Sample records for pupil

  1. Influence of spherical aberration, stimulus spatial frequency, and pupil apodisation on subjective refractions

    PubMed Central

    Bradley, Arthur; Xu, Renfeng; Thibos, Larry; Marin, Gildas; Hernandez, Martha

    2014-01-01

    Purpose To test competing hypotheses (Stiles Crawford pupil apodising or superior imaging of high spatial frequencies by the central pupil) for the pupil size independence of subjective refractions in the presence of primary spherical aberration. Methods Subjective refractions were obtained with a variety of test stimuli (high contrast letters, urban cityscape, high and low spatial frequency gratings) while modulating pupil diameter, levels of primary spherical aberration and pupil apodisation. Subjective refractions were also obtained with low-pass and high-pass stimuli and using “darker” and “sharper” subjective criteria. Results Subjective refractions for stimuli containing high spatial frequencies focus a near paraxial region of the pupil and are affected only slightly by level of Seidel spherical aberration, degree of pupil apodisation and pupil diameter, and generally focused a radius of about 1 to 1.5 mm from the pupil centre. Low spatial frequency refractions focus a marginal region of the pupil, and are significantly affected by level of spherical aberration, amount of pupil apodisation, and pupil size. Clinical refractions that employ the “darker” or “sharper” subjective criteria bias the patient to use lower or higher spatial frequencies respectively. Conclusions In the presence of significant levels of spherical aberration, the pupil size independence of subjective refractions occurs with or without Stiles Crawford apodisation for refractions that optimise high spatial frequency content in the image. If low spatial frequencies are optimised by a subjective refraction, spherical refractive error varies with spherical aberration, pupil size, and level of apodisation. As light levels drop from photopic to scotopic, therefore, we expect a shift from pupil size independent to pupil size dependent subjective refractions. Emphasising a “sharper” criterion during subjective refractions will improve image quality for high spatial frequencies and generate pupil size independent refractions. PMID:24397356

  2. The Voice of the Pupils: An Experimental Comparison of Decisions Made by Elected Pupil Councils, Pupils in Referenda, and Teaching Staff

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gilljam, Mikael; Esaiasson, Peter; Lindholm, Torun

    2010-01-01

    This article tests whether the form of decision-making used in school environments affects pupils' views on the legitimacy of the decisions made, and of the decision-making procedure. Building on political science theory on democratic decision-making, it compares pupils' reactions towards decisions made by pupil councils, by pupils via referendum,…

  3. Eating behaviours of middle- and secondary-school pupils from the upper Silesian region in Poland.

    PubMed

    Szczepańska, Elżbieta; Szeja, Nicola; Szymkiewicz, Anna; Kowalska, Aleksandra; Lenard, Biruta; Bulwicka, Anna

    2014-01-01

    Eating behaviours of school-aged youth condition their emotional and psychophysical development. Moreover, they influence the effectiveness of learning and affect one's health and the quality of life at older age. The objective of the study was the evaluation of eating behaviours of the group of pupils from cities of the Upper Silesian region, as well as the identification of differences between middle-school and secondary-school pupils' eating behaviours. 902 pupils (474 middle-school and 428 secondary-school pupils) participated in the study. The research materials included questionnaires prepared by the author of the study, containing the questions about the pupils' eating habits. The middle-school pupils constituted 52.5% of the 902 pupils and the secondary-school pupils were 47.5% of the total. On average, 38.2% of the pupils consumed 4 meals daily. Wholemeal bread and/or groats were eaten daily by 34.4% of the pupils. Milk and/or milk drinks were consumed by 56.3% of the pupils every day and 33.5% of the respondents had also fermented milk drinks daily. 61.3% of the participants declared eating meat at least once a day and 44.9% of the pupils had fish once or twice a week. Vegetables and fruit were eaten daily by 61.4% and 66.6% of the pupils respectively. Sweets were consumed at least once a day by 50.6% of the pupils. Occasional consumption of fast-food products and ready-made meals was declared by 63.9% and 49.7% of the pupils respectively. Eating behaviours of the discussed group of pupils are mostly incorrect. There were differences found between the middle-school and secondary-school pupils' eating habits. The differences concerned the frequency of eating cheese and curd cheese, fruit, leguminous plant seeds, sweets, fast food products, sweetened drinks and ready-to made food products. eating behaviours, eating habits, eating frequency, pupils.

  4. The Pupil Premium: Next Steps

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sutton Trust, 2015

    2015-01-01

    The pupil premium was introduced by the Coalition government in April 2011 to provide additional funding for disadvantaged pupils. The main difference between the premium and previous funding for disadvantaged pupils is that the premium is linked to individual pupils. On July 1, 2015, The Pupil Premium Summit organized by the Education Endowment…

  5. Does the "Pupil Enterprise Programme" Influence Grades among Pupils with Special Needs?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johansen, Vegard; Somby, Hege M.

    2016-01-01

    This paper asks whether the Pupil Enterprise Programme (PEP) is a suitable working method for improving academic performance among pupils with special needs. Overall, 20% of pupils participate in PEP at some point during lower secondary school. Results from multilevel regression modelling indicate that pupils with special needs who have…

  6. Pupil and Staff Perceptions of Rewards at a Pupil Referral Unit

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Capstick, Joanna

    2005-01-01

    The present study investigated the perceptions of both pupils and staff at a pupil referral unit (PRU) towards the reward system currently in use. The main aims were to establish whether teachers and pupils perceived the same rewards as effective, to determine whether staff and pupils perceived that rewards changed behaviour, and finally whether…

  7. Robust pupil center detection using a curvature algorithm

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zhu, D.; Moore, S. T.; Raphan, T.; Wall, C. C. (Principal Investigator)

    1999-01-01

    Determining the pupil center is fundamental for calculating eye orientation in video-based systems. Existing techniques are error prone and not robust because eyelids, eyelashes, corneal reflections or shadows in many instances occlude the pupil. We have developed a new algorithm which utilizes curvature characteristics of the pupil boundary to eliminate these artifacts. Pupil center is computed based solely on points related to the pupil boundary. For each boundary point, a curvature value is computed. Occlusion of the boundary induces characteristic peaks in the curvature function. Curvature values for normal pupil sizes were determined and a threshold was found which together with heuristics discriminated normal from abnormal curvature. Remaining boundary points were fit with an ellipse using a least squares error criterion. The center of the ellipse is an estimate of the pupil center. This technique is robust and accurately estimates pupil center with less than 40% of the pupil boundary points visible.

  8. Pupil-mimicry conditions trust in partners: moderation by oxytocin and group membership

    PubMed Central

    De Dreu, Carsten K. W.

    2017-01-01

    Across species, oxytocin, an evolutionarily ancient neuropeptide, facilitates social communication by attuning individuals to conspecifics' social signals, fostering trust and bonding. The eyes have an important signalling function; and humans use their salient and communicative eyes to intentionally and unintentionally send social signals to others, by contracting the muscles around their eyes and pupils. In our earlier research, we observed that interaction partners with dilating pupils are trusted more than partners with constricting pupils. But over and beyond this effect, we found that the pupil sizes of partners synchronize and that when pupils synchronously dilate, trust is further boosted. Critically, this linkage between mimicry and trust was bound to interactions between ingroup members. The current study investigates whether these findings are modulated by oxytocin and sex of participant and partner. Using incentivized trust games with partners from ingroup and outgroup whose pupils dilated, remained static or constricted, this study replicates our earlier findings. It further reveals that (i) male participants withhold trust from partners with constricting pupils and extend trust to partners with dilating pupils, especially when given oxytocin rather than placebo; (ii) female participants trust partners with dilating pupils most, but this effect is blunted under oxytocin; (iii) under oxytocin rather than placebo, pupil dilation mimicry is weaker and pupil constriction mimicry stronger; and (iv) the link between pupil constriction mimicry and distrust observed under placebo disappears under oxytocin. We suggest that pupil-contingent trust is parochial and evolved in social species in and because of group life. PMID:28250181

  9. Adaptive optics retinal imaging with automatic detection of the pupil and its boundary in real time using Shack-Hartmann images.

    PubMed

    de Castro, Alberto; Sawides, Lucie; Qi, Xiaofeng; Burns, Stephen A

    2017-08-20

    Retinal imaging with an adaptive optics (AO) system usually requires that the eye be centered and stable relative to the exit pupil of the system. Aberrations are then typically corrected inside a fixed circular pupil. This approach can be restrictive when imaging some subjects, since the pupil may not be round and maintaining a stable head position can be difficult. In this paper, we present an automatic algorithm that relaxes these constraints. An image quality metric is computed for each spot of the Shack-Hartmann image to detect the pupil and its boundary, and the control algorithm is applied only to regions within the subject's pupil. Images on a model eye as well as for five subjects were obtained to show that a system exit pupil larger than the subject's eye pupil could be used for AO retinal imaging without a reduction in image quality. This algorithm automates the task of selecting pupil size. It also may relax constraints on centering the subject's pupil and on the shape of the pupil.

  10. Cryogenic Pupil Alignment Test Architecture for Aberrated Pupil Images

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bos, Brent; Kubalak, David A.; Antonille, Scott; Ohl, Raymond; Hagopian, John G.

    2009-01-01

    A document describes cryogenic test architecture for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) integrated science instrument module (ISIM). The ISIM element primarily consists of a mechanical metering structure, three science instruments, and a fine guidance sensor. One of the critical optomechanical alignments is the co-registration of the optical telescope element (OTE) exit pupil with the entrance pupils of the ISIM instruments. The test architecture has been developed to verify that the ISIM element will be properly aligned with the nominal OTE exit pupil when the two elements come together. The architecture measures three of the most critical pupil degrees-of-freedom during optical testing of the ISIM element. The pupil measurement scheme makes use of specularly reflective pupil alignment references located inside the JWST instruments, ground support equipment that contains a pupil imaging module, an OTE simulator, and pupil viewing channels in two of the JWST flight instruments. Pupil alignment references (PARs) are introduced into the instrument, and their reflections are checked using the instrument's mirrors. After the pupil imaging module (PIM) captures a reflected PAR image, the image will be analyzed to determine the relative alignment offset. The instrument pupil alignment preferences are specularly reflective mirrors with non-reflective fiducials, which makes the test architecture feasible. The instrument channels have fairly large fields of view, allowing PAR tip/tilt tolerances on the order of 0.5deg.

  11. Variations of pupil centration and their effects on video eye tracking.

    PubMed

    Wildenmann, Ulrich; Schaeffel, Frank

    2013-11-01

    To evaluate measurement errors that are introduced in video eye tracking when pupil centration changes with pupil size. Software was developed under Visual C++ to track both pupil centre and corneal centre at 87 Hz sampling rate at baseline pupil sizes of 4.75 mm (800 lux room illuminance) and while pupil constrictions were elicited by a flashlight. Corneal centres were determined by a circle fit through the pixels detected at the corneal margin by an edge detection algorithm. Standard deviations for repeated measurements were ± 0.04 mm for horizontal pupil centre position and ± 0.04 mm for horizontal corneal centre positions and ±0.03 mm for vertical pupil centre position and ± 0.05 mm for vertical corneal centre position. Ten subjects were tested (five female, five male, age 25-58 years). At 4 mm pupil sizes, the pupils were nasally decentred relative to the corneal centre by 0.18 ± 0.19 mm in the right eyes and -0.14 ± 0.22 mm in the left eyes. Vertical decentrations were 0.30 ± 0.30 mm and 0.27 ± 0.29 mm, respectively, always in a superior direction. At baseline pupil sizes (the natural pupil sizes at 800 lux) of 4.75 ± 0.52 mm, the decentrations became less (right and left eyes: horizontal 0.17 ± 0.20 mm and -0.12 ± 0.22 mm, and vertical 0.26 ± 0.28 mm and 0.20 ± 0.25 mm). While pupil decentration changed minimally in eight of the subjects, it shifted considerably in two others. Averaged over all subjects, the shift of the pupil centre position per millimetre pupil constriction was not significant (right and left eyes: -0.03 ± 0.07 mm and 0.03 ± 0.04 mm nasally per mm pupil size change, respectively, and -0.04 ± 0.06 mm and -0.05 ± 0.12 mm superiorly). Direction and magnitude of the changes in pupil centration could not be predicted from the initial decentration at baseline pupil sizes. In line with data in the literature, the pupil centre was significantly decentred relative to the corneal centre in the nasal and superior direction. Pupil decentration changed significantly with pupil size by 0.05 mm on average for 1 mm of constriction. Assuming a Hirschberg ratio of 12° mm(-1) , a shift of 0.05 mm is equivalent to a measurement error in a Purkinje image-based eye tracker of 0.6°. However, the induced measurement error could also exceed 1.5° in some subjects for only a 1 mm change in pupil size. © 2013 The Authors Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics © 2013 The College of Optometrists.

  12. Examining the Effect of Class Size on Classroom Engagement and Teacher-Pupil Interaction: Differences in Relation to Pupil Prior Attainment and Primary vs. Secondary Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blatchford, Peter; Bassett, Paul; Brown, Penelope

    2011-01-01

    It is widely recognized that we need to know more about effects of class size on classroom interactions and pupil behavior. This paper extends research by comparing effects on pupil classroom engagement and teacher-pupil interaction, and examining if effects vary by pupil attainment level and between primary and secondary schools. Systematic…

  13. Pupil-mimicry conditions trust in partners: moderation by oxytocin and group membership.

    PubMed

    Kret, Mariska E; De Dreu, Carsten K W

    2017-03-15

    Across species, oxytocin, an evolutionarily ancient neuropeptide, facilitates social communication by attuning individuals to conspecifics' social signals, fostering trust and bonding. The eyes have an important signalling function; and humans use their salient and communicative eyes to intentionally and unintentionally send social signals to others, by contracting the muscles around their eyes and pupils. In our earlier research, we observed that interaction partners with dilating pupils are trusted more than partners with constricting pupils. But over and beyond this effect, we found that the pupil sizes of partners synchronize and that when pupils synchronously dilate, trust is further boosted. Critically, this linkage between mimicry and trust was bound to interactions between ingroup members. The current study investigates whether these findings are modulated by oxytocin and sex of participant and partner. Using incentivized trust games with partners from ingroup and outgroup whose pupils dilated, remained static or constricted, this study replicates our earlier findings. It further reveals that (i) male participants withhold trust from partners with constricting pupils and extend trust to partners with dilating pupils, especially when given oxytocin rather than placebo; (ii) female participants trust partners with dilating pupils most, but this effect is blunted under oxytocin; (iii) under oxytocin rather than placebo, pupil dilation mimicry is weaker and pupil constriction mimicry stronger; and (iv) the link between pupil constriction mimicry and distrust observed under placebo disappears under oxytocin. We suggest that pupil-contingent trust is parochial and evolved in social species in and because of group life. © 2017 The Authors.

  14. Urban Density and Pupil Attainment. CEE DP 80

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gibbons, Stephen; Silva, Olmo

    2007-01-01

    We explore the association between urban density and pupil attainment using three cohorts of pupils in schooling in England. Although--as widely recognised--attainment in dense urban places is low on average, this is not because urban environments disadvantage pupils, but because the most disadvantaged pupils with low average attainments attend…

  15. Pupils' Understanding of Air Pollution

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dimitriou, Anastasia; Christidou, Vasilia

    2007-01-01

    This paper reports on a study of pupils' knowledge and understanding of atmospheric pollution. Specifically, the study is aimed at identifying: 1) the extent to which pupils conceptualise the term "air pollution" in a scientifically appropriate way; 2) pupils' knowledge of air pollution sources and air pollutants; and 3) pupils'…

  16. Comparison of exact pupil astigmatism conditions with Seidel approximations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Chunyu; Burge, James H.

    2002-12-01

    The aberrations of axisymmetric imaging systems can be calculated to third order by use of the Seidel formulas. The Coddington equations give aberrations that have quadratic dependence on the pupil, for all field points. The pupil astigmatism conditions were recently developed to predict and control aberrations that have quadratic field dependence and arbitrary pupil dependence. We investigate the relationship between the exact pupil astigmatism conditions and the classical Seidel treatment of pupil aberrations.

  17. Safe and sensible preprocessing and baseline correction of pupil-size data.

    PubMed

    Mathôt, Sebastiaan; Fabius, Jasper; Van Heusden, Elle; Van der Stigchel, Stefan

    2018-02-01

    Measurement of pupil size (pupillometry) has recently gained renewed interest from psychologists, but there is little agreement on how pupil-size data is best analyzed. Here we focus on one aspect of pupillometric analyses: baseline correction, i.e., analyzing changes in pupil size relative to a baseline period. Baseline correction is useful in experiments that investigate the effect of some experimental manipulation on pupil size. In such experiments, baseline correction improves statistical power by taking into account random fluctuations in pupil size over time. However, we show that baseline correction can also distort data if unrealistically small pupil sizes are recorded during the baseline period, which can easily occur due to eye blinks, data loss, or other distortions. Divisive baseline correction (corrected pupil size = pupil size/baseline) is affected more strongly by such distortions than subtractive baseline correction (corrected pupil size = pupil size - baseline). We discuss the role of baseline correction as a part of preprocessing of pupillometric data, and make five recommendations: (1) before baseline correction, perform data preprocessing to mark missing and invalid data, but assume that some distortions will remain in the data; (2) use subtractive baseline correction; (3) visually compare your corrected and uncorrected data; (4) be wary of pupil-size effects that emerge faster than the latency of the pupillary response allows (within ±220 ms after the manipulation that induces the effect); and (5) remove trials on which baseline pupil size is unrealistically small (indicative of blinks and other distortions).

  18. The impact of luminance on tonic and phasic pupillary responses to sustained cognitive load.

    PubMed

    Peysakhovich, Vsevolod; Vachon, François; Dehais, Frédéric

    2017-02-01

    Pupillary reactions independent of light conditions have been linked to cognition for a long time. However, the light conditions can impact the cognitive pupillary reaction. Previous studies underlined the impact of luminance on pupillary reaction, but it is still unclear how luminance modulates the sustained and transient components of pupillary reaction - tonic pupil diameter and phasic pupil response. In the present study, we investigated the impact of the luminance on these two components under sustained cognitive load. Fourteen participants performed a novel working memory task combining mathematical computations with a classic n-back task. We studied both tonic pupil diameter and phasic pupil response under low (1-back) and high (2-back) working memory load and two luminance levels (gray and white). We found that the impact of working memory load on the tonic pupil diameter was modulated by the level of luminance, the increase in tonic pupil diameter with the load being larger under lower luminance. In contrast, the smaller phasic pupil response found under high load remained unaffected by luminance. These results showed that luminance impacts the cognitive pupillary reaction - tonic pupil diameter (phasic pupil response) being modulated under sustained (respectively, transient) cognitive load. These findings also support the relationship between the locus-coeruleus system, presumably functioning in two firing modes - tonic and phasic - and the pupil diameter. We suggest that the tonic pupil diameter tracks the tonic activity of the locus-coeruleus while phasic pupil response reflects its phasic activity. Besides, the designed novel cognitive paradigm allows the simultaneous manipulation of sustained and transient components of the cognitive load and is useful for dissociating the effects on the tonic pupil diameter and phasic pupil response. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Pupillometry in brain death: differences in pupillary diameter between paediatric and adult subjects.

    PubMed

    Olgun, Gokhan; Newey, Christopher R; Ardelt, Agnieszka

    2015-11-01

    The determination of brain death in neonates, infants, children and adults relies on a clinical diagnosis based on the absence of neurological function with a known irreversible cause of brain injury. Evaluation of pupil size and non-reactivity is a requisite for determination of brain death. There are no studies in the literature that quantitatively assess pupil size in brain dead children and adults. Infants, children and adults diagnosed with brain death were included in the study. Pupils were measured with a quantitative pupillometer (Forsite; Neuroptics, Irvine, CA, USA). Median, minimum and maximum pupil sizes were documented and the results were adjudicated for age, vasopressor use and temperature. Median right and left pupil sizes were 5.01 ± 0.85 mm and 5.12 ± 0.87 mm, respectively, with a range between 3.69 and 7.34 mm. Paediatric pupils were larger than adult pupils (right pupil 5.53 vs 4.73 mm p: 0.018; left pupil 5.87 vs 4.77 mm P: 0.03), and there was no correlation of pupil size with temperature or increasing number of vasopressors. This is the first study in the literature objectively evaluating pupil sizes in infants, children and adults diagnosed with brain death. We observed variation between observed pupil size and that expected based on brain death determination guidelines.

  20. Pupil-class determinants of aggressive and victim behaviour in pupils.

    PubMed

    Mooij, T

    1998-09-01

    Aggressive behaviour in pupils is expressed in, e.g., bullying, sexual harassment, and violence. Different kinds of variables could be relevant in explaining a pupil's aggressive or victim behaviour. To develop a multilevel theoretical and empirical explanation for different kinds of aggressive and victim behaviour displayed by pupils in a classroom and school environment. A national survey was carried out to identify different kinds of aggressive and victim behaviour displayed by pupils and to assess other variables related to pupils, classes, and schools. A total of 1998 pupils from 100 third and fourth year classes attending 71 different secondary schools took part in the research. Data were analysed by a series of secondary multilevel analyses using the MLA-program. Being a boy, being more extravert, being more disagreeable, coming across fewer teachers with positive teaching behaviour, and attending a lower type of secondary school, help explain why someone is a perpetrator as such. Being a boy, being more disagreeable, being more emotionally unstable, being open to new ideas, and seeing more teachers as being strict, function as explanatory pupil variables for victim behaviour. Other pupil level variables determine more specific aggressive and victim behaviour aspects. Various other class level and school level variables are relevant, too. Personal and environmental pupil variables are more important than class variables but class variables are in turn more important than school variables in explaining a pupil's aggressive and victim behaviour.

  1. Phase and Pupil Amplitude Recovery for JWST Space-Optics Control

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dean, B. H.; Zielinski, T. P.; Smith, J. S.; Bolcar, M. R.; Aronstein, D. L.; Fienup, J. R.

    2010-01-01

    This slide presentation reviews the phase and pupil amplitude recovery for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam). It includes views of the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM), the NIRCam, examples of Phase Retrieval Data, Ghost Irradiance, Pupil Amplitude Estimation, Amplitude Retrieval, Initial Plate Scale Estimation using the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF), Pupil Amplitude Estimation vs lambda, Pupil Amplitude Estimation vs. number of Images, Pupil Amplitude Estimation vs Rotation (clocking), and Typical Phase Retrieval Results Also included is information about the phase retrieval approach, Non-Linear Optimization (NLO) Optimized Diversity Functions, and Least Square Error vs. Starting Pupil Amplitude.

  2. [The role of physical education teachers to support overweight and obese pupils].

    PubMed

    Jodkowska, Maria; Oblacińska, Anna; Tabak, Izabela; Radiukiewicz, Katarzyna

    2010-01-01

    School-based physical education (PE) is often proposed as a strategy for obesity prevention and treatment. Thus the role of PE teachers is crucial on this field. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception of PE teachers towards overweight and obese pupils aged 13-15 years, especially psychosomatic problems and support for obese adolescents in realisation of physical activity programme. A random sample of 185 PE teachers from 112 lower secondary schools in Poland were surveyed regarding their perception of pupils obesity and their support for obese adolescents. PE teachers observed many negative features among obese pupils: Two thirds of teachers (67% male and 74% teachers with work experience 6-10 years) observed decreased physical fitness and exercise capacity in this group of pupils. Body-related barriers in obese pupils and anxiety caused by weight related peer teasing were observed by respectively 30% and 20% teachers more often women teachers and teachers with shorter work experience. PE teachers were engaged in activities to support obese pupils: 90% of them assessed obese pupils by personal development, 70% conducted counseling and 20% cooperated with obese pupils' parents. Two third of teachers reported successes in their work with obese pupils. Their difficulties were connected with body-related barriers in pupils (24%), and aversion to exercise and physical efforts and location of PE lessons at school (9-16%). 1. The PE teachers can play an important role in preventing and combating obesity in pupils. 2. PE teachers should be motivated to organize interesting PE lessons, school sport and competitions for both normal and overweight pupils.

  3. New Techniques of Difference: On Data as School Pupils

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thoutenhoofd, Ernst D.

    2017-01-01

    Pupils--the learners of both educational thought and of educational practice--exist ever more as data, as do the strictures and goals through which these pupils are pedagogically managed. I elaborate this thought by way of a single example: a particular kind of pupils whose number is reportedly on the increase, namely pupils diagnosed with…

  4. Pupil Mobility, Attainment, and Progress during Key Stage 1: A Study in Cautious Interpretation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Strand, Steve

    2002-01-01

    Explores association between pupil mobility and attainment in national end of Key Stage 1 tests for 6000+ pupils in an English urban education authority. Indicates pupil mobility during the early years is associated with significantly lower levels of pupil attainment in reading, writing, and mathematics tests at age seven. (BT)

  5. Issues Involved in Attempting to Develop Independent Learning in Pupils Working on Technological Projects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barak, Moshe

    2004-01-01

    This research addresses the impact of technological projects at high school on pupils' learning. The participants were sixty low-mid achieving pupils who worked for one year on final projects for matriculation exams. Data were collected through observations of laboratory lessons, interviews with pupils and teachers, and analysis of pupils'…

  6. Pupil size reflects successful encoding and recall of memory in humans.

    PubMed

    Kucewicz, Michal T; Dolezal, Jaromir; Kremen, Vaclav; Berry, Brent M; Miller, Laura R; Magee, Abigail L; Fabian, Vratislav; Worrell, Gregory A

    2018-03-21

    Pupil responses are known to indicate brain processes involved in perception, attention and decision-making. They can provide an accessible biomarker of human memory performance and cognitive states in general. Here we investigated changes in the pupil size during encoding and recall of word lists. Consistent patterns in the pupil response were found across and within distinct phases of the free recall task. The pupil was most constricted in the initial fixation phase and was gradually more dilated through the subsequent encoding, distractor and recall phases of the task, as the word items were maintained in memory. Within the final recall phase, retrieving memory for individual words was associated with pupil dilation in absence of visual stimulation. Words that were successfully recalled showed significant differences in pupil response during their encoding compared to those that were forgotten - the pupil was more constricted before and more dilated after the onset of word presentation. Our results suggest pupil size as a potential biomarker for probing and modulation of memory processing.

  7. Eye pupil detection system using an ensemble of regression forest and fast radial symmetry transform with a near infrared camera

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jeong, Mira; Nam, Jae-Yeal; Ko, Byoung Chul

    2017-09-01

    In this paper, we focus on pupil center detection in various video sequences that include head poses and changes in illumination. To detect the pupil center, we first find four eye landmarks in each eye by using cascade local regression based on a regression forest. Based on the rough location of the pupil, a fast radial symmetric transform is applied using the previously found pupil location to rearrange the fine pupil center. As the final step, the pupil displacement is estimated between the previous frame and the current frame to maintain the level of accuracy against a false locating result occurring in a particular frame. We generated a new face dataset, called Keimyung University pupil detection (KMUPD), with infrared camera. The proposed method was successfully applied to the KMUPD dataset, and the results indicate that its pupil center detection capability is better than that of other methods and with a shorter processing time.

  8. Keeping an eye on the truth? Pupil size changes associated with recognition memory.

    PubMed

    Heaver, Becky; Hutton, Sam B

    2011-05-01

    During recognition memory tests participants' pupils dilate more when they view old items compared to novel items. We sought to replicate this "pupil old/new effect" and to determine its relationship to participants' responses. We compared changes in pupil size during recognition when participants were given standard recognition memory instructions, instructions to feign amnesia, and instructions to report all items as new. Participants' pupils dilated more to old items compared to new items under all three instruction conditions. This finding suggests that the increase in pupil size that occurs when participants encounter previously studied items is not under conscious control. Given that pupil size can be reliably and simply measured, the pupil old/new effect may have potential in clinical settings as a means for determining whether patients are feigning memory loss.

  9. Analysis of various factors affecting pupil size in patients with glaucoma.

    PubMed

    Park, Ji Woong; Kang, Bong Hui; Kwon, Ji Won; Cho, Kyong Jin

    2017-09-16

    Pupil size is an important factor in predicting post-operative satisfaction. We assessed the correlation between pupil size, measured by Humphrey static perimetry, and various affecting factors in patients with glaucoma. In total, 825 eyes of 415 patients were evaluated retrospectively. Pupil size was measured with Humphrey static perimetry. Comparisons of pupil size according to the presence of glaucoma were evaluated, as were correlations between pupil size and various factors, including age, logMAR best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, spherical equivalent, intraocular pressure, axial length, central corneal thickness, white-to-white, and the kappa angle. Pupil size was significantly smaller in glaucoma patients than in glaucoma suspects (p < 0.001) or the normal group (p < 0.001). Pupil size decreased significantly as age (p < 0.001) and central cornea thickness (p = 0.007) increased, and increased significantly as logMAR BCVA (p = 0.02) became worse and spherical equivalent (p = 0.007) and RNFL thickness (p = 0.042) increased. In patients older than 50 years, pupil size was significantly larger in eyes with a history of cataract surgery. Humphrey static perimetry can be useful in measuring pupil size. Pupil size was significantly smaller in eyes with glaucoma. Other factors affecting pupil size can be used in a preoperative evaluation when considering cataract surgery or laser refractive surgery.

  10. Pupil Alignment Considerations for Large, Deployable Space Telescopes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bos, Brent J.; Ohl, Raymond G.; Kubalak, Daivd A.

    2011-01-01

    For many optical systems the properties and alignment of the internal apertures and pupils are not critical or controlled with high precision during optical system design, fabrication or assembly. In wide angle imaging systems, for instance, the entrance pupil position and orientation is typically unconstrained and varies over the system s field of view in order to optimize image quality. Aperture tolerances usually do not receive the same amount of scrutiny as optical surface aberrations or throughput characteristics because performance degradation is typically graceful with misalignment, generally only causing a slight reduction in system sensitivity due to vignetting. But for a large deployable space-based observatory like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), we have found that pupil alignment is a key parameter. For in addition to vignetting, JWST pupil errors cause uncertainty in the wavefront sensing process that is used to construct the observatory on-orbit. Furthermore they also open stray light paths that degrade the science return from some of the telescope s instrument channels. In response to these consequences, we have developed several pupil measurement techniques for the cryogenic vacuum test where JWST science instrument pupil alignment is verified. These approaches use pupil alignment references within the JWST science instruments; pupil imaging lenses in three science instrument channels; and unique pupil characterization features in the optical test equipment. This will allow us to verify and crosscheck the lateral pupil alignment of the JWST science instruments to approximately 1-2% of their pupil diameters.

  11. Assessment Accommodations for Foreign Pupils in the Light of Educational Justice: Empirical Research among Slovenian Primary School Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mihelic, Mojca Žveglic

    2017-01-01

    The starting points of primary school pupils in a foreign country differ significantly from those of native pupils. In Slovenia, the knowledge of pupils who are foreign citizens (foreign pupils) may be assessed with different accommodations for no more than two years. The presented research conducted on a representative sample of 697 Slovenian…

  12. Scientific Literacy, E-Literacy and Illiteracy: The Interaction between Two Pupils and One Simulation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McLuckie, Joe; Rodrigues, Susan; Taylor, Neil; Williamson, Graham

    2007-01-01

    This paper explores the influence of symbolic or representational learning materials on pupil engagement or learning outcomes, when 14-16 year old pupils use common types of science simulations. The project pilot phase involved three (15-16 year old) male pupils and a main phase involved twenty-one (14-15 year old) pupils. A retrospective accounts…

  13. Teachers on Perceived Traits and Academic Achievements of Regular Pupils and Pupils with Special Needs in Mainstream Primary Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lesar, Irena; Cuk, Ivan; Pecek, Mojca

    2014-01-01

    When looking for answers to the question of academic (non)achievement of regular pupils and pupils with special needs, it is necessary to take into account the extraordinary complexity of factors, ranging from psychological across instructional to home environment variables. The academic achievement is not only a reflection of the pupil's…

  14. Ethnic School Segregation and Self-Esteem: The Role of Teacher-Pupil Relationships

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Agirdag, Orhan; Van Houtte, Mieke; Van Avermaet, Piet

    2012-01-01

    The authors examine whether school segregation is related to pupils' global self-esteem and whether this association is mediated by teacher-pupil relationships. Multilevel analyses based on a survey of 2,845 pupils (aged 10 to 12) in 68 primary schools in Belgian urban areas reveal that, for native-Belgian pupils, a higher proportion of immigrants…

  15. Mesopic pupil size in a refractive surgery population (13,959 eyes).

    PubMed

    Linke, Stephan J; Baviera, Julio; Munzer, Gur; Fricke, Otto H; Richard, Gisbert; Katz, Toam

    2012-08-01

    To evaluate factors that may affect mesopic pupil size in refractive surgery candidates. Medical records of 13,959 eyes of 13,959 refractive surgery candidates were reviewed, and one eye per subject was selected randomly for statistical analysis. Detailed ophthalmological examination data were obtained from medical records. Preoperative measurements included uncorrected distance visual acuity, corrected distance visual acuity, manifest and cycloplegic refraction, topography, slit lamp examination, and funduscopy. Mesopic pupil size measurements were performed with Colvard pupillometer. Relationship between mesopic pupil size and age, gender, refractive state, average keratometry, and pachymetry (thinnest point) were analyzed by means of ANOVA (+ANCOVA) and multivariate regression analyses. Overall mesopic pupil size was 6.45 ± 0.82 mm, and mean age was 36.07 years. Mesopic pupil size was 5.96 ± 0.8 mm in hyperopic astigmatism, 6.36 ± 0.83 mm in high astigmatism, and 6.51 ± 0.8 mm in myopic astigmatism. The difference in mesopic pupil size between all refractive subgroups was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Age revealed the strongest correlation (r = -0.405, p < 0.001) with mesopic pupil size. Spherical equivalent showed a moderate correlation (r = -0.136), whereas keratometry (r = -0.064) and pachymetry (r = -0.057) had a weak correlation with mesopic pupil size. No statistically significant difference in mesopic pupil size was noted regarding gender and ocular side. The sum of all analyzed factors (age, refractive state, keratometry, and pachymetry) can only predict the expected pupil size in <20% (R = 0.179, p < 0.001). Our analysis confirmed that age and refractive state are determinative factors on mesopic pupil size. Average keratometry and minimal pachymetry exhibited a statistically significant, but clinically insignificant, impact on mesopic pupil size.

  16. Efficacy of the Canabrava Ring (pupil expansion device) in cataract surgery for eyes with small pupils: the first 30 cases.

    PubMed

    Canabrava, Sérgio; Rezende, Pedro Henriques; Eliazar, Glauber Coutinho; Figueiredo, Sophia Barbosa de; Resende, Arthur Fernandes; Batista, Wagner Duarte; Diniz-Filho, Alberto

    2018-06-01

    To evaluate the outcomes of the first 30 cataract surgeries performed with a new disposable, injector-free, small-pupil expansion device. This consecutive case series included 30 eyes from 29 patients who underwent cataract surgery using a new disposable small-pupil expansion device called the Canabrava Ring (AJL Ophthalmic S.A, Spain). It is the first iris expansion ring produced with indents that do not align with each other in the superior and inferior regions, resulting in a small vertical length (0.4 mm) that minimizes the risk of endothelial contact. All eyes had poorly dilated pupils of less than 5 mm preoperatively. Fifteen eyes had significant infective or traumatic pathologies preoperatively. Vertical and horizontal pupil diameters were evaluated preoperatively, intraoperatively, and 1 month postoperatively. The mean patient age was 64 ± 11.8 (standard deviation) years. The Canabrava Ring remained engaged throughout all surgeries, except one. All pupils were intraoperatively expanded to a diameter of 6.3 mm. Although preexisting pathology on the innervation of the pupils, the mean pupil diameter returns to a close preoperative size after 1 month surgery. The mean pupil diameters postoperatively and preoperatively were 4.41 and 3.77 mm, respectively (p<0.05). Postoperative complications occurred in eight eyes (one toxoplasmosis reactivation, one retinal detachment, one posterior capsule rupture, one posterior capsule opacification, and four posterior synechiae). These complications occurred in eyes with preexisting traumatic or infective pathologies or synechiae. The Canabrava Ring is effective for expanding and maintaining expansion of small pupils in cataract surgery. The increase in postoperative pupil diameter is clinically diminutive and can most likely be attributed to preexisting pathologies affecting pupil innervation. Further large-scale studies are required to support the present findings.

  17. Pupil movements to light and accommodative stimulation - A comparative study.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Semmlow, J.; Stark, L.

    1973-01-01

    Isolation and definition of specific response components in pupil reflexes through comparison of the dynamic features of light-induced and accommodation-induced pupil movements. A quantitative analysis of the behavior of the complex nonlinear pupil responses reveals the presence of two independent nonlinear characteristics: a range-dependent gain and a direction dependence or movement asymmetry. These nonlinear properties are attributed to motor processes because they are observable in pupil responses to both light and accommodation stimuli. The possible mechanisms and consequences of these pupil response characteristics are quantitatively defined and discussed.

  18. Improvement of unbalanced illumination induced telecentricity within the exposure slit

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jang, Jonghoon; Lee, ByeongSoo; Kang, Young Seog; Chang, Chansam; Kong, Jeong-Heung; Kim, Young Ha; Bouman, Wim; de Graaf, Roelof; Weichselbaum, Stefan; Droste, Richard; de Boeij, Wim P.; van Bussel, Bart; Neefs, Patrick; Rijke, Arij

    2016-03-01

    Adjustment and control of the illumination pupil asymmetry is relevant for wafer alignment and overlay of lithography tools. Pupil asymmetries can cause a tilt in aerial image (Aerial Image Tilt, or AIT). This AIT, combined with a focus offset, leads to a horizontal image shift. Pupil asymmetries can be related to a shift of the entire illumination pupil (geometrical telecentricity) caused by illuminator misalign. Another type of pupil asymmetry is energetic imbalance (quantified by pupil Center of Gravity, COG). The scanner can show pupil variation across the exposure slit. In general the COG at the edge of the slit is often worse than in the center part of the slit. Recently, ASML has released the NXT:1980Di that is equipped with an enhanced illuminator to improve pupil COG variation across the slit. In this paper we explore the performance of this scanner system and show that the AIT variation across the slit is also reduced significantly.

  19. Programmable Spectral Source and Design Tool for 3D Imaging Using Complementary Bandpass Filters

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bae, Youngsam (Inventor); Korniski, Ronald J. (Inventor); Ream, Allen (Inventor); Shearn, Michael J. (Inventor); Shahinian, Hrayr Karnig (Inventor); Fritz, Eric W. (Inventor)

    2017-01-01

    An endoscopic illumination system for illuminating a subject for stereoscopic image capture, includes a light source which outputs light; a first complementary multiband bandpass filter (CMBF) and a second CMBF, the first and second CMBFs being situated in first and second light paths, respectively, where the first CMBF and the second CMBF filter the light incident thereupon to output filtered light; and a camera which captures video images of the subject and generates corresponding video information, the camera receiving light reflected from the subject and passing through a pupil CMBF pair and a detection lens. The pupil CMBF includes a first pupil CMBF and a second pupil CMBF, the first pupil CMBF being identical to the first CMBF and the second pupil CMBF being identical to the second CMBF, and the detection lens includes one unpartitioned section that covers both the first pupil CMBF and the second pupil CMBF.

  20. An Exploratory Study on How Primary Pupils Approach Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koski, Marja-Ilona; de Vries, Marc

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents a study of systems thinking among 27 primary pupils (8-10 years old) and their teacher. The study included a pre-test for the teacher and the pupils, lesson planning, the actual lesson and a post-test for the pupils. The research focused on finding an answer to three questions: (1) do pupils see a system as a structure…

  1. Cooking and Hammering: Primary School Pupils' Concepts of Their Craft Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Müürsepp, Mare; Kikkull, Andry

    2014-01-01

    The aim of the study is to clear the significance of craft skills for the pupils in age nine and twelve years. More than 200 pupils were asked to define, what are the most important skills for the pupils of their age. The results bring out that category of the skills related to craft subject is of the most presented categories in pupils' self…

  2. School and Pupil Effects on Secondary Pupils' Feelings of Safety in School, around School, and at Home

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mooij, Ton; Fettelaar, Daan

    2013-01-01

    In line with fear of crime research, schools should be secure places where pupils feel safe in order to function well. Various types of risk and promotive variables at school and pupil level may differently influence a pupil's feelings of safety in school, the school surroundings, and at home. The aim is to elaborate and test a theoretical…

  3. Pupils as Active Participants: Diamond Ranking as a Tool to Investigate Pupils' Experiences of Classroom Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Niemi, Reetta; Kumpulainen, Kristiina; Lipponen, Lasse

    2015-01-01

    This article is based on a pedagogical action research initiative carried out in a Finnish primary school. Twenty-four 5th grade pupils and their teacher participated in the study. The research initiative was guided by two questions: (1) How do pupils experience their classroom practices? (2) How can pupils participate in the process of developing…

  4. Experimental investigations of pupil accommodation factors.

    PubMed

    Lee, Eui Chul; Lee, Ji Woo; Park, Kang Ryoung

    2011-08-17

    PURPOSE. The contraction and dilation of the iris muscle that controls the amount of light entering the retina causes pupil accommodation. In this study, experiments were performed and two of the three factors that influence pupil accommodation were analyzed: lighting conditions and depth fixations. The psychological benefits were not examined, because they could not be quantified. METHODS. A head-wearable eyeglasses-based, eye-capturing device was designed to measure pupil size. It included a near-infrared (NIR) camera and an NIR light-emitting diode. Twenty-four subjects watched two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) stereoscopic videos of the same content, and the changes in pupil size were measured by using the eye-capturing device and image-processing methods: RESULTS. The pupil size changed with the intensity of the videos and the disparities between the left and right images of a 3D stereoscopic video. There was correlation between the pupil size and average intensity. The pupil diameter could be estimated as being contracted from approximately 5.96 to 4.25 mm as the intensity varied from 0 to 255. Further, from the changes in the depth fixation for the pupil accommodation, it was confirmed that the depth fixation also affected accommodation of pupil size. CONCLUSIONS. It was confirmed that the lighting condition was an even more significant factor in pupil accommodation than was depth fixation (significance ratio: approximately 3.2:1) when watching 3D stereoscopic video. Pupil accommodation was more affected by depth fixation in the real world than was the binocular convergence in the 3D stereoscopic display.

  5. Mapping and correcting the influence of gaze position on pupil size measurements

    PubMed Central

    Petrov, Alexander A.

    2015-01-01

    Pupil size is correlated with a wide variety of important cognitive variables and is increasingly being used by cognitive scientists. Pupil data can be recorded inexpensively and non-invasively by many commonly used video-based eye-tracking cameras. Despite the relative ease of data collection and increasing prevalence of pupil data in the cognitive literature, researchers often underestimate the methodological challenges associated with controlling for confounds that can result in misinterpretation of their data. One serious confound that is often not properly controlled is pupil foreshortening error (PFE)—the foreshortening of the pupil image as the eye rotates away from the camera. Here we systematically map PFE using an artificial eye model and then apply a geometric model correction. Three artificial eyes with different fixed pupil sizes were used to systematically measure changes in pupil size as a function of gaze position with a desktop EyeLink 1000 tracker. A grid-based map of pupil measurements was recorded with each artificial eye across three experimental layouts of the eye-tracking camera and display. Large, systematic deviations in pupil size were observed across all nine maps. The measured PFE was corrected by a geometric model that expressed the foreshortening of the pupil area as a function of the cosine of the angle between the eye-to-camera axis and the eye-to-stimulus axis. The model reduced the root mean squared error of pupil measurements by 82.5 % when the model parameters were pre-set to the physical layout dimensions, and by 97.5 % when they were optimized to fit the empirical error surface. PMID:25953668

  6. Pupil size tracks perceptual content and surprise.

    PubMed

    Kloosterman, Niels A; Meindertsma, Thomas; van Loon, Anouk M; Lamme, Victor A F; Bonneh, Yoram S; Donner, Tobias H

    2015-04-01

    Changes in pupil size at constant light levels reflect the activity of neuromodulatory brainstem centers that control global brain state. These endogenously driven pupil dynamics can be synchronized with cognitive acts. For example, the pupil dilates during the spontaneous switches of perception of a constant sensory input in bistable perceptual illusions. It is unknown whether this pupil dilation only indicates the occurrence of perceptual switches, or also their content. Here, we measured pupil diameter in human subjects reporting the subjective disappearance and re-appearance of a physically constant visual target surrounded by a moving pattern ('motion-induced blindness' illusion). We show that the pupil dilates during the perceptual switches in the illusion and a stimulus-evoked 'replay' of that illusion. Critically, the switch-related pupil dilation encodes perceptual content, with larger amplitude for disappearance than re-appearance. This difference in pupil response amplitude enables prediction of the type of report (disappearance vs. re-appearance) on individual switches (receiver-operating characteristic: 61%). The amplitude difference is independent of the relative durations of target-visible and target-invisible intervals and subjects' overt behavioral report of the perceptual switches. Further, we show that pupil dilation during the replay also scales with the level of surprise about the timing of switches, but there is no evidence for an interaction between the effects of surprise and perceptual content on the pupil response. Taken together, our results suggest that pupil-linked brain systems track both the content of, and surprise about, perceptual events. © 2015 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. The Potential Role of Schools and Teachers in the Character Development of Young People in England: Perspectives from Pupils and Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    See, Beng Huat; Arthur, James

    2011-01-01

    This paper considers the potential role of schools and teachers in the character development of pupils aged 10-19. It is based largely on the views of 5207 pupils in England, drawn from 25 state schools, including five primaries. Data include document contents, interviews and surveys with pupils and their teachers. Pupil accounts suggest that…

  8. Wave-Optics Analysis of Pupil Imaging

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dean, Bruce H.; Bos, Brent J.

    2006-01-01

    Pupil imaging performance is analyzed from the perspective of physical optics. A multi-plane diffraction model is constructed by propagating the scalar electromagnetic field, surface by surface, along the optical path comprising the pupil imaging optical system. Modeling results are compared with pupil images collected in the laboratory. The experimental setup, although generic for pupil imaging systems in general, has application to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) optical system characterization where the pupil images are used as a constraint to the wavefront sensing and control process. Practical design considerations follow from the diffraction modeling which are discussed in the context of the JWST Observatory.

