Connecting the dots: Examining the role of parental beliefs and preschoolers��� affect and engagement in predicting parent-child number exploration during a meaningful math experience

The current study examined the frequency and quality of how 3- to 4-year-old children and their parents explore the relations between symbolic and non-symbolic quantities in the context of a playful math experience, as well as the role of both parent and child factors in this exploration. Preschool children���s numerical knowledge was assessed while parents completed a survey about the number-related experiences they share with their children at home, and their math-related beliefs. Parent-child dyads were then videotaped playing a modified version of the card game War. Results suggest that parents and children explored quantity explicitly on only half of the cards and card pairs played, and dyads of young children and those with lower number knowledge tended to be most explicit in their quantity exploration. Dyads with older children, on the other hand, often completed their turns without discussing the numbers at all, likely because they were knowledgeable enough about numbers that they could move through the game with ease. However, when dyads did explore the quantities explicitly, they focused on identifying numbers symbolically, used non-symbolic card information interchangeably with symbolic information to make the quantity comparison judgments, and in some instances, emphasized the connection between the symbolic and non-symbolic number representations on the cards. Parents reported that math experiences such as card game play and quantity comparison occurred relatively infrequently at home compared to activities geared towards more foundational practice of number, such as counting out loud and naming numbers. However, parental beliefs were important in predicting both the frequency of at-home math engagement as well as the quality of these experiences. In particular, parents��� specific beliefs about their children���s abilities and interests were associated with the frequency of home math activities, while parents��� math-related ability beliefs and values along with children���s engagement in the card game were associated with the quality of dyads��� number exploration during the card game. Taken together, these findings suggest that card games can be an engaging context for parent-preschooler exploration of numbers in multiple representations, and suggests that parents��� beliefs and children���s level of engagement are important predictors of this exploration.

Teachers' legitimacy: Effects of justice perception and social comparison processes

Background. Teachers��� legitimacy is central to school functioning. Teachers��� justice, whether distributive or procedural, predicts teachers��� legitimacy. Aims. What is still do be found, and constitutes the goal of this paper, is whether unjust treatment by a teacher affects the legitimacy of the teacher differently when the student knows that the teacher was fair to a peer (comparative judgement) or when the student does not have that information (autonomous judgement). Samples. A total of 79 high school students participated in Study 1; 75 high school students participated in Study 2. Methods. Two experimental studies with a 2 justice valence (just, unjust) 9 2 social comparison processes (autonomous judgements, comparative judgements) betweenparticipants design were conducted. Study 1 addressed distributive justice and Study 2 addressed procedural justice. The dependent variable was teachers��� legitimacy. Results. In both studies, situations perceived as just led to higher teachers��� legitimacy than situations perceived as unjust. For the distributive injustice conditions, teachers��� legitimacy was equally lower for autonomous judgement and comparative judgement conditions. For procedural injustice, teachers��� legitimacy was lower when the peer was treated justly and the participant was treated unfairly, compared with the condition when the participants did not know how the teacher treated the peer. Conclusions. We conclude that teachers��� injustice affects teachers��� legitimacy, but it does it differently according to the social comparisons involved and the type of justice involved. Moreover, these results highlight that social comparisons are an important psychological process and, therefore, they should be taken into account in models of justice.

STORYTELLING, EMOTION UNDERSTANDING, AND KINDERGARTNERS��� SOCIAL COMPETENCE

Interpreting others��� emotions is theoretically foundational for children���s social competence, yet little research contrasts Emotion Understanding (EU) types against their theoretical correlates. This study investigated kindergartners��� situationistic EU (attributing emotions based on external events) and mentalistic EU (attributing emotions from others��� mental states) in relation to Theory of Mind (ToM) and social skills, as rated by parents and teachers. The EU measures were expected to have low associations with one another and to relate differently to ToM and select social skills. Mentalistic EU was expected to be an important predictor of teacher-rated social skills. Results supported the hypothesis that mentalistic EU and situationistic EU are distinct constructs. However, both relate to ToM. Furthermore, while ToM and situationistic EU variables were included in the regression model, only vocabulary and mentalistic EU were significant predictors for teacher-rated social skills. Results indicate the importance of mentalistic EU in aspects of kindergartners��� social competence.

