Meningkatkan Karakter dan Hasil Belajar Siswa Dalampembelajaran Matematika melalui Model Pembelajarankooperatif Tipe Stad

Perkembangan karakter dan hasil belajar matematika siswa kelas VII SMPN 26 Padang masih belum sesuai dengan hasil yang diharapkan. STAD (Student Team Achievement Division) adalah salah satu tipe pembelajaran kooperatif yang diperkirakan dapat meningkatkan karakter dan hasil belajar matematika siswa. Penelitian ini bertujuanuntukmelihatbagaimana perkembangan karakterdan hasil belajar matematikasiswakelasVII SMPN 26 Padang tahun pelajaran 2012/2013 yang diajar dengan menggunakan model pembelajaran kooperatif tipe STAD. Jenis penelitian ini adalah pra-eksperimen dengan model rancangan The One Shoot Case Study.Hasil penelitianmenunjukkan adanya peningkatan karakter siswa yang belajar dengan penerapan model pembelajaran kooperatif tipe STAD meskipun tidak stabil, dan hasil belajar siswa yang belajar dengan penerapan model pembelajaran kooperatif tipe STAD meningkat pada setiap pertemuanny

Effect of adaptive frequency lowering on phoneme identification and sound quality of music in hearing-impaired listeners

The most common type and configuration of hearing loss seen in clinics is high frequency sensorineural hearing loss. High-frequency hearing losses can lead to difficulties understanding speech in noise. Traditional amplification can aid in audibility of high-frequency information; however, its success is limited due to acoustic feedback, output limitations of the hearing aids, and loudness discomfort (Bohnert, Nyffeler, & Keilmann, 2010, Turner & Cummings, 1999). Cochlear dead regions further hinder the success of traditional hearing aids, as speech recognition may not improve with increased audibility (Turner & Cummings, 1999). Frequency-lowering algorithms, developed by four major hearing aid manufacturers, attempt to provide improved audibility and speech understanding. Several studies have assessed the success of this technology; however mixed results have been found. The current study’s purpose is to examine the effects of adaptive frequency lowering on phoneme identification and sound quality of music. Seven subjects with high frequency hearing loss were fit with Starkey Xino RITE hearing aids and were tested in two conditions (adaptive frequency lowering on and adaptive frequency lowering off). The Nonsense Syllable Test, Speech Perception In Noise test, and sound quality of music forced choice protocol were used to compare the two algorithms. The results of this study revealed no significant differences between traditional amplification and adaptive frequency lowering algorithm for identification of nonsense syllables, speech perception in noise, and preference of sound quality of music

Analysis and behavioral characteristics of hollow-core plank diaphragms in masonry buildings

The behavioral characteristics of floor diaphragms constructed of hollow-core planks were investigated, and analytical models to predict the strength of the diaphragms were developed in this study. Seventeen full-scale diaphragms were tested under the Sequential Phased Displacement Load Program (SPD). The parameters tested included plank orientation, number of sides connected to the loading frame, addition of a 2-inch topping, plank thickness, number of seam fasteners, and effect of the testing frame stiffness;The behavioral characteristics identified were: the initial stiffness, the First Major Event (FME) load, the limit state load, and the failure modes. The comparison of the experimental results revealed that connecting the diaphragm on all four sides, and orienting the planks perpendicular to the loading direction or addition of the topping, resulted in the best diaphragm action;Expressions to predict the strength and stiffness of the diaphragms were developed based on the edge zone concept and an assumed stress distribution between the planks. Finite element analyses were performed to verify the assumed stress distribution. The predicted and the experimental results were compared. The analytical predictive equations showed a good agreement with the experimental results

The Reliability and Construct Validity of Scores on the Attitudes Toward Problem Solving Scale

The Attitudes Toward Problem Solving Scale (ATPSS) has received limitedattention concerning its reliability and validity with a Malaysian secondaryeducation population. Developed by Charles, Lester & O'Daffer (1987), theinstruments assessed attitudes toward problem solving in areas of Willingness to Engage in Problem Solving Activities, Perseverance During the Problem Solving Process and Self Confidence With Respect to Problem Solving. This study addressed the lack of information about this measure by examining the scale's reliability and its factorial structure. Subjects were 233 secondary schoolstudents. Reliability coefficients of the three subscales and the total score werehigh, indicating that the scale is stable and reliable in measuring AttitudesToward Problem Solving. Results from factor analyses imply that the ATPSSmeasures more various traits in Malaysian culture

Neural Dynamics of Phonological Processing in the Dorsal Auditory Stream

Neuroanatomical models hypothesize a role for the dorsal auditory pathway in phonological processing as a feedforward efferent system (Davis and Johnsrude, 2007; Rauschecker and Scott, 2009; Hickok et al., 2011). But the functional organization of the pathway, in terms of time course of interactions between auditory, somatosensory, and motor regions, and the hemispheric lateralization pattern is largely unknown. Here, ambiguous duplex syllables, with elements presented dichotically at varying interaural asynchronies, were used to parametrically modulate phonological processing and associated neural activity in the human dorsal auditory stream. Subjects performed syllable and chirp identification tasks, while event-related potentials and functional magnetic resonance images were concurrently collected. Joint independent component analysis was applied to fuse the neuroimaging data and study the neural dynamics of brain regions involved in phonological processing with high spatiotemporal resolution. Results revealed a highly interactive neural network associated with phonological processing, composed of functional fields in posterior temporal gyrus (pSTG), inferior parietal lobule (IPL), and ventral central sulcus (vCS) that were engaged early and almost simultaneously (at 80–100 ms), consistent with a direct influence of articulatory somatomotor areas on phonemic perception. Left hemispheric lateralization was observed 250 ms earlier in IPL and vCS than pSTG, suggesting that functional specialization of somatomotor (and not auditory) areas determined lateralization in the dorsal auditory pathway. The temporal dynamics of the dorsal auditory pathway described here offer a new understanding of its functional organization and demonstrate that temporal information is essential to resolve neural circuits underlying complex behaviors