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What do citizens of the United States and Germany think about their schools and school policies? This paper offers the first broad comparison of public thinking on education in the two countries. We carried out opinion surveys of representative samples of the German and American adult populations in 2014 that included experiments in which we provided additional information to randomly selected subgroups. The paper first describes key characteristics of the U.S. and German education systems and then analyzes how information and institutional context affect public beliefs in the two countries. Results indicate both similarities and differences in the structure of American and German public opinion on schools and school policies. Contains a Methodological Appendix. [Paper prepared for the conference on Public Opinion and the Political Economy of Education, Munich, May 9, 2015. Financial support was provided by the Leibniz Association.]

If school closures and social-distancing experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic impeded children's skill development, they may leave a lasting legacy in human capital. To understand the pandemic's effects on school children, this paper combines a review of the emerging international literature with new evidence from German longitudinal time-use surveys. Based on the conceptual framework of an education production function, we cover evidence on child, parent, and school inputs and students' cognitive and socio-emotional development. The German panel evidence shows that children's learning time decreased severely during the first school closures, particularly for low-achieving students, and increased only slightly one year later. In a value-added model, learning time increases with daily online class instruction, but not with other school activities. The review shows substantial losses in cognitive skills on achievement tests, particularly for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Socio-emotional wellbeing also declined in the short run. Structural models and reduced-form projections suggest that unless remediated, the school closures will persistently reduce skill development, lifetime income, and economic growth and increase inequality. [This paper was prepared for the XXIII European Conference of the Fondazione Rodolfo Debenedetti on "Long-term socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic."]

This document contains seven papers about and from an international meeting on promoting linkage between technical and vocational education and the world of work. The first paper, a Final Report on the "International Expert Meeting on the Promotion of Linkage between Technical/Vocational Education and the World of Work (Tokyo, Japan, 3-6 February 1997)," examines the following: the meeting's purpose; main points raised in the keynote and country papers and multimedia presentations; major issues (major implications of multimedia and networks and their use to develop competencies through self-learning; financing of the development of multimedia approaches; evaluation of student achievements through multimedia methods; and new roles of teachers); field visits connected with the meeting; and recommendations to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) member states. The following six papers constitute the remainder of the document: "International Trends and Developments in Technical and Vocational Education" (Gregor Ramsey); "Technical Education and the World of Work: The Brazilian Context" (Ana Maria Lakomy); "Current Trends of TVET [Technical and Vocational Education and Training] in Germany" (Antonius Lipsmeier); "Linkage between Technical and Vocational Education and the World of Work in Indonesia" (Rina Arlianti); "Technical and Vocational Education in Japan" (Haruo Nishinosono); and "The Promotion of Linkage between Technical/Vocational Education and the World of Work in Korea" (Tae-Hwa Jung). (MN)

The aim of this paper is to provide an objective overview of the impact of teacher salaries on the educational achievements of students. It is often debated about teacher salaries and improvement or jeopardizing their standard, but educational consequences that may ensue as a result of these intentions are rarely addressed. Teacher's role in student's achievement outcomes is unquestionable. There are many factors that have an impact on student achievement, but this paper will analyze only the impact of teacher's income on student's achievement. A hypothesis for further study has been set by collecting and analyzing pedagogical documentation on teacher salaries and student's educational achievements. Qualitative approach to statistical results of PISA study published in 2013 analyzes following categories: reading, mathematics and science, student's sense of belonging to school and student's personal opinion on does school prepare them for adult life. The study of these elements in selected countries gives us a concrete insight into their interrelationship. The comparative analysis compared the educational achievements of students with the level of teacher's salaries in the following countries: Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Norway, South Korea, Spain and Switzerland. The results of the research show that the level of teacher's income has an impact on student's achievements. The paper confirms the facts that the teaching profession is more popular as incomes increase and therefore attracts more motivated and skilled individuals. [This paper was published in the SGEM2014 Proceedings, ISBN-978-619-7105-24-7 / ISSN 2367-5659, September 1-9, 2014, Vol. 3, pp. 383-390.]

These proceedings contain the papers and posters of the International Conference on e-Learning (EL) 2019, which was organised by the International Association for Development of the Information Society and co-organised by the Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, in Porto, Portugal, July 17-19, 2019. The EL 2019 conference aims to address the main issues of concern within e-Learning. This conference covers both technical as well as the non-technical aspects of e-Learning. The conference accepted submissions in the following seven main areas: (1) Organisational Strategy and Management Issues; (2) Technological Issues; (3) e-Learning Curriculum Development Issues; (4) Instructional Design Issues; (5) e-Learning Delivery Issues; (6) e-Learning Research Methods and Approaches; and (7) e-Skills and Information Literacy for Learning. [Individual papers are indexed in ERIC.]

