Google Scholar's Coverage of the Engineering Literature 10 years Later

In 2008 Meier and Conkling first tested Google Scholar's coverage of the engineering literature against citations gathered from the Compendex database. Since that time, other studies have used the same methodology and found improvement in Google Scholar's coverage. This study uses engineering dissertations from Proquest Dissertations & Theses to create a data set of citations for the comparison of fee-based databases, Compendex and Scopus, against Google Scholar. From 1950 to 2017 Google Scholar outperformed both Compendex and Scopus in discoverability of citations in nine engineering subjects. These results have implications for collection management and information literacy program planning for librarians.     

Creating safe spaces for children’s voices to be heard: supporting the psychosocial needs of children in times of trauma

ABSTRACT

This reflection on practice provides a foundation for understanding the impact of Hurricane Harvey on teachers and children across the Texas Gulf Coast. It also documents the emergence of a professional development initiative born when early childhood teacher educators in the community outreach arm of a major university sought to provide immediate support for colleagues returning to their classrooms in the wake of the disaster. The initiative was designed to promote teachers’ understanding of the theoretical rationale behind supporting the psychosocial development of children in times of trauma and offer specific strategies and activities to help children work through this particular natural disaster, that is, storms, flooding, property destruction, and some physical harm. Implications for early childhood teacher preparation along with recommendations for future action are included.     

From Interaction to Intersubjectivity: Facilitating online group discourse processes

This article examines the online discourse that took place in representative threads from two classes, seeking to document indicators that students did or did not engage in co‐construction of knowledge. Stahl's (2006 Stahl, G. 2006. Group cognition: Computer support for building collaborative knowledge, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.  [Google Scholar]) social theory of computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is used along with discourse analysis methods to examine these course dialogues. Findings show the class that had a peer‐like, consistent facilitative instructor and discussion anchored around questions and shared artifacts was more likely to engage in discussion leading to the negotiation of knowledge and understanding. This class relied on social acknowledgements, questions, and shared exploration of perspectives and theories throughout their discussion. These elements and strategies appear to be important components that make up for lower levels of tacit understanding in online environments, thus enabling learners to interact in social learning processes. The other class, which lacked a facilitative instructor, did not have the same results. Although interaction levels were equal and students carried topical motifs such as the phrase “faster, better, cheaper” from message to message, students in this other class did not engage deeply or develop new understanding of the course material through the discussion.     

The Hit & Turn Tennis Test: An acoustically controlled endurance test for tennis players

Abstract

This study was conducted to validate and evaluate the “Hit & Turn Tennis Test”, an acoustically progressive on-court endurance test for tennis players. Ninety-eight competitive tennis players (53 males, 45 females) of different age groups participated in the study. For validation, the adult male players completed three Hit & Turn tests, one on a clay court and two on a carpet surface, a tennis-specific ball machine test and an incremental treadmill run in a randomized order. A stronger correlation between maximal performance (r = 0.81, P < 0.01) and maximal oxygen uptake (r = 0.96, P < 0.01) was observed between the Hit & Turn test and the ball machine test, than between the Hit & Turn test and the treadmill test. For test–retest, we found a significant correlation between maximal performance on the same (r = 0.83, P < 0.01) and on different surfaces (r = 0.74, P < 0.01). During test evaluation, maximal performance was higher in males than in females (P < 0.01) and increased by consecutive age group in boys (P < 0.01) but not in girls (P = 0.97). In conclusion, Hit & Turn maximum test performance can be recommended as a valid and reliable indicator for tennis-specific endurance.     

Parent Resource Centers: An Innovative Mechanism for Parental Involvement in School Choice Decisions

This qualitative investigation reports on the use of Parent Resource Centers (PRCs) as a mechanism for parental involvement in public school choice decisions. Interviews with parents and staff at seven PRCs in Florida revealed that PRCs employ multiple strategies to communicate choice information to parents: community-, school- and media-based outreach; outreach to hard-to-reach parents; and collaboration with other agencies. Personalized assistance and provision of choice materials are also highlighted as useful strategies. Results indicate that there is low level of awareness about school choice options among parents and thus clear and consistent communication of choice information is needed. While PRCs hold promise for increasing parental engagement in school choice, structural and systemic barriers to exercising choice decisions such as transportation and collaboration between schools and PRCs should be addressed. Methodologically, this study illustrates the power of triangulating data from parents and PRCs to illuminate our understanding of how parents make choice decisions.     

Math Fluency: Accuracy Versus Speed in Preoperational and Concrete Operational First and Second Grade Children

Cognitive abilities as well as math fluency play an important role in mathematical skills. Understanding the relationship between cognitive abilities and mathematical skills is imperative to teaching effective arithmetic skills. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between cognitive ability and math fluency with 38 first and second grade elementary aged children. Results demonstrate that preoperational children lacked the speed of concrete operational children but achieved comparable levels of accuracy when completing arithmetic problems.     

The Development of Chemical Language Usage by “Non-traditional” Students: the Interlanguage Analogy

Research in Science Education - Students commonly find specialist scientific language problematic. This study investigated developments in chemical language usage by six non-traditional students...     

Training Planning and Working Memory in Third Graders

Working memory and planning are fundamental cognitive skills supporting fluid reasoning. We show that 2 games that train working memory and planning skills in school‐aged children promote transfer to 2 different tasks: an attentional test and a fluid reasoning test. We also show long‐term improvement of planning and memory capacities in 8‐year‐old children after playing adaptive computer games specifically tailored to entrain these cognitive functions. Working memory capacity expanded from 5 to 7 items by using our games. Furthermore, steady progression in the task indicates that this capacity can be trained rapidly. Planning abilities persisted in a nonmarkovian form of play, where a move is highly influenced by previous moves, avoiding back‐ups. Here, we introduce a public and growing platform ( http://www.matemarote.com.ar/ ) developed for this research which has the potential for wide use in educational research.     

Inclusion in Malaysian integrated preschools

Inclusive education has been introduced through a number of policy developments in Malaysia over the last 10 years but there is little research investigating the extent and nature of inclusive education for preschoolers with special educational needs (SEN). This study surveyed both regular and special education teachers in Malaysian integrated preschools asking them about the level and nature of inclusion taking place in their preschools and their perceptions and beliefs about inclusion. There was little evidence of practices of inclusion taking place. Both regular and special educators agreed that SEN should be educated alongside their peers in a school but were unlikely to agree that the SEN students should be in the same classroom. Factors identified as influencing inclusion included school culture, skills and competency, guidance and information, workload and students' disabilities. More guidelines and support are required for successful inclusion in Malaysian integrated preschools.     

Transition Services for Students with Intellectual Disabilities: A Case Study of a Public School Program on a Community College Campus

Students with intellectual disabilities aged 18–21 are increasingly receiving transition services on college campuses during the last years of public schooling. These students may attend college courses, work in the community, access community recreational activities, and engage in age-appropriate experiences with peers without disabilities. However, there is little research that documents the types of practices included, the perspectives of consumers, or the outcomes of these transition services. Results from this case study depict how one public school program on a community college campus incorporated recommended transition practices and how students with intellectual disabilities and their families perceived these practices.