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Recent decades have seen a rapid acceleration in global participation in formal education, due to worldwide initiatives aimed to provide school access to all children. Research in high income countries has shown that school quality indicators have a significant, positive impact on numeracy and literacy--skills required to participate in the increasingly globalized economy. Schools vary enormously in kind, resources, and teacher training around the world, however, and the validity of using diverse school quality measures in populations with diverse educational profiles remains unclear. First, we assessed whether children's numeracy and literacy performance across populations improves with age, as evidence of general school-related learning effects. Next, we examined whether several school quality measures related to classroom experience and composition, and to educational resources, were correlated with one another. Finally, we examined whether they were associated with children's (4-12-year-olds, N = 889) numeracy and literacy performance in 10 culturally and geographically diverse populations which vary in historical engagement with formal schooling. Across populations, age was a strong positive predictor of academic achievement. Measures related to classroom experience and composition were correlated with one another, as were measures of access to educational resources and classroom experience and composition. The number of teachers per class and access to writing materials were key predictors of numeracy and literacy, while the number of students per classroom, often linked to academic achievement, was not. We discuss these results in the context of maximising children's learning environments and highlight study limitations to motivate future research.

Developmental science suggests that the consequences of mental health problems for life-course outcomes may depend on the timing of their onset. This study investigated the extent to which mental health predicted educational attainment at ages 17, 20, and 25 and whether gender moderated the links between mental health and educational attainment. It used data from Next Steps, a nationally representative panel survey of individuals born in 1989/1990 in England (N = 15,594, 48% female, 33% ethnic minority). The findings suggest that differences in mental health were more consequential for educational attainment during adolescence than in young adulthood. On average, girls attained higher levels of education than boys, but gender did not moderate the role that mental health played for educational attainment.

Mentoring is acknowledged as an essential prerequisite for successful teacher induction, but its effectiveness may vary depending on the mentor's quality of support and the mentee's initial professional beliefs. Focusing on novice teachers' self-efficacy and emotional management, this longitudinal study investigates how constructivist- and transmission-oriented mentoring approaches support beginning teachers' professional development, and how these approaches interact with the novices' initial beliefs about teaching and learning. The data stem from a sample of 138 beginning teachers who participated in an online survey during their second and third trimesters of practical training in Germany. Moderated regression analyses indicate positive effects of constructivist mentoring on teacher self-efficacy 6 months later, and an enhancing moderation effect of mentees' mismatching, transmissive beliefs. Results neither support distinct effects of constructivist mentoring on novices' emotional management nor associations between transmissive mentoring and the outcomes. Implications for mentoring research and practice are discussed.

This study contributes to applied and theoretical research for schools and districts by exploring data-based evidence of the relationships between the COVID-19 pandemic and student engagement with school. The paper features trend data on student orientation to school assessed via the multi-dimensional Student Orientation to School Questionnaire (SOS-Q). The SOS-Q was initially developed to better understand the reasons for school dropout and has expanded to explicate a wider range of student-school engagement dynamics. This study demonstrates how student orientation to school may be effected by major extraneous factors and demonstrates the value of integrating valuable non-cognitive or affective measures within comprehensive student information and assessment systems augmenting both individual and cohort psychological supports.

EAH Housing, an affordable housing organization, partnered with the Literacy, Language, and Technology Research group at Portland State University for the digital literacies portion of a digital infrastructure and digital literacies program funded by a grant from the California Public Utilities Commission. Working with the Literacy, Language, and Technology Research group, EAH Housing developed a successful digital literacy program building on a variety of research-based factors that support adult learning of digital literacies, including quality self-access learning materials that are relevant to learners' goals and easy access to human helpers as learners move through pivotal moments in the learning path.

