according to child age or parent gender. Twenty Italian preschoolers (from 3.1 to 5.11 years) were observed during book reading with each parent separately. Communicative behaviors were analyzed according to the speech act theory. The findings showed that older children produced significantly more requests with fathers than with mothers but significantly more assertions with mothers than with fathers. Sequential analysis showed that only the fathers' reading utterances were significantly followed by older children's requests. These results suggest that older children adjusted their communicative functions to elicit richer conversations from their fathers. Practice or Policy: These findings have implications for the assessment and support of preschoolers' conversational skills.     

Supporting preschoolers’ cognitive development: Short- and mid-term effects of fluid reasoning,visuospatial, and motor training

Cognitive abilities are essential to children's overall growth; thus, the implementation of early and effective training interventions is a major challenge for developmental psychologists and teachers. This study explores whether an intervention simultaneously operating on fluid reasoning (FR), visuospatial, narrative, and motor abilities could boost these competencies in a group of Italian preschoolers (N = 108, 54 males 54 females, Age_mean = 4.04). FR and visuospatial abilities showed training-related increases at the end of the training and 1-year follow-up (moderate effect size). Interestingly, positive correlations with working memory and mathematical abilities were found. Beyond their scientific relevance, the short- and long-term effects provide fundamental indications for designing and implementing educational programs dedicated to preschoolers.     

Dynamic assessment and teachers' knowledge of children's mathematical thinking: a case study in children's mathematics

This paper considers the kind of pedagogical knowledge and principles involved in the operationalisation of knowledge of children's mathematical thinking as a process of dynamic assessment. Using a case study of a particular child, this paper explores planning and instruction for a child determined by a detailed and informed interpretation of the child's conceptual understanding through a dynamic process. It presents as a case study the observations of a teacher who had undertaken professional development in children's mathematical thinking, theoretically informed by Cognitively Guided Instruction and Maths Recovery. The observations revealed the child's mathematical understanding and how the teacher used this knowledge dynamically to inform teaching. The paper outlines the kind of knowledge required of teachers to enact this dynamic process in mathematics teaching and argues for the centrality of this to the development of inclusive practice.     

The role of working memory in spatial text processing: What benefit of imagery strategy and visuospatial abilities?

This study investigated the construction of a spatial model in relation to working memory (WM) and visuospatial abilities. Participants were trained to use either imagery or verbal strategies to process route spatial texts. Results obtained on a free recall task, a verification test and a graphic representation task showed the beneficial effect of using a strategy based on mental images. When imagery strategies were used, a concurrent articulatory task produced interference effects on recall performance, and a spatial tapping task also impaired performance as compared to the control condition. These interference effects suggest that both visuospatial and verbal WM were involved in construction of the spatial model. When repetition strategies were used, however, only the articulatory task produced interference effects, highlighting the role of the verbal WM. To elucidate how the involvement of the visuospatial component may differ in relation to visuospatial abilities, participants with good or poor ability in generation of visual images and spatial manipulation of objects were compared. The benefit of the imagery strategy was found in both groups, but whereas low-visuospatial imagery participants were sensitive to spatial interference, their high ability counterparts were not. These results question the role of imagery processes in the construction of spatial models and their relation to the visuospatial WM.     

Microfluidic generation of PEG-b-PLA polymersomes containing alginate-based core hydrogel

Herein, we demonstrate a novel method for the generation of monodisperse cell-like structures containing a biocompatible hydrogel matrix surrounded by a membrane responsive to chemical cues. Specifically, we employ droplet-based microfluidics to generate PEG-PLA polymersomes encapsulating alginate in liquid form. We investigate alginate core gelation by creating an osmotic pressure gradient across the polymeric membrane that, through expansion, allows the passage of calcium ions. The effects of calcium concentration on the core gelation are explored.     

The Properties of Powers: Didactic Contract and Gender Gap

International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education - National and international large-scale assessments of mathematics show that, in most nations, males achieve better results than females...     

Non-structural injection grouts with reduced water content: Changes induced by the partial substitution of water with alcohol

Conventional grouting – used to stabilise delaminated plaster – typically involves the use of water as suspension medium. Water can be dangerous when water-sensitive original materials are present and can cause the solubilisation of salts, leading to their re-crystallisation on drying. Ethyl alcohol is a less effective solvent for soluble salts and generally does not affect the original materials. This is the reason why it was used as a partial substitute for water in grout preparations in the present research. Three water–ethyl alcohol-based grouts were compared with the correspondent water-based grout. The working properties and performance characteristics of the injection grouts with reduced water content were measured to assess their suitability for use on historic plasters.     

Individual differences in memory updating in relation to arithmetic problem solving

The study investigates the relationship between memory updating and arithmetic word problem solving. Two groups of 35 fourth graders with high and low memory-updating abilities were selected from a sample of 89 children on the basis of an updating task used by Palladino et al. [Memory & Cognition 29 (2002) 344]. The two groups were required to solve a set of arithmetic word problems and to recall relevant information from another set of problems. Several span tasks, a computation test, and the PMA verbal subtest were also administered. The group with a high memory-updating ability performed better in problem solving, recalling text problems, and in the computation test. The two groups did not differ in the PMA verbal subtest or in the digit and word spans. Results were interpreted as supporting the importance of updating ability in problem solving and of the substantial independence between memory updating and problem solving on one hand and verbal intelligence on the other.