The number of e-learning platforms and blended learning environments is continuously increasing and has sparked a lot of research around improvements of educational processes. Here, the ability to accurately predict student performance plays a vital role. Previous studies commonly focused on the construction of predictors tailored to a formal course. In this paper we relax this constraint, leveraging domain knowledge and combining a knowledge graph representation with activity scopes based on sets of didactically feasible learning objectives. Specialized scope classifiers are then combined to an ensemble to robustly predict student performance on learning objectives independently of the student's individual learning setting. The final ensemble's accuracy trumps any single classifier tested. [For the full proceedings, see ED592609.]

The school principal impacts student achievement at a level second only to that of the classroom teacher. The United States and Germany are experiencing challenges in recruiting and retaining individuals for the principalship and the shortage is expected to intensify. Previous research has shown that increasing paperwork and responsibilities serve as inhibitors to entering the profession and that school principals are increasingly stressed by a wide range of responsibilities and a shrinking pool of resources. This stress causes physiological and professional difficulties that have a detrimental impact on school function and culture. The present study seeks to identify the major causes of stress, strategies for mitigating stress, and limitations of stress management among principals in the United States and Germany.

The 11th International Conference on Educational Data Mining (EDM 2018) is held under the auspices of the International Educational Data Mining Society at the Templeton Landing in Buffalo, New York. This year's EDM conference was highly competitive, with 145 long and short paper submissions. Of these, 23 were accepted as full papers and 37 accepted as short papers. This year's conference features three invited talks: Tiffany Barnes, Professor at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina; Jodi Forlizzi, Geschke Director of the HCI Institute and Professor at Carnegie Mellon University; and Jim Larimore, Chief Officer of Center for Equity in Learning at ACT, Inc. Together with the "Journal of Educational Data Mining" ("JEDM"), the EDM 2018 conference supports a "JEDM" Track that provides researchers a venue to deliver more substantial mature work than is possible in a conference proceeding and to present their work to a live audience. Three such papers are featured this year. The papers submitted to this track followed the "JEDM" peer review process. The main conference invited contributions to an Industry Track in addition to the main track. The EDM 2018 Industry Track received ten submissions of which six were accepted, a tangible improvement over last year, with only four submissions total, all of which were accepted. This expansion of the industry track represents an intentional goal to better connect industry researchers with the academic research community. The EDM conference continues its tradition of providing opportunities for young researchers to present their work and receive feedback from their peers and senior researchers. The doctoral consortium this year features 14 such presentations, more than double compared to the prior year. In addition to the main program, there are four workshops: (1) Educational Data Mining in Computer Science Education (CSEDM); (2) Proposal Policy & EDM: Norms, Risks, and Safeguards; (3) replicate.education: A Workshop on Large Scale Education Replication; and (4) Scientific Findings from the ASSISTments Longitudinal Data.

These proceedings contain the papers of the 13th International Conference on Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age (CELDA 2016), October 28-30, 2016, which has been organized by the International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS), co-organized by the University of Mannheim, Germany, and endorsed by the Japanese Society for Information and Systems in Education (JSISE). The CELDA conference aims to address the main issues concerned with evolving learning processes and supporting pedagogies and applications in the digital age. There have been advances in both cognitive psychology and computing that have affected the educational arena. The convergence of these two disciplines is increasing at a fast pace and affecting academia and professional practice in many ways. These proceedings contain