A Study on the Impact of Representational Forms of Concepts in Elementary School Mathematics on the Degree of Transfer Occurrence

Educators aspire for learners to proficiently apply acquired knowledge across diverse contextual scenarios. Facilitating knowledge transfer involves employing varied methodologies in the construction of instructional materials. Regrettably, extant research lacks a comprehensive examination of the efficacy of these methodologies in specific applications. Drawing upon cognitive psychology principles, this research delineates three representations of instructional materials conducive to knowledge transfer: the amalgamation of conceptual content and digital applications, the integration of conceptual content with situational queries, and the fusion of two situational queries. Subsequently, a cohort comprising 63 third-grade students undergoes experimentation to discern the differential impacts of the aforementioned instructional material configurations on both knowledge acquisition and transfer. Findings indicate a general convergence in the acquisition of mathematical knowledge and transfer capabilities, albeit with discernible variations in the domain of problem-solving sub-skills. Specifically, instances of excessive familiarity with situations facilitate knowledge acquisition but do not necessarily correlate with enhanced transfer acquisition. This underscores the recommendation that educators incorporate instructional materials wherein learners possess a moderate level of familiarity with the given situations during the design phase, thereby fostering concurrent development of transfer acquisition and knowledge acquisition

Heavy Sargassum Inundation

A heavy inundation of Sargassum on Drill Hall Beach, Barbados. For information on a proposed disaster risk assessment method for Sargassum inundation, see Degia et al. 2024, pages GCFI 14-GCFI 29 in volume 35 of Gulf and Caribbean Research (https://doi.org/10.18785/gcr.3501.11).https://aquila.usm.edu/gcrgallery/1003/thumbnail.jp

Leveraging Technology to Support Teachers\u27 Fidelity of Universal Classroom Management Interventions: Lessons Learned and Future Applications

The Good Behavior Game (GBG), a universal classroom management intervention, has shown clear benefits in promoting the behavioral, social-emotional, and academic development of students. However, the quality with which this intervention is delivered tends to diminish over time, which decreases the likelihood of these positive outcomes. By leveraging the benefits of technology, we built a sophisticated online platform to support teachers’ fidelity of the GBG in collaboration with expert consultants and education partners. This paper details initial steps to develop and refine GBG Technology (GBG Tech). Three teacher consultants and two experts in technology-enhanced and classroom management interventions provided ongoing feedback as GBG Tech was initially developed through a rapid prototyping approach by a team of high-tech engineers. Twenty-four teachers participated in focus groups to inform subsequent revisions of the technology, and seven teachers tested the feasibility of GBG Tech in their classrooms for 6 weeks. As anticipated, teachers found GBG Tech to be acceptable, understandable, and feasible to use. Moreover, teachers reached fidelity quickly (M = 2.43 weeks), sustained fidelity for 6 weeks, and delivered the GBG at the recommended dosage. The results of this study informed a full version of GBG Tech that is ready for large-scale testing and a set of design principles intended to guide the development of other technology-delivered interventions aimed at sustaining fidelity in authentic classroom settings

Beyond Grades: Disrupting dominant narratives of success in undergraduate science through community engagement

This dissertation investigates the role of community-engaged volunteer experiences in enhancing culturally relevant science communication self-efficacy and future scientific community engagement among undergraduate STEM students. Critical Theory with a Foucauldian lens was leveraged to interpret how community engaged learning can disrupt the current view of “success” in postsecondary STEM education by diversifying the skills and knowledge emphasized, thereby redistributing power. The research was conducted within a partnership between the University of Southern Mississippi and the Hattiesburg Zoo, involving undergraduate students in a zoology course. Participants volunteered as docents at the zoo, engaging in science communication with diverse public audiences. Data were collected through surveys administered multiple times over a semester, assessing science communication self-efficacy and propensity for future community engagement. Results suggest a nuanced relationship between participation in the docent program at the Hattiesburg Zoo and measures of self-efficacy and community engagement, and some conclusions are constrained due to small sample sizes. Notable results include a significant difference in both culturally relevant science communication self-efficacy and propensity to participate in future scientific community engagement activities between transfer and non-transfer students, with transfer students having higher scores for both measures. This could indicate that transfer students thrive when given opportunities to demonstrate their skills outside of the classroom. It was concluded that community-engaged learning has the potential to disrupt established systems and structures of power and create more equitable educational opportunities. It calls for a shift away from reductionist measures of achievement toward a holistic approach that values applied knowledge and inclusive practices. This research contributes to the discourse on decolonizing STEM education and offers insights into fostering persistence and success among all students, particularly those from marginalized communities. This research underscores the importance of redefining success in STEM education to promote equity and inclusion, ultimately aiming to cultivate a diverse and competent STEM workforce capable of addressing global challenges

Exploring the Efficacy of Using an Online Survey to Measure Functional Literacy Among College Students

