Subsurface Irrigation Research in Arkansas

A pilot study conducted in 1963 indicated that (1) cotton yields could be increased by subirrigation, (2) drilled orifices were unsatisfactory because of internal plugging caused by burrs and drilling particles, and (3) operating pressures of 5 and 10 psi were excessive, and 5 psi probably should be considered as an upper-limit pressure. A greenhouse study of a subirrigation system indicated that 2 psi should, in general, for in-wall orifices, be considered as a lower-limit pressure when orifices are built into the pipe wall. The greenhouse study also indicated that a placement depth of 12 inches was preferable to 18 inches in terms of the amount of water required. Twelve inches was used as the depth of placement for the field subirrigation system. A device was developed for forming orifices with a hot needle. This method has advantages over the drilled orifices used in the pilot study in that the forming process does not produce loose particles to fall inside the pipe or burrs which remain attached to the inner edge of the orifice and later cause stoppage problems. This method also seems preferable to punched orifices which tend to become smaller with time due to rebound of the plastic

Relations Between Working Memoryand Emergent Writing AmongPreschool-aged Children

The authors examined the nature of the working memory system that underlies age differences of young, preschool-aged children. Measures of working memory, short-term memory, articulation speed, general intelligence, and writing were administered to 166 Canadian preschool-aged children aged 3 to 5 years. Findings generally support the hypothesis that age-related differences in working memory capacity are a function of growth in a general executive as well as processing at lower levels. The results also showed that working memory predicted unique variance in name writing of preschoolers; however, this association was mediated by children’s age (experience) and letter-copying skill

Connections Between Children’s Motivations Toward Writing and Writing Competence

This paper explores how young children’s motivation to engage in writing processes aligns with their demonstrated writing competencies. Additionally, it examines connections between children’s self-concept as writers and their writing performance. During group research sessions conducted over the course of four years, three cohorts of 336 children in total, from Kindergarten to Grade 2, completed a prompted narrative writing task and a semi-structured language and writing attitude interview. A research assistant scored the narrative writing samples for quality and connection of ideas, using a six-point holistic scale, while another research assistant recorded children’s interview responses. In general, those children reporting a positive attitude towards writing and a positive self-concept as writers displayed greater competence in writing, as evidenced by higher writing quality scores. This further supports the role that affect plays in motivation and achievement. Interestingly, some children displayed a disconnect between their writing attitude, self-concept and their writing competence, with some children reporting positive attitudes, yet demonstrating low writing competence and others reporting negative attitudes, but demonstrating high writing competence. More in-depth interviews were conducted with three children whose responses showed a disconnect, thereby identifying more nuanced factors in the relationship between attitude and writing competence

A review of trends in research methods in cooperative education

Research approaches reported in research articles published in APJCE has shown a considerable shift over the 13 years towards a greater use of qualitative research methods. An increase in the number of reported research projects using mixed methods is also evident. It was intended that this paper reported on preliminary finding which would shed light on some research methods trends and inform other researchers on the commonality of these approaches. Further review is required to fully understand other trends in the type of use of research methods and also to explore any trends in publishing patterns

The Wanganui River: A recreation survey

This Report is a joint undertaking between Lincoln College and the Wanganui River Scenic Board. Its principal objective is to provide user information which in conjunction with other essential resource information will offer a substantive basis for management planning. As such, this report which looks at users, their motivations, characteristics, satisfactions and management preferences, may be unique in such a planning ventur

Why Tangibility Matters: A Design Case Study of At-Risk Children Learning to Read and Spell

Tangibles may be effective for reading applications. Letters can be represented as 3D physical objects. Words are spatially organized collections of letters. We explore how tangibility impacts reading and spelling acquisition for young Anglophone children who have dyslexia. We describe our theory-based design rationale and present a mixedmethods case study of eight children using our PhonoBlocks system. All children made significant gains in reading and spelling on trained and untrained (new) words, and could apply all spelling rules a month later. We discuss the design features of our system that contributed to effective learning processes, resulting in successful learning outcomes: dynamic colour cues embedded in 3D letters, which can draw attention to how letter(s) position changes their sounds; and the form of 3D tangible letters, which can enforce correct letter orientation and enable epistemic strategies in letter organization that simplify spelling tasks. We conclude with design guidelines for tangible reading systems

The role of work-integrated learning in the development of entrepreneurs

This study explored the ways that work-integrated learning (WIL) influences the development of entrepreneurs. Seven alumni from Canada and the United Kingdom, who experienced differing forms of WIL during their degree, participated in qualitative in-depth interviews and provided rich pictures. A rich picture is a pictorial representation of a situation, including what happened, who was involved, how the participant perceived the situation. During the interviews, participants reflected on how WIL impacted their career and they created rich pictures to depict their perception of an entrepreneur and what influenced them to become an entrepreneur. Several important themes emerged and included seizing opportunities, thinking “outside the box,” being resilient during difficult times, and the importance of networks. The influence of WIL was important for all participants and provided the framework of support that enabled the participants to manage difficult times and turn disruption into opportunity

Measuring Anxiety in Youth with Learning Disabilities: Reliability and Validity of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC)

Youth with learning disabilities (LD) are at an increased risk for anxiety disorders and valid measures of anxiety are necessary for assessing this population. We investigated the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC; March in Multidimensional anxiety scale for children. Multi-Health Systems, North Tonawanda, 1998) in 41 adolescents (ages 11– 17 years) with LD. Youth and parents completed the MASC and were administered the semi-structured Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule: Child and Parent Versions (ADIS: C/P; Silverman and Albano in The Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV-Child and Parent Versions. Psychological Corporation, San Antonio, 1996). Results found that child and parent reports of Social Anxiety on the MASC closely corresponded with ADIS-generated social phobia diagnoses, and parent total scores discriminated well among youth with and without any anxiety disorder. A multi-method multi-trait matrix provided evidence of the construct validity of the MASC total score for both parent and child reports. Our findings provide empirical evidence that parent and child versions of the MASC are useful for assessing anxiety in youth with LD