  9. Is Tadpole Pupil in an Adolescent Girl Caused by Denervation Hypersensitivity?

    PubMed

    Hansen, Jonas Kjeldbjerg; Møller, Hans Ulrik

    2017-06-01

    Tadpole pupil is a rarely encountered phenomenon caused by episodic, segmental iris dilator muscle spasm of short duration (2-15 minutes), occurring in clusters without a known precipitating factor. It has most commonly been described in women aged 28 to 48 years. A few hypotheses on pathogenesis have been discussed but none has been proved. Here, we present an adolescent girl with bilateral tadpole pupil that appeared during physical exercise. This is the first pediatric case of tadpole pupil, not caused by preceding surgery, to be published. Based on (1) this case in which tadpole pupil developed when the norepinephrine level rose during exercise, (2) the high ratio of patients with tadpole pupil who concurrently have or later develop Horner syndrome, in which denervation hypersensitivity is well described, (3) a previous report of a patient with both tadpole pupil and Horner syndrome who had denervation hypersensitivity on pharmacological testing, (4) a 29-year-old man with unilateral tadpole pupil induced by exercise, and (5) a 19-year-old man with bilateral tadpole pupil and possible autonomic neuropathy, we suggest denervation hypersensitivity as a probable pathogenic mechanism causing tadpole pupil. In addition, a suggestion for investigations to be performed in future pediatric cases is provided. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  10. Three-dimensional relationship between high-order root-mean-square wavefront error, pupil diameter, and aging

    PubMed Central

    Applegate, Raymond A.; Donnelly, William J.; Marsack, Jason D.; Koenig, Darren E.; Pesudovs, Konrad

    2007-01-01

    We report root-mean-square (RMS) wavefront error (WFE) for individual aberrations and cumulative high-order (HO) RMS WFE for the normal human eye as a function of age by decade and pupil diameter in 1 mm steps from 3 to 7 mm and determine the relationship among HO RMS WFE, mean age for each decade of life, and luminance for physiologic pupil diameters. Subjects included 146 healthy individuals from 20 to 80 years of age. Ocular aberration was measured on the preferred eye of each subject (for a total of 146 eyes through dilated pupils; computed for 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 mm pupils; and described with a tenth-radial-order normalized Zernike expansion. We found that HO RMS WFE increases faster with increasing pupil diameter for any given age and pupil diameter than it does with increasing age alone. A planar function accounts for 99% of the variance in the 3-D space defined by mean log HO RMS WFE, mean age for each decade of life, and pupil diameter. When physiologic pupil diameters are used to estimate HO RMS WFE as a function of luminance and age, at low luminance (9 cd/m2) HO RMS WFE decreases with increasing age. This normative data set details (1) the 3-D relationship between HO RMS WFE and age for fixed pupil diameters and (2) the 3-D relationship among HO RMS WFE, age, and luminance for physiologic pupil diameters. PMID:17301847

  11. Wavefront Curvature Sensing from Image Projections

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-09-01

    entrance pupil. The generalized pupil function, denoted P, provides a basic 1-7 mathematical model for the optical �eld at the system pupil: P(x; y...pupil or aperture radius, RP , may be included in Zernike functions and windowing functions to give the notation more generality . Given some ...promises a much faster read out time from the CCD along with some amount of information useful for estimating pupil phase. A General Image Projection

  12. Clear-cornea cataract surgery: pupil size and shape changes, along with anterior chamber volume and depth changes. A Scheimpflug imaging study.

    PubMed

    Kanellopoulos, Anastasios John; Asimellis, George

    2014-01-01

    To investigate, by high-precision digital analysis of data provided by Scheimpflug imaging, changes in pupil size and shape and anterior chamber (AC) parameters following cataract surgery. The study group (86 eyes, patient age 70.58±10.33 years) was subjected to cataract removal surgery with in-the-bag intraocular lens implantation (pseudophakic). A control group of 75 healthy eyes (patient age 51.14±16.27 years) was employed for comparison. Scheimpflug imaging (preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively) was employed to investigate central corneal thickness, AC depth, and AC volume. In addition, by digitally analyzing the black-and-white dotted line pupil edge marking in the Scheimpflug "large maps," the horizontal and vertical pupil diameters were individually measured and the pupil eccentricity was calculated. The correlations between AC depth and pupil shape parameters versus patient age, as well as the postoperative AC and pupil size and shape changes, were investigated. Compared to preoperative measurements, AC depth and AC volume of the pseudophakic eyes increased by 0.99±0.46 mm (39%; P<0.001) and 43.57±24.59 mm(3) (36%; P<0.001), respectively. Pupil size analysis showed that the horizontal pupil diameter was reduced by -0.27±0.22 mm (-9.7%; P=0.001) and the vertical pupil diameter was reduced by -0.32±0.24 mm (-11%; P<0.001). Pupil eccentricity was reduced by -39.56%; P<0.001. Cataract extraction surgery appears to affect pupil size and shape, possibly in correlation to AC depth increase. This novel investigation based on digital analysis of Scheimpflug imaging data suggests that the cataract postoperative photopic pupil is reduced and more circular. These changes appear to be more significant with increasing patient age.

  13. Assessing Visual Delays using Pupil Oscillations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mulligan, Jeffrey B.

    2012-01-01

    Stark (1962) demonstrated vigorous pupil oscillations by illuminating the retina with a beam of light focussed to a small spot near the edge of the pupil. Small constrictions of the pupil then are sufficient to completely block the beam, amplifying the normal relationship between pupil area and retinal illuminance. In addition to this simple and elegant method, Stark also investigated more complex feedback systems using an electronic "clamping box" which provided arbitrary gain and phase delay between a measurement of pupil area and an electronically controlled light source. We have replicated Stark's results using a video-based pupillometer to control the luminance of a display monitor. Pupil oscillations were induced by imposing a linear relationship between pupil area and display luminance, with a variable delay. Slopes of the period-vs-delay function for 3 subjects are close to the predicted value of 2 (1.96-2.39), and the implied delays range from 254 to 376 508 to 652 milliseconds. Our setup allows us to extend Stark's work by investigating a broader class of stimuli.

  14. [Correspondence analysis of association between types of unintentional injuries and influential factors among rural rear pupils].

    PubMed

    Dou, Dongmei; Wang, Peixi

    2015-07-01

    To explore the association between types of unintentional injuries and influential factors among rural rear pupils. The multistage stratified sampling method was used to select the study participant and thus 594 rural pupils were sampled, 292 rear pupils were confirmed and measured with unintentional injuries and influential factors of rural rear pupils scale. Binary logistic regression analysis indicate that the risk facts related to unintentional injury were left-behind status (OR = 2.68, 95% CI 1.06-6.79), gender (OR = 5.12, 95% C2.68-9.79) and surrounding environment (OR = 3.44, 95% CI 1.37-8.70). Correspondence analysis showed living with father, middle personality and low age were related possibly with traffic accident injury. Living with grandparents, extrovert personality and elder pupils were related possibly with unintentional falls injury. Living with mother, introvert personality and middle-age pupils were related possibly with animmal injury. The personality, ages and guardian types of rural rear pupils are correlated with types of unintentional injuries.

  15. National campaign effects on secondary pupils' bullying and violence.

    PubMed

    Mooij, Ton

    2005-09-01

    Research on pupils' bullying (1991) and violence (1993) motivated the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science to initiate a national campaign on school safety. The government campaign was undertaken from 1995 to 2000. To test for differences in secondary pupils' bullying and violence before and after the campaign while controlling for different contextual variables. In 1991, a representative survey on bullying was conducted in 36 secondary schools with 1,055 pupils from Year 2 and 4 classes (age range 13-16 years). In 1993, a survey on violent behaviour took place in 71 secondary schools with 1,998 pupils from Year 3 and 4 classes (age range 14-16 years). In 2000, a survey on bullying and violence was conducted in 60 secondary schools with 9,948 pupils from Year 1 to 6 classes (age range 12-18 years). The data from pupils in identical school years were compared with respect to bullying (1991-2000) and violence (1993-2000). The statistical relations were analysed in two stepwise multiple regression analyses. Year of investigation (1991- 2000, 1993-2000) was the respective dependent variable. The independent variables were pupils' bullying or violence scores, sex, school year, contextual lesson, school, and community variables. In both regression analyses, the contextual lesson and school variables discriminated between the measurement years. Also, compared with 1991, the pupils in 2000 scored lower for being a bully and higher for being bullied directly. Compared with 1993, the pupils in 2000 scored lower for being a victim of intentional damage to property or emotional violence, lower for being a perpetrator of disruptive behaviour in school, and higher for being a perpetrator of intentional damage to property. The differences between the contextual variables measured before and after the campaign reflect changes in educational and instructional situations. Independent of these differences, the national campaign appears to have helped improve the awareness of pupils' social behaviour and elicit, in particular, a decrease in pupils' violent behaviour. However, more specific pedagogical and preventative support for pupils socially at risk appears to be needed to have a more prosocial impact on the behaviour of secondary school pupils.

  16. Chimpanzees and Humans Mimic Pupil-Size of Conspecifics

    PubMed Central

    Kret, Mariska E.; Tomonaga, Masaki; Matsuzawa, Tetsuro

    2014-01-01

    Group-living typically provides benefits to individual group members but also confers costs. To avoid incredulity and betrayal and allow trust and cooperation, individuals must understand the intentions and emotions of their group members. Humans attend to other's eyes and from gaze and pupil-size cues, infer information about the state of mind of the observed. In humans, pupil-size tends to mimic that of the observed. Here we tested whether pupil-mimicry exists in our closest relative, the chimpanzee (P. troglodytes). We conjectured that if pupil-mimicry has adaptive value, e.g. to promote swift communication of inner states and facilitate shared understanding and coordination, pupil-mimicry should emerge within but not across species. Pupillometry data was collected from human and chimpanzee subjects while they observed images of the eyes of both species with dilating/constricting pupils. Both species showed enhanced pupil-mimicry with members of their own species, with effects being strongest in humans and chimpanzee mothers. Pupil-mimicry may be deeply-rooted, but probably gained importance from the point in human evolution where the morphology of our eyes became more prominent. Humans' white sclera surrounding the iris, and the fine muscles around their eyes facilitate non-verbal communication via eye signals. PMID:25140998

  17. Zernike expansion coefficients: rescaling and decentring for different pupils and evaluation of corneal aberrations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Comastri, Silvia A.; Perez, Liliana I.; Pérez, Gervasio D.; Martin, Gabriel; Bastida, Karina

    2007-03-01

    An analytical method to convert the set of Zernike coefficients that fits the wavefront aberration for a pupil into another corresponding to a contracted and horizontally translated pupil is proposed. The underlying selection rules are provided and the resulting conversion formulae for a seventh-order expansion are given. These formulae are applied to calculate corneal aberrations referred to a given pupil centre in terms of those referred to the keratometric vertex supplied by the SN CT1000 topographer. Four typical cases are considered: a sphere and three eyes—normal, keratoconic and post-LASIK. When the pupil centre is fixed and the pupil diameter decreases from 6 mm to the photopic natural one, leaving aside piston, tilt and defocus, the difference between the root mean square wavefront error computed with the formulae and the topographer is less than 0.04 µm. When the pupil diameter is kept equal to the natural one and the pupil centre is displaced, coefficients vary according to the eye. For a 0.3 mm pupil shift, the variation of coma is at most 0.35 µm and that of spherical aberration 0.01 µm.

  18. Accommodation and pupil responses to random-dot stereograms

    PubMed Central

    Suryakumar, Rajaraman; Allison, Robert

    2015-01-01

    We investigated the dynamics of accommodative and pupillary responses to random-dot stereograms presented in crossed and uncrossed disparity in six visually normal young adult subjects (mean age = 25.8 ± 3.1 years). Accommodation and pupil measures were monitored monocularly with a custom built photorefraction system while subjects fixated at the center of a random-dot stereogram. On each trial, the stereogram initially depicted a flat plane and then changed to depict a sinusoidal corrugation in depth while fixation remained constant. Increase in disparity specified depth resulted in pupil constriction during both crossed and uncrossed disparity presentations. The change in pupil size between crossed and uncrossed disparity conditions was not significantly different (p > 0.05). The change in pupil size was also accompanied by a small concomitant increase in accommodation. In addition, the dynamic properties of pupil responses varied as a function of their initial (starting) diameter. The finding that accommodation and pupil responses increased with disparity regardless of the sign of retinal disparity suggests that these responses were driven by apparent depth rather than shifts in mean simulated distance of the stimulus. Presumably the need for the increased depth of focus when viewing stimuli extended in depth results in pupil constriction which also results in a concomitant change in accommodation. Starting position effects in pupil response confirm the non-linearity in the operating range of the pupil. PMID:25891121

  19. Pupil shape in the animal kingdom: from the pseudopupil to the vertical pupil.

    PubMed

    González-Martín-Moro, J; Gómez-Sanz, F; Sales-Sanz, A; Huguet-Baudin, E; Murube-del-Castillo, J

    2014-12-01

    To study the different pupil shapes adopted by the different animal species. Review of the related literature, using PubMed database. The initial search strategy was pupil shape (limited to animals). The first volume of System of Ophthalmology (Duke-Elder) and Evolution's witness (I. Schwab) were also reviewed. An optic illusion called pseudopupil is usually observed in the compound eyes of insects. The pupil is circular in most vertebrates, however slit vertical pupils are present in cats and in some snake species. Vertical pupils could have a photoprotective function, as it makes a more complete closure possible in photopic conditions, and helps to camouflage the predator. It has also been hypothesized that it could help to correct chromatic aberration. Ruminants are usually endowed with horizontal pupils. This shape could improve the capacity of the eye to detect vertical silhouettes. Some marine animals have crescent-shaped pupils. In these animals, a superior operculum helps to protect the inferior retina from the great amount of light coming from above. There is a surprising variability in pupil shape. Through this variability, nature has fitted the eye to different circumstances. The theories proposed to explain this high variability are discussed in detail in the article. Copyright © 2012 Sociedad Española de Oftalmología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  20. Orthonormal aberration polynomials for anamorphic optical imaging systems with rectangular pupils.

    PubMed

    Mahajan, Virendra N

    2010-12-20

    The classical aberrations of an anamorphic optical imaging system, representing the terms of a power-series expansion of its aberration function, are separable in the Cartesian coordinates of a point on its pupil. We discuss the balancing of a classical aberration of a certain order with one or more such aberrations of lower order to minimize its variance across a rectangular pupil of such a system. We show that the balanced aberrations are the products of two Legendre polynomials, one for each of the two Cartesian coordinates of the pupil point. The compound Legendre polynomials are orthogonal across a rectangular pupil and, like the classical aberrations, are inherently separable in the Cartesian coordinates of the pupil point. They are different from the balanced aberrations and the corresponding orthogonal polynomials for a system with rotational symmetry but a rectangular pupil.

  1. Measurement of EUV lithography pupil amplitude and phase variation via image-based methodology

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Levinson, Zachary; Verduijn, Erik; Wood, Obert R.

    2016-04-01

    Here, an approach to image-based EUV aberration metrology using binary mask targets and iterative model-based solutions to extract both the amplitude and phase components of the aberrated pupil function is presented. The approach is enabled through previously developed modeling, fitting, and extraction algorithms. We seek to examine the behavior of pupil amplitude variation in real-optical systems. Optimized target images were captured under several conditions to fit the resulting pupil responses. Both the amplitude and phase components of the pupil function were extracted from a zone-plate-based EUV mask microscope. The pupil amplitude variation was expanded in three different bases: Zernike polynomials,more » Legendre polynomials, and Hermite polynomials. It was found that the Zernike polynomials describe pupil amplitude variation most effectively of the three.« less

  2. Pupillary response to direct and consensual chromatic light stimuli.

    PubMed

    Traustason, Sindri; Brondsted, Adam Elias; Sander, Birgit; Lund-Andersen, Henrik

    2016-02-01

    To assess whether the direct and consensual postillumination (ipRGC-driven) pupil light responses to chromatic light stimuli are equal in healthy subjects. Pupil responses in healthy volunteers were recorded using a prototype binocular chromatic pupillometer (IdeaMedical, Copenhagen), which is capable of both direct and consensual pupillometry measurements. The device uses a pair of dual monochromatic narrow bandwidth LED light sources, red (660 nm) and blue (470 nm). Pupil light responses were recorded with infrared video cameras and analysed using custom-made circuitry and software. Subjects were randomized to receive light stimuli at either the right or left eye after 5 min of dark adaptation. Pupil light responses were recorded in both eyes for 10 seconds before illumination, during illumination and 50 seconds after illumination with red and blue light. Three variables were defined for the recorded pupil responses: the maximal constriction amplitude (CAmax ), the pupil response during illumination and postillumination pupil response (PIPR). No difference was found in the pupil response to blue light. With red light, the pupil response during illumination was slightly larger during consensual illumination compared to direct illumination (0.54 and 0.52, respectively, p = 0.027, paired Wilcoxon's test, n = 12), while no differences were found for CAmax or the PIPR. No difference was found between direct and consensual pupil response to either red or blue light in the postillumination period. Direct and consensual responses can readily be compared when examining the postillumination pupil response to blue light as estimation of photosensitive retinal ganglion cell activation. © 2015 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. On Pupils' Self-Confidence in Mathematics: Gender Comparisons

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nurmi, Anu; Hannula, Markku; Maijala, Hanna; Pehkonen, Erkki

    2003-01-01

    In this paper we will concentrate on pupils' self-confidence in mathematics, which belongs to pupils' mathematical beliefs in themselves, and beliefs on achievement in mathematics. Research described consists of a survey of more than 3000 fifth-graders and seventh-graders. Furthermore, 40 pupils participated in a qualitative follow-up study…

  4. Pupils' Perspectives on the Lived Pedagogy of the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Niemi, Reetta; Kumpulainen, Kristiina; Lipponen, Lasse; Hilppö, Jaakko

    2015-01-01

    This paper is based on a pedagogical action research initiative that explores what constitutes the "lived pedagogy" of the classroom from the pupils' perspective. Photography and group interviews were utilised to allow pupils to express their perspectives. The results show that pupils considered situations meaningful when they were able…

  5. Pupil geometry and pupil re-imaging in telescope arrays

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Traub, Wesley A.

    1990-01-01

    This paper considers the issues of lateral and longitudinal pupil geometry in ground-based telescope arrays, such as IOTA. In particular, it is considered whether or not pupil re-imaging is required before beam combination. By considering the paths of rays through the system, an expression is derived for the optical path errors in the combined wavefront as a function of array dimensions, telescope magnification factor, viewing angle, and field-of-view. By examining this expression for the two cases of pupil-plane and image-plane combination, operational limits can be found for any array. As a particular example, it is shown that for IOTA no pupil re-imaging optics will be needed.

  6. Precise calibration of pupil images in pyramid wavefront sensor.

    PubMed

    Liu, Yong; Mu, Quanquan; Cao, Zhaoliang; Hu, Lifa; Yang, Chengliang; Xuan, Li

    2017-04-20

    The pyramid wavefront sensor (PWFS) is a novel wavefront sensor with several inspiring advantages compared with Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensors. The PWFS uses four pupil images to calculate the local tilt of the incoming wavefront. Pupil images are conjugated with a telescope pupil so that each pixel in the pupil image is diffraction-limited by the telescope pupil diameter, thus the sensing error of the PWFS is much lower than that of the Shack-Hartmann sensor and is related to the extraction and alignment accuracy of pupil images. However, precise extraction of these images is difficult to conduct in practice. Aiming at improving the sensing accuracy, we analyzed the physical model of calibration of a PWFS and put forward an extraction algorithm. The process was verified via a closed-loop correction experiment. The results showed that the sensing accuracy of the PWFS increased after applying the calibration and extraction method.

  7. Results of single burr hole drainage for acute subdural hematoma with non-reactive pupil.

    PubMed

    Yanagawa, Youichi; Sakamoto, Toshihisa

    2012-01-01

    To investigate the effects of emergency burr hole drainage for acute subdural hematoma (ASDH) with bilateral non-reactive pupils. A retrospective study was conducted by reviewing medical records from 1998 to 2007. Patients meeting the following criteria were included: 1) head injury with unconsciousness (Glasgow Coma Scale score 8); 2) bilateral non-reactive pupils on arrival; 3) ASDH with disappearance of basal cistern on computed tomography (CT); and 4) performance of emergency single burr hole drainage. Subjects were divided into survival and non-survival groups. Pupil size on the small side was significantly smaller in the survival group than in the non-survival group. All pupils on the small side in the survival group were 4 mm. Emergency burr hole drainage should still be considered in patients with ASDH showing bilateral non-reactive pupils and one pupil 4 mm.

  8. Judging a book by its cover: the unconscious influence of pupil size on consumer choice.

    PubMed

    Wiseman, Richard; Watt, Caroline

    2010-01-01

    Past research suggests that men perceive women with large pupils as especially attractive. We employed an innovative methodology to examine whether this effect influences consumer decision-making. A popular psychology book was published with two slightly different front covers. Both covers contained the same photograph of a woman; however, the woman's pupils on one cover were digitally enlarged. Readers indicated whether they were male or female, and whether they possessed the cover with small or large pupils. A significantly greater percentage of men than women had chosen the cover with the large pupils. None of the participants who attempted to guess the nature of the experiment was correct, suggesting that the influence exerted by pupil size was unconscious. These findings provide further support for the notion that people's judgments are unconsciously swayed by pupil size, and demonstrate that this effect operates in a real world setting.

  9. The impact of a multiple intelligences teaching approach drug education programme on drug refusal skills of Nigerian pupils.

    PubMed

    Nwagu, Evelyn N; Ezedum, Chuks E; Nwagu, Eric K N

    2015-09-01

    The rising incidence of drug abuse among youths in Nigeria is a source of concern for health educators. This study was carried out on primary six pupils to determine the effect of a Multiple Intelligences Teaching Approach Drug Education Programme (MITA-DEP) on pupils' acquisition of drug refusal skills. A programme of drug education based on the Multiple Intelligences Teaching Approach (MITA) was developed. An experimental group was taught using this programme while a control group was taught using the same programme but developed based on the Traditional Teaching Approach. Pupils taught with the MITA acquired more drug refusal skills than those taught with the Traditional Teaching Approach. Urban pupils taught with the MITA acquired more skills than rural pupils. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean refusal skills of male and female pupils taught with the MITA. © The Author(s) 2014.

  10. Tracking the allocation of attention using human pupillary oscillations

    PubMed Central

    Naber, Marnix; Alvarez, George A.; Nakayama, Ken

    2013-01-01

    The muscles that control the pupil are richly innervated by the autonomic nervous system. While there are central pathways that drive pupil dilations in relation to arousal, there is no anatomical evidence that cortical centers involved with visual selective attention innervate the pupil. In this study, we show that such connections must exist. Specifically, we demonstrate a novel Pupil Frequency Tagging (PFT) method, where oscillatory changes in stimulus brightness over time are mirrored by pupil constrictions and dilations. We find that the luminance–induced pupil oscillations are enhanced when covert attention is directed to the flicker stimulus and when targets are correctly detected in an attentional tracking task. These results suggest that the amplitudes of pupil responses closely follow the allocation of focal visual attention and the encoding of stimuli. PFT provides a new opportunity to study top–down visual attention itself as well as identifying the pathways and mechanisms that support this unexpected phenomenon. PMID:24368904

  11. The pupil as an indicator of unconscious memory: Introducing the pupil priming effect.

    PubMed

    Gomes, Carlos Alexandre; Montaldi, Daniela; Mayes, Andrew

    2015-06-01

    We explored whether object behavioral priming and pupil changes occur in the absence of recognition memory. Experiment 1 found behavioral priming for unrecognized objects (Ms) regardless of whether they had been encoded perceptually or conceptually. Using the same perceptual encoding task, Experiment 2 showed greater pupil dilation for Ms than for correct rejections of unstudied objects (CRs) when reaction times were matched. In Experiment 3, there was relatively less pupil dilation for Ms than for similarly matched CRs when objects had been encoded conceptually. Mean/peak pupil dilation for CRs, but not Ms, increased in Experiment 3, in which novelty expectation was also reduced, and the pupillary time course for both Ms and CRs was distinct in the two experiments. These findings indicate that both behavioral and pupil memory occur for studied, but unrecognized stimuli, and suggest that encoding and novelty expectation modulate pupillary memory responses. © 2015 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  12. Cyberbullying: Its Nature and Impact in Secondary School Pupils

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Peter K.; Mahdavi, Jess; Carvalho, Manuel; Fisher, Sonja; Russell, Shanette; Tippett, Neil

    2008-01-01

    Background: Cyberbullying describes bullying using mobile phones and the internet. Most previous studies have focused on the prevalence of text message and email bullying. Methods: Two surveys with pupils aged 11-16 years: (1) 92 pupils from 14 schools, supplemented by focus groups; (2) 533 pupils from 5 schools, to assess the generalisability of…

  13. Assisting Pupils in Mathematics Achievement (The Common Core Standards)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ediger, Marlow

    2011-01-01

    Mathematics teachers must expect reasonably high standards of achievement from pupils. Too frequently, pupils attain at a substandard level and more optimal achievement is necessary. Thus, pupils should have self esteem needs met in the school and classroom setting. Thus, learners feel that mathematics is worthwhile and effort must be put forth to…

  14. High School Pupils' Attitudes and Self-Efficacy of Using Mobile Devices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nikolopoulou, Kleopatra; Gialamas, Vasilis

    2017-01-01

    This paper regards a study aiming to investigate junior high school pupils' attitudes and self-efficacy of using mobile devices. A 25-item questionnaire was administered to 260 pupils aged 12-15 years old, in Greece. Pupils' attitudes were positive, and four factors were extracted, "perceived usefulness", "affection",…

  15. Relationship among Demographic Variables and Pupils' Reasoning Ability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tella, Adeyinka; Tella, Adedeji; Adika, L. O.; Toyobo, Majekodunmi Oluwole

    2008-01-01

    Introduction: Pupils reasoning ability is a sine-qua-non to the evaluation of their performance in learning and an indicator of their potential predictors of future performance. Method: The study examined the relationship among demographic variables and reasoning ability of primary school pupils. It drew four hundred pupils from ten (10)…

  16. Pupil Inquiry Behavior Analysis and Change Activity. Interim Project Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manion, Raymond C.

    This interim report discusses progress toward three major goals of the Pupil Inquiry Behavior Analysis and Change Activity: increased pupil inquiry, changed teacher behavior to facilitate pupil inquiry, and the development of a 32-week course of instruction to provide for these behavioral changes. Data currently available deals with the emotional…

  17. Pupil Control As an Institutional Pattern.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Longo, Paul

    This study of pupil control attitudes was based on the assumption that public school teachers and college education instructors hold divergent views on pupil control. These divergent views would then be imposed on the preservice teachers. The Pupil Control Ideology (PCI) Scale and the Dogmatism Scale, Form E, were randomly distributed to 100…

  18. Some Comments on Inquiries on Schools and Pupil Control.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Willower, Donald J.

    This speech, by the co-author of a bibliography of studies of pupil control, reviews literature on that subject, differentiating between studies on Pupil Control Ideology (PCI) and Pupil Control Behavior (PCB), describing instances of their interrelationship, and weighing the various merits of PCI and PCB instruments. The author concludes that…

  19. Educators' Pupil-Control Ideology as a Predictor of Educator's Reactions to Pupil Disruptive Behavior.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lunenburg, Fred C.

    Given the importance of pupil control in the school's social system, it would seem reasonable to predict a significant relationship between educators' pupil control ideology and their reactions to disruptive behavior incidents. This study examines whether humanistically oriented educators would prefer to levy less punitive measures on disruptive…

  20. Consulting Pupils about Classroom Teaching and Learning: Policy, Practice and Response in One School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morgan, Bethan

    2011-01-01

    This article reports on an ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) doctoral study which investigated how teachers consulted pupils about teaching and learning in classrooms. Interest in consulting pupils has increased over the last decade; existing research suggests pupils have valuable perspectives on teaching and learning which teachers can…

  1. Learning a Musical Instrument: The Influence of Interpersonal Interaction on Outcomes for School-Aged Pupils

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Creech, Andrea; Hallam, Susan

    2011-01-01

    Researchers in recent years have increasingly placed an emphasis on seeking pupils' perceptions of educational settings. Alongside this shift towards attaching value to the pupil viewpoint has been a growing interest concerning how interpersonal relationships, manifested as control or responsiveness between teachers and pupils or parents and…

  2. Assistance to Pupils with Physical Disabilities in Regular Schools: Promoting Inclusion or Creating Dependency?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Egilson, Snaefridur Thora; Traustadottir, Rannveig

    2009-01-01

    Drawing on the perspectives of pupils with physical disabilities, their parents and teachers, this study explored the adult support provided to pupils with physical disabilities in regular schools. Data were collected through observations at schools and qualitative interviews. In all, 49 individuals participated in this study: 14 pupils with…

  3. The online behavior of pupils with visual impairment: A preliminary report.

    PubMed

    Wrzesińska, Magdalena; Tabała, Klaudia; Stecz, Patryk

    2016-10-01

    Young people with special educational needs are also users of new media. The aim of the study was to determine whether pupils with visual impairment spend more time on Internet use than pupils without visual impairment and whether youngsters from the study group are engaged in behaviors which could increase risk of problematic Internet use. The study is based on a total of 191 pupils: a study group of 66 partially-sighted pupils and a control group comprised 125 pupils who do not have visual impairment. A self-report questionnaire was constructed for the needs of this study. Pupils with visual impairment spent significantly less time on Internet use than their peers from the reference groups. Twice as many pupils from the study group as controls reported no symptoms suggesting potentially problematic Internet use. In addition, the study group more frequently used online social networking services and e-mails or used the Internet for assignments. Little difference exists between students with visual impairment and those without with regard to Internet use. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Improving progression and continuity from primary to secondary science: Pupils' reactions to bridging work

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Braund, Martin; Hames, Vicky

    2005-07-01

    This article reports research from a project set up to implement ‘bridging work’ in science in England. Group interviews of 59 pupils in Year 6 (at the end of primary school) and 48 pupils in Year 7 (at beginning of secondary school) were carried out after pupils had completed bridging work. Twenty-six of this sample were the same pupils. Semi-structured interviews were carried out in groups to ascertain: their aspirations and fears concerning secondary science, their reactions to bridging work and their memories of investigations. Year 6 pupils were positive about studying science at secondary school and remained so after transfer. Pupils' reactions to bridging at both ages were very positive. Findings challenge recent critiques of bridging. The lack of progression in pupils' communication about the variables and findings from investigations suggest that the planned progression of work was not recognized by some teachers. Bridging work alone may not guarantee improved progression and continuity in science, but as part of a carefully planned and structured programme of collaboration it has merit.

  5. Secondary school pupils' perceptions of physics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barmby, Patrick; Defty, Neil

    2006-11-01

    This paper describes the analysis of data collected by Durham University’s YELLIS project, over the period of 1999 to 2004. Included in this data was the degree to which pupils in England at the end of their secondary education ‘liked’ or ‘disliked’ different subjects, and their expected examination grades in these subjects. The authors’ study focused on the perceptions of pupils in the science subjects of biology, chemistry and physics. Using the available data, they were able to analyse the perceptions of a large number of pupils (e.g. 9827 pupils in 2004) who took examinations in the separate sciences. The study found that physics was perceived as the least popular science, particularly by female pupils. We also found that the expected grade in a particular science subject correlated quite strongly (Spearman’s rho of around 0.5) with the liking of that subject. These expected grades were found to be the lowest in physics, again particularly for female pupils. The authors therefore concluded that in order to redress the gender imbalance in physics, they need to tackle this problem that physics is perceived as difficult by female pupils.

  6. Cooperative learning in science: intervention in the secondary school

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Topping, K. J.; Thurston, A.; Tolmie, A.; Christie, D.; Murray, P.; Karagiannidou, E.

    2011-04-01

    The use of cooperative learning in secondary school is reported - an area of considerable concern given attempts to make secondary schools more interactive and gain higher recruitment to university science courses. In this study the intervention group was 259 pupils aged 12-14 years in nine secondary schools, taught by 12 self-selected teachers. Comparison pupils came from both intervention and comparison schools (n = 385). Intervention teachers attended three continuing professional development days, in which they received information, engaged with resource packs and involved themselves in cooperative learning. Measures included both general and specific tests of science, attitudes to science, sociometry, self-esteem, attitudes to cooperative learning and transferable skills (all for pupils) and observation of implementation fidelity. There were increases during cooperative learning in pupil formulation of propositions, explanations and disagreements. Intervened pupils gained in attainment, but comparison pupils gained even more. Pupils who had experienced cooperative learning in primary school had higher pre-test scores in secondary education irrespective of being in the intervention or comparison group. On sociometry, comparison pupils showed greater affiliation to science work groups for work, but intervention pupils greater affiliation to these groups at break and out of school. Other measures were not significant. The results are discussed in relation to practice and policy implications.

  7. Inferior ectopic pupil and typical ocular coloboma in RCS rats.

    PubMed

    Tsuji, Naho; Ozaki, Kiyokazu; Narama, Isao; Matsuura, Tetsuro

    2011-08-01

    Ocular coloboma is sometimes accompanied by corectopia in humans and therefore ectopic pupil may indicate ocular coloboma in experimental animals. The RCS strain of rats has a low incidence of microphthalmia. We found that inferior ectopic pupil is associated exclusively with small-sized eyes in this strain. The objective of the current study was to evaluate whether inferior ectopic pupil is associated with iridal coloboma and other types of ocular coloboma in RCS rats. Both eyes of RCS rats were examined clinically, and those with inferior ectopic pupils underwent morphologic and morphometric examinations. In a prenatal study, coronal serial sections of eyeballs from fetuses at gestational day 16.5 were examined by using light microscopy. Ectopic pupils in RCS rats were found exclusively in an inferior position, where the iris was shortened. Fundic examination revealed severe chorioretinal coloboma in all cases of inferior ectopic pupil. The morphologic characteristics closely resembled those of chorioretinal coloboma in humans. Histopathologic examination of primordia showed incomplete closure of the optic fissure in 4 eyeballs of RCS fetuses. Neither F(1) rats nor N(2) (progeny of RCS × BN matings) displayed any ocular anomalies, including ectopic pupils. The RCS strain is a suitable model for human ocular coloboma, and inferior ectopic pupil appears to be a strong indicator of ocular coloboma.

  8. Inferior Ectopic Pupil and Typical Ocular Coloboma in RCS Rats

    PubMed Central

    Tsuji, Naho; Ozaki, Kiyokazu; Narama, Isao; Matsuura, Tetsuro

    2011-01-01

    Ocular coloboma is sometimes accompanied by corectopia in humans and therefore ectopic pupil may indicate ocular coloboma in experimental animals. The RCS strain of rats has a low incidence of microphthalmia. We found that inferior ectopic pupil is associated exclusively with small-sized eyes in this strain. The objective of the current study was to evaluate whether inferior ectopic pupil is associated with iridal coloboma and other types of ocular coloboma in RCS rats. Both eyes of RCS rats were examined clinically, and those with inferior ectopic pupils underwent morphologic and morphometric examinations. In a prenatal study, coronal serial sections of eyeballs from fetuses at gestational day 16.5 were examined by using light microscopy. Ectopic pupils in RCS rats were found exclusively in an inferior position, where the iris was shortened. Fundic examination revealed severe chorioretinal coloboma in all cases of inferior ectopic pupil. The morphologic characteristics closely resembled those of chorioretinal coloboma in humans. Histopathologic examination of primordia showed incomplete closure of the optic fissure in 4 eyeballs of RCS fetuses. Neither F1 rats nor N2 (progeny of RCS × BN matings) displayed any ocular anomalies, including ectopic pupils. The RCS strain is a suitable model for human ocular coloboma, and inferior ectopic pupil appears to be a strong indicator of ocular coloboma. PMID:22330254

  9. The Predictive Role of Maternal Parenting and Stress on Pupils' Bullying involvement.

    PubMed

    Alizadeh Maralani, Fatemeh; Mirnasab, Mirmahmoud; Hashemi, Touraj

    2016-10-01

    The link between inappropriate parenting style and both bullying and victimization is well documented. However, it is not clear as to which kind of parenting style is associated with victimization. Furthermore, no studies have yet been conducted regarding the role of parental stress in bullying and victimization. This study aimed to examine the role of parenting styles and maternal stress in pupils' bullying and victimization. A total of 300 primary school pupils, enrolled in fourth and fifth grades, participated in the study. Initially, 100 noninvolved pupils were randomly selected using a multistage cluster sampling method. Then using a screening method, 100 bully pupils and 100 victimized peers were selected. Olweus Bullying Scale and teacher nomination were administered for screening these pupils. Baumrind Parenting Style Questionnaire and revised version of Abidin Parental Stress Index (short form) were also applied to all pupils in the study. Data were analyzed using discriminant function analysis. The findings showed that (a) with regard to parenting styles, significant differences were found among groups. Authoritarian parenting style could significantly predict pupils' bullying behavior, whereas victimization was predictable in families with permissive parenting style. In addition, noninvolved pupils were predicted to have authoritative parenting style. (b) Considering maternal stress, significant differences were observed across groups. Parents of bullies and victims were predicted to have higher maternal stress than noninvolved pupils. The implications of the study in relation to the role of mothers in bullying and victimization are discussed.

  10. Interactive Apps Promote Learning of Basic Mathematics in Children With Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

    PubMed Central

    Pitchford, Nicola J.; Kamchedzera, Elizabeth; Hubber, Paula J.; Chigeda, Antonie L.

    2018-01-01

    Interactive apps delivered on touch-screen tablets can be effective at supporting the acquisition of basic skills in mainstream primary school children. This technology may also be beneficial for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) as it can promote high levels of engagement with the learning task and an inclusive learning environment. However, few studies have measured extent of learning for SEND pupils when using interactive apps, so it has yet to be determined if this technology is effective at raising attainment for these pupils. We report the first observational study of a group of 33 pupils with SEND from two primary schools in Malawi that are implementing a new digital technology intervention which uses touch-screen tablets to deliver interactive apps designed to teach basic mathematical skills. The apps contain topics that align to the national curriculum. To assess learning gains, rate of progress (minutes per topic) for each pupil was determined by calculating the average time taken to complete a topic. Progress rate was then correlated with teacher ratings of extent of disability and independent ratings of pupil engagement with the apps. Results showed SEND pupils could interact with the apps and all pupils passed at least one topic. Average progress rate for SEND pupils was twice as long as mainstream peers. Stepwise regression revealed extent of disability significantly predicted progress rate. Further exploratory correlations revealed pupils with moderate to severe difficulties with hearing and/or language made slower progress through the apps than those with greater functionality in these two domains because the use of verbal instructions within the apps limited their capacity to learn. This original quantitative analysis demonstrates that interactive apps can raise learning standards in pupils with SEND but may have limited utility for pupils with severe difficulties. Software modifications are needed to address specific areas of difficulty preventing pupils from progressing. PMID:29559940

  11. Interactive Apps Promote Learning of Basic Mathematics in Children With Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

    PubMed

    Pitchford, Nicola J; Kamchedzera, Elizabeth; Hubber, Paula J; Chigeda, Antonie L

    2018-01-01

    Interactive apps delivered on touch-screen tablets can be effective at supporting the acquisition of basic skills in mainstream primary school children. This technology may also be beneficial for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) as it can promote high levels of engagement with the learning task and an inclusive learning environment. However, few studies have measured extent of learning for SEND pupils when using interactive apps, so it has yet to be determined if this technology is effective at raising attainment for these pupils. We report the first observational study of a group of 33 pupils with SEND from two primary schools in Malawi that are implementing a new digital technology intervention which uses touch-screen tablets to deliver interactive apps designed to teach basic mathematical skills. The apps contain topics that align to the national curriculum. To assess learning gains, rate of progress (minutes per topic) for each pupil was determined by calculating the average time taken to complete a topic. Progress rate was then correlated with teacher ratings of extent of disability and independent ratings of pupil engagement with the apps. Results showed SEND pupils could interact with the apps and all pupils passed at least one topic. Average progress rate for SEND pupils was twice as long as mainstream peers. Stepwise regression revealed extent of disability significantly predicted progress rate. Further exploratory correlations revealed pupils with moderate to severe difficulties with hearing and/or language made slower progress through the apps than those with greater functionality in these two domains because the use of verbal instructions within the apps limited their capacity to learn. This original quantitative analysis demonstrates that interactive apps can raise learning standards in pupils with SEND but may have limited utility for pupils with severe difficulties. Software modifications are needed to address specific areas of difficulty preventing pupils from progressing.

  12. Multi-level aspects of social cohesion of secondary schools and pupils' feelings of safety.

    PubMed

    Mooij, Ton; Smeets, Ed; de Wit, Wouter

    2011-09-01

    BACKGROUND. School safety and corresponding feelings of both pupils and school staff are beginning to receive more and more attention. The social cohesion characteristics of a school may be useful in promoting feelings of safety, particularly in pupils. AIMS. To conceptualize theoretically, and check empirically a two-level model of social cohesion between and within schools, in order to explain a pupil's feelings of safety at school. SAMPLES. Data were collected aided by a national Dutch survey in secondary education carried out via the Internet. In 2008, digital questionnaires were completed by about 78,800 pupils, 6,200 teachers and educational support staff, and 600 school managers. METHODS. Data were checked for reliability and representativity. Social cohesion was indicated by self-reported measures of individual pupils and by aggregating scale and item scores of school managers, teachers, and other support staff within schools. Multi-level analysis using individual pupil data and school-level data was performed using MLwiN. RESULTS. A pupil's age, educational attainment level, experience of mild physical violence, prosocial rules of conduct and joint control of these rules, and school measures against playing truant, show positive influences on a pupil's feelings of safety at school. Negative influences are exerted by not feeling most at home in The Netherlands, peers taking drugs and weapons into school, and by experiencing social violence, severe physical violence, and sexual violence. Negative school effects exist simultaneously in severe physical violence experienced by teachers and other staff, and in curriculum differentiation applied by teachers and other staff; a positive school effect is school size. Some interaction effects between pupil and school-level variables were explored. CONCLUSIONS. The variance at school level is relatively low compared with the variance at pupil level. However, a much higher percentage of variance at school level than at pupil level is explained with respect to the pupils' feelings of safety at school. The resulting two-level model also reflects the streaming of pupils in Dutch secondary schools. To improve school safety, the national results emphasize the need to enhance prosocial behaviour rules and to enhance the shared control of these rules between teachers and pupils. They also emphasize the need for the school to take measures that prevent truancy and redefine curriculum differentiation procedures. National educational policy and research can combine efforts to assist schools in developing reliable and valid procedures to increase effectively safety in and around schools. ©2010 The British Psychological Society.

  13. Pupils

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garber, Lee O.; Seitz, Reynolds C.

    1971-01-01

    Discusses recent court litigation concerning legal rights and responsibilities of pupils covering procedural due process, grooming and appearance, regulation of speech and publications, liability for pupil injuries, and racial integration. (JF)

  14. METHODS OF DETERMINING PUPIL READINESS FOR SPECIFIC UNITS OF INSTRUCTION PRESENTED THROUGH SIMULATED ENVIRONMENT MEDIA.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    PLUMPTON, RUSSEL A.

    THE METHODS FOR DETERMINING PUPIL READINESS WERE STUDIED TO DEVELOP CRITERIA FOR PUPIL PARTICIPATION IN SIMULATED ENVIRONMENT LEARNING UNITS. THE LEARNING UNITS WERE SUBPROJECTS OF COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROJECT NUMBER 1948 (ED 003 024). EACH OF THREE UNITS IN THE PROJECT WAS EXAMINED FOR PUPIL READINESS. TEST BATTERIES WERE ASSEMBLED AND…

  15. Sticky Assessments--The Impact of Teachers' Grading Standard on Pupils' School Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keller, Tamás

    2016-01-01

    This paper argues that school grades cannot be interpreted solely as a reward for a given school performance, since they also reflect teachers' assessments of pupils. A teacher's evaluation of a pupil's performance, as reflected in the grade awarded, might influence the effort that the pupil invests in learning. Grades might therefore serve as…

  16. Learning Stations in the Social Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ediger, Marlow

    2011-01-01

    The use of learning stations is an approach to meet needs of pupils in achievement. Here, pupils may make choices in terms of what to learn. From a learning station, a pupil may select learning activities to complete, be they individual or committee endeavors. Activities might also be chosen on the basis of learning styles. A pupil may prefer to…

  17. Tomorrow's Workforce: School Pupils' Views of a Career in Hospitality. Research Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tregaskis, Olga; And Others

    A survey involving 1,024 secondary pupils and 22 career educators from schools throughout the United Kingdom collected information on pupils' perceptions of entering the hotel and catering industry as a career. The research looked in detail at the job expectations of pupils, the status they associated with hotel and catering and nonhotel and…

  18. What Happens When I Write? Pupils' Writing about Writing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barbeiro, Luis Filipe

    2011-01-01

    This article presents pupils' awareness of writing as elicited through a metawriting task, in other words a task in which pupils from the third, fourth and sixth forms (grades) were required to write about writing. The analysis of the texts revealed the pupils' increasing ability to write texts focusing on writing and on the subject's relationship…

  19. Pupils' Perceptions of Sex and Reproductive Health Education in Primary Schools in Tanzania: A Phenomenological Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kapinga, Orestes Silverius; Hyera, Daniel Frans

    2015-01-01

    This study explored pupils' perceptions of sex and reproductive health education in primary schools in Tanzania. Specifically, the study aimed at (i) exploring pupils' views on sex and reproductive health education in primary schools; (ii) determining opinions on the appropriateness of sex and reproductive health education for pupils in primary…

  20. Entrepreneurship Education: Motivation and Effort for Pupils with Special Needs in Norwegian Compulsory School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Somby, Hege Merete; Johansen, Vegard

    2017-01-01

    Pupil enterprises are a widespread type of entrepreneurship education. In this working method, pupils start up, manage and close a business over short period of time. National and international policy documents claim that practical working methods through the use of pupil enterprises are beneficial to increase motivation by being a realistic and…

  1. Pupil Control Ideology as a Source of Stress: The Student Teacher's Dilemma.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Dan R.