Objectives: To investigate associations between components of psychological distress and five facets of mindfulness (i.e. "observing"; "describing"; "acting with awareness"; "non-reactivity"; "non-judging"). Participants: Students from a university in South Africa (n = 174). Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed psychological distress and mindfulness using the K10 and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire. Multivariate regression analysis identified associations between psychological distress and facets of mindfulness, controlling for demographics. Results: Prevalence of psychological distress was 56.9% (95% CI 49.2%-64.4%). "Acting with awareness," "non-reactivity," and "non-judging" predicted significantly lower psychological distress, whereas "observing" and "describing" did not. "Acting with awareness" was the only facet of mindfulness that consistently predicted lower levels of negative affect, fatigue, nervousness, and agitation. Conclusions: Acting with awareness appears to be a key component of psychological wellbeing. To advance theory and practice, future research should consider why and how various facets of mindfulness predict lower psychological distress and its components among university students.

Accumulating evidence indicates that students' sense of school belonging has a substantial positive effect on educational attainment. At the same time, life course and life span developmental theories suggest that the benefits of a sense of school belonging could be weakened by the channeling effects of education systems that assign students to distinct educational tracks that lead otherwise similar students to quite different educational destinations. The current study analyzed the extent to which the sense of school belonging predicted educational trajectories in a system that partially channels students into distinct tracks. It assessed educational trajectories as they relate to transitions at two critical junctures of the system--the transition from lower- to upper-secondary education, and from upper-secondary to tertiary (university) education. The study used data from a nationally representative panel survey that followed participants from age 15 to 30 (N = 4,986, 44% male, 12.9% immigrants). Findings indicated that students with a stronger sense of school belonging were more likely to continue in or transition into academic tracks. However, the benefits of students' sense of belonging were bounded by the system's channeling structure. While for students in academic tracks, the sense of school belonging strongly predicted the probability of continuing in academic tracks, it only marginally predicted the probability of moving into academic tracks for those whose educational career began in more vocationally oriented tracks. Hence the sense of school belonging may influence academic trajectories only inasmuch as institutional structures allow it to, because these structures differentially enable and constrain such trajectories.

Purpose: This study aims to provide a case example of two partner institutions and business faculty who creatively used a collaborative online international learning (COIL) experience during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and transition to online learning to internationalize an undergraduate business class and use existing technology to offer a case study project to further students' global mindset. Design/methodology/approach: Using open-ended qualitative comments from an American college and a Peruvian university, researchers uncovered key themes from a virtual COIL-based learning experience offered as part of an international business class. Findings: Student end-of-course evaluation comments from both countries validated the success of the learning experience and value of working together with other students and faculty in a virtual setting. Research limitations/implications: Areas for future research are provided to extend these initial exploratory findings. However, the implications are clear that the methodology is also appropriate in nonpandemic situations and can quickly bring a global mindset to remote corners of the globe and ensure all students experience the "virtual" study abroad, even when there are travel limitations or budget restrictions for students or the institutions. Practical implications: The implementation detail provided can be easily replicated by other institutions with a global mindset and internationalization goals. Social implications: The proliferation of COIL-based experiences will impact how study abroad experiences are defined and offered in the future. Originality/value: While researchers have documented COIL experiences in the academic literature, their use during the COVID-19 pandemic, as often the only solution for on-going internationalization, has not been thoroughly studied or documented. In addition, the class activities further used team-based international workplace pedagogy, authentic engagement and technology.

Studies on mentored learning to teach commonly focus on the quality of formally arranged mentoring relationships, leaving aside the informal sources of support that surround the mentor-mentee dyad. In this exploratory study, we broaden the scope and investigate how two distinct formal mentoring approaches interact with the informal support provided at teacher training schools in shaping the professional development of beginning teachers. Self-reports from 583 German beginning teachers on mentoring support, peer support, and collegial support are used to identify typical patterns of support during teacher induction. By means of latent class analysis, five support classes with qualitative differences are identified and subsequently compared with regard to their professional skills, self-efficacy, and emotional exhaustion using the BCH 3-step approach. Findings indicate significant differences across groups and a complementary relation between formal and informal support. Implications for effective teacher support within future teacher education are discussed.

