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Values are conceptualized as the standards individuals use to determine the status of events and actions and are considered to influence individuals' behaviours, reasoning, and perceptions. Based on a synthesis of six school-based student values enhancement programs, this paper reports on the development of the Children's Values Questionnaire (CVQ). This Questionnaire was conceptualized as composing of seven dimensions: Self-Concept; Behaviour; Healthy Life; Social; School Climate; Emotional Intelligence; World View and 26 related sub-dimensions. A total of 848 co-educational students (52% male, 48% female) from Years (Grades) 4 to 7, ages 9 to 13+ years, across 11 Australian schools completed the 95-item CVQ Questionnaire. The Cronbach alpha coefficient of the instrument was 0.94, indicating that the questionnaire had good internal consistency. The inter-correlation between its seven dimensions clustered at Pearson r = 0.55. An exploratory factor analysis was supportive of the CVQ's theoretical construct (Norm Fit Index of the data to the theoretical construct, 0.09). Girls rated themselves higher than boys (p < 0.001) on items related to Playing by the Rules, Responsibility, Creativity, Empathy, and Communication, and boys rated themselves higher than girls on Physical Activities items (p < 0.001). Older students (Years 6 and 7) compared to younger students (Years 4 and 5) demonstrated greater discernment and differentiation of context (p < 0.05), the growing influence of peer friendship in their value beliefs and an increase in confidence in social settings (p < 0.001). The relationship of the CVQ to Schwartz's Universal Valued Goals is reported in the paper, along with examples of the application of the CVQ in schools.

Student behavior problems in general-education classrooms present a major barrier to effective teaching. Behavior challenges, such as disruptions, noncompliance, and peer conflicts, reduce instructional time, whereas prosocial behaviors, such as paying attention, being ready to work, asking for help, participating in class, and completing homework, improve academic performance. Most interventions developed to address student behavior problems were not designed for general-education students in typical classrooms. The purpose of this paper is to present preliminary results from a novel intervention developed to enhance behavioral self-management skills among all upper-elementary students in general-education classrooms. "We Have Choices," a universal intervention, was designed to increase students' capacity to make appropriate behavioral choices and decrease teachers' responsibility by transferring behavior management to students. An initial randomized controlled trial with 86 fourth- to sixth-grade teachers and 2055 students suggested that "We Have Choices" was associated with improvements in student-reported use of self-management strategies, teacher-reported student prosocial behavior, and teacher-reported self-efficacy in behavior management and instruction. Teachers gave the program high scores for social validity, suggesting a good fit for their classrooms. [For the corresponding grantee submission, see ED619741.]

This paper offers a tentative snapshot of Grade 6 mathematics classroom practices in Rwanda based on twenty video recorded lessons. It has an objective of investigating through evaluation, the teaching strategies used by Rwandan Grade 6 Mathematics teachers in their classrooms. In the absence of sufficient instruments to measure Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) in practice, a coding scheme was developed and applied to our video recorded lesson data, which helped us to answer our question of knowing the PCK levels of Rwandan Grade 6 Mathematics teachers. Choosing Rwanda as research site is mainly based on our will to know Grade 6 Mathematics practices in developing countries and particularly in Rwanda context where there has not been any study of this kind done before, which could add to researchers' existing understanding of practical PCK. The findings suggest that there are differences in the extent to which practical PCK is engaged as some teachers seem more likely to use teaching strategies that research suggests are effective like being able to unpack the content in their teaching. Even if the overall impression is that it is fair to assume that teaching in Rwanda is not in a calamity, some teaching practices need to be improved. These include making connections and linking the contents. The paper ends with a discussion of methodological issues.

