Search

Exploring the individual differences of the longitudinal growth of early numeracy (EN) in young children with Intellectual disabilities (IDs) prerequires the critical stage of exploring and validating the potential factor structure. Despite the fact that Relational Skills (RS), Counting Skills (CS) and Operations (O) are expected to constitute distinct domains of EN, there is not sufficient evidence to support either the above position or the position that they are different means of assessing a general-informal numeracy skill construct. This study was designed to shed light in the field through the evaluation of a measurement model describing the structure of RS, CS and O domains of EN and their interrelation. The sample included N = 155 children with IDs, enrolled in special school classes, mentally aged between 5;02 (y;m) and 6;10 (M = 5.11, SD = 0.974). Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicated a “good fit” of the two-factor model (RS, CS + O) of EN in ID (RMSEA=.029

In the present study, the role of interpersonal coping strategies was examined in relation to teachers’ characteristics and burnout factors. Two hundred sixty-nine General and Special Education tea...

The purpose of this research was to measure teachers and students interpersonal competences in situations that a teacher may face at school and which require interpersonal interaction with students...

Empathy is a multi-level phenomenon, referring to the ability of an individual to understand or feel what another experiences. It is a fundamental element of Education, but also of Special and Inclusive education. On the other hand, educational robotics which generally refers to teaching with the utilization of programmable devices, has gained huge momentum nowadays in educational research. This paper aims at highlighting the significance of empathy and empathy training in typical, special and inclusive education. Furthermore, the lack of approaches for active empathy training are highlighted through a brief literature review. This leads to the formation of a new proposal for an Educational Robot which will be used for empathy education via realistic simulations in real classroom settings, mainly in Early Childhood and Primary Education. Indicative lesson plans are be presented.

Some preschool children are at risk for reading difficulties because of inadequate emergent literacy skills. Recent studies have found evidence of the bidirectionality between executive function skills (Efs) and young children's preliteracy skills. This chapter aims to discuss the development and the efficacy of Cogni-Prelit (Cognition and Preliterature) digital application, which stimulates and enhances core Efs integrated with preliteracy activities, in children at risk for reading difficulties. A group of 30 preschool children took part in a pre-test assessment of preliteracy skills and core Efs. Children were then randomly assigned to either an experimental (n =15) or a passive control group (n =15). The experimental group participated in 2 30-min sessions of the Cogni-Prelit training program per week, for 12 weeks. Significant differences between control and experimental groups were observed in the post-test assessment, with the latter performing better on both measures.

The current study explores the parental perspectives of children with intellectual disabilities (ID) on the effectiveness of inclusive education in Greek mainstream schools. The participants were 83 parents, whose children had different degrees of ID and all of them were attending mainstream schools at the time of the study. They completed a questionnaire examining their perspectives with regard to (a) the most effective educational placement in mainstream schools (special class, mainstream class or co-teaching), (b) their satisfaction with the inclusive mainstream education, (c) their cooperation with the teachers, (d) the perceived benefits of their children’s educational placement and (e) their suggestions regarding the improvement of the inclusive educational model. Results indicated that most parents of children with ID would like their child to attend a mainstream class with a co-teaching arrangement. The perceived benefits are mostly related to the development of their children’s social skills. Significant considerations regarding cooperation with the teachers, lack of individualized information and guidance, administrative and organizational issues were expressed.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between the Test of Detection and Investigation of Attention and Concentration, the Test of Executive Function (Simos et al., 2007a,b) and the Test of Psychosocial Adjustment and Self-Report Scale (Hatzichristou et al., 2007), in a sample of 44 Greek 5th grade students with writing disabilities. The results in our study indicated that there were significant Pearson correlations ranged from 0.39 to 0.43 between cognitive, academic and social factors. Additionally, regression analysis indicated that certain scales of the Test of Attention and Concentration have predictive power to emotional sufficiency (t = 2.001, p < 0.05) and academic self-concept (t = 2.072, p < 0.05). Further implications of these findings for a school-based neuropsychological evaluation and planning of individualized educational interventions are discussed.