the following keynote lectures: (1) From Digital to Double Blended Learning (Jeroen J. G. van Merrienboer); and (2) Open Educational Resources: Educational Technology as a Driver for Educational Reform? (Michael Kerres). Full papers in these proceedings include: (1) A Service-Learning Project Using Crowdfunding Strategy: Students' Experience and Reflection (Jessnor Elmy Mat-jizat and Khalizul Khalid); (2) Towards a Theory-Based Design Framework for an Effective E-Learning Computer Programming Course (Ian S. McGowan); (3) An Ontology for Learning Services on the Shop Floor (Carsten Ullrich); (4) The Impact of Technology Integration upon Collegiate Pedagogy from the Lens of Multiple Disciplines (Joan Ann Swanson); (5) A Learning Support System Regarding Motion Trigger for Repetitive Motion Having an Operating Instrument (Hiroshi Toyooka, Kenji Matsuura, and Naka Gotoda); (6) Task-Based Assessment of Students' Computational Thinking Skills Developed through Visual Programming or Tangible Coding Environments (Takam Djambong and Viktor Freiman); (7) Framework for Intelligent Teaching and Training Systems--A Study of the Systems (Nikolaj Troels Graf von Malotky and Alke Martens); (8) Mobile Device Usage in Higher Education (Jan Delcker, Andrea Honal, and Dirk Ifenthaler); (9) Features Students Really Expect from Learning Analytics (Clara Schumacher and Dirk Ifenthaler); (10) Music Technology Competencies for Education: A Proposal for a Pedagogical Architecture for Distance Learning (Fátima Weber Rosas, Leticia Rocha Machado, and Patricia Alejandra Behar); (11) Increasing Students' Science Writing Skills through a PBL Simulation (Scott W. Brown, Kimberly A. Lawless, Christopher Rhoads, Sarah D. Newton, and Lisa Lynn); (12) The Effect of Choosing versus Receiving Feedback on College Students' Performance (Maria Cutumisu and Daniel L. Schwartz); (13) The Impact of Middle-School Students' Feedback Choices and Performance on Their Feedback Memory (Maria Cutumisu and Daniel L. Schwartz); (14) Numerical Acuity Enhancement in Kindergarten: How Much Does Material Presentation Form Mean? (Maria Lidia Mascia, Maria Chiara Fastame, Mirian Agus, Daniela Lucangeli, and Maria Pietronilla Penna); (15) A Video Game for Learning Brain Evolution: A Resource or a Strategy? (Luisa Fernanda Barbosa Gomez, Maria Cristina Bohorquez Sotelo, Naydu Shirley Roja Higuera, and Brigitte Julieth Rodriguez Mendoza); (16) Communication Vulnerability in the Digital Age: A Missed Concern in Constructivism (Fusa Katada); (17) Online Learners' Navigational Patterns Based on Data Mining in Terms of Learning Achievement (Sinan Keskin, Muhittin Sahin, Adem Ozgur, and Halil Yurdugul); (18) Amazed by Making: How Do Teachers Describe Their PBL Experience (Dalit Levy and Olga Dor); (19) Group Work and the Impact, If Any, of the Use of Google Applications for Education (Jannat Maqbool); (20) Fractangi: A Tangible Learning Environment for Learning about Fractions with an Interactive Number Line (Magda Mpiladeri, George Palaigeorgiou, and Charalampos Lemonidis); (21) Evaluation of Learning Unit Design with Use of Page Flip Information Analysis (Izumi Horikoshi, Masato Noguchi, and Yasuhisa Tamura); (22) Einstein's Riddle as a Tool for Profiling Students (Vildan Özeke and Gökhan Akçapinar); (23) Exploring Students' E-Learning Effectiveness through the Use of Line Chat Application (Tassaneenart Limsuthiwanpoom, Penjira Kanthawongs, Penjuree Kanthawongs, and Sasithorn Suwandee); (24) Factors Affecting Perceived Satisfaction with Facebook in Education (Penjuree Kanthawongs, Penjira Kanthawongs, and Chaisak Chitcharoen); (25) Interactive Video, Tablets and Self-Paced Learning in the Classroom: Preservice Teachers' Perceptions (Anthia Papadopoulou and George Palaigeorgiou); (26) Cognitive Design for Learning: Cognition and Emotion in the Design Process (Joachim Hasebrook); (27) Investigating the Potential of the Flipped Classroom Model in K-12 Mathematics Teaching and Learning (Maria Katsa, Stylianos Sergis, and Demetrios G. Sampson; (28) Learning Analytics to Understand Cultural Impacts on Technology Enhanced Learning (Jenna Mittelmeier, Dirk Tempelaar, Bart Rienties, and Quan Nguyen); (29) Widening and Deepening Questions in Web-Based Investigative Learning (Akihiro Kashihara and Naoto Akiyama); (30) Year 9 Student Voices Negotiating Digital Tools and Self-Regulated Learning Strategies in a Bilingual Managed Learning Environment (Ulla Freihofner, Simone Smala, and Chris Campbell); (31) Purposeful Exploratory Learning with Video Using Analysis Categories (Meg Colasante); (32) Building a