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Fundamental movement skills (FMSs) are essential building blocks for children's physical development and future participation in physical activities. While early childhood curriculum frameworks recognize the importance of teaching FMSs, little research has been conducted to explore actual teaching practices in center-based programs and their variations across different grade levels. The goals of this study were to investigate (1) the frequency of a variety of FMSs in the physical activities conducted by Hong Kong kindergarten teachers, (2) the association among these FMSs based on the frequency of use in the classroom, and (3) potential differences in FMSs across the three grade levels of kindergarten education in Hong Kong. The participants were 526 kindergarten teachers. Descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, and parametric statistical techniques (e.g., one-way ANOVA) were employed to analyze their responses to a survey, in which we asked teachers to report the frequency with which FMSs are involved in their classroom physical activities. Overall, we found that the participants practiced an imbalanced set of FMSs in classrooms. K3 teachers were found to incorporate a wider variety of FMSs into their physical activities compared to K1 and K2 teachers. Through principal component analysis, seven components of activities were identified. K3 teachers were found to implement more activities involving springing, object manipulation, uneven locomotor movements, and agility and coordination. We concluded that there is a need to provide structured opportunities for teachers to better facilitate children's FMS acquisition. Offering more explicit guidelines and further professional development for teachers is crucial to enhancing this situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goals of this research focused on the assessment of vaccine conspiracy beliefs and the impact of trust in science, knowledge about the nature of science, grade level and gender on them. A quantitative ex post facto cross-sectional research was conducted. A total of 301 students (148 girls and 153 boys) from three different grades of Spanish secondary education (8th, 9th, and 11th grades, between 13 and 17 years old) participated in this study. A questionnaire on vaccine conspiracy beliefs, a questionnaire on trust in science, and a questionnaire on nature of science, were administered to participants. Scores obtained and correlation, multiple regression, and mediation analyses suggest that: a) students' beliefs about vaccines were generally quite satisfactory, and gender had no significant effect on them; b) the variable that most influenced the variability of these beliefs was trust in science; and c) trust in science played a mediating role between knowledge about the nature of science and grade level, and beliefs, which showed the indirect and significant effects of both variables on these beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Education / Revue Canadienne de l'Éducation is the property of Canadian Society for the Study of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Students’ epistemological beliefs are important in science education as developed epistemological beliefs facilitate learning, reasoning skills, academic performance, and engagement in debates. This study specifically addresses two issues about personal epistemology: grade level and gender. As a theoretical framework, the developmental view was adopted in this study and the Epistemological Belief Instrument developed by Kuhn et al. (2000) was used to collect data. Therefore, personal epistemology was defined in three hierarchical categories: absolutism, multiplism, and evaluativism. Two domains of personal epistemology which are physical truth and social truth were studied in this study. A total of 430 students ranging from primary school to the university level participated in the study. The relationships between grade level, gender, and personal epistemology were analyzed by use of the chi-square test of independence. The findings showed a significant relationship between grade level and judgment of social truth with a small effect size. The same relation was also observed between gender and judgment of social truth. On the other hand, no significant relationship was observed between gender and the judgment of physical truth, and between grade level and the judgment of physical truth. We think that the findings contribute to understanding the nature of personal epistemology regarding developmental level and gender.