Digital Cognitive Games are digital games that promote the performance of high-level cognitive activities involved in Executive functions, namely planning, working memory, attention, inhibition, self-monitoring, self regulation and initiation carried out by prefrontal areas of the frontal lobes. There is evidence that Executive Functions play an important role in learning during childhood. This issue becomes even more critical, when it concerns children with learning difficulties and research upon teaching interventions for enhancing their Executive Functions is carried out over the years. The past decade extremely positive beliefs have emerged regarding the use of Computer-assisted instruction in training Executive Functions. There is a plethora of software, online and mobile applications to claim that they improve the cognitive skills related to the Executive Functions in children and adults. This paper provides an overview of the purposeful approach underlying the utilization of Computer-assisted instruction and more specifically cognitive games in education as well as it presents the currently available online platforms/applications, which address children's population with or without learning difficulties and are supported by conducted scientific research.

Background and Study Aim: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of exercise in the communication skills and behavior of a child with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Material and Methods: The survey involved a 7 years old boy attending a mainstream school who was diagnosed at 2.5 years of age with pervasive developmental disorder and at 3.5 years of age with ADS. The annual re-assessment, at the age of 6 defined him as a child with high functional autism. The study consisted of three phases. In the interview process through a questionnaire, data concerning the overall picture of the boy was collected. The same questionnaire was answered by all participants (parents, general class teacher, parallel support teacher and physical education teacher) two days prior and two days after the implementation of the intervention program, so as to record observations. The questionnaire investigated four areas, that is, intention or function of communication, semantic categories and use of words, context (framework) communication and ways (means) of communication. The intervention program lasted 12 weeks, at a frequency of 3 sessions per week, of 40-45 minutes each session including balance activities, self-awareness exercises, group games (3-4 people), visual - motor coordination activities, lateral movement and time and space orientation games. Results: After the implementation of the intervention program, the child showed significant improvement in all domains and in almost all subcategories. Conclusions: An individually structured exercise program results in a significant improvement in behavior, skills and communication for a child with ASD.

Teachers' interpersonal style is a new field of research in the study of students with intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviors in school context. In the present study, we investigate emotions and causal attributions of three basic types of challenging behaviors: aggression, stereotypy, and self-injury, in relation to teachers' interpersonal style. One hundred and seventy seven Greek general and special educator teachers participated in the study by completing a three-scaled questionnaire. Statistical analysis revealed that the type of challenging behaviors affected causal attributions. According to regression analysis, emotions, teaching experience, expertise in special education, and gender explained a significant amount of variance in interpersonal style. Emotions were found to have a mediating role in the relationship between causal attributions and interpersonal style of "willingness to support," when challenging behaviors were attributed to stable causes or causes under the control of the individual with intellectual disabilities.

Written language is a difficult endeavour as the demands of transcription require self-regulatory skills from a motor, cognitive and attention perspective. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relation between the Test of Writing Difficulties (Porpodas et al., 2007) and the Test of Detection and Investigation of Executive Functions (Simos et al., 2007) in a sample of 50 Greek-speaking, 5th-grade students with writing disabilities. The results of our study indicated that there were significant Pearson correlations ranging from .35 to .44 between executive functions and written expression. Furthermore, regression analysis showed that the subscales of the Test of Executive Functions had significant predictive power for spelling correctness and correction of jumbled sentences. Further implications of these findings for a school-based neuropsychological evaluation and planning of individualised educational interventions are discussed.

The aim of this study was to explore the factors that are considered crucial by teachers for a successful intervention in managing of challenging behaviors of people with intellectual disabilities. We asked 177 Greek general and Special Educator teachers to prioritize, using a list of 24 factors, the 6 major that can contribute to the success of an intervention. Teachers chose the factor “knowledge and expertise, staff training” as the most important for the successful management of challenging behaviours. The x 2 test revealed no dependency relationships with teachers’ gender, working structure or Special Education expertise. The need of staff training in changing the way teachers understand challenging behaviors is also discussed.