    One type of adaptation made by each student teacher is the development of attitudes toward controlling pupils. The student teachers' attitudes toward pupil control may be at odds with those of other educators and this difference in attitude, particularly in the case of the cooperating teacher, can cause stress. Attitudes toward pupil control can…

  2. Pupils' Thinking and Course Requirements in Science Teaching (EKNA). Newsletter School Research.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Andersson, Bjorn; And Others

    The ENKA Project is concerned with two major problem areas: the conceptions of physical and chemical phenomena, central to an upper level course, held by compulsory school pupils (grades 7-9) and the implications from descriptions of pupils' conceptions and ways of reasoning for current teaching practice. To determine conceptions held, pupils were…

  3. Pupils' Image of "The Scientist" among Two Communities in Israel: A Comparative Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koren, Pazit; Bar, Varda

    2009-01-01

    The image of "the scientist" and its effect on the willingness to be a scientist and to follow a career in science were investigated in two different cultural populations of elementary and junior high school pupils in Israel: Hebrew-speaking (secular) pupils (N = 390) and Arabic-speaking Bedouin pupils (N = 185). Five different tools…

  4. Pupils' Attitudes toward Chemistry in Two Types of Czech Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kubiatko, Milan; Balatova, Kristyna; Fancovicova, Jana; Prokop, Pavol

    2017-01-01

    Chemistry is a school subject that is not viewed favorably among pupils. Before we can improve pupils' attitudes toward chemistry, it is important to find out the problem as to why the attitudes are relatively negative. The research was focused on Czech lower secondary and secondary grammar school pupils' attitudes to the subject of chemistry.…

  5. Comparing Slovenian Year 8 and Year 9 Elementary School Pupils' Knowledge of Electrolyte Chemistry and Their Intrinsic Motivation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Devetak, Iztok; Lorber, Erna Drofenik; Jurisevic, Mojca; Glazar, Sasa A.

    2009-01-01

    This study explored the differences between eight-year elementary school pupils (before the curriculum reform) and nine-year elementary school pupils (soon after the curriculum reform) in Slovenia, as regards specific chemistry knowledge and motivation to learn chemistry. Altogether, 191 elementary school pupils participated in the study. The…

  6. What Can National Data Sets Tell Us about Inclusion and Pupil Achievement?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Florian, Lani; Rouse, Martyn; Black-Hawkins, Kristine; Jull, Stephen

    2004-01-01

    Recent developments in the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) have produced a national pupil database (NPD) that contains information about the attainments of individual pupils. Every child in the country has been allocated a unique pupil number (UPN), which means that the academic progress of individuals can be tracked over time. It is…

  7. Brief Report: Multilevel Analysis of School Smoking Policy and Pupil Smoking Behaviour in Wales

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wiium, Nora; Burgess, Stephen; Moore, Laurence

    2011-01-01

    A multilevel analysis of cross-sectional data from a survey involving 1941 pupils (in grades 10 and 11) and policy indicators developed from interviews with staff from 45 secondary schools in Wales examined the hypotheses that pupil smoking prevalence would be associated with: restrictive staff and pupil smoking policies; dissemination of school…

  8. Cooperative Group, Risk-Taking and Inclusion of Pupils with Learning Disabilities in Physical Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Andre, Amael; Louvet, Benoit; Deneuve, Pascale

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this research was to study the impact of cooperative learning on changes in cooperative behaviours and acceptance amongst pupils with learning disabilities related to risk-taking. One hundred and sixty-eight French first year middle school pupils participated in this study. Thirty-six pupils with learning disabilities were mainstreamed…

  9. The Performance of Mouse Pointing and Selecting for Pupils with and without Intellectual Disabilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, Yun-Lung; Chen, Ming-Chung; Chang, Yun-Ting; Yeh, Chih-Ching; Meng, Ling-Fu

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of mouse pointing and selecting in the tasks with different index of difficulty between 20 pupils with intellectual disabilities and 21 pupils without disabilities. A mouse proficiency assessment software was utilized to collect data. Pupils with intellectual disabilities executed tasks more…

  10. Teacher Candidates Speak Out: Exploring Concerns Related to Pupil Learning and Efficacy When Learning to Teach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Derosier, Sharline; Soslau, Elizabeth

    2014-01-01

    Research shows that teachers' efficacy relates to pupil achievement. Strong efficacy, or a self-belief that one can positively impact pupil learning, is risked when teachers develop concerns related to pupil learning. This study explored the perceived concerns of teacher candidates (N = 3) throughout an eight-week clinical field experience.…

  11. Pupils' Self-Perceptions: The Role of Teachers' Judgment Controlling for Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bressoux, Pascal; Pansu, Pascal

    2016-01-01

    This article aims to study the relationship between teachers' judgment and pupils' self-perceptions controlling for the big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE). Three studies were conducted among third-grade pupils. Study 1 (n = 585) focused on pupils' perceptions of their scholastic competence. Teachers' judgment and BFLPE were found to have an…

  12. Comparative Study of Pupils' Academic Performance between Private and Public Primary Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adeyemi, Sunday B.

    2014-01-01

    This paper compares pupils' academic performance between the private and public primary schools. The sample, made up of 240 pupils were randomly selected from the private and public primary schools in Ilesa East and West Local Government Council Areas of Osun State, Nigeria. Two instruments were used. A structured questionnaire and Pupils'…

  13. Constructions of Racism by British Chinese Pupils and Parents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Archer, Louise; Francis, Becky

    2005-01-01

    British Chinese pupils stand out as a high achieving group within the British education system and yet very little theoretical or policy attention has been given to these pupils' identities and experiences of education. In this paper we consider British Chinese pupils' (and parents') reports of their experiences of racism/s and their views on the…

  14. Linking Pupil and Teacher Competence in Reading and Mathematics in Vietnam

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Griffin, Patrick

    2008-01-01

    This article reports results derived from the national study of Grade 5 in Vietnamese primary schools in which teachers and pupils took tests in reading and mathematics. The test data were calibrated so that teacher and pupil results could be mapped onto the same continuum. Results showed that the overlapping tests for teachers and pupils were…

  15. Pupil Researchers Generation X: Educating Pupils as Active Participants--An Investigation into Gathering Sensitive Information from Early Adolescents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Symonds, Jenny E.

    2008-01-01

    Developmentally appropriate research techniques were uncovered by involving ten Year 7 pupils as researchers in a four-hour workshop that investigated the effectiveness of multiple methods in gathering sensitive information from early adolescents. The pupils learned about, tried and evaluated the methods of generating interview questions, peer and…

  16. Changing Spaces, Changing Relationships: The Positive Impact of Learning Out of Doors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scott, Graham; Boyd, Margaret; Colquhoun, Derek

    2013-01-01

    We have used the experiences of teachers and their pupils to explore the impact of participation in a shared outdoor learning experience upon specific aspects of both the teacher/pupil and pupil/pupil relationship. Prior to their taking part in an out of classroom lesson the teachers involved in our project were relatively inexperienced in…

  17. Pupil Mobility, Attainment and Progress in Primary School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Strand, Steve; Demie, Feyisa

    2006-01-01

    This article presents an analysis of the association between pupil mobility and educational attainment in the 2002 national end of Key Stage 2 (KS2) tests for 11-year-old pupils in an inner London education authority. The results show that pupil mobility is strongly associated with low attainment in the end of key stage tests. However, the…

  18. Roma Pupils' Identification with School in Slovenia and Serbia: Case Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Macura-Milovanovic, Suncica; Munda, Milanka; Pecek, Mojca

    2013-01-01

    The research presented in this paper aims to challenge the belief held by some education professionals that Roma pupils do not value education. The research sample included groups of Roma pupils from two countries (Slovenia and Serbia) and from different socio-economic backgrounds. The results suggest that the majority of the pupils are aware of…

  19. Deaf pupils' reasoning about scientific phenomena: school science as a framework for understanding or as fragments of factual knowledge.

    PubMed

    Molander, B O; Pedersen, S; Norell, K

    2001-01-01

    Many studies have been conducted on hearing pupils' understanding of science. Findings from these studies have been used as grounds for planning instruction in school science. This article reports findings from an interview study of how deaf pupils in compulsory school reason about phenomena in a science context. The results reveal that there is variation in the extent to which pupils use scientific principles for reasoning about science phenomena. For some pupils, school science seems to have little to offer as a framework for reasoning. The results also generate questions about the need in school instruction of deaf and hard-of-hearing pupils to consider the specific teaching and learning situations in a deaf environment.

  20. Application of phase-diverse phase retrieval to wavefront sensing in non-connected complicated pupil optics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mao, Heng; Wang, Xiao; Zhao, Dazun

    2007-07-01

    Baseline algorithm, as a tool in wavefront sensing (WFS), incorporates the phase-diverse phase retrieval (PDPR) method with hybrid-unwrapping approach to ensure a unique pupil phase estimate with high WFS accuracy even in the case of high dynamic range aberration, as long as the pupil shape is of a convex set. However, for a complicated pupil, such as that in obstructed pupil optics, the said unwrapping approach would fail owing to the fake values at points located in obstructed areas of the pupil. Thus a modified unwrapping approach that can minimize the negative effects of the obstructed areas is proposed. Simulations have shown the validity of this unwrapping approach when it is embedded in Baseline algorithm.

  1. Joint optimization of source, mask, and pupil in optical lithography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Jia; Lam, Edmund Y.

    2014-03-01

    Mask topography effects need to be taken into consideration for more advanced resolution enhancement techniques in optical lithography. However, rigorous 3D mask model achieves high accuracy at a large computational cost. This work develops a combined source, mask and pupil optimization (SMPO) approach by taking advantage of the fact that pupil phase manipulation is capable of partially compensating for mask topography effects. We first design the pupil wavefront function by incorporating primary and secondary spherical aberration through the coefficients of the Zernike polynomials, and achieve optimal source-mask pair under the condition of aberrated pupil. Evaluations against conventional source mask optimization (SMO) without incorporating pupil aberrations show that SMPO provides improved performance in terms of pattern fidelity and process window sizes.

  2. Pupil engineering for a confocal reflectance line-scanning microscope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Patel, Yogesh G.; Rajadhyaksha, Milind; DiMarzio, Charles A.

    2011-03-01

    Confocal reflectance microscopy may enable screening and diagnosis of skin cancers noninvasively and in real-time, as an adjunct to biopsy and pathology. Current confocal point-scanning systems are large, complex, and expensive. A confocal line-scanning microscope, utilizing a of linear array detector can be simpler, smaller, less expensive, and may accelerate the translation of confocal microscopy in clinical and surgical dermatology. A line scanner may be implemented with a divided-pupil, half used for transmission and half for detection, or with a full-pupil using a beamsplitter. The premise is that a confocal line-scanner with either a divided-pupil or a full-pupil will provide high resolution and optical sectioning that would be competitive to that of the standard confocal point-scanner. We have developed a confocal line-scanner that combines both divided-pupil and full-pupil configurations. This combined-pupil prototype is being evaluated to determine the advantages and limitations of each configuration for imaging skin, and comparison of performance to that of commercially available standard confocal point-scanning microscopes. With the combined configuration, experimental evaluation of line spread functions (LSFs), contrast, signal-to-noise ratio, and imaging performance is in progress under identical optical and skin conditions. Experimental comparisons between divided-pupil and full-pupil LSFs will be used to determine imaging performance. Both results will be compared to theoretical calculations using our previously reported Fourier analysis model and to the confocal point spread function (PSF). These results may lead to a simpler class of confocal reflectance scanning microscopes for clinical and surgical dermatology.

  3. Cochlear implanted pupils in Scottish schools: 4-year school attainment data (2000-2004).

    PubMed

    Thoutenhoofd, Ernst

    2006-01-01

    The Achievements of Deaf Pupils in Scotland (ADPS) project has been tracking the educational attainment of deaf pupils in Scotland's schools since 2000. At the time of writing, the database contains records for 1,752 deaf pupils (2000-2005). Here 4-year aggregate educational attainment data are reported for a subset of 152 school-aged deaf pupils with cochlear implants notified to the ADPS database between June 2000 and June 2004. The data describe primary and secondary school results in reading, writing, and math for this subgroup, as well as placement and communication characteristics. The educational attainment of the group of deaf pupils with cochlear implants is clearly marked when the deaf pupil population is disaggregated for hearing loss, achieving comparatively higher average attainment in both 5-14 Curriculum National Tests (Mathematics in particular) and Standard Grades. Therefore the gap in performance relative to the national population data is reduced for those deaf pupils, although it still widens at higher levels of achievement for the National Tests. Although most pupils with cochlear implants are placed in the mainstream, there is no pattern of migration toward mainstream schools. Some deaf pupils with cochlear implants moved out of mainstream to other types of placement, and this has implications for health-economic cost-utility assessments of cochlear implantation that favor mainstream education by drawing upon the relative cost of different placement types. These findings suggest that the ADPS program of research can contribute school outcome data as valuable real-life outcome measures in wider assessments of the benefit of cochlear implants to deaf children and deaf young people.

  4. Pupils' liking for school: ability grouping, self-concept and perceptions of teaching.

    PubMed

    Ireson, Judith; Hallam, Susan

    2005-06-01

    Research indicates that affective aspects of development provide a basis for autonomous learning. Pupils' liking for school may be a useful indicator of their relationships with teachers and the school. The aim of the research reported in this paper is to establish the properties of a measure of pupils' liking for school and to examine associations between this measure, pupils' experiences in lessons, their self-concepts and the amount of setting implemented in school. A stratified sample of 45 mixed secondary comprehensive schools was selected for the research. Schools represented a variety of ability-grouping practices in the lower school (Years 7-9), from completely mixed-ability to setting in all academic subjects. All Year 9 pupils were included in the sample. Pupils completed a questionnaire containing items on their self-concept, liking for school, and their perceptions of teaching in English, mathematics, and science. Data on pupils' gender, ethnic origin, social disadvantage and attainment was also collected. The properties and correlates of scales indicating pupils' liking for school and their perceptions of teaching in English, mathematics, and science are established. Liking for school is greater among girls, pupils with higher academic self-concepts, and those with more positive perceptions of teaching. Pupils are more positive about teaching they experience in English than in mathematics or science. When other variables are statistically controlled, there is no significant effect of the extent of ability grouping in the school as a whole. Affective aspects of learning should not be neglected in the drive to raise standards.

  5. Promoting prosocial pupil behaviour: 2-secondary school intervention and pupil effects.

    PubMed

    Mooij, T

    1999-12-01

    In an earlier article (Mooij, 1999c) a theoretical multilevel model to promote prosocial pupil behaviour by stimulating specific educational conditions was developed. To carry out school interventions to check empirically whether pupil level effects occur because of educational changes at the classroom and school level. Seven secondary schools with relatively high degrees of pupil aggression were selected. Four schools took part as intervention schools, three schools served as control schools. In 1995 (pretest) and 1997 (post-test) pupils and form teachers of the first and third school years participated by completing questionnaires. Within the pupil cohorts, a longitudinal group of 352 pupils was included. Pretest questionnaires in 1995 were followed by intervention in the intervention schools. Teachers collaborated with staff and researchers to increase pupils' participation and responsibility in specifying and controlling behavioural and didactic rules, related to didactic differentiation during lessons. The validity of the intervention implementation was checked using qualitative information and quantitative data from both pre- and post-test. Longitudinal intervention effects were tested by applying two-level multiple regression analyses. After controlling for pretest and covariables in school year 1, school intervention effects were found in school year 3 with the prediction of being a perpetrator of aggressive behaviour at school, aggressive behaviour outside school, and criminal behaviour. Some small effects were found with respect to victim behaviour. Social-pedagogical and didactic class and school variables, but also home variables and support by peers without problematic behaviour, could be integrated more systematically to promote prosocial development of a pupil's behaviour from the beginning in school.

  6. Image quality comparison of two multifocal IOLs: influence of the pupil.

    PubMed

    García-Domene, Mari Carmen; Felipe, Adelina; Peris-Martínez, Cristina; Navea, Amparo; Artigas, Jose M; Pons, Álvaro M

    2015-04-01

    To evaluate the effect of pupil size on image quality of a sectorial multifocal intraocular lens (IOL), the Lentis Mplus (Oculentis GmbH, Berlin, Germany), and the Acri.LISA IOL (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Jena, Germany). The authors measured the MTFs of the Lentis Mplus LS-312 IOL and the Acri.LISA 366D IOL with three different sizes of pupil diameters: 3, 4, and 5 mm. The MTF was calculated from the cross-line spread function recorded with the OPAL Vector System (Image Science Ltd., Oxford, UK) by using fast Fourier-transform techniques. In distance focus, the image quality provided by the Lentis Mplus IOL was better than that of the Acri. LISA IOL with all pupil diameters. In near focus, the MTF of the Acri.LISA IOL was better with a 3-mm pupil, but poor with larger pupils. The aberration effect was equal in both IOLs in distance focus, but in near focus and with a 3-mm pupil, the Acri.LISA IOL was less affected by the aberration than the Lentis Mplus IOL. The Lentis Mplus IOL provides better distance image quality than the Acri.LISA IOL, whereas the near image quality of the Acri.LISA IOL is better with small-pupil diameter. The sectorial design makes this IOL more suitable for patients with a pupil diameter greater than 3 mm. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

  7. Pupil dilation signals uncertainty and surprise in a learning gambling task.

    PubMed

    Lavín, Claudio; San Martín, René; Rosales Jubal, Eduardo

    2013-01-01

    Pupil dilation under constant illumination is a physiological marker where modulation is related to several cognitive functions involved in daily decision making. There is evidence for a role of pupil dilation change during decision-making tasks associated with uncertainty, reward-prediction errors and surprise. However, while some work suggests that pupil dilation is mainly modulated by reward predictions, others point out that this marker is related to uncertainty signaling and surprise. Supporting the latter hypothesis, the neural substrate of this marker is related to noradrenaline (NA) activity which has been also related to uncertainty signaling. In this work we aimed to test whether pupil dilation is a marker for uncertainty and surprise in a learning task. We recorded pupil dilation responses in 10 participants performing the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), a decision-making task that requires learning and constant monitoring of outcomes' feedback, which are important variables within the traditional study of human decision making. Results showed that pupil dilation changes were modulated by learned uncertainty and surprise regardless of feedback magnitudes. Interestingly, greater pupil dilation changes were found during positive feedback (PF) presentation when there was lower uncertainty about a future negative feedback (NF); and by surprise during NF presentation. These results support the hypothesis that pupil dilation is a marker of learned uncertainty, and may be used as a marker of NA activity facing unfamiliar situations in humans.

  8. Pupil dilation signals uncertainty and surprise in a learning gambling task

    PubMed Central

    Lavín, Claudio; San Martín, René; Rosales Jubal, Eduardo

    2014-01-01

    Pupil dilation under constant illumination is a physiological marker where modulation is related to several cognitive functions involved in daily decision making. There is evidence for a role of pupil dilation change during decision-making tasks associated with uncertainty, reward-prediction errors and surprise. However, while some work suggests that pupil dilation is mainly modulated by reward predictions, others point out that this marker is related to uncertainty signaling and surprise. Supporting the latter hypothesis, the neural substrate of this marker is related to noradrenaline (NA) activity which has been also related to uncertainty signaling. In this work we aimed to test whether pupil dilation is a marker for uncertainty and surprise in a learning task. We recorded pupil dilation responses in 10 participants performing the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), a decision-making task that requires learning and constant monitoring of outcomes’ feedback, which are important variables within the traditional study of human decision making. Results showed that pupil dilation changes were modulated by learned uncertainty and surprise regardless of feedback magnitudes. Interestingly, greater pupil dilation changes were found during positive feedback (PF) presentation when there was lower uncertainty about a future negative feedback (NF); and by surprise during NF presentation. These results support the hypothesis that pupil dilation is a marker of learned uncertainty, and may be used as a marker of NA activity facing unfamiliar situations in humans. PMID:24427126

  9. Raising Pupil Attainment through Family Learning: A Guide for Head Teachers and School Governors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Learning and Work Institute, 2016

    2016-01-01

    This guide is for head teachers and school governors to help them invest their Pupil Premium funding in Family Learning programmes. The Pupil Premium is additional funding for schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and close the gap between them and their peers. Family Learning is a pedagogical approach that refers to…

  10. Primary School Pupils' Views of Characteristics of Good Primary School Teachers: An Exploratory, Open Approach for Investigating Pupils' Perceptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bakx, Anouke; Koopman, Maaike; de Kruijf, Judith; den Brok, Perry

    2015-01-01

    This article reports on results of a study on pupils' perceptions on teacher quality in primary education. Pupils' perceptions of desired characteristics of good teachers in primary education were compared to results of research into teacher quality from different perspectives: (1) perception studies of ideal teaching-and-learning environments;…

  11. The Relationship Between the Change in Pupil Control Ideology of Student Teachers and the Student Teachers's Perception of the Cooperating Teacher's Pupil Control Ideology.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roberts, Richard A.; Blankenship, Jacob W.

    A sample of 108 elementary student teachers was administered the Pupil Control Ideology Form (PCI Form) before and after student teaching. The student teachers' perceptions of their cooperating teachers' pupil control ideology were measured using a modification of the same form. "Socialization pressure," the difference between the…

  12. An Investigation into the Test Reliability of the Pupil Control Ideology Form.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gaffney, Patrick V.; Byrd-Gaffney, Sharon

    The Pupil Control Ideology Form (PCI) is one of the major instruments used by researchers interested in the study of school climate. Pupil control is a central feature of the organizational life of schools, and each school appears to have a prevailing ideology of pupil control. The PCI is a self-report instrument used to measure an educator's…

  13. Are Polish Primary School Pupils in Favor of Wearing Uniforms? Snapshot Comment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Asotska, Julia; Butler, Norman L.; Davidson, Barry S.; Griffith, Kimberly Grantham; Brown, Veda E.; Kritsonis, Wiilliam Allan

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to discuss whether Polish primary school pupils want to wear uniforms, and it is motivated by the Polish government's recently proposed policy: Zero Tolerance for Violence at School. Seventy one pupils, who attend Podstawowka Nr30 school in Cracow, were surveyed, and the authors found that most pupils are not in…

  14. Classroom Conditions for Effective Learning: Hearing the Voice of Key Stage 3 Pupils

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hopkins, Elizabeth

    2010-01-01

    This article argues that accessing and taking note of the voice of pupils is critical in working towards removing barriers to effective learning. Pupil voice was accessed using an innovative form of group interview incorporating an Ishikawa or fishbone tool and card sorting exercise. The data were collected from 132 pupils, from Years 7 to 9 (aged…

  15. Deaf Pupils' Reasoning about Scientific Phenomena: School Science as a Framework for Understanding or as Fragments of Factual Knowledge.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Molander, B. O.; Pedersen, Svend; Norell, Kia

    2001-01-01

    A Swedish interview study of how deaf pupils reason about phenomena in a science context revealed significant variation in the extent to which pupils used scientific principles for reasoning about science phenomena, which suggests that for some pupils, school science offers little as a framework for reasoning. (Contains references.) (DB)

  16. The Impact of School Culture on Schools' Pupil Well-Being Policy-Making Capacities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Gasse, Roos; Vanhoof, Jan; Van Petegem, Peter

    2016-01-01

    Pupil well-being has been an important topic in educational research for some time. Differences between schools in their influence on the well-being of their pupils are attributed to the policy-making capacities of the school. Little is known about schools' policy-making capacities with regard to pupil well-being, and the impact of school culture…

  17. "Just Google It?": Pupils' Perceptions and Experience of Research in the Secondary Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yeoman, Kay; Nardi, Elena; Bowater, Laura; Nguyen, Huyen

    2017-01-01

    While numerous studies examine perceptions of research held by university researchers, studies examining perceptions held by school pupils are rare. To address this gap and following analysis of questionnaire data (N = 2634, KS3/4/5 pupils), we conducted 11 group interviews with 100 pupils in England to investigate their experiences of research…

  18. 34 CFR 222.35 - How does a local educational agency count the membership of its federally connected children?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... also be obtained from school records), including— (A) Name of pupil; (B) Date of birth of the pupil; and (C) Name of public school and grade of the pupil. (ii) Pupil residence and parent employment... tribal official has jurisdiction. (Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number...

  19. 34 CFR 222.35 - How does a local educational agency count the membership of its federally connected children?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... also be obtained from school records), including— (A) Name of pupil; (B) Date of birth of the pupil; and (C) Name of public school and grade of the pupil. (ii) Pupil residence and parent employment... tribal official has jurisdiction. (Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number...

  20. 34 CFR 222.35 - How does a local educational agency count the membership of its federally connected children?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... also be obtained from school records), including— (A) Name of pupil; (B) Date of birth of the pupil; and (C) Name of public school and grade of the pupil. (ii) Pupil residence and parent employment... tribal official has jurisdiction. (Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number...

  1. 34 CFR 222.35 - How does a local educational agency count the membership of its federally connected children?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... also be obtained from school records), including— (A) Name of pupil; (B) Date of birth of the pupil; and (C) Name of public school and grade of the pupil. (ii) Pupil residence and parent employment... tribal official has jurisdiction. (Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number...

  2. 34 CFR 222.35 - How does a local educational agency count the membership of its federally connected children?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... also be obtained from school records), including— (A) Name of pupil; (B) Date of birth of the pupil; and (C) Name of public school and grade of the pupil. (ii) Pupil residence and parent employment... tribal official has jurisdiction. (Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number...

  3. Relationship of Pupils' Spatial Perception and Ability with Their Performance in Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Likouri, Anna-Aikaterini; Klonari, Aikaterini; Flouris, George

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between pupils' spatial perception and abilities and their performance in geography. The sample was 600 6th-grade pupils from various areas of Greece selected by the cluster sampling method. The study results showed that: a) the vast majority of pupils showed low spatial ability; b) there…

  4. Turkish Pupils' Conceptions of the Particulate Nature of Matter

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boz, Yezdan

    2006-01-01

    The purpose of this research study is to explore year 6, 8 & 11 (13, 15 and 17 years old respectively) Turkish pupils' views about the particulate nature of matter within the context of phase changes. About 300 pupils participated in the study. Questionnaires distributed to year 6, 8 and 11 pupils included 6-item open-ended questions about (a)…

  5. Attitudes of Serbian and Slovenian Student Teachers towards Causes of Learning Underachievement amongst Roma Pupils

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Macura-Milovanovic, Suncica; Pecek, Mojca

    2013-01-01

    The task of initial teacher education is to prepare student teachers (ST) to accept responsibility for improving the education of all pupils, including Roma pupils. Thus, knowledge of ST's attitudes regarding such pupils at the onset of initial teacher education is a key for the creation of teacher education programmes that challenge implicit…

  6. Task difficulty differentially affects two measures of processing load: the pupil response during sentence processing and delayed cued recall of the sentences.

    PubMed

    Zekveld, Adriana A; Festen, Joost M; Kramer, Sophia E

    2013-08-01

    In this study, the authors assessed the influence of masking level (29% or 71% sentence perception) and test modality on the processing load during language perception as reflected by the pupil response. In addition, the authors administered a delayed cued stimulus recall test to examine whether processing load affected the encoding of the stimuli in memory. Participants performed speech and text reception threshold tests, during which the pupil response was measured. In the cued recall test, the first half of correctly perceived sentences was presented, and participants were asked to complete the sentences. Reading and listening span tests of working memory capacity were presented as well. Regardless of test modality, the pupil response indicated higher processing load in the 29% condition than in the 71% correct condition. Cued recall was better for the 29% condition. The consistent effect of masking level on the pupil response during listening and reading support the validity of the pupil response as a measure of processing load during language perception. The absent relation between pupil response and cued recall may suggest that cued recall is not directly related to processing load, as reflected by the pupil response.

  7. Training teachers in generalized writing of behavior modification programs for multihandicapped deaf children.

    PubMed

    Hundert, J

    1982-01-01

    In contrast to previous studies where teachers were instructed how to implement behavior modification programs designed by an experimenter, teachers in the present experiment were taught how to write as well as implement behavior modification programs. The generalized effects of two training conditions on teacher and pupil behaviors were assessed by a multiple baseline design where, following baseline, two teachers of multi-handicapped deaf children were taught to set objectives and measure pupil performance (measurement training), Later, through a training manual, they learned a general problem-solving approach to writing behavior modification programs (programming training). After both training conditions, experimenter feedback was given for teachers' application of training to a target behavior for one pupil and generalization was measured across target behaviors for the same pupil and across pupils. It was found that measurement training had little general effect on either teacher behavior or pupil behavior. However, after programming training, teachers increased their program writing and correct use of behavior modification procedures and generalized this training across pupils and target behaviors. Along with these effects, there was improvement in pupil behaviors. Possible explanation for generalized effects of teacher training were considered.

  8. Pupil old/new effects reflect stimulus encoding and decoding in short-term memory.

    PubMed

    Brocher, Andreas; Graf, Tim

    2016-12-01

    We conducted five pupil old/new experiments to examine whether pupil old/new effects can be linked to familiarity and/or recollection processes of recognition memory. In Experiments 1-3, we elicited robust pupil old/new effects for legal words and pseudowords (Experiment 1), positive and negative words (Experiment 2), and low-frequency and high-frequency words (Experiment 3). Importantly, unlike for old/new effects in ERPs, we failed to find any effects of long-term memory representations on pupil old/new effects. In Experiment 4, using the words and pseudowords from Experiment 1, participants made lexical decisions instead of old/new decisions. Pupil old/new effects were restricted to legal words. Additionally requiring participants to make speeded responses (Experiment 5) led to a complete absence of old/new effects. Taken together, these data suggest that pupil old/new effects do not map onto familiarity and recollection processes of recognition memory. They rather seem to reflect strength of memory traces in short-term memory, with little influence of long-term memory representations. Crucially, weakening the memory trace through manipulations in the experimental task significantly reduces pupil/old new effects. © 2016 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  9. Inquiry-based science education: scaffolding pupils' self-directed learning in open inquiry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    van Uum, Martina S. J.; Verhoeff, Roald P.; Peeters, Marieke

    2017-12-01

    This paper describes a multiple case study on open inquiry-based learning in primary schools. During open inquiry, teachers often experience difficulties in balancing support and transferring responsibility to pupils' own learning. To facilitate teachers in guiding open inquiry, we developed hard and soft scaffolds. The hard scaffolds consisted of documents with explanations and/or exercises regarding difficult parts of the inquiry process. The soft scaffolds included explicit references to and additional explanations of the hard scaffolds. We investigated how teacher implementation of these scaffolds contributed to pupils' self-directed learning during open inquiry. Four classes of pupils, aged 10-11, were observed while they conducted an inquiry lesson module of about 10 lessons in their classrooms. Data were acquired via classroom observations, audio recordings, and interviews with teachers and pupils. The results show that after the introduction of the hard scaffolds by the teacher, pupils were able and willing to apply them to their investigations. Combining hard scaffolds with additional soft scaffolding promoted pupils' scientific understanding and contributed to a shared guidance of the inquiry process by the teacher and her pupils. Our results imply that the effective use of scaffolds is an important element to be included in teacher professionalisation.

  10. Factors associated with pupil toilet use in kenyan primary schools.

    PubMed

    Garn, Joshua V; Caruso, Bethany A; Drews-Botsch, Carolyn D; Kramer, Michael R; Brumback, Babette A; Rheingans, Richard D; Freeman, Matthew C

    2014-09-17

    The purpose of this study was to quantify how school sanitation conditions are associated with pupils' use of sanitation facilities. We conducted a longitudinal assessment in 60 primary schools in Nyanza Province, Kenya, using structured observations to measure facility conditions and pupils' use at specific facilities. We used multivariable mixed regression models to characterize how pupil to toilet ratio was associated with toilet use at the school-level and also how facility conditions were associated with pupils' use at specific facilities. We found a piecewise linear relationship between decreasing pupil to toilet ratio and increasing pupil toilet use (p < 0.01). Our data also revealed significant associations between toilet use and newer facility age (p < 0.01), facility type (p < 0.01), and the number of toilets in a facility (p < 0.01). We found some evidence suggesting facility dirtiness may deter girls from use (p = 0.06), but not boys (p = 0.98). Our study is the first to rigorously quantify many of these relationships, and provides insight into the complexity of factors affecting pupil toilet use patterns, potentially leading to a better allocation of resources for school sanitation, and to improved health and educational outcomes for children.

  11. Corneal aberrations in keratoconic eyes: influence of pupil size and centering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Comastri, S. A.; Perez, L. I.; Pérez, G. D.; Martin, G.; Bianchetti, A.

    2011-01-01

    Ocular aberrations vary among subjects and under different conditions and are commonly analyzed expanding the wavefront aberration function in Zernike polynomials. In previous articles, explicit analytical formulas to transform Zernike coefficients of up to 7th order corresponding to an original pupil into those related to a contracted displaced new pupil are obtained. In the present paper these formulas are applied to 20 keratoconic corneas of varying severity. Employing the SN CT1000 topographer, aberrations of the anterior corneal surface for a pupil of semi-diameter 3 mm centered on the keratometric axis are evaluated, the relation between the higher-order root mean square wavefront error and the index KISA% characterizing keratoconus is studied and the size and centering of the ocular photopic natural pupil are determined. Using these data and the transformation formulas, new coefficients associated to the photopic pupil size are computed and their variation when coordinates origin is shifted from the keratometric axis to the ocular pupil centre is analyzed.

  12. Effects of Photo-Depicted Pupil Diameter on Judgments of Others' Attentiveness and on Facial Recognition Memory.

    PubMed

    Watier, Nicholas; Healy, Christopher; Armstrong, Heather

    2017-04-01

    Occasionally, individuals perceive that someone is no longer paying attention to the discussion at hand even when there are no overt cues of inattentiveness. As a preliminary study of this phenomenon, we examined whether pupil diameter might be implicitly used to infer others' attentiveness. Forty participants (27 women, 13 men, M age = 19.7 year, SD = 2.8) were presented with images of male faces with either large or small pupils, and, in the context of a personnel selection scenario, participants then judged the attentiveness of the person in the image. Images of faces with large pupils were judged as more attentive, compared with images of faces with small pupils. Face recognition memory performance was not affected by depicted pupil size. Our results are consistent with the proposal that pupillary fluctuations can be an index of perceived attention, and they provide preliminary evidence that pupil dilation may be implicitly relied upon to infer attentional states.

  13. Contact-free trans-pars-planar illumination enables snapshot fundus camera for nonmydriatic wide field photography.

    PubMed

    Wang, Benquan; Toslak, Devrim; Alam, Minhaj Nur; Chan, R V Paul; Yao, Xincheng

    2018-06-08

    In conventional fundus photography, trans-pupillary illumination delivers illuminating light to the interior of the eye through the peripheral area of the pupil, and only the central part of the pupil can be used for collecting imaging light. Therefore, the field of view of conventional fundus cameras is limited, and pupil dilation is required for evaluating the retinal periphery which is frequently affected by diabetic retinopathy (DR), retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and other chorioretinal conditions. We report here a nonmydriatic wide field fundus camera employing trans-pars-planar illumination which delivers illuminating light through the pars plana, an area outside of the pupil. Trans-pars-planar illumination frees the entire pupil for imaging purpose only, and thus wide field fundus photography can be readily achieved with less pupil dilation. For proof-of-concept testing, using all off-the-shelf components a prototype instrument that can achieve 90° fundus view coverage in single-shot fundus images, without the need of pharmacologic pupil dilation was demonstrated.

  14. Removal of central obscuration and spiders for coronagraphy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abe, L.; Nishikawa, J.; Murakami, N.; Tamura, M.

    2006-06-01

    We present a method to remove the central obscuration and spiders, or any kind of geometry inside a telescope pupil. The technique relies on the combination of a first focal plane diffracting mask, and a complex amplitude pupil mask. In this combination, the central obscuration and eventual spider arms patterns in the re-imaged pupil (after the diffracting mask) are filled with coherent light. Adding an appropriate complex amplitude pupil mask allows virtually any kind of pupil shaping (in both amplitude and/or phase). We show that the obtained output pupil can feed a high efficiency coronagraph (any kind) with a very reasonable overall throughput and good performance even when considering pointing errors. In this paper, we specifically assess the performance of this technique when using apodized entrance pupils. This technique is relevant for ground based telescopes foreseeing the advent of higher order (so called ExAO) adaptive optics systems providing very high Strehl ratios. Some feasibility points are also discussed. adaptive optics systems providing very high Strehl ratios. Some feasibility points are also discussed.

  15. Measurement of Postmortem Pupil Size: A New Method with Excellent Reliability and Its Application to Pupil Changes in the Early Postmortem Period.

    PubMed

    Fleischer, Luise; Sehner, Susanne; Gehl, Axel; Riemer, Martin; Raupach, Tobias; Anders, Sven

    2017-05-01

    Measurement of postmortem pupil width is a potential component of death time estimation. However, no standardized measurement method has been described. We analyzed a total of 71 digital images for pupil-iris ratio using the software ImageJ. Images were analyzed three times by four different examiners. In addition, serial images from 10 cases were taken between 2 and 50 h postmortem to detect spontaneous pupil changes. Intra- and inter-rater reliability of the method was excellent (ICC > 0.95). The method is observer independent and yields consistent results, and images can be digitally stored and re-evaluated. The method seems highly eligible for forensic and scientific purposes. While statistical analysis of spontaneous pupil changes revealed a significant polynomial of quartic degree for postmortem time (p = 0.001), an obvious pattern was not detected. These results do not indicate suitability of spontaneous pupil changes for forensic death time estimation, as formerly suggested. © 2016 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

  16. Pupil Size Tracks Attentional Performance In Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

    PubMed

    Wainstein, G; Rojas-Líbano, D; Crossley, N A; Carrasco, X; Aboitiz, F; Ossandón, T

    2017-08-15

    Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis is based on reported symptoms, which carries the potential risk of over- or under-diagnosis. A biological marker that helps to objectively define the disorder, providing information about its pathophysiology, is needed. A promising marker of cognitive states in humans is pupil size, which reflects the activity of an 'arousal' network, related to the norepinephrine system. We monitored pupil size from ADHD and control subjects, during a visuo-spatial working memory task. A sub group of ADHD children performed the task twice, with and without methylphenidate, a norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor. Off-medication patients showed a decreased pupil diameter during the task. This difference was no longer present when patients were on-medication. Pupil size correlated with the subjects' performance and reaction time variability, two vastly studied indicators of attention. Furthermore, this effect was modulated by medication. Through pupil size, we provide evidence of an involvement of the noradrenergic system during an attentional task. Our results suggest that pupil size could serve as a biomarker in ADHD.

  17. Association of pupil vandalism, bullying and truancy with teachers' absence due to illness: a multilevel analysis.

    PubMed

    Ervasti, Jenni; Kivimäki, Mika; Puusniekka, Riikka; Luopa, Pauliina; Pentti, Jaana; Suominen, Sakari; Vahtera, Jussi; Virtanen, Marianna

    2012-06-01

    The aim of this study was to examine whether vandalism, bullying, and truancy among pupils at school are associated with absence due to illness among teachers. Data on such problem behaviour of 17,033 pupils in 90 schools were linked to absence records of 2364 teachers. Pupil reported vandalism and bullying at the school-level were associated with teachers' short-term (1- to 3-day) absences. Cumulative exposure to various forms of pupils' problem behaviour was associated with even higher rates of short-term absences among teachers. No association was found between pupils' problem behaviour and teachers' long-term (>3-day) absences. In conclusion, there seems to be a link between pupils' problem behaviour and teachers' short-term absence due to illness. Further work should determine whether problem behaviour is a cause or a consequence of absences or whether the association is noncausal. Copyright © 2011 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Pupil size changes during recognition memory.

    PubMed

    Otero, Samantha C; Weekes, Brendan S; Hutton, Samuel B

    2011-10-01

    Pupils dilate to a greater extent when participants view old compared to new items during recognition memory tests. We report three experiments investigating the cognitive processes associated with this pupil old/new effect. Using a remember/know procedure, we found that the effect occurred for old items that were both remembered and known at recognition, although it was attenuated for known compared to remembered items. In Experiment 2, the pupil old/new effect was observed when items were presented acoustically, suggesting the effect does not depend on low-level visual processes. The pupil old/new effect was also greater for items encoded under deep compared to shallow orienting instructions, suggesting it may reflect the strength of the underlying memory trace. Finally, the pupil old/new effect was also found when participants falsely recognized items as being old. We propose that pupils respond to a strength-of-memory signal and suggest that pupillometry provides a useful technique for exploring the underlying mechanisms of recognition memory. Copyright © 2011 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  19. Dataset of red light induced pupil constriction superimposed on post-illumination pupil response.

    PubMed

    Lei, Shaobo; Goltz, Herbert C; Sklar, Jaime C; Wong, Agnes M F

    2016-09-01

    We collected and analyzed pupil diameter data from of 7 visually normal participants to compare the maximum pupil constriction (MPC) induced by "Red Only" vs. "Blue+Red" visual stimulation conditions. The "Red Only" condition consisted of red light (640±10 nm) stimuli of variable intensity and duration presented to dark-adapted eyes with pupils at resting state. This condition stimulates the cone-driven activity of the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGC). The "Blue+Red" condition consisted of the same red light stimulus presented during ongoing blue (470±17 nm) light-induced post-illumination pupil response (PIPR), representing the cone-driven ipRGC activity superimposed on the melanopsin-driven intrinsic activity of the ipRGCs ("The Absence of Attenuating Effect of Red light Exposure on Pre-existing Melanopsin-Driven Post-illumination Pupil Response" Lei et al. (2016) [1]). MPC induced by the "Red Only" condition was compared with the MPC induced by the "Blue+Red" condition by multiple paired sample t -tests with Bonferroni correction.

  20. Very high-resolution spectroscopy for extremely large telescopes using pupil slicing and adaptive optics.

    PubMed

    Beckers, Jacques M; Andersen, Torben E; Owner-Petersen, Mette

    2007-03-05

    Under seeing limited conditions very high resolution spectroscopy becomes very difficult for extremely large telescopes (ELTs). Using adaptive optics (AO) the stellar image size decreases proportional with the telescope diameter. This makes the spectrograph optics and hence its resolution independent of the telescope diameter. However AO for use with ELTs at visible wavelengths require deformable mirrors with many elements. Those are not likely to be available for quite some time. We propose to use the pupil slicing technique to create a number of sub-pupils each of which having its own deformable mirror. The images from all sub-pupils are combined incoherently with a diameter corresponding to the diffraction limit of the sub-pupil. The technique is referred to as "Pupil Slicing Adaptive Optics" or PSAO.

  1. High School Pupils' Understanding of Peer Counselling and Willingness to Use it for Different Types of Bullying

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boulton, Michael John

    2014-01-01

    Bullying affects a substantial proportion of school pupils, and peer counselling services have been established to help tackle this problem. The present study aimed to further the understanding of why affected pupils do or do not choose to utilise this form of social support. Pupils ("N" = 99, aged 12-16 years) from the UK were asked…

  2. Pedagogical Function of the Teacher Working in with Gifted Pupils

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ceka, Ardita; Bajrami, Teuta Jusufi; Kadriu, Lulzime Lutfiu

    2017-01-01

    Working with gifted pupils is a specific problem which differs from the work with other pupils. It wouldn't be correct if we say that working with talented pupils is the same with the general pedagogical work. Even though we accept the gifted students as a particular problem, it is not right to see them as a world in its own, divided from other…

  3. Parental Involvement as a Correlate of Academic Achievement of Primary School Pupils in Edo State, Nigeria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fajoju, Samuel A.; Aluede, Oyaziwo; Ojugo, Augustine I.

    2016-01-01

    This study investigated the relationship between parental involvement in children's education and the academic achievement of primary six pupils in Edo State, Nigeria. The ex-post facto research design was employed in this study. The sample consisted of 1,895 primary six pupils (1,024 males and 863 females drawn from 37,908 primary six pupils in…

  4. Effects of a Six-Session Introductory Psychology Programme on Year 9 Pupils' Interest in Psychology and Approaches to Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Norris, Emma; Chaves, Tahirah De Aguiar; Dunsmuir, Sandra

    2015-01-01

    Psychology is a popular UK A-level, despite many pupils having no previous taught experience of it. Prior introduction to psychology teaching could help pupils make more informed choices to study it. This study evaluates a six-session introduction to psychology programme for 20 Year 9 pupils called "Myth-Busting the Brain." A…

  5. A Case Study on Pupils' Perceptions of Attending a Choral Class: You Get to Know One Another and Reach a Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ehrlin, Anna

    2016-01-01

    Music activities can have a positive impact on pupils' schooling. It is therefore interesting to obtain more knowledge about pupils' perceptions of different kinds of music activities in school and how these activities affect their schooling. The study was conducted in Sweden at a municipal elementary school where pupils are offered choral lessons…

  6. Pupil Home Background Characteristics and Academic Performance in Senior Secondary Schools: A Case Study of Selected Secondary Schools in Kitwe District, Zambia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kakumbi, Zonic; Samuel, Elizabeth B.; Mulendema, Peter J.

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to investigate pupil background characteristics and academic performance in senior secondary schools in Kitwe district with a view of recommending on how to improve pupils' performance. The study was conducted in Kitwe district because in the past years pupils' performance in senior secondary schools has been…

  7. The Leading Group Effect: Illusionary Declines in Scholastic Standard Scores of Mid-Range Japanese Junior High School Pupils

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mori, Kazuo; Uchida, Akitoshi

    2012-01-01

    Longitudinal change in the average Z scores for four groups of pupils sorted by quartiles was examined for its stability over three years. The data, collected from 1998 to 2009, was obtained from nine cohorts of Japanese junior high school pupils totaling 1,962 subjects. It showed illusionary declines among the mid-range pupils but improvements…

  8. Missing Talent. Research Brief. Edition 5

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allen, Rebecca

    2015-01-01

    Every year there are high achievers at primary school, pupils scoring in the top 10% nationally in their Key Stage 2 (KS2) tests, yet who five years later receive a set of GCSE results that place them outside the top 25% of pupils. There are about 7,000 such pupils each year, 15% of all those we term as highly able. We call these pupils our…

  9. Teacher Verbal Feedback Directed towards Secondary Pupils with Challenging Behaviour and Its Relationship to Their Behaviour

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swinson, J.; Knight, R.