With executive function skills, individuals become aware of their own structure and learning characteristics. As a result of studies conducted with university students, it is thought that executive function skills and grade points are related. However, there is no study conducted with pre-service preschool teachers who will work in close relationships with children throughout their professional lives. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the relationship between executive function skills and grade points of pre-service preschool teachers. The data obtained from 540 university students face-to-face with consent form were analysed with SPSS software. It was found that there was no significant relationship between executive function skills and grade points regardless of grade level and according to grade level. In addition, while there was no significant difference in students' executive function skills according to grade level, a significant difference was found in students' grade points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students' epistemological beliefs are important in science education as developed epistemological beliefs facilitate learning, reasoning skills, academic performance, and engagement in debates. This study specifically addresses two issues about personal epistemology: grade level and gender. As a theoretical framework, the developmental view was adopted in this study and the Epistemological Belief Instrument developed by Kuhn et al. (2000) was used to collect data. Therefore, personal epistemology was defined in three hierarchical categories: absolutism, multiplism, and evaluativism. Two domains of personal epistemology which are physical truth and social truth were studied in this study. A total of 430 students ranging from primary school to the university level participated in the study. The relationships between grade level, gender, and personal epistemology were analyzed by use of the chi-square test of independence. The findings showed a significant relationship between grade level and judgment of social truth with a small effect size. The same relation was also observed between gender and judgment of social truth. On the other hand, no significant relationship was observed between gender and the judgment of physical truth, and between grade level and the judgment of physical truth. We think that the findings contribute to understanding the nature of personal epistemology regarding developmental level and gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generic skills are part of learning skills that are applied to new and different situations, especially to certain principles of the learning process. Students' abilities improved due to changes in the process. Biology has complex concepts and problems that students must learn. Apart from that, many biological objects cannot be observed directly and are abstract. This research aims to analyze the mastery of generic science skills based on students' gender and class level so that the research results can be implemented in Biology learning. This research is descriptive research which uses a qualitative research method by taking data samples from questionnaires distributed to class XI and class X by taking samples in one class totaling 176 students. The sample is based on disproportionate stratified random sampling. It is known that the number of respondents who filled out the questionnaire based on class level was 76 people in class X and class Research shows that there is no difference in students' mastery of GSS based on gender, this can be seen from testing with Asymp scores. Sig. (2-tailed) of 0.199. Apart from that, there is no difference in KGS mastery based on class level, this is reflected in Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) of 0.187, this indicates that generic science skills have the potential to be mastered before biology learning is carried out. Abstrak. Keterampilan generik merupakan bagian dari kecakapan pembelajaran yang diaplikasikan pada situasi baru dan berbeda terutama pada prinsip tertentu proses pembelajaran. Kemampuan peserta didik berkembang lantaran adanya perubahan proses tersebut. Biologi memiliki konsep dan permasalahan kompleks yang harus dipelajari oleh peserta didik. Selain itu banyak objek Biologi yang tidak dapat diamati secara langsung, bersifat abstrak. Penelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis pengusaan Keterampilan generic sains berdasarkan jenis kelamin maupun tingkatan kelas peserta didik sehingga hasil penelitian dapat diimplementasikan dalam pembelajaran Biologi. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif yang digunakan adalah metode penelitian kualitatif dengan mengambil sampel data hasil angket yang disebarkan ke kelas XI maupun kelas X dengan mengambil sampel dalam satu kelas yang berjumlah 176 peserta didik. Sample didasarkan melalui disproportionate stratified random sampling diketahui jumlah responden yang mengisi angket berdasarkan jenjang kelas 76 orang kelas X dan kelas XI berjumlah 100 orang, sedangkan proporsi pengisian data oleh laki-laki sebanyak 40 orang sedangkan perempuan 136 peserta didik. Penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tidak terdapat perbedaan penguasaan KGS pada peserta didik didasarkan pada jenis kelamin hal ini terlihat dari pengujian dengan nilai Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) sebesar 0.199 selain itu tidak terdapat perbedaan penguasaan KGS didasarkan pada jenjang kelas hal ini tercermin dari Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) sebesar 0.187 hal ini mengindikasikan bahwa keteramapilan generic sains berpotensi untuk dikuasai terlebih dahulu sebelum dilaksanakan pembelajaran biologi. Kata kunci: keterampilan generik sains; pembelajaran biologi; jenis kelamin; jenjang kelas.

Fundamental movement skills (FMSs) are essential building blocks for children’s physical development and future participation in physical activities. While early childhood curriculum frameworks recognize the importance of teaching FMSs, little research has been conducted to explore actual teaching practices in center-based programs and their variations across different grade levels. The goals of this study were to investigate (1) the frequency of a variety of FMSs in the physical activities conducted by Hong Kong kindergarten teachers, (2) the association among these FMSs based on the frequency of use in the classroom, and (3) potential differences in FMSs across the three grade levels of kindergarten education in Hong Kong. The participants were 526 kindergarten teachers. Descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, and parametric statistical techniques (e.g., one-way ANOVA) were employed to analyze their responses to a survey, in which we asked teachers to report the frequency with which FMSs are involved in their classroom physical activities. Overall, we found that the participants practiced an imbalanced set of FMSs in classrooms. K3 teachers were found to incorporate a wider variety of FMSs into their physical activities compared to K1 and K2 teachers. Through principal component analysis, seven components of activities were identified. K3 teachers were found to implement more activities involving springing, object manipulation, uneven locomotor movements, and agility and coordination. We concluded that there is a need to provide structured opportunities for teachers to better facilitate children’s FMS acquisition. Offering more explicit guidelines and further professional development for teachers is crucial to enhancing this situation.

