Equitable Assessment of Gifted Students Using the Naglieri General Ability Tests

Even though it is well documented that Black, Hispanic, Native American students have been denied access to gifted education for decades, injustice continues. The authors present research showing that traditional IQ tests with their verbal and quantitative questions contribute to under-representation because they yield large differences for students of color. Some (e.g., NNAT), but not all, nonverbal tests help but verbal and quantitative content is omitted. The authors suggest that students of color who are intellectually capable (gifted) but perhaps not talented (knowledgeable) could be more equitably evaluated if the verbal comprehension of instructions and verbal and quantitative knowledge were taken out of the tests used for identification. Research evidence is provided which shows that the Naglieri General Ability Tests: Verbal, Nonverbal, and Quantitative, which have nonverbal directions, do not demand knowledge acquired at school and do not require verbal response yield small differences by gender, race, ethnicity, and parental education.

Analisis Kemampuan Pemecahan Masalah Matematika ditinjau dari Tipe Kepribadian Siswa Madrasah Tsanawiyah

This study aims to describe the mathematical problem solving abilities in terms of students personality types of grade VIII at MTs Al-Ma’arif NU Qamarul Huda Narmada academic year 2020/2021. This type of research is a qualitative descriptive with a quantitative approach. The sampling technique used saturated sampling and each 2 students were selected to represent each personality types. The data collection technique used are personality type questionnaires, mathematical problem solving ability tests, and interviews. The data analysis techniques used quantitative data analysis and qualitative data analysis that are data reduction, data presentation and conclusions. The result of this study are students with introvert and extrovert personality types are not able to write down the stage of understanding the problem, do the stage of making a plan by writing them into mathematical form, able to write down the problem solving systemtatically but there are some errors, write the conclusion of the answer though it’s not quite right. While students with ambivert personality types are able to do the stage of understanding the problem by writing down even though it’s incomplete, write a plan for solving the problem by directly writing it into mathematical form, are able to write the solution of the problem according to the plan even though there are some missteps, re-examine and write down the conclusion even though there are error in the results.

Brain Changing Advantages of Exercise

Exercise is defined as any activity that causes your muscles to work and your body to burn calories. Physical activity includes swimming, running, jogging, strolling, and dancing, to name a few. Physically and mentally active people have been shown to have various health benefits. It could even help you live a longer life. In this article, we attempt to explain the beneficial effects of exercising regularly on our brain and how this helps with cognitive tasks. We also describe the various neurotrophic neurochemicals that aid in this phenomenon. We then describe the process of neuroplasticity and how exercise can help accelerate this process. Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. If you're worried about being harmed if you start walking or increase your level of physical activity, it is safe for most people to engage in moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking. Reduced emotions of state anxiety (short-term anxiety), increased sleep, and enhanced elements of cognitive performance are some of the benefits of moderate or intense physical exercise on cerebral health that happen immediately after moderate or intense physical activity (acute impact). People who engage in more moderate or intense physical activity generally have better mental processes to gain knowledge and comprehension than those who do not. Improvements in cognition, as well as performance, might be expected. For example, standardized assessments of academic achievement and performance on mental ability tests are examples of neuropsychological testing. Processing speed, memory, and executive function are all factors to consider.

What Makes Babies Musical? Conceptions of Musicality in Infants and Toddlers

Despite major advances in research on musical ability in infants, relatively little attention has been paid to individual differences in general musicality in infants. A fundamental problem has been the lack of a clear definition of what constitutes “general musicality” or “musical ability” in infants and toddlers, resulting in a wide range of test procedures that rely on different models of musicality. However, musicality can be seen as a social construct that can take on different meanings across cultures, sub-groups, and individuals, and may be subject to change over time. Therefore, one way to get a clearer picture of infant musicality is to assess conceptions of musicality in the general population. Using this approach, we surveyed 174 German adults, asking about their view and conceptions regarding behaviors that characterize a musical child under 3 years. Based on previous studies on adult and child musicality, we designed a survey containing 41 statements describing musical behaviors in children. Participants were asked to rate how indicative these behaviors were of musicality in infants and toddlers. PCA analysis revealed 4 components of musical abilities and behaviors in under-3-year-olds: Musical Communication, Enthusiasm and Motivation, Adaptive Expressiveness, and Musical Abilities as traditionally defined. Professional background and musical expertise of the respondents did not significantly influence participants’ conceptions. Our results suggest that, in order to capture musicality in young children, a wider range of skills and observable behaviors should be taken into account than those assessed by traditional musical ability tests for young children.

