Children with specific learning disabilities (SLD) exhibit specific difficulties in high-order components of emotional understanding that involve language (e.g., recognition of complex emotions from situations), or defining emotions and providing examples. The objectives of the current study were to study (a) modifiability of emotional understanding using a short-term mediation program aimed at enhancing emotional understanding among children with SLD as compared with typically developing (TD) children, (b) the correlation of language ability with emotional understanding. A sample of 64 boys with SLD and 33 TD boys (9–11 years old) were administered emotional understanding measures, and tests of language processing. The children were given the Language of Emotions Mediation Program and retested on the emotional understanding measures. Children with SLD revealed initial lower level of emotional understanding than TD children but higher pre- to postmediation improvement. The correlation between emotional understanding measures and verbal ability decreased from pre- to postmediation only in children with SLD. These findings indicate less cohesiveness between the two domains because of the mediation program.

The research study was developed to consider the influence of reflection as an element in bridging life experiences and decision making in professional contexts. The researcher wanted to find out what the reflective process looks like and how this practice might relate to the professional development and personal growth for professionals. Respondents defined reflection and discussed processes, which they used to facilitate reflection on their own professional development. A constant comparative procedure, which is a qualitative coding strategy, was used to examine the process(es) described and then initial themes and categories were established among the narrative responses. An analytic concept mapping procedure described by Novak (1998) and Novak and Gowen (1984) was employed to organize the narrative. This article was developed as a refinement of the initial model with a more nuanced and careful description of the cognitive component in the EVENT PATH model. The findings indicated that reflection for the participants is an internal, cognitive process. The participants engaged in a cognitive process whereby awareness surfaced; a sense of knowing emerged. Understanding cognition as an integral part of the reflective process cannot be overstated and therefore requires continued attention within the research on professional reflection.

Despite young children's increasing access to electronic books (e-books) and the evidence indicating their effectiveness for promoting language and literacy, no study has yet explored the e-book's effect in this area among students with intellectual disability (ID). Motivated by this challenge, the current study sought to investigate the effect of an educational e-book on vocabulary acquisition among students with ID. The effect on vocabulary of five repeated readings of an e-book among students with ID was measured and compared with that of children with learning disability (LD). The findings indicate that whereas two independent rereadings with the e-book were enough to promote vocabulary acquisition among the students with LD, at least five rereadings were required to make a difference in the group with ID. Explanations and implications of the findings are discussed.

Understanding how struggling students approach math is vital to designing effective math lessons. Many low achieving students rely on a weak knowledge of procedures and attempt calculations without adequate consideration of the problem. We investigated how enabling or preventing premature calculations affected learning math. Students were presented with explanations of math problems that either contained numbers, thus allowing for calculations, or contained variables, thus preventing the possibility of calculations. In Experiment 1, we asked students to learn from a conceptual explanation and found that preventing calculations was beneficial, especially for students with less prior experience in math. In Experiment 2, when the lesson was procedures-focused, we found that preventing calculations did not have the same beneficial effect. Students with less prior experience performed poorly compared to those with more experience. Given students' prior math experience and their usual approach to problem-solving, we can facilitate learning by blocking maladaptive approaches.

The aim of this study was to portray a model that describes the relationships between personality traits, life satisfaction, positive and negative affects, stress, and academic achievements among physical education teacher education students. Participants were 173 first-year students. Four questionnaires were used to collect data: The Big Five Personality Inventory; the five-item Satisfaction with Life Scale; the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule; and the Perceived Stress Scale. In addition, the students' average grades were calculated. A Structural Equation Modeling for analyzing the structural model was performed. According to the model, 47% of the variance in subjective well-being is explained by personality traits, and 23% of the variance in academic achievement is explained by subjective well-being and the direct and indirect effects from the personality traits. Our study provides an understanding of the predictive power of personality traits and subjective well-being on academic achievements of physical education student teachers.

The current criterion for acceptance to universities in Israel is based on psychometric testing that presents a strong barrier for acceptance of students of Ethiopian origin (SEO) to the universities. Based on the sociocultural theories of Vygotsky and Feuerstein, we suggest an intervention aimed at integrating SEO, considered to be “culturally different,” in universities. The intervention includes a novel screening process (based on dynamic assessment [DA] and an interview), academic oriented metacognitive course, and supportive counseling. A group of SEO (n = 665) with low psychometric scores, applied for assistance in admission to university, in seven cohorts (2010-2016). A group of 174 (26%) candidates were selected for the project and enrolled for studies in university; 49.4% enrolled in prestigious departments (e.g., medicine). The findings showed that despite the significant lower psychometric scores of the SEO as compared with the national average, only 4.6% have withdrawn at the end of first year as compared with 10.8% of the national Jewish sample and 12.4% among SEO population. A higher percentage of SEO in the current sample enrolled in high prestige departments than SEO in the population. No significant differences were found between dropped-out and continuing students in the psychometric test. Prediction of three-years' grade point average (GPA) by psychometric scores were not significant (R² = .03, p > .05) as compared to the prediction in SEO population (R² = .10, p < .001). The findings support Vygotsky's and Feuerstein's approach that standardized tests of students with deprived cultural backgrounds do not reflect their learning potential and that the use short-term intervention may be an effective mechanism of preparing students for academic success.

This study devised an approach utilizing advertisements for cognitive education, particularly training to foster critical thinking ability of elementary students and conducted a field experiment to verify its educational effect. Fourteen sessions of the critical thinking education were performed over one semester geared toward elementary students in the fifth and sixth grades. Results indicated that students who received critical thinking education using advertisements made statistically significant improvements in both critical thinking skills and critical thinking dispositions, compared to students who did not receive this education. These results demonstrate that education using advertisements as learning materials can help elementary students to improve their critical thinking ability. We discussed several implications of our results for educational practice as well as directions for follow-up studies.