A total of 1,256 students selected through stratified random sampling from 18 primary and public secondary schools as a fair sample across urban and rural settings in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana responded to the 'what I find important (in my mathematics learning)' questionnaire. Section A contained 64 Likert type questions, and section B contained 10 continua dimension questions in which respondents provided weighted responses on their valuing in relation to learning mathematics, using a slider scale. In this paper, section B was visually analyzed in MS Excel, using the radar chart function to explore the evolution of values in mathematics across school levels. Findings suggested that the students' values in mathematics evolve as they progress through school, shifting from learning content to learning environment to learning approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Educational Academic Research is the property of Ataturk University Coordinatorship of Scientific Journals and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: A growing number of patients use the internet to learn about their conditions and management options, but there may exist a disconnect between the readability of online education materials and a patient’s health literacy. This issue is of particular relevance for shoulder conditions, where even with traumatic injuries (eg, clavicle fracture, shoulder dislocation), treatment is discretionary, directed primarily at quality of life, and therefore highly preference-sensitive.The purpose of this study was to utilize multiple readability algorithms to calculate the readability of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) patient education materials pertaining to diseases and conditions of the shoulder. Methods: Online patient education articles from the AAOS pertaining to diseases and conditions of the shoulder were reviewed. The articles were modified for analysis using Readability Pro and readability scores were computed using the following 9 algorithms: Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Flesch Reading Ease, Gunning Fog Index, Coleman-Liau Index, Simple Measure of the Gobbledygook Index (SMOG), Automated Readability Index, FORCAST, and New Dale and Chall Index. A list of suggested word changes to improve the readability of included articles was compiled from Readable Pro. The average number of illustrations (images and/or videos) included per article was documented. Results: Twenty-eight articles were included for analysis. For each of the algorithms studied, the average scores were as follows: Flesch Kincaid Grade Level was 8.8 ± .8 [range, 7.2-10.2]; recommended score: ≤ 8.0, Flesch Reading Ease 54.3 ± 5.3 [range, 45.3-64.1]; recommended score: ≥ 60, Gunning Fog 10.8 ± 1.2 [range, 8.3-13.1]; recommended score: ≤ 8.0, Coleman-Liau 11.2 ± .9 [range, 9.2-12.9]; recommended score: ≤8.0, SMOG index 11.4 ± .8 [range, 9.2-12.9]; recommended score: ≤ 8.0 , Automated Readability Index 8.4 ± .8 [range, 6.9-10.0]; recommended score: ≤ 8.0, FORCAST 11.2 ± .4 [range, 10.2-12.0]; recommended score: ≤ 9.0, and New Dale and Chall Index 5.8 ± .5 [range, 4.9-7.2 recommended score: ≤ 6.0-6.9]. The average number of illustrations per article was 4.5 ± 3.1 [range, 1-14]. Conclusion: The readability of most patient education materials from the AAOS pertaining to diseases and conditions of the shoulder is higher than recommended across a variety of algorithms. Efforts to revise the readability of online education materials are important to facilitate shared decision-making, particularly in practice settings where most decisions are preference-sensitive.

In recent years, computational thinking has been considered as one of the 21st century skills that all students should have. Researchers emphasize the importance of determining and developing students' computational thinking levels from the earliest possible age. However, no measurement tool has been found in the literature that aims to reveal the computational thinking levels of primary school students. In this study, it was aimed to develop the computational thinking scale for primary school students and to examine the computational thinking levels of primary school students according to different variables (grade level, daily computer use time). In the first stage of the study, a scale with appropriate psychometric properties was developed to measure computational thinking. In the scale development phase of the research, exploratory sequential mixed methods research design was used. In the other phase of the study, it was investigated whether the computational thinking levels of primary school students differed according to the grade level and daily computer usage time without any intervention. For this reason, the research was carried out in accordance with the general survey model, which is one of the descriptive research types. For the first stage, the study group of the research consisted of 287 students studying in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades of primary schools in Ankara Golbasi district in the second term of the 2021-2022 academic year. In the process of examining the students' computational. thinking levels according to the variables of grade level and daily computer usage time, the study group consisted of a total of 96 students attending the primary education classes of a private school in Ankara in the second term of the 2021-2022 academic year. In this context, the one-dimensional computational thinking scale consisting of 17 items was applied to 287 primary school students and the obtained data were subjected to validity and reliability analysis. According to the explanatory factor analysis, the scale explains 46% of the total variance. When the results of the explanatory factor analysis are examined, it is seen that the factor loads of 17 items in the scale vary between 56 and .86. The internal consistency coefficient of the scale was found to be Cronbach Alpha .92. The developed scale was applied to primary school students in the next stage. As a result of the study, it was found that the generally computational thinking levels of primary school students differed significantly according to the grade level. On the other hand, it was observed that the students' computational thinking levels differed significantly according to the time spent in front of the computer daily, and the mean of the students' computational thinking scale increased as the daily computer use time increased.