The paper presents the results from a study which examined whether tablets together with a mobile application with augmented reality features can help students to better understand the functions of the respiratory and the circulatory system. The target group was 75 sixth-grade primary school students, divided into three groups. The first group was taught conventionally; students studied using a printed handbook. In the second, a constructivist teaching model was used, but the instruction was not technologically enhanced. The third group of students used tablets and an application, and the teaching was based on a slightly modified version of Bybee's 5Es model. All three groups of students worked in pairs, they were taught the same learning material, and the teacher acted as a facilitator of the process. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire and evaluation sheets. Results indicated that students in the third group outperformed students in the other two groups. The results can be attributed to students' enjoyment, motivation, and positive attitude towards the use of tablets as well as to the teaching method. The study's implications are also discussed.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between parents' involvement related to their alertness of what happens in school and their identification with school and their children's attitudes toward school, social adjustment, self-efficacy and academic achievements. Design/methodology/approach: Questionnaires were answered by 339 parents and 343 students, and yielded 34 parents whose levels of identification with school and alertness were low, and 57 parents whose levels were high. 10; path analysis was used (structural equation model). The theoretical model was tested by a software AMOS 7.0. Findings: Involvement characterized by low identification and alertness predicted a direct, significant and negative relationship with children's self-efficacy; alertness predicted a direct, significant and negative relationship with self-efficacy. The group with high identification and alertness predicted a direct, significant and positive relationship of their identification with children's self-efficacy. Research limitations/implications: Further research is recommended because of the small sample in this study. In addition, especially it is recommended to add to the study parents whose identification is low and their alertness is high. Practical implications: The way to solve problems is not by mutual accusations, but by trusting each other. Parents and school must create useful communication channels and forums for straightening out issues and find solution through cooperation. Originality/value: This paper reveals that parents' alienation from school is a predictor of their children's negative functioning in school. This document is intended for school principals, educational staff and parents to improve students' functioning.

The purpose of this paper is to develop different guided writing strategies based on media richness theory and further evaluate the effects of these writing strategies on younger students' writing attitudes in terms of motivation, enjoyment and anxiety. A total of 66 sixth-grade elementary students with an average age of twelve were invited to join the experiment for a period of twelve weeks. A repeated-measure one-way ANOVA analysis was utilized to examine the differences among the three strategies including a rich media guided writing strategy, lean media guided writing strategy, and pen-and-paper guided writing strategy. The findings of this study showed the rich media guided writing strategy had higher significant differences than the pen-and-paper guided writing strategy in terms of writing attitudes toward motivation, enjoyment and anxiety. However, there were no significant differences between the rich media guided writing strategy and lean media guided writing strategy in terms of motivation and anxiety. The findings imply that providing a web-based learning environment with high richness media could guide students to write and achieve more positive writing attitudes in terms of motivation, enjoyment and anxiety. (Contains 5 figures and 5 tables.)

This report describes the development of grade norms for timed-writing performance in two modes of writing: persuasive and descriptive. These norms are based on objective and automatically computed measures of writing quality in grammar, usage, mechanics, style, vocabulary, organization, and development. These measures are also used in the automated essay scoring system "e-rater"® V.2. Norms were developed through a large-scale data collection effort that involved a national sample of 170 schools, more than 500 classes from 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grades and more than 12,000 students. Personal and school background information was also collected. These students wrote (in 30-minute sessions) up to 4 essays (2 in each mode of writing) on topics selected from a pool of 20 topics. The data allowed us to explore a range of questions about the development and nature of writing proficiency. Specifically, this paper provides a description of the trajectory of development in writing performance from 4th grade to 12th grade. The validity of a single developmental writing scale is examined through a human scoring experiment and a longitudinal study. The validity of the single scale is further explored through a factor analysis (exploratory and confirmatory) of the internal structure of writing performance and changes in this structure from 4th grade to 12th grade. The paper also explores important factors affecting performance, including prompt difficulty, writing mode, and student background (gender, ethnicity, and English language background).

This paper addresses the participation of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in mainstream schools. There are different benefits for ASD students to be educated in an inclusive environment (Gena, 2006; Whitaker, 2004). They challenge the school community by presenting difficulties in essential domains for school activities (Chamberlain, Kasari and Rotheram-Fuller, 2006; Eman and Farrell, 2009; Humphrey and Symes, 2010). Thus, these are students with increased difficulties participating in inclusive environments, reinforcing the need of an adequate inclusion process (Gena, 2006; Hall and McGregor, 2000; Hestenes and Carroll, 2000). We characterised this students' participation with a questionnaire to the students from mainstream classes in which ASD students were included, a questionnaire applied to each class teacher/head teacher and an interview to four of the school educational assistants. The location of the ASD student in mainstream classroom was also analysed, trying to understand if it influences the quality of ASD students' participation, hypothesising that there is an influence. Results showed a good perception of the students with ASD and their behaviour, low frequency of behaviours involving interaction with these students, good feelings about their presence at the school/class and an overall acceptance of them in the peer groups of typical development students. Results are mostly consistent across the different information sources. We found a significant effect of the location on the quality of participation. Results are mainly consistent with the literature reviewed and enlighten the need to keep making progress on inclusion practices related to ASD students in mainstream schools. [Paper presented at the Inclusive and Supportive Education IV Conference Congresso Internacional da Pró-Inclusão (8th, Lisbon, Portugal, July 26-29, 2016).]