Learning Experience: What Do Learners' Online Interaction Data Imply (Mehmet Kokoç and Arif Altun); (33) Rules for Adaptive Learning and Assistance on the Shop Floor (Carsten Ullrich); and (34) Participation and Achievement in Enterprise MOOCs for Professional Learning (Florian Schwerer and Marc Egloffstein). Short papers included in these proceedings include: (1) Connectivist Communication Networks (Ingolf Waßmann, Robin Nicolay, and Alke Martens); (2) Learning and Skills Development in a Virtual Class of Educommunications Based on Educational Proposals and Interactions (Maria Cristina Bohorquez Sotelo, Brigitte Julieth Rodriguez Mendoza, Sandra Milena Vega, Naydu Shirley Roja Higuera, and Luisa Fernanda Barbosa Gomez); (3) The Relationship among ICT Skills, Traditional Reading Skills and Online Reading Ability (I-Fang Liu and Hwa-Wei Ko); (4) Towards Concept Understanding Relying on Conceptualisation in Constructivist Learning (Farshad Badie); (5) E-Learning in Chemistry Education: Self-Regulated Learning in a Virtual Classroom (Rachel Rosanne Eidelman and Yael Shwartz); (6) Relationship of Mobile Learning Readiness to Teacher Proficiency in Classroom Technology Integration (Rhonda Christensen and Gerald Knezek); (7) Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and Internet Residency: Implications for Both Personal Life and Teaching/Learning (Linda Crearie); (8) A Portfolio for Optimal Collaboration of Human and Cyber Physical Production Systems in Problem-Solving (Fazel Ansari and Ulrich Seidenberg); (9) Innovative Collaborative Learning Strategies for Integrated Interactive E-Learning in the 21st Century (Barbara Son); (10) Educational Criteria for Evaluating Simple Class Diagrams Made by Novices for Conceptual Modeling (Mizue Kayama, Shinpei Ogata, David K. Asano, and Masami Hashimoto); (11) Digital Natives and Digital Divide: Analysing Perspective for Emerging Pedagogy (Uriel U. Onye and Yunfei Du); (12) E-Learning System Using Segmentation-Based MR Technique for Learning Circuit Construction (Atsushi Takemura); (13) Students' Google Drive Intended Usage: A Case Study of Mathematics Courses in Bangkok University (Krisawan Prasertsith, Penjira Kanthawongs, and Tan Limpachote); (14) An Empirical Study on the Impact of Self-Regulation and Compulsivity towards Smartphone Addition of University Students (Penjira Kanthawongs, Felicito Angeles Jabutay, Ruangrit Upalanala, and Penjuree Kanthawongs); (15) Adaptive Game Based Learning Using Brain Measures for Attention--Some Explorations (Jelke van der Pal, Christopher Roos, Ghanshaam Sewnath, and Christian Rosheuvel); (16) Evaluation of the Course of the Flight Simulators from the Perspective of Students and University Teachers (Feyzi Kaysi, Bünyamin Bavli and Aysun Gürol); (17) Development of Critical Thinking with Metacognitive Regulation (Yasushi Gotoh); (18) Enacting STEM Education for Digital Age Learners: The "Maker" Movement Goes to School (Dale S. Niederhauser and Lynne Schrum); (19) New Scenarios for Audience Response Systems in University Lectures (Daniel Schön, Stephan Kopf, Melanie Klinger, and Benjamin Guthier); (20) Academic Retention: Results from a Study in an Italian University College (Maria Lidia Mascia, Mirian Agus, Maria Assunta Zanetti, Eliano Pessa, and Maria Pietronilla Penna); and (21) Learning How to Write an Academic Text: The Effect of Instructional Method and Reflection on Text Quality. Reflection papers in these proceedings include: (1) Teachers' Attitude towards ICT Use in Secondary Schools: A Scale Development Study (Mehmet Kemal Aydin, Ali Semerci, and Mehmet Gürol); and (2) Inventing the Invented for STEM Understanding (Alicia Stansell, Tandra Tyler-Wood, and Christina Stansell). An author index is included. Individual papers contain references.

This paper explores the PISA [Programme for International Student Assessment] achievement of twenty countries in light of some of their demographic differences. SES [student socioeconomic status], nuclear family, gender, home language, and native status were predictive of achievement for every country. Demographics accounted for as little as 8 percent to as much as 22 percent of individual score variance depending on the country and subject. Being male was almost a universal advantage in math, but was a far greater disadvantage in reading for every country. The relative performance of some countries changed when scores were adjusted for demographic differences; however, the Asian countries and Finland remained on top. Instructional strategies related to countries performing above expectations were explored.