This study investigated the effects of stress on school bullying behaviors among middle school students, and the moderating role of gender and grade level in this relationship. To this end, the Olweus Child Bullying Questionnaire (OBVQ) secondary school version of the child bullying questionnaire and the stressor scale for secondary school students were used to survey 3,566 secondary school students in Guizhou Province, and the data were statistically analyzed. Results showed that stress was significantly and positively associated with school bullying among secondary school students. Furthermore, both gender and grade moderated the relationship between stress and school bullying, showing that boys and middle school children are more likely to engage in bullying than girls and high school students, respectively. The results of the study provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and intervention of school bullying behaviors among middle school students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem-solving is the ability to understand issues and steps that will affect students’ mathematics learning results. The research goals are: describing students’ problem-solving understanding and mathematics learning results; testing the influence of gender and grade level on students’ problem-solving understanding and mathematics learning results; and testing the influence of students’ problem-solving understanding on mathematics learning results. The population is all students in the fourth through sixth grades at two primary schools (263 respondents). The sample consists of 244 respondents, with female and male respondents of 123 and 121, and low- and high-grade students of 74 and 170, respectively. The researchers calculated and converted scores into values. Statistical tests were carried out by means of analysis of linear regression and the t-test. The Me of students’ mathematics learning results and problem-solving understanding are 69.679 and 66.889. The female students’ problem-solving understanding Me is greater than male ones’, but male students’ mathematics learning results Me is greater than female ones. The low-grade students’ problem-solving understanding Me is greater than high-grade students, but high-grade students’ mathematics learning results Me is greater than low-grade students. Gender has no influence on students’ mathematics problem-solving understanding or learning results. The grade level has a significant influence on students’ problem-solving understanding but no significant influence on mathematics learning results. The students’ problem-solving understanding has a significant influence on mathematics learning results, with a p value of 0.000. The research findings and results have implications for and contribute to assisting students in processing information and building mathematical knowledge.

For students in nursing colleges to develop necessary competencies as health care professionals and prevent post-graduation "reality shock" deterioration in the quality of care they provide, appropriate measures are needed in response to changes that occur as college years progress. In this study, mental health status, lifestyle, and various types of anxiety were investigated in 448 nursing college students during a four-year program in Japan. Students from each year of the program were surveyed with the K10 scale to measure mental health, and the Student Life Questionnaire to assess dietary habits, sleep duration, and exercise. Mean K10 scores for first-year students was 13.1, with 30% having anxiety about college life. Similarly, for second-year students the K10 score was 13.7, and compared to first-year students, rates of meal skipping and sleeping less increased. For third-year students, the K10 score (15.9) was higher than for other groups, as were their percentages of all items. Fourth-year students had a mean K10 score of 14.6, with a higher rate of meal skipping and feeling anxious about the future than other groups. These results suggest the need for support tailored to the characteristics of each year in the bachelor's program in nursing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the influence of grade level on the development of science epistemological beliefs and the relationship between science epistemological beliefs and science achievement among co-educational secondary schools of Homa Bay County, Kenya. The study employed cross-sectional and correlational survey designs with purposive sampling. Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ) was used to measure science epistemological beliefs. The instrument was administered to 214 students from 2 co-educational schools (Grade 9, n = 116, Grade 12, n = 98). Students' achievement in Biology, Chemistry and Physics were computed for Science Achievement Scores (SAS). The data were analysed by grade level using independent sample t-tests and by dimensions and achievement scores using multiple regression analysis. The findings indicate statistically significant grade level differences in terms of source, certainty and development and non-significant grade level differences in terms of justification. The findings also indicate that certainty and justification dimensions were significant predictors of science achievement. It is concluded that grade level has an influence on development of epistemological beliefs (source, certainty and development) and certainty and justification dimensions were predictors of science achievement. Implications for practice and further research are herein explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adjustment is a process that includes mental and behavioral responses to achieve balance in meeting needs in accordance with environmental demands. However, it was found that students had difficulty adjusting, such as being unprepared to live in a dormitory, having difficulty being away from their parents, violating the dormitory rules, having difficulty getting along, and having intercultural disputes. This is thought to be related to differences in schools, cultural backgrounds and grade levels. This research aims to analyze the adjustment of students in the dormitory based on the type of school, cultural background, and grade level. This research method used is ex post facto with a factorial analysis design. The population was 200 students in the dormitory of Al-Faruqi Kampar, Riau. This research uses a self-adjustment instrument with Alpha Cronbach of 0.876. The data were analyzed using the technique Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The results showed that the level of adjustment of students based on the type of school was in the high category and there were significant differences in the adjustment of students based on the type of school, the level of adjustment of students based on the cultural background was high category and there was no significant difference in the adjustment of students based on cultural background. The level of adjustment based on grade level high category and there is no significant difference in adjustment based on grade level, and there is no interaction between these variables in explaining the adjustment of students in the dormitory. The implications of the results of this research can be used as a reference for counselors in schools for the preparation of guidance and counseling service programs to improve student adjustment in dormitories.

