The Influence of Reading Expertise in Mirror‐Letter Perception: Evidence From Beginning and Expert Readers     

Jon Andoni Duñabeitia  María Dimitropoulou  Adelina Estévez  Manuel Carreiras 《Mind, Brain, and Education》2013,7(2):124-135

The visual word recognition system recruits neuronal systems originally developed for object perception which are characterized by orientation insensitivity to mirror reversals. It has been proposed that during reading acquisition beginning readers have to “unlearn” this natural tolerance to mirror reversals in order to efficiently discriminate letters and words. Therefore, it is supposed that this unlearning process takes place in a gradual way and that reading expertise modulates mirror‐letter discrimination. However, to date no supporting evidence for this has been obtained. We present data from an eye‐movement study that investigated the degree of sensitivity to mirror‐letters in a group of beginning readers and a group of expert readers. Participants had to decide which of the two strings presented on a screen corresponded to an auditorily presented word. Visual displays always included the correct target word and one distractor word. Results showed that those distractors that were the same as the target word except for the mirror lateralization of two internal letters attracted participants' attention more than distractors created by replacement of 2 internal letters. Interestingly, the time course of the effects was found to be different for the 2 groups, with beginning readers showing a greater tolerance (decreased sensitivity) to mirror‐letters than expert readers. Implications of these findings are discussed within the framework of preceding evidence showing how reading expertise modulates letter identification.  相似文献   

Expanded Assessment Study Examining the Citation Patterns from Traditional and Nontraditional Institutions and Their Effect upon the Quality of Doctoral Dissertation Reference Lists     

Johanna Tuñón  Bruce Brydges 《图书馆管理杂志》2013,53(1-2):137-159

ABSTRACT

This study used citation analysis in conjunction with a subjective rubric with five validated criteria to assess the quality of a purposive sample of 452 education dissertation reference lists produced at a nontraditional institution from six doctoral programs. These programs used a variety of distance education models. The citations were then compared with the 100 reference lists selected from doctoral education programs at 10 traditional institutions. Criteria included the breadth of resources, depth of the literature review as shown through the citing of critical historical and theoretical works, depth as demonstrated through the scholarliness of citations chosen, currency, and relevancy. The study discusses how the expanded sample of traditional reference lists continued to demonstrate consistent patterns. In contrast, although the sample of reference lists from distance education programs was much expanded, the patterns of the subsets of reference lists at the nontraditional institution were significantly diverse. The patterns of 35 doctoral reference lists from another for-profit, nontraditional institution known for providing distance education were also examined to compare the results of the two nontraditional programs. Possible reasons for differences in citation patterns by traditional and nontraditional programs are discussed, and the possible role of distance education and program criteria are examined for insights they offer into the use of citation analysis as an assessment tool of the library research skills of doctoral students.  相似文献   

The Use of Newspaper Articles as a Tool to Develop Critical Thinking in Science Classes     

Begoña Oliveras  Conxita Márquez  Neus Sanmartí 《International Journal of Science Education》2013,35(6):885-905

The aim of this research is to identify the difficulties experienced by secondary school students (aged 15–16) with the critical reading of newspaper articles with scientific content. Two newspaper critical reading activities in relation to the study of various scientific contents were designed and carried out in two schools (61 students in total), one with a student population from a medium to high social and economic bracket and the other with students from a medium to low social and economic bracket. These activities were designed taking into account the phases of the reading process: before, during and after reading. In order to analyse the difficulties ‘Elements of science critical reading’ were identified on the basis of the ‘Elements of reasoning’ of Paul and Elder and the categories proposed by Bartz C.R.I.T.I.C. questionnaire and a scale was drawn up. The results show that the activities designed were useful in helping students to read critically. We also rated very positively the instrument created to assess the students' answers: the scale based on the performance indicators of Paul and Elder. This instrument enabled us to detect the aspects of critical thinking where students have the most difficulties: identifying the writer's purpose and looking for evidence in a text. It was also shown that the stance taken in the articles also had an influence on the results.  相似文献   

Teaching and learning about human nutrition: a constructivist approach     

Enrique Banet  Francisco Núñez 《International Journal of Science Education》2013,35(10):1169-1194

The results of a constructivism‐based teaching programme on human nutrition for students in the second year of secondary education (13‐ and 14‐year‐olds) are analysed in light of the ideas held by the students before and after implementation of the programme. The results show how most of the students who participated in this programme reorganized their ideas concerning the nutritional process and achieved a fuller understanding of how nutrition comprises a series of related and integrated processes. Other students, who followed a more conventional method based on the teacher explanation and textbooks, tended to have erroneous or incomplete ideas concerning the nutritional process.  相似文献   

Solving Problems in Genetics,Part III: Change in the view of the nature of science     

M. Teresa Ibáñez‐Orcajo 《International Journal of Science Education》2013,35(6):747-769

Numerous investigations show that most school science teaching, in Spain and elsewhere, implicitly transmits an inductivist and very stereotyped view of science and conveys an unrealistic image of scientific work. We present some results of an investigation with fourth‐level Spanish secondary education students (15 year olds) who were taught genetics through a unit based on an open problem‐solving methodology as an investigation. Among the learning objectives were the modification of their view of the nature of science in relation to ideas about: how science is done, what a theory is, what scientists do, and, finally, what the relationship is between Science–Technology–Society. The conceptual change about the nature of science experienced by the students in the experimental group was not observed in the control group, which worked in a traditional manner. Also, these new concepts remained with the students over time without a significant backward shift.  相似文献   