Over the past few years, perceptions about disability – at least at the theoretical level – have been shifted toward a more progressive approach, which stresses the social aspects of the construction of disability (social model) rather than personal limitations, as supported by the traditional disability approach (medical–individual model). Drawing upon the sociosemiotic approach as developed by Kress and van Leeuwen, the present study examines from a comparative perspective the representations about disability and people with disabilities, as emerging from the drawings produced by 4th grade Greek primary school children. The sample consists of two groups of children. Group A does not share the same school environment with schoolchildren with special education needs, while group B shares the same school surroundings with students attending a special education needs School. The comparative analysis of their drawings indicates that children of both groups reproduce the dominant meanings they receive from th...

The study was designed to determine if spatial location of movement was automatically encoded in memory by children with intellectual disabilities (ID) and typically developing (TD) children. Each participant performed motor exercises at each of four selected locations on a 20X20 m field. The condition variable consisted of intentional position-intentional exercise, incidental position-intentional exercise, and incidental position-incidental exercise. The results indicated that spatial location of movement was not automatically encoded because intention resulted in better performance for TD children. Several critical issues related to intervention strategies in the field of ID are also discussed, considering the educational practices

Several researchers explored the impact of cognition, language and social understanding on theory of mind abilities in typically developing (TD) children and children with intellectual disabilities (ID) (either ID of genetic origin or non-specific ID). The aim of the present study was to determine the specificity of the theory of mind deficit to different groups of children with ID. The results are in accordance with the developmental approach of similar structure hypothesis ( Zigler, 1969 ). The findings are discussed in terms of the specificity of the etiology-related theory of mind profiles of ID groups, considering the educational and social inclusion practices.

Background Williams (WS) and Down syndromes (DS) are two genetic disorders that involve intellectual disability (ID) and have been extensively studied over the past decades because of the unique linguistic profiles they exhibit. Recent investigations seek to explore the fractionation of linguistic components within the cognitive system using genetically based neurodevelopmental disorders such as WS and DS and to identify different profiles of linguistic function in these two groups of individuals. Method The ‘expressive vocabulary’, ‘receptive vocabulary’, ‘word opposites’ and ‘word definitions’ subtests (Level 1) of the Test of Word Knowledge (TOWK) were used to assess lexical skills in six children with WS and five children with DS. Results Our findings indicate that the two syndromes exhibit substantial differences on linguistic tasks with individuals with WS performing at a higher level compared to those with DS and producing atypical responses in word definitions. The pattern of errors for each syndrome is qualitatively different suggesting that their underlying linguistic mechanisms are distinctive even though ID is similar. Conclusions This study supports the differential outcome of two chromosomal disorders with similar ID. It also argues in favour of the large within group variability of the two syndromes that is not related to mental age but rather to different underlying mechanisms supporting language. These findings are discussed in the light of the current evidence concerning linguistic knowledge of neurodevelopmental and genetic disorders.

The field dependence-independence of normally developing and mentally retarded boys of low and upper/middle socioeconomic status was examined. To test the cognitive style, the 96 young participants were subdivided into four groups ( n = 24 per group) matched on mean mental age, using the Raven Colored Progressive Matrices. Two groups of mentally retarded boys (Groups A and B) and two groups of normally developing boys (Groups C and D). Groups A and C were matched on mental age at 5.6 yr.; Groups B and D were matched on mental age at 7.6 yr. Each pair of groups differed significantly in mean chronological age. Within each subgroup, 12 boys came from upper/middle socioeconomic status families and 12 from low socioeconomic status families. Analysis indicated absence of significant differences between Groups A and C on field dependence-independence, but there were statistically significant differences between Groups B and D. Moreover, analysis showed that boys from families of upper/middle socioeconomic status, both normally developing and mentally retarded, were consistently more field independent than boys from families of low socioeconomic status. Finally, conclusions were drawn concerning the empirical and theoretical benefits for psychology and education, which arise from the study of field dependence-independence of mentally retarded individuals.