We are delighted to welcome you to the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2016, taking place in Lisbon, Portugal, from 30 of April to 2 of May, 2016. Psychology, nowadays, offers a large range of scientific fields where it can be applied. The goal of understanding individuals and groups (mental functions and behavioral standpoints), from this academic and practical scientific discipline, is aimed ultimately to benefit society. This International Conference seeks to provide some answers and explore the several areas within the Psychology field, new developments in studies and proposals for future scientific projects. The goal is to offer a worldwide connection between psychologists, researchers and lecturers, from a wide range of academic fields, interested in exploring and giving their contribution in psychological issues. The conference is a forum that connects and brings together academics, scholars, practitioners and others interested in a field that is fertile in new perspectives, ideas and knowledge. There is an extensive variety of contributors and presenters, which can supplement the view of the human essence and behavior, showing the impact of their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. This is, certainly, one of the reasons there are nationalities and cultures represented, inspiring multi-disciplinary collaborative links, fomenting intellectual encounter and development. InPACT 2016 received 332 submissions, from 37 different countries, reviewed by a double-blind process. Submissions were prepared to take form of Oral Presentations, Posters, Virtual Presentations and Workshops. It was accepted for presentation in the conference 96 submissions (29% acceptance rate). The conference also includes: (1) A keynote presentation from Prof. Dr. Richard Bentall (Institute of Psychology, Health & Society of the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom); (2) Three Special Talks, one from Emeritus Professor Carlos Amaral Dias (University of Coimbra, Director of Instituto Superior Miguel Torga, Vice-President of the Portuguese Association of Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, Private practitioner of psychiatry and psychoanalysis, Portugal) and Prof. Clara Pracana (Full and Training member of the Portuguese Association of Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, Portugal), another from Emeritus Professor Michael Wang (University of Leicester, United Kingdom), and a third one from Dr. Conceição Almeida (Founder of the Portuguese Association of Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy, and Vice-President of the Board. Member of the Teaching Committee, Portugal); (3) An Invited Talk from Dr. Ana Vasconcelos (SAMS--Serviços de Assistência Médico-Social do Sindicato dos Bancários de Sul e Ilhas, founding member of the Portuguese Association of Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, and member of NPA-Neuropshycanalysis Association, Portugal). Thus, we would like to express our gratitude to all our invitees. This volume is composed by the abstracts of the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT 2016), organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (W.I.A.R.S.). This conference addresses different categories inside Applied Psychology area and papers fit broadly into one of the named themes and sub-themes. To develop the conference program six main broad-ranging categories had been chosen, which also cover different interest areas: (1) In CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY: Emotions and related psychological processes; Assessment; Psychotherapy and counseling; Addictive behaviors; Eating disorders; Personality disorders; Quality of life and mental health; Communication within relationships; Services of mental health; and Psychopathology. (2) In EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY: Language and cognitive processes; School environment and childhood disorders; Parenting and parenting related processes; Learning and technology; Psychology in schools; Intelligence and creativity; Motivation in classroom; Perspectives on teaching; Assessment and evaluation; and Individual differences in learning. (3) In SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY: Cross-cultural dimensions of mental disorders; Employment issues and training; Organizational psychology; Psychology in politics and international issues; Social factors in adolescence and its development; Social anxiety and self-esteem; Immigration and social policy; Self-efficacy and identity development; Parenting and social support; and Addiction and stigmatization. (4) In LEGAL PSYCHOLOGY: Violence and trauma; Mass-media and aggression; Intra-familial violence; Juvenile delinquency; Aggressive behavior in childhood; Internet offending; Working with crime perpetrators; Forensic psychology; Violent risk assessment; and Law enforcement and stress. (5) In COGNITIVE AND EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY: Perception, memory and attention; Decision making and problem-solving; Concept formation, reasoning and judgment; Language processing; Learning skills and education; Cognitive Neuroscience; Computer analogies and information processing (Artificial Intelligence and computer simulations); Social and cultural factors in the cognitive approach; Experimental methods, research and statistics; and Biopsychology. (6) In PSYCHOANALYSIS AND PSYCHOANALYTICAL PSYCHOTHERAPY: Psychoanalysis and psychology; The unconscious; The Oedipus complex; Psychoanalysis of children; Pathological mourning; Addictive personalities; Borderline organizations; Narcissistic personalities; Anxiety and phobias; Psychosis; Neuropsychoanalysis. The proceedings contain the results of the research and developments conducted by authors who focused on what they are passionate about: to promote growth in research methods intimately related to Psychology and its applications. It includes an extensive variety of contributors and presenters by sharing their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. Authors will be invited to publish extended contributions for a book to be published by inScience Press. We would like to express thanks to all the authors and participants, the members of the academic scientific committee, partners and, of course, to the organizing and administration team for making and putting this conference together. (Individual papers contain references.) [Abstract modified to meet ERIC guidelines.]