In this paper the experience of learners during the first phase of the PIPLEP project is explored. PIPLEP is aimed at promoting digital literacy and independent learning with the creation of personal learning environments (PLEs) as the final product. The participants were a group of 17 students enrolled in year 5 of primary school, and the main objective of the research method was to listen to the voices of the learners and their narratives about their emotions and conceptions as regards learning in digital environments, following the main guidelines of the IPA (Interpretative Phenomenological Approach) as applied in the LEX (Learners' EXperiences of e-Learning) project. The findings showed that learners had constructed a dichotomy between technology and learning, developed in the setting of the school and home, and based on the recreational use they made of their digital devices. However this misconception about the educational value of technology started to change with the introduction of the PIPLEP project, due to the learners acquiring new skills to use technology to learn.

While advances in game-based learning are already transforming educative practices globally, with tech giants like Microsoft, Apple and Google taking notice and investing in educational game initiatives, there is a concurrent and critically important development that focuses on "game construction" pedagogy as a vehicle for enhancing computational literacy in middle and high school students. Essentially, game construction-based curriculum takes the central question "do children learn from playing games" to the next stage by asking "(what) can children learn from constructing games?" Founded on Seymour Papert's constructionist learning model, and developed over nearly two decades, there is compelling evidence that game construction can increase student confidence and build their capacity towards ongoing computing science involvement and other STEM subjects. Our study adds to the growing body of literature on school-based game construction through comprehensive empirical methodology and evidence-based guidelines for curriculum design. There is still debate as to the utility of different software tools for game construction, models of scaffolding knowledge, and evaluation of learning outcomes and knowledge transfer. In this paper, we present a study we conducted in a classroom environment with three groups of grade 6 students (60+ students) using Game Maker to construct their own games. Based on a quantitative analysis and a qualitative discussion we organize results around several core themes that speak to the field of inquiry: levels of computational literacy based on pre- and post-tests; gender-based attitudes to computing science and programming based on a pre- and post-survey; and the relationship between existing media literacy and performance in programming as part of the game construction curriculum. Significant results include some gender differences in attitudes towards computers and programming with boys demonstrating slightly higher confidence and performance. We discuss the complex reasons potentially contributing to that, particularly against a diverse ecology of overall media use, gameplay experience, and access to technology at home. Finally, we theorize game construction as an educational tool that directly engages foundational literacy and numeracy, and connects to wider STEM-oriented learning objectives in ways that can benefit both boys and girls in the classroom.

The present study explores possible relations between students' epistemic perspective, learning strategies and text comprehension. In Study 1, 79 sixth graders completed paper-and-pencil instruments to measure their epistemic perspective and learning strategies. Students' epistemic perspective was assessed using a scenario-based instrument, the Livia Problem. Students were epistemically profiled as Absolutists, Multiplists and Evaluativists. Students' learning strategies were assessed through the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich & De Groot, 1990). In Study 2, 20 of the students who participated in Study 1 were individually interviewed to measure their learning strategies, where they were asked to read a text and think aloud. Results revealed that students who were profiled as Evaluativists showed greater self-efficacy, intrinsic value, use of cognitive strategies and self-regulation. In addition, students who were profiled as Evaluativists engaged in more effective learning strategies and exhibited better text comprehension compared to students who were profiled as Absolutists. In particular, students who exhibited an Evaluativist epistemic perspective engaged in the strategies of understanding vocabulary, summarising and underlying, while students who exhibited an Absolutist epistemic perspective engaged more in repeating information and quick reading. Our findings show that a mature epistemic perspective is associated with effective usage of learning strategies and text comprehension.