The present study aimed at recording and comparing the vocabulary strategies employed by Greek students and bilingual immigrants in an integrated memory-based text framework. Moreover, an effort to correlate the language strategies employed by the participants with their academic performance was attempted. The sample consisted of 20 monolingual and 20 bilingual students of Albanian origin, who attended the 5th and 6th grade of three primary schools in Eastern Thessaloniki, Greece. The monolingual and bilingual students were matched according to their mark reports on academic performance. Qualitative techniques were used for data collection: a) an instrument for recording students' profiles and their difficulties in acquiring vocabulary and memorizing a text b) ‘think aloud’ protocols and retrospective interviews. The identification of the strategies, employed by monolingual and bilingual children in an integrated text framework resulted in the compilation of a strategy model: a) exploration strategies, b) process strategies, c) memory strategies and d) confirmation/consolidation strategies. The correlation of the process strategies with the academic performance was statistically significant in monolingual students, as well as in bilinguals. A stronger positive correlation was found between the memory strategies and the monolinguals’ academic performance, while a positive trend also emerged for bilinguals. Although the study is limited in scope, the strategies resulted from the analysis of the collected data, constitute a holistic process/approach of vocabulary acquisition in an integrated memory-based text framework.

Contrary to the growing body of research into views about and attitudes towards disability which has focused on the perspectives of non-disabled people, recent disability studies have been directed to the voices of people with disabilities and/or their families, by acknowledging an ‘epistemic privilege’ to them. In the present study, we use the posts of sensory and physical disability groups on Facebook as a lens to uncover the voices and experiences of people with disabilities and/or their families. The critical discourse analysis of the posts of disability groups on Facebook suggests that people with disabilities and/or their families do not constitute a homogeneous group of people being connected because of their common (bodily) condition. On the other hand, different representations of disability also suggest a different use of Facebook.

The Parkinson's disease questionnaire (PDQ-39) is a well-validated British scale for the assessment of health-related quality of life (HQoL) in Parkinson's disease (PD). The PDQ-39 has been translated into Greek and it was applied to 119 Greek PD patients. These patients were classified in stages according to the Hoehn and Yahr (HY) scale and their motor disability was assessed by means of the Unified Parkinson's disease rating scale (UPDRS) as well as the Schwab and England activities of daily living scale (ADL). The Beck depression inventory (BDI) was applied for the evaluation of depression. The translated version of PDQ-39, designated PDQ-39GrV, was validated as follows: (1) Cronbach's α coefficient and item — total Spearman's rank — order correlations were calculated in order to estimate the internal consistency of PDQ-39GrV scales. (2) Validity of the PDQ-39GrV was examined in terms of agreement with the clinical assessment parameters (stage, UPDRS, ADL and BDI scores). (3) Sixty one PD patients were re-evaluated 3–7days later in order to check test-retest reliability. The results showed the following: (1) The PDQ-39GrV demonstrated very good internal consistency (α: 0.71–0.94). Item — total correlations were statistically significant (r: 0.52–0.93). Test-retest measurements correlated significantly (p = 0.001). (2) Clinically obtained motor parameters correlated well with PDQ-39GrV scales influenced by physical aspects of the disease, while emotionally and socially influenced ones correlated with depression. Our findings indicate that PDQ-39 GrV is a reliable, easy to administer scale for the assessment of HQoL in Greek PD patients.