Learning efficacy can be substantially improved through the frequent use of learning strategies, whose practicality has been confirmed through extensive research. Thus, the purpose of the current study is to contribute to this wealth of research by determining whether learning strategies are significant predictors of students’ achievement in learning English as a foreign language (EFL) as well as by exploring strategy awareness and variations in strategy use by gender, grade level, and overall grade point average (GPA) among 206 high school students. The results indicated that cognitive strategies are significant positive predictors, while memory and affective strategies are significant negative predictors of students’ achievement in foreign language learning. Moreover, the findings revealed a significant impact of overall GPA and an insignificant impact of gender and grade level on the use of strategy subtypes, with the most frequently used strategies being metacognitive and the least frequently used being affective strategies. Furthermore, this research highlights the importance of incorporating strategies-based instruction methods into foreign language curriculums in the Bosnian context and also aims to raise teachers’ awareness of the importance of their application in the classroom milieu

The aim of this study is to examine whether the academic entitlement expectations of preservice teachers studying at primary school level differ according to their gender, grade level and the type of university they attend (public or foundation). The sample consists of a total of 397 preservice primary school teachers in one foundation and one public university. The data were collected with the "Academic Entitlement Expectation Scale", after assessing the validity and reliability of the instrument. The independent samples t-test was performed to analyze whether the preservice primary school teachers' academic entitlement expectations differed according to the variables of gender and type of university; while one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine whether they differed according to the grade level variable. In the study, it was found that academic entitlement expectations of male students compared to female students; students attending the foundation university compared to those at the public university, and students in the first grade compared to those in the fourth grade were higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the influence of grade level on the development of science epistemological beliefs and the relationship between science epistemological beliefs and science achievement among co-educational secondary schools of Homa Bay County, Kenya. The study employed cross-sectional and correlational survey designs with purposive sampling. Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ) was used to measure science epistemological beliefs. The instrument was administered to 214 students from 2 co-educational schools (Grade 9, n = 116, Grade 12, n = 98). Students’ achievement in Biology, Chemistry and Physics were computed for Science Achievement Scores (SAS). The data were analysed by grade level using independent sample t-tests and by dimensions and achievement scores using multiple regression analysis. The findings indicate statistically significant grade level differences in terms of source, certainty and development and non-significant grade level differences in terms of justification. The findings also indicate that certainty and justification dimensions were significant predictors of science achievement. It is concluded that grade level has an influence on development of epistemological beliefs (source, certainty and development) and certainty and justification dimensions were predictors of science achievement. Implications for practice and further research are herein explained.

The aim of this study was to develop the Obstetric Intervention Self-Efficacy Scale (OISES). A sample of 327 university students (307 females, 20 males; 168 from the midwifery department and 159 from the nursing department) were enrolled in the study. Out of 66 items, the 22 items with the highest factor loadings were chosen as a result of preliminary exploratory factor analysis regarding 22 general obstetric intervention behaviors. The final exploratory factor analysis revealed that the 22 items of the OISES had a single factor and 67.21% of the total variance was explained by these items. Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient was calculated as 0.98. As a result, the overall findings demonstrated that this scale is a valid and reliable instrument. The analysis further revealed that OISES scores of students did change according to gender (females’ OISES scores were higher), department (midwifery students’ OISES scores were higher), and grade level (M4th > M1st, M2nd, & M3rd; M3rd > M1st & M2nd).

