ATTITUDES RELATED TO STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN STATISTICS IN UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS IN ARGENTINA

Students from non-statistics degree programs often perceive statistics as a burden, underestimating its usefulness and encountering difficulties that cause them anxiety and stress, among others, which leads many of them to fail the course. Students’ attitudes can hinder their learning and development of useful skills associated with statistical thinking, which should be later applied outside the classroom. The aim of this study was to analyze students’ attitudes towards statistics in introductory courses in three schools of Argentina, grouped in Agricultural Sciences and Biological Sciences. We analyzed students’ attitudes at the beginning and at the end of the course, the differences between pre- and post-course attitudes and the relationship between these changes and students’ performances. The sample consisted of 436 students and their attitudes were measured using the Survey of Attitudes Towards Statistics (SATS-28), considering four components: Affect, Cognitive Competence, Value and Difficulty. Students’ performances were classified as: passed (and exempt from final exam), intermediate (but not exempt from final exam), and failed. Difficulty was not related to students’ performance, as opposed to what was detected with the other components. Cognitive competence was the only component that classified students’ performance in the correct order. Students who failed the course differed from the rest in that they developed more negative feelings towards statistics at the end of the course; in contrast, students with good performance showed an increase in the value given to statistics. Biological Sciences students presented higher average in the four components studied. Abstract: Spanish Los estudiantes de carreras universitarias no estadísticas a menudo perciben a estadística como una imposición, subestimando su utilidad, encontrando dificultades que les causan, entre otros, ansiedad y estrés y muchos desaprueban la materia. Las actitudes de los estudiantes pueden dificultar su aprendizaje y el desarrollo de habilidades útiles asociadas al pensamiento estadístico que deberían aplicarse posteriormente fuera del aula. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar las actitudes de los estudiantes hacia la estadística en cursos introductorios en tres facultades de Argentina, agrupadas en Ciencias Agrícolas y Ciencias Biológicas. Analizamos sus actitudes al principio y al final del curso, las diferencias entre las actitudes posteriores y previas al curso y la relación entre estos cambios y el rendimiento del alumno. La muestra estaba compuesta por 436 estudiantes y sus actitudes se midieron utilizando la Encuesta de Actitudes Hacia la Estadística (SATS-28), considerando cuatro componentes: Afecto, Competencia Cognitiva, Valor y Dificultad. El rendimiento de los estudiantes se clasificó en promoción, intermedio y reprobación. Dificultad no se relacionó con el rendimiento del estudiante a diferencia con lo detectado con las otras componentes. La Competencia Cognitiva fue la única componente que clasificó el rendimiento en el orden correcto. Los estudiantes que reprobaron el curso se diferenciaron del resto en que desarrollaron más sentimientos negativos hacia la estadística al final del curso; en contraposición los que tuvieron un buen rendimiento, mostraron un aumento en el valor dado a la estadística. Los estudiantes de Ciencias Biológicas presentaron un promedio más alto en las cuatro componentes.

The Effectiveness of Portage Early Intervention Program in Improving Adaptive Behavior Skills with Intellectual Disorders

The aim of this study was to find the effectiveness of the Portage Program for Early Intervention in improving cognitive competencies of mothers with children having intellectual disabilities in applying portage program, and in developing those children’s adaptive behavior. The experimental sample included 10 children from Irbid Governorate with simple intellectual disabilities, using single-group experimentation. To achieve the goal of the study, the Portage Program (second edition) was adopted as well as the cognitive competence scale for pre and post-test, and the adaptive behavior scale for children with intellectual disabilities. Data from the implemented scales were treated statistically using proper statistical methods. The study reached the following results: There were statistically significant differences at the level of significance (α=0.05) between the means of the pre- and post-test for performance of mothers of children with simple intellectual disabilities in the cognitive competence scale. There were statistically significant differences at the level of significance (α=0.05) between the pre- and post-test means for performance of children with simple intellectual disabilities in the adaptive behavior scale. There were statistically significant differences at the level of significance (α=0.05) between the post and follow up test means for performance of children with simple intellectual disabilities in the adaptive behavior scale. The study sets various recommendations in the fields of education and research. The results of the qualitative analysis indicated a noticeable improvement in the performance of the adaptive behavior skills of the individuals participated in study.

Framing dementia experiences in a positive light: Conversational practices in one couple living with dementia

The general approach to a life with dementia is negatively charged, and alternative views are rarely found in research or in media coverage. This case-study explores conversational practices for framing dementia in a more positive light, employed by a husband of a wife with dementia. Framing regards the structured experiences of dementia, drawing on Goffman’s ‘Frame Analysis’. Benefitting from conversation analysis, this article presents principal results of four conversational practices used by the spouse without dementia: mitigating trouble, normalising trouble, justifying trouble, and praising. The conclusions drawn are that the practices contribute to the challenging of the dominant negative framework of the dementia experience, as they facilitate talk which emphasises the wife with dementia’s positive progression and skills in managing the household chores. Despite a positive framing of dementia, this couple still embed their talk in the overall negative framework of loss and decreased cognitive competence. The visualisation of a positive framing could add to a broadened view of dementia, which in turn could contribute to greater well-being for those affected. However, the results may also imply a risk of one spouse’s conversational practices of normalising and mitigating trouble being dominant in interaction and thereby neglecting the other spouse’s experience of the situation.