The 2015 Australian College of Educators (ACE) National Conference theme is "Educators on the Edge: Big Ideas for Change and Innovation." ACE presented an opportunity for all education professionals to gather, discuss, and share cutting-edge, creative and innovative practices, nationally and globally at the conference held on September 24-25, 2015, in Brisbane, Australia. These ACE 2015 National Conference Proceedings include high quality Keynote Addresses, Paper Presentations, Interactive Workshop Session Papers, a Provocation Paper, and the winning Paper from the ACE | ASG Student Educator "Writing the future" National Award. Australian educators were invited to submit an Abstract for either a Paper Presentation, or for an Interactive Workshop Session consistent with the conference theme. Some of these submissions share practices related to the following: (1) Educators adapting to changes and challenges (including technological, economic, and social); (2) Innovative approaches educators "on the edge" are implementing to improve student learning; and (3) Cutting-edge, creative and innovative practices, nationally and globally. Following a welcome address by Stephen Dinham, keynote paper presentations in these proceedings include the following: (1) Regulation or deregulation? Observations on education in Germany and Australia (Stephen Dinham); (2) The worrying implications of privatisation in schooling and of the review of federation (Bob Lingard); (3) Educators "on the edge"--How innovative approaches improve children's learning (Rhonda Livingstone); and (4) Innovative technologies and human rights education (Gillian Triggs). Concurrent papers and interactive workshop presentations include the following: (5) Leveraging cloud-based technologies to enhance personal learning environments (Scott Adamson, Christine Beckmann, and Steve Crapnell); (6) Big ideas for change and innovation: Internationalising programs in an Australian offshore university campus (Robyn Anderson); (7) Conceptualising the challenge of integrating digital technologies in pedagogy (Christopher Blundell, Kar-Tin Lee, and Shaun Nykvist); (8) Big Picture learning: Why this, why now? (Chris Bonnor and Viv White); (9) The performance edge: Optimising wellbeing and achievement (Catherine Brandon); (10) Understanding creativity and innovation: The power of building a professional learning community that supports staff to lead school improvement (Brian Burgess, Peter Hart, and Clare Scollay); (11) Contributive leadership: How can you sustain a collegial culture within your organisation? (Brett Darcy); (12) Leadership on the edge: Big ideas for change and innovation--Exploring the leadership profiles (Margery Evans and Julie Hyde); (13) Pastoral care in times of high stakes testing and accountability (Kate Hall and Judy Smeed); (14) Educators on the edge…Of what? (Rachael Heritage); (15) Innovative approaches to the design of inclusive online learning environments (Denise Wood); and (16) Improving students' outcomes through the use of assessment diagnostics (Alec Young). Individual papers contain references. [For the 2014 proceedings, see ED571027.]

We are delighted to welcome you to the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT) 2015, taking place in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 2 to 4 of May. Psychology, nowadays, offers a large range of scientific fields where it can be applied. The goal of understanding individuals and groups (mental functions and behavioral standpoints), from this academic and practical scientific discipline, is aimed ultimately to benefit society. This International Conference seeks to provide some answers and explore the several areas within the Psychology field, new developments in studies and proposals for future scientific projects. The goal is to offer a worldwide connection between psychologists, researchers and lecturers, from a wide range of academic fields, interested in exploring and giving their contribution in psychological issues. The conference is a forum that connects and brings together academics, scholars, practitioners and others interested in a field that is fertile in new perspectives, ideas and knowledge. There is an extensive variety of contributors and presenters, which can supplement the view of the human essence and behavior, showing the impact of their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. This is, certainly, one of the reasons there are nationalities and cultures represented, inspiring multi-disciplinary collaborative links, fomenting intellectual encounter and development. InPACT 2015 received 368 submissions, from 31 different countries, reviewed by a double-blind process. Submissions were prepared to take form of Oral Presentations, Posters, Virtual Presentations and Workshops. 112 submissions were accepted for presentation in the conference (30% acceptance rate). The conference also includes a keynote presentation from Miguel Angel Gonzalez Torres, MD, PhD, working at the Department of Neuroscience in The University of the Basque Country (Spain), the Psychiatry Department in Basurto University Hospital (Bilbao, Spain), and Centro Psicoanalítico de Madrid, Spain, to whom we express our most gratitude. This volume is composed by the proceedings of the International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends (InPACT 2015), organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (W.I.A.R.S.) and co-sponsored by the respected partners we reference in the dedicated page. This conference addresses different categories inside Applied Psychology area and papers fit broadly into one of the named themes and