Assess the N30 component of median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and correlate its parameters with the severity of the disease, general cognitive ability and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF).Twenty-three non-demented, non-depressed PD patients (at stage II and III of the disease) and 23 age- and education-matched normal controls were enrolled in the study. SEPs were elicited by median nerve stimulation. PD patients' cognitive ability was assessed by means of: 1) Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM); 2) the Test of Non-Verbal Intelligence (TONI-2); and 3) the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). The patients' rCBF was evaluated by HMPAO SPECT.There was no difference between SEP N30 latency in PD patients and controls (P0.05). The P20-N30 peak-to-peak amplitude was lower in PD patients bilaterally (P0.05), and the amplitude of N30-P40 was lower on the right side only (P0.05). A significant increase in the amplitude ratio P14-N20/P20-N30 was observed in PD patients (P0.05). The correlation of these findings with the clinical parameters of the disease, and notably motor signs, was not significant. Of the three neuropsychological tests only the RCPM showed a positive relation to right P20-N30 amplitude. Regression analysis between SEP parameters and rCBF showed a correlation of N30 amplitude with blood flow in parietal cortical areas, but not in frontal regions.

Two hundred seventy children of school age, 135 of whom were left-handed and an equivalent number of whom were right-handed, have been examined in the present study using a test battery of nine language ability measures: Vocabulary, Similarities, Comprehension (WISC-R), Deductive Reasoning, Inductive Reasoning, Sentence Completion, Comprehension of Sentential Semantics, Comprehension of Syntax, and Text Processing. The data analysis has indicated that: (1) One-factor solution applies both to the right- and left-handed population according to Standard Error Scree Method (Zoski & Jurs, 1996) with regard to language ability measures. (2) Handedness discriminates between right-handers (superior) and left-handers (inferior) in language ability. (3) There have been subgroups of left-handed children who differ in language ability distribution compared with right-handed children according to Hierarchical Cluster Analysis. (4) Extreme versus mild bias to hand preference and hand skill do not differentiate performance subgroups neither within the left-handed nor within the right-handed main group. (5) Sex and familial sinistrality do not affect performance. The results are discussed in relation to (a) "human balanced polymorphism" theory advocated by Annett (mainly Annett, 1985, 1993a; Annett & Manning, 1989), (b) potential pathology (mainly Bishop, 1984, 1990a; Coren & Halpern, 1991; Satz, Orsini, Saslow & Henry, 1985) and "developmental instability" (Yeo, Gangestad & Daniel, 1993), and delay of left-hemisphere maturation in left-handed individuals (Geschwind & Galaburda, 1985a,b, 1987), by pointing out the strength and weaknesses of these theoretical approaches in accounting for the present data.

Two adjective pairs in comparative form, more-less and taller-shorter, were tested with moderately mentally retarded (MR) and nonretarded children (NR) matched on verbal mental age (MA) and socioeconomic status (SES) in a “show” and an “act-out” experimental condition. The data indicated that all the main effects, the group, the experimental condition, and the unmarked-marked relational terms were significant and so were the interactions of the Group × Experimental Conditions, Group × Unmarked Versus Marked Relational Terms, and Group × Experimental Conditions and Unmarked Versus Marked Relational Terms. A logistic regression analysis (LRA) showed that the relational term shorter in the act-out condition best predicted classification membership for the subjects in either group, suggesting that the MR children were less able to self-regulate behavior. The error types, however, mainly observed in the act-out experimental condition were the same from a semantic point of view in either group. The effect of the unmarked versus marked distinction cannot be considered independent of the experimental conditions applied.

The purpose of the present study was to identify the correlation between gender and reading preferences and reading strategies employed by 5th and 6th Grade students of primary school in Greece. The main objectives of the present study were (1) to identify possible differences between male and female students in employing cognitive and metacognitive strategies, (2) to record the difficulties encountered by males and females when reading and (3) to highlight possible differences between male and female students in reading preferences. 405 Greek students (206 boys and 199 girls, M=11.21 years old, SD.=0.47) participated in the study and were asked to fill in a questionnaire including questions related to reading preferences and attitudes. In addition, 32 students from the total sample were asked to choose their favourite text to read and think aloud about the processes they followed and the strategies they used. The questionnaire results indicated significant differences between male and female students in reading preferences, since the female students showed a greater preference for ‘human-interest’ stories and male ones preferred to read comics and action-stories. The verbal data revealed the female students’ flexibility in strategy use and their higher metacognitive awareness compared to male students. Reading, gender and social factors are discussed in the light of citizenship education.