Self-regulation is a widely studied construct, generally assumed to be cognitively supported by executive functions (EFs). There is a lack of clarity and consensus over the roles of specific components of EFs in self-regulation. The current study examines the relations between performance on (a) a self-regulation task (Heads, Toes, Knees Shoulders Task) and (b) two EF tasks (Knox Cube and Beads Tasks) that measure different components of updating: working memory and short-term memory, respectively. We compared 107 8- to 13-year-old children (64 females) across demographically-diverse populations in four low and middle-income countries, including: Tanna, Vanuatu; Keningau, Malaysia; Saltpond, Ghana; and Natal, Brazil. The communities we studied vary in market integration/urbanicity as well as level of access, structure, and quality of schooling. We found that performance on the visuospatial working memory task (Knox Cube) and the visuospatial short-term memory task (Beads) are each independently associated with performance on the self-regulation task, even when controlling for schooling and location effects. These effects were robust across demographically-diverse populations of children in low-and middle-income countries. We conclude that this study found evidence supporting visuospatial working memory and visuospatial short-term memory as distinct cognitive processes which each support the development of self-regulation.

Test anxiety of 625 medical students was assessed at semester start and two days prior to two oral exams with the PAF questionnaire [Prüfungsangstfragebogen]. Global and subscale scores for the categories "emotionality," "worry," "interference," and "lack of confidence" were obtained at three time points. The first assessment was used to identify those participants (n = 104) who showed the highest PAF scores. Medical hypnosis against test anxiety was performed with one half ten days before the first exam. The other half served as a matched, untreated control group. The mean global PAF scores and the "emotionality" and "lack of confidence" scores showed a statistically significant reduction from assessment to assessment within the hypnosis group, but not in the control group. "Interference" increased significantly in the control group but not in the hypnosis group. In conclusion, medical hypnosis seems to be beneficial and effective in helping students reduce test anxiety.

Expectations about the future direct effort in goal-oriented action and may influence a range of life course outcomes, including educational attainment. Here we investigate whether such expectations are implicated in the dynamics underlying the persistence of educational advantage across family generations, and whether such dynamics have changed in recent decades in view of historical change. Focusing on the role of domain-specific (educational) and general (optimism and control) expectations, we examine parallels across parent-child cohorts in (a) the relationships between parental socioeconomic status (SES) and children's future expectations and (b) the associations between children's future expectations and their academic achievement. We estimate structural equation models using data from the prospective multigenerational Youth Development Study (N = 422 three-generation triads [G1-G2-G3]; G1 M[subscript age] in 1988 = 41.0 years, G2 M[subscript age] in 1989 = 14.7 years, G3 M[subscript age] in 2011 = 15.8 years; G2 White in 1989 = 66.4%, G3 White in 2011 = 64.4%; G1 mean annual household income, converted to 2008 equivalents = $41,687, G2 mean annual household income in 2008 dollars = $42,962; G1 mode of educational attainment = high school, G2 mode of educational attainment = some college). We find intergenerational similarity in the relationships between parental educational attainment and children's future expectations. Children's educational expectations strongly predicted their academic achievement in the second generation, but not in the third generation. With educational expansion, the more recent cohort had higher educational expectations that were less strongly related to achievement. Overall, the findings reveal dynamics underlying the persistence of educational success across generations. The role of future expectations in this intergenerational process varies across historical time, confirming a central conclusion of life span developmental psychology and life course sociological research that individual functioning is influenced by sociocultural contexts.

This study examined the value of field experience as a component of study for international students in a Graduate Teacher Education program at a Midwestern liberal arts university. The purpose of the field experience was to provide a contextual basis for student learning. The espoused research method included a quantitative component via survey and qualitative data, through a focus group interview and participants' field notes. As a result, there is evidence to suggest that the field experience program, as a component of the graduate education program for international students was valuable. Participants described it as being "relevant" and "real." As evident from the field notes, participants reflected on the opportunity for cross-cultural application of their learning, while emphasizing that the learning was palpable and reinforced their conceptual learning. Through the field experience program, participants reported that they gained in-depth insight on leadership and classroom instruction; therefore, they were able to improve their craft as educational leaders. Moreover, evidence from this study also suggests that participants were prepared to approach meaningful educational reform upon returning to their homeland, in Saudi Arabia.