Schools are expected to fulfil different types of goals, including citizenship development. An important question is to what extent schools can simultaneously promote different learning outcomes. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between language ability and youth citizenship. Using a representative sample of 2429 grade 6 pupils (age 11-13) in 138 primary schools in the Netherlands, our findings confirm that language ability is strongly associated with pupils' youth citizenship outcomes, in particular with citizenship attitudes and knowledge. Contrary to popular belief, we conclude that stimulating pupils' language development need not compete with investing in pupils' citizenship development. Rather than a trade-off, our findings suggest a positive relationship between language ability and citizenship development.

A significant amount of research regarding Hip-Hop Based Education (HHBE) fails to provide insight on how to incorporate elements of Hip-Hop into daily teaching practices; rather Hip-Hop based educators focus mainly on incorporating Hip-Hop culture into curricula. This study explores the benefits of using two specific Hip-Hop pedagogical practices in an urban science classroom. Call-and-response and co-teaching, two different pedagogical approaches that are related to Hip-Hop culture, were implemented and studied to understand their benefits in an urban science classroom. Participants in this study are middle school students who attend an urban school in one of the largest school systems in the country. This study provides insight on ways Hip-Hop can be incorporated into the art and science of teaching, extending current HHBE research, which mainly discusses how Hip-Hop can be used to design curricula based on music and rhymes. Through this study the researchers find that Hip-Hop pedagogical practices studied in this paper support students science content acquisition, connects science content to students' realities, and encourages their voice and agency.

This paper explores the challenges and strengths of teachers with a visual impairments teaching in Nepal's mainstream schools, using qualitative interviews of teachers and principals, as well as a student survey data set. Results showed that teachers with visual impairments tend not to teach subjects such as science and mathematics that require frequent use of a blackboard or illustrations of formulas. Additionally, positive attitudes and good communication skills, as well as giving more social and moral lessons were reported by students as strengths of these teachers. However, due to the lack of an adequate support system, educational materials, and resources, these teachers continue to experience challenges in lesson preparation, marking students' examination papers, or teaching picture-based contents.

Educational research has linked parental participation in children's schooling with a wide range of children's academic outcomes. Parental involvement involves time and resource commitment towards children's academic performance. This paper extracts data from a cross-sectional survey involving 2,669 grade six students attending public and private primary schools serving households located in Iganga-Mayuge health and demographic surveillance system in rural Eastern Uganda. The paper adopts two of the six types of parental involvement detailed in the Epstein parental involvement framework. This paper hypothesises that parental participation through parenting and communication types of involvement will give children an advantage towards academic achievement. Using a regression model and controlling for individual, school and household covariates, the results indicate that a unit increase in parental participation through parenting and communication types of involvement significantly increases students' numeracy scores by 6 and 15 percentage points, respectively. Similarly, a unit increase in parental participation through parenting and communication types of involvement significantly increases students' literacy scores, by 6 and 12 percentage points, respectively. This implies that parental participation plays a pivotal role in motivating children to improve their academic grades. For students to reap maximum benefits in an education system, the learning should not be solely left to the student--teacher relationship but should be extended to include active parental involvement among other education stakeholders.

The paper aims at detecting the association between students' bullying victimization at school and some psychological dimensions, referred to academic self-concept (for both Mathematics and Reading), learning motivation (intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, commitment to study) and test anxiety. A questionnaire including these measures was completed by 3372 students (51.1% boys and 48.9% girls, mostly aged from 11 to 14 years) at grade 6 (n = 1082), 7 (n = 1113) and 8 (n = 1177), coming from 54 middle schools of Southern Italy. T-tests are used for establishing differences in psychological dimensions between groups of students that experienced bullying and those who did not. In order to check the robustness of our findings and evaluate whether bullying victimization could be actually considered a determinant of these psychological measures, linear regression is used to predict each variable, also controlling for gender and grade level. Results confirm most of the research findings on the correlates of bullying victimization: being victim of peer bullying strongly reduces academic self-concept (both in Mathematics and Reading) and commitment to study, whilst tends to increase both extrinsic motivation and test anxiety rates, independently from gender and grade level. No impact, indeed, is revealed on both Math and Reading intrinsic motivation.

