Cognitive control goes to school: The impact of executive functions on academic performance

AbstractThe general aim of the present study was to investigate EF in relation to academic performance. We chose tasks evaluating three EF dimensions: working memory (WM), inhibition (resistance to interference and negative priming), and set-shifting. Subjects (N = 70) were school-aged children in the 5th and the 8th Grades. Regression models supported the contribution of individual differences in EF performance to explaining over half of total variance in school performance, revealing the main role of WM in predicting Mathematics performance. Results are discussed in terms of relevance of meaningful assessment practices and for educational interventions. © 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of Masterprof tea

A Q-sort analysis investigating the social perception of a chronic disease: from sympathy to stygma

Purpose: The paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of business processes (BPs) literature by identifying and discussing key BP?related research themes and suggesting directions for future research. Design methodology approach:Latent semantic analysis was used to analyze the abstracts of academic articles related to BP. Over 2,700 articles that use the term business process (BP) in their title, abstract or keywords were identified through electronic journals database EBSCOHost and examined. Findings:The results clearly indicate growing interest in BP research during the past 20 years. The key research themes can be classified into core and associated BP research. Core BP research deals with four cornerstones of BP change: BP design, information technology, BP implementation, and ongoing BP management. The associated BP research lies on the intersection of BP and other research areas such as total quality management, supply chain management, e?commerce, etc.Research limitations implications:There is a need to focus future research efforts on understanding the inter?relationships among the four identified cornerstones of BP change. There is also a need for more inter?disciplinary BP research and integration of BP?related organizational practices. Originality value:The review offers a cross?disciplinary perspective on BP research. The proposed framework can be used to identify directions for future research and practice

A Q-sort analysis investigating the social perception of a chronic disease : between sympathy and stigma

Although epilepsy has nowadays an optimist clinical prognosis (Jacoby, Snape, & Baker, 2005), several recent studies point out that the social prognosis of epilepsy appears to be less encouraging. Our study aims at employing a different approach in the investigation of both knowledge and attitudes in the social representation of this disorder: Q-methodology (Stephenson, 1935). According to the general principles of Qmethodology, we first conducted semi-structured interviews regarding the perception of children with epilepsy. The interviews tackled 3 main domains: the children's (perceived) neuropsychological functioning, their academic performance and their social interactions. For each dimension, two types of statements were included: knowledge (true or false) and stigma statements. 40 of these statements were included in a Q-sort procedure applied to 34 respondents: medical staff, parents of children with epilepsy and of non-epileptic children. Their views on children with epilepsy aggregated in three different types of social perception: the rationalist-optimists, the protective-ignorants and the stigmatizers. The meaning and the impact of these social perceptions are discussed in relation to their implications for public health interventions directed at improving the quality of life for people with epilepsy