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Learners’ academic self-concepts and attributions have been widely evidenced to substantially regulate their educational development. Develop­men­tally, they will not only oper­ate in a mu­tually reinforcing manner. Rather, self-concepts will di­­­­rectly affect learners’ out­come attri­bu­­tions in a particular academic set­ting. Current research in the English as a foreign language (EFL) context has increasingly anal­­yzed learners’ attributions and self-concepts on a task-spe­­cific construct level. Never­the­less, there still exist certain research gaps in the field, partic­ularly con­cerning learners’ gram­mar self-con­cept and attributions. There­fore, the present study aimed at anal­yzing lon­gi­tu­dinal re­­lat­ions of prior performance and self-concept with subsequent attri­bu­tions of gram­mar suc­cess and failure in a samp­le of preadolescent EFL learners. Findings demonstrated that attri­bu­tional pat­terns most­­­­ly but not en­tire­ly depended on learn­ers’ grammar self-concept. Poor per­­form­ing learn­ers hold­ing a low self-concept dis­­played a maladaptive attri­bu­tion pattern for ex­­plain­ing both gram­­­mar suc­cess and failure. Though not with respect to all causal factors, these findings largely con­firm the crucial role of task-spe­cific self-concept in longitudinally explaining re­­lated control beliefs in the EFL con­text.

Writing is a foundational skill throughout school grades. This study analyzed the development of different levels of written language (word, sentence, and discourse) and explored the relationship between these levels and writing performance. About 95 Portuguese students from two cohorts—Grades 4–7 (n = 47) 6–9 (n = 48)—were asked to produce a descriptive text two times, with a 3-year interval. The produced texts were used to assess spelling, syntactic correctness and complexity, and descriptive discourse as well as text length and quality. The main results showed that there were improvements from Grades 4 to 7 and 6 to 9 in word- and sentence-level skills, along with increases in some dimensions of the descriptive discourse. Moreover, the older cohort performed better than the younger cohort in terms of spelling, syntactic complexity, and text quality, but not in terms of syntactic correctness, one dimension of the descriptive discourse, and text length. Regression analyses showed that writing performance was predicted by word and sentence levels in the younger cohort only, and by discourse-level variables in both cohorts. Overall, despite indicating a generalized growth in writing skills throughout schooling, this study also highlighted the areas that may need additional attention from teachers, mainly in terms of the descriptive features.

Writing is a foundational skill throughout school grades. This study analyzed the development of different levels of written language (word, sentence, and discourse) and explored the relationship between these levels and writing performance. About 95 Portuguese students from two cohorts—Grades 4–7 (n = 47) 6–9 (n = 48)—were asked to produce a descriptive text two times, with a 3-year interval. The produced texts were used to assess spelling, syntactic correctness and complexity, and descriptive discourse as well as text length and quality. The main results showed that there were improvements from Grades 4 to 7 and 6 to 9 in word- and sentence-level skills, along with increases in some dimensions of the descriptive discourse. Moreover, the older cohort performed better than the younger cohort in terms of spelling, syntactic complexity, and text quality, but not in terms of syntactic correctness, one dimension of the descriptive discourse, and text length. Regression analyses showed that writing performance was predicted by word and sentence levels in the younger cohort only, and by discourse-level variables in both cohorts. Overall, despite indicating a generalized growth in writing skills throughout schooling, this study also highlighted the areas that may need additional attention from teachers, mainly in terms of the descriptive features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Foreign body (FB) inhalation, ingestion, and insertion account for 11% of emergency admissions for ear, nose, and throat conditions. Children are disproportionately affected, and urgent intervention may be needed to maintain airway patency and prevent blood vessel occlusion. High-quality, readable online information could help reduce poor outcomes from FBs., Objective: We aim to evaluate the quality and readability of available online health information relating to FBs., Methods: In total, 6 search phrases were queried using the Google search engine. For each search term, the first 30 results were captured. Websites in the English language and displaying health information were included. The provider and country of origin were recorded. The modified 36-item Ensuring Quality Information for Patients tool was used to assess information quality. Readability was assessed using a combination of tools: Flesch Reading Ease score, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Gunning-Fog Index, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook., Results: After the removal of duplicates, 73 websites were assessed, with the majority originating from the United States (n=46, 63%). Overall, the quality of the content was of moderate quality, with a median Ensuring Quality Information for Patients score of 21 (IQR 18-25, maximum 29) out of a maximum possible score of 36. Precautionary measures were not mentioned on 41% (n=30) of websites and 30% (n=22) did not identify disk batteries as a risky FB. Red flags necessitating urgent care were identified on 95% (n=69) of websites, with 89% (n=65) advising patients to seek medical attention and 38% (n=28) advising on safe FB removal. Readability scores (Flesch Reading Ease score=12.4, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level=6.2, Gunning-Fog Index=6.5, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook=5.9 years) showed most websites (56%) were below the recommended sixth-grade level., Conclusions: The current quality and readability of information regarding FBs is inadequate. More than half of the websites were above the recommended sixth-grade reading level, and important information regarding high-risk FBs such as disk batteries and magnets was frequently excluded. Strategies should be developed to improve access to high-quality information that informs patients and parents about risks and when to seek medical help. Strategies to promote high-quality websites in search results also have the potential to improve outcomes., (©Tsz Ki Ko, Denise Jia Yun Tan, Ka Siu Fan. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (https://formative.jmir.org), 15.08.2024.)