The effectiveness of the Viennese Social Competence (ViSC) programme on various bullying-related teacher variables was examined at two time points with a quasi-experimental intervention-control group design. In Austria, Cyprus, and Turkey, teachers participated in a series of in-school trainings and implemented an anti-bullying prevention programme in their schools for one year. At pre-test, 767 teachers (515 in the intervention and 252 in the control group) and at post-test 665 teachers (464 in the intervention and 201 in the control group) rated their perceived knowledge and competence, and the likelihood of using different interventions in a hypothetical bullying scenario. For pre-test and post-test data, two 3 (country) x 2 (intervention) MANOVAs were conducted. Findings showed that Cypriot teachers profited the most from the anti-bullying programme, while Austrian and Turkish teachers profited comparatively less. High-quality basic teacher education in addition to in-school trainings within anti-bullying programmes is an essential component to prevent bullying in schools.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine mobile technology as being a key apparatus and interface for collaborative innovation, which allows organisations to develop their information ecology. Design/methodology/approach: The qualitative research was performed by in-depth interviews, observations and field notes. The eight main interviews are supported by an interdisciplinary narrative literature review of knowledge management and associated fields. Findings: This study validates the following propositions: mobile technology can offer users timely information, mobile technology can foster collaboration beyond physical and organisational boundaries, in general, mobile technology enables a wider amount of interactions between people. Thereby, this paper draws some implications about the knowledge management of creative (and non-creative) workers. Research limitations/implications: The collected data sheds light on how organisations and individuals positioned themselves about mobile technology co-creative practices before the COVID era. Therefore, it shall be pertinent to further investigate these findings through a quantitative approach to better ascertain path models and to strengthen the new results with another qualitative perspective, in the post-COVID era. Practical implications: The study highlights how mobile devices are facilitating collaborative innovation practices by improving management decisions, enabling new business and/or operating models, developing a flow of ideas inner/outer an organisation and fostering the ability to make innovation. Social implications: Mobile technology transforms the way to work (knowledge creation and/or conversion) and it changes the relations between collaborators in a working environment (beyond physical boundaries). This study deciphers how a creative and/or decision-making person can change their work schedule and/or routines based on the use of mobile devices. Originality/value: The added value of this transdisciplinary study is that it improves research on collaborative innovation and collective knowledge by revealing three pertinent characteristics of mobile technology: enabling quick decision; connecting with a glocal network and fostering collective creativity. It also creates a bridge between the fields of education and business.

Prior studies have noted several risk and protective factors for school dropout; however, only a few have examined longer-term vulnerabilities alongside temporary risk and protective factors. Consequently, we focused on the role that both stable and time-varying psychosocial risk and protective factors play in dropout intentions and actual dropout, using a 4-year longitudinal design. We investigated to what extent dropout intentions and dropout can be predicted by an interplay between negative life events, general self-efficacy, and perceived social support. We distinguished between time-averaged levels of self-efficacy and social support, and within-person change in self-efficacy and social support over time. This enabled us to establish whether dropout intentions and dropout were sensitive to fluctuations in perceived self-efficacy and social support over time when controlling for person-specific levels of these psychosocial resources. Calculating multilevel models with data from a prospective cohort study (N = 4,956, 43% male), we found that negative life events were significantly associated with an increase in dropout intentions and the likelihood of school dropout. Furthermore, time-averaged levels of self-efficacy and social support, and a within-person (situational) increase in these characteristics relative to their time-averaged levels, were related to lower levels of dropout intentions but did not prevent dropout. The positive relationship between negative life events and dropout intentions was attenuated for individuals who perceived higher levels of self-efficacy than usual. Our findings suggest future research should further investigate time-averaged and situational psychosocial drivers of school dropout in combination.