This paper reports the findings of a study which aimed to explore the learning and behavioral characteristics of students with Learning Disabilities (LDs) in Jordan. Specifically, variables that related to challenging behaviors, school's type, and gender differences were investigated. Four resource room teachers in public and private schools were asked to rate (168) students with LDs on the Arabic version of the Building Blocks Questionnaire (Mather & Goldstein, 2008). The findings indicate that over half of the students with LDs are suffering from challenging behaviors. In addition, students with LDs in private schools presented a better learning and behavioral profile than students with LDs in public schools. The results also showed that there is female under representation in special education services in Jordan. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed with reference to previous research and directions for future investigation.

The last few years have seen the implementation of fundamental structural and curricular policy initiatives affecting the teaching of languages in schools in England. Several policy initiatives have been introduced by the government affecting the position and status of languages in schools, such as the development of foreign language teaching in primary schools, the growth of specialist language colleges and the introduction of the Key Stage 3 (KS3) Framework for modern foreign languages (MFL) in 2003. With the lifting of compulsory provision of languages at KS4, the three years of language study at KS3 currently constitute for the majority of pupils in England the only period of exposure to instructed foreign language study. Research into the provision and practice of language teaching in this key stage is therefore urgently needed. This paper examines the impact of centralised curricular policy, in the form of the KS3 Framework for MFL, on language teaching and learning in schools. The analysis is situated within the theoretical framework of process-oriented foreign language education planning. The paper draws on empirical evidence of the impact of the KS3 MFL Framework gathered in a recently completed longitudinal study funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, using survey and case study methodologies during a two-year period (2006-2008). Findings indicate that there is significant impact of the framework on patterns of classroom language teaching as well as on the thinking of language teachers and pupils about language pedagogy and learning. This impact, however, takes different forms and is heavily influenced by processes of mediation and appropriation. (Contains 1 figure and 2 notes.)

This paper presents results of a research study focusing on the analysis, comparison, and description of students' attitudes towards the teaching of mathematics lessons presented in a foreign language (English) using the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) method in three elementary schools. It also highlights the difference between the attitudes of the CLIL method learners and those of their student counterparts who experienced similar mathematics lessons but in their mother tongue (Czech). The aim of the research is to test the hypothesis that the teaching of mathematics in a foreign language by the CLIL method would be evaluated positively by participating students. The research also focused on the question of whether or not, or to what degree, the implementation of the foreign language (English) along with the use of an interactive tool, such as GeoGebra software in mathematics lessons, was perceived as being meaningful and as significantly improving the effectiveness of student learning.

The research looks at the phenomenon of composite classes as experienced by the Murezi community. To gather the required data and to have an in-depth understanding of the Murezi school experience, the case study was employed and the questionnaire, interview and on-site observations were employed as data gathering instruments. The three were used in order to complement each other to achieve triangulation. The study notes that there are constraints in the implementation of such classes which are almost always in underprivileged environments. Teachers in such schools are overwhelmed with work and often "short-circuit" their teaching to achieve pleasing academic paper results. The extramural activities which help in achieving a holistic school product are largely sacrificed because of want of time and resources, be they material or human. The researchers feel that the schools affected need to get first priority in computerization and other programs aimed at making teaching and learning pleasurable not laborious.

Thai school age students as young as eight years old are increasingly being immersed in the Internet world, and as a result, they are accelerating their learning and communication skills in English even without noticing. For educators, the ICT (information communication technology) revolution that has occurred in the last few decades needs to be both understood and taken seriously. The potential for e-learning to engage Thai learners and raise the levels for student performance standards clearly necessitates changes in the curriculum, the resources that teachers use and more importantly what teachers understand to be their role in an increasingly wireless world. This paper outlines a professional development model that was developed to support teachers who are reluctant or less able to implement e-learning with opportunities to explore the potential of education related Internet sites based upon their personal levels of awareness, ICT skills and confidence. (Contains 5 tables and 2 figures.)

The students' interest and attitude towards Physics have been the object of international testing, the most recent of which is the PISA testing from 2006. The students' attitude towards sciences is considered to be a significant predictor of their school results in science, respectively of pursuing a career in areas related to Science. The present paper had in view to discover the existence of convergences or divergences among the attitudes of the students in 8th and 9th grade towards the study of natural sciences and towards the teacher's role in studying for the natural sciences. The obtained results have not rendered evidently the existence of major differences but have allowed for the shaping of a profile for Physics as a school subject, from the interviewees' perspective. Thus, Physics is considered to be a difficult but pleasant and interesting subject, with use for oneself but for others as well. Our investigation has pointed out the fact that the students study too little for Physics at home, but that the Physics teacher is effective in teaching and motivating the students to learn. Although this is a pilot research project, our investigation signals a state of fact that implies reflection, mainly on the Physics curriculum but also on the teaching methods.