READY FOR KINDERGARTEN: A TRAINING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE PARENT-CHILD CONVERSATION DURING THE PRESCHOOL YEARS

Many children in the United States begin kindergarten unprepared to converse in the academic language surrounding instruction, putting them at greater risk for later language and reading difficulties. Importantly, correlational research has shown there are certain experiences prior to kindergarten that foster the oral language skills needed to understand and produce academic language. The focus of this dissertation was on increasing one of these experiences: parent-child conversations about abstract and non-present concepts, known as decontextualized language (DL). Decontextualized language involves talking about non-present concepts such as events that happened in the past or future, or abstract discussions such as providing explanations or defining unknown words. As caregivers��� decontextualized language input to children aged three to five is consistently correlated with kindergarten oral language skills and later reading achievement, it is surprising no experimental research has been done to establish this relation causally. The study described in this dissertation filled this literature gap by designing, implementing, and evaluating a decontextualized language training program for parents of 4-year-old children (N=30). After obtaining an initial measure of decontextualized language, parents were randomly assigned to a control condition or training condition, the latter of which educated parents about decontextualized language and why it is important. All parents then audio-recorded four mealtime conversations over the next month, which were transcribed and reliably coded for decontextualized language. Results indicated that trained parents boosted their DL from roughly 17 percent of their total utterances at baseline to approximately 50 percent by the mid-point of the study, and remained at these boosted levels throughout the duration of the study. Children���s DL was also boosted by similar margins, but no improvement in children���s oral language skills was observed, measured prior to, and one month following training. Further, exploratory analyses pointed to parents��� initial use of DL and their theories of the malleability of intelligence (i.e., growth mindsets) as moderators of training gains. Altogether, these findings are a first step in establishing DL as a viable strategy for giving children the oral language skills needed to begin kindergarten ready to succeed in the classroom.

Las inteligencias m��ltiples en el proceso del aprendizaje de EGB

En el marco de la investigaci��n: Las inteligencias m��ltiples en el proceso del aprendizaje de EGB, situada en el ��rea de la Psicolog��a Educativa y el Curr��culo, sebusca dar una contribuci��n dentro del aprendizaje y de la planificaci��n, presentando estrategias de ense��anza ��� aprendizaje, para desarrollar las inteligencias dentro de la Actualizaci��n y Fortalecimiento Curricular correspondiente a los siete primeros a��os de Educaci��n General B��sica (EGB). El prop��sito de esta tesis es encontrar la relaci��n entre las inteligencias m��ltiples y el proceso de aprendizaje en EGB, planteando estrategias metodol��gicas que desarrollen destrezas con criterio de desempe��o que potencien las inteligencias m��ltiples, en las diferentes ��reas del aprendizaje y en los distintos niveles de educaci��n. La metodolog��a a usar en esta investigaci��n fue la bibliogr��fica documental. Se revisaron art��culos cient��ficos, tesis, monograf��as relacionadas con las categor��as de la investigaci��n. La investigaci��n intent�� responder las siguientes preguntas: ��Qu�� son las inteligencias m��ltiples?��Cu��l es la relaci��n entre las inteligencias m��ltiples y los aprendizajes de EGB?��Qu��plantea la Actualizaci��n y Fortalecimiento Curricular sobre el trabajo de las inteligencias? ��Existen actividades de ense��anza ��� aprendizaje en el curr��culo de EGB que recurre a las inteligencias m��ltiples?Para dar respuesta a cada una de las interrogantes se utiliz�� la metodolog��a descriptiva. Un resultado alcanzado es que es posible la relaci��n de las inteligencias m��ltiples con las destrezas con criterio desempe��o pues como ver��n m��s adelante varias destrezas desarrollan las IM planteadas. Por otro lado, la presente investigaci��n muestra estrategias para el desarrollo de cada inteligencia.