Second-order mental state attribution in two groups of children with non-specific intellectual disability and Down syndrome was investigated. The children were compared to overall mental age-matched group of typically developing children. The aim of the present study was to determine the specificity of the theory of mind deficit to different groups of children with intellectual disability. The results clearly showed that children with Down syndrome performed more poorly than the children with non-specific intellectual disability, and that typically developing children perform significantly better than do other groups. The findings are discussed in terms of the specificity of the etiology-related profiles of intellectually disabled groups. Several critical issues related to intervention strategies in the field of intellectual disability are also discussed, considering the educational practices.

Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is a genetic disorder in males characterized by the presence of an extra X chromosome. Its most consistent endocrinological manifestations include lower testosterone production and impaired spermatogenesis. KS individuals have a general typical appearance with taller stature, and they demonstrate a characteristic cognitive phenotype involving weaknesses in verbal processing. Anomalous cerebral lateralization involves the inverse or weak dominance of hand, language, and visuospatial abilities and has been associated with the cognitive deficits of KS individuals. This article summarizes the ongoing research in this field, discusses the main findings, and attempts to provide a thorough description of the cause of the observed functional and anatomical cerebral asymmetries associated with the syndrome. Nonetheless, efforts have been directed to incorporate evidence for and against theoretical accounts that explain the experimental findings, to discuss issues involving the implications of the chosen methodology, and present key research areas for future empirical research.

The Test of Nonverbal Intelligence (TONI-2; L. Brown, R. J. Sherbenou, & S. Johnsen, 1990) and Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM; J. C. Raven, 1965) are defined as language-free measures of cognitive ability. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relation between the RCPM and the TONI-2 for samples of patients with Parkinson's disease (n = 75) and controls (n = 47). A regression equation was computed to evaluate the relation of the RCPM scores to the TONI-2 quotient. Regression equation results indicate that there is a significant overlapping linear variance between the two measures in both patients and controls.

The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, a standard test for the assessment of executive function and free of a motor component, was employed for the assessment of 37 nondemented patients with idiopathic Parkinson's Disease and 37 matched normal controls. The symptoms of the patients were clinically assessed by means of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, which yielded scores for the cardinal symptoms of the disease as well as a total motor score. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test was administered in all subjects in its original form (128 cards), and it was scored to yield 16 measures according to the instruction of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test revised manual. Patients with Parkinson's Disease had significantly lower scores on the following test variables: number of trials administered, perseverative responses, percent perseverative responses, and failure to maintain set. The correlations between the last three variables and total motor score were statistically significant. Of the four cardinal symptoms of the disease, only rigidity correlated significantly with the number of perseverative responses and percent perseverative responses. These findings provide a clue that the lower performance of these patients on certain variables of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test may be related to the process of the disease.

Seventy-three subjects with mild and moderate intellectual disability (ID) of an unknown/idiopathic nature, who had no record of specific deficits in motor control, and 73 normal controls, matched for chronological age and sex, underwent evaluation of handedness. The results confirmed the previously reported excess of non-right handedness among subjects with ID, and suggested that this finding might be indicative of a deviant cerebral organization or atypical lateralization of cerebral representation of function in this group. However, it was noted that further research is needed to clarify how far this is a function of level of motor skill and how far is a syndrome-specific pathological phenomenon.