    2007-01-01

    There is a body of evidence that has linked teachers' verbal feedback to pupils with pupil behaviour. In this study teacher verbal behaviour that was directed towards those pupils that the teachers had nominated as being especially difficult to teach was examined. A series of lessons was observed in a secondary school. The quality and quantity of…

  10. Using Pupil Perspective Research to Inform Teacher Pedagogy: What Caribbean Pupils with Dyslexia Say about Teaching and Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blackman, Stacey

    2011-01-01

    The transformative potential of pupils' voices is well documented in past research by Pedder and McIntyre; and Cooper and McIntyre. In this qualitative research, I utilise a social constructivist framework by Vygotsky to ask pupils with dyslexia about the kinds of teacher strategies that they find helpful to their learning at secondary school in…

  11. A Comparison of Written Compositions of Head-Start Pupils with Non-Head-Start Pupils.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Houston, David Ree

    This study--a follow-up to one conducted by Giles in 1965-- compared the written compositions of fourth grade pupils who had been in Project Head Start in the summer of 1965 with those of comparable pupils not in the program to determine possible differences in their written language development. Seventy Negro students were divided by sex and…

  12. Oral health status of handicapped primary school pupils in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

    PubMed

    Simon, E N M; Matee, M I; Scheutz, F

    2008-03-01

    There is hardly any information regarding oral health status of handicapped primary school pupils in Tanzania. Determination of their oral health status could help in planning sustainable intervention programmes for this disadvantaged group. To determine caries and periodontal status and treatment needs of handicapped primary school pupils in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. A descriptive cross-sectional study. Uhuru Mchanganyiko and Buguruni special schools, Dar es Salaam. The sample consisted of 179 (55.8%) males and 142 (44.2%) females aged between 7 and 22 years. Majority (71%) were deaf followed by blind (17.8%) and mentally retarded (8.7%). Six (1.9%) pupils were both deaf and blind, while one (0.3%) pupil was blind and mentally retarded. Forty one (12.8%) pupils had at least one decayed deciduous tooth, with the mean (dmfs) ranging from 0.25 to 3.24. The deaf had the highest mean decayed surfaces, followed by the mentally retarded and the blind. There was only one (0.3%) pupil who had a filled deciduous tooth. Thirty three (10.3%) pupils had decayed permanent teeth and 31 (9.7%) had missing permanent teeth. None of the decayed permanent teeth were restored. The blind had the lowest mean deciduous surfaces (DS) scores of between 0 and 1.0. In the mentally retarded group the mean DS ranged from 0.25 to 1.75. About 73.5% of the studied group had bleeding of the gums, with the blind having the highest mean bleeding index scores (p < 0.001) and about 82.8% of the pupils had calculus, with highest mean scores mainly among the blind (p = 0.008). The caries prevalence among handicapped primary school pupils was quite low. However, there was relatively high level of gingival bleeding and calculus. Regarding treatment needs, 23% required dental fillings mainly of one and two surface restorations and 82% required scaling and polishing. Despite these treatment needs these pupils had not received any dental attention.

  13. Impact of Primary Spherical Aberration, Spatial Frequency and Stiles Crawford Apodization on Wavefront determined Refractive Error: A Computational Study

    PubMed Central

    Xu, Renfeng; Bradley, Arthur; Thibos, Larry N.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose We tested the hypothesis that pupil apodization is the basis for central pupil bias of spherical refractions in eyes with spherical aberration. Methods We employed Fourier computational optics in which we vary spherical aberration levels, pupil size, and pupil apodization (Stiles Crawford Effect) within the pupil function, from which point spread functions and optical transfer functions were computed. Through-focus analysis determined the refractive correction that optimized retinal image quality. Results For a large pupil (7 mm), as spherical aberration levels increase, refractions that optimize the visual Strehl ratio mirror refractions that maximize high spatial frequency modulation in the image and both focus a near paraxial region of the pupil. These refractions are not affected by Stiles Crawford Effect apodization. Refractions that optimize low spatial frequency modulation come close to minimizing wavefront RMS, and vary with level of spherical aberration and Stiles Crawford Effect. In the presence of significant levels of spherical aberration (e.g. C40 = 0.4 µm, 7mm pupil), low spatial frequency refractions can induce −0.7D myopic shift compared to high SF refraction, and refractions that maximize image contrast of a 3 cycle per degree square-wave grating can cause −0.75D myopic drift relative to refractions that maximize image sharpness. Discussion Because of small depth of focus associated with high spatial frequency stimuli, the large change in dioptric power across the pupil caused by spherical aberration limits the effective aperture contributing to the image of high spatial frequencies. Thus, when imaging high spatial frequencies, spherical aberration effectively induces an annular aperture defining that portion of the pupil contributing to a well-focused image. As spherical focus is manipulated during the refraction procedure, the dimensions of the annular aperture change. Image quality is maximized when the inner radius of the induced annulus falls to zero, thus defining a circular near paraxial region of the pupil that determines refraction outcome. PMID:23683093

  14. Impact of contact lens zone geometry and ocular optics on bifocal retinal image quality

    PubMed Central

    Bradley, Arthur; Nam, Jayoung; Xu, Renfeng; Harman, Leslie; Thibos, Larry

    2014-01-01

    Purpose To examine the separate and combined influences of zone geometry, pupil size, diffraction, apodisation and spherical aberration on the optical performance of concentric zonal bifocals. Methods Zonal bifocal pupil functions representing eye + ophthalmic correction were defined by interleaving wavefronts from separate optical zones of the bifocal. A two-zone design (a central circular inner zone surrounded by an annular outer-zone which is bounded by the pupil) and a five-zone design (a central small circular zone surrounded by four concentric annuli) were configured with programmable zone geometry, wavefront phase and pupil transmission characteristics. Using computational methods, we examined the effects of diffraction, Stiles Crawford apodisation, pupil size and spherical aberration on optical transfer functions for different target distances. Results Apodisation alters the relative weighting of each zone, and thus the balance of near and distance optical quality. When spherical aberration is included, the effective distance correction, add power and image quality depend on zone-geometry and Stiles Crawford Effect apodisation. When the outer zone width is narrow, diffraction limits the available image contrast when focused, but as pupil dilates and outer zone width increases, aberrations will limit the best achievable image quality. With two-zone designs, balancing near and distance image quality is not achieved with equal area inner and outer zones. With significant levels of spherical aberration, multi-zone designs effectively become multifocals. Conclusion Wave optics and pupil varying ocular optics significantly affect the imaging capabilities of different optical zones of concentric bifocals. With two-zone bifocal designs, diffraction, pupil apodisation spherical aberration, and zone size influence both the effective add power and the pupil size required to balance near and distance image quality. Five-zone bifocal designs achieve a high degree of pupil size independence, and thus will provide more consistent performance as pupil size varies with light level and convergence amplitude. PMID:24588552

  15. Pupils’ and teachers’ experiences of school-based physical education: a qualitative study

    PubMed Central

    Lewis, Kiara

    2014-01-01

    Objectives To explore pupils’ and teachers’ experiences of physical education (PE). Study design A qualitative investigation employing semistructured interviews. Self Determination Theory was used as a guiding theory and Template Analysis was used to analyse the data. Setting A secondary school in the North East of England. Participants 14 pupils (aged 13 and 14, boys and girls) with a range of self-perceived competencies regarding PE and four PE teachers of the pupils (3 male, 1 female). Primary and secondary outcomes (1) Attitudes and perceptions of PE pupils regarding their experiences of compulsory school PE lessons. (2) PE teachers’ experiences of teaching PE. Results Key results from pupils and teachers suggest pupils enjoy participation in PE when they feel competent, in control and supported by others. Feeling competent depended on (1) the activity within PE and (2) the pupils perceived physical capabilities/aptitude. Feeling in control related to (1) having a choice of activities, (2) being able to set exertion levels and (3) control over clothes worn while taking part. Relationships within pupil groups and between pupils and teachers were perceived as important. Teachers could positively influence their pupils’ enjoyment by understanding and supporting their personal goals, as opposed to dictating and controlling what they did and for how long, and by promoting a non-threatening atmosphere between pupils. Conclusions Rising obesity levels and concerns over the fitness of children and young people has returned the focus of PE to its potential as a vehicle for promoting health. This study suggests schools and PE teachers in particular can positively influence the PE experience of both boys and girls by providing more choice of activities and letting pupils make their own decisions based on their personal needs. PMID:25227625

  16. The Effect of Light Level and Small Pupils on Presbyopic Reading Performance.

    PubMed

    Xu, Renfeng; Gil, Daniel; Dibas, Mohammed; Hare, William; Bradley, Arthur

    2016-10-01

    To examine the impact of small pupils and light levels on reading performance of distance-corrected presbyopes. To determine whether small pupils would enable presbyopes to read at near even at low light levels. To establish the lower range of text luminances, we quantified the space-averaged luminance of text in nine different artificially lit interior environments, and examined the impact of the text characters on space-averaged luminance of electronic and printed displays. Distance and near reading speeds of 20 presbyopes (ages 40-60 years) were measured while viewing through artificial pupils (diameters 1-4.5 mm), natural pupils, or with a multifocal contact lens. Space-averaged text luminance levels varied from 0.14 to 140 cd/m2 (including the range of measured environmental text luminances). Adding black text to a white computer display or paper reduces luminance by approximately 15% to 31%, and the lowest encountered environmental text luminance was approximately 2 to 3 cd/m2. For both distance and near reading performance, the 2- to 3-mm small pupil yielded the best overall reading acuity for space-averaged text light levels ≥ 2 cd/m2. The 2- to 3-mm artificial pupils and the multifocal contact lenses both enabled maximum or near-maximum reading speeds for 0.5 logMAR characters at distance and near, but with natural pupils, reading speeds were significantly reduced at near. Although photon noise at low luminance reduces the visual benefits of small pupils, the benefits of 2- to 3-mm artificial pupils are sufficient to enable >80% of distance-corrected presbyopes to read proficiently at near, even at the lowest text luminances found in interior environments.

  17. Everything is ok on YouTube! Quality assessment of YouTube videos on the topic of phacoemulsification in eyes with small pupil.

    PubMed

    Aykut, Aslan; Kukner, Amber Senel; Karasu, Bugra; Palancıglu, Yeliz; Atmaca, Fatih; Aydogan, Tumay

    2018-01-22

    Usage of YouTube as an educational tool is gaining attention in academic research. To date, there has been no study on the content and quality of eye surgery videos on YouTube. The aim of this study was to analyze YouTube videos on phacoemulsification in eyes with small pupil. We searched for the phrases "small pupil cataract surgery," "small pupil phacoemulsification," "small pupil cataract surgery complications," and "small pupil phacoemulsification complications" in January 2015. Each resulting video was evaluated by all authors, and Krippendorff's alpha was calculated to measure agreement. Videos were classified according to pupil size (small/very small) in the beginning of the surgery, and whether pupillary diameter was large enough to continue surgery safely after pupillary dilation by the surgeon in the video (safe/not safe). Methods of dilatation were also analyzed. Any stated ocular comorbidity or surgical complications were noted. A total of 96 videos were reviewed. No mechanical intervention for pupillary dilatation was performed in 46 videos. Fifty-eight operated eyes had no stated ocular comorbidity. Ninety-five operations ended successfully without major complication. There was fair agreement between the evaluators regarding pupil sizes (Kα = 0.670) but poor agreement regarding safety (Kα = 0.337). YouTube videos on small pupil phacoemulsification have low complication rates when compared to the literature, although no reliable mechanical dilatation methods are used in almost half of these videos. Until YouTube's place in e-learning becomes clearer, we suggest that viewers be cautious regarding small pupil phacoemulsification videos on YouTube.

  18. Year 7 dietary intake: a comparison of two schools with middle-high socio-economic status.

    PubMed

    Greatwood, H C; Daly-Smith, A; McGregor, S; McKenna, J

    2013-12-01

    With an established, yet avoidable, link between dietary intake and poor health, the nutritional habits of adolescents remains a public health concern. Previous studies report an inverse relationship between dietary intake and socio-economic status (SES), although few studies have considered the influence of the SES gradient. The present study compared the nutritional profiles of neighbouring schools with pupils from middle to high economic backgrounds. One hundred and ninety pupils from a high SES school (HSESS) and 159 pupils from a middle SES school (MSESS) (aged 11-12 years) completed a 63-item validated food frequency questionnaire. Pupils rated their diet quality and this was compared with a composite Healthy Eating Index (HEI). Children attending MSESS consumed significantly higher intakes of energy (P < 0.001), carbohydrate (P = 0.001), fat (P < 0.001) and protein (P = 0.001). As a percentage of energy contribution, pupils in both schools consumed excess saturated fat (HSESS, +5% boys, +4% girls; MSESS, +4% both boys and girls) and sugar (HSESS, +9% boys, +11% girls; MSESS, +10% boys, +11% girls). When HEI was compared with self-report diet quality, 96% HSESS pupils and 94% MSESS pupils over-rated the quality of their diet. The present study identified that, although pupils from MSESS consume a significantly higher intake of energy and macronutrient compared to a nearby HSESS, the percentage of energy contribution of saturated fat and sugar is above government recommendations for pupils from both schools. Additionally, the majority of pupils from both schools substantially over-rated their diet quality compared to a HEI. © 2013 The Authors Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics © 2013 The British Dietetic Association Ltd.

  19. Pupil dilation dynamics with an intracameral fixed combination of mydriatics and anesthetic during cataract surgery.

    PubMed

    Chiambaretta, Frederic; Pleyer, Uwe; Behndig, Anders; Pisella, Pierre-Jean; Mertens, Erik; Limao, Antonio; Fasce, Francesco; Fernandez, Joaquin; Benmoussa, Salah-Eddine; Labetoulle, Marc; Cochener, Beatrice

    2018-03-01

    To compare the pupil dynamics of an intracameral combination of 2 mydriatics and 1 anesthetic (Mydrane) to a standard topical regimen for cataract surgery. Sixty-two centers in Europe and 6 centers in Algeria. Prospective case series. Pupil size measurements were performed in 2 randomized studies (phase 2 and phase 3) under masked conditions (recorded videography, masked reading center). The outcomes in the phase 2 study supported evaluation of the timeframe to obtain pupil dilation and the phase 3 study provided results on mydriasis stability. Phase 2 and phase 3 comprised 139 patients and 591 patients, respectively. After intracameral combination administration, 95% of the pupil dilation was achieved within a mean of 28.6 seconds ± 4.6 (SD). At the beginning of capsulorhexis creation, the mean pupil diameter was larger than 7.0 mm in both groups. The intraoperative pupil diameter remained stable in the intracameral combination group and decreased in the topical group. The mean change in pupil size just before capsulorhexis to the end of surgery (just before cefuroxime injection) was -0.22 ± 0.72 mm and -1.67 ± 0.98 mm, respectively. No clinically significant change in pupil diameter (change <1.0 mm) occurred in the majority of the intracameral combination group (89.3%) compared with the topical group (26.8%). Intracameral combination of 2 mydriatics and 1 anesthetic is an alternative to topical mydriatics for cataract surgery. The prompt onset of pupil dilation and the stable mydriasis induced by this drug combination improved the intraoperative conditions during crucial steps, such as intraocular lens implantation. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  20. The pupillary light responses of animals; a review of their distribution, dynamics, mechanisms and functions.

    PubMed

    Douglas, Ronald H

    2018-05-01

    The timecourse and extent of changes in pupil area in response to light are reviewed in all classes of vertebrate and cephalopods. Although the speed and extent of these responses vary, most species, except the majority of teleost fish, show extensive changes in pupil area related to light exposure. The neuromuscular pathways underlying light-evoked pupil constriction are described and found to be relatively conserved, although the precise autonomic mechanisms differ somewhat between species. In mammals, illumination of only one eye is known to cause constriction in the unilluminated pupil. Such consensual responses occur widely in other animals too, and their function and relation to decussation of the visual pathway is considered. Intrinsic photosensitivity of the iris muscles has long been known in amphibia, but is in fact widespread in other animals. The functions of changes in pupil area are considered. In the majority of species, changes in pupil area serve to balance the conflicting demands of high spatial acuity and increased sensitivity in different light levels. In the few teleosts in which pupil movements occur they do not serve a visual function but play a role in camouflaging the eye of bottom-dwelling species. The occurrence and functions of the light-independent changes in pupil size displayed by many animals are also considered. Finally, the significance of the variations in pupil shape, ranging from circular to various orientations of slits, ovals, and other shapes, is discussed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Frequency and Efficacy of Talk-Related Tasks in Primary Science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Braund, Martin; Leigh, Joanne

    2013-04-01

    Pupil talk and discussion are seen as having important social and cognitive outcomes. In science classes, pupils' collaborative talk supports the construction of meaning and helps examine the status of evidence, theory and knowledge. However, pupil interactive talk in groups is rare in science lessons. The research reported is part of a project to increase the amount of pupil-pupil talk in primary schools through a programme of teaching and professional development. Pupils' self-reports of the frequency and learning efficacies of talk related activities in science lessons were collected before and after a programme of teaching in 24 schools in one of the most socially and educationally deprived areas of England. Findings showed pupils valued talking about their ideas over listening to those of other pupils. Science talk frequency (STF) was closely correlated with science talk efficacy (STE) and both were positively correlated with pupils' attitudes to school science. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) of the correlation of STF with STE showed values were independent of gender and ability but that school experience was a significant factor. After the teaching programme and, contrary to expectations, the frequency of talk activities in science lessons appeared to have decreased but varied according to class grades. The degree of correlation between STF and STE was stronger after the teaching in over half of the schools. Schools where STF/STE strengthened most as a result of teaching were those involved in an additional initiative to use modelled talk related to industrial contexts.

  2. Observations of teachers in Ilorin, Nigeria on their practices of corporal punishment that are potentially injurious to their pupils' eyes.

    PubMed

    Mahmoud, Abdulraheem Olarongbe; Ayanniyi, Abdulkabir Ayansiji; Salman, Medinat Folorunso

    2011-01-01

    To document the observations of elementary school teachers (ESTs) in Ilorin, Nigeria on their practice of some types of corporal punishment (CP) that could result in eye injuries among their pupils. A short battery of questions that explored ESTs' observations on attitudes to, and knowledge of some commonly used CP practices was self-administered on 172 consenting teachers from six sampled schools. The potentials for their pupils to sustain eye injuries while receiving such CP practices were inferred from the usage of items with sharp and protruding ends to administer CP, and the application of CP onto pupils' body parts that are in close proximity to the eye such as the head and face. Only 50 of the 172 ESTs favored the practice of CP of pupils by their teachers. Analyses of several potentially moderating variables on this response such as ESTs' ages, years of EST teaching experience, school, and class or grade that EST teaches did not prove significant. Over three-quarters of ESTs (80.2%) had ever observed that pupils were being disciplined by ESTs with a cane. About a fifth of them had also observed that ESTs applied CP to the head (19.8%) and the face (16.3%) of pupils. Findings suggest that ESTs' commonly employed CP practices have significant injurious potential to their pupils' eyes. It is recommended that CP be abolished in elementary schools, and instead alternative nonabusive methods of disciplining erring pupils by teachers be introduced.

  3. A NEW CONCEPT FOR SPECTROPHOTOMETRY OF EXOPLANETS WITH SPACE-BORNE TELESCOPES

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Matsuo, Taro; Itoh, Satoshi; Shibai, Hiroshi

    2016-06-01

    We propose a new concept for the spectral characterization of transiting exoplanets with future space-based telescopes. This concept, called densified pupil spectroscopy, allows us to perform high, stable spectrophotometry against telescope pointing jitter and deformation of the primary mirror. This densified pupil spectrometer comprises the following three roles: division of a pupil into a number of sub-pupils, densification of each sub-pupil, and acquisition of the spectrum of each sub-pupil with a conventional spectrometer. Focusing on the fact that the divided and densified sub-pupil can be treated as a point source, we discovered that a simplified spectrometer allows us to acquiremore » the spectra of the densified sub-pupils on the detector plane−an optical conjugate with the primary mirror−by putting the divided and densified sub-pupils on the entrance slit of the spectrometer. The acquired multiple spectra are not principally moved on the detector against low-order aberrations such as the telescope pointing jitter and any deformation of the primary mirror. The reliability of the observation result is also increased by statistically treating them. Our numerical calculations show that because this method suppresses the instrumental systematic errors down to 10 ppm under telescopes with modest pointing accuracy, next generation space telescopes with more than 2.5 m diameter potentially provide opportunities to characterize temperate super-Earths around nearby late-type stars through the transmission spectroscopy and secondary eclipse.« less

  4. ''I Don't Think I Would Be Where I Am Right Now''. Pupil Perspectives on Using Mobile Devices for Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walker, Ros

    2013-01-01

    Are pupils in the United Kingdom using mobile devices to help their learning? If so, what are they using and why? This article is based on research carried out by questionnaire, observation and pupil interviews at two English academies. One of the academies provides mobile devices for the pupils, and the other bans the use of mobile devices. The…

  5. Configuration and Dynamics of the Earth-Sun-Moon System: An Investigation into Conceptions of Deaf and Hearing Pupils.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roald, Ingvild; Mikalsen, Oyvind

    2001-01-01

    Reports and analyzes the day and night cycle, the seasons, and the phases of the moon as seen by Norwegian deaf pupils aged 7, 9, 11, and 17 years, and by hearing Norwegian pupils 9 years old. Among the 9-year-olds there was no difference in the inner coherence of the conceptions between deaf pupils. (Author/SAH)

  6. What Are the Earth and the Heavenly Bodies Like? A Study of Objectual Conceptions among Norwegian Deaf and Hearing Pupils.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roald, Ingvild; Mikalsen, Oyvind

    2000-01-01

    Addresses deaf pupils' conceptions of directly-observed phenomena of the earth and sky. Studies 7-, 9-, 11-, and 17-year-old deaf pupils and uses 9-year-old Norwegian pupils with normal hearing as the control group. Reports that the children's conceptions are scientifically accepted. Indicates that the shape of the sign representing an object may…

  7. Objective Lens Optimized for Wavefront Delivery, Pupil Imaging, and Pupil Ghosting

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Olzcak, Gene

    2009-01-01

    An interferometer objective lens (or diverger) may be used to transform a collimated beam into a diverging or converging beam. This innovation provides an objective lens that has diffraction-limited optical performance that is optimized at two sets of conjugates: imaging to the objective focus and imaging to the pupil. The lens thus provides for simultaneous delivery of a high-quality beam and excellent pupil resolution properties.

  8. Performing below the Targeted Level: An Investigation into KS3 Pupils' Attitudes towards Mathematics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mirza, Anusha; Hussain, Nasreen

    2018-01-01

    This study sets out to investigate the attitude KS3 pupils have towards mathematics and the factors that influence this attitude. A case study approach was used as the pupils were a unit of the school under study and a survey method was chosen to provide scope to the study. Purposeful sampling was employed for the selection of 200 pupils from…

  9. A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: A Comparison of Pupils' Images of Intelligence in Finnish and Russian Karelia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Raty, Hannu; Komulainen, Katri; Skorokhodova, Nina; Kolesnikov, Vadim; Hamalainen, Anna

    2011-01-01

    The study set out to examine Finnish and Russian children's images of intelligence as contextualized in the systems of the school and gender. Finnish and Russian pupils, aged 11-12 years, were asked to draw pictures of an intelligent and an ordinary pupil and a good and an ordinary pupil. A distinctive feature shared by the children in both…

  10. Disentangling reward anticipation with simultaneous pupillometry / fMRI.

    PubMed

    Schneider, Max; Leuchs, Laura; Czisch, Michael; Sämann, Philipp G; Spoormaker, Victor I

    2018-05-05

    The reward system may provide an interesting intermediate phenotype for anhedonia in affective disorders. Reward anticipation is characterized by an increase in arousal, and previous studies have linked the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) to arousal responses such as dilation of the pupil. Here, we examined pupil dynamics during a reward anticipation task in forty-six healthy human subjects and evaluated its neural correlates using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Pupil size showed a strong increase during monetary reward anticipation, a moderate increase during verbal reward anticipation and a decrease during control trials. For fMRI analyses, average pupil size and pupil change were computed in 1-s time bins during the anticipation phase. Activity in the ventral striatum was inversely related to the pupil size time course, indicating an early onset of activation and a role in reward prediction processing. Pupil dilations were linked to increased activity in the salience network (dorsal ACC and bilateral insula), which likely triggers an increase in arousal to enhance task performance. Finally, increased pupil size preceding the required motor response was associated with activity in the ventral attention network. In sum, pupillometry provides an effective tool for disentangling different phases of reward anticipation, with relevance for affective symptomatology. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Decreased retinal sensitivity in depressive disorder: a controlled study.

    PubMed

    Berman, G; Muttuvelu, D; Berman, D; Larsen, J I; Licht, R W; Ledolter, J; Kardon, R H

    2018-03-01

    To compare pupil responses in depressed patients with a seasonal pattern, depressed patients without a seasonal pattern and healthy controls as a function of daylight hours on the testing day. Patients suffering from a major depressive episode were included in wintertime. The pupil light reflex was measured at inclusion and in the following summer using a binocular pupillometer. A protocol of low (1 lux) and high (400 lux) intensity red and blue lights was used to assess rod, cone and melanopsin-containing intrinsic photosensitive retinal ganglion cell input to the pupil reflex. The mean group pupil responses associated with a melanopsin-mediated sustained pupil response at 400 lux blue light were significantly reduced in the depressed subjects (N = 39) as compared to the healthy controls (N = 24) (P = 0.023). Across all groups, a reduction in number of daylight hours was significantly associated with a reduction in sustained pupil response (P = 0.007). All groups showed an equal effect of daylight hours on the melanopsin-mediated sustained pupil response. The melanopsin-mediated sustained pupil contraction to offset of high-intensity blue light is reduced in depressed patients. These results further emphasize the interaction of light exposure with depression. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  12. Science investigation: the views of 14 to 16 year old pupils

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Toplis, Rob; Cleaves, Anna

    2006-05-01

    This paper reports research about upper secondary school pupils' views about science investigations in school. Although researchers, teachers and examiners have expressed opinions about investigative work in science, there have been relatively few studies of pupils' experiences. The present study identified pupils' concerns about the limited time available, timing of the investigations, lack of familiarity with apparatus and the association of investigation almost exclusively with assessment, all factors which contributed to stress. One exceptional school apart, pupils perceived the teacher's role as a didactic supporter of strategies to maximise performance for assessment. We discuss these views and examine the potential for putting policy into practice.

  13. Pupil diameter as predictor of cognitive load: A novel tool for geoscience education research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mitra, R.; McNeal, K.

    2015-12-01

    Pupils can truly serve as windows to the mind. Since the early part of the last decade, pupillometry, the study of pupils in response to cognitive tasks, have gained traction in psychophysiological studies. Muscles of the iris work in tandem with the autonomic nervous system in response to light condition to either dilate or contract the pupil, usually between 2 to 7 mm. Along with this response to light conditions, the pupils also contract or dilate in response to emotional or mental response. Therefore, for a cognitive task, if the ambient brightness is controlled, pupil dilation reflects the cognitive load associated with the task. Simple tasks such as counting, memorizing, multiplying and visual searching have been found to have pupillometry profiles reflective of the cognitive load involved with such tasks. In this study, we investigate whether pupil diameter can be used for education research where tasks can be more complex. In particular, we look at two specific types of tasks common in geoscience and several other STEM fields: graph reading and spatial problem solving.

  14. Pupils' Perceptions of the Foreign Language Learning Experience.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chambers, Gary N.

    1998-01-01

    Presents findings relating to a study on pupils' perceptions of the in-school foreign language learning experience. The study is part of a longitudinal study on the motivational perspectives of secondary pupils learning German. (Author/VWL)

  15. Longitudinal Effects of Class Size Reductions on Attainment: Results from Hong Kong Primary Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Galton, Maurice; Pell, Tony

    2012-01-01

    In a four-year study of the effect of class size on pupil outcomes in a sample of 36 primary schools in Hong Kong, it has been found that there are few positive differences in attainment between classes set at less than 25 pupils and those of normal size averaging 38. Three cohorts of pupils were studied. In Cohort 1 pupils spent 3 years in small…

  16. Using Pupil Diameter Changes for Measuring Mental Workload under Mental Processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Batmaz, Ihsan; Ozturk, Mustafa

    In this study, it is aimed to evaluate the mental workload by using a practical way which based on measuring pupil diameter changes that occurs under mental processing. To determine the mental effort required for each task, the video record of subjects` eyes are taken while they are performed different tasks and pupils were measured from the records. A group of university student, one female 9 males participated to the experiment. Additionally, NASA-TLX questionnaire is applied for the related mental tasks. For verification of results obtained from both indices, the correlation coefficient is calculated task base. The results show that there is weak and negative correlation between the indices on task base except 3rd task. By investigating pupil diameter measurements data too, it is founded that pupil dilates under mental workload during performing related tasks. For all tasks, pupil diameters of response periods increased according to reference baseline period.

  17. Future engineers: the intrinsic technology motivation of secondary school pupils

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jones, Lewis C. R.; McDermott, Hilary J.; Tyrer, John R.; Zanker, Nigel P.

    2018-07-01

    The supply of students motivated to study engineering in higher education is critical to the sector. Results are presented from the 'Mindsets STEM Enhancement Project'. Fifty-seven new resources packs, designed to improve STEM education in Design and Technology, were given to schools across London. A modified Intrinsic Motivation Inventory questionnaire measured pupils' (n = 458) motivation towards technology. The results show that although pupils have positive reactions to the technology content within Design and Technology lessons, the type of STEM resources and lessons created through the project had made no significant difference on pupils' interest/enjoyment towards technology. This suggests stand-alone resources do not improve pupil motivation. The impact of this work to engineering higher education is that the existing levels and the inability to improve pupil motivation in technology at school could be a factor affecting the pursuit of a technology or engineering related education or career.

  18. Aberration correction in wide-field fluorescence microscopy by segmented-pupil image interferometry.

    PubMed

    Scrimgeour, Jan; Curtis, Jennifer E

    2012-06-18

    We present a new technique for the correction of optical aberrations in wide-field fluorescence microscopy. Segmented-Pupil Image Interferometry (SPII) uses a liquid crystal spatial light modulator placed in the microscope's pupil plane to split the wavefront originating from a fluorescent object into an array of individual beams. Distortion of the wavefront arising from either system or sample aberrations results in displacement of the images formed from the individual pupil segments. Analysis of image registration allows for the local tilt in the wavefront at each segment to be corrected with respect to a central reference. A second correction step optimizes the image intensity by adjusting the relative phase of each pupil segment through image interferometry. This ensures that constructive interference between all segments is achieved at the image plane. Improvements in image quality are observed when Segmented-Pupil Image Interferometry is applied to correct aberrations arising from the microscope's optical path.

  19. Cigarette access and pupil smoking rates: a circular relationship?

    PubMed

    Turner, Katrina M; Gordon, Jacki; Young, Robert

    2004-12-01

    Adolescents obtain cigarettes from both commercial and social sources. While the relationship between commercial access and adolescent smoking has been researched, no one has considered in detail whether rates of peer smoking affect cigarette availability. In two relatively deprived Scottish schools that differed in their pupil smoking rates, we assess pupil access to cigarettes. 896 13 and 15 year olds were surveyed, and 25 single-sex discussion groups held with a sub-sample of the 13 year olds. Smokers in both schools obtained cigarettes from shops, food vans and other pupils. However, pupils in the 'high' smoking school perceived greater access to both commercial and social sources, and had access to an active 'peer market'. These findings suggest that variations in cigarette access may contribute to school differences in pupil smoking rates, and that the relationship between access and adolescent smoking is circular, with greater availability increasing rates, and higher rates enhancing access.

  20. Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cell function in relation to age: A pupillometric study in humans with special reference to the age-related optic properties of the lens

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background The activity of melanopsin containing intrinsically photosensitive ganglion retinal cells (ipRGC) can be assessed by a means of pupil responses to bright blue (appr.480 nm) light. Due to age related factors in the eye, particularly, structural changes of the lens, less light reaches retina. The aim of this study was to examine how age and in vivo measured lens transmission of blue light might affect pupil light responses, in particular, mediated by the ipRGC. Methods Consensual pupil responses were explored in 44 healthy subjects aged between 26 and 68 years. A pupil response was recorded to a continuous 20 s light stimulus of 660 nm (red) or 470 nm (blue) both at 300 cd/m2 intensity (14.9 and 14.8 log photons/cm2/s, respectively). Additional recordings were performed using four 470 nm stimulus intensities of 3, 30, 100 and 300 cd/m2. The baseline pupil size was measured in darkness and results were adjusted for the baseline pupil and gender. The main outcome parameters were maximal and sustained pupil contraction amplitudes and the postillumination response assessed as area under the curve (AUC) over two time-windows: early (0–10 s after light termination) and late (10–30 s after light termination). Lens transmission was measured with an ocular fluorometer. Results The sustained pupil contraction and the early poststimulus AUC correlated positively with age (p = 0.02, p = 0.0014, respectively) for the blue light stimulus condition only. The maximal pupil contraction amplitude did not correlate to age either for bright blue or red light stimulus conditions. Lens transmission decreased linearly with age (p < 0.0001). The pupil response was stable or increased with decreasing transmission, though only significantly for the early poststimulus AUC to 300 cd/m2 light (p = 0.02). Conclusions Age did not reduce, but rather enhance pupil responses mediated by ipRGC. The age related decrease of blue light transmission led to similar results, however, the effect of age was greater on these pupil responses than that of the lens transmission. Thus there must be other age related factors such as lens scatter and/or adaptive processes influencing the ipRGC mediated pupil response enhancement observed with advancing age. PMID:22471313

  1. Fine-grained versus categorical: Pupil size differentiates between strategies for spatial working memory performance.

    PubMed

    Starc, Martina; Anticevic, Alan; Repovš, Grega

    2017-05-01

    Pupillometry provides an accessible option to track working memory processes with high temporal resolution. Several studies showed that pupil size increases with the number of items held in working memory; however, no study has explored whether pupil size also reflects the quality of working memory representations. To address this question, we used a spatial working memory task to investigate the relationship of pupil size with spatial precision of responses and indicators of reliance on generalized spatial categories. We asked 30 participants (15 female, aged 19-31) to remember the position of targets presented at various locations along a hidden radial grid. After a delay, participants indicated the remembered location with a high-precision joystick providing a parametric measure of trial-to-trial accuracy. We recorded participants' pupil dilations continuously during task performance. Results showed a significant relation between pupil dilation during preparation/early encoding and the precision of responses, possibly reflecting the attentional resources devoted to memory encoding. In contrast, pupil dilation at late maintenance and response predicted larger shifts of responses toward prototypical locations, possibly reflecting larger reliance on categorical representation. On an intraindividual level, smaller pupil dilations during encoding predicted larger dilations during late maintenance and response. On an interindividual level, participants relying more on categorical representation also produced larger precision errors. The results confirm the link between pupil size and the quality of spatial working memory representation. They suggest compensatory strategies of spatial working memory performance-loss of precise spatial representation likely increases reliance on generalized spatial categories. © 2017 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  2. Pupils' over-reliance on linearity: a scholastic effect?

    PubMed

    Van Dooren, Wim; De Bock, Dirk; Janssens, Dirk; Verschaffel, Lieven

    2007-06-01

    From upper elementary education on, children develop a tendency to over-use linearity. Particularly, it is found that many pupils assume that if a figure enlarges k times, the area enlarges k times too. However, most research was conducted with traditional, school-like word problems. This study examines whether pupils also over-use linearity if non-linear problems are embedded in meaningful, authentic performance tasks instead of traditional, school-like word problems, and whether this experience influences later behaviour. Ninety-three sixth graders from two primary schools in Flanders, Belgium. Pupils received a pre-test with traditional word problems. Those who made a linear error on the non-linear area problem were subjected to individual interviews. They received one new non-linear problem, in the S-condition (again a traditional, scholastic word problem), D-condition (the same word problem with a drawing) or P-condition (a meaningful performance-based task). Shortly afterwards, pupils received a post-test, containing again a non-linear word problem. Most pupils from the S-condition displayed linear reasoning during the interview. Offering drawings (D-condition) had a positive effect, but presenting the problem as a performance task (P-condition) was more beneficial. Linear reasoning was nearly absent in the P-condition. Remarkably, at the post-test, most pupils from all three groups again applied linear strategies. Pupils' over-reliance on linearity seems partly elicited by the school-like word problem format of test items. Pupils perform much better if non-linear problems are offered as performance tasks. However, a single experience does not change performances on a comparable word problem test afterwards.

  3. Numerical stress analysis of the iris tissue induced by pupil expansion: Comparison of commercial devices

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Xiaofei; Perera, Shamira A.; Girard, Michaël J. A.

    2018-01-01

    Purpose (1) To use finite element (FE) modelling to estimate local iris stresses (i.e. internal forces) as a result of mechanical pupil expansion; and to (2) compare such stresses as generated from several commercially available expanders (Iris hooks, APX dilator and Malyugin ring) to determine which design and deployment method are most likely to cause iris damage. Methods We used a biofidelic 3-part iris FE model that consisted of the stroma, sphincter and dilator muscles. Our FE model simulated expansion of the pupil from 3 mm to a maximum of 6 mm using the aforementioned pupil expanders, with uniform circular expansion used for baseline comparison. FE-derived stresses, resultant forces and area of final pupil opening were compared across devices for analysis. Results Our FE models demonstrated that the APX dilator generated the highest stresses on the sphincter muscles, (max: 6.446 MPa; average: 5.112 MPa), followed by the iris hooks (max: 5.680 MPa; average: 5.219 MPa), and the Malyugin ring (max: 2.144 MPa; average: 1.575 MPa). Uniform expansion generated the lowest stresses (max: 0.435MPa; average: 0.377 MPa). For pupil expansion, the APX dilator required the highest force (41.22 mN), followed by iris hooks (40.82 mN) and the Malyugin ring (18.56 mN). Conclusion Our study predicted that current pupil expanders exert significantly higher amount of stresses and forces than required during pupil expansion. Our work may serve as a guide for the development and design of next-generation pupil expanders. PMID:29538452

  4. Integrated STEM in secondary education: A case study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    De Meester, Jolien; Knipprath, Heidi; Thielemans, Jan; De Cock, Mieke; Langie, Greet; Dehaene, Wim

    2016-05-01

    Despite many opportunities to study STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) in Flemish secondary education, only a minority of pupils are actually pursuing STEM fields in higher education and jobs. One reason could be that they do not see the relevance of science and mathematics. In order to draw their pupils' interest in STEM, a Belgian school started a brand new initiative: the school set up and implemented a first year course that integrates various STEM disciplines, hoping to provide an answer to the question pupils often ask themselves about the need to study math and science. The integrated curriculum was developed by the school's teachers and a STEM education research group of the University of Leuven. To examine the pupils' attitude towards STEM and STEM professions and their notion of relevance of STEM at the end of this one-year course, a post-test was administered to the group of pupils who attended the integrated STEM course (the experimental group) and to a group of pupils that took traditional, non-integrated STEM courses (the control group). The results reveal that attending the integrated STEM course is significantly related to pupils' interest in STEM and notion of relevance of STEM. Another post-test was administered only to the experimental group to investigate pupils' understanding of math and physics concepts and their relation when taught in an integrated way. The results reveal that the pupils have some conceptual understanding and can, to a certain extent, make a transfer of concepts across different STEM disciplines. However, the test results did point out that some additional introductory training in pure math context is needed.

  5. Objective lens simultaneously optimized for pupil ghosting, wavefront delivery and pupil imaging

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Olczak, Eugene G (Inventor)

    2011-01-01

    An objective lens includes multiple optical elements disposed between a first end and a second end, each optical element oriented along an optical axis. Each optical surface of the multiple optical elements provides an angle of incidence to a marginal ray that is above a minimum threshold angle. This threshold angle minimizes pupil ghosts that may enter an interferometer. The objective lens also optimizes wavefront delivery and pupil imaging onto an optical surface under test.

  6. Pupillographic assessment of sleepiness in sleep-deprived healthy subjects.

    PubMed

    Wilhelm, B; Wilhelm, H; Lüdtke, H; Streicher, P; Adler, M

    1998-05-01

    Spontaneous pupillary-behavior in darkness provides information about a subject's level of sleepiness. In the present work, pupil measurements in complete darkness and quiet have been recorded continuously over 11-minute period with infrared video pupillography at 25 Hz. The data have been analyzed to yield three parameters describing pupil behavior; the power of diameter variation at frequencies below 0.8 Hz (slow changes in pupil size), the pupillary unrest index, and the average pupil size. To investigate the changes of these parameters in sleep deprivation, spontaneous pupillary behavior in darkness was recorded every 2 hours in 13 healthy subjects from 19:00 to 07:00 during forced wakefulness. On each occasion, comparative subjective sleepiness was assessed with a self-rating scale (Stanford Sleepiness Scale, SSS). The power of slow pupillary oscillations (< or = 0.8 Hz) increased significantly and so did the values of SSS, while basic pupil diameter decreased significantly. Slow pupillary oscillations and SSS did not correlate well in general but high values of pupil parameters were always associated with high values in subjective rating. Our results demonstrate a strong relationship between ongoing sleep deprivation and typical changes in the frequency profiles of spontaneous pupillary oscillations and the tendency to instability in pupil size in normals. These findings suggest that the results of pupil data analysis permit an objective measurement of sleepiness.

  7. The relationship between baseline pupil size and intelligence.

    PubMed

    Tsukahara, Jason S; Harrison, Tyler L; Engle, Randall W

    2016-12-01

    Pupil dilations of the eye are known to correspond to central cognitive processes. However, the relationship between pupil size and individual differences in cognitive ability is not as well studied. A peculiar finding that has cropped up in this research is that those high on cognitive ability have a larger pupil size, even during a passive baseline condition. Yet these findings were incidental and lacked a clear explanation. Therefore, in the present series of studies we systematically investigated whether pupil size during a passive baseline is associated with individual differences in working memory capacity and fluid intelligence. Across three studies we consistently found that baseline pupil size is, in fact, related to cognitive ability. We showed that this relationship could not be explained by differences in mental effort, and that the effect of working memory capacity and fluid intelligence on pupil size persisted even after 23 sessions and taking into account the effect of novelty or familiarity with the environment. We also accounted for potential confounding variables such as; age, ethnicity, and drug substances. Lastly, we found that it is fluid intelligence, more so than working memory capacity, which is related to baseline pupil size. In order to provide an explanation and suggestions for future research, we also consider our findings in the context of the underlying neural mechanisms involved. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Pupil size directly modulates the feedforward response in human primary visual cortex independently of attention.

    PubMed

    Bombeke, Klaas; Duthoo, Wout; Mueller, Sven C; Hopf, Jens-Max; Boehler, C Nico

    2016-02-15

    Controversy revolves around the question of whether psychological factors like attention and emotion can influence the initial feedforward response in primary visual cortex (V1). Although traditionally, the electrophysiological correlate of this response in humans (the C1 component) has been found to be unaltered by psychological influences, a number of recent studies have described attentional and emotional modulations. Yet, research into psychological effects on the feedforward V1 response has neglected possible direct contributions of concomitant pupil-size modulations, which are known to also occur under various conditions of attentional load and emotional state. Here we tested the hypothesis that such pupil-size differences themselves directly affect the feedforward V1 response. We report data from two complementary experiments, in which we used procedures that modulate pupil size without differences in attentional load or emotion while simultaneously recording pupil-size and EEG data. Our results confirm that pupil size indeed directly influences the feedforward V1 response, showing an inverse relationship between pupil size and early V1 activity. While it is unclear in how far this effect represents a functionally-relevant adaptation, it identifies pupil-size differences as an important modulating factor of the feedforward response of V1 and could hence represent a confounding variable in research investigating the neural influence of psychological factors on early visual processing. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. [New trends in the evaluation of mathematics learning disabilities. The role of metacognition].

    PubMed

    Miranda-Casas, A; Acosta-Escareño, G; Tarraga-Minguez, R; Fernández, M I; Rosel-Remírez, J

    2005-01-15

    The current trends in the evaluation of mathematics learning disabilities (MLD), based on cognitive and empirical models, are oriented towards combining procedures involving the criteria and the evaluation of cognitive and metacognitive processes, associated to performance in mathematical tasks. The objective of this study is to analyse the metacognitive skills of prediction and evaluation in performing maths tasks and to compare metacognitive performance among pupils with MLD and younger pupils without MLD, who have the same level of mathematical performance. Likewise, we analyse these pupils' desire to learn. Subjects and methods. We compare a total of 44 pupils from the second cycle of primary education (8-10 years old) with and without mathematics learning disabilities. Significant differences are observed between pupils with and without mathematics learning disabilities in their capacity to predict and assess all of the tasks evaluated. As regards their 'desire to learn', no significant differences were found between pupils with and without MLD, which indicated that those with MLD assess their chances of successfully performing maths tasks in the same way as those without MLD. Finally, the findings reveal a similar metacognitive profile in pupils with MLD and the younger pupils with no mathematics learning disabilities. In future studies we consider it important to analyse the influence of the socio-affective belief system in the use of metacognitive skills.

  10. What explains between-school differences in rates of smoking?

    PubMed Central

    Henderson, Marion; Ecob, Russell; Wight, Daniel; Abraham, Charles

    2008-01-01

    Background Schools have the potential to influence their pupils' behaviour through the school's social organisation and culture (non-formal school characteristics), as well as through the formal curriculum. This paper examines whether these school characteristics (which include a measure of quality of social relationships) can account for school differences in smoking rates. Methods This study uses a longitudinal survey involving 5,092 pupils in 24 Scottish schools. Pupils' smoking (at age 15/16), cognitive measures, attitude to school and pupils' rating of teacher pupil relationships (at age 13/14) were linked to school level data comprising teacher assessed quality of pupil-staff relationships, school level deprivation, staying on rates and attendance. Analysis involved multi-level modelling. Results Overall, 25% of males and 39% of females reported smoking, with rates by school ranging from 8% to 33% for males and from 28% to 49% for females. When individual socio-economic and socio-cultural factors were controlled for there was still a large school effect for males and a smaller (but correlated) school effect for females at 15/16 years. For girls their school effect was explained by their rating of teacher-pupil relationships and attitude to school. These variables were also significant in predicting smoking among boys. However, the school effect for boys was most radically attenuated and became insignificant when the interaction between poor quality of teacher – pupil relationships and school level affluence was fitted, explaining 82% of the variance between schools. In addition, researchers' rating of the schools' focus on caring and inclusiveness was also significantly associated with both male and female smoking rates. Conclusion School-level characteristics have an impact on male and female pupils' rates of smoking up to 15/16 years of age. The size of the school effect is greater for males at this age. The social environment of schools, in particular the quality of teacher-pupil relationships, pupils' attitude to school and the school's focus on caring and inclusiveness, can influence both boys' and girls' smoking. This provides support for the school-wide or "Health Promoting School" approach to smoking prevention. PMID:18570635

  11. Interaction of aberrations, diffraction, and quantal fluctuations determine the impact of pupil size on visual quality.