Financial management skills are necessary for responsible library management. In light of the profession's current emphasis on financial literacy, the authors posed four questions: (1) to what extent are library and information science schools providing courses in financial management for their graduates; (2) what is the quality and quantity of library financial management textbooks available for current librarians and librarians in training; (3) to what extent are there sufficient library continuing education venues available in North America to provide this training; and (4) does any evidence exist to show that librarians with library financial management responsibilities are well-trained enough to manage library finances competently and effectively? This study attempts to answer the first question. The authors examined the curricula of all American Library Association (ALA) English-language accredited library schools in North America to determine the extent to which financial management skills are taught. The results are worrying. Although many accredited Library and Information Science (LIS) programs require a general library management course for program completion, only a small percentage of these courses offered even a brief focus on financial management. The authors conclude by encouraging professional organizations and graduate library schools to enhance their menus of educational programs. The profession must provide the skills and support necessary to ensure the profession's future.

This qualitative study explored and described South African students' experiences and perceptions regarding academic success. Focus group participants related academic success not only to achievement, but also to goal attainment, feelings of satisfaction, and the application of new skills. Academically successful students were associated with strong academic self-concepts, motivation, balance, and effective study behaviours. The role of significant others were also highlighted. In contrast to the notion that adversity hamper academic success, the participants in this study emphasised resilience when faced with challenges and difficulties. They regarded being the first in their family to attend higher education and financial stressors as motivators for success. This study highlights the complexity of students' academic success and the importance of recognising the nuanced nature of individuals' reactions to academic challenges. These findings are of particular value in countries such as South Africa where a large proportion of students enrolled in HE are faced with many challenges of which the impact on their success may not be truly understood yet. This study confirmed the importance of understanding and accurately addressing the student success challenge, especially since higher education institutions are under increased pressure to guarantee the success of their growing and diversifying student body.

Evidence-based anti-bullying programs are predominantly implemented in high-income countries, although there is a clear need for bullying prevention also in low- and middle-income countries. The present study reports the effectiveness of a short and ultra-short version of the ViSC Social Competence Program that was implemented in nine Kosovar schools. The ViSC program aims to empower adolescents to recognize bullying and to intervene in bullying situations. A quasi-experimental longitudinal control group design was realized to examine the effectiveness of the two program versions regarding different forms of self-reported perpetration and victimization. The short program version was implemented in 10 classes (N = 282, 52% girls, M[subscript age] = 13.45), the ultra-short program version was implemented in 13 classes (N = 354, 46% girls, M[subscript age] = 13.28), and 23 classes (N = 613, 50% girls, M[subscript age] = 13.31) served as control group. Multilevel growth models revealed intervention effects in favor of the ultra-short version when compared to the control group regarding physical victimization. All other effects were not significant. To conclude, educational and social policies supporting the implementation of evidence-based anti-bullying programs need to be issued in low- and middle-income countries, as even ultra-short versions might be effective in contexts with limited available resources.

The aim of the study was to investigate the differences between the academic success and the factors contributing to the success of first- and continuous-generation students in higher education within the South African context. Continuous-generation students achieved significantly higher levels of academic success and reported higher levels of commitment to their educational goals, as well as higher levels of psychological energy devoted to their higher education activities. First-generation students, however, reported higher levels of commitment to the higher education institution, higher levels of physical energy devoted to their higher education activities and more contact (academic and non-academic) with staff. This study highlights the differences between first- and continuous-generation students, as well as the unique pathways that non-traditional students follow in order to achieve success.

The aim of this study was to investigate the predictors of academic success of South African students. The study focused on 164 first to fourth year students. The extent to which students' grade 12 performance, the type of high school they attended and their academic self-concepts contributed to their academic success during the entry and integration stages of students' academic careers were examined. The combination of the three variables predicted a significant amount of the variance in the academic success of students in both the entry and integration stages of their academic careers. While all three variables made a unique and significant individual contribution in the entry stage, only grade 12 performance and academic self-concept explained a significant amount of the variance in the academic success of the students in the integration stage. Academic self-concept explained the largest amount of variance in academic success for both groups.

In this paper, we report on the design and implementation of a state of the art Student Information System (SIS) being developed in a moderate size Alberta, Canada school jurisdiction. The SIS design is premised upon transparency, balanced, comprehensive, and multi-method assessments that links qualitative and quantitative data in support of enhanced, evidence-based instructional leadership. Practical examples of data analytic strategies are discussed in relationship to educational leadership enhancement. The article concludes that as SIS design evolves more optimal, data informed supports for student learning will be realized.