This research study was conducted to examine the efficacy of using an online survey to assess the literacy proficiency of college students in an area of the United States with historically low socioeconomic status. Two research questions were written to guide the study: R1. What is the factor structure of the Online Collegiate Literacy Scale? R2. What relationship exists between literacy and college students from areas of the United States with a high concentration of poverty? A literacy measure was created and evaluated in three steps: writing and pretest by subject matter experts; pilot test; and data collection and data analysis. The study was created and administered in Qualtrics®. Once data were collected, they were used to examine the factor structure of the literacy assessment through an exploratory factor analysis (EFA). A four-factor model was suggested by the EFA, and the factors were identified as the ability to locate information; the ability to understand what is being asked; the ability to access prior knowledge; and the ability to reflect and evaluate. Subsequently, a hierarchical multiple regression was performed to determine whether the predictor variables of family income, age, race, level of education, high school grade point average, parents’ level of education were correlated with literacy proficiency. Two of the predictor variables were statistically significant with literacy proficiency, and they explained 8% of the variance in scores. The factor’s Z scores were then included in the regression analysis based on a review of literature. An additional 80% of variance in the test scores was predicted by the Z scores, indicating a strong correlation between literacy scores and the four factors denoted by the EFA

Effect of Solvent Quality and Sidechain Architecture On the Conjugated Polymer Chain Conformation In Solution

Conjugated polymers (CPs) are solution-processible for various electronic applications, where solution aggregation and dynamics could impact the morphology in the solid state. Various solvents and solvent mixtures have been used to dissolve and process CPs, but few studies quantify the effect of solvent quality on the solution behaviors of CPs. Here, we performed static light scattering, small-angle X-ray scattering, combined with molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, to investigate CPs solution behaviors with various solvent quality, including poly(3‐alkylthiophene) (P3ATs) with various sidechain lengths from -C4H9 to -C12H25, poly[bis(3-dodecyl-2-thienyl)-2,2\u27-dithiophene-5,5\u27-diyl] (PQT-12) and poly[2,5-bis(3-dodecylthiophen-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene] (PBTTT-12). We found that chlorobenzene is a better solvent than toluene for various CPs. It is evident from the majority positive second virial coefficient A2 ranging from 0.3 to 4.7 ×10-3 cm3*mol/g2 towards P3ATs. For P3ATs in non-polar solvents, longer sidechains promote more positive A2 and thus signaling a better polymer-solvent interaction, where in toluene A2 increases from -5.9 to 1.4 ×10-3 cm3*mol/g2 and in CB A2 ranges from 1.0 to 4.7 ×10-3 cm3*mol/g2 when sidechain length increases from -C6H13 to -C12H25. Moreover, PQT-12 and PBTTT-12 have strong aggregation tendencies in all the solutions, with an apparent positive A2 (~0.5 ×10-3 cm3*mol/g2) due to multi-chain aggregates and peculiar chain folding. These solvent-dependent aggregation behaviors can be well correlated to spectroscopy measurement results. Our coarse-grained MD simulation results further suggested that CPs with longer, dense, and branched sidechain can achieve enhance polymer-solvent interaction, and thus enable overall better solution dispersion. Our work here provides quantitative insights into the solution behavior of conjugated polymers that can guide both the design and process of CPs toward next-generation organic electronics

Effectiveness of Automated Formative Feedback in an Online Tutorial for Promoting Summarizing

We conducted a study with the aim to investigate the effectiveness of automated formative feedback in improving students’ ability to summarize. One-hundred and thirty-eight undergraduate students in an elementary education program were asked to summarize six scientific texts, with the experimental group (N=87) receiving automated formative feedback in a computer-based learning environment (FALB). FALB provides automated feedback about content coverage, copying words avoidance, redundancy avoidance, relevance, and length. Comparing the experimental group to a control group (N=51), results implied that summarizing skills could be fostered when interacting with FALB. In particular, the automated formative feedback promoted the adherence to the predefined length and the avoidance of copying words while maintaining a high content coverage, fostering cognitive processes essential for constructing a mental model of a text. In addition, students in the experimental group were able to maintain high quality summaries in their final session when not scaffolded. In conclusion, FALB supports the alignment of internal standards with external standards and provides an incentive to revise and engage with texts

Perceived Parental Abilities of Traditional vs. Non-traditional Couples Seeking to Adopt

Prejudice towards those that do not conform to stereotypical roles for their given sex remains a pervasive societal problem, particularly among gay and lesbian couples. However, few experimental studies investigating factors that affect prejudice toward such couples have been conducted. The current study sought to better understand the psychological factors driving these prejudices, particularly considering the long-term implications for gay and lesbian couples seeking to expand their families. One basis for this prejudice seems to be a reaction to gay or lesbian couples violating traditional familial and gender norms. To further investigate this prejudice, participants viewed either an opposite- or same-sex facial dyads along with a vignette indicating that this couple was seeking to adopt. Individual target faces were also manipulated to appear either more masculine or feminine and used to form nine unique pairings of sexually dimorphic couples. Participants then indicated the extent to which they thought each couple was likely to be approved for adoption and the couples’ parental abilities. This was followed by the Right-Wing Authoritarianism scale, a measure of value placed upon traditional norms, and a measure of extrinsic and intrinsic religiosity more nuanced understanding of the underpinnings of anti-gay discrimination. Results may guide future research for reducing these prejudices, particularly as it pertains to LGBTQ+ couples seeking to adopt

Editor’s Message for the series of Educational Technology in China

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