From Mill Gates to Magic City: U.S. Steel and Welfare Capitalism in Gary, Indiana, 1906-1930

Gary, Indiana is a city with indelible ties to industrial paternalism. Founded in 1906 by United States Steel Corporation to house workers of the trust���s showpiece mill, the emergence of this model company town was both the culmination of lessons learned from its predecessors��� mistakes and innovative corporate planning. U.S. Steel���s Progressive Era adaptation of welfare capitalism characterized the young city through a combination of direct community involvement and laissez-faire social control. This thesis examines the reactionary implementation of paternalist policies in Gary between 1906 and 1930 through the purviews of three elements under corporate influence: housing, education, and social welfare. Each category demonstrates how both the corporation and citizenry affected and adapted Gary���s physical and cultural landscape, public perceptions, and community identity. Parallel to the popular narrative throughout is that of Gary���s African-American community, and the controversial circumstances of this population���s segregated development.

ANALYSIS OF GENDER RELATIONS IN THE INDUSTRIAL COMMUNITY OF AGUIRRE, PUERTO RICO

This thesis is a study of the gender relations of the residents of Aguirre, Puerto Rico, between 1940 and 1991. The primary goal of the project was to explore how gender roles and relations in the Aguirre community were impacted by the social class system introduced by the Aguirre Sugar Company. This project was based on the interpretation of the past and present situation of the Aguirre community using oral history, by conducting a series of interviews among its residents. The interviews resulted in three main themes. First, the concepts of `normal and natural' were used to distinguish gender roles. Second, Aguirre��os identified `family as community', since through the family individuals built their gender identity and learned the basic rules of coexistence within the social hierarchy of the community. Third, although the gender and class roles were clear in the community, `resistance and negotiation' occurred in the home and at the Company between those of different gender and social classes. The Aguirre Sugar Company was one of the principal influences on the construction of the Aguirre��os identity, and left a mark on the past, present and future generations.

The effectiveness of an online workshop on behavior management as a professional development tool for teachers

The current study examines the effects of an online workshop pertaining to classroom behavior management on teacher self-efficacy, attitudes, motivation, knowledge, and practices. In addition, information about teacher utilization of the Internet, their opinions about professional development, and experiences with classroom management were collected. Participants included 57 1 st through 5th grade special and regular education teachers. Eligible teachers were those who teach an academic subject and had at least one child in the classroom they considered as disruptive. Teachers were randomized to either a training or waitlist group. Classroom observations of teacher practices and questionnaires were utilized. Teachers in the training group participated in two assessment points, baseline and post-workshop, and received access to the online course immediately following the baseline assessment. Teachers in the waitlist group participated in three assessment points, baseline, post-workshop, and follow-up, and received access to the online course immediately following the post-workshop assessment. Findings show that all teachers had access to the Internet at home and at school and used it on a daily basis. The majority of teachers indicated having some past training on all the techniques that were presented in the online workshop. All teachers expressed satisfaction with the workshop, indicating that it should be offered again. Post-workshop, findings showed significant group differences in knowledge with a large effect for the training group scoring higher than the waitlist group on a quiz. Secondly, group differences in self-efficacy, knowledge, and attitudes with teachers��� past-training as a moderator, was examined. Past-training was not found to be a significant moderator of self-efficacy, knowledge, or attitudes. However, the main effect for training group was significant for attitudes. In addition, teacher attitudes, but not knowledge and self-efficacy, significantly predicted motivation to implement. Next, the moderating effect of barriers on motivation and classroom management skill implementation was examined. Barriers were not found to be a significant moderator. Lastly, the training group was observed to be significantly more effective at giving commands compared to the waitlist group. The current study demonstrates the potential of a low-intensity online workshop on classroom management to enhance the accessibility of teacher professional development. ^

Resistance performances: (Re)constructing spaces of resistance and contention in the 2010-2011 University of Puerto Rico student movement

On the night of April 20, 2010, a group of students from the University of Puerto Rico (UPR), R��o Piedras campus, met to organize an indefinite strike that quickly broadened into a defense of accessible public higher education of excellence as a fundamental right and not a privilege. Although the history of student activism in the UPR can be traced back to the early 1900s, the 2010-2011 strike will be remembered for the student activists��� use of new media technologies as resources that rapidly prompted and aided the numerous protests. ^ This activist research entailed a critical ethnography and a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of traditional and alternative media coverage and treatment during the 2010 -2011 UPR student strike. I examined the use of the 2010-2011 UPR student activists��� resistance performances in constructing local, corporeal, and virtual spaces of resistance and contention during their movement. In particular, I analyzed the different tactics and strategies of resistance or repertoire of collective actions that student activists used (e.g. new media technologies) to frame their collective identities via alternative news media���s (re)presentation of the strike, while juxtaposing the university administration���s counter-resistance performances in counter-framing the student activists��� collective identity via traditional news media representations of the strike. I illustrated how both traditional and alternative media (re)presentations of student activism developed, maintained, and/or modified students activists��� collective identities. ^ As such, the UPR student activism���s success should not be measured by the sum of demands granted, but by the sense of community achieved and the establishment of networks that continue to create resistance and change. These networks add to the debate surrounding Internet activism and its impact on student activism. Ultimately, the results of this study highlight the important role student movements have had in challenging different types of government policies and raising awareness of the importance of an accessible public higher education of excellence.^