Correlation between variables subject to an order restriction,with application to scientometric indices     

Miguel A. García-Pérez  Vicente Núñez-Antón 《Journal of Informetrics》2013,7(2):542-554

Variables subject to an order restriction, for instance Y ≤ X, have a bivariate distribution over a non-rectangular joint domain that entails a non-null and potentially large structural relation even if the variables show no association (in the sense that particular ranges of values of X do not co-occur with particular ranges of values of Y). Order restrictions affect a number of scientometric indices (including the h index and its variants) that are routinely subjected to correlational analyses to assess whether they provide redundant information, but these correlations are contaminated by the structural relation. This paper proposes an alternative definition of association between variables subject to an order restriction that eliminates their structural relation and reverts to the conventional definition when applied to variables that are not subject to order restrictions. This alternative definition is illustrated in a number of theoretical cases and it is also applied to empirical data involving scientometric indices subject to an order restriction. A test statistic is also derived which allows testing for the significance of an association between variables subject to an order restriction.  相似文献   

La conceptualización de la vida social escolar     

Alfredo Goñi 《Infancia y Aprendizaje》2013,36(47):101-116

Resumen

El objetivo de este estudio era indagar a qué tipos de conceptos recurren los preadolescentes cuando razonan sobre sucesos ordinarios de la vida social escolar. Brinda trasfondo teórico a la investigación la hipótesis de los dominios de juicio social formulada por Elliot Turiel. Se mantuvo una entrevista de inspiración clínica con 96 alumnos de entre 10 y 16 años, distribuidos en tres grupos de edad. Como estímulos se presentaron cinco episodios representados en tiras de comics. El análisis de los resultados, más cualitativo que cuantitativo, permite detectar la complejidad conceptual de los episodios de la vida ordinaria y la pluralidad de categorías que conforman el conocimiento social; se clarifica también la entidad epistemológica de algunas nociones sociales a la par que algunos cambios de pensamiento asociados con la edad. Se apuntan, por fin, aquellas claves teóricas cuya profundización permitirá acercarse más al sujeto pensante real.  相似文献   

Mejora de la velocidad de lectura en jóvenes con discapacidad motora     

Jordi Escoin  Monserrat Mascuñan 《Infancia y Aprendizaje》2013,36(64):49-60

Resumen

En el presente trabajo se muestra un procedimiento para conseguir mejorar el nivel de velocidad lectora en jóvenes con discapacidad motora, en su mayoría afectados de parálisis cerebral y que presentan problemas fonoarticulatorios o de ausencia de habla. Se utilizó con éxito un programa de ordenador llamado Speed Reader II, que está diseñado para desarrollar técnicas de lectura rápida. En los sujetos objeto de estudio dicho programa permitió mejorar la velocidad lectora, probablemente porque el procedimiento empleado favoreció el reconocimiento visual de palabras y la interpreta—ción y anticipación del contenido a partir del contexto. Se observa, sin embargo, la necesidad de que los sujetos dispongan una mínima habilidad lectora de partida para que el progreso con este programa sea significativo.  相似文献   

Developmental changes (14–21 years old) in binge drinking patterns and their explanatory factors / Cambios evolutivos (14–21 años) en los patrones de ingesta puntual de alcohol en exceso y en sus factores explicativos     

Amparo Caballero  Itziar Fernández  Dolores Muñoz  Pilar Carrera 《Infancia y Aprendizaje》2013,36(3):458-497

Abstract

In order to design prevention programs, it is important to understand the evolution of drinking behaviour patterns among adolescents and young people. The aim of this paper is to analyse the changes in these patterns based on age and their role in explaining this behaviour in the Theory of Planned Behaviour framework. We used 273 participants divided into three sub-samples (3^rd and 4^th ESO [Educación Secundaria Obligatoria, ‘Compulsory Secondary Education’] students and university students). For older ages, the frequency of binge drinking is higher and the attitudes were also more positive towards alcohol consumption. Structural equation analyses show that drinking behaviour is explained by a different model in each age-group: in older groups, the role played by positive attitude and perceived control is more important than in the younger; by contrast, the influence of reference groups decreases with age. Results show significant differences between age groups regarding the reasons that young people report for engaging or not engaging in this behaviour.  相似文献   

Grade level, study time, and grade retention and their effects on motivation, self-regulated learning strategies, and mathematics achievement: a structural equation model     

Pedro Rosário  José Carlos Núñez  António Valle  Julio González-Pienda  Abílio Lourenço 《European Journal of Psychology of Education - EJPE》2013,28(4):1311-1331

The present study complements previous research findings with new data to improve our understanding of the relationship between motivational variables and academic performance in math mediated by self-regulated learning (SRL). A structural equation model with predictor (i.e., grade retention, grade level, and study time), process (i.e., perceived usefulness of SRL strategies, self-efficacy for the use of SRL strategies, and reported use of SRL), and product variables (i.e., academic achievement in mathematics) is proposed. The model was analyzed in two samples of data (calibration and validation samples). The first sample served to fit and respecify the model, and the second one was used to analyze the consistency of the findings of the first sample. A sample of 756 middle school Portuguese students participated in the current study. The results indicate that SRL is positively and significantly related to academic achievement and that the latter is, in turn, powerfully determined by perceived usefulness and self-efficacy, although students’ reported use of SRL strategies decreases from 7th to 9th grades. Self-efficacy and perceived usefulness of SRL strategies were also found to decrease as grade retention increased. These results are discussed with regard to the relevance of self-efficacy and perceived usefulness of SRL strategies in increasing academic achievement.  相似文献