Using data from a survey on cognitive proficiency levels of first graders in Switzerland (N = 1.830), this study analyzes (1) who has access to institutional childcare, (2) whether institutional childcare affects cognitive skills of children who differ in terms of socioeconomic status, home literacy, native country, and home language, and (3) how duration and intensity of childcare affect children's skills. The findings indicate sociocultural disparities in access to childcare. Multiple hierarchical regression analyses suggest that childcare experience did not enhance children's outcomes when social and cultural background characteristics were held constant. For childcare attendees, however, a longer duration of attendance had a positive effect on vocabulary and a higher intensity was related negatively to vocabulary. Children who did not speak German at home benefitted more from childcare in terms of vocabulary skills than German-speaking children. Social background was a significant predictor of vocabulary and math skills. Cultural background additionally impacted on vocabulary skills when social background was controlled for. Implications for policy are discussed.

We describe the Fisk-Vanderbilt Masters-to-PhD Bridge program as a successful model for effective partnerships with minority-serving institutions toward significantly broadening the participation of underrepresented groups in the physical sciences. The program couples targeted recruitment with active retention strategies, and is built upon a clearly defined structure that is flexible enough to address individual student needs while maintaining clearly communicated baseline standards for student performance. A key precept of the program's philosophy is to eliminate passivity in student mentoring; students are deliberately groomed to successfully transition into the PhD program through active involvement in research experiences with future PhD advisers, coursework that demonstrates competency in core PhD subject areas, and frequent interactions with joint mentoring committees. This approach allows student progress and performance to be monitored and evaluated in a more holistic manner than usually afforded by limited metrics such as standardized tests. Since its inception in 2004, the program has attracted a total of 35 students, 32 of them underrepresented minorities, 60% female, with a retention rate of 91%. Recent research indicates that minority students are nearly twice as likely as non-minority students to seek a Masters degree en route to the PhD. In essence, the Bridge program described here builds upon this increasingly important pathway, with a dedicated mentoring process designed to ensure that the Masters-to-PhD transition is a successful one.

The present study examined individual differences in theory of mind (ToM) among a group of 60 children (7-11 years-old) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and average intelligence. Using open-ended and structured tasks to measure affective ToM, cognitive ToM, and spontaneous social attribution, we explored the nature of ToM and assessed whether ToM predicts the phenotypic heterogeneity in ASD through structural equation modeling. Affective ToM uniquely predicted social symptom severity, whereas no ToM types predicted parent reported social functioning. Our findings suggest that differentiating among theoretical components is crucial for future ToM research in ASD, and ToM challenges related to reasoning about others' emotions may be particularly useful in distinguishing children with worse social symptoms of ASD.

Background: With the release of 2017 Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meal pattern, states need to determine knowledge gaps in order to develop targeted training materials and resources to aid childcare providers in achieving new regulations. Purpose: To assess the nutrition knowledge of childcare providers in regards to the implementation of the 2017 CACFP meal pattern. Methods: Convenience sampling, where CACFP participants (n = 398) completed a self-reported survey at the annual mandatory trainings across the state of Nebraska, was employed in this study. Descriptive statistics including frequencies, means, standard deviations, independent sample t tests, and chi-square tests were used to determine differences in nutrition knowledge by geographical location, for-profit and nonprofit, and program settings. Results: Data obtained from this study indicate that CACFP participants scored low on questions regarding yogurt (30%), juice (35%), breakfast cereal (37%), and whole grain (43%) questions. Data also show that there was no significant difference in levels of knowledge among characteristics and demographics of programs, types of facilities, and geographic locations. Translation to Health Education Practice: The present study results underscore the importance for continued professional development for CACFP participating childcare providers to implement the new CACFP meal pattern for child nutrition standards. (This work was supported by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Services (Nebraska 2016 Team Nutrition Training Grant).