Correlational Study of Culturally-Based Instructional Strategy and Cognitive Competencies on Problem Solving, Speaking and Listening: An Evidence in Oyo State Nigeria

The study examined the impact of culturally based Instructional strategy (indigenous songs, rhymes, games, stories, language of the immediate environment and instructional materials) on pre-primary school children’s cognitive competence with special attention to problem-solving, speaking and listening skills. Socio-cultural theory provided the framework, while pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental design was adopted. 74 children (44 males and 30 females) with a mean age of 5.61 from four pre-primary schools (two public and private schools) were purposively selected from two local government areas, and randomised into CIBS and conventional groups respectively. Children’s Cognitive Competence Rating Scale (r = 0.89) and CBIS Instructional Guide were used to collect the study data. Paired sample t-test and Analysis of covariance(ANCOVA) were used to analyse the data. There was a significant main effect of treatment on children’s cognitive competence (F(1,65) = 10.31; partial ?2 = 0.14). CIBS was found to be potent in enhancing pre-primary school children’s cognitive competence, especially in problem-solving, speaking, and listening skills. Teaching and learning activities at the pre-primary school level should employ a culturally-based instructional strategy.

Implementation of Using Used Materials and Natural Materials as Learning Media in Improving Cognitive Development

This article aims to describe the implementation of the use of used materials and natural materials as learning media in improving cognitive development at RA(kindergarten) Munawwarah Medan. The focus of the study described in this article includes the ability of teachers to design teaching materials sourced from natural and used materials, the learning process, and improving the cognitive competence of students. This study uses a qualitative approach with a descriptive method. The process of collecting data was carried out qualitatively by means of observation, interviews, and document studies. Then, the data were analyzed through data reduction techniques, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. The results of this article found that (1) the teacher's ability is fairly good in designing teaching materials sourced from natural and used materials, this is evidenced by the readiness of teacher learning plans; (2) the implementation of learning takes place effectively, marked by the suitability of the plans that have been made previously with the learning implementation process, as well as the process of learning activities using natural materials and used materials, starting from initial activities, core activities to closing activities; and (3) the cognitive competence of students at RA Munawwarah Medan is increasing well, marked by the child's ability to mention numbers, know the concept of numbers, be able to sort objects from smallest to largest, group objects according to type and color, and mention the function of an object.

Attitudes toward Statistics and Statistical Literacy of Public Senior High School Students

Statistics has proven its usefulness in research over centuries to produce quality insights and data-driven decision-making. Learning statistics not only rely on cognitive but other factors such including attitude as well. This descriptive-correlational research determined the attitudes toward statistics in the components of affect, cognitive competence, value, difficulty, interest and effort, and statistical literacy of 200 public senior high school students selected through stratified random sampling. The SATS-36© developed by Schau et al. (2003) was used to determine attitudes, while a researcher-made questionnaire was utilized to measure statistical literacy. Using descriptive statistics and inferential analysis, students' attitudes toward the subject were established positively in value, interest, and effort components. In contrast, a negative attitude was exhibited in the components of affect, cognitive competence, and difficulty. Students' statistical literacy was found to be low in all areas and as a whole. Among the six components of attitude, the value component showed a significant relationship and predicted students' statistical literacy. Thus, the most vital component of attitudes toward statistics is value.

Formation of information and cognitive competence of a student’s multilingual personality

The constructive approach argues that cultural identity determines ethnicity through the dominance of social, political and economic factors. This approach was formed thanks to the theories of M. Weber, E. Durkheim and K. Marx. The purpose is to conduct a pedagogical study on the formation of information and cognitive competence of a multilingual personality of a student of the Aktobe Regional State University named after K. Zhubanov, 3 courses, pedagogical specialties. The research methodology is the theory of I.V. Leushina. The survey data showed the percentage of students that use various IT services for independent learning of foreign languages (audio podcasts, video podcasts) and various online applications of a general nature (LinguaLeo, Duolingo, etc.). The results revealed a fairly high motivation of students to use IT tools in foreign language classes. Within the framework of the formed educational competencies, recommended by the state standard of higher education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, it is necessary to highlight information and cognitive. Keywords: foreign language, IT services, information competence, multilingual personality, formation

O moralnych następstwach nadsprawności poznawczej. Casus modafinilu

The article aims to answer the question of whether a healthy person who takes a registered medication containing modafinil may be considered responsible for behaviours, for which he or she would not be responsible without the cognitive enhancement. For this purpose, three specific questions are analysed. First, it is analysed whether liability is connected to competence in such a way that the increase in an individual’s cognitive competence increases his or her responsibility. Second, if the answer to the previous question is affirmative, under which conditions the person who has taken medications to extend his or her responsibility may be held responsible for conduct which he or she would not have committed without the cognitive improvement. Third, can the conditions referred to in the previous sentence be satisfied in the case of a healthy person who acts under the influence of a drug containing modafinil.