    PubMed

    Xu, Renfeng; Wang, Huachun; Thibos, Larry N; Bradley, Arthur

    2017-04-01

    Our purpose is to develop a computational approach that jointly assesses the impact of stimulus luminance and pupil size on visual quality. We compared traditional optical measures of image quality and those that incorporate the impact of retinal illuminance dependent neural contrast sensitivity. Visually weighted image quality was calculated for a presbyopic model eye with representative levels of chromatic and monochromatic aberrations as pupil diameter was varied from 7 to 1 mm, stimulus luminance varied from 2000 to 0.1  cd/m2, and defocus varied from 0 to -2 diopters. The model included the effects of quantal fluctuations on neural contrast sensitivity. We tested the model's predictions for five cycles per degree gratings by measuring contrast sensitivity at 5  cyc/deg. Unlike the traditional Strehl ratio and the visually weighted area under the modulation transfer function, the visual Strehl ratio derived from the optical transfer function was able to capture the combined impact of optics and quantal noise on visual quality. In a well-focused eye, provided retinal illuminance is held constant as pupil size varies, visual image quality scales approximately as the square root of illuminance because of quantum fluctuations, but optimum pupil size is essentially independent of retinal illuminance and quantum fluctuations. Conversely, when stimulus luminance is held constant (and therefore illuminance varies with pupil size), optimum pupil size increases as luminance decreases, thereby compensating partially for increased quantum fluctuations. However, in the presence of -1 and -2 diopters of defocus and at high photopic levels where Weber's law operates, optical aberrations and diffraction dominate image quality and pupil optimization. Similar behavior was observed in human observers viewing sinusoidal gratings. Optimum pupil size increases as stimulus luminance drops for the well-focused eye, and the benefits of small pupils for improving defocused image quality remain throughout the photopic and mesopic ranges. However, restricting pupils to <2  mm will cause significant reductions in the best focus vision at low photopic and mesopic luminances.

  12. Integrating Physically Handicapped Pupils.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hodgson, Ann

    1984-01-01

    Intended for regular class teachers working with mainstreamed physically handicapped pupils, the article offers guidelines regarding school organization, conditions directly affecting the pupil, and classroom considerations. A brief review of the major conditions (such as allergies, cerebral palsy, and muscular dystrophy) is presented. (CL)

  13. Pupils' Pressure Models and Their Implications for Instruction.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kariotoglou, P.; Psillos, D.

    1993-01-01

    Discusses a study designed to investigate pupils' conceptions about fluids and particularly liquids in equilibrium, with reference to the concept of pressure. Based upon the results obtained, several mental models of how pupils understand liquids in equilibrium were proposed. (ZWH)

  14. Pupil Size in Outdoor Environments

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-04-06

    studies. .........................19 Table 3: Descriptive statistics for pupils measured over luminance range. .........50 Table 4: N in each...strata for all pupil measurements..........................................50 Table 5: Descriptive statistics stratified against eye color...59 Table 6: Descriptive statistics stratified against gender. .....................................64 Table 7: Descriptive

  15. Musculoskeletal pain and school bag use: a cross-sectional study among Ugandan pupils.

    PubMed

    Mwaka, Erisa S; Munabi, Ian G; Buwembo, William; Kukkiriza, John; Ochieng, Joseph

    2014-04-09

    Though seen as a convenient method of carrying books and other scholastic materials including food items, schoolbags are believed to contribute to back and other musculoskeletal problems in school going children. This study set out to determine the prevalence of low back and other musculoskeletal pains and describe their relationship with schoolbag use in pupils. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study involving 532 pupils from six primary schools with a mean age of 13.6 years. Analyses included the chi- square test, independent t tests, regression analysis and test for trend across ordered groups. Backpacks were the most common type of schoolbag and younger children carried disproportionately heavier bags. Urban pupils were younger, carried significantly heavier bags, and less likely to complain about schoolbag weight than the rural pupils. About 30.8% of the pupils carried schoolbags which were more than 10% of their body weight. About 88.2% of pupils reported having body pain especially in the neck, shoulders and upper back. About 35.4% of the children reported that carrying the schoolbag was the cause of their musculoskeletal pain. The prevalence of lower back pain was 37.8%. There was significant association between low back pain and; method of bag carriage (p < 0.0001), long duration of walking (odds ratio 2.67, 95% CI 1.38- 5.16) and the time spent sitting after school (p = 0.02). Only 19% had lockers at school. Urban pupils were younger, carried significantly heavier bags, and less likely to complain about schoolbag weight than the rural pupils. The majority of pupils complained of musculoskeletal pain of which 35.4% was attributed to the schoolbags.The prevalence of lower back pain was 37.8%. Schools need to provide lockers and functional libraries in order to avoid excessive loading and repetitive strain injuries.

  16. Musculoskeletal pain and school bag use: a cross-sectional study among Ugandan pupils

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Though seen as a convenient method of carrying books and other scholastic materials including food items, schoolbags are believed to contribute to back and other musculoskeletal problems in school going children. This study set out to determine the prevalence of low back and other musculoskeletal pains and describe their relationship with schoolbag use in pupils. Results This was a cross-sectional descriptive study involving 532 pupils from six primary schools with a mean age of 13.6 years. Analyses included the chi- square test, independent t tests, regression analysis and test for trend across ordered groups. Backpacks were the most common type of schoolbag and younger children carried disproportionately heavier bags. Urban pupils were younger, carried significantly heavier bags, and less likely to complain about schoolbag weight than the rural pupils, About 30.8% of the pupils carried schoolbags which were more than 10% of their body weight. About 88.2% of pupils reported having body pain especially in the neck, shoulders and upper back. About 35.4% of the children reported that carrying the schoolbag was the cause of their musculoskeletal pain. The prevalence of lower back pain was 37.8%. There was significant association between low back pain and; method of bag carriage (p < 0.0001), long duration of walking (odds ratio 2.67, 95% CI 1.38- 5.16) and the time spent sitting after school (p = 0.02). Only 19% had lockers at school. Conclusion Urban pupils were younger, carried significantly heavier bags, and less likely to complain about schoolbag weight than the rural pupils. The majority of pupils complained of musculoskeletal pain of which 35.4% was attributed to the schoolbags. The prevalence of lower back pain was 37.8%. Schools need to provide lockers and functional libraries in order to avoid excessive loading and repetitive strain injuries. PMID:24713177

  17. Infrared Video Pupillography Coupled with Smart Phone LED for Measurement of Pupillary Light Reflex.

    PubMed

    Chang, Lily Yu-Li; Turuwhenua, Jason; Qu, Tian Yuan; Black, Joanna M; Acosta, Monica L

    2017-01-01

    Clinical assessment of pupil appearance and pupillary light reflex (PLR) may inform us the integrity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Current clinical pupil assessment is limited to qualitative examination, and relies on clinical judgment. Infrared (IR) video pupillography combined with image processing software offer the possibility of recording quantitative parameters. In this study we describe an IR video pupillography set-up intended for human and animal testing. As part of the validation, resting pupil diameter was measured in human subjects using the NeurOptics ™ (Irvine, CA, USA) pupillometer, to compare against that measured by our IR video pupillography set-up, and PLR was assessed in guinea pigs. The set-up consisted of a smart phone with a light emitting diode (LED) strobe light (0.2 s light ON, 5 s light OFF cycles) as the stimulus and an IR camera to record pupil kinetics. The consensual response was recorded, and the video recording was processed using a custom MATLAB program. The parameters assessed were resting pupil diameter (D1), constriction velocity (CV), percentage constriction ratio, re-dilation velocity (DV) and percentage re-dilation ratio. We report that the IR video pupillography set-up provided comparable results as the NeurOptics ™ pupillometer in human subjects, and was able to detect larger resting pupil size in juvenile male guinea pigs compared to juvenile female guinea pigs. At juvenile age, male guinea pigs also had stronger pupil kinetics for both pupil constriction and dilation. Furthermore, our IR video pupillography set-up was able to detect an age-specific increase in pupil diameter (female guinea pigs only) and reduction in CV (male and female guinea pigs) as animals developed from juvenile (3 months) to adult age (7 months). This technique demonstrated accurate and quantitative assessment of pupil parameters, and may provide the foundation for further development of an integrated system useful for clinical applications.

  18. Perspectives of pupils, parents, and teachers on mental health problems among Vietnamese secondary school pupils.

    PubMed

    Nguyen, Dat Tan; Dedding, Christine; Pham, Tam Thi; Bunders, Joske

    2013-11-06

    Secondary school can be a stressful period for adolescents, having to cope with many life changes. Very little research has been conducted on the mental health status of secondary school pupils in South East Asian countries, such as Vietnam.The study aimed to explore perceptions of mental health status, risk factors for mental health problems and strategies to improve mental health among Vietnamese secondary school students. A qualitative design was used to address the main study question including: six in-depth interviews conducted with professionals (with two researchers, two psychiatrists, and two secondary school teachers) to learn about their experience of mental health problems among secondary school pupils; 13 focus group discussions (four with teachers, four with parents, and five with pupils); and 10 individual in-depth interviews with pupils who did not take part in the FGDs, to reflect on the collected data and to deepen the authors' understanding. All interviews and FGDs were audio-taped, transcribed and analyzed for the identification of emerging issues using qualitative techniques of progressive coding, analytic memoing and ongoing comparison. Our study confirms the need to pay attention to mental health of pupils in Vietnam. Depression, anxiety, stress, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts were seen as major problems by all stakeholders. Mental health problems were mainly associated with academic pressure, resulting from an overloaded curriculum and pressure from teachers and parents to succeed. The study found that pupils' mental health demands interventions at many levels, including at the level of government (Ministry of Education and Training), schools, communities, families and pupils themselves. Vietnamese secondary school pupils feel that their mental health status is poor, because of many risk factors in their learning and living environment. The need now is to investigate further to identify and apply strategies to improve students' mental health.

  19. Uncovering the Forgotten Effect of Superior Cervical Ganglia on Pupil Diameter in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: An Experimental Study.

    PubMed

    Onen, Mehmet Resid; Yilmaz, Ilhan; Ramazanoglu, Leyla; Aydin, Mehmet Dumlu; Keles, Sadullah; Baykal, Orhan; Aydin, Nazan; Gundogdu, Cemal

    2018-01-01

    To investigate the relationship between neuron density of the superior cervical sympathetic ganglia and pupil diameter in subarachnoid hemorrhage. This study was conducted on 22 rabbits; 5 for the baseline control group, 5 for the SHAM group and 12 for the study group. Pupil diameters were measured via sunlight and ocular tomography on day 1 as the control values. Pupil diameters were re-measured after injecting 0.5 cc saline to the SHAM group, and autologous arterial blood into the cisterna magna of the study group. After 3 weeks, the brain, superior cervical sympathetic ganglia and ciliary ganglia were extracted with peripheral tissues bilaterally and examined histopathologically. Pupil diameters were compared with neuron densities of the sympathetic ganglia and ciliary ganglia which were examined using stereological methods. Baseline values were; normal pupil diameter 7.180±620 ?m and mean neuron density of the superior cervical sympathetic ganglia 6.321±510/mm3, degenerated neuron density of ciliary ganglia was 5±2/mm3 after histopathological examination in the control group. These values were measured as 6.850±578 ?m, 5.950±340/mm3 and 123±39/mm3 in the SHAM group and 9.910±840 ?m, 7.950±764/mm3 and 650±98/mm3 in the study group. A linear relationship was determined between neuron density of the superior cervical sympathetic ganglia and pupil diameters (p < 0.005). Degenerated ciliary ganglia neuron density had an inverse effect on pupil diameters in all groups (p < 0.0001). Highly degenerated neuron density of the ciliary ganglion is not responsible for pupil dilatation owing to parasympathetic pupilloconstrictor palsy, but high neuron density of the pupillodilatatory superior cervical sympathetic ganglia should be considered an important factor for pupil dilatation.

  20. Are teachers' judgements of pupils' ability influenced by body shape?

    PubMed

    Shackleton, N L; Campbell, T

    2014-04-01

    Evidence indicates that teachers can judge pupils on the basis of their physical appearance, including their body shape. Teacher bias towards obese pupils has been suggested as a potential pathway through which obese children attain relatively lower academic levels. The aim of this study was to investigate whether teachers' judgements of pupils' ability are influenced by the body shape of the child. The sample includes English, singleton children in state schools from the Millennium Cohort Study. The data were taken from the fourth wave of data collection, when the children were approximately 7 years old. In all, 5086/5072 children had teacher ability ratings of reading and maths. Logistic regression analyses were used to test whether teachers' perceptions of the child's reading and mathematics ability were influenced by the pupil's waist circumference, conditional upon cognitive test scores of reading and maths ability. After adjustment for cognitive test scores, no significant overall relationship was found between the pupil's waist circumference and the teacher's judgements of ability. No statistically significant differences were observed in the probability of being judged as above average after further adjustments were made for potential confounders. There is little evidence that teachers' judgements of pupils' ability are influenced by obesity.

  1. Shaped pupil Lyot coronagraphs: high-contrast solutions for restricted focal planes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zimmerman, Neil T.; Eldorado Riggs, A. J.; Jeremy Kasdin, N.; Carlotti, Alexis; Vanderbei, Robert J.

    2016-01-01

    Coronagraphs of the apodized pupil and shaped pupil varieties use the Fraunhofer diffraction properties of amplitude masks to create regions of high contrast in the vicinity of a target star. Here we present a hybrid coronagraph architecture in which a binary, hard-edged shaped pupil mask replaces the gray, smooth apodizer of the apodized pupil Lyot coronagraph (APLC). For any contrast and bandwidth goal in this configuration, as long as the prescribed region of contrast is restricted to a finite area in the image, a shaped pupil is the apodizer with the highest transmission. We relate the starlight cancellation mechanism to that of the conventional APLC. We introduce a new class of solutions in which the amplitude profile of the Lyot stop, instead of being fixed as a padded replica of the telescope aperture, is jointly optimized with the apodizer. Finally, we describe shaped pupil Lyot coronagraph (SPLC) designs for the baseline architecture of the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope-Astrophysics Focused Telescope Assets (WFIRST-AFTA) coronagraph. These SPLCs help to enable two scientific objectives of the WFIRST-AFTA mission: (1) broadband spectroscopy to characterize exoplanet atmospheres in reflected starlight and (2) debris disk imaging.

  2. Design of ocular for optical sight with long exit pupil distance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Zhongyao; Li, Yuyao; Tian, Ailing

    2017-02-01

    In order to solve the injury of optical sight to shooters, which is produced by recoil for using artillery or firearms, and the usage problems of shooters' eye mask, headband and gas mask, the ocular with long exit pupil distance has been designed based on optical sighting system. The optical properties and aberration characteristics of ocular with long exit pupil distance has been analyzed, the structural style with positive-positive-negative three lens groups has been put forward. According to the aberration theory and the isoplanatic image formation principle, the focal power assignment expression has been deduced by adopting analytical method. By using of optical design software ZEMAX, the ocular with long exit pupil distance has been designed, the focal length of system is 20mm, the exit pupil diameter is 4mm, the field angle is 40°, the distance of exit pupil is 41mm, and the relative eye relief is greater than 2. The design results show if this method has been adopted, the transfer functions of each field are all greater than 0.15 when the ocular with long exit pupil distance locates on 45lp/mm, which can meet the use requirements of visual optical instruments.

  3. Optimal power distribution for minimizing pupil walk in a 7.5X afocal zoom lens

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Song, Wanyue; Zhao, Yang; Berman, Rebecca; Bodell, S. Yvonne; Fennig, Eryn; Ni, Yunhui; Papa, Jonathan C.; Yang, Tianyi; Yee, Anthony J.; Moore, Duncan T.; Bentley, Julie L.

    2017-11-01

    An extensive design study was conducted to find the best optimal power distribution and stop location for a 7.5x afocal zoom lens that controls the pupil walk and pupil location through zoom. This afocal zoom lens is one of the three components in a VIS-SWIR high-resolution microscope for inspection of photonic chips. The microscope consists of an afocal zoom, a nine-element objective and a tube lens and has diffraction limited performance with zero vignetting. In this case, the required change in object (sample) size and resolution is achieved by the magnification change of the afocal component. This creates strict requirements for both the entrance and exit pupil locations of the afocal zoom to couple the two sides successfully. The first phase of the design study looked at conventional four group zoom lenses with positive groups in the front and back and the stop at a fixed location outside the lens but resulted in significant pupil walk. The second phase of the design study focused on several promising unconventional four-group power distribution designs with moving stops that minimized pupil walk and had an acceptable pupil location (as determined by the objective and tube lens).

  4. A study of depression among Alexandria preparatory school adolescents.

    PubMed

    Abou Nazel, M W; Fahmy, S I; Younis, I A; Seif el-Din, A G; Abdel Fatah, M; Mokhtar, S; Ayoub, A I

    1991-01-01

    Using a constructed Arabic version of Children Depression Inventory (CDI), screening of a stratified random sample of 1% (1561) of Alexandria Preparatory school adolescents was carried out. The prevalence of depressive scorers was 10.25% of total sample. A sub-sample of depressed scorers (111 pupils) were compared with controls (non-depressed scorers) matched on age and sex to study a variety of personal, familial, medical and scholastic ecological variables. Pupils neuroticism scorers were most predictive of depressive scorers where they explained 59.79% of the variance. Other ecological factors including peer and sibling relationships, introversive and lie scale scorers and scholastic performance explained an additional 14.87% of the variance. Using Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Mother-Father relationship check list, a sub-sample of depressed pupils' mothers were compared with controls of non-depressed pupils' mothers (42 mothers for each). Results indicated a strong positive correlation between pupils, CDI scores and their mothers BDI scores. On the other hand poor mother-father relationship was significantly associated with depressive scores of pupils. Findings, pointed to the need for reconsideration of school mental health program, since the presented medical and social services to depressed pupils were very poor.

  5. Research Skills for Gifted Elementary School Pupils.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lamb, Pose; And Others

    1993-01-01

    This paper outlines the elementary school gifted pupil's need for instruction in research strategies as an integral part of an ongoing unit. A program is described in which pupils select areas of investigation and participate in gathering, organizing, interpreting, and sharing relevant data. (JDD)

  6. [Analysis on effect of health promotion project for pupils in Wushan County].

    PubMed

    Lei, Hong-xia; Zhong, Ji-rong

    2010-04-01

    To evaluate the effect of health promotion project ahout hepatitis for pupils, and provide strategies for health promotion. Health promotion program was implemented through health education classes, along with many entertainments and lively activities. 213 teachers, pupils and parents from schools in the county were surveyed. The awareness of them were 100%, and the inoculating rates of hepatitis A vaccine and hepatitis B vaccine were hoth improved to 93%. Health promotion program plays an important role to promote the healthy knowledge of pupils.

  7. Caffeine intake is associated with pupil dilation and enhanced accommodation

    PubMed Central

    Abokyi, S; Owusu-Mensah, J; Osei, K A

    2017-01-01

    Purpose It is purported that caffeine, an autonomic stimulant, affects visual performance. This study sought to assess whether caffeine intake was associated with changes in pupil size and/or amplitude of accommodation. Patients and methods A double-masked, crossover study was conducted in 50 healthy subjects of age range 19 to 25 years. Subjects were randomized to treatments such that subjects consumed either 250 mg caffeine drink or vehicle on separate days. Amplitude of accommodation was measured by the push-up technique, and pupil size using a millimeter ruler fixed to a slit lamp biomicroscope in dim illumination (5 lux). Amplitude of accommodation and pupil size were taken at baseline, and at 30, 60 and 90 min time points post treatment. Repeated measures one-way ANOVA and paired t-test were used in analyzing data. Results Amplitude of accommodation and pupil size after caffeine intake were significantly greater than vehicle (P<0.001) at each time point. Consumption of the caffeine beverage was associated with significant increases in amplitude of accommodation and pupil size with time (P<0.001). Amplitude of accommodation rose from 12.4 (±2.2 D) at baseline to 15.8(±2.6 D) at 90 min. Similarly, pupil size increased from 3.4 (±0.4 mm) at baseline to 4.5 (±0.72 mm) at 90 min. Consumption of vehicle was not associated with increase in amplitude of accommodation or pupil size with time. Conclusion Pupil size and accommodation are affected after ingestion of caffeine. This study suggests caffeine may have some influence on visual functions. PMID:27983733

  8. Blue and Red Light-Evoked Pupil Responses in Photophobic Subjects with TBI.

    PubMed

    Yuhas, Phillip T; Shorter, Patrick D; McDaniel, Catherine E; Earley, Michael J; Hartwick, Andrew T E

    2017-01-01

    Photophobia is a common symptom in individuals suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI). Recent evidence has implicated blue light-sensitive intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) in contributing to the neural circuitry mediating photophobia in migraine sufferers. The goal of this work is to test the hypothesis that ipRGC function is altered in TBI patients with photophobia by assessing pupillary responses to blue and red light. Twenty-four case participants (mean age 43.3; 58% female), with mild TBI and self-reported photophobia, and 12 control participants (mean age 42.6; 58% female) were in this study. After 10 minutes of dark adaptation, blue (470 nm, 1 × 10 phots/s/cm) and red (625 nm, 7 × 10 phots/s/cm) flashing (0.1 Hz) light stimuli were delivered for 30 seconds to the dilated left eye while the right pupil was recorded. The amplitude of normalized pupil fluctuation (constriction and dilation) was quantified using Fourier fast transforms. In both case and control participants, the amplitude of pupil fluctuation was significantly less for the blue light stimuli as compared to the red light stimuli, consistent with a contribution of ipRGCs to these pupil responses. There was no significant difference in the mean pupil fluctuation amplitudes between the two participant groups, but case participants displayed greater variability in their pupil responses to the blue stimulus. Case and control participants showed robust ipRGC-mediated components in their pupil responses to blue light. The results did not support the hypothesis that ipRGCs are "hypersensitive" to light in TBI participants with photophobia. However, greater pupil response variability in the case subjects suggests that ipRGC function may be more heterogeneous in this group.

  9. How to Become a Mentalist: Reading Decisions from a Competitor’s Pupil Can Be Achieved without Training but Requires Instruction

    PubMed Central

    Naber, Marnix; Stoll, Josef; Einhäuser, Wolfgang; Carter, Olivia

    2013-01-01

    Pupil dilation is implicated as a marker of decision-making as well as of cognitive and emotional processes. Here we tested whether individuals can exploit another’s pupil to their advantage. We first recorded the eyes of 3 "opponents", while they were playing a modified version of the "rock-paper-scissors" childhood game. The recorded videos served as stimuli to a second set of participants. These "players" played rock-paper-scissors against the pre-recorded opponents in a variety of conditions. When players just observed the opponents’ eyes without specific instruction their probability of winning was at chance. When informed that the time of maximum pupil dilation was indicative of the opponents’ choice, however, players raised their winning probability significantly above chance. When just watching the reconstructed area of the pupil against a gray background, players achieved similar performance, showing that players indeed exploited the pupil, rather than other facial cues. Since maximum pupil dilation was correct about the opponents’ decision only in 60% of trials (chance 33%), we finally tested whether increasing this validity to 100% would allow spontaneous learning. Indeed, when players were given no information, but the pupil was informative about the opponent’s response in all trials, players performed significantly above chance on average and half (5/10) reached significance at an individual level. Together these results suggest that people can in principle use the pupil to detect cognitive decisions in another individual, but that most people have neither explicit knowledge of the pupil’s utility nor have they learnt to use it despite a lifetime of exposure. PMID:23991185

  10. "We were treated like adults"--development of a pre-medicine summer school for 16 year olds from deprived socioeconomic backgrounds: action research study.

    PubMed

    Greenhalgh, Trisha; Russell, Jill; Boynton, Petra; Lefford, Frances; Chopra, Nikhil; Dunkley, Lisa

    2006-04-01

    To develop a one week widening access summer school for 16 year old pupils from non-traditional backgrounds who are considering applying to medical school, and to identify its short term impact and key success factors. Action research with partnership schools in deprived inner city areas in five overlapping phases: schools liaison, recruitment of pupils and assessment of needs, programme design, programme delivery, and evaluation. The design phase incorporated findings from one to one interviews with every pupil, and workshops and focus groups for pupils, parents, teachers, medical student assistants, NHS staff, and other stakeholders. An in-depth process evaluation of the summer school was undertaken from the perspective of multiple stakeholders using questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, and observation. 40 pupils aged 16 years from socioeconomically deprived and under-represented ethnic minority groups. The summer school was popular with pupils, parents, teachers, and staff. It substantially raised pupils' confidence and motivation to apply to medical school. Critical success factors were identified as an atmosphere of "respect"; a focus on hands-on work in small groups; the input of medical students as role models; and vision and leadership from senior staff. A particularly popular and effective aspect of the course was a grand round held on the last day, in which pupils gave group presentations of real cases. An action research format allowed us to draw the different stakeholders into a collaborative endeavour characterised by enthusiasm, interpersonal support, and mutual respect. The input from pupils to the programme design ensured high engagement and low dropout rates. Hands-on activities in small groups and social drama of preparing and giving a grand round presentation were particularly important.

  11. Secondary school pupils' food choices around schools in a London borough: Fast food and walls of crisps.

    PubMed

    Caraher, M; Lloyd, S; Mansfield, M; Alp, C; Brewster, Z; Gresham, J

    2016-08-01

    The objective was to observe and document food behaviours of secondary school pupils from schools in a London borough. The research design combined a number of methods which included geographic information system (GIS) mapping of food outlets around three schools, systemised observations of food purchasing in those outlets before, during and after school, and focus groups conducted with pupils of those schools to gather their views in respect to those food choices. Results are summarised under the five 'A's of Access, Availability, Affordability and Acceptability & Attitudes: Access in that there were concentrations of food outlets around the schools. The majority of pupil food purchases were from newsagents, small local shops and supermarkets of chocolate, crisps (potato chips), fizzy drinks and energy drinks. Availability of fast food and unhealthy options were a feature of the streets surrounding the schools, with 200 m the optimal distance pupils were prepared to walk from and back to school at lunchtime. Affordability was ensured by the use of a consumer mentality and pupils sought out value for money offers; group purchasing of 'two for one' type offers encouraged this trend. Pupils reported healthy items on sale in school as expensive, and also that food was often sold in smaller portion sizes than that available from external food outlets. Acceptability and Attitudes, in that school food was not seen as 'cool', queuing for school food was not acceptable but queuing for food from takeaways was not viewed negatively; for younger pupils energy drinks were 'cool'. In conclusion, pupils recognised that school food was healthier but provided several reasons for not eating in school related to the five 'A's above. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Pupils with special educational needs in basic education schools and teachers' sickness absences--a register-linkage study.

    PubMed

    Ervasti, Jenni; Kivimäki, Mika; Kawachi, Ichiro; Subramanian, S V; Pentti, Jaana; Ahola, Kirsi; Oksanen, Tuula; Pohjonen, Tiina; Vahtera, Jussi; Virtanen, Marianna

    2012-05-01

    We examined whether having a high percentage of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in basic education schools increases the risk of sickness absence among teachers and whether this risk is dependent on the pupil-teacher ratio (PTR), an indicator of teacher resources at school. We obtained register data on 8089 teachers working in 404 schools in 10 municipalities in Finland during the school year 2004-2005. We used multilevel multinomial regression models to examine the risk of teachers' short- and long-term sickness absence in relation to the percentage of SEN pupils and the PTR at school. We tested the equality of trends in groups with high and low PTR using PTR × SEN interaction term. After adjustment for teacher and school characteristics, the risk for long-term absences was higher among teachers at schools with a high percentage of SEN pupils than among teachers at schools with a low percentage of SEN pupils [odds ratio (OR) 1.5, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.2-1.8). This was also the case for short-term absences (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.2-1.7). In analyses stratified by the PTR levels, the association between the percentage of SEN pupils and long-term absences was 15% higher among teachers with a high PTR than among those with a low PTR (P for interaction=0.10). Teachers' sickness absenteeism seems to increase with a higher percentage of SEN pupils, especially when the PTR is high. Teacher resources at schools that have a high percentage of SEN pupils should be well maintained to ensure the health of teachers.

  13. Pupil diameter, working distance and illumination during habitual tasks. Implications for simultaneous vision contact lenses for presbyopia.

    PubMed

    Cardona, Genís; López, Sílvia

    2016-01-01

    To determine working distance, pupil diameter and illumination in real life conditions in a sample of presbyopic participants performing habitual tasks. A total of 59 presbyopic subjects (aged between 45 and 63 years) with different occupational backgrounds participated in the study. Participants were first interviewed regarding their habitual tasks with the aid of an ad hoc questionnaire, following which in-office photopic and mesopic pupil diameter was determined. Pupil diameter was also evaluated while participants conducted each of the self-reported habitual tasks by taking a photograph, which was later submitted to image analysis. In addition, working distance was determined with a measuring tape and the illumination that reached the pupil during each of the different tasks was measured, in lux, with a light meter. The four most common habitual tasks were computer use, reading, sewing and sports. A high intersubject variability was found in pupil diameter, working distance and illumination conditions while conducting the same task. Statistically significant differences were found between the in-office measured photopic and mesopic pupil diameters and those obtained while participants were conducting their habitual tasks in real life conditions (all p<0.001). Potential multifocal contact lens users may present with different ages, different jobs or hobbies and different preferences regarding lighting conditions and working distances. This results in different pupil size, even within the same task. This information may be critical when selecting a particular lens design and add power. Eye care practitioners are therefore advised to assess pupil diameter in real life conditions. Copyright © 2015 Spanish General Council of Optometry. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  14. Contribution of Optical Zone Decentration and Pupil Dilation on the Change of Optical Quality After Myopic Photorefractive Keratectomy in a Cat Model

    PubMed Central

    Bühren, Jens; Yoon, Geunyoung; MacRae, Scott; Huxlin, Krystel

    2010-01-01

    PURPOSE To simulate the simultaneous contribution of optical zone decentration and pupil dilation on retinal image quality using wavefront error data from a myopic photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) cat model. METHODS Wavefront error differences were obtained from five cat eyes 19±7 weeks (range: 12 to 24 weeks) after spherical myopic PRK for −6.00 diopters (D) (three eyes) and −10.00 D (two eyes). A computer model was used to simulate decentration of a 6-mm sub-aperture relative to the measured wavefront error difference. Changes in image quality (visual Strehl ratio based on the optical transfer function [VSOTF]) were computed for simulated decentrations from 0 to 1500 μm over pupil diameters of 3.5 to 6.0 mm in 0.5-mm steps. For each eye, a bivariate regression model was applied to calculate the simultaneous contribution of pupil dilation and decentration on the pre- to postoperative change of the log VSOTF. RESULTS Pupil diameter and decentration explained up to 95% of the variance of VSOTF change (adjusted R2=0.95). Pupil diameter had a higher impact on VSOTF (median β=−0.88, P<.001) than decentration (median β= −0.45, P<.001). If decentration-induced lower order aberrations were corrected, the impact of decentration further decreased (β= −0.26) compared to the influence of pupil dilation (β= −0.95). CONCLUSIONS Both pupil dilation and decentration of the optical zone affected the change of retinal image quality (VSOTF) after myopic PRK with decentration exerting a lower impact on VSOTF change. Thus, under physiological conditions pupil dilation is likely to have more effect on VSOTF change after PRK than optical zone decentration. PMID:20229950

  15. Contribution of optical zone decentration and pupil dilation on the change of optical quality after myopic photorefractive keratectomy in a cat model.

    PubMed

    Bühren, Jens; Yoon, Geunyoung; MacRae, Scott; Huxlin, Krystel

    2010-03-01

    To simulate the simultaneous contribution of optical zone decentration and pupil dilation on retinal image quality using wavefront error data from a myopic photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) cat model. Wavefront error differences were obtained from five cat eyes 19+/-7 weeks (range: 12 to 24 weeks) after spherical myopic PRK for -6.00 diopters (D) (three eyes) and -10.00 D (two eyes). A computer model was used to simulate decentration of a 6-mm sub-aperture relative to the measured wavefront error difference. Changes in image quality (visual Strehl ratio based on the optical transfer function [VSOTF]) were computed for simulated decentrations from 0 to 1500 mum over pupil diameters of 3.5 to 6.0 mm in 0.5-mm steps. For each eye, a bivariate regression model was applied to calculate the simultaneous contribution of pupil dilation and decentration on the pre- to postoperative change of the log VSOTF. Pupil diameter and decentration explained up to 95% of the variance of VSOTF change (adjusted R(2)=0.95). Pupil diameter had a higher impact on VSOTF (median beta=-0.88, P<.001) than decentration (median beta=-0.45, P<.001). If decentration-induced lower order aberrations were corrected, the impact of decentration further decreased (beta=-0.26) compared to the influence of pupil dilation (beta=-0.95). Both pupil dilation and decentration of the optical zone affected the change of retinal image quality (VSOTF) after myopic PRK with decentration exerting a lower impact on VSOTF change. Thus, under physiological conditions pupil dilation is likely to have more effect on VSOTF change after PRK than optical zone decentration. Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.

  16. Wavefront control in adaptive microscopy using Shack-Hartmann sensors with arbitrarily shaped pupils.

    PubMed

    Dong, Bing; Booth, Martin J

    2018-01-22

    In adaptive optical microscopy of thick biological tissue, strong scattering and aberrations can change the effective pupil shape by rendering some Shack-Hartmann spots unusable. The change of pupil shape leads to a change of wavefront reconstruction or control matrix that should be updated accordingly. Modified slope and modal wavefront control methods based on measurements of a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor are proposed to accommodate an arbitrarily shaped pupil. Furthermore, we present partial wavefront control methods that remove specific aberration modes like tip, tilt and defocus from the control loop. The proposed control methods were investigated and compared by simulation using experimentally obtained aberration data. The performance was then tested experimentally through closed-loop aberration corrections using an obscured pupil.

  17. Pupil Evaluation of Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Biggs, John; Chopra, Pran

    1979-01-01

    This investigation is concerned with (a) constructing a pupil evaluation of teachers (PET) scale, for use in grades 7-11, incorporating certain areas of teaching behavior, and affective pupil responses to teachers; and (b) using the scale as a source of feedback to both regular and student teachers. (Author)

  18. Pupil Personnel Services: Statement of Functions.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cardinale, Anthony

    This statement of function for pupil personnel services (PPS) in the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DDDS) focuses on the support role of pupil personnel workers. General, program, and specific functions of school counselors and psychologists, social workers, educational prescriptionists, school health nurses, and resident hall advisors…

  19. The Integrated Spelling Curriculum.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ediger, Marlow

    The traditional spelling curriculum emphasized that pupils learn to spell a specific set of words through memorization. However, major problems existed pertaining to using that method of teaching. Pupils soon forgot the correct spelling of memorized words. Educational psychologists have long advocated that pupils perceive knowledge as being…

  20. A computational model of pupil dilation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Johansson, Birger; Balkenius, Christian

    2018-01-01

    We present a system-level connectionist model of pupil control that includes brain regions believed to influence the size of the pupil. It includes parts of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system together with the hypothalamus, amygdala, locus coeruleus, and cerebellum. Computer simulations show that the model is able to reproduce a number of important aspects of how the pupil reacts to different stimuli: (1) It reproduces the characteristic shape and latency of the light-reflex. (2) It elicits pupil dilation as a response to novel stimuli. (3) It produces pupil dilation when shown emotionally charged stimuli, and can be trained to respond to initially neutral stimuli through classical conditioning. (4) The model can learn to expect light changes for particular stimuli, such as images of the sun, and produces a "light-response" to such stimuli even when there is no change in light intensity. (5) It also reproduces the fear-inhibited light reflex effect where reactions to light increase is weaker after presentation of a conditioned stimulus that predicts punishment.

  1. "I know exactly what I'm going into": recommendations for pre-nursing experience from an evaluation of a pre-nursing scholarship in rural Scotland.

    PubMed

    Smith, Annetta; Beattie, Michelle; Kyle, Richard G

    2015-11-01

    To develop a model of pre-nursing experience from evaluation of a pre-nursing scholarship for school pupils in Scotland. Action research study. School pupils ( n  = 42) completed questionnaire surveys and participated in anecdote circles. Student nurses acting as pupil 'buddies' ( n  = 33) participated in focus groups. Descriptive quantitative data and thematic analyses of qualitative data were integrated across cohorts and campuses. Ten recommended components of a model of pre-nursing experience were identified: educational experience of: (1) face-to-face on-campus teaching; (2) hands-on clinical skills sessions; and (3) andragogy, practice exposure to (4) nursing language; (5) nurses' emotional labour; (6) patients' stories; (7) pupils socializing with buddies; (8) buddies planning placement activities; and (9) supporting pupils during placements. Academic attainment was not a central component of the model due to pupils' need to (10) prioritize examined work for further/higher education entry.

  2. Characterization of iris pattern stretches and application to the measurement of roll axis eye movements.

    PubMed

    Nishiyama, Junpei; Hashimoto, Tsutomu; Sakashita, Yusuke; Fujiyoshi, Hironobu; Hirata, Yutaka

    2008-01-01

    Eye movements are utilized in many scientific studies as a probe that reflects the neural representation of 3 dimensional extrapersonal space. This study proposes a method to accurately measure the roll component of eye movements under the conditions in which the pupil diameter changes. Generally, the iris pattern matching between a reference and a test iris image is performed to estimate roll angle of the test image. However, iris patterns are subject to change when the pupil size changes, thus resulting in less accurate roll angle estimation if the pupil sizes in the test and reference images are different. We characterized non-uniform iris pattern contraction/expansion caused by pupil dilation/constriction, and developed an algorithm to convert an iris pattern with an arbitrary pupil size into that with the same pupil size as the reference iris pattern. It was demonstrated that the proposed method improved the accuracy of the measurement of roll eye movement by up to 76.9%.

  3. Memory, emotion, and pupil diameter: Repetition of natural scenes.

    PubMed

    Bradley, Margaret M; Lang, Peter J

    2015-09-01

    Recent studies have suggested that pupil diameter, like the "old-new" ERP, may be a measure of memory. Because the amplitude of the old-new ERP is enhanced for items encoded in the context of repetitions that are distributed (spaced), compared to massed (contiguous), we investigated whether pupil diameter is similarly sensitive to repetition. Emotional and neutral pictures of natural scenes were viewed once or repeated with massed (contiguous) or distributed (spaced) repetition during incidental free viewing and then tested on an explicit recognition test. Although an old-new difference in pupil diameter was found during successful recognition, pupil diameter was not enhanced for distributed, compared to massed, repetitions during either recognition or initial free viewing. Moreover, whereas a significant old-new difference was found for erotic scenes that had been seen only once during encoding, this difference was absent when erotic scenes were repeated. Taken together, the data suggest that pupil diameter is not a straightforward index of prior occurrence for natural scenes. © 2015 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  4. The "subjective" pupil old/new effect: is the truth plain to see?

    PubMed

    Montefinese, Maria; Ambrosini, Ettore; Fairfield, Beth; Mammarella, Nicola

    2013-07-01

    Human memory is an imperfect process, prone to distortion and errors that range from minor disturbances to major errors that can have serious consequences on everyday life. In this study, we investigated false remembering of manipulatory verbs using an explicit recognition task and pupillometry. Our results replicated the "classical" pupil old/new effect as well as data in false remembering literature that show how items must be recognize as old in order for the pupil size to increase (e.g., "subjective" pupil old/new effect), even though these items do not necessarily have to be truly old. These findings support the strength-of-memory trace account that affirms that pupil dilation is related to experience rather than to the accuracy of recognition. Moreover, behavioral results showed higher rates of true and false recognitions for manipulatory verbs and a consequent larger pupil diameter, supporting the embodied view of language. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Understanding Basic Temporal Relations in Primary School Pupils with Hearing Impairments.

    PubMed

    Dulcić, Adinda; Bakota, Koraljka; Saler, Zrinka

    2015-09-01

    Time can be observed as a subjective, as well as an objective phenomenon which is a component of our life, and due to its communicational needs, it is standardized by temporal signs and symbols. The aim of this study was to determine the understanding of basic temporal relations of pupils with hearing impairments. We assumed that the knowledge of basic time relations is a precondition for the acquisition of knowledge that is connected with the understanding of the syllabus in regular school programs. Three groups of pupils have been examined: pupils with hearing impairments who attend the primary school of SUVAG Polyclinic under special condition, integrated hearing impaired pupils with minor additional difficulties who attend regular primary schools in Zagreb with a prolonged expert procedure and pupils of the control group. The subjects have been examined with a measuring instrument constructed by the expert team of the Polyclinic Suvag. Twenty nine subjects have been questioned, chronologically aged between 10 and 12.

  6. Teachers' and pupils' definitions of bullying.

    PubMed

    Naylor, Paul; Cowie, Helen; Cossin, Fabienne; de Bettencourt, Rita; Lemme, Francesca

    2006-09-01

    Comparison of teachers' and pupils' definitions of bullying is important for considering the implications for reports of its incidence in schools, for the study of developmental trends in children's and adolescents' perceptions of the phenomenon and for evaluating the effectiveness of interventions designed to combat bullying. To investigate the effects of gender, teacher/pupil status and, for pupils, bullied/non-bullied (target/non-target) status and age on the definition of bullying. Teachers (N=225: 158 women, 67 men) and pupils (N=1,820: 466 boys, 460 girls were 11-12 years old, year 7, and 415 boys, 479 girls were 13-14 years, year 9) in 51 UK secondary schools participated in a questionnaire survey. A total of 557 of the pupils (117 girls and 117 boys aged 11-12 years, and 197 girls and 126 boys aged 13-14 years) reported that they had been bullied at some time in their present school. Written questionnaire responses to the question, 'Say what you think bullying is' have been content analysed to derive two sets of categories, one of bullying behaviour and the other of effects of bullying on the target. Regarding both bullying behaviour and the effects of bullying on the target, teachers - by comparison with pupils - have been found to express more comprehensive ideas in their definitions. Specifically, pupils compared with teachers are more likely to restrict their definitions to direct bullying (verbal and/or physical abuse) and are less likely to refer to social exclusion, a power imbalance in the bully's favour and the bully's intention to cause the target hurt or harm and to feel threatened. Analysis of definitions on the bases of sex, pupil age and target/non-target status show that: targets are more likely than non-targets are to refer to the bully's physically and verbally abusive behaviour, and for Year 7 compared with Year 9 pupils, to suggest that bullies socially exclude targets; girls are more likely than boys are to mention verbal abuse and the effects on the target of 'Feels hurt/harm', but boys are more likely than girls are to construe bullying as involving repetition; older pupils are more likely than younger ones are to refer to a power imbalance in the bully's favour but, for bully targets, younger ones compared with older ones are more likely to invoke the idea of social exclusion in their definitions. The most important implication of the findings of this study that there are important differences between teachers' and pupils' definitions of bullying is that teachers need to listen carefully to what pupils have to say about bullying and work with and help them to develop their conceptions of the phenomenon. Some teachers, too, need to develop their conceptions of bullying.

  7. Knowledge and Experiences of Risks among Pupils in Vocational Education.

    PubMed

    Andersson, Ing-Marie; Gunnarsson, Kristina; Rosèn, Gunnar; Moström Åberg, Marie

    2014-09-01

    Young male and female workers are over-represented in statistics concerning negative outcomes of poor work environment and risky work. Young workers often have low awareness of risk, a lack of safety training, and inadequate introduction to the work. The aim of this study was to identify the knowledge and experiences of pupils of vocational schools concerning potential work environment risks in their future work. The study design was a dual one, and included a questionnaire and focus group interviews. The study group consisted of 239 pupils from 10 upper secondary schools, who were graduating pupils in four vocational programs: the Industrial Technology Programme, the Restaurant Management and Food Programme, the Transport Programme, and the Handicraft Programme (in which students specialize in wood products). The upper secondary schools were located in the central region of Sweden. The pupils had limited knowledge that employers must, by law, conduct risk analyses and prevent risks. Many felt that they themselves are mainly responsible for performing their tasks safely. Pupils in all programs mentioned acute risk as the greatest risk at work. The theoretical education about safety at work was provided in the 1(st) year of the 3-year vocational programs. A systematic approach to pupils' training in work environment, which is a basis for a safe and healthy workplace, is lacking. The study findings indicate that pupils are offered knowledge far from that intended by laws and by state-of-the-art occupational health risk research.

  8. Wavefront aberrations: analytical method to convert Zernike coefficients from a pupil to a scaled arbitrarily decentered one

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Comastri, S. A.; Perez, Liliana I.; Pérez, Gervasio D.; Bastida, K.; Martin, G.

    2008-04-01

    The wavefront aberration of any image forming system and, in particular, of a human eye, is often expanded in Zernike modes each mode being weighed by a coefficient that depends both on the image forming components of the system and on the contour, size and centering of the pupil. In the present article, expanding up to 7th order the wavefront aberration, an analytical method to compute a new set of Zernike coefficients corresponding to a pupil in terms of an original set evaluated via ray tracing for a dilated and transversally arbitrarily displaced pupil is developed. A transformation matrix of dimension 36×36 is attained multiplying the scaling-horizontal traslation matrix previously derived by appropriate rotation matrices. Multiplying the original coefficients by this transformation matrix, analytical formulas for each new coefficient are attained and supplied and, for the information concerning the wavefront aberration to be available, these formulas must be employed in cases in which the new pupil is contained in the original one. The use of these analytical formulas is exemplified applying them to study the effect of pupil contraction and/or decentering in 3 situations: calculation of corneal aberrations of a keratoconic subject for the natural photopic pupil size and various decenterings; coma compensation by means of pupil shift in a fictitious system solely having primary aberrations and evaluation of the amount of astigmatism and coma of a hypothetical system originally having spherical aberration alone.

  9. The pupillary response discriminates between subjective and objective familiarity and novelty.

    PubMed

    Kafkas, Alexandros; Montaldi, Daniela

    2015-10-01

    The pupil response discriminates between old and new stimuli, with old stimuli characterized by larger pupil dilation patterns than new stimuli. We sought to explore the cause of the pupil old/new effect and discount the effect of targetness, effort, recollection retrieval, and complexity of the recognition decision. Two experiments are reported in which the pupil response and the eye fixation patterns were measured, while participants identified novel and familiar object stimuli, in two separate tasks, emphasizing either novelty or familiarity detection. In Experiment 1, familiarity and novelty decisions were taken using a rating scale, while in Experiment 2 a simpler yes/no decision was used. In both experiments, we found that detection of target familiar stimuli resulted in greater pupil dilation than the detection of target novel stimuli, while the duration of the first fixation discriminated between familiar and novel stimuli as early as within 320 ms after stimulus onset. Importantly, the pupil response distinguished between the objective (during an earlier temporal component) and the subjective (during a later temporal component) status of the stimulus for misses and false alarms. In the light of previous findings, we suggest that the pupil and fixation old/new effects reflect the distinct neural and cognitive mechanisms involved in the familiarity and novelty decisions. The findings also have important implications for the use of pupil dilation and eye movement patterns to explore explicit and implicit memory processes. © 2015 The Authors. Psychophysiology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  10. The Social Mobility Index: Further Information

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sutton Trust, 2015

    2015-01-01

    The "Social Mobility Index" ranks all 533 parliamentary constituencies in England according to five measures of social mobility through education: (1) Performance of disadvantaged pupils in early years test; (2) Performance of disadvantaged pupils in Key Stage 2 tests; (3) Performance of disadvantaged pupils at GCSE; (4) Progress of…

  11. Learning Electricity in Elementary School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Azaiza, Ibtisam; Bar, Varda; Galili, Igal

    2006-01-01

    The study investigated elementary school pupils' ideas concerning the concept of electricity and the effect of school instruction on the pupil's views. Pupils of different cultural backgrounds were assessed to ascertain their knowledge in four areas: Relation of certain natural phenomena to electricity; Mental models (images) of direct current in…

  12. Oregon Pupil Transportation Manual, 1989.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oregon State Dept. of Education, Salem.