This study examined the student-centred teaching strategies of Mexican teachers by gender, grade level, and self-concept as an instructor. A conventional sample of 573 teachers from diverse school settings in the state of Yucatan in Mexico responded to a paper and pencil questionnaire. Results indicated, in general, that teachers prioritized classroom management and independent learning activities, in contrast with teaching strategies emphasized by policies and teacher´s training programs in the country, such as cooperative learning, differentiation, or promoting critical thinking. There were some gender and grade level differences. In general, female teachers promoted more independent activities than males. As expected, primary school teachers were more concerned with using differentiation teaching strategies than secondary education teachers, considering the greatest variance in younger students. Teachers self-concept had differential effects. Whilst self-efficacy feelings had no influence in the use of specific student-centred teaching strategies, high self-esteem teachers used more student-centred teaching strategies. The importance of asking teachers what they did, and how they felt as teachers was argued in light of results. Future research avenues regarding self-concept and teaching strategies are posited.

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Background: Professional values are defined as beliefs about the value or quality of concepts. Nurses have professional values that allow them to function as efficient team members in providing care. These values develop in both theoretical and clinical education throughout the education process. Therefore, undergraduate education enables the individual to realize and internalize the values that the individual has in the nursing profession. Aims: This study was conducted to determine the professional values of nursing students. Methodology: This descriptive type study was conducted in a nursing school with 290 students in Turkey from November to December 2018. Data were collected by using the information form and the Nurses' Professional Values Scale. For data analysis were used SPSS 21.00. Results: 70.7% of the participants were female (n=205), 25.9% (n=75) were third grade students and the mean age was 20.05±1.55. The total score of the professional values of the students participating in the study was 124.58±17.41. It was found that there was a statistically significant positive low-level relationship between the human dignity subscale score and the grade level and the autonomy results of female students were higher than the male students. Conclusions: The nursing students in the study population have high professional values and grade level and gender variables have an effect on professional values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Having good English proficiency is a necessity in the 21st century and students’ comprehension skills must be identified before any teaching is done. Studies that investigate students’ comprehension skills have been conducted over years but the one related to students’ specific comprehension skills in terms of their school locations, grade levels, and gender has not been much discussed. This study aims at investigating 355 junior high school students’ specific comprehension skills as measured by 18 assessments of Warncke Informal Comprehension Assessment (WICA) Instruments (Warncke Shipman, 1984) based on their school locations (City-based District—CBD, the district which has all levels of education—ALED, and underprivileged-based district—UBD) of Palembang City, grade levels (7th, 8th, 9th) and gender in a developing country context. The findings show that students’ comprehension achievement is in average level with those from CBD neighborhood have better mean score than those from the other two locations respectively and higher graders have higher achievements. In terms of gender, females is better than that of males. While the highest students’ achievements are on multiple meanings and context and details, the lowest one is on affixes, and the most influential factors on comprehension are school locations and grades. These results lead to the conclusion that students’ comprehension should be enhanced and good school environment provided. It also suggests that the degree of difficulty of the materials match students’ grade-level and students be taught using more innovating strategies to achieve the best comprehension and eventually applicable outcome.

