An fMRI Compatible Touchscreen to Measure Hand Kinematics During a Complex Drawing Task

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This study was funded by the Northwood Trust and the Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre, University of Aberdeen. GDW is part of the SINASPE collaboration (Scottish Imaging Network - A Platform for Scientific Excellence www.SINAPSE.ac.uk). The authors thank Baljit Jagpal, Nichola Crouch, Beverly Maclennan and Katrina Klaasen for their help with running the experiment and Dawn Younie and Teresa Morris for their help with recruitment and scheduling. We also thank the participants for their generous participation.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Learning Disability Status and Gender as Predictors of Self-Efficacy.

In the school district under study, students with learning disabilities were underperforming when compared to students without disabilities. Research has indicated that improved self-efficacy can promote improved student outcomes and that self- efficacy can be taught. Despite this known association, the school district under study has not provided students with such support. The current study addressed ways in which that gap may be attenuated. Guided by the framework of Bandura\u27s theory of self-efficacy and social cognitive theory, the purpose of this study was to explore (a) whether students\u27 perceptions of self-efficacy differed depending on whether or not they had diagnosed learning disabilities and (b) whether learning disability status and gender were predictors of self-efficacy. Bandura\u27s Children\u27s Perceived Self-Efficacy scale was used to examine students\u27 (N = 394) levels of self-efficacy in this causal-comparative study. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics (scale reliability analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, and multiple regression). Results indicated that students with learning disabilities had lower levels of perceived self-efficacy, whether measured using the 7 subscales or the 3 overall scales, and that these differences were independent of gender. These results indicate a need for administrators and teachers to implement strategies to improve levels of self-efficacy for students with learning disabilities. Ultimately, improving students\u27 levels of self-efficacy could contribute to improved academic outcomes, thus promoting social change

A Low-Cost, Computer-Interfaced Drawing Pad for fMRI Studies of Dysgraphia and Dyslexia

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