sub-themes. To develop the conference program six main broad-ranging categories had been chosen, which also cover different interest areas: (1) Clinical Psychology: Emotions and related psychological processes; Assessment; Psychotherapy and counseling; Addictive behaviors; Eating disorders; Personality disorders; Quality of life and mental health; Communication within relationships; Services of mental health; and Psychopathology. (2) Educational Psychology: Language and cognitive processes; School environment and childhood disorders; Parenting and parenting related processes; Learning and technology; Psychology in schools; Intelligence and creativity; Motivation in classroom; Perspectives on teaching; Assessment and evaluation; and Individual differences in learning. (3) Social Psychology: Cross-cultural dimensions of mental disorders; Employment issues and training; Organizational psychology; Psychology in politics and international issues; Social factors in adolescence and its development; Social anxiety and self-esteem; Immigration and social policy; Self-efficacy and identity development; Parenting and social support; and Addiction and stigmatization. (4) Legal Psychology: Violence and trauma; Mass-media and aggression; Intra-familial violence; Juvenile delinquency; Aggressive behavior in childhood; Internet offending; Working with crime perpetrators; Forensic psychology; Violent risk assessment; and Law enforcement and stress. (5) Cognitive and Experimental Psychology: Perception, memory and attention; Decision making and problem-solving; Concept formation, reasoning and judgment; Language processing; Learning skills and education; Cognitive Neuroscience; Computer analogies and information processing (Artificial Intelligence and computer simulations); Social and cultural factors in the cognitive approach; Experimental methods, research and statistics; and Biopsychology. (6) Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy: Psychoanalysis and psychology; The unconscious; The Oedipus complex; Psychoanalysis of children; Pathological mourning; Addictive personalities; Borderline organizations; Narcissistic personalities; Anxiety and phobias; Psychosis. The proceedings contain the results of the research and developments conducted by authors who focused on what they are passionate about: to promote growth in research methods intimately related to Psychology and its applications. It includes an extensive variety of contributors and presenters by sharing their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. Educational Psychology oral presentations include: (1) The academic performance of third and fourth year college students of World Citi Colleges with absentee parents (Elenita M. Tiamzon, Mª Cristina J. Estioco, Jaime R. Buniao, Mª Isidora B. Dayanghirang, Karren L. Fortes, and Mª Doris P. Puzon); (2) Developing creative and meaning potential in EFL writing through problem-based instruction (Tat Heung Choi); (3) School bullying from the Russian teachers' point of view (Alexandra Bochaver, Kirill Khlomov, and Alisa Zhilinskaya); and (4) CSCL in non-technological environments: Evaluation of a Wiki system with integrated self- and peer assessment (Gudrun Wesiak, Margit Höfler, Mohammad AL-Smadi, and Christian Gütl). Educational Psychology poster presentations include: (1) Can parental monitoring and the unplugged drug use prevention program contribute to a change in alcohol consumption among Slovak adolescents? (Olga Orosová, Marianna Berinsterová, Beáta Gajdošová, and Anna Janovská); (2) Transitioning to high school: The perception of students with ASD as opposed to their peers (Ariane Leroux-Boudreault, and Nathalie Poirier); (3) The change of volunteer students and the users: Evaluations of volunteering program in elementary school in Japan (Kie Sugimoto, Sachiko Kurosawa, Eriko Suwa, Kosuke Aoyagi, Kaoru Hirakue, and Junko Hidaka); (4) In defense of Homo Ludens and playful as a space for teaching-learning in higher education: The playful and creative possibility in teaching (Maria Vitoria Campos Mamede Maia, and Maria Isabel Luna Simões Hallak); and (5) The ludic as strategy for propitiate the learning in EJA: Infantilization or space for creation? (Maria Vitoria Campos Mamede Maia, and Priscilla Frazão). Educational Psychology virtual presentations include: (1) Constructive and apparent non-conformists in school (Ryszarda Ewa Bernacka); (2) How do future teachers handle feedback regarding their teaching skills? (Kristin Behnke); and (3) Before and after inspection: Attitudes of headmasters towards external evaluations (Kristin Behnke). An author index is included. (Individual papers contain references.) [Psiterra co-sponsored the 2015 InPACT conference. Abstract modified to meet ERIC guidelines.]

Morning orientated students do better in school than evening orientated students (Preckel, Lipnevich, Schneider & Roberts, 2011). For elementary school children who in general are rather morning oriented (Roenneberg et al., 2007) there are only few findings. In the present study, we adapted the LOCI-questionnaire (Roberts, 1998) for parents' assessment of elementary-school childrens' chronotype and validated it in two independent samples (Ns=2718/216). Confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling revealed (1) that morning and evening orientation were two separable factors of children`s chronotype, (2) that morning orientation was positively related to school-achievement, and (3) that this relation was completely mediated by childrens' academic self-perceptions. Our findings support the relevance of chronotype for learning and achievement in elementary school students.