    This manual provides school bus drivers and school officials with pertinent material relating to safe and efficent school transportation. Chapter I presents the laws governing pupil transportation. Oregon motor vehicle laws are identified by an ORS (Oregon Revised Statute) number, and pupil transportation regulations are identified by an OAR…

  13. Mathematics Mastery: Secondary Evaluation Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jerrim, John; Austerberry, Helen; Crisan, Cosette; Ingold, Anne; Morgan, Candia; Pratt, Dave; Smith, Cathy; Wiggins, Meg

    2015-01-01

    The Mathematics Mastery programme is a whole-school approach to teaching mathematics that aims to raise attainment for all pupils and close the attainment gap between pupils from low income families and their peers. The programme aims to deepen pupils' conceptual understanding of key mathematical concepts. This clustered Randomised Controlled…

  14. Analysis of pupil and corneal wave aberration data supplied by the SN CT 1000 topography system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Comastri, S. A.; Martin, G.; Pfortner, T.

    2006-11-01

    Ocular aberrations depend on pupil size and centring and the retinal image quality under natural conditions differs from that corresponding to laboratory ones. In the present article, pupil and wave aberration data supplied by the Shin Nippon CT 1000 (SN CT 1000) topography system are analysed. Two groups of eyes under natural viewing conditions are considered ((260+/-20) lux at the eye under study). The first group consists of 10 normal eyes (-1.25 to 3 D sphere; 0 to -1.75 D cylinder) of five young subjects (age between 18 and 33 years). For this group, five determinations per eye are performed and the repeatability of results is analysed. Pupil centre is displaced from corneal vertex towards the temporal region, the largest displacement being (0.5+/-0.1) mm. The variation of pupil diameter in each eye is less than 21% while the inter-subject variability is large since diameters are between (3+/-0.3) and (5.3+/-0.6) mm. Aberrations are evaluated for two different pupil sizes, the natural one and a fictitious one of 6 mm. The corneal higher-order root-mean square wavefront error (RMSHO) for a 6 mm pupil centred in the corneal vertex, averaged across all eyes, is (0.37+/-0.06) [mu]m while, considering the natural pupil diameter, the average in each eye is significantly lower, up to eight times smaller. The fourth-order spherical aberration is an important aberration in the considered eyes, its maximum value for a 6 mm pupil being (0.38+/-0.02) [mu]m. The second group consists of 24 eyes of 12 subjects (age between 25 and 68 years) such that four eyes are of normal adults (1.25 to +6 D sphere; 0 to -0.5 D cylinder), eight have astigmatisms (-5.5 to +3.25 D sphere; -1.5 to -4.5 D cylinder), six have post-refractive surgery (+0.5 to +3.5 D sphere; -0.5 to -4 D cylinder) and six have keratoconus (-9.5 to +1 D sphere; -1 to -4.5 D cylinder). For this group only one determination per eye is performed. Pupil centre is displaced from corneal vertex towards the temporal region except in cases of keratoconus, where there can be a dominant upwards displacement. Pupil diameters are between 2.7 and 5.6 mm. The corneal higher order root mean square wavefront error for a 6 mm pupil ranges between 0.3 (normal eye) and 5.3 [mu]m (keratoconus).

  15. Understanding Pupil Behaviour: Classroom Management Techniques for Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lewis, Ramon

    2009-01-01

    This book describes a system of successful classroom behaviour management techniques developed by the author over more than twenty-five years. It outlines the difficulties confronting teachers trying to manage pupils' misbehaviour in schools and describes four types of pupil who can be helped to behave responsibly. In "Understanding Pupil…

  16. Pupil Progression Plan: Requirements and Procedures 1982-83.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duval County School Board, Jacksonville, FL.

    The Pupil Progression Plan detailed in this document was developed in response to Florida's Educational Accountability Act, which requires each school district to establish a comprehensive program for pupil progression, and to fulfill the requirements of school board policy. The first section details general procedures for promotion, grades K-12.…

  17. School Class Size: Research and Policy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Glass, Gene V.; And Others

    This book synthesizes research evidence to demonstrate that 1) class size is strongly related to pupil achievement; 2) smaller classes are more conducive to improved pupil performance than larger classes; 3) smaller classes provide more opportunities to adapt learning programs to individual needs; 4) pupils in smaller classes have more interest in…

  18. TAPS for Pupils

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Earle, Sarah

    2018-01-01

    By placing the Focused Assessment approach within the TAPS pyramid framework, schools are beginning to find a number of ways in which learning in science can be enhanced for pupils. The quotations in this article provide examples of the ways in which science subject leaders (SSL) describe the impact of TAPS on their pupils.

  19. Classroom Talk in Bilingual Class Interaction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Puasa, Kuran; Asrifan, Andi; Chen, Yan

    2017-01-01

    This study reveals how the classroom talk was in the bilingual classroom interaction. The classroom talk comprises teacher and pupil talk--in which they cover teacher's explanation, teacher's question, teacher's feedback, and modification to teacher's speech; as well as pupil's responses and pupil's questions. The research findings show that the…

  20. What Pupils Can Learn from Working with Robotic Direct Manipulation Environments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Slangen, Lou; van Keulen, Hanno; Gravemeijer, Koeno

    2011-01-01

    This study investigates what pupils aged 10-12 can learn from working with robots, assuming that understanding robotics is a sign of technological literacy. We conducted cognitive and conceptual analysis to develop a frame of reference for determining pupils' understanding of robotics. Four perspectives were distinguished with increasing…

  1. Sensitive "Heritage" of Slavery in a Multicultural Classroom: Pupils' Ideas Regarding Significance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Savenije, Geerte; van Boxtel, Carla; Grever, Maria

    2014-01-01

    Pupils' attribution of significance to sensitive "heritage" of slavery may differ, particularly in multicultural classrooms. Little is known about the ways in which pupils establish a relationship with the present when discussing the significance of heritage of slavery. Starting from theories of historical significance and identity,…

  2. Pupil Control Ideology and Teacher Influence in the Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goldenberg, Ronald

    A study investigated whether pupil control ideology of teachers differentially affected their operational behavior in the classroom. Elementary school teachers employed in a suburban St. Louis district (N=260) responded to the Pupil Control Ideology Form (PCI). From this group 20 were selected to comprise two experimental groups: those with…

  3. Roma Pupils' Attitudes Towards Education--A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pecek, Mojca; Munda, Milanka

    2015-01-01

    When analysing the reasons behind the academic underachievement of Roma pupils, some teachers suggest that Roma people do not value education and that Roma children have negative attitudes towards school. With increasing frequency, Roma pupils from low socio-economic backgrounds are being researched and the research primarily adopts the…

  4. Pupils' Readiness for Self-Regulated Learning in the Forethought Phase of Exploratory Production

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Metsärinne, Mika; Kallio, Manne; Virta, Kalle

    2015-01-01

    This article discusses pupils' readiness for self-regulation in Exploratory Production in Technology Education. In the forethought phase of Exploratory Production, pupils envision and regulate their technological production activities. Next, in the performance phase, the envisioned goals are tried and implemented through ideating, planning and…

  5. The Importance of Engaging Pupils Actively in Demonstrations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Suomela, Liisa; Juuti, Kalle; Ahtee, Maija

    2013-01-01

    Demonstrating is a traditional method in teaching science that can raise interest and encourage pupils to think about a topic. While demonstrating, the teacher can focus the pupils' attention on the relevant facts and introduce scientific principles and concepts. Through discussion and actively making observations and inferences, rather than…

  6. The Teacher-Pupil Observation Tool (T-POT): Development and Testing of a New Classroom Observation Measure

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martin, P. A.; Daley, D.; Hutchings, J.; Jones, K.; Eames, C.; Whitaker, C. J.

    2010-01-01

    Teacher-pupil relationships do not solely impact children's academic development; they also influence emotional and behavioural development. Positive teacher-pupil relationships help reduce maladaptive behaviour while negative ones can lead to increased academic, social and behavioural difficulties. Identifying and measuring teacher-pupil…

  7. Identification of Physically Underdeveloped Pupils: Activities to Improve Their Performance.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, Washington, DC.

    Screening tests consisting of observation procedures and simple physical exercises requiring only a chinning bar, stopwatch, and record forms are suggested for identifying pupils aged ten to seventeen who are underdeveloped in strength, flexibility, agility, or cardiorespiratory endurance. Classes should be divided into pairs with one pupil acting…

  8. Oregon Pupil Transportation Manual. Revised Regulations and Responsibilities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oregon State Dept. of Education, Salem.

    Designed for use by Oregon school bus drivers and administrators, this manual answers common questions about school bus transportation in Oregon, including those about the laws governing pupil transportation, the regulations governing pupil transportation administration, and the laws on school bus operation. A chapter of advisory materials covers…

  9. Using the Relational Paradigm: Effects on Pupils' Reasoning in Solving Additive Word Problems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Polotskaia, Elena; Savard, Annie

    2018-01-01

    Pupils' difficulties in solving word problems continue to attract attention: while researchers highlight the importance of relational reasoning and modelling, school curricula typically use short word problems to develop pupils' knowledge of arithmetic operations and calculation strategies. The Relational Paradigm attributes the leading role in…

  10. "Why Are They Bombing Innocent Iraqis?": Political Literacy among Primary Pupils

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maitles, Henry; Deuchar, Ross

    2004-01-01

    This article presents case studies of political literacy among primary pupils. While researching primary pupils' understanding of "enterprise", the researchers added interviews connecting this concept to the Iraq war. A sample of 10 non-representative Scottish primary schools from seven local education authorities has provided the…

  11. Creating Pupils' Internet Magazine

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bognar, Branko; Šimic, Vesna

    2014-01-01

    This article presents an action research, which aimed to improve pupils' literary creativity and enable them to use computers connected to the internet. The study was conducted in a small district village school in Croatia. Creating a pupils' internet magazine appeared to be an excellent way for achieving the educational aims of almost all…

  12. Using Morphological Filters for Pupil Detection in Infrared Videos

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-01-05

    detect the subjects’ pupils, with manual parameterization of the filter coefficients. False detections due to background clutter from eyeglasses and...5 c) Fitting the detected objects with ellipses...boundaries overlaid on the original infrared image..................... 7 Figure 8 – Fitting the elongated pupils with circles often failed

  13. Modeling Pupils' Understanding and Explanations Concerning Changes in Matter

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hatzinikita, Vassilia; Koulaidis, Vasilios; Hatzinikitas, Agapitos

    2005-01-01

    The explanations of thirty primary pupils for changes in matter were recorded through individual, semi-structured interviews. The analysis of data pointed to the construction of a system for classifying pupils' explanations of changes in matter. A parallel analysis of data focused on the identification and interpretation of associations between…

  14. Self-Regulated Math Instructions for Pupils with Learning Disabilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bishara, Saied

    2016-01-01

    In this research, we considered the different impact two methods of teaching had on pupils' ability to solve complex math problems. The methods considered were: self-regulated study and traditional teaching. We also examined the pedagogical consequences the differences made among the population of pupils with learning disabilities in special…

  15. SOME BEHAVIORAL CORRELATES OF ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATES AND CULTURES.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    HAMATY, GEORGE G.

    THE INFLUENCE OF SCHOOL CULTURES (CONVENTIONAL, WORK, AND IMPULSE EXPRESSION) ON SELECTED PUPIL AND TEACHER BEHAVIOR VARIABLES WAS STUDIED. THE VARIABLES INCLUDED PUPIL ACHIEVEMENT, TEACHER AND PUPIL ABSENTEEISM, AND TEACHER TURNOVER. ALSO STUDIED WAS THE SOCIOECONOMIC LEVEL OF SCHOOL NEIGHBORHOODS AS RELATED TO SCHOOL CULTURE. TEACHERS AND PUPILS…

  16. The Mystery Tubes: Teaching Pupils about Hypothetical Modelling

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kenrick, Carole

    2017-01-01

    This article recounts the author's working experience of one method by which pupils' understanding of the epistemologies of science can be developed, specifically how scientists can develop hypothetical models and test them through simulations. She currently uses this approach for transition lessons with pupils in upper primary or lower secondary…

  17. An Extra Radiator? Teachers' Views of Support Teaching and Withdrawal in Developing the English of Bilingual Pupils.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williamson, John

    1989-01-01

    Explores the attitudes of British secondary school teachers toward withdrawal and mainstream support as ways of helping bilingual pupils develop competence in English. Suggests that the results allow for envisaging an ideal classroom situation for teaching bilingual pupils. (KO)

  18. Japanese High School Teachers' Views on Pupil Misbehaviour

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kyriacou, Chris

    2010-01-01

    This study aimed to explore Japanese high school teachers' views of pupil misbehaviour in order to contribute to the growing international literature on discipline in schools. A total of 141 Japanese high school teachers completed a questionnaire which explored their views regarding the factors accounting for pupil misbehaviour, the frequency of…

  19. Better for Both--Thoughts on Teacher-Pupil Interaction.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kilburn, John

    1978-01-01

    To remove the adversary emphasis from pupil-teacher interactions, the author presents a simple model, showing how an intervention can potentially make a situation better, worse, or unchanged for the pupil and the teacher. A sample scenario is provided of two teachers dealing with a misbehaving child. (SJL)

  20. Relationships Between Teacher Aptitudes, Teaching Behaviors, and Pupil Outcomes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ekstrom, Ruth B.

    A model of elementary school teacher behavior affecting pupil outcomes is presented, and research based upon that model is discussed. A portion of the model, the relationship between teacher aptitudes and knowledge, teaching behavior, and pupil outcomes is focused upon. Aptitudes considered important included verbal and reasoning ability, memory,…

  1. Primary Pupils' Preconceptions about Child Prenatal Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zoldosova, Kristina; Prokop, Pavol

    2007-01-01

    The research deals a problem of primary pupils' preconceptions about a child prenatal development. Even the pupils cannot experience the phenomenon and can get only mediate information; their idea about the prenatal development is quite well constructed. The quality of the preconceptions depends mainly upon variety of informational sources kept at…

  2. News Music: Here comes science that rocks Student trip: Two views of the future of CERN Classroom: Researchers can motivate pupils Appointment: AstraZeneca trust appoints new director Multimedia: Physics Education comes to YouTube Competition: Students compete in European Union Science Olympiad 2010 Physics roadshow: Pupils see wonders of physics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2010-07-01

    Music: Here comes science that rocks Student trip: Two views of the future of CERN Classroom: Researchers can motivate pupils Appointment: AstraZeneca trust appoints new director Multimedia: Physics Education comes to YouTube Competition: Students compete in European Union Science Olympiad 2010 Physics roadshow: Pupils see wonders of physics

  3. Objective assessment of the effect of pupil size upon the power distribution of multifocal contact lenses.

    PubMed

    Papadatou, Eleni; Del Águila-Carrasco, Antonio J; Esteve-Taboada, José J; Madrid-Costa, David; Cerviño-Expósito, Alejandro

    2017-01-01

    To analytically assess the effect of pupil size upon the refractive power distributions of different designs of multifocal contact lenses. Two multifocal contact lenses of center-near design and one multifocal contact lens of center-distance design were used in this study. Their power profiles were measured using the NIMO TR1504 device (LAMBDA-X, Belgium). Based on their power profiles, the power distribution was assessed as a function of pupil size. For the high addition lenses, the resulting refractive power as a function of viewing distance (far, intermediate, and near) and pupil size was also analyzed. The power distribution of the lenses was affected by pupil size differently. One of the lenses showed a significant spread in refractive power distribution, from about -3 D to 0 D. Generally, the power distribution of the lenses expanded as the pupil diameter became greater. The surface of the lens dedicated for each distance varied substantially with the design of the lens. In an experimental basis, our results show how the lenses power distribution is affected by the pupil size and underlined the necessity of careful evaluation of the patient's visual needs and the optical properties of a multifocal contact lens for achieving the optimal visual outcome.

  4. A new apparatus of infrared videopupillography for monitoring pupil size

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ko, M.-L.; Huang, T.-W.; Chen, Y.-Y.; Sone, B.-S.; Huang, Y.-C.; Jeng, W.-D.; Chen, Y.-T.; Hsieh, Y.-F.; Tao, K.-H.; Li, S.-T.; Ou-Yang, M.; Chiou, J.-C.

    2013-09-01

    Glaucoma was diagnosed or tracked by the intraocular pressure (IOP) generally because it is one of the physiology parameters that are associated with glaucoma. But measurement of IOP is not easy and consistence under different measure conditions. An infrared videopupillography is apparatus to monitor the pupil size in an attempt to bypass the direct IOP measurement. This paper propose an infrared videopupillography to monitoring the pupil size of different light stimulus in dark room. The portable infrared videopupillography contains a camera, a beam splitter, the visible-light LEDs for stimulating the eyes, and the infrared LEDs for lighting the eyes. It is lighter and smaller than the present product. It can modulate for different locations of different eyes, and can be mounted on any eyeglass frame. An analysis program of pupil size can evaluate the pupil diameter by image correlation. In our experiments, the eye diameter curves were not smooth and jagged. It caused by the light spots, lone eyelashes, and blink. In the future, we will improve the analysis program of pupil size and seek the approach to solve the LED light spots. And we hope this infrared videopupillography proposed in this paper can be a measuring platform to explore the relations between the different diseases and pupil response.

  5. The early history of glaucoma: the glaucous eye (800 BC to 1050 AD)

    PubMed Central

    Leffler, Christopher T; Schwartz, Stephen G; Hadi, Tamer M; Salman, Ali; Vasuki, Vivek

    2015-01-01

    To the ancient Greeks, glaukos occasionally described diseased eyes, but more typically described healthy irides, which were glaucous (light blue, gray, or green). During the Hippocratic period, a pathologic glaukos pupil indicated a media opacity that was not dark. Although not emphasized by present-day ophthalmologists, the pupil in acute angle closure may appear somewhat green, as the mid-dilated pupil exposes the cataractous lens. The ancient Greeks would probably have described a (normal) green iris or (diseased) green pupil as glaukos. During the early Common Era, eye pain, a glaucous hue, pupil irregularities, and absence of light perception indicated a poor prognosis with couching. Galen associated the glaucous hue with a large, anterior, or hard crystalline lens. Medieval Arabic authors translated glaukos as zarqaa, which also commonly described light irides. Ibn Sina (otherwise known as Avicenna) wrote that the zarqaa hue could occur due to anterior prominence of the lens and could occur in an acquired manner. The disease defined by the glaucous pupil in antiquity is ultimately indeterminate, as the complete syndrome of acute angle closure was not described. Nonetheless, it is intriguing that the glaucous pupil connoted a poor prognosis, and came to be associated with a large, anterior, or hard crystalline lens. PMID:25673972

  6. Struggling for recognition and inclusion—parents' and pupils' experiences of special support measures in school

    PubMed Central

    Isaksson, Joakim; Lindqvist, Rafael; Bergström, Erik

    2010-01-01

    During the last decade an increasing use of differentiated support measures for pupils with special educational needs, indicative of a discrepancy between educational policies and practices, has been witnessed in Sweden. Another trend has been the increased use of medical diagnoses in school. The aim of this study was to explore the main concern of support given to pupils with special educational needs and how pupils and parents experience and handle this. Interviews were conducted with eight pupils in Grades 7–9—and their parents—at two compulsory schools in a city in northern Sweden. A grounded theory approach was used for analyzing the interview data. A conceptual model was generated illuminating the main concern of special support measures for pupils and parents. The core category of the model, struggling for recognition and inclusion, was related to two categories, which further described how this process was experienced and handled by the participants. These categories were labeled negotiating expertise knowledge within a fragmented support structure and coping with stigma, ambivalence, and special support measures. The developed conceptual model provides a deeper understanding of an ongoing process of struggle for recognition and inclusion in school as described by the pupils and parents. PMID:20640030

  7. Implementing a free school-based fruit and vegetable programme: barriers and facilitators experienced by pupils, teachers and produce suppliers in the Boost study.

    PubMed

    Aarestrup, Anne Kristine; Krølner, Rikke; Jørgensen, Thea Suldrup; Evans, Alexandra; Due, Pernille; Tjørnhøj-Thomsen, Tine

    2014-02-11

    Multi-component interventions which combine educational and environmental strategies appear to be most effective in increasing fruit and vegetable (FV) intake in adolescents. However, multi-component interventions are complex to implement and often poorly implemented. Identification of barriers and facilitators for implementation is warranted to improve future interventions.This study aimed to explore implementation of two intervention components which addressed availability and accessibility of FV in the multi-component, school-based Boost study which targeted FV intake among Danish 13-year-olds and to identify barriers and facilitators for implementation among pupils, teachers and FV suppliers. We conducted focus group interviews with 111 13-year-olds and 13 teachers, completed class observations at six schools, and conducted telephone interviews with all involved FV suppliers. Interviews were transcribed, coded and analysed using qualitative analytical procedures. FV suppliers affected the implementation of the FV programme at schools and thereby pupils' intake through their timing of delivery and through the quality, quantity and variety of the delivered FV. Teachers influenced the accessibility and appearance of FV by deciding if and when the pupils could eat FV and whether FV were cut up. Different aspects of time acted as barriers for teachers' implementation of the FV programme: time spent on having a FV break during lessons, time needed to prepare FV and time spent on pupils' misbehaviour and not being able to handle getting FV. Teacher timing of cutting up and serving FV could turn into a barrier for pupils FV intake due to enzymatic browning. The appearance of FV was important for pupils' intake, especially for girls. FV that did not appeal to the pupils e.g. had turned brown after being cut up were thrown around as a part of a game by the pupils, especially boys. Girls appreciated the social dimension of eating FV together to a larger extent than boys. Limited time and pupils' misbehaviour were barriers for teachers' implementation. Establishing FV delivery to schools as a new routine challenged FV suppliers' implementation. Food aesthetics were important for most pupils' FV intake while the social dimension of eating FV together seemed more important to girls than boys. Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN11666034.

  8. Food and drink purchasing habits out of school at lunchtime: a national survey of secondary school pupils in Scotland.

    PubMed

    Macdiarmid, Jennie I; Wills, Wendy J; Masson, Lindsey F; Craig, Leone C A; Bromley, Catherine; McNeill, Geraldine

    2015-08-04

    Food and drink purchasing habits of pupils out of school at lunchtime may be contributing to poor dietary intakes and overweight and obesity. The aim of this study was to identify the places from which purchases were made, types of food and drinks purchased and, the reasons for purchasing food or drinks out of school. A survey of the food and drinks purchasing habits of secondary school pupils (11-16 yrs) out of school at lunchtime was conducted in Scotland in 2010. A face-to-face interview and a self-completion questionnaire was designed to identify the food outlets used at lunchtime, types of food and drinks purchased and pupils' reasons for purchasing food or drinks out of school. Height and weight were measured and BMI centiles used to classify pupils as normal weight, overweight or obese. Results were compared by age group, sex, BMI group and level of socio-economic deprivation. Of the 612 pupils who completed the survey, 97 % reported having access to places selling food or drinks out of school at lunchtime, and of these 63 % made purchases. A higher proportion of pupils from more deprived areas reported purchasing food or drinks out of school, but the proportion making purchases did not differ significantly by sex or BMI group. Supermarkets were the outlets from which pupils reported most often making purchases, with fewer purchasing food or drinks from fast food takeaways, and this did not differ significantly by socio-economic deprivation. Reasons for making purchases included availability of preferred food and drinks, some of which are restricted for sale in schools, and social reasons, such as wanting to be with friends. Sandwiches and non-diet soft drinks were items most commonly purchased, followed by confectionery and diet soft drinks. However, less than 10 % of all the secondary school pupils reported purchasing these foods every day. Supermarkets, not just fast food outlets, should be considered when developing strategies to improve the dietary habits of pupils at lunchtime. The importance of food preferences and social reasons for purchasing food and drinks need to be acknowledged and integrated in future interventions.

  9. Emotional and Physical Abuse in Family: Survey among High School Adolescents

    PubMed Central

    Aberle, Neda; Ratković-Blažević, Violeta; Mitrović-Dittrich, Dubravka; Coha, Renata; Stoić, Antun; Bublić, Joško; Boranić, Milivoj

    2007-01-01

    Aim To determine the prevalence of different forms of child abuse among high school pupils in Slavonski Brod, Croatia. Method The study included 2140 first and fourth-grade pupils aged between 14 and 18 years from all 10 high schools in Slavonski Brod and the area (4 grammar and 6 vocational schools). The pupils were asked to complete an anonymous structured questionnaire during a 45-minute class. The questionnaire, developed for the needs of this study, collected basic demographic data on family life and experience of emotional or physical abuse. Results First-grade pupils were more satisfied with their family life than fourth-grade pupils (96.9% vs 91.3%, P<0.001, χ2 test). The feeling of being insufficiently loved or unloved was reported by 17.5% of the first-grade and 24.6% of the fourth-grade pupils and a greater percentage of pupils whose parents were divorced or who had a stepparent. Almost 80% of pupils had been verbally or nonverbally punished for disobedience. Emotional abuse was significantly associated with female sex (Nagelkerke R2 = 0.87, β = 0.474, P = 0.028), younger age (β = 1.263, P<0.001), and alcoholism in the family (β = 2.037, P<0.001. Physical punishment for disobedience was reported significantly more often by first-grade than fourth-grade pupils (15.6% vs 12.9% P = 0.021, χ2 test). Physical abuse was significantly associated (Nagelkerke R2 = 0.69) with younger age (β = 0.379, P<0.012), emotional abuse (β = 0.665, P<0.002), alcoholism in the family (β = 1.791, P<0.001) and the lack of parental love (β = -0.645, P<0.001). Possible sexual molestation was admitted by 6.0% boys and 3.3% girls. Conclusion Most high school pupils in Slavonski Brod were satisfied with their life at home. Disobedience was usually punished verbally or by aggressive behavior of the parents. Physical punishment was less common and usually did not result in serious injuries. PMID:17436389

  10. A qualitative study exploring pupil and school staff perceptions of school meal provision in England.

    PubMed

    Day, Rhiannon E; Sahota, Pinki; Christian, Meaghan S; Cocks, Kim

    2015-11-14

    Despite recent attempts to improve the quality of school meals in England through the introduction of school meal standards, uptake remains low. Since the introduction of the universal infant free school meal (UIFSM) scheme in September 2014 all pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 in English state-funded primary schools are eligible to receive a free lunch. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of pupils, catering managers and head teachers concerning school meal provision in eight primary schools in North England and provides a unique insight into each school's preparation for implementation of UIFSM. A total of thirty-two focus groups were conducted with sixty-four pupils aged 7-8 years (Year 3) and sixty-four pupils aged 9-10 years (Year 5) in June-July 2014, to explore perceptions of school meals. Interviews were carried out with six catering managers and five head teachers concerning catering and the impending implementation of UIFSM. Increasing acceptance of school meals could lead to improved uptake. Pupils desired increased choice and menu variety, including greater variety of vegetables and fruit. Caterers can influence the quantity and types of foods offered to pupils, and there are opportunities for them to promote healthy eating behaviours in the dining room. The important roles of school meal providers, caterers, pupils and parents need to be recognised to improve delivery and acceptability of school meals and ultimately school meal uptake. There were practical challenges to implementation of UIFSM, with some concerns expressed over its feasibility. Head teachers were mainly positive about the potential beneficial impacts of the scheme.

  11. Effect of Pupil Size on Wavefront Refraction during Orthokeratology.

    PubMed

    Faria-Ribeiro, Miguel; Navarro, Rafael; González-Méijome, José Manuel

    2016-11-01

    It has been hypothesized that central and peripheral refraction, in eyes treated with myopic overnight orthokeratology, might vary with changes in pupil diameter. The aim of this work was to evaluate the axial and peripheral refraction and optical quality after orthokeratology, using ray tracing software for different pupil sizes. Zemax-EE was used to generate a series of 29 semi-customized model eyes based on the corneal topography changes from 29 patients who had undergone myopic orthokeratology. Wavefront refraction in the central 80 degrees of the visual field was calculated using three different quality metrics criteria: Paraxial curvature matching, minimum root mean square error (minRMS), and the Through Focus Visual Strehl of the Modulation Transfer Function (VSMTF), for 3- and 6-mm pupil diameters. The three metrics predicted significantly different values for foveal and peripheral refractions. Compared with the Paraxial criteria, the other two metrics predicted more myopic refractions on- and off-axis. Interestingly, the VSMTF predicts only a marginal myopic shift in the axial refraction as the pupil changes from 3 to 6 mm. For peripheral refraction, minRMS and VSMTF metric criteria predicted a higher exposure to peripheral defocus as the pupil increases from 3 to 6 mm. The results suggest that the supposed effect of myopic control produced by ortho-k treatments might be dependent on pupil size. Although the foveal refractive error does not seem to change appreciably with the increase in pupil diameter (VSMTF criteria), the high levels of positive spherical aberration will lead to a degradation of lower spatial frequencies, that is more significant under low illumination levels.

  12. Family structure, socioeconomic position and utilization of oral health services among Nigerian senior secondary school pupils.

    PubMed

    Ola, Dennis; Gambôa, Ana B O; Folayan, Morenike O; Marcenes, Wagner

    2013-01-01

    To test the relationship between socioeconomic position (SEP), family composition, number of siblings, and birth position in the family, and the utilization of oral health services by senior secondary school pupils in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. A cross-sectional study design included senior secondary school pupils in the Central Local Government Area of Ile-Ife during 2007/2008. Sample size calculation was performed and 1,200 pupils were invited to participate. A multistage, stratified sampling technique was used. Data collection included a self-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed using logistic regression. The response rate was 76 percent (n=1043). The mean age was 15.8 (standard deviation=1.9) and 49 percent were males. Only 22.5 percent of pupils had ever visited a dentist in their lives. Results from multivariate analyses showed that pupils attending free schools, those paying 1 to 10,000 naira (equivalent to US$ 63.31) and 10,000 to 19,000 naira (equivalent to US$ 120.29) were respectively 1.93, 1.87, and 2.74 times less likely to have attended a dentist in the past than pupils in more expensive schools. Pupils living with single mothers or without a parent were unlikely to have visited the dentist. Number of siblings and birth position in the family were not associated with utilization of oral health services. Adolescents from families with a low SEP growing up without their parents may need extra incentives to visit dentist. © 2012 American Association of Public Health Dentistry.

  13. Learning-Testing Process in Classroom: An Empirical Simulation Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buda, Rodolphe

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents an empirical micro-simulation model of the teaching and the testing process in the classroom (Programs and sample data are available--the actual names of pupils have been hidden). It is a non-econometric micro-simulation model describing informational behaviors of the pupils, based on the observation of the pupils'…

  14. Exclusion in Schools in Northern Ireland: The Pupils' Voice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Knipe, Damian; Reynolds, Margaret; Milner, Sharon

    2007-01-01

    The Department of Education in Northern Ireland has been reviewing the procedures for suspending and expelling pupils from school. This article reports the views of a random sample of 114 children (11-16 years) towards the proposed changes. Pupils' thoughts on: dealing with misbehaviour; setting rules; the decision-making process; appropriate…

  15. Knowledge of Secondary School Pupils regarding Sexual Health Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Westwood, Jo; Mullan, Barbara

    2006-01-01

    Objective: To assess the sexual health knowledge of secondary school pupils in order to ascertain whether the current government public health and education policies are having any impact on pupils' sexual health. Design: Results obtained from a questionnaire as part of a two-phase intervention study. Setting: Nineteen mixed-sex, state secondary…

  16. Pupil Absenteeism and the Educational Psychologist

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carroll, H. C. M.

    2015-01-01

    From a review of the literature, it is concluded that (i) each form of pupil absenteeism relates to a heterogeneous group of children; (ii) because of such heterogeneity, those who are involved in assessment and intervention in relation to pupil absenteeism are faced with a demanding task; (iii) as a consequence of their education and training,…

  17. Modeling with Young Students--Quantitative and Qualitative.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bliss, Joan; Ogborn, Jon; Boohan, Richard; Brosnan, Tim; Mellar, Harvey; Sakonidis, Babis

    1999-01-01

    A project created tasks and tools to investigate quality and nature of 11- to 14-year-old pupils' reasoning with quantitative and qualitative computer-based modeling tools. Tasks and tools were used in two innovative modes of learning: expressive, where pupils created their own models, and exploratory, where pupils investigated an expert's model.…

  18. Validating a Model of Effective Teaching Behaviour of Pre-Service Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maulana, Ridwan; Helms-Lorenz, Michelle; Van de Grift, Wim

    2017-01-01

    Although effective teaching behaviour is central for pupil outcomes, the extent to which pre-service teachers behave effectively in the classroom and how their behaviour relates to pupils' engagement remain unanswered. The present study aims to validate a theoretical model linking effective pre-service teaching behaviour and pupil's engagement,…

  19. Stratified at Seven: In-Class Ability Grouping and the Relative Age Effect

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Campbell, Tammy

    2014-01-01

    There is an established body of evidence indicating that a pupil's relative age within their school year cohort is associated with academic attainment throughout compulsory education. In England, autumn-born pupils consistently attain at higher levels than summer-born pupils. Analysis here investigates a possible channel of this relative age…

  20. Creating Instructional Materials for All Pupils: Try COLA

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rotter, Kathleen

    2006-01-01

    With the increasing diversity of pupils in general education classes, teachers are seeking simple methods to teach all of their pupils while maintaining the integrity of the curriculum. COLA is a mnemonic device to help teachers apply the principles of layout and design when creating instructional materials. Use of the COLA strategy can enhance…

  1. Fresh Start: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gorard, Stephen; Siddiqui, Nadia; See, Beng Huat

    2015-01-01

    Fresh Start (FS) is a catch-up literacy intervention for pupils at risk of falling behind their peers in early secondary schooling. It provides systematic and rigorous practice in phonics so that pupils are at an appropriate level to join the mainstream group after completion of the intervention. Pupils are assessed and then grouped according to…

  2. Socially Shared Metacognition of Dyads of Pupils in Collaborative Mathematical Problem-Solving Processes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Iiskala, Tuike; Vauras, Marja; Lehtinen, Erno; Salonen, Pekka

    2011-01-01

    This study investigated how metacognition appears as a socially shared phenomenon within collaborative mathematical word-problem solving processes of dyads of high-achieving pupils. Four dyads solved problems of different difficulty levels. The pupils were 10 years old. The problem-solving activities were videotaped and transcribed in terms of…

  3. A Teacher Accountability Model for Overcoming Self-Exclusion of Pupils

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jamal, Abu-Hussain; Tilchin, Oleg; Essawi, Mohammad

    2015-01-01

    Self-exclusion of pupils is one of the prominent challenges of education. In this paper we propose the TERA model, which shapes the process of creating formative accountability of teachers to overcome the self-exclusion of pupils. Development of the model includes elaboration and integration of interconnected model components. The TERA model…

  4. Evaluation of Eleventh Grade Turkish Pupils' Comprehension of General Chemistry Concepts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Belge Can, Hatice; Boz, Yezdan

    2011-01-01

    The main purpose of this study is to evaluate eleventh grade Turkish pupils' comprehension of various general chemistry concepts which in turn enables to investigate chemistry concepts which are easier and harder for students to comprehend. Examining the effect of gender and last semester chemistry course grades on pupils' comprehension of general…

  5. Should We Teach Primary Pupils about Chemical Change?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Papageorgiou, George; Grammaticopoulou, Maria; Johnson, Phil Michael

    2010-01-01

    Thirty-six pupils from three sixth-grade classes (ages 11/12, n = 75) in Greece were interviewed pre- and post-intervention in a piece of research on explanations of chemical phenomena. Software concerning chemical phenomena was incorporated in a teaching scheme, where the particle theory was used. After a 13 hour intervention, pupils'…

  6. Surveying the Views of Pupils Attending Supplementary Schools in England

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Strand, Steve

    2007-01-01

    Background: Supplementary schooling broadly refers to extra schooling organized by and for particular ethnic groups outside of mainstream provision. Purpose: This is the first study to systematically explore the attitudes of pupils attending supplementary schools in England and the largest ever UK study of supplementary schools and their pupils.…

  7. Self-Determination of Pupils with Intellectual Disabilities in Norwegian Secondary School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sagen, Line Melboe; Ytterhus, Borgunn

    2014-01-01

    This article examines how the self-determination of pupils with intellectual disabilities is practised in secondary school in Norway and discusses possible challenges connected to this practice. The argumentation builds on the fieldwork of qualitative interviews (N?=?55) and participant observations in schools in Norway (pupils 13-16?years old).…

  8. Pupils' Word Choices and the Teaching of Grammar

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wyse, Dominic

    2006-01-01

    The idea that formal grammar teaching leads to improvements in school pupils' writing has been a popular one. However, the robust and extensive evidence base shows that this is not the case. Despite this, policy initiatives have continued to suggest that grammar teaching does improve pupils' writing: the "Grammar for Writing" resource is…

  9. Teachers' Theoretical Orientations toward Reading and Pupil Control Ideology: A National Survey.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morrison, Timothy G.; Wilcox, Brad; Madrigal, J. L.; Roberts, Susan; Hintze, Eric

    1999-01-01

    Examines relationships between 418 elementary school teachers' theoretical beliefs toward reading instruction and their attitudes about pupil control. Uses the Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile (TORP) and the Pupil Control Ideology Form (PCI) for data collection. Finds as teachers' scores moved toward the whole language end of the TORP…

  10. Development of Teachers' Theoretical Orientations toward Reading and Pupil Control Ideology.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morrison, Timothy G.; And Others

    1997-01-01

    Examines relationships between theoretical beliefs toward reading instruction and attitudes about pupil control. Uses the Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile (TORP) and Pupil Control Ideology (PCI). Finds that (1) as teachers moved toward the whole language end of the TORP scale, PCI scores were more humanistic; and (2) teachers oriented…

  11. Preservice Students' Attitudes toward Pupil Control as They Develop throughout the Field Experiences.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Killian, Joyce E.; McIntyre, D. John

    This study used repeated measures of the Pupil Control Ideology (PCI) instrument to examine the change in student teacher orientation toward pupil control ideology occurring during a three semester field experience. The instrument was given to elementary and secondary education majors at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale five different…

  12. Instructional Effectiveness in a Pre-Kindergarten Program: A Pupil Appraisal and Program Evaluation Model.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Whitney, Edward N.; And Others

    In studies conducted in the Baltimore City Public Schools by the Office of Pupil and Program Monitoring and Appraisal (OPPMA), pre-kindergarten pupils were found to be "growing scholastically". A program, Early School Admissions Program (ESAP) was based on nine objectives established to prepare pre-schoolers for "reading…

  13. Exploring and Challenging Pupil Disaffection: An Evaluation of a Motivational Interviewing-Based Intervention Delivered by Paraprofessionals

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Snape, Laura; Atkinson, Cathy

    2015-01-01

    Research suggests motivational interviewing (MI) techniques can be useful in educational settings for improving motivation in disaffected pupils. This exploratory mixed methods study sought to investigate whether implementing an MI-based programme through school-based paraprofessionals would be effective in improving pupil motivation. Five pupils…

  14. Primary Pupils' Use of Information and Communication Technologies at School and Home

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Selwyn, Neil; Potter, John; Cranmer, Sue

    2009-01-01

    Based on survey data from 612 pupils in five English primary schools, this paper investigates children's engagement with information and communication technologies (ICTs) inside and outside the school context. Analysis of the data shows pupils' engagements with ICTs to be often perfunctory and unspectacular, especially within the school setting,…

  15. Pupils, the Forgotten Partners in Education Action Zones

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Whitehead, Joan; Clough, Nick

    2004-01-01

    Education action zones (EAZs) involving local partnerships are one of the government's policies set up to help raise standards in pupils' performance and behaviour in areas of economic and social disadvantage. This article explores the nature of these partnerships and the fact that pupils are excluded. It reviews literature on student voice and…

  16. The Effect of Reading Upon Pupil Dilation. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carver, Ronald P.

    The question of whether pupil diameter indicates information processing load during reading was investigated in three experiments involving 24 college students reading passages of varying difficulty. A TV camera and monitor, together with a video-recorder, were used to measure the diameter of the pupil under a reading condition and under three…

  17. Assessing Pupils' Progress

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ollerton, Mike

    2010-01-01

    In this article, the author explores what Assessing Pupils' Progress (APP) is about. He contends that the predilection for testing is a catastrophe as far as the teaching and learning of mathematics is concerned; it is an outcome of the drive for collecting so-called "data" on pupils. What those people, who should know better, either choose to…

  18. Assessment of Project-Based Learning in a MECHATRONICS Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Doppelt, Yaron

    2005-01-01

    Project-based learning (PBL) that has authenticity in the pupils' world enables the teaching of science and technology to pupils from a variety of backgrounds. PBL has the potential to enable pupils to research, plan, design, and reflect on the creation of technological projects (Doppelt, 2000). Engineering education, which is common in Israel,…

  19. Understanding Chemical Change in Primary Education: The Effect of Two Cognitive Variables

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stamovlasis, Dimitrios; Papageorgiou, George

    2012-01-01

    In this study, pupils' understanding of chemical change was investigated in relation to two cognitive variables: logical thinking and field-dependence/field-independence. The participants (N = 99) were sixth-grade elementary school pupils (aged 11/12), which were involved in two different tasks related to combustion. The pupils were tested for…

  20. Free Primary Education Policy and Pupil School Mobility in Urban Kenya

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oketch, Moses; Mutisya, Maurice; Ngware, Moses; Ezeh, Alex C.; Epari, Charles

    2010-01-01

    This paper examines pupil school mobility in urban Kenya using African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) household survey data which contain information on pupil transfers between schools. The aim is to identify which school characteristics attract the greatest demand for incoming transfers. The analysis reveals that there are frequent…

  1. Ability of Slovakian Pupils to Identify Birds

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Prokop, Pavol; Rodak, Rastislav

    2009-01-01

    A pupil's ability to identify common organisms is necessary for acquiring further knowledge of biology. We investigated how pupils were able to identify 25 bird species following their song, growth habits, or both features presented simultaneously. Just about 19% of birds were successfully identified by song, about 39% by growth habit, and 45% of…

  2. Talking about Brine Shrimps: Three Ways of Analysing Pupil Conversations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tunnicliffe, Sue Dale; Reiss, Michael J.

    1999-01-01

    Applies three distinct analyses to recorded and transcribed student conversations (n=240) about brine shrimps. The complementary analytic methods provide information on the content of pupils' conversations in terms of the observations made, the ways in which pupils make sense of their observations, and the ways in which students use conversation…

  3. Inclusive Education in Sweden? A Critical Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goransson, Kerstin; Nilholm, Claes; Karlsson, Kristina

    2011-01-01

    When it comes to pupils in need of special support and pupils with disabilities, Sweden's compulsory school system is sometimes considered a one-track system. This article analyses and critically discusses current policy and practices at various levels of Sweden's compulsory school system for these pupils. The analysis traces three themes at the…

  4. Habermas, Pupil Voice, Rationalism, and Their Meeting with Lacan's Objet Petit A

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moran, Paul; Murphy, Mark

    2012-01-01

    "Pupil voice" is a movement within state education in England that is associated with democracy, change, participation and the raising of educational standards. While receiving much attention from educators and policy makers, less attention has been paid to the theory behind the concept of pupil voice. An obvious point of theoretical…

  5. Teachers' Views about Pupil Diversity in the Primary School Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaldi, Stavroula; Govaris, Christos; Filippatou, Diamanto

    2018-01-01

    The present study explores Greek primary school teachers' perceptions and views on pupil diversity in the classroom environment. A large-scale survey was carried out in order to examine teachers' perceptions about pupil diversity and to identify personal and/or educational characteristics that can influence or predict these perceptions. The…

  6. Researching Pupil Well-Being in UK Secondary Schools: Community Psychology and the Politics of Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duckett, Paul; Sixsmith, Judith; Kagan, Carolyn

    2008-01-01

    This study explores the relationships between a school, its staff and its pupils and the impact of these relationships on school pupils' well-being. The authors adopted a community psychological perspective and applied critical, social constructionist epistemologies and participatory, multi-method research tools. The article discusses the…

  7. Practical Considerations When Supporting Transitions for Pupils with Speech, Language and Communication Needs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perfitt, Ruth

    2013-01-01

    This article investigates the impact of transitions upon pupils aged 11-14 with speech, language and communication needs, including specific language impairment and autism. The aim is to identify stress factors, examine whether these affect any subgroups in particular and suggest practical strategies to support pupils through transitions. Stress…

  8. The Responses of Economically Advantaged and Economically Disadvantaged Sixth Grade Pupils to Science Demonstrations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wagner, Bartlett Adam

    Compared were written, oral, and construction responses to science demonstrations of economically advantaged and disadvantaged sixth grade students. The study was designed to gain a greater understanding of academic performance of disadvantaged pupils in elementary school science. Five demonstrations were presented to each pupil, who then wrote…

  9. Learning: What Do Primary Pupils Think about It?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sahin Taskin, Cigdem

    2012-01-01

    The author aimed to explore primary pupils' perceptions of learning and to what extent they perceive learning is important to them. Fifty-five primary school pupils in Istanbul and Canakkale (Turkey) were interviewed. To analyze the data, A. Strauss and J. Corbin's (1998) grounded theory methodology was followed. NVivo 7 (QSR, Australia) a…

  10. A Richer Understanding of Algebra

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foy, Michelle

    2008-01-01

    Algebra is one of those hard-to-teach topics where pupils seem to struggle to see it as more than a set of rules to learn, but this author recently used the software "Grid Algebra" from ATM, which engaged her Year 7 pupils in exploring algebraic concepts for themselves. "Grid Algebra" allows pupils to experience number,…

  11. Teacher-Related Factors as Correlates of Pupils' Achievement in Social Studies in Southwestern Nigeria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adeyemi, Babatunde

    2010-01-01

    Introduction: The teacher plays a significant role in the intellectual development of the pupils, using various assessment and teaching styles to improve pupils' performance in school subjects. The study therefore investigated the effect of some teacher related factors: teacher level of awareness of assessment style, teacher assessment style,…

  12. Pupils' Representations of Electric Current before, during and after Instruction on DC Circuits.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Psillos, D.; And Others

    1987-01-01

    Reported are compulsory education pupils' representations of electric current in a constructivist approach to introducing direct current (DC) circuits. Suggests that the pupils views can be modelled after an energy framework. Makes suggestions about the content, the apparatus and the experiments used in teaching DC circuits. (CW)

  13. High-contrast imager for Complex Aperture Telescopes (HiCAT): APLC/shaped-pupil hybrid coronagraph designs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    N'Diaye, Mamadou; Choquet, Elodie; Carlotti, Alexis; Pueyo, Laurent; Egron, Sylvain; Leboulleux, Lucie; Levecq, Olivier; Perrin, Marshall D.; Wallace, J. Kent; Long, Chris; Lajoie, Rachel; Lajoie, Charles-Philippe; Eldorado Riggs, A. J.; Zimmerman, Neil T.; Groff, Tyler Dean; Kasdin, N. Jeremy; Vanderbei, Robert J.; Mawet, Dimitri; Macintosh, Bruce; Shaklan, Stuart; Soummer, Remi

    2015-01-01

    HiCAT is a high-contrast imaging testbed designed to provide complete solutions in wavefront sensing, control and starlight suppression with complex aperture telescopes. Primary mirror segmentation, central obstruction and spiders in the pupil of an on-axis telescope introduces additional diffraction features in the point spread function, which make high-contrast imaging very challenging. The testbed alignment was completed in the summer of 2014, exceeding specifications with a total wavefront error of 12nm rms with a 18mm pupil. Two deformable mirrors are to be installed for wavefront control in the fall of 2014. In this communication, we report on the first testbed results using a classical Lyot coronagraph. We have developed novel coronagraph designs combining an Apodized Pupil Lyot Coronagraph (APLC) with shaped-pupil type optimizations. We present the results of these new APLC-type solutions with two-dimensional shaped-pupil apodizers for the HiCAT geometry. These solutions render the system quasi-insensitive to jitter and low-order aberrations, while improving the performance in terms of inner working angle, bandpass and contrast over a classical APLC.