Visuospatial discrimination was evaluated longitudinally in 45 patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. 47 normal matched subjects served as controls. Visuospatial discrimination was assessed by means of a picture test with complex superimposed objects (Poppelreuter's test) at the beginning of the study as well as three years later. At initial evaluation the group with Parkinson's disease identified fewer objects than the control group and made more errors. Relations between performance on the visuospatial discrimination task and the main parameters of the disease were not statistically significant. At reevaluation, three years later on the same task, performance by the group with Parkinson's disease deteriorated. Longitudinal assessment of motor symptoms showed that disease progressed during the study period in 35 patients. Comparison of motor deterioration with performance on the visuospatial discrimination task showed no statistically significant relationship.

In the present study, fifty-four subjects were tested; twenty-seven with idiopathic Parkinson's disease and twenty-seven normal controls matched in age, education, verbal ability, level of depression, sex and socio-economic status. The subjects were tested on eight tasks. Five of the tasks were the classic deductive reasoning syllogisms, modus ponens, modus tollendo tollens, affirming the consequent, denying the antecedent and three-term series problems phrased in a factual context (brief scripts). Three of the tasks were inductive reasoning, including logical inferences, metaphors and similes. All tasks were presented to subjects in a multiple choice format. The results, overall, have shown nonsignificant differences between the two groups in deductive and inductive reasoning, an ability traditionally associated with frontal lobes involvement. Of the comparisons performed between subgroups of the patients and normal controls concerning disease duration, disease onset and predominant involvement of the left and/or right hemisphere, significant differences were found between patients with earlier disease onset and normal controls and between bilaterally affected patients and normal controls, demonstrating an additive effect of lateralization to reasoning ability.

The aim of the research is to explore the views of infants and preschool aged children on computers as a concept and as an element of material culture. In other words, the research seeks to identify the ideas and concepts that the children have form on the computer and its peripheral units. At the same time there has been an effort to detecting the factors that probably affect the Greek preschool aged children’s formation of views and concepts on computers. The factors that have been checked are parents’ education level and profession, the existence or not of a computer in kindergarten class, the sex, the place of residence and children’s age. In order for the degree of infants’ conceptual change to emerge, the question “does a computer remain a computer if one of its external characteristics changes” had been investigated. The phenomenon of simile or parallelism of the computer or its parts with other objects had been observed (i.e. “the screen is like a TV” or “is a TV”, “the central unit and printer are machines” etc) especially on behalf of the preschool aged children. It seems that preschool aged children compared with infants, use in higher degree more essential characteristics in order to define computer and its parts (recognition - usage - preservation of identity). In general these findings confirm the findings of international researches which highlight the important role of parents’ educational level and profession in the acquisition of knowledge on new technologies by their children. In the majority of children there were evident difficulties in defining the concept of computer and also to realize what it is what it does. This difficulty was expected as the computer is an artificial object with complex functions which essentially are based on its internal characteristics. In parallel, children’s notions on the computer and its parts are depended on factors as their mother’s profession and educational level as well as if there is or not a PC in kindergarten. On the contrary children’s sex, the place of residence, father’s educational level and profession don’t seem to significantly influence children. Specifically, mother’s profession influences significantly children’s performance. It has been found that children whose mother is a freelancer-scientist or a public servant statistically have significantly greater numbers of right answers from the children whose mother is a farmer or a worker and from those whose mother is a privet employee, a freelancer or a merchant. Mother’s educational level seems to influence children’s views and notions even though something worth mentioning occurs: the greater number of right answers it is given by children whose mothers are secondary education graduates. This finding might be explained by the higher expectations that these mothers have from their children. Even though they, themselves don’t graduate form a higher institution, they very much want that for their children. The lowest performances have children whose mothers are elementary school graduates. It’s impressive the fact that on the question related to the computers identity change or not, no differences were found among the three groups, something that needs further investigation.