This paper describes use of social network analysis to examine student interaction patterns in a Grade 5/6 Knowledge Building class. The analysis included face-to-face interactions and interactions in the Knowledge Forum[R] Knowledge Building environment. It is argued that sociogram data are useful to reveal group processes; in sociological terms, the community lies in the connections among the group. A classroom of unconnected individuals is unlikely to form as a Knowledge Building community; data analyses reported in this study show promise in understanding the dynamics of Knowledge Building in a consistent and measurable way. The strength of the work is not in particular patterns demonstrated but in new forms of assessment and their potential to inform work as it proceeds. The research reported shows that teachers and students are finding social network analysis useful and that through their engagement research-practitioner-engineer teams are better positioned to develop tools to advance Knowledge Building pedagogy. (Contains 5 figures and 1 table.)

The purpose of this action research paper is to disseminate the results of a 2-month study which focuses on how a student's first language (L1) reading comprehension skills affect the same skills in their second language (L2). The subjects of the study are sixth grade girls, ranging in age from 11 to 13 years old. They attend a private bilingual school in Bogotá, Colombia. The school instructs young people mostly from the higher socio-economic population. Outcomes presented are correlated with both established theories and research.

In most primary science classes, students are taught science inquiry skills by way of learning by doing. Research shows that explicit instruction may be more effective. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of explicit instruction on the acquisition of inquiry skills. Participants included 705 Dutch fifth and sixth graders. Students in an explicit instruction condition received an eight-week intervention of explicit instruction on inquiry skills. In the lessons of the implicit condition, all aspects of explicit instruction were absent. Students in the baseline condition followed their regular science curriculum. In a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test design, two paper-and-pencil tests and three performance assessments were used to examine the acquisition and transfer of inquiry skills. Additionally, questionnaires were used to measure metacognitive skills. The results of a multilevel analysis controlling for pre-tests, general cognitive ability, age, gender and grade level indicated that explicit instruction facilitates the acquisition of science inquiry skills. Specifically on the performance assessment with an unfamiliar topic, students in the explicit condition outperformed students of both the implicit and baseline condition. Therefore, this study provides a strong argument for including an explicit teaching method for developing inquiry skills in primary science education.

Bullying and violence pose widespread problems for contemporary society. In this paper, special attention is given to violence against pupils with SN. The empirical research analyses perceptions of peer violence according to differing roles in relation to violent acts (observer, victim and perpetrator) among pupils with and without SN, regarding gender and age. We used the School Bullying Scales measuring instrument, translated and adapted for Slovenia. The main findings of the research are as follows: there is no statistically significant difference between pupils with and without SN in terms of the different roles of peer violence in regular Slovenian primary schools. Among specific subgroups of children with SN, pupils with long-term illnesses (including pupils with activity deficit and/or hyperactivity disorder) were statistically significantly less often observers of violent acts compared to other groups of pupils with SN.

Researchers have recognized the potential of educational computer games in improving students' learning engagement and outcomes; however, facilitating effective learning behaviors during the gaming process remains an important and challenging issue. In this paper, a collaborative knowledge construction strategy was incorporated into an educational computer game to facilitate students' knowledge sharing and organizing during the game-based learning process. An experiment was conducted to examine the students' learning behavioral patterns, group efficacy, and problem-solving awareness. The experimental results revealed that the proposed approach improved the students' learning achievements and awareness of problem-solving. Moreover, from the analysis of the students' behavior sequences, it was found that, with the collaborative knowledge construction mechanism, the students revealed significantly more aggressive learning behavioral patterns, such as "comparing and observing the learning targets" and "seeking clues and answers" during the gaming process. This implies that integrating the collaborative knowledge construction mechanism into the gaming process has great potential for helping students effectively learn and organize knowledge as well as fostering their awareness of applying the acquired knowledge to dealing with problems.