Neuroscience and Hindu Aesthetics: A Critical Analysis of V.S. Ramachandran���s ���Science of Art���

Neuroaesthetics is the study of the brain���s response to artistic stimuli. The neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran contends that art is primarily ���caricature��� or ���exaggeration.��� Exaggerated forms hyperactivate neurons in viewers��� brains, which in turn produce specific, ���universal��� responses. Ramachandran identifies a precursor for his theory in the concept of rasa (literally ���juice���) from classical Hindu aesthetics, which he associates with ���exaggeration.��� The canonical Sanskrit texts of Bharata Muni���s Natya Shastra and Abhinavagupta���s Abhinavabharati, however, do not support Ramachandran���s conclusions. They present audiences as dynamic co-creators, not passive recipients. I believe we could more accurately model the neurology of Hindu aesthetic experiences if we took indigenous rasa theory more seriously as qualitative data that could inform future research.

Lucum�� (Yoruba) Culture in Cuba: A Reevaluation (1830S -1940s)

The status, roles, and interactions of three dominant African ethnic groups and their descendants in Cuba significantly influenced the island���s cubanidad (national identity): the Lucum��s (Yoruba), the Congos (Bant�� speakers from Central West Africa), and the Carabal��s (from the region of Calabar). These three groups, enslaved on the island, coexisted, each group confronting obstacles that threatened their way of life and cultural identities. Through covert resistance, cultural appropriation, and accommodation, all three, but especially the Lucum��s, laid deep roots in the nineteenth century that came to fruition in the twentieth. During the early 1900s, Cuba confronted numerous pressures, internal and external. Under the pretense of a quest for national identity and modernity, Afro-Cubans and African cultures and religion came under political, social, and intellectual attack. Race was an undeniable element in these conflicts. While all three groups were oppressed equally, only the Lucum��s fought back, contesting accusations of backwardness, human sacrifice, cannibalism, and brujer��a (witchcraft), exaggerated by the sensationalistic media, often with the police���s and legal system���s complicity. Unlike the covert character of earlier epochs��� responses to oppression, in the twentieth century Lucum�� resistance was overt and outspoken, publically refuting the accusations levied against African religions. Although these struggles had unintended consequences for the Lucum��s, they gave birth to cubanidad���s African component. With the help of Fernando Ortiz, the Lucum�� were situated at the pinnacle of a hierarchical pyramid, stratifying African religious complexes based on civilizational advancement, but at a costly price. Social ascent denigrated Lucum�� religion to the status of folklore, depriving it of its status as a bona fide religious complex. To the present, Lucum�� religious descendants, in Cuba and, after 1959, in many other areas of the world, are still contesting this contradiction in terms: an elevated downgrade.

Tert��lia Liter��ria Dial��gica : contribui����es para a forma����o omnilateral de estudantes, na educa����o profissional do Instituto Federal de Bras��lia ��� Campus Taguatinga Centro, Programa Mulheres Mil - 2012

Disserta����o apresentada para obten����o a grau de Mestre na ��rea de Educa����o Social e Interven����o Comunit��ria

L���influence de la perte d���un parent et du deuil chez l�����l��ve de niveau primaire sur sa r��ussite scolaire