The first purpuse of this investigation was to study the effects of sex and grade level on secondary students' beliefs about epistemology and problem solving. The second purpuse was to analyze the contribution of both belief systems, grade level, and sex to problem solving achievement. One hundred and forty-four High School students, 9th and 11th grade students, took part in the study. Two questionnaires (Schommer and Stage- Kloosterman's questionnaires) and a problem solving test (two word problems of the PISA tests) were administered to these students. Two ANOVAs, an ANCOVA, and a multiple regression analysis were carried out from data obtained in the investigation. In the light of the foregoing, it can be concluded that: a) The higher is the grade level of secondary students, the more appropriate are beliefs about epistemology and problem solving; b) Students' sex has a significant influence on epistemological beliefs, but not on beliefs about problem solving; and c) Students' problem solving achievement depends on grade level and their beliefs about problem solving, and these beliefs are themselves dependent on students' epistemological beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing intercultural effectiveness through the development of intercultural skills and competencies substantially contributes to establishing a more peaceful and tolerant society, which explains a considerable research interest it excites. The present study aims at investigating how study field, grade-point average (GPA), nationality, gender, university status, and grade level impact intercultural effectiveness of Bosnian university-level students. The research sample consisted of 184 students studying at the Departments of English Language and Literature and Psychology at three different universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A 2 × 4 ANCOVA indicated that intercultural effectiveness varied significantly by study field and GPA, with small effect size in both cases. The interaction effect of study field x GPA was also significant, with an almost moderate effect size. Similarly, a two-way MANOVA revealed that nationality and gender had a significant effect on the combined dependent variables of intercultural effectiveness and their interaction effect was also significant, with a small effect size. On the other hand, a two-way MANOVA revealed an insignificant impact of grade level and university status on the combined dependent variables of intercultural effectiveness. The interaction effect of grade level x university status was also insignificant, with a small effect size. The present study shows that intercultural effectiveness can be further developed and increased in the university milieu and is thus expected to contribute to recognising the importance of its enhancement through curricula and teaching content in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learners' academic self-concepts and attributions have been widely evidenced to substantially regulate their educational development. Developmentally, they will not only operate in a mutually reinforcing manner. Rather, self-concepts will directly affect learners' outcome attributions in a particular academic setting. Current research in the English as a foreign language (EFL) context has increasingly analyzed learners' attributions and self-concepts on a task-specific construct level. Nevertheless, there still exist certain research gaps in the field, particularly concerning learners' grammar self-concept and attributions. Therefore, the present study aimed at analyzing longitudinal relations of prior performance and self-concept with subsequent attributions of grammar success and failure in a sample of preadolescent EFL learners. Findings demonstrated that attributional patterns mostly but not entirely depended on learners' grammar self-concept. Poor performing learners holding a low self-concept displayed a maladaptive attribution pattern for explaining both grammar success and failure. Though not with respect to all causal factors, these findings largely confirm the crucial role of task-specific self-concept in longitudinally explaining related control beliefs in the EFL context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The capacity to cope with test anxiety that contain high concentrations of cognitive, behavioral, and physiological manifestations, is becoming increasingly important in educational contexts as well as evaluative settings. The developing ability to deal with test anxiety relative to the increasingly strict evaluative practices students encounter points that students’ test anxiety may decline as they move through school years. This study examined three test anxiety components (thoughts, off-task behaviors, and autonomic reactions) with students from 3 public schools in İstanbul, Turkey. Using a diverse sample of elementary (Grade 4; N = 414) and middle (Grade 6; N = 201) school students, grade level differences in these components were investigated. Applying a multivariate approach, significant differences were found in the overall test anxiety, favoring fourth grade students. The results also revealed Grade 4 advantage for off-task behaviors and autonomic reactions, = .014 and = .011, but no grade level differences in the thoughts. Educational implications of the findings are discussed.

Copyright of International Journal of Educational Psychology is the property of International Journal of Educational Psychology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Job stress and burnout negatively impact school counselors and the school communities in which they serve. This study explores variables previously indicated by the literature as potentially contributing to school counselor job stress or burnout. These include size of caseload, location of school (urban, suburban, rural), grade level served (elementary, middle, high school), and counselor ethnicity. Although we found some significant ethnic differences in development of job stress; overall, our findings contradicted the literature on each of these variables. We explore reasons for differences in findings and make suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]