Abstract

The reality is that approximately 5-8% of school-age students have memory or other cognitive deficits that interfere with their ability to acquire, master, and apply mathematical concepts and skills (Geary, 2004). These students with Mathematical Learning Disabilities (MLD) are at risk for failure in middle school mathematics because they generally are unprepared for the rigor of the middle school mathematics curriculum. This article not only seeks to explore why students with MLD are such poor mathematical problems solvers, but it seeks to explore and illuminate the mystery behind the cognitive processes and metacognitive strategies that are used to solve mathematical problems.

Abstract

This article focusses on the specific learning disabilities found in schools such as Dyslexia and Dyscalculia, the influence of dyslexia on dyscalculia and the need to adopt certain strategies that help cope with this problem. Learners with multifarious language-related or arithmetic-related disabilities are found in most schools. These children may face difficulties in one or more areas of academic skills such as reading, writing and arithmetic.

Learning disabilities like dyslexia and dyscalculia cut across class, age and intelligence and most schools have some dyslexic or dyscalculic children.  Dyslexia is a learning disorder involving difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters and other symbols. Dyscalculia is a learning disorder that causes severe difficulty in making arithmetic calculations. Dyslexia and Dyscalculia are specific learning disabilities and require diagnosis as well as treatment apart from actual classroom teaching.

Children with these learning disabilities require special assistance on the part of teachers, educational specialists and even parents. The effects of learning disabilities can be controlled with appropriate support, guidance, and interventions at home and school. It is becoming imperative for teachers and educational specialists to devise certain teaching strategies that help educationally disabled children to overcome their problems and to enable them to learn well.

Abstract

In this paper, it is argued, based on evidence from psychological literature, that there are three major approcahes to the study of personality, namely (a) situationism, (b) interactionism, and (c) constructivism. It is also noticed that these approached have resulted in the emergence of three major types of personality theories: (1) type theories, (2) trait theories, and (3) factor theories. In connection to TESOL, it is argued that extroversion/introversion and risk-taking are the most important personality factors. It is also argued that such personality factors as tolerance of ambiguity, empathy, self-esteem, inhibition, and intelligence have also been addressed by TESOL research, but that the two most important factors are extroversion/introversion and risk-taking.

Abstract

Students’ normative perceptions of the nature of Science and their worldviews on the relevance of Science in pragmatic everyday contexts influence their keenness in wanting to learn Science and develop scientific mindsets. The chief goal of the research study delineated in this paper was to examine patterns of commonalities and variations in the attitudes of students enrolled in Singapore secondary schools towards Science as an organized disciplinary field of knowledge and the efficacy of the teaching of Science subjects in the classrooms. A constructed survey was administered as the primary means of data collection and statistical methods were used to analyze the collected data corpus to establish salient research findings. Generally students found Science to be of utility in making better sense of sensory experiences and understanding the complexities of the mechanistic functioning of this universe. Students were also generally satisfied with the quality of teaching being carried out in their classrooms. However, interestingly, gender, academic levels and streams based differences did emerge in scrutinizing students’ responses on their conceptions of the structural character of Science and the approaches adopted in the pedagogical delivery of Science content matter during lesson time.

Abstract

Many areas in educational and psychological research involve the use of classification statistical analysis. For example, school districts might be interested in attaining variables that provide optimal prediction of school dropouts. In psychology, a researcher might be interested in the classification of a subject into a particular psychological construct. The purpose of this study is to investigate alternative procedures to classification other than the use of discriminant and logistic regression analysis. A classification rule utilizing hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) will be derived and examined, with a following example which will show the benefit for using such an approach by comparing the hit rates to those of a logistic regression analysis.

Abstract

People living in Southern Appalachia have been burdened by lack of resources, economic disparity, gender issues, and an increased probability to develop chronic disease linked to stress and anxiety.  These problems can severely affect the individual’s evaluation of the quality of life. In this study we assessed several predictors of life satisfaction. Undergraduate students enrolled at Marshall University participated in the study (n = 149). Participants filled out several questionnaires (Self-monitoring, Revised Life Orientation Test, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and Satisfaction with Life Scale) during one session that lasted between 30-45 minutes. Alternative hierarchical models of life satisfaction were tested including the following predictors: dispositional variables (optimism and self-monitoring), perceived stress and anxiety, social support from three different sources (family, friends, significant others), and gender. Results indicated that life satisfaction was high (80% of the subjects reported to be satisfied above average), a figure comparable to the national average. Dispositional variables played an opposite role: whereas high optimism had a very significant impact on life satisfaction, excessive self-monitoring was related to lower levels of life satisfaction. Social support, in particular family support, played a moderating role in reducing the level of perceived anxiety and thus increasing life satisfaction. In conclusion, these results indicated that different sources of stress drive distinct coping mechanisms in different physical and socio-cultural environments, and a combination of high optimism and family support is critical to help reducing anxiety in an environment characterized by poverty, social and gender disparity, and high suicide rate.

Abstract

The main aim of the paper was to find out the classroom behavior of teacher educators of Federal College of Education (FCE). In order to get the desire end a 36 items questionnaire was constructed and divided into six dimensions ( students’ command on content, practice before independent work, monitoring students’ progress, teachers classroom instructions, use of question answer techniques and over all classroom behavior) . The questionnaire was pilot tested and the reliability of the tool was 0.760 (Cronbach’s Alpha). 300 student teachers from the FCE were considered as the sample of the study. After getting the data, the data was tabulated and analyzed by using the (SPSS XII) in terms of mean, independent sample t-test and one way ANOVA. The study reveals that there is a significant difference on the variable of gender of student teaches on practice before independent work. There is no significant difference on the variable of gender of teacher educators on any dimension. There is a significant difference on the variable of designation of teacher educators on the dimensions of practice before independent work, monitoring students’ progress, teachers classroom instructions, use of question answer techniques and over all classroom behavior of teacher educators. There is a significant difference on the variable teacher educators’ qualification on practice before independent work and monitoring students’ progress. There is a significant difference on the variable of classes being taught on the dimensions of students’ command on content, monitoring students’ progress, use of question answer techniques and over all class room behavior of teacher educators. The study concludes that the teacher educators possessing higher research degrees such as PhD are better equipped to satisfy the students through practice before independent work and monitoring the progress of the student teachers.

Abstract

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Tests and GRE advanced Psychology (PSYGRE) Test were correlated with several measures of success in our graduate program at Sam Houston State University including some specific courses.  Significant correlations were obtained for several of these measures, but the PSYGRE provided incremental validity over and above all the GRE scales. However, the best prediction is accomplished with scales from both tests.  The recommendation of the present report is that both tests should be used in the admission process and that each department should engage in validity studies related to their admission process.