There is a lively discussion on how to evaluate competence-based higher education in both evaluation and competence research. The instruments used are often limited to course evaluation or specific competences, taking a rather narrow perspective. Furthermore, the instruments often comprise predetermined competences that cannot be adapted to higher education needs. The aim of this paper is to provide a flexible screening instrument into which practitioners/evaluators of study programmes can themselves insert the competences they are interested in, i.e. competences students ought to acquire through their study programme. The present study describes the development of the Competence Screening Questionnaire for Higher Education (CSQ-HE) in different domains of higher education. Results show that the CSQ-HE provides plausible screening information whilst fulfilling evaluation standards. It can be integrated into a higher education institution's internal quality management system to demonstrate a programme's legitimacy and enhance competence-based teaching and learning. Strengths, weaknesses and implications for practice are discussed.

Action learning is extending its reach internationally and is increasingly used in distinct cultural settings. This paper explores action learning in an African context and examines how action learning as a cultural product is biased towards Western values and practices. We draw attention to the political, cultural and social encounters of internationalizing action learning which are often glossed over in current debates. The paper illuminates the historical development of pedagogical practices in Africa to elucidate how the social, political, cultural and economic processes have influenced and informed learning in African societies. Second, we review action learning and question its relevance and transferability in non-Western contexts. Finally, we will reflect on the potential of action learning in Africa, and its implications for future research and practice.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of assessment method (essays vs. examinations) and instruction method (seminars vs. lectures) on student perceptions of the fairness of the assessment process. Department-specific combinations of these factors give a unique profile to the assessment process and to the way students interact with faculty. It is argued that the conditions thus created place students in some departments in a more advantageous position when it comes to meeting justice-related expectations. The variables of interest are procedural justice (PJ) and informational justice (IJ). For PJ, aspects regarding the amount of control students can exert on the grading process (PJ-C) are distinguished from aspects regarding the perceived validity of grading procedures (PJ-V). The sample consists of 1549 students from 48 departments of a German university. Analysis is done via multilevel mixed effects models. Models also check for cross-level interactions between effects of the academic environment and student socioeconomic status (SES). Results show that PJ-C and PJ-V are significantly affected by the assessment method. Higher proportions of essays relative to examinations in a department lead to higher ratings of PJ-C, while they decrease ratings of PJ-V. Ratings of IJ are higher as well if assessment is more essay-based, although this only affects low-SES students. Regarding the instruction method, a higher proportion of seminars was found to significantly increase PJ-C and IJ. Again, effects on IJ are moderated by parental SES. Policy implications for reducing feelings of injustice are discussed.

Research has shown that parents tend to pass educational advantage or disadvantage on to their children. However, little is known about the extent to which the intergenerational transmission of education involves children's agency. In this study we drew from two traditions in sociological and social psychological theorizing--the theory of cultural and social reproduction and the theory of human agency--to examine whether agency influences children's educational performance, and if so, whether this influence can be observed among children across social classes. We used data from the Spanish sample of the Program for International Student Assessment (N = 25,003 15-year-olds). Results indicate that the level of child agency was weakly positively related to social class, that child agency impacted on a child's educational performance, and that the positive effect of agency on educational performance did not vary by social class. This suggests that strategies to enhance disadvantaged children's agency may prove useful in reducing social gradients in educational performance. More generally, our findings may ignite a debate about the role that social structure and human agency play in shaping social inequality and mobility.

The Social Attribution Task, Multiple Choice is introduced as a measure of implicit social cognitive ability in children, addressing a key challenge in quantification of social cognitive function in autism spectrum disorder, whereby individuals can often be successful in explicit social scenarios, despite marked social adaptive deficits. The 19-question Social Attribution Task, Multiple Choice, which presents ambiguous stimuli meant to elicit social attribution, was administered to children with autism spectrum disorder (N = 23) and to age-matched and verbal IQ-matched typically developing children (N = 57). The Social Attribution Task, Multiple Choice performance differed between autism spectrum disorder and typically developing groups, with typically developing children performing significantly better than children with autism spectrum disorder. The Social Attribution Task, Multiple Choice scores were positively correlated with age (r = 0.474) while being independent from verbal IQ (r = 0.236). The Social Attribution Task, Multiple Choice was strongly correlated with "Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales" Communication (r = 0.464) and Socialization (r = 0.482) scores, but not with Daily Living Skills scores (r = 0.116), suggesting that the implicit social cognitive ability underlying performance on the Social Attribution Task, Multiple Choice is associated with real-life social adaptive function.