General Intelligence: An Analysis of the Saudi Students’ General Mental Ability and Elementary Cognitive Task Performance

Previous studies on human intelligence has revealed that varied factors influence cognitive performance, and some studies have hypothesized the presence of “general intelligence” (g factor) that is responsible for intelligence. However, most studies have been centered on Western cultures. This study thus examines the Saudi students and the g factor hypothesis. A group of Saudi college students participated in a battery of general mental ability tests and elementary cognitive tasks and were assessed for the influence of various factors on cognitive performance. The study results revealed an increase in the average of Saudi students’ intelligence compared to the results of the previous studies, but it did not yield a g factor.

Obstacle Capability of an Air-Ground Amphibious Reconnaissance Robot with a Planetary Wheel-Leg Type Structure

According to the requirements of the reconnaissance robot for the ability to adapt to a complex environment and the in-depth study of the obstacle climbing mechanisms, a planetary wheel-leg-combined mechanism capable of adapting to complex terrains is proposed. According to the proposed planetary wheel-leg-combined mechanism, the land part of the air-ground amphibious reconnaissance robot is designed. Considering the obstacle and fast marching performance, four groups of combined wheel-leg mechanisms are adopted in the land bank. Under the action of three kinds of obstacles, the stability and the movement ability of the robot are analyzed by using the static method. The parameter model of the reconnaissance robot is built by a virtual prototype dynamics software MSC.ADMAS. The kinematic characteristic curves of each component and the whole prototype are obtained, which provides a theoretical basis for the design and numerical calculation of the robot structure. Finally, the climbing ability tests of the reconnaissance robot prototype verify the reliability and practicability of the body structure of the reconnaissance robot.

Excellence, equity, and talent development: Time to retire the g-word

This essay offers six reasons why the field of gifted education should retire the terms giftedness and gifted. Additionally, in the historical context of longstanding, severe, and pervasive racial and income inequities in the field of gifted education, the term Master’s Discourse is introduced and defined in this call to change terminology. Among the reasons to move on from the gifted terminology are its racist history; its association with underrepresentation; waning support for gifted programming; years of debate in the field over the use of these terms; issues with giftedness being narrowly defined by ability tests; and the need for language to evolve.

An Improved Taxonomy of Creativity Measures Based on Salient Task Attributes

The assessment of creativity presents major challenges. The many competing and complementary ideas on measuring creativity have resulted in a wide diversity of measures, making it difficult for potential users to decide on their appropriateness. Prior research has proposed creativity assessment taxonomies, but we argue that these have shortcomings because they often were not designed to (a) assess the essential assessment features and (b) are insufficiently specified for reliably categorizing extant measures. Based on prior categorization approaches, we propose a new framework for categorizing creativity measures including the following attributes: (a) measurement approach (self-report, other-report, ability tests), (b) construct (e.g., creative interests and attitudes, creative achievements, divergent thinking), (c) data type generated (e.g., questionnaire data vs. accomplishments counts), (d) prototypical scoring method (e.g., consensual assessment technique; CAT), and (e) psychometric problems. We identified 228 creativity measures appearing in the literature since 1900 and classified each measure according to their task attributes by two independent raters (rater agreement Cohen’s kappa .83 to 1.00 for construct). We provide a summary of convergent validity evidence and psychometric shortcomings. We conclude with recommendations for using the taxonomy and some psychometric desiderata for future research.