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Astronomy Education Research.] We examined teachers' spatial-scientific reasoning and the alternative conceptions they held regarding Earth-space content. While participating in a professional development (PD) workshop, teachers engaged in an integrated mathematics and science project-based unit designed to foster spatial reasoning and improve lunar-related conceptual understanding. The Purdue Spatial Visualization Test-Rotation (PSVT-Rot) and the Lunar Phases Concept Inventory (LPCI) were used to assess understanding. We found the teachers held similar alternative conceptions as their students. Moreover, we discovered that teachers had limited understanding of the Earth-Moon-Sun scale, motions, and geometric configurations. To determine how teachers' spatial-scientific confidence and ability translated to their classroom practice, we videotaped and analyzed instruction conducted by 6 teachers on an Earth-space lesson. Two teachers with the highest spatial-scientific confidence and ability had students achieving significant learning outcomes on both the PSVT-Rot and the LPCI.

This paper discusses the effects of children's exposure to violence against their mothers. It particularly considers the sided-effects of this violence on the children's behaviour, self-image and school performance. The research indicates that (1) violence against women victimises not only the mothers but also their children, even if the children are not themselves the targets of violence; and that (2) the signs/effects of a child's exposure to violence are as varied as the children's personalities and may be externalised in the different contexts in which children become socialised, including school. The paper presents findings from a study of 80 9-11-year-old children attending primary schools all over Cyprus. Half of these children were identified as having been exposed to violence; and 40 children were also randomly selected as a control group. The results indicated that children's views on their self-image and school performance, as well as their reactions towards violence, differed from the views and behaviour of children not exposed to violence. These findings should interest everyone involved in children's development and education.

Background: The audience response system (ARS) allows students to respond and interact anonymously with teachers via small handheld wireless keypads. Despite increasing popularity in classroom settings, the application of these devices to health education programming has not been studied. We assessed feasibility, engagement, and learning among children using an ARS compared with traditional pencil-paper formats, (ARS) for a stroke health education program. Method: We compared outcome data generated via an ARS-based intervention to pencil-paper controls, including test scores and missing data rates among 265 schoolchildren 9 to 11 years old participating in stroke education. Among 119 children, we evaluated the feasibility of ARS use and explored student motivation with a 10-item questionnaire. We assessed facilitator experience with both methods. Results: ARS use is feasible. Students reported having more fun ("p" < 0.001), increased attention ("p" < 0.001), participation ("p" < 0.001), and perceived learning outcomes ("p" < 0.001) compared with pencil-paper controls. Test scores showed highly positive improvement for both ARS and paper without additional benefits of ARS on learning. There was no difference in missing data rates ("p" < 0.001). Educators preferred the ARS. Conclusion: The use of an ARS among children is feasible and improves student and facilitator engagement without additional benefits on stroke learning.

This paper reports on an exploratory, longitudinal study that analyzes and interprets the evolution of teachers' beliefs regarding learning, teaching, and technology, and their instructional practices, in the context of integrating technology-based information-rich tasks in six 4th-6th grade classrooms. The study used multiple research tools, interviews, questionnaires and observations, focusing on both teachers' beliefs and classroom practices. The findings reveal that following multi-year experiences in technology-based classrooms, teachers' educational beliefs had changed quite substantively, demonstrating multiple views rather than pure beliefs. The study argues that teachers' beliefs form a mosaic of complementary visions, even conflicting ones. It also shows that it is easier to change classroom practices than educational beliefs. (Contains 3 tables.)

This paper presents results of a study attempting to identify the extent to which teacher effectiveness research and research into teacher interpersonal behavior can help us collect valid and reliable evaluative data from students about their teacher behavior. The major findings of teacher effectiveness research are outlined and the process that was followed in order to design questionnaire measuring student views of their teacher behavior in the classroom is presented. The main findings of research into teacher interpersonal behavior are also presented, and the process that was followed in order to translate, to Greek, the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) and examine its content validity is described. A stratified sample of 38 primary schools in Cyprus was selected and the two questionnaires were administered to all year-6 students (N=1973) from each class (N=92) of the school sample. Evidence supporting the reliability, discriminate validity, and construct validity of each questionnaire is provided. Data collected from most of the scales of each questionnaire were associated with student achievement gains in both cognitive (Mathematics and Greek Language) and affective outcomes of schooling. Implications of findings for the development of a teacher evaluation system based on the main findings of teacher effectiveness research and research into teacher interpersonal behavior are drawn. Suggestions for further research are also provided.