La r��ussite scolaire au primaire est d��terminante pour la r��ussite scolaire future de l���enfant. Certains ��l��ments jouent un r��le important dans cette r��ussite comme la sant�� psychologique de l�����l��ve et l���implication parentale. Ces derni��res peuvent ��tre ��branl��es par certaines situations de la vie telle que le d��c��s d���un parent. Ce m��moire porte sur une recherche qualitative effectu��e aupr��s de trois ��l��ves de niveau primaire r��gulier ayant perdu un parent au cours des deux derni��res ann��es. L���objectif de cette recherche est de conna��tre l���influence que peuvent avoir la perte parentale et le deuil chez l�����l��ve sur sa r��ussite scolaire. Il existe peu de recherches qui ont ��t�� r��alis��es sur ce sujet et la plupart se sont principalement int��ress��es �� l���influence des cons��quences psychologiques du deuil sur la r��ussite scolaire. Dans le cadre de ce m��moire, nous avons d��cid�� d���adopter une vision plus globale du d��veloppement de l�����l��ve. Le projet de recherche s���int��resse non seulement �� l�����l��ve, mais aussi �� ses parents et �� son environnement scolaire. La recherche s���articule autour de trois concepts : le deuil, la r��ussite scolaire et l���implication scolaire. La m��thodologie utilis��e repose sur une approche qualitative exploratoire et une analyse de contenu. Les participants ��taient compos��s de trois ��l��ves endeuill��s et non-immigrants, ��g��s entre 7 et 10 ans, de leurs parents survivants (deux) et de leurs enseignants titulaires (trois). Les donn��es ont ��t�� recueillies �� travers des entrevues semi-dirig��es avec tous les participants, les bulletins scolaires des enfants et les plans d���intervention scolaire. Les r��sultats indiquent que les cons��quences psychologiques du deuil peuvent avoir une influence n��gative sur la r��ussite scolaire des ��l��ves du primaire. De plus, la perte parentale semble influer n��gativement sur le niveau socio-��conomique de la famille et sur tous les types d���implication parentale, que ce soit la supervision des le��ons, la communication ��cole-famille ou la collaboration du parent avec la communaut��. Ces ��l��ments peuvent �� leur tour avoir une influence n��gative sur la r��ussite scolaire.

Diversidade e educa����o: Desafios atuais

Actas do Col��quio Internacional Psicologia e Educa����o. ISPS Instituto Universit��rio. Junho 2015

12�� Col��quio Psicologia e Educa����o - Educa����o, aprendizagem e desenvolvimento: Olhares contempor��neos atrav��s da investiga����o e da pr��tica - Actas

De 21 a 23 de Junho de 2012 o ISPA-Instituto Universit��rio organizou o 12�� Col��quio de Psicologia e Educa����o subordinado ao tema ���Educa����o, Aprendizagem e Desenvolvimento: Olhares Contempor��neos atrav��s da Investiga����o e da Pr��tica���. �� semelhan��a das edi����es anteriores, a organiza����o teve como objectivo central promover o debate e a reflex��o sobre a investiga����o e pr��ticas no ��mbito da Psicologia da Educa����o e, de forma mais alargada, os contributos da Psicologia para a qualidade dos processos educativos nos seus diferentes contextos e n��veis. Pretendeu-se ainda que o Col��quio se constitu��sse como espa��o de debate e partilha entre investigadores e profissionais de diferentes ��reas, promovendo-se a interdisciplinaridade e a liga����o entre a teoria e a pr��tica. Esta articula����o ��, naturalmente, imprescind��vel, num tempo caracterizado pelas r��pidas mudan��as sociais, culturais e cient��fica, alargando o campo de reflex��o e de interven����o da Psicologia, em particular, no universo da educa����o. O 12�� Col��quio de Psicologia e Educa����o sendo especialmente direccionado para investigadores, professores, educadores de inf��ncia e, t��cnicos da ��rea da psicologia e/ou da educa����o recebeu uma apreci��vel quantidade de contributos cient��ficos ou de reflex��es sobre as pr��ticas e quest��es que abarcaram m��ltiplos campos e tem��ticas, de acordo com o Programa, o que permitiu construir um conjunto muito rico e significativo de trabalhos cient��ficos que, em diversos formatos, foram apresentados a que se juntou um conjunto de confer��ncias cuja qualidade merece registo. Finalmente, com este livro de actas pretende-se potenciar a divulga����o das confer��ncias, trabalhos e reflex��es apresentados no 12�� Col��quio de Psicologia e Educa����o, cuja qualidade e pertin��ncia assim o exige.