Patient-Centered Treatment Outcomes with Full-Arch PEEK Rehabilitation Supported on Four Immediate or Conventionally Loaded Implants. A Randomized Clinical Trial

This study aims to assess the treatment outcomes (functional and subjective) of full-arch fixed hybrid rehabilitations made of PEEK (poly-ether-ether-ketone) with milled crowns of nano-filled composite (NFC) supported on four to six implants. In this randomized clinical trial, 34 edentate patients in the upper and/or the lower jaws were treated with the fixed hybrid dentures. In 16 patients (47.1% of the sample), the implants were loaded immediately (IL) by means of a provisional fixed rehabilitation made of PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) screwed on Multi-Unit (MU) abutments connected after emplacement of the implant; however, in the counterparts (n = 18) these MU abutments were covered by healing caps and were left unloaded during two months (conventional loading protocol—CL), when all patients received a fixed hybrid PEEK-NFC rehabilitation on the upper and/or the lower jaw. Treatment outcomes were assessed 12 months after prostheses delivery. Functional outcomes were calculated according to masticatory performance, estimated by mixing ability tests of two colored chewing gums after ten chewing strokes, by the occlusal force/area recorded by pressure-sensitive sheets, and by electromyography of masseters and temporal muscles at maximum biteforce. The subjective outcomes of the treatment were assessed using both the oral satisfaction scale (visual analog scale) and the Spanish version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-20). The findings of the present study showed that treatment with fixed PEEK-NFC hybrid prostheses significantly improved the masticatory performance, bite force, occlusal pattern, quality of life, and satisfaction, with the IL group being those with significantly higher occlusal bite forces and greater satisfaction in comparison with CL group. It should be concluded that PEEK-NFC hybrid prostheses can improve several patient-centered outcomes and that loading protocol significantly affects the patient’s self-rated satisfaction.

Perbedaan Kemampuan Pemecahan Masalah dari Penerapan Problem Solving dan Problem Posing pada Siswa SMA

AbstrakPentingnya kemampuan pemecahan masalah dalam pembelajaran matematika belum diikuti dengan pencapaian yang baik. Penelitian ini bertujuan menerapkan model pembelajaran Problem Solving dan Problem Posing serta menguji ada tidaknya perbedaan kemampuan pemecahan masalah dari kedua model tersebut. Penelitian dilaksanakan pada kelas X salah satu SMA Negeri di Salatiga dengan materi trigonometri. Sampel sebanyak 53 siswa, terbagi dalam dua kelompok eksperimen. Penelitian ekperimen semu ini menggunakan desain randomaized control group pretest-postest design, dengan instrumen berbentuk tes kemampuan pemecahan masalah dan lembar observasi. Analisis data menggunakan kovariansi pada taraf signifikan 𝛼 = 5% dengan kemampuan awal sebagai variabel kovarian. Hasil uji hipotesis menyimpulkan bahwa dengan mengontrol kemampuan awal siswa didapat bahwa siswa yang melaksanakan model pembelajaran Problem Posing secara signifikan memiliki kemampuan pemecahan masalah matematika yang lebih baik dibandingkan siswa yang melaksanakan model pembelajaran Problem Solving. Hasil ini menunjukkan pembelajaran hendaknya tidak hanya melatih siswa menyelesaikan masalah tetapi juga mengkonstruksi permasalahan. Differences in problem-solving abilities from the application of problem-solving and problem-posing in high school studentsAbstractThe importance of problem-solving abilities in mathematics learning has not been automatically followed by good achievement. This study aims to apply Problem Solving and Problem Posing learning models and to test whether there are differences in the problem-solving abilities of the two learning models. This research was conducted in class X mathematics learning at one of the public high schools in Salatiga on Trigonometry material. This quasi-experimental study used a randomized control group pretest-posttest design, with instruments in the form of problem-solving ability tests and observation sheets. The data analysis used was the covariance test at the significant level α = 5% with the initial ability as a covariate variable. The results of hypothesis testing with covariance analysis concluded that by controlling students' initial abilities it was found that there were significant differences in mathematical problem-solving abilities between the application of the two models. Students who carry out the Problem Posing learning model significantly have better mathematical problem-solving abilities than students who carry out the Problem-Solving learning model. These results indicate that learning should not only train students to solve problems but also construct problems.