  14. Pupil size reflects the focus of feature-based attention.

    PubMed

    Binda, Paola; Pereverzeva, Maria; Murray, Scott O

    2014-12-15

    We measured pupil size in adult human subjects while they selectively attended to one of two surfaces, bright and dark, defined by coherently moving dots. The two surfaces were presented at the same location; therefore, subjects could select the cued surface only on the basis of its features. With no luminance change in the stimulus, we find that pupil size was smaller when the bright surface was attended and larger when the dark surface was attended: an effect of feature-based (or surface-based) attention. With the same surfaces at nonoverlapping locations, we find a similar effect of spatial attention. The pupil size modulation cannot be accounted for by differences in eye position and by other variables known to affect pupil size such as task difficulty, accommodation, or the mere anticipation (imagery) of bright/dark stimuli. We conclude that pupil size reflects not just luminance or cognitive state, but the interaction between the two: it reflects which luminance level in the visual scene is relevant for the task at hand. Copyright © 2014 the American Physiological Society.

  15. Cognitive processing load across a wide range of listening conditions: insights from pupillometry.

    PubMed

    Zekveld, Adriana A; Kramer, Sophia E

    2014-03-01

    The pupil response to speech masked by interfering speech was assessed across an intelligibility range from 0% to 99% correct. In total, 37 participants aged between 18 and 36 years and with normal hearing were included. Pupil dilation was largest at intermediate intelligibility levels, smaller at high intelligibility, and slightly smaller at very difficult levels. Participants who reported that they often gave up listening at low intelligibility levels had smaller pupil dilations in these conditions. Participants who were good at reading masked text had relatively large pupil dilation when intelligibility was low. We conclude that the pupil response is sensitive to processing load, and possibly reflects cognitive overload in difficult conditions. It seems affected by methodological aspects and individual abilities, but does not reflect subjective ratings. Copyright © 2014 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  16. The pupil response is sensitive to divided attention during speech processing.

    PubMed

    Koelewijn, Thomas; Shinn-Cunningham, Barbara G; Zekveld, Adriana A; Kramer, Sophia E

    2014-06-01

    Dividing attention over two streams of speech strongly decreases performance compared to focusing on only one. How divided attention affects cognitive processing load as indexed with pupillometry during speech recognition has so far not been investigated. In 12 young adults the pupil response was recorded while they focused on either one or both of two sentences that were presented dichotically and masked by fluctuating noise across a range of signal-to-noise ratios. In line with previous studies, the performance decreases when processing two target sentences instead of one. Additionally, dividing attention to process two sentences caused larger pupil dilation and later peak pupil latency than processing only one. This suggests an effect of attention on cognitive processing load (pupil dilation) during speech processing in noise. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Pupil-linked arousal is driven by decision uncertainty and alters serial choice bias

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Urai, Anne E.; Braun, Anke; Donner, Tobias H.

    2017-03-01

    While judging their sensory environments, decision-makers seem to use the uncertainty about their choices to guide adjustments of their subsequent behaviour. One possible source of these behavioural adjustments is arousal: decision uncertainty might drive the brain's arousal systems, which control global brain state and might thereby shape subsequent decision-making. Here, we measure pupil diameter, a proxy for central arousal state, in human observers performing a perceptual choice task of varying difficulty. Pupil dilation, after choice but before external feedback, reflects three hallmark signatures of decision uncertainty derived from a computational model. This increase in pupil-linked arousal boosts observers' tendency to alternate their choice on the subsequent trial. We conclude that decision uncertainty drives rapid changes in pupil-linked arousal state, which shape the serial correlation structure of ongoing choice behaviour.

  18. [Elementary schoolchildren nutritional behaviors in pupils' and their parents' opinion].

    PubMed

    Gajewska, Małgorzata; Zawieska, Dorota

    2009-01-01

    The aim of this study was to compare pupils' and their parents' opinions of children nutrition behaviors. There were 97 pupils at the age of 10 and 87 parents participating in the study. Data was collected using questionnaire, filled by pupils and parents separately, including questions about: number and frequency of meals a day, frequency of fast food consumption and providing buying food in school shops. It was noted that parents' knowledge about children's nutrition behaviors was inadequate in comparison to pupils' declarations. School environment becomes important place to form health behaviors. It seems necessary to change nutrition policy in Polish schools by: changing of methods and teaching ranges of rational nutrition, improving school meals organization, changing assortment of food in school shops and regular education of people who are responsible for children nutrition behaviors.

  19. The Impact of a Professional Development Programme on Primary Teachers' Classroom Practice and Pupils' Attitudes to Science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smith, Greg

    2015-04-01

    This study investigates the relationship, if any, between teacher participation in a targeted professional development programme and changes in participants' instructional practice and their pupils' attitudes to learning primary science. The programme took place over a 2-year period in 15 small rural schools in the West of Ireland. Data sources include teacher and pupil questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and informal classroom observations. The findings reveal that as a result of their involvement in the programme, (a) teachers' instructional practice in science lessons became more inquiry-based and they were engaging their pupils in substantially more hands-on activities in science lessons and (b) pupils developed more positive attitudes towards learning science. The findings from this study add to what is known about delivering effective professional development.

  20. Orthonormal aberration polynomials for anamorphic optical imaging systems with circular pupils.

    PubMed

    Mahajan, Virendra N

    2012-06-20

    In a recent paper, we considered the classical aberrations of an anamorphic optical imaging system with a rectangular pupil, representing the terms of a power series expansion of its aberration function. These aberrations are inherently separable in the Cartesian coordinates (x,y) of a point on the pupil. Accordingly, there is x-defocus and x-coma, y-defocus and y-coma, and so on. We showed that the aberration polynomials orthonormal over the pupil and representing balanced aberrations for such a system are represented by the products of two Legendre polynomials, one for each of the two Cartesian coordinates of the pupil point; for example, L(l)(x)L(m)(y), where l and m are positive integers (including zero) and L(l)(x), for example, represents an orthonormal Legendre polynomial of degree l in x. The compound two-dimensional (2D) Legendre polynomials, like the classical aberrations, are thus also inherently separable in the Cartesian coordinates of the pupil point. Moreover, for every orthonormal polynomial L(l)(x)L(m)(y), there is a corresponding orthonormal polynomial L(l)(y)L(m)(x) obtained by interchanging x and y. These polynomials are different from the corresponding orthogonal polynomials for a system with rotational symmetry but a rectangular pupil. In this paper, we show that the orthonormal aberration polynomials for an anamorphic system with a circular pupil, obtained by the Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization of the 2D Legendre polynomials, are not separable in the two coordinates. Moreover, for a given polynomial in x and y, there is no corresponding polynomial obtained by interchanging x and y. For example, there are polynomials representing x-defocus, balanced x-coma, and balanced x-spherical aberration, but no corresponding y-aberration polynomials. The missing y-aberration terms are contained in other polynomials. We emphasize that the Zernike circle polynomials, although orthogonal over a circular pupil, are not suitable for an anamorphic system as they do not represent balanced aberrations for such a system.

  1. Perspectives of pupils, parents, and teachers on mental health problems among Vietnamese secondary school pupils

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Secondary school can be a stressful period for adolescents, having to cope with many life changes. Very little research has been conducted on the mental health status of secondary school pupils in South East Asian countries, such as Vietnam. The study aimed to explore perceptions of mental health status, risk factors for mental health problems and strategies to improve mental health among Vietnamese secondary school students. Methods A qualitative design was used to address the main study question including: six in-depth interviews conducted with professionals (with two researchers, two psychiatrists, and two secondary school teachers) to learn about their experience of mental health problems among secondary school pupils; 13 focus group discussions (four with teachers, four with parents, and five with pupils); and 10 individual in-depth interviews with pupils who did not take part in the FGDs, to reflect on the collected data and to deepen the authors’ understanding. All interviews and FGDs were audio-taped, transcribed and analyzed for the identification of emerging issues using qualitative techniques of progressive coding, analytic memoing and ongoing comparison. Results Our study confirms the need to pay attention to mental health of pupils in Vietnam. Depression, anxiety, stress, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts were seen as major problems by all stakeholders. Mental health problems were mainly associated with academic pressure, resulting from an overloaded curriculum and pressure from teachers and parents to succeed. The study found that pupils’ mental health demands interventions at many levels, including at the level of government (Ministry of Education and Training), schools, communities, families and pupils themselves. Conclusions Vietnamese secondary school pupils feel that their mental health status is poor, because of many risk factors in their learning and living environment. The need now is to investigate further to identify and apply strategies to improve students’ mental health. PMID:24192066

  2. A cross-sectional questionnaire study of the rules governing pupils' carriage of inhalers for asthma treatment in secondary schools in North East England.

    PubMed

    Funston, Wendy; Howard, Simon J

    2016-01-01

    Objectives. The primary objective of this study was to assess the rules governing secondary school pupils' carriage of inhalers for emergency treatment of asthma in the North East of England. Design. This study was based upon a postal questionnaire survey. Setting. The setting for this study was mainstream free-to-attend secondary schools which admit 16 year old pupils within the 12 Local Authority areas which make up the North East of England. Participants. All 153 schools meeting the inclusion criteria were invited to participate in the study, of which 106 (69%) took part. Main Outcome Measures. Our three main outcome measures were: whether pupils are permitted to carry inhalers on their person while at school; whether advance permission is required for pupils to carry inhalers, and from whom; and whether the school has an emergency 'standby' salbutamol inhaler for use in asthma emergencies, as permitted since October 2014 under recent amendments to The Human Medicines Regulations 2012. Results. Of 98 schools submitting valid responses to the question, 99% (n = 97) permitted pupils to carry inhalers on their person while at school; the remaining school stored pupils' inhalers in a central location within the school. A total of 22% of included schools (n = 22) required parental permission before pupils were permitted to carry inhalers. Of 102 schools submitting valid responses to the question, 44% (n = 45) had purchased a 'standby' salbutamol inhaler for use in asthma emergencies. Conclusions. Most secondary schools in North East England permit pupils to carry inhalers on their person. The requirement in a minority of schools for parental permission to be given possibly contravenes the standard ethical practices in clinical medicine for children of this age. Only a minority of schools hold a 'standby' salbutamol inhaler for use in asthma emergencies. Wider availability may improve outcomes for asthma emergencies occurring in schools.

  3. The role of parental risk judgements, transport safety attitudes, transport priorities and accident experiences on pupils' walking to school.

    PubMed

    Mehdizadeh, Milad; Nordfjaern, Trond; Mamdoohi, Amir Reza; Shariat Mohaymany, Afshin

    2017-05-01

    Walking to school could improve pupils' health condition and might also reduce the use of motorized transport modes, which leads to both traffic congestion and air pollution. The current study aims to examine the role of parental risk judgements (i.e. risk perception and worry), transport safety attitudes, transport priorities and accident experiences on pupils' walking and mode choices on school trips in Iran, a country with poor road safety records. A total of 1078 questionnaires were randomly distributed among pupils at nine public and private schools in January 2014 in Rasht, Iran. Results from valid observations (n=711) showed that parents with high probability assessments of accidents and strong worry regarding pupils' accident risk while walking were less likely to let their children walk to school. Parents with high safety knowledge were also more likely to allow their pupils to walk to school. Parents who prioritized convenience and accessibility in transport had a stronger tendency to choose motorized modes over walking modes. Also, parents who prioritized safety and security in transport were less likely to allow pupils to walk to school. Elasticities results showed that a one percent increase in priorities of convenience and accessibility, priorities of safety and security, car ownership and walking time from home to school reduced walking among pupils by a probability of 0.62, 0.20, 0.86 and 0.57%, respectively. A one percent increase in parental safety knowledge increased the walking probability by around 0.25%. A 1 unit increase in parental probability assessment and worry towards pupils' walking, decreased the probability of choosing walking mode by 0.11 and 0.05, respectively. Policy-makers who aim to promote walking to schools should improve safety and security of the walking facilities and increase parental safety knowledge. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Effect of Family Structure and Behavioral and Eyesight Problems on Caries Severity in Pupils by Using an Ordinal Logistic Model

    PubMed Central

    JAHANI, Yunes; ESHRAGHIAN, Mohammad Reza; Rahimi FOROUSHANI, Abbas; NOURIJELYANI, Keramat; MOHAMMAD, Kazem; SHAHRAVAN, Arash; ALAM, Mahin

    2013-01-01

    Background: Dental caries is one of the most preventable yet prevalent chronic diseases worldwide. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of family structure and behavioral and eyesight problems as they relate to caries severity in schoolchildren. Methods: This research was carried out on 845 primary schoolchildren aged 9 yr in Kerman, Iran, in 2012. Ten variables, including health records, family structure information and a dmft/DMFT index, were collected. Children were categorized into three groups based on the WHO caries severity classification. Low caries level was defined as dmft/DMFT<2.6, moderate as dmft/DMFT of 2.7–4.4 and high as dmft/DMFT>4.4. The Cochran–Armitage test and ordinal logistic regression were employed for data analysis. Results: Almost half of pupils had moderate or high caries severity. The odds of being in a higher caries severity category in pupils with behavioral problems (OR=2.37, 95% CI: 1.29–4.38) and girls (OR=1.6, 95% CI: 1.22–2.06) were higher than in other categories. In addition, pupils with eyesight problems (OR=0.58, 95% CI: 0.37–0.90) and overweight pupils (OR=0.46, 95% CI: 0.31–0.71) had lower caries severity than others. The effects of parents’ education, birth rank, living with parents and consanguineous relationship between parents were not significant on caries severity (P>0.05). Conclusions: Female pupils with behavioral problems were at a higher risk of caries severity than other pupils. These pupils need to be educated and coached on proper dental care. In addition, overweight pupils and those with eyesight problems had less caries severity than others. Family structure in this study did not have an effect on the severity of dental caries. PMID:26056644

  5. Presentation and management of school bullying and the impact of anti-bullying strategies for pupils: a self-report survey in London schools.

    PubMed

    Raynor, S; Wylie, A

    2012-09-01

    To investigate differences in the presentation and management of bullying in two London boroughs, one with high levels of deprivation and the other with low levels of deprivation; and to explore pupils' views on successful approaches to tackle bullying. Problems associated with bullying in childhood can manifest with mental disorders, depression and poorer perceived health in adulthood. However, despite the recent development of anti-bullying policies within schools, bullying remains a significant issue for many pupils. An original self-report survey was undertaken to investigate this important area. A web-based questionnaire was undertaken with pupils from year 8 (aged 12-13 years) at four secondary schools in London. The study was approved by King's College London Research Ethics Committee. In total, 304 pupils completed the questionnaire, 55% of whom were affected by bullying at their school. Deprivation had no impact on the prevalence of pupils involved in a bullying culture. School membership is the most important independent factor for determining bullying. Policy could be aimed at changing pupils' views on dealing with bullying, and it is vital that policies and practices around bullying are active and alive and do not become 'file fodder'. Copyright © 2012 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Monitoring risk behaviour in adolescent pupils regarding consumption of psychoactive substances.

    PubMed

    Wojtyła-Buciora, Paulina; Klimberg, Aneta; Kapka-Skrzypczak, Lucyna; Diatczyk, Jarosław; Urbaniak, Monika; Ulatowska-Szostak, Ewa; Bołdowski, Tomasz; Wojtyła, Andrzej; Marcinkowski, Jerzy T

    2017-06-06

    Introduction. Taking psychoactive substances constitutes a significant problem for Public Health, particularly in preventing drug abuse and addiction. Objectives. To estimate the amount and incidence of drug consumption in middle and high school pupils, including the circumstances in which drug taking first started, and to determine pupils' knowledge about the consequences of taking psychoactive substances and designer drugs (DDs). Materials and methods. A randomised study was conducted throughout Poland on 9,360 pupils attending middle school (junior high school) in 2009 and 7,971 pupils from middle and high school pupils in 2011. The survey consisted of a questionnaire devised by the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate (GIS) and the replies obtained were subject to the relevant statistical analyses. Results. Drug taking was found to have increased between 2009-2011, especially among those attending high school; proportionally rising from 4% - 11%. The numbers who had ever taken designer drugs were 3% for middle school pupils and 4% from high school. Conclusions. 1) Adolescent drug consumption has increased, particularly in those of older age and in boys. 2) Despite the only brief interval for which designer drugs were legal, they have gained high popularity among the young. 3) Adolescents have insufficient knowledge about the dangers of using DDs. 4) Faced with the growing threat of a dynamic designer drug market, appropriate counter-measures in education and prevention are therefore necessary.

  7. Pupil Influence on the Visual Outcomes of a New-Generation Multifocal Toric Intraocular Lens With a Surface-Embedded Near Segment.

    PubMed

    Wang, Mengmeng; Corpuz, Christine Carole C; Huseynova, Tukezban; Tomita, Minoru

    2016-02-01

    To evaluate the influences of preoperative pupil parameters on the visual outcomes of a new-generation multifocal toric intraocular lens (IOL) model with a surface-embedded near segment. In this prospective study, patients with cataract had phacoemulsification and implantation of Lentis Mplus toric LU-313 30TY IOLs (Oculentis GmbH, Berlin, Germany). The visual and optical outcomes were measured and compared preoperatively and postoperatively. The correlations between preoperative pupil parameters (diameter and decentration) and 3-month postoperative visual outcomes were evaluated using the Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficient (Rs) for the nonparametric data. A total of 27 eyes (16 patients) were enrolled into the current study. Statistically significant improvements in visual and refractive performances were found after the implantation of Lentis Mplus toric LU-313 30TY IOLs (P < .05). Statistically significant correlations were present between preoperative pupil diameters and postoperative visual acuities (Rs > 0; P < .05). Patients with a larger pupil always have better postoperative visual acuities. Meanwhile, there was no statistically significant correlation between pupil decentration and visual acuities (P > .05). Lentis Mplus toric LU-313 30TY IOLs provided excellent visual and optical performances during the 3-month follow-up. The preoperative pupil size is an important parameter when this toric multifocal IOL model is contemplated for surgery. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

  8. Are perceptions of social norms regarding peer alcohol and other drug use associated with personal use in Danish adolescents?

    PubMed

    Vallentin-Holbech, Lotte; Rasmussen, Birthe Marie; Stock, Christiane

    2017-12-01

    This study aims to describe norm perceptions among Danish pupils aged 13-17 years related to the prevalence of personal lifetime use of alcohol and other drugs (AODs). Further we examined if norm perceptions were associated with personal lifetime AOD use. The data were collected as baseline data in the trial The GOOD Life. A total of 2601 pupils from 42 public schools in the Region of Southern Denmark completed an online questionnaire measuring personal lifetime AOD use and personal approval of use. Additionally the perceived frequency of AOD use and approval of use among peers of their own grade were measured. Lifetime AOD outcome variables were alcohol consumption (at least one drink, being drunk and had five or more drinks on one occasion), smoking, and cannabis use. Pupils' perceptions of peer approval were significantly higher than pupils' personal approval of AOD use among adolescents for all outcomes. With the exception of cannabis use the estimated AOD prevalence among peers (median) were higher than the actual prevalence of personal lifetime use. Multilevel logistic regression models showed a significantly increased risk of personal AOD use for pupils that overestimated their peers' AOD use and also for pupils that perceived peers to approve of AOD use. The findings highlight that pupils' exaggerated perceptions regarding their peers' use and approval of AOD use are related to personal experience with AODs.

  9. Comparison of divided and full pupil configurations for line-scanning confocal microscopy in human skin and oral mucosa

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Larson, Bjorg; Abeytunge, Sanjeewa; Glazowski, Chris; Rajadhyaksha, Milind

    2012-02-01

    Confocal point-scanning microscopy has been showing promise in the detection, diagnosing and mapping of skin lesions in clinical settings. The noninvasive technique allows provides optical sectioning and cellular resolution for in vivo diagnosis of melanoma and basal cell carcinoma and pre-operative and intra-operative mapping of margins. The imaging has also enabled more accurate "guided" biopsies while minimizing the otherwise large number of "blind" biopsies. Despite these translational advances, however, point-scanning technology remains relatively complex and expensive. Line-scanning technology may offer an alternative approach to accelerate translation to the clinic. Line-scanning, using fewer optical components, inexpensive linear-array detectors and custom electronics, may enable smaller, simpler and lower-cost confocal microscopes. A line is formed using a cylindrical lens and scanned through the back focal plane of the objective with a galvanometric scanner. A linear CCD is used for detection. Two pupil configurations were compared for performance in imaging human tissue. In the full-pupil configuration, illumination and detection is made through the full objective pupil. In the divided pupil approach, half the pupil is illuminated and the other half is used for detection. The divided pupil configuration loses spatial and axial resolution due to a diminished NA, but the sectioning capability and rejection of background is improved. Imaging in skin and oral mucosa illustrate the performance of the two configurations.

  10. Health dialogues between pupils and school nurses: a description of the verbal interaction.

    PubMed

    Golsäter, Marie; Lingfors, Hans; Sidenvall, Birgitta; Enskär, Karin

    2012-11-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the content of and the verbal interaction in health dialogues between pupils and school nurses. Twenty-four health dialogues were recorded using a video camera and the conversations were analysed using the paediatric version of the Roter Interaction analysis system. The results showed that the age appropriate topics suggested by national recommendations were brought up in most of the health dialogues. The nurses were the ones who talked most, in terms of utterances. The pupils most frequently gave information about their lifestyle and agreed with the nurses' statements. The nurses summarised and checked that they had understood the pupils, asked closed-ended questions about lifestyle and gave information about lifestyle. Strategies aimed to make the pupil more active and participatory in the dialogues were the most widely used verbal interaction approaches by the nurses. The nurses' use of verbal interaction approaches to promote pupils' activity and participation, trying to build a partnership in the dialogue, could indicate an attempt to build patient-centred health dialogues. The nurses' great use of questions and being the ones leading the dialogues in terms of utterances point at the necessity for a nurses to have an openness to the pupils own narratives and an attentiveness to what he or she wants to talk about. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Survey of Oral Health Awareness in Neuchâtel 9th Graders.

    PubMed

    Neuhaus, Klaus W; Müller, Magali E; Lussi, Adrian

    The oral health habits of pupils had not yet been analyzed for the canton of Neuchâtel. A questionnaire was provided to 9th grade high school pupils (final year) of the three schools located in the Neuchâtel area to asses both oral health knowledge and habits in this connection. The average age was 15.5±0.8 years, and 78.1% of the questionnaires were returned. The prophylaxis program was conducted for a total of 4.5 h during pupils’ entire time at school. The results showed that both knowledge and oral health habits could be improved. As a positive outcome, 99% of the pupils brush their teeth before going to bed. Comparisons with similar 10-year-old studies from other cantons (Bern, Vaud) showed major differences in knowledge, for example on the importance of fluoridation. Only 54% of the pupils in Neuchâtel knew that fluoride offers some protection against caries, in spite of the fact that 89% thought that brushing with fluoridated toothpaste protects against caries. Most of the pupils used a fluoridated toothpaste. Furthermore, we found that self-reported sugar consumption was correlated with caries experience, but brushing frequency was not. We recommend introducing a review course for pupils in their last school year, in order to practice interdental cleaning, redefine appropriate, tooth-friendly snacks, and emphasize the importance of regular dental check-ups.

  12. "She Doesn't Shout at No Girls": Pupils' Perceptions of Gender Equity in the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Myhill, Debra; Jones, Susan

    2006-01-01

    Based on a larger, cross phase study investigating underachieving boys, this article explores pupil's responses to a single interview question inviting pupils to articulate their perceptions of whether teachers treat boys and girls the same. The article records that the predominant perception is that teachers treat boys more negatively than girls,…

  13. Consultation, Negotiation and Compromise: The Relationship between SENCos, Parents and Pupils with SEN

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maher, Anthony

    2016-01-01

    One outcome of the UK Government's commitment to inclusive educational policies was an increase in the number of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) being taught in mainstream schools. From the perspective of SENCos, this article analyses whether parents and pupils are able and willing to influence the development of SEN provision and…

  14. Pupils' Beliefs in Cultural Interpretations of "Heat" Associated with Anger: A Comparative Study of Ten Ethnic Communities in Kenya

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Okere, Mark I. O.; Keraro, Fred N.; Anditi, Zephania

    2012-01-01

    Emerging evidence indicates that culture influences pupils learning of science. However, the influence of culture on science learning is usually not considered when developing science curricular for both primary and secondary schools. This study investigated the extent to which primary and secondary school pupils believe in cultural…

  15. Frequency and Efficacy of Talk-Related Tasks in Primary Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Braund, Martin; Leigh, Joanne

    2013-01-01

    Pupil talk and discussion are seen as having important social and cognitive outcomes. In science classes, pupils' collaborative talk supports the construction of meaning and helps examine the status of evidence, theory and knowledge. However, pupil interactive talk in groups is rare in science lessons. The research reported is part of a project to…

  16. Using Advance Organizers to Enhance Pupils' Achievement in Learning Poetry in English Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muiruri, Mary; Wambugu, Patriciah; Wamukuru, Kuria

    2016-01-01

    The study was a quasi-experimental that investigated the effects of Advance Organizers (AO) on achievement in poetry. Target population was class seven pupils of Nakuru North Sub-county primary schools in Kenya. 160 pupils were involved in the study. Four sampled schools were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups in Solomon Four…

  17. Pupils' Error on the Concept of Reversibility in Solving Arithmetic Problems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maf'ulah, Syarifatul; Juniati, Dwi; Siswono, Tatag Yuli Eko

    2016-01-01

    The fact that there is no much study on reversibility is one of reason this study was conducted. Others, the importance of reversibility is also being researcher's motivation for focusing pupils' reversibility. On the other hand, the concern on pupils' reversibility is a major concern. The objective of this research is to identify errors done by…

  18. Traditional Games and Pupils' Violent Behaviour in Elementary Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kovacevic, Tatjana; Opic, Siniša

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this research was to examine the impact of using traditional games with the purpose of decreasing violent behavior among pupils in elementary schools as well as improving their mutual relationships. The research was conducted among second-, third- and fourth-graders in elementary schools in Karlovac (a total of 232 pupils). In order to…

  19. Learning about the Numerator and Denominator in Teacher-Designed Lessons

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kullberg, Angelika; Runesson, Ulla

    2013-01-01

    This study concerns pupils' experience of unit and non-unit fractions of a discrete quantity during specially designed lessons. The aim was to explore pupils' understanding of operations such as "b/c of a" in lessons where the teachers were aware of some pupils' difficulties beforehand and what needed special attention.…

  20. Understanding and Enhancing Pupils' Learning Progress in Schools in Deprived Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dann, Ruth

    2016-01-01

    This paper draws on data from the "Raising Pupil Attainment in Key Stage 1 in Stoke-on-Trent" research project. The particular focus is on how teachers, head teachers and teaching assistants (n?=?59) articulate pupils' learning success in five highly achieving schools in deprived communities. Six key themes are highlighted which are…

  1. How Pupils Use a Model for Abstract Concepts in Genetics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Venville, Grady; Donovan, Jenny

    2008-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to explore the way pupils of different age groups use a model to understand abstract concepts in genetics. Pupils from early childhood to late adolescence were taught about genes and DNA using an analogical model (the wool model) during their regular biology classes. Changing conceptual understandings of the…

  2. Teacher--Pupil Dialogue with Pupils with Special Educational Needs in the National Literacy Strategy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hardman, Frank; Smith, Fay; Wall, Kate

    2005-01-01

    This paper reports on an investigation into the interactive and discourse styles of a nationally representative sample of primary teachers (n =70) as they work with pupils who experience difficulties in literacy development during whole class and groupbased sections of the literacy hour. Using a computerized observation schedule and discourse…

  3. Primary Pupils Recall of Interactive Storybooks on CD-ROM: Inconsiderate Interactive Features and Forgetting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trushell, John; Maitland, Amanda

    2005-01-01

    The use of interactive storybooks in the primary classroom has the potential to facilitate pupils reading, in small groups or individually. However, critics have expressed concern at the exposure of pupils to interactive storybooks. In particular, concern has been expressed that the interactive animations and sound effects in such storybooks may…

  4. Modeling the Development Process of Dialogical Critical Thinking in Pupils Aged 10 to 12 Years

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daniel, Marie-France; Lafortune, Louise; Pallascio, Richard; Splitter, Laurance; Slade, Christina; de la Garza, Teresa

    2005-01-01

    This research project investigated manifestations of critical thinking in pupils 10 to 12 years of age during their group discussions held in the context of Philosophy for Children Adapted to Mathematics. The objective of the research project was to examine, through the pupils' discussions, the development of dialogical critical thinking…

  5. Primary School Pupils' Perceptions of Water in the Context of STS Study Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Havu-Nuutinen, Sari; Karkkainen, Sirpa; Keinonen, Tuula

    2011-01-01

    This paper focuses on pupils' perceptions of water issues. The instructional situations take place in a Finnish primary school and aim at introducing the Science-Technology-Society (STS) study approach. The primary aim of this study is, in the context of STS instruction, to describe issues that pupils associate with water. This paper involves…

  6. The Analysis of SATs Results as a Measure of Pupil Progress across Educational Transitions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Withey, Paul; Turner, Sarah

    2015-01-01

    Within any Educational System the transition of pupils from one stage to the next, and often the associated transition from one educational establishment to another, is an area of interest for educational establishments, educationalists and educational authorities due to the effects of this movement on pupil progress, their academic achievement…

  7. Brief Report: Evidence for Normative Resting-State Physiology in Autism

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nuske, Heather J.; Vivanti, Giacomo; Dissanayake, Cheryl

    2014-01-01

    Although the conception of autism as a disorder of abnormal resting-state physiology has a long history, the evidence remains mixed. Using state-of-the-art eye-tracking pupillometry, resting-state (tonic) pupil size was measured in children with and without autism. No group differences in tonic pupil size were found, and tonic pupil size was not…

  8. Multi-Level Aspects of Social Cohesion of Secondary Schools and Pupils' Feelings of Safety

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mooij, Ton; Smeets, Ed; de Wit, Wouter

    2011-01-01

    Background: School safety and corresponding feelings of both pupils and school staff are beginning to receive more and more attention. The social cohesion characteristics of a school may be useful in promoting feelings of safety, particularly in pupils. Aims: To conceptualize theoretically, and check empirically a two-level model of social…

  9. Inclusive School Is (Not) Possible--Pupil's Voice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pavlovic, Slavica

    2016-01-01

    Inclusive education has been the focus of a number of research studies in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, most of the research was based on the teachers and to a lesser extent on parents' attitudes towards inclusive education, while pupils' views and voice were mainly neglected. The core of this paper is survey research on primary school pupils'…

  10. Pupil Control Ideology among Prospective South African and Indian Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cherian, L.

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of teacher training programmes is to instil a humanistic ideology into the school curriculum. Unfortunately however, this is not always able to change the culture of a school. The Pupil Control Ideology (PCI) scale was designed to measure the pupil control orientation of the respondents (teachers) on a humanistic-custodial continuum.…

  11. A Test Reliability Analysis of an Abbreviated Version of the Pupil Control Ideology Form.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gaffney, Patrick V.

    A reliability analysis was conducted of an abbreviated, 10-item version of the Pupil Control Ideology Form (PCI), using the Cronbach's alpha technique (L. J. Cronbach, 1951) and the computation of the standard error of measurement. The PCI measures a teacher's orientation toward pupil control. Subjects were 168 preservice teachers from one private…

  12. A Correlation of Biology Teachers' Pupil Control Ideology and Their Classroom Teaching Practices.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Paul L.; Blankenship, Jacob W.

    The Pupil Control Ideology Form (PCI Form) and the Biology Classroom Activity Checklist (BCAC) were used to determine the relationship between teachers' stated pupil control ideology and the extent to which their students reported the use of inquiry methods in the classroom. Data were collected from a stratified random sample of 168 teachers and…

  13. Designing a Lunar Themepark

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boxer, Frances; Breedon, Joel; Brown, Rachael; Clavey, Rebecca; Morris, Stephen; Watt, Louise

    2007-01-01

    As part of their course, the authors were asked to teach a mathematics lesson to a class of Y6 pupils. Since they did not know the pupils, they felt that the theme of the session was of the utmost importance, so they chose something which they hoped would stimulate the pupils' imagination and entice them into the session. They wanted to use…

  14. The Contrast Between Title I and Non-Title I Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fortune, Jim C.; Hutchinson, Thomas E.

    The problem addressed in this paper is to compare the schools identified as participating in Title I, 1965 Elementary Secondary Education Act programs, with those identified as not participating in Title I, with regard to percentage of pupils on welfare, number of target group pupils, percentage of pupils reading below grade level, percentage of…

  15. Brazilian Primary and Secondary School Pupils' Perception of Science and Scientists

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bartoszeck, Amauri Betini; Bartoszeck, Flavio Kulevicz

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to understand in an exploratory way pupils' perception of science and the image of scientists at primary and secondary school levels. Data was collected by means of a survey questionnaire and a drawing representing pupils' depiction what scientists do during their working hours. A questionnaire anchored on a Likert…

  16. Legitimizing Black Academic Failure: Deconstructing Staff Discourses on Academic Success, Appearance and Behaviour

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rollock, Nicola

    2007-01-01

    The continued lower academic attainment of Black (especially Black Caribbean) pupils is now well established. Yet, to date there has been no single coherent national Government strategy that has successfully closed the gap in educational attainment between either Black and White pupils or between Black pupils and the national average. Academic and…

  17. 25 CFR 31.3 - Non-Indian pupils in Indian schools.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Non-Indian pupils in Indian schools. 31.3 Section 31.3 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR EDUCATION FEDERAL SCHOOLS FOR INDIANS § 31.3 Non-Indian pupils in Indian schools. Indian and non-Indian children who are not eligible for...

  18. 25 CFR 31.3 - Non-Indian pupils in Indian schools.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Non-Indian pupils in Indian schools. 31.3 Section 31.3 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR EDUCATION FEDERAL SCHOOLS FOR INDIANS § 31.3 Non-Indian pupils in Indian schools. Indian and non-Indian children who are not eligible for...

  19. 25 CFR 31.3 - Non-Indian pupils in Indian schools.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Non-Indian pupils in Indian schools. 31.3 Section 31.3 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR EDUCATION FEDERAL SCHOOLS FOR INDIANS § 31.3 Non-Indian pupils in Indian schools. Indian and non-Indian children who are not eligible for...

  20. 25 CFR 31.3 - Non-Indian pupils in Indian schools.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2012-04-01 2011-04-01 true Non-Indian pupils in Indian schools. 31.3 Section 31.3 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR EDUCATION FEDERAL SCHOOLS FOR INDIANS § 31.3 Non-Indian pupils in Indian schools. Indian and non-Indian children who are not eligible for...

  1. 25 CFR 31.3 - Non-Indian pupils in Indian schools.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Non-Indian pupils in Indian schools. 31.3 Section 31.3 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR EDUCATION FEDERAL SCHOOLS FOR INDIANS § 31.3 Non-Indian pupils in Indian schools. Indian and non-Indian children who are not eligible for...

  2. Education and Self-Regulation of Learning for Gifted Pupils: Systemic Design and Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mooij, Ton

    2008-01-01

    Gifted pupils differ from their age-mates with respect to development potential, actual competencies, self-regulatory capabilities, and learning styles in one or more domains of competence. The question is how to design and develop education that fits and further supports such characteristics and competencies of gifted pupils. Analysis of various…

  3. Matching Pupils and Teachers to Maximize Expected Outcomes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ward, Joe H., Jr.; And Others

    To achieve a good teacher-pupil match, it is necessary (1) to predict the learning outcomes that will result when each student is instructed by each teacher, (2) to use the predicted performance to compute an Optimality Index for each teacher-pupil combination to indicate the quality of each combination toward maximizing learning for all students,…

  4. Meeting the Needs of Your Most Able Pupils: Art. Gifted and Talented Series [with CD-ROM

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Earle, Kim

    2006-01-01

    "Meeting the Needs of your Most Able Pupils in Art" provides specific guidance on: (1) Recognising High Ability and Multiple Intelligences Planning, (2) Differentiation and Extension; (3) Enrichment in Art Teacher Questioning Skills; (4) Support for More Able Pupils with Learning Difficulties (dyslexics, ADHD, sensory impairment); (5) Homework…

  5. Pupils' Views of Religious Education in a Pluralistic Educational Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kuusisto, Arniika; Kallioniemi, Arto

    2014-01-01

    This article examines Finnish pupils' views of religious education (RE) in a pluralistic educational context. The focus is on pupils' views of the aims and different approaches to RE in a multi-faith school. The study utilised a mixed method approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data. It employed a survey (n = 1301) and interviews (n =…

  6. Measuring Attitude towards RE: Factoring Pupil Experience and Home Faith Background into Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thanissaro, Phra Nicholas

    2012-01-01

    Recent studies have increasingly favoured contextualisation of religious education (RE) to pupils' home faith background in spite of current assessment methods that might hinder this. For a multi-religious, multi-ethnic sample of 369 London school pupils aged from 13 to 15 years, this study found that the participatory, transformative and…

  7. Analysis of Critical Success Factors of Online International Learning Exchange of Korean School Pupils with English-Speaking Counterparts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Jong-Yeon; Park, Sanghoon

    2017-01-01

    This study identifies the factors influencing the success of online international learning exchange (ILE) among Korean school pupils who partnered with American and Australian pupils. In particular, it examined the effects of self-efficacy (SE), exchange infrastructure (EI) and quality of exchange activities (QEA) on the students' learning…

  8. Muslim Girls' Experiences in Physical Education in Norway: What Role Does Religiosity Play?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walseth, Kristin

    2015-01-01

    Recent years have seen an increase in scholarly attention to minority pupils and their experience of physical education (PE). UK research identifies specific challenges related to Muslim pupils' participation in PE. In Norway, little research has been undertaken on Muslim pupils' experiences in PE, something this paper hopes to redress in part. In…

  9. Pass Rates in Primary School Leaving Examination in Tanzania: Implication for Efficient Allocation of Resources

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kassile, Telemu

    2014-01-01

    This paper examines regional differentials in pass rates in Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in Mainland Tanzania. In particular, the paper investigates the effects of pupil-teacher ratio (PTR), pupil-latrine ratio (PLR), pupil-classroom ratio (PCR), availability of electricity in schools, and secondary school and above education of women…

  10. An Anthropocentric Approach to Saving Biodiversity: Kenyan Pupils' Attitudes towards Parks and Wildlife

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ali, Ibrahim M.

    2006-01-01

    This study used an unobtrusive attitude survey and questionnaires to investigate Kenyan pupils' attitudes towards parks and wildlife. The positive attitudes found result from their understanding of the link between these resources and their own wellbeing. The sentiments about parks and wildlife expressed by the pupils are an extraction of the…

  11. Utilizing a Graphic Organizer for Promoting Pupils' Argumentation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hsieh, Fu-Pei; Lee, Sung-Tao

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was utilizing a GO (graphic organizer) for promoting pupils' argumentation. The method of case study was employed. A total of eight fifth grade pupils from two classes were assigned (n = 4, two high achievers, two low achievers) with GOI (graphic organizer instruction), and the others (n = 4, 2 high achievers, 2 low…

  12. Doing Good? Interpreting Teachers' Given and Felt Responsibilities for Pupils' Well-Being in an Age of Measurement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Edling, Silvia; Frelin, Anneli

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to theoretically discuss a specific aspect of teachers' responsibilities: their responsibility for pupils' or children's well-being. We ask two interrelated questions: firstly, how might (Swedish) teachers' sense of responsibilities for their pupils' well-being be understood in relation to ethical theory? Secondly,…

  13. The Ethnic Prejudice of Flemish Pupils: The Role of Pupils' and Teachers' Perceptions of Multicultural Teacher Culture

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vervaet, Roselien; Van Houtte, Mieke; Stevens, Peter A. J.

    2018-01-01

    Background/Context: As a result of migration processes, schools in Flanders (the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium) are notably ethnically diverse. This evolution has coincided with an increasing number of studies focusing on ethnic-minority pupils' experiences of ethnic prejudice from their ethnic majority counterparts. Purpose/Objective/Research…

  14. Exploring Teacher Trust in Technical/Vocational Secondary Schools: Male Teachers' Preference for Girls

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Houtte, Mieke

    2007-01-01

    This article explores whether teachers' trust in pupils in technical/vocational schools is associated with teachers' and pupils' gender. As for the teachers, besides gender, age, socioeconomic origin, and subject taught are considered and, as for the pupils, the gender composition of the school (proportion of girls at school), the socioeconomic…

  15. Pupils' Attitudes to School and Music at the Start of Secondary School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kokotsaki, Dimitra

    2016-01-01

    This study aims to explore pupils' affective engagement with school and music during their transition to secondary school. A gender comparison is also being made to ascertain any differences that may exist between boys and girls during this time. A sample of 182 pupils completed two questionnaires (attitudes to school and attitudes to music) three…

  16. Does Lego Training Stimulate Pupils' Ability to Solve Logical Problems?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lindh, Jorgen; Holgersson, Thomas

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of a one-year regular robotic toys (lego) training on school pupils' performance. The underlying pedagogical perspective is the "constructionist theory," where the main idea is that knowledge is constructed in the mind of the pupil by active learning. The investigation has been made…

  17. A Web-Based Screening System for Dyslexic Pupils: Do Teachers Need It?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ubaidullah, Nor Hasbiah Bt.; Hamid, Jamilah

    2012-01-01

    Currently in Malaysia, schools that conduct the Dyslexia Special Program for dyslexic pupils have to rely on a manual screening instrument, which is cumbersome and slow in diagnosing dyslexic traits in pupils. Thus, this study was carried out to examine prevailing problems that helped in formulating an appropriate solution to overcome existing…

  18. Science, a Psychological versus a Logical Approach in Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ediger, Marlow

    2015-01-01

    Under which approach do pupils attain more optimally, a logical versus a psychological procedure of instruction? Pupils do need to achieve well in a world of science. Science is all around us and pupils need to understand various principles and laws of science. Thus, teachers in the school curriculum must choose carefully objectives for pupil…

  19. THE PUPIL'S DAY IN COURT--REVIEW OF 1966. AN ANNUAL COMPILATION. SCHOOL LAW SERIES.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    SHAPIRO, FRIEDA S.; EVANS, JACK

    CASE DIGESTS OF 44 STATE AND 39 FEDERAL JUDICIAL DECISIONS DIRECTLY CONCERNING PUBLIC SCHOOL PUPILS AND STUDENTS IN PUBLIC SUPPORTED COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ARE ARRANGED BY STATE AND CLASSIFIED UNDER SIX HEADINGS--(1) ADMISSION AND ATTENDANCE--8, (2) SCHOOL DESEGREGATION--30, (3) LIABILITY FOR PUPIL INJURY--20, (4) RELIGION AND SECTARIAN…

  20. Factors Influencing Academic Self-Concept of High-Ability Girls in Singapore

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yeo, Melissa Mui Mei; Garces-Bacsal, Rhoda Myra

    2014-01-01

    This study aimed at investigating the impact of entering high-ability classes on the academic self-concept of high-ability primary girls in Singapore. Participants in this study are 91 Primary 4 girls, 30 high-ability pupils, and 61 pupils from classes that include high-, middle-, and low-ability pupils. This study utilized a mixed-method…

  1. Paired Reading: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lloyd, Cheryl; Edovald, Triin; Kiss, Zsolt; Morris, Stephen; Skipp, Amy; Ahmed, Hashim

    2015-01-01

    Paired Reading is a peer tutoring programme in secondary schools which trains teachers to support and encourage the regular tutoring of Year 7 pupils (aged 11-12 years) by Year 9 pupils (aged 13-14 years). The Paired Reading programme aims to improve pupils' general literacy in addition to speaking and listening skills. This is achieved by pupils…

  2. Pupils' Perspectives on Racism and Differential Treatment by Teachers: On "Stragglers," the "Ill" and Being "Deviant"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stevens, Peter A. J.

    2009-01-01

    While British educational researchers have given considerable attention to issues of racism, little attention has been given to how pupils themselves perceive differential teacher treatment and how such views relate to pupils' claims of teacher racism and racial discrimination. This article employs ethnographic data gathered from one English and…

  3. Teacher Stress and Pupil Behaviour Explored through a Rational-Emotive Behaviour Therapy Framework

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Robertson, Caroline; Dunsmuir, Sandra

    2013-01-01

    Using the psychological framework of rational-emotive behaviour therapy, the principal aim of this study was to establish whether irrational beliefs, self-efficacy or pupil behaviour predicted teacher reports of stress. A secondary aim was to establish whether these variables, in addition to teachers' verbal feedback to pupils in class, predicted…

  4. The Relationship Between Student Alienation and Extent of Faculty Agreement on Pupil Control Ideology.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shearin, Wiley H., Jr.