It is noticed lack of vocational guidance tools for students with intellectual disabilities (ID), certified as to their reliability and validity. The purpose of the present study was to examine the psychometric characteristics of the “Reading - Free Vocational Interest Inventory” (R-FVII) of Becker (1981) , which is one of the best non - verbal assessment tool of vocational preferences. The participants were 35 students with mild ID at the Training Schools for Persons with Special Needs in Western Macedonia and their teachers (N=34). Based on the data obtained, it was found that the tool has satisfactory levels of reliability and validity.

A lack of educational intervention programmes is noticed in the sexual education of all children and teenagers, regardless of whether they have intellectual disabilities (ID), or not. The purpose of the present study was to create an educational intervention programme in the sexual education of a pre-adolescent with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). The participant was a 13-year-old pre- adolescent boy who has been diagnosed with PW syndrome. Based on the data obtained, it was found that the educational intervention was very effective and that it could be applied to other teenagers with this specific cognitive profile.

We know surprisingly little about how the perception of visual illusions develops on children with intellectual disabilities (ID). The aim of the present study was to determine the specificity of the visual perception deficit to different groups of children with ID. We compared 23 children with Down syndrome (DS) and 42 mental age-matched children with non-specific ID on two classes of illusory perception, one involving visual illusions of perceptual constancy, and the other ambiguous figures. The results clearly showed that children with DS performed more poorly than the children with non-specific ID only on the ambiguous figures tasks. The findings are discussed in terms of the specificity of the etiology-related cognitive profiles of ID groups.

The purpose of this research is to analyze the understanding factorial concept processes of 7th grade students who have low academic achievements with Pirie-Kieren theory. The research participants are composed of two 7th grade students who are studying at a public primary school in the Inegol Province of the city of Bursa. This research has been designed according to case study design since it was carried out with two students who had low academic achievements in a constructive learning environment. The research participants were selected among voluntary students by considering their mathematics achievement test scores and their grades stated in the previous year' reports. Mathematics achievement test was composed of 15 questions that were covering pre-cognitive knowledge of the factorial concept. Educational games, group work, puzzles, worksheets and activities designed for the objectives in the factorial concept were used in the research. The data of the research was collected by through a semi-structured interview, participant observation and document analysis for each student in the study group. The obtained data was analyzed by using a descriptive analysis method. According to the findings, students who have low academic achievements were able to construct concepts difficulty by interpreting activities and they reached formalising level according to Pirie and Kieren theory. In the light of the findings of this study, the researchers have developed suggestions. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

7th World Conference on Educational Sciences -- FEB 05-07, 2015 -- Athens, GREECE, WOS: 000380613100013, This study intended to investigate the general attitudes of a group of high school EFL students towards language learning strategies, particularly vocabulary learning strategies, and to investigate whether or not one month awareness-raising program for self-regulated vocabulary learning can increase the use of vocabulary learning strategies autonomously and the rate of success among the students. At the time of the study all the participants were in the same proficiency level (B1). The data were gathered through inventory, the self-regulated capacity for vocabulary learning (the SRCvoc) prepared by Tseng, Dornyei and Schmitt (2006), which was translated to Turkish by a researcher with a PhD in ELT. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

7th World Conference on Educational Sciences -- FEB 05-07, 2015 -- Athens, GREECE WOS: 000380613100091 The main purpose of this study to examine the prospective primary school teachers' ability to transform multiple representations. This study is a descriptive survey model that has been applied to determine prospective teachers' skills of transforming multiple representations. The sample of this study was consisted of 134 prospective teachers who are at the third grade at the department of Primary School Education in a state university in the 2012-2013 academic year. "Multiple Representation Transformation Test" which was developed by the researcher was used as the data collection tool in the research. In conclusion, the prospective primary teachers are usually successful in transformations between representations; however, that they, in this process, are unsuccessful in transforming especially oral representations into other representations. Based on this result, the factors that cause the failures of the prospective teachers in transforming oral representation can be analyzed in another study. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer-review under responsibility of Academic World Education and Research Center.