A public demonstration of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) for fast and sensitive qualitative elemental analysis of solid everyday objects is described. This demonstration served as a showcase model for modern instrumentation (and for elemental analysis, in particular) to the public. Several steps were made to adapt conventional laboratory-based ICP-MS instrumentation to bring it to the outreach event and also to improve ease-of-use, which helped facilitate discussion with attendees. Rather than the conventional closed-cell design, this setup consisted of a laser ablation (LA) system that allowed for ablation in ambient conditions which enabled swift sample exchange during the demonstration. A gas exchange device was operated between the LA system and the ICP-MS instrument allowing for the replacement of ambient gases with argon. This particular setup was utilized during an open day event to demonstrate how LA-ICPMS can be used for qualitative analysis of major and trace elemental components in objects. In particular, visitors were encouraged to present objects for elemental analysis. Complete elemental analysis of supplied samples such as keys, coins, rings, and necklaces was demonstrated by recording full mass spectra. Variation of the elemental composition across different regions of objects was shown by scanning the laser beam and acquiring transient elemental signals.

The Strengths and Weaknesses Heuristic (S&W Heuristic) was constructed in order to reduce biased assessments of students with (suspicion of) Intellectual Giftedness in co-occurrence with Autism Spectrum Disorder (IG + ASD) and to establish a well-founded interconnection between assessment data and intervention indications. The current study is the second in the validation process of the S&W Heuristic. An in-depth analysis of three assessment dossiers of Dutch IG-students with possible characteristics of ASD is focused upon. The core question is whether the S&W Heuristic is of added value to diminish bias in any direction and increase systematicity. The results indicate that bias, mainly directed at Strengths, as well as unsystematicity were present in different stages of two assessment dossiers. The conclusion is that the S&W Heuristic seems to pave the way for systematicity and less bias in assessment processes of students with (suspicion of) IG + ASD.

An accurate knowledge of anatomy, especially natural variation within individuals, is of vital clinical importance. Cadaver dissection during anatomical training may be a valuable introduction to pathology for undergraduate students, which can contribute greatly to a successful medical career. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent and type of pathology lesions in a cadaver population (n = 127) used for medical dissection. This was done to gauge whether sufficient pathology lesions representative of all the organ systems were present in the cadaver population to warrant the use of cadavers as an additional pathology learning resource. This study demonstrated a wide variety of pathology lesions in different organ systems. The respiratory system was most affected with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) lesions being the most common finding (seen in 76% of cadavers) followed by bronchopneumonia and emphysema. Other common pathology findings included atherosclerosis, colonic diverticula, and chronic pyelonephritis. Skeletal fractures and degenerative joint disease were also noted. This study shows that cadaveric dissection offers a chance to alert and expose students to a wide variety of gross pathology and histopathology. It has been suggested that most medical students will practice in primary health care and as such more attention should be given to the pathology of commonly encountered diseases. This is particularly true for developing countries, where diseases such as TB are commonly encountered. The integration of pathology into the dissection hall may therefore be beneficial to student learning while simultaneously optimizing the use of cadaver material.

During the apartheid years in South Africa, career guidance amongst disadvantaged learners was largely absent and, for many, career choices were limited and governed by politics. Despite South Africa having celebrated 20 years of democracy, this situation has improved only slightly. Therefore, the aims of the study were to determine the factors that influenced students' career choice and to ascertain the possible barriers that impacted their decision. An adapted version of Myburgh's Career Choices Questionnaire (2005) was administered to 721 undergraduate students. The results showed that parents and loans or bursaries were the largest sources of financial support and that anticipated benefits influenced the students' career choice, with the potential for personal growth and development, for future high earnings and for promotion to the top of the organization the most important among these. Furthermore, participants rated visits from lecturers and brochures as the most prominent sources of influence.