The "ISSS Annual Conference Proceedings" is a peer-reviewed professional publication published once a year following the annual conference. The following papers are included in the 2013 proceedings: (1) Teaching About Asia in a Social Science Education Program (Cyndi Mottola Poole and Joshua L. Kenna); (2) Teaching Students about Contemporary Germany (Janie Hubbard and Karen Larsen Maloley); (3) Evaluating Pedagogical Techniques in Education Courses: Does Assignment Resubmission for Higher Grades Increase Student Achievement? (Joseph Asklar and Russell Owens); (4) Incorporating Global Citizenship into Social Studies Classroom (Anatoli Rapoport); (5) Internal Culture: The Heart of Global Education (Cyndi Mottola Poole); (6) The Treatment of Monotheistic Religions in World History Textbooks (Jason Allen); (7) College Readiness: Preparing Rural Youth for the Future (Jason Hedrick, Mark Light, and Jeff Dick); (8) The University Core Curriculum Program: Factors of Success and Opportunities for Potential Improvement (Mohamed Elgeddawy); (9) Communication processes of Online Education: The Need for a Sociological Reflection (Beatriz Fainholc); (10) Cinema and History of Brazil: A Debate in the Classroom (Paulo Roberto de Azevedo Maia); (11) Practitioner Inquiry in the K-12 Social Studies Classroom (Heather Leaman); (12) Role-Playing Parent-Teacher Conferences Defending a Social Justice Curriculum (Christopher Andrew Brkich and April Cribbs Newkirk); (13) "Steve Obamney": Political Scumbaggery, the Internet, and the Collective Memetic American Consciousness (Christopher Andrew Brkich and Tim Barko); (14) Democratic Twittering: Using Social Media in the Social Studies (Daniel G. Krutka); (15) An Electorate Equality: Are we Seeing a New Age or Era in American History? (Sean M. Lennon); (16) Instances of Reification in Contemporary Society: Work, Consumption, Cyberculture, and Body (Julio Cesar Lemes de Castro); (17) The Ent's Will Rise Again: The Representation of Nature in the Film "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" (Iclal Alev Degim); (18) "We need to conserve the beautiful places of the world, and protect them from being destroyed:" Using Papers about Place in an Environmental History Class (Russell Olwell); (19) Lesson Study in Elementary Social Studies Methods (Lara Willox); (20) Visualization of Teacher's Thinking Process While Observing Students: An Educational Neuroscientific Approach (Naoko Okamoto and Yasufumi Kuroda); (21) Perceptions of Teacher Candidates on Quality Standards of Education Faculty (Aysun Dogutas); (22) Laptops and iPads and Smartphones, Oh My! (Brian D. Furgione, Jason Dumont, Alexandra Razgha, and Joe Sanchez); (23) Academic Transition from High School to College (Barbara Houser and Cheryl Avila); (24) QR Codes: Let's Get Them in (and out of) Your Classroom! (Brian D. Furgione, Jason Dumont, Alexandra Razgha, and Joe Sanchez); (25) Creating a New Space: Partners in Global Education (Denise Dallmer); (26) Letting Go of the Textbook: Applying Multimodal Intertextuality in the Secondary Social Studies Classroom (Terrell Brown); (27) Preservice Elementary Teachers' Economic Literacy: Are They Ready to Teach Economics Concepts? (Kenneth V. Anthony, Nicole Miller, and Becky Smith); (28) The Effect of Family Disintegration on Children and Its Negative Impact on Society (Nourah Mohammad Altwaijri); (29) Historical Examination of the Segregated School Experience (Anthony Pellegrino, Linda Mann, and William B. Russell, III); (30) The Effects of Transnational Prejudice on Incorporation and Identity Formation of Oaxacans in the U.S. (Monica Valencia); (31) Neo-Liberalism and the Deconstruction of the Humanistic Pedagogic Tradition (Chris Sparks); (32) The Great Depression as a Generational Lens on Contemporary Social Studies Reform Movements (Doug Feldmann); (33) Digital Collaboration to Promote Learning in the Social Studies Classroom (Raymond W. Francis and Mary Jo Davis); (34) Disrupting Patriarchy: Challenging Gender Violence In Post-Apartheid South Africa and Post-Conflict Northern Ireland (Erin Tunney); (35) The Relationship between Teachers' Conceptions of Democracy and The Practice of Teaching Social Studies: A Collective Case Study of Three Beginning Teachers (Andrew L. Hostetler); (36) Facilitating the Reduction of Recidivism: A Political Philosophical Approach to Community Justice (Philip Waggoner); (37) Teaching Social Studies Through Photography: World Travels of a Pre-Service Teacher (Rebecca Stump); (38) Young Children's Descriptions about the History of Their Given Names (Lois M. Christensen, Szymanski Sunal, Melissa G. Whetstone, Amanda Daniel Pendergrass, and Ebtesam Q. Rababah); (39) Apoyo: How Does This Culturally Learned Practice from México Characterize Hispanic Households in America? (Gilbert Duenas); and (40) Implications of Common Core State Standards on Social Studies Education (Joshua L. Kenna). (Individual papers contain references.) [For the 2012 proceedings, see ED531864.]