    1982-01-01

    Results supported hypothesis that schools with high agreement among staff on pupil control ideology would have less student alienation than those schools with low agreement. A 20-item, multiple-choice instrument was used to measure humanistic or custodial teacher orienation and the Kolesar's Pupil Attitude Questionnaire (PAQ) to measure student…

  5. Edu-Mining for Book Recommendation for Pupils

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nagata, Ryo; Takeda, Keigo; Suda, Koji; Kakegawa, Junichi; Morihiro, Koichiro

    2009-01-01

    This paper proposes a novel method for recommending books to pupils based on a framework called Edu-mining. One of the properties of the proposed method is that it uses only loan histories (pupil ID, book ID, date of loan) whereas the conventional methods require additional information such as taste information from a great number of users which…

  6. Pupils' Understanding of Photosynthesis: A Questionnaire for the Simultaneous Assessment of all Aspects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marmaroti, Panagiota; Galanopoulou, Dia

    2006-01-01

    In this study, a close-ended questionnaire examining all aspects of photosynthesis simultaneously has been developed and administered to 290 Greek pupils aged 13. It contains complementary or logically related items that permitted us to assess the understanding of each aspect by carrying out crossanalysis. The main findings are: that pupils are…

  7. Prevalence for Private Tuition among Parents, Teachers and Pupils in Public Primary Schools in Machakos County

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kirigwi, Lucy Wambui; Maithya, Redempta

    2016-01-01

    Private tuition refers to tutoring offered outside mainstream teaching. The study sought to establish the difference in prevalence for private tuition among parents, teachers and pupils in public primary schools in Machakos County. The study employed descriptive survey design. The target populations were all teachers, parents and pupils of public…

  8. Us and Them: A History of Pupil Grouping Policies in England's Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gillard, Derek

    2009-01-01

    The selection of children in England's schools for different types of education can be seen operating at three levels: between schools, within schools and within classes. This article deals mainly with the second--the allocation of pupils to classes--but it also refers to selection for secondary education and to the grouping of pupils within…

  9. Influence of Middle School Pupils' Acculturation on Their Readings of and Expectations for Physical Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    George, Meredith L.; Curtner-Smith, Matthew D.

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of middle school pupils' acculturation on their readings of and expectations for physical education. Participants were 94 pupils attending one public middle school. Data were collected using five qualitative techniques. They were analysed by employing analytic induction and constant…

  10. The Barriers to Achievement for White/Black Caribbean Pupils in English Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haynes, Jo; Tikly, Leon; Caballero, Chamion

    2006-01-01

    Pupils of White and Black Caribbean descent make up the largest category of mixed heritage pupils in the United Kingdom. As a group they are at risk of underachieving and are proportionally over-represented in school exclusions. Yet little is known to date about the barriers to their achievement. The common-sense explanation for their…

  11. Opinion Building on a Socio-Scientific Issue: The Case of Genetically Modified Plants

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ekborg, Margareta

    2008-01-01

    This paper presents results from a study with the following research questions: (a) are pupils' opinions on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) influenced by biology teaching; and (b) what is important for the opinion pupils hold and how does knowledge work together with other parameters such as values? 64 pupils in an upper secondary school…

  12. Teachers' Behavior and Pupils' Achievement Motivation as Determinants of Intended Helping Behavior in Physical Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kokkonen, Juha A.; Kokkonen, Marja T.; Telama, Risto K.; Liukkonen, Jarmo O.

    2013-01-01

    The present two-wave longitudinal study examined the extent to which physical education (PE) teachers' democratic and socially supportive behavior, pupils' goal orientations, and the perceived motivational climate in PE explained differences in pupils' intended helping behavior by gender in PE classes. The results of 105 boys and 109 girls based…

  13. Influence of a Physical Education Teacher's Disability on Middle School Pupils' Learning and Perceptions of Teacher Competence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bryant, Lance G.; Curtner-Smith, Matthew D.

    2009-01-01

    Limited research has investigated the problems encountered by physical education teachers who have disabilities and instruct able-bodied pupils. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of a physical education teacher's disability on middle school pupils' perceptions of the teacher's competence and their learning. Participants were…

  14. Development of Junior Pupils Research Skills in Interrelation with Universal Learning Activities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sabirova, Elvira G.; Zakirova, Venera G.; Masalimova, Alfiya R.

    2016-01-01

    Actuality of the studied problem is stipulated by the fact that the learning activity is the leading one for pupils and it defines development of main cognitive particularities of evolving personality. As the result of this activity becomes formation of cognitive motives, research skills, subjectively new knowledge and ways of activity for pupils.…

  15. Key Stage 3 Pupils' Perception of Music

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Button, Stuart

    2006-01-01

    The key aim of the research summarised in this article was to examine pupils' perception of music and to determine whether or not these perceptions were the same for both female and male pupils. The empirical enquiry consisted of the administration of a questionnaire to six secondary schools in the north-east of England followed by semi-structured…

  16. The Pupil Nondiscrimination Guidelines for Athletics. Implementing Section 118.13 of the Wisconsin Statutes and PI 9 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.

    These guidelines explaining state pupil nondiscrimination requirements in interscholastic athletics are the result of a collaboration between the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA). The guide is designed to help schools fully implement Wisconsin's pupil nondiscrimination…

  17. Civic, Social and Political Education: Active Learning, Participation and Engagement?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nugent, Richard

    2006-01-01

    This study examines the degree of active learning, participation and engagement of civic, social and political education (CSPE) pupils through an analysis of interview and focus group data, supplemented with key findings from a survey undertaken with CSPE pupils. The study focuses on pupils' views of the status of CSPE, their experience of active…

  18. An Easy A or a Question of Belief: Pupil Attitudes to Catholic Religious Education in Croatia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jokic, Boris; Hargreaves, Linda

    2015-01-01

    This paper describes the results of a mixed model research that, as the first of its kind, aimed to determine the nature of, and underlying factors influencing, Croatian elementary pupils' attitudes towards confessional Catholic religious education (RE). Analyses of the questionnaire responses of the eighth-grade pupils from the stratified sample…

  19. Pupils Think Sound Has Substance--Well, Sort of ...

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Whittaker, Andrew G.

    2012-01-01

    Physics is a subject where pupils hold a great number of deeply seated misconceptions. Sound is a prime example, as it requires the visualisation of a form of energy that moves imperceptibly through an invisible medium. This article outlines some of the common misconceptions that pupils hold regarding the nature of sound and how it is transmitted,…

  20. Third Graders' Performance Predictions: Calibration Deflections and Academic Success

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ots, Aivar

    2013-01-01

    This study focuses on third grade pupils' (9 to 10 years old) ability to predict their performance in a given task and on the correspondence between the accuracy and adequacy of the predictions on the one hand, and the academic achievement on the other. The study involved 713 pupils from 29 Estonian schools. The pupils' performance predictions…

  1. Turkish Primary School Pupils' Views on Punishment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aydin, Bahri

    2010-01-01

    Teachers meet with unwanted behavior when they are acting as facilitators of the learning process and they resort to certain tactics to deal with them. One of these tactics is punishment. This study aimed to identify the views held by Turkish primary school pupils on punishment. According to the results of the study, pupils were punished for…

  2. Measuring Foundation School Effectiveness Using English Administrative Data, Survey Data and a Regression Discontinuity Design

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allen, Rebecca

    2013-01-01

    Apparently sophisticated school performance measures have been used to claim that giving schools autonomy from local government control improves pupil exam performance. This paper explores the extent to which inferring causality between autonomy and pupil achievement is reasonable given that pupils are not randomly assigned to schools and schools…

  3. A matter of interpretation: developing primary pupils' enquiry skills using position-linked datalogging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Davies, Daniel John; Collier, Christopher; Howe, Alan

    2012-11-01

    Background: This article reports on an evaluation study of a project seeking to develop the use of position-linked datalogging with primary pupils in environmental science contexts. Purpose: The study sought to find out the extent to which the project had developed: (1) participant teachers' confidence in using datalogging as an everyday part of their science teaching; (2) pupils' abilities to collect and interpret relevant environmental monitoring data; and (3) the use of scientific data within environmental education in the project schools. Programme description: The project used software which integrates data from Global Positioning System (GPS) with sensor data collected outdoors to produce Google Earth visualisations of environmental quality in each school's locality. Sample: Phase 1 involved 10 primary schools in the South West of England (2008-9), and phase 2 was implemented in six primary schools in Greater London during 2010. All pupils in the 9-10-year-old age range participated to some extent (N ≈ 450) and each school identified a focus group of between two and four pupils (n = 38) together with two members of staff (n = 32) to be more closely involved in the project. Design and methods: The evaluation adopted a multi-method approach, drawing upon documentary sources (n = 40); observations of continuing professional development (CPD) cluster days (n = 8) and dissemination events (June 2009 and January 2011): baseline pupil assessment tasks (n = 291) and teachers' baseline questionnaire (n = 25) in September 2008 and March 2010; classroom observations; samples of pupil work (n = 31); end-of-project pupil assessment (n = 38) and teachers' and pupils' responses to the project (n ≈ 180) in June 2009 and December 2010; and a longitudinal evaluation in February 2012. Results: Datalogging had become a regular feature of practical science in nearly all project schools up to 30 months after the end of the project, but the use of position-linked logging had not been sustained. While there is evidence of pupils developing a range of scientific enquiry skills through the project, the extent to which their interpretation of data improved is unclear. All participating schools made greater use of scientific data than before the project to develop their environmental education. Conclusions: The project has demonstrated the potential of combining datalogging with GPS technology to support challenging, motivating and relevant scientific enquiry. Primary teachers require targeted technical and pedagogical support to maximise learning benefits for pupils.

  4. An eight-octant phase-mask coronagraph for the Subaru coronagraphic extreme AO (SCExAO) system: system design and expected performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Murakami, Naoshi; Guyon, Olivier; Martinache, Frantz; Matsuo, Taro; Yokochi, Kaito; Nishikawa, Jun; Tamura, Motohide; Kurokawa, Takashi; Baba, Naoshi; Vogt, Frédéric; Garrel, Vincent; Yoshikawa, Takashi

    2010-07-01

    An eight-octant phase-mask (EOPM) coronagraph is one of the highest performance coronagraphic concepts, and attains simultaneously high throughput, small inner working angle, and large discovery space. However, its application to ground-based telescopes such as the Subaru Telescope is challenging due to pupil geometry (thick spider vanes and large central obstruction) and residual tip-tilt errors. We show that the Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics (SCExAO) system, scheduled to be installed onto the Subaru Telescope, includes key technologies which can solve these problems. SCExAO uses a spider removal plate which translates four parts of the pupil with tilted plane parallel plates. The pupil central obstruction can be removed by a pupil remapping system similar to the PIAA optics already in the SCExAO system, which could be redesigned with no amplitude apodization. The EOPM is inserted in the focal plane to divide a stellar image into eight-octant regions, and introduces a π-phase difference between adjacent octants. This causes a self-destructive interference inside the pupil area on a following reimaged pupil plane. By using a reflective mask instead of a conventional opaque Lyot stop, the stellar light diffracted outside the pupil can be used for a coronagraphic low-order wave-front sensor to accurately measure and correct tip-tilt errors. A modified inverse-PIAA system, located behind the reimaged pupil plane, is used to remove off-axis aberrations and deliver a wide field of view. We show that this EOPM coronagraph architecture enables high contrast imaging at small working angle on the Subaru Telescope. Our approach could be generalized to other phase-mask type coronagraphs and other ground-based telescopes.

  5. Knowledge and attitude of guardians towards eye health of primary school pupils in Ilorin, Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Ayanniyi, A A; Olatunji, F O; Mahmoud, A O; Ayanniyi, R O

    2010-03-01

    To determine guardians' knowledge and attitude towards pupils' eye health and draw implication for designing children-oriented ocular health messages. A survey of 1,393 guardians selected through multistage random sampling in Ilorin, Nigeria. Using structured questionnaire, information sought included guardians' demographic characteristics, relationship to pupils, occupation, awareness of eye specialists, perception of normal vision, pupils' eye complaints, and ways of treating children eye conditions. Data analysis was done with SPSS 12.0.1. The test of significance was performed using Chi square test and significance was taken at p < 0.05. Guardians comprised 689 (49.4%) males and 704 (50.6%) females, mean age 43.61 SD 11.45. Most (88.54%) were pupils' parents and (11.46%) were relations (n=1,318); (55.15%) were in low-paying occupations (n=1,311); (87.92%) were aware of eye specialists, (12.08%) unaware, (n=1192); (97.27%) adjudged normal vision at least important, (2.73%) not important (n=1,174). Pupils' eye complaints (n=914) included pain (26.04%), itching (24.73%), redness (21.12%), discharge (8.53%), blur vision (8.21%), photophobia (7.33%) and lacrimation (4.05%). Guardians (n=1,069) managed pupils' eye diseases using hospital treatment (61.65%), neglect (21.33%), self medication (9.26%) and traditional medication (7.76%). There were no significant associations between guardians' ways of managing pupils' eye diseases and their views on normal vision (p = 0.940); awareness of eye care specialists (p = 0.952); and economic occupational grouping (p = 0.959). The negative implications of neglecting eye diseases and use of self and harmful traditional eye-medications by some of the guardians need to be discouraged by appropriate eye health education.

  6. A cognitive perspective on Singaporean primary school pupils' use of reading strategies in learning to read in English.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Lawrence Jun; Gu, Peter Yongqi; Hu, Guangwei

    2008-06-01

    This study is conducted in Singapore, where learning to read in English is regarded as essential because it is offered as a First Language (L1) subject in the curriculum and is stipulated as the medium of instruction in the education system, and the mother tongues are offered as Second Language (L2) subjects, although the majority still learn English as an L2. The paper reports on the reading strategies used by Singaporean primary school pupils from a cognitive perspective, which is part of a larger study that aims to investigate these pupils' language learning strategies. The participants were 18 pupils from three neighbourhood primary schools, in grades Primary 4, 5 and 6. The data were collected from high- and low-proficiency pupils at each of the three grades in each school, who read two texts at each level. Grounded in an information-processing theory and based on successful experiences of scholars using think-aloud for data collection, we asked the pupils to read and report what they were thinking about while reading. The think-aloud protocols were recorded, transcribed verbatim, coded and analysed. The results suggest that participants' flexible and appropriate use of reading strategies varies according to language proficiency and grade level, with the high-proficiency group outperforming its lower-proficiency counterpart and the high-graders outnumbering the lower-graders in terms of the number of strategies that they used. These differences were also exemplified with qualitative findings from case studies. The use of reading strategies differs according to proficiency levels, and the quality of pupils' strategy-use patterns has more significant implications for understanding efficient reading among primary school pupils.

  7. Using task effort and pupil size to track covert shifts of visual attention independently of a pupillary light reflex.

    PubMed

    Brocher, Andreas; Harbecke, Raphael; Graf, Tim; Memmert, Daniel; Hüttermann, Stefanie

    2018-03-07

    We tested the link between pupil size and the task effort involved in covert shifts of visual attention. The goal of this study was to establish pupil size as a marker of attentional shifting in the absence of luminance manipulations. In three experiments, participants evaluated two stimuli that were presented peripherally, appearing equidistant from and on opposite sides of eye fixation. The angle between eye fixation and the peripherally presented target stimuli varied from 12.5° to 42.5°. The evaluation of more distant stimuli led to poorer performance than did the evaluation of more proximal stimuli throughout our study, confirming that the former required more effort than the latter. In addition, in Experiment 1 we found that pupil size increased with increasing angle and that this effect could not be reduced to the operation of low-level visual processes in the task. In Experiment 2 the pupil dilated more strongly overall when participants evaluated the target stimuli, which required shifts of attention, than when they merely reported on the target's presence versus absence. Both conditions yielded larger pupils for more distant than for more proximal stimuli, however. In Experiment 3, we manipulated task difficulty more directly, by changing the contrast at which the target stimuli were presented. We replicated the results from Experiment 1 only with the high-contrast stimuli. With stimuli of low contrast, ceiling effects in pupil size were observed. Our data show that the link between task effort and pupil size can be used to track the degree to which an observer covertly shifts attention to or detects stimuli in peripheral vision.

  8. Student perceptions of a good teacher: the gender perspective.

    PubMed

    Jules, V; Kutnick, P

    1997-12-01

    A large-scale survey of pupils' perceptions of a good teacher in the Caribbean republic of Trinidad and Tobago is reported. An essay-based, interpretative mode of research was used to elicit and identify constructs used by boys and girls. The study explores similarities and differences between boys and girls in their perceptions of a good teacher, in a society where girls achieve superior academic performance (than boys). A total of 1756 pupils and students aged between 8 and 16 provided the sample, which was proportional, stratified, clustered. Within these constraints classrooms were randomly selected to be representative of primary and secondary schools across the two islands. Altogether 1539 essays and 217 interviews were content analysed, coded for age development and compared between boys and girls. Content items identified by the pupils were logically grouped into: physical and personal characteristics of the teacher, quality of the relationship between the teacher and pupil, control of behaviour by the teacher, descriptions of the teaching process, and educational and other outcomes obtained by pupils due to teacher efforts. Female pupils identified more good teacher concepts at all age levels than males. There was some commonality between the sexes in concepts regarding interpersonal relationships and inclusiveness in the good teachers' teaching practices and boys showed significantly greater concerns regarding teacher control and use of punishment. Males as young as 8 years stated that good teachers should be sensitive to their needs. Only among the 16-year-old males were males noted as good teachers. Consideration is given to the roles of male and female teachers, how their classroom actions may set the basis for future success (or failure) of their pupils, and the needs of pupils with regard to teacher support within developing and developed countries.

  9. Motor skills and school performance in children with daily physical education in school--a 9-year intervention study.

    PubMed

    Ericsson, I; Karlsson, M K

    2014-04-01

    The aim was to study long-term effects on motor skills and school performance of increased physical education (PE). All pupils born 1990-1992 from one school were included in a longitudinal study over nine years. An intervention group (n = 129) achieved daily PE (5 × 45 min/week) and if needed one extra lesson of adapted motor training. The control group (n = 91) had PE two lessons/week. Motor skills were evaluated by the Motor Skills Development as Ground for Learning observation checklist and school achievements by marks in Swedish, English, Mathematics, and PE and proportion of pupils who qualified for upper secondary school. In school year 9 there were motor skills deficits in 7% of pupils in the intervention group compared to 47% in the control group (P < 0.001), 96% of the pupils in the intervention group compared to 89% in the control group (P < 0.05) qualified for upper secondary school. The sum of evaluated marks was higher among boys in the intervention group than in the control group (P < 0.05). The sum of marks was also higher in pupils with no motor skills deficit than among pupils with motor skills deficits (P < 0.01), as was the proportion of pupils who qualified for upper secondary school (97% vs 81%, P < 0.001). Daily PE and adapted motor skills training during the compulsory school years is a feasible way to improve not only motor skills but also school performance and the proportion of pupils who qualify for upper secondary school. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. A screening approach for classroom acoustics using web-based listening tests and subjective ratings.

    PubMed

    Persson Waye, Kerstin; Magnusson, Lennart; Fredriksson, Sofie; Croy, Ilona

    2015-01-01

    Perception of speech is crucial in school where speech is the main mode of communication. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether a web based approach including listening tests and questionnaires could be used as a screening tool for poor classroom acoustics. The prime focus was the relation between pupils' comprehension of speech, the classroom acoustics and their description of the acoustic qualities of the classroom. In total, 1106 pupils aged 13-19, from 59 classes and 38 schools in Sweden participated in a listening study using Hagerman's sentences administered via Internet. Four listening conditions were applied: high and low background noise level and positions close and far away from the loudspeaker. The pupils described the acoustic quality of the classroom and teachers provided information on the physical features of the classroom using questionnaires. In 69% of the classes, at least three pupils described the sound environment as adverse and in 88% of the classes one or more pupil reported often having difficulties concentrating due to noise. The pupils' comprehension of speech was strongly influenced by the background noise level (p<0.001) and distance to the loudspeakers (p<0.001). Of the physical classroom features, presence of suspended acoustic panels (p<0.05) and length of the classroom (p<0.01) predicted speech comprehension. Of the pupils' descriptions of acoustic qualities, clattery significantly (p<0.05) predicted speech comprehension. Clattery was furthermore associated to difficulties understanding each other, while the description noisy was associated to concentration difficulties. The majority of classrooms do not seem to have an optimal sound environment. The pupil's descriptions of acoustic qualities and listening tests can be one way of predicting sound conditions in the classroom.

  11. Pupil Response and the Subliminal Mere Exposure Effect

    PubMed Central

    Yoshimoto, Sanae; Imai, Hisato; Kashino, Makio; Takeuchi, Tatsuto

    2014-01-01

    The subliminal mere exposure effect (SMEE) is the phenomenon wherein people tend to prefer patterns they have repeatedly observed without consciously identifying them. One popular explanation for the SMEE is that perceptual fluency within exposed patterns is misattributed to a feeling of preference for those patterns. Assuming that perceptual fluency is negatively correlated with the amount of mental effort needed to analyze perceptual aspects of incoming stimuli, pupil diameter should associate with SMEE strength since the former is known to reflect mental effort. To examine this hypothesis, we measured participants’ pupil diameter during exposure to subthreshold stimuli. Following exposure, a preference test was administered. Average pupil diameter throughout exposure was smaller when the SMEE was induced than when the SMEE was not induced. This supports the hypothesis that increasing perceptual fluency during mere exposure modulates autonomic nervous responses, such as pupil diameter, and eventually leads to preference. PMID:24587408

  12. Teachers' and parents' views on the Internet and social media usage by pupils with intellectual disabilities.

    PubMed

    Molin, Martin; Sorbring, Emma; Löfgren-Mårtenson, Lotta

    2015-03-01

    This article reports experiences from a Swedish study, discussing teachers' and parents' views on how young people with intellectual disabilities use the Internet and social media. Five semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with teachers (n = 8) in special programmes in upper secondary schools for pupils with intellectual disabilities and parents (n = 5) of pupils in the same form of schooling, and they were analysed with thematic analysis. Teachers more strongly emphasize a pupil's use of the Internet for interactive purposes. Parents had expectations that the Internet could be a tool for gaining more awareness of one's own disability and a way to meet other peer group pupils. Teachers' and parents' perspectives on the Internet and social media usage are important since it is imperative to show how support can be provided for young people with intellectual disabilities. © The Author(s) 2014.

  13. Family and personal correlates of academic achievement.

    PubMed

    García Bacete, F J; Rosel Remírez, J

    2001-04-01

    Researchers and educators raise the question of whether pupils' academic performance can be improved through parental involvement in academic activities. The main objective of the following study is to verify whether parental involvement in school activities and family socioeconomic status are associated with children's academic achievement. 150 Spanish seventh grade pupils completed intelligence tests, and their teachers assessed parents' involvement in the school and estimated parents' cultural levels. To measure academic achievement the pupil's overall grade was taken from the Pupils' Final Evaluation Registers. The education and professional level of the mother and father and home size were obtained from the Pupil Personal Register; these variables define the family socioeconomic status. The data, analyzed through application of structural equations, suggest that academic achievement is directly influenced by the cultural level of the family and the child's intelligence but is indirectly influenced by parental involvement in school activities and the socioeconomic status of the child's family.

  14. Pupil response and the subliminal mere exposure effect.

    PubMed

    Yoshimoto, Sanae; Imai, Hisato; Kashino, Makio; Takeuchi, Tatsuto

    2014-01-01

    The subliminal mere exposure effect (SMEE) is the phenomenon wherein people tend to prefer patterns they have repeatedly observed without consciously identifying them. One popular explanation for the SMEE is that perceptual fluency within exposed patterns is misattributed to a feeling of preference for those patterns. Assuming that perceptual fluency is negatively correlated with the amount of mental effort needed to analyze perceptual aspects of incoming stimuli, pupil diameter should associate with SMEE strength since the former is known to reflect mental effort. To examine this hypothesis, we measured participants' pupil diameter during exposure to subthreshold stimuli. Following exposure, a preference test was administered. Average pupil diameter throughout exposure was smaller when the SMEE was induced than when the SMEE was not induced. This supports the hypothesis that increasing perceptual fluency during mere exposure modulates autonomic nervous responses, such as pupil diameter, and eventually leads to preference.

  15. Perceptions of motivational climate and teachers' strategies to sustain discipline as predictors of intrinsic motivation in physical education.

    PubMed

    Gutiérrez, Melchor; Ruiz, Luis-Miguel; López, Esther

    2010-11-01

    This study examined the relationship among pupils' perceptions of the motivational climate, pupils' perceptions of teachers' strategies to maintain discipline and pupils' intrinsic motivation in physical education. A sample of 2189 Spanish adolescents, ages 13 to 17 years, completed Spanish versions of the EPCM, SSDS, and IMI. Confirmatory factor analyses were carried out to confirm the factorial validity of the scales. Then, the relationship among the variables was explored through Structural Equation Modelling. The most important predictors of pupils' intrinsic motivation were the perceived mastery climate, and perceived teachers' emphasis on intrinsic reasons to maintain discipline. Perceived performance climate and perceived teachers' strategies to maintain discipline based on introjected reasons and indifference, predicted pupils' tension-pressure. Results are discussed in the context of theoretical propositions of self-determination theory and practical issues of enhancing adolescents' motivation in physical education.

  16. Towards Optimal Education Including Self-Regulated Learning in Technology-Enhanced Preschools and Primary Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mooij, Ton; Dijkstra, Elma M.; Walraven, Amber; Kirschner, Paul A.

    2014-01-01

    At the start of preschool, four-year-old pupils differ in their development, including in their capacity to self-regulate their playing and learning. In preschool and primary school, educational processes are generally adapted to the mean age of the pupils in the class. The same may apply to pupil-monitoring systems based on information and…

  17. The Connection between Pupils' School Success and Their Inclusiveness in Extracurricular and Out-of-School Activities in Croatia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vukic, Violeta Valjan; Zrilic, Smiljana

    2016-01-01

    The school, with its activities as an upbringing and educational institute, influences all segments of a pupil's effective development. Besides teaching as its basic activity, the school should take over part of the care and responsibility for the pupil's free time and "use" it for "prolonged" upbringing activity. Today…

  18. The Understanding of Time by Deaf Pupils.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaiser-Grodecka, Irmina; Cieszynska, Jagoda

    The natural sign language used by deaf children in Poland makes no distinction between present, future, and past tenses. Deaf pupils do not understand the notions of temporal sequence and duration of time intervals, and so are prevented from thinking of and planning for the future. The study with 15 deaf 12-year-old pupils and 15 deaf 14-year-old…

  19. A Comparative Study of Learning Strategies Used by Romanian and Hungarian Preuniversity Students in Science Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lingvay, Mónika; Timofte, Roxana S.; Ciascai, Liliana; Predescu, Constantin

    2015-01-01

    Development of pupils' deep learning approach is an important goal of education nowadays, considering that a deep learning approach is mediating conceptual understanding and transfer. Different performance at PISA tests of Romanian and Hungarian pupils cause us to commence a study for the analysis of learning approaches employed by these pupils.…

  20. Helwan University Project Developing Primary School Pupils' Abilities and Skills at Some Egyptian Underprivileged Areas (Slums). (Field Study)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    El-Tayeb, Mahmoud N.; El Nashar, Mohamed; Zeid, Mai M.; El-Sayed, Magda; Ramadan, Mohamed A.; Hamdi, Safia M.; El-Affy, Nabila; Ebeid, Amina K.; El-Marasi, Sonia S.; Abou-Elmahty, Maher

    2010-01-01

    Through directing concerted efforts and educational services of seven Faculties of Helwan University towards socially underprivileged pupils in slum areas (EL-Marg area in big Cairo) this research project had two main aims: firstly, modifying a set of arbitrary behaviors of those pupils, in a trial to develop some behavior skills associated with…

  1. Impact of Discipline on Academic Performance of Pupils in Public Primary Schools in Muhoroni Sub-County, Kenya

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simba, Nicholas Odoyo; Agak, John Odwar; Kabuka, Eric K.

    2016-01-01

    In Muhoroni Sub-County, Kenya, pupils' academic performance has received little attention in relation to discipline. The objectives of this study were to determine the level of discipline and extent of impact of discipline on academic performance among class eight pupils in the sub-county's public primary schools. The study adopted descriptive…

  2. Distinctions between Computer Self-Efficacy of Pupils and Teachers in Elementary School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Topolovcan, Tomislav; Matijevic, Milan

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this study was to establish whether there are differences between the computer self-efficacy of pupils and teachers (N = 507) in the context of the classroom, as a developing workplace of the teacher in elementary education. The survey covered 184 teachers and 323 pupils in elementary school. The results show that there is no…

  3. A Study of Pupil Control Ideology: A Person-Oriented Approach to Data Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adwere-Boamah, Joseph

    2010-01-01

    Responses of urban school teachers to the Pupil Control Ideology questionnaire were studied using Latent Class Analysis. The results of the analysis suggest that the best fitting model to the data is a two-cluster solution. In particular, the pupil control ideology of the sample delineates into two clusters of teachers, those with humanistic and…

  4. Formative Assessment: Using Concept Cartoon, Pupils' Drawings, and Group Discussions to Tackle Children's Ideas about Biological Inheritance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chin, Christine; Teou, Lay-Yen

    2010-01-01

    This study was carried out in the context of formative assessment where assessment and learning were integrated to enhance both teaching and learning. The purpose of the study was to: (a) identify pupils' ideas about biological inheritance through the use of a concept cartoon, pupils' drawings and talk, and (b) devise scaffolding structures that…

  5. The Relationship between Social Participation and Social Skills of Pupils with an Intellectual Disability: A Study in Inclusive Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garrote, Ariana

    2017-01-01

    Researchers claim that a lack of social skills might be the main reason why pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in inclusive classrooms often experience difficulties in social participation. However, studies that support this assumption are scarce, and none include pupils with an intellectual disability (ID). This article seeks to make an…

  6. Learning for Everyday Life: Pupils' Conceptions of Hearing and Knowledge about Tinnitus from a Teaching-Learning Sequence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    West, Eva

    2011-01-01

    As a result of young people frequently exposing themselves to loud sounds, researchers are advocating education about the risks of contracting tinnitus. However, how pupils conceive of and learn about the biological aspects of hearing has not been extensively investigated. Consequently, the aim of the present study is to explore pupils' learning…

  7. Chemistry Provision for Primary Pupils: The Experiences of 10 Years of Bristol ChemLabs Outreach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harrison, Timothy G.; Shallcross, Dudley E.

    2016-01-01

    Bristol ChemLabS, the UK's Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in practical chemistry, delivers numerous outreach activity days per year for thousands of primary school pupils annually. These mainly comprise demonstration assemblies and hands on workshops for pupils in the main. The activities support the UK's Key Stage 2 science…

  8. Is Chemistry Attractive for Pupils? Czech Pupils' Perception of Chemistry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kubiatko, Milan

    2015-01-01

    Chemistry is an important subject due to understanding the composition and structure of the things around us. The main aim of the study was to find out the perception of chemistry by lower secondary school pupils. The partial aims were to find out the influence of gender, year of study and favorite subject on the perception of chemistry. The…

  9. Helping Students Put Shape on the Past: Systematic Use of Analogies to Accelerate Understanding

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Myson, Ian

    2006-01-01

    One of the challenges facing pupils in the history classroom is conceptual understanding. Pupils also find it difficult to recognise themes or patterns across different parts of time and space. Ian Myson has recognised the importance of analogy as a way to facilitate pupils' understanding. He is quick to recognise, however, that poor use of…

  10. A Hybrid Sport Education-Games for Understanding Striking/Fielding Unit for Upper Elementary Pupils

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Curtner-Smith, Matthew

    2004-01-01

    This article describes a hybrid Sport Education-Games for Understanding unit through which upper elementary pupils can learn to play basic striking/fielding games. The unit is written for a class of 30 pupils. The twenty-five lesson unit is described in detail within 10 stages: (1) Getting started and early skill, strategy, rule, and role work…

  11. The Moral Construction of the Good Pupil Embedded in School Rules

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thornberg, Robert

    2009-01-01

    The aim of this field study was to investigate the hidden curriculum of school rules delimited to the moral construction of "the good pupil" embedded in the system of school rules in two primary schools. According to the findings, the rule system mediates a moral construction of the good pupil to the children, and this actually includes…

  12. Changes in Primary School Pupils' Conceptions of Water in the Context of Science, Technology, and Society (STS) Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Havu-Nuutinen, Sari; Kärkkäinen, Sirpa; Keinonen, Tuula

    2018-01-01

    Pupils' conceptual change processes that have led to long-term changes in learning processes can be very challenging and interwoven with several issues. Meanwhile, school learning is often determined as fragmented, without providing connections to pupils' different life and societal contexts. In this study, Science, Technology, and Society (STS)…

  13. "Inclusion--That Word!" Examining Some of the Tensions in Supporting Pupils Experiencing Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties/Needs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mowat, Joan Gaynor

    2015-01-01

    This paper explores issues around stigmatisation and labelling as they pertain to pupils with SEBD. The paper draws upon an evaluative case study, conducted in two Scottish local authorities, of the implementation of support groups, and examines how the approach was experienced by pupils who participated within the intervention, drawing from a…

  14. Religious Education, Conflict and Diversity: An Exploration of Young Children's Perceptions of Islam

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Revell, Lynn

    2010-01-01

    This article explores the way pupils in English primary school perceive Islam through discussion of Islam in the media. The research suggests that pupils are aware of Islam as a world religion and of many of the images and popular discourses associated with Islam. The research also suggests that while a minority of pupils expressed explicit racist…

  15. Using of Video Modeling in Teaching a Simple Meal Preparation Skill for Pupils of Down Syndrome

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    AL-Salahat, Mohammad Mousa

    2016-01-01

    The current study aimed to identify the impact of video modeling upon teaching three pupils with Down syndrome the skill of preparing a simple meal (sandwich), where the training was conducted in a separate classroom in schools of normal students. The training consisted of (i) watching the video of an intellectually disabled pupil, who is…

  16. The Probabilistic Thinking of Primary School Pupils in Cyprus: The Case of Tree Diagrams

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lamprianou, Iasonas; Lamprianou, Thekla Afantiti

    2003-01-01

    In this research work we explored the nature of 9-12 year old pupils' responses to probabilistic problems with tree diagrams. It was found that a large percentage of pupils failed to respond correctly even to very simple problems that demanded the identification of "possible routes/paths" in figures with tree diagrams/mazes. The results…

  17. A Comparison of Pupil Control Iedology of Science and Non-Science Secondary Student Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Dan R.

    This paper examines data on pupil control ideology (PCI) from two separate research studies involving secondary student teachers. A comparison was made of the results of the studies contrasting two student teaching populations: (1) eight weeks science (N=19) and (2) sixteen weeks non-science (N=22). The pupil control ideology of the secondary…

  18. Southwestern Cooperative Educational Laboratory Interaction Observation Schedule (SCIOS): A System for Analyzing Teacher-Pupil Interaction in the Affective Domain.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bemis, Katherine A.; Liberty, Paul G.

    The Southwestern Cooperative Interaction Observation Schedule (SCIOS) is a classroom observation instrument designed to record pupil-teacher interaction. The classification of pupil behavior is based on Krathwohl's (1964) theory of the three lowest levels of the affective domain. The levels are (1) receiving: the learner should be sensitized to…

  19. Scandalous Stories and Dangerous Liaisons: When Female Pupils and Male Teachers Fall in Love

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sikes, Pat

    2006-01-01

    The "Sexual Offences Act, 2003" criminalised all sexual activity in England and Wales between teachers and pupils under 18, irrespective of the fact that the general age of consent is 16, and even if the parties concerned were in a consensual relationship. Accounts of pupil-teacher romantic and sexual relationships are usually presented,…

  20. Low Opinions, High Hopes: Revisiting Pupils' Expectations of Sex and Relationship Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haste, Polly

    2013-01-01

    This paper analyses data from a focus group conducted with a group of female pupils aged 13-14 to re-examine the assumption that pupils' negative assessments of sex and relationship education (SRE) should be understood only as a reflection of inadequate teaching. Focusing on the emotional aspects of their accounts, and the inconsistencies in their…

  1. Participation of Primary School Pupils Who Stay at Institution of Social Services and Child Protection Dormitories in Social Science Lessons

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guven, Sibel; Sahin Taskin, Cigdem

    2008-01-01

    This research aims to understand to what extent primary school pupils who stay at the Institution of Social Services and Child Protection dormitories participate in social science lessons. Data were obtained from pupils staying at the Institution of Social Services and Child Protection dormitories and attending primary schools in Istanbul and…

  2. Inclusion of Pupils Perceived as Experiencing Social and Emotional Behavioural Difficulties (SEBD): Affordances and Constraints

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mowat, Joan Gaynor

    2010-01-01

    This paper takes as its principal theme barriers to the inclusion of pupils perceived as experiencing social and emotional behavioural difficulties (SEBD) and how these might be overcome. It draws upon an evaluative case study of an initiative, devised by the author, to support pupils--the Support Group Initiative (SGI)--which was conducted over a…

  3. Changes in Perceptions of Studying for the GCSE among Year 10 and Year 11 Pupils

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rogers, Lynne; Hallam, Susan

    2010-01-01

    This research aimed to explore whether pupils' perceptions of studying for the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) altered during the two-year period of study of this qualification. Six hundred and forty four pupils from eight schools in outer London completed a self-report questionnaire on two occasions, once in Year 10 and once in…

  4. The Rating System of the Rural School Pupils' Assessment of the Republic of Kazakhstan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bibigul, Almurzayeva; Orynkul, Shunkeyeva; Lyudmila, Karavanova; Aelita, Sagiyeva

    2015-01-01

    Currently, comprehensive school teachers of the Republic of Kazakhstan pay special attention to assessment system of pupils' knowledge based on personally oriented approach. In work "A black box: what there inside? An assessment of knowledge of pupils as a way of increase of efficiency of teaching and educational process" P. Blek and D.…

  5. Visual Thinking in Teaching History: Reading the Visual Thinking Skills of 12 Year-Old Pupils in Istanbul

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dilek, Gulcin

    2010-01-01

    This study aims to explore the visual thinking skills of some sixth grade (12-13 year-old) primary pupils who created visual interpretations during history courses. Pupils drew pictures describing historical scenes or events based on visual sources. They constructed these illustrations by using visual and written primary and secondary sources in…

  6. Study of a Nongraded Supplementary Group Communication Skills Program: Rationale, Pupil Personal-Social Characteristics, and Program Effects.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stumpe, Doris M.

    The purposes of this study were to design an experimental communications skills improvement program for low-achieving middle-grade pupils, to investigate certain assumed pupil personal-social characteristics on which the program was based, and to assess the effectiveness of the program. Two basic features incorporated into the new program were (1)…

  7. Part 1--Factors Associated with School Nurse Ratios: An Analysis of State Data

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maughan, Erin

    2009-01-01

    Despite the recognized importance of school nurses, the ratios of nurse to pupil are insufficient in many states across the country. The purpose of this study was to describe school nurse-to-pupil ratios by state and to statistically identify factors that may influence these ratios. Funding per pupil unit in general and support services and laws…

  8. Assessment for Learning in Music Education in the Slovenian Context--From Punishment or Reward to Support

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sicherl Kafol, Barbara; Kordeš, Urban; Holcar Brunauer, Ada

    2017-01-01

    This qualitative study used action research to provide an insight into how pupils experience and perceive assessment in music education. In collaboration with pupils we constructed an assessment for learning model aimed at involving pupils in the co-development of assessment criteria and in the processes of self and peer assessment. In addition we…

  9. Pupil Selection Segments Urban Comprehensive Schooling in Finland: Composition of School Classes in Pupils' School Performance, Gender, and Ethnicity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berisha, Anna-Kaisa; Seppänen, Piia

    2017-01-01

    The Finnish comprehensive school system is regularly referred to as a uniform and "no-tracking". In this article, we show with novel urban case data in Finland that school performance differed significantly between schools, most strikingly between school classes, and was connected to the school's selectiveness in pupil admission. A…

  10. Provisions and Guiding Proposals concerning the Curriculum in Health and Sex Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ministry of Education and Research, Copenhagen (Denmark).

    These guidelines for a health and sex education curriculum in Denmark outline the curriculum's aims and content. The aim of the instruction is to qualify pupils to further their own health and that of others, to contribute to pupils' knowledge of human health and the importance of life conditions and lifestyle to health, to develop pupils'…

  11. Including Pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorders in the Classroom: The Role of Teaching Assistants

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Symes, Wendy; Humphrey, Neil

    2012-01-01

    The aims of the current study were (i) to explore the extent to which pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) were effectively included in lessons, compared with pupils with dyslexia (DYS) or no Special Educational Needs (CON) and (ii) to understand how the presence of a teaching assistant (TA) influences the inclusion/exclusion process. One…

  12. Pupils' Liking For School: Ability Grouping, Self-Concept And Perceptions Of Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ireson, Judith; Hallam, Susan

    2005-01-01

    Background: Research indicates that affective aspects of development provide a basis for autonomous learning. Pupils' liking for school may be a useful indicator of their relationships with teachers and the school. Aims: The aim of the research reported in this paper is to establish the properties of a measure of pupils' liking for school and to…

  13. Pupils' and Teachers' Perceptions of a Culminating Festival within a Sport Education Season in Irish Primary Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kinchin, Gary D.; Macphail, Ann; Chroinin, Deirdre Ni

    2009-01-01

    Background: While there is considerable literature on Sport Education, little attention has been afforded to an investigation into the use of a specific festival as a culmination to a season. Aims: The purpose of this paper is to examine primary school pupils' and teachers' perceptions of an inter-school festival. Methods: Pupils from eight…

  14. Hearing-Impaired Pupils in Mainstream Education in Finland: Teachers' Experiences of Inclusion and Support

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Takala, Marjatta; Sume, Helena

    2018-01-01

    Today, in Finland, the majority of hearing-impaired pupils attend regular schools. This is in line with inclusive policy. This study aims to investigate do these pupils receive support from teachers, what kind of support is given and how is inclusion functioning. A questionnaire was used with 109 Finnish teachers, with both closed- and open-ended…

  15. Effective Teaching of Able Pupils in the Primary School: The Findings of the Oxfordshire Effective Teachers of Able Pupils Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eyre, Deborah; Coates, David; Fitzpatrick, Mary; Higgins, Chris; McClure, Lynne; Wilson, Helen; Chamberlin, Rosemary

    2002-01-01

    A review of British research on effective teaching of able students leads to a report on the Oxfordshire Effective Teachers of Able Pupils Project. This study found effective teachers shared similar beliefs about learning, had empathy with the needs of able children, created a secure classroom environment, held high expectations, used…

  16. Examining Differences in Mathematics and Reading Achievement among Grade 5 Pupils in Vietnam

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hungi, Njora

    2008-01-01

    This study employed a multilevel technique to examine pupil-, school- and province-level factors that influence achievement in mathematics and reading of Grade 5 primary school pupils in Vietnam. The data for this study were collected as part of a major survey that sought to examine the quality of education offered in Vietnam primary schools.…

  17. A Study of the Relationship between Academic Achievement Motivation and Home Environment among Standard Eight Pupils

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muola, J. M.

    2010-01-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between academic achievement motivation and home environment among standard eight pupils. The study was carried out on 235 standard eight Kenyan pupils from six urban and rural primary schools randomly selected from Machakos district. Their age ranged between 13 and 17 years. Two…

  18. Teachers' Views of their Pupils with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Phyllis

    2005-01-01

    This paper explores the perceptions of a small group of teachers of pupils with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) in north-eastern England. The focus of the paper is their views of their pupils who have PMLD. A total of 14 teachers were interviewed, both individually and in small groups over a four-year period. This paper stems…

  19. Implications of Mandatory Pupil Assignment for Desegregation. A Review of the Existing Research and a Survey of the District's Parents. Report No. 8402.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Raivetz, Mark J.

    The implications of a mandatory pupil assignment desegregation plan for the racial composition of the School District of Philadelphia are assessed in this report. The first section of the report reviews desegregation literature relating to mandatory pupil assignment. Virtually all of the research indicates that mandatory white reassignments…

  20. A Summary of Six Major Evaluation Reports on Follow Through in Philadelphia, 1973-l1974.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goodwin, Judith

    This report is a non-technical summary of six major evaluation reports on the Follow Through Program in Philadelphia, 1973-74. Positive findings are presented in the areas of pupil achievement, teacher and pupil continuance and pupil absence, and supportive services and parent involvement. The Follow Through Program in Philadelphia is comprised of…

  1. Developing Mainstream Resource Provision for Pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Parent and Pupil Perceptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hebron, Judith; Bond, Caroline

    2017-01-01

    The diverse needs of pupils with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have led to a continuum of educational provision being promoted in many countries, and which is often developed at a local level. The majority of children and young people with ASD in the UK attend mainstream schools, and resourced mainstream schools are increasingly part of this…

  2. An Examination of the Role of Nursery Education on Primary School Pupils in Nigeria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oniwon, H. O. Evelyn

    2015-01-01

    This study examines the role of Nursery education among primary school pupils. The sole objective of the study was to find out the differences in academic achievement between primary school pupils who received nursery education and those who did not. Descriptive survey research design was adopted to achieve the study objective. Consequently, 20…

  3. Raising Achievement of English as Additional Language Pupils in Schools: Implications for Policy and Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Demie, Feyisa; Lewis, Kirstin

    2018-01-01

    This study looks at schools that serve English as an additional language (EAL) pupils and examines the factors behind their successful achievement. A complementary methodological approach of case studies and focus groups was used to explore performance and the views of teachers, governors, parents and pupils, and to evaluate and gather evidence on…

  4. Linking Theory to Practice: A Case Study of Pupils' Course Work on Freshwater Pollution

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Osterlind, Karolina; Hallden, Ola

    2007-01-01

    The paper reports on a study of five pupils' (13-14 years old) learning about freshwater pollution and related theoretical concepts such as drainage basin and water pollution. Much of the instruction is devoted to fieldwork conducted at a polluted lake and other practical activities designed to promote the pupils' understanding of the central…

  5. Diagnostic Tests in Czech for Pupils with a First Language Different from the Language of Schooling

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vodicková, Katerina; Kostelecká, Yvona

    2016-01-01

    Mastering a second language, in this case Czech, is crucial for pupils whose first language differs from the language of schooling, so that they can engage more successfully in the educational process. In order to adjust language teaching to pupils' needs, it is necessary to identify which language skills or individual competences set out within…

  6. Class Composition as a Frame of Reference for Teachers? The Influence of Class Context on Teacher Recommendations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boone, Simon; Thys, Sarah; Van Avermaet, Piet; Van Houtte, Mieke

    2018-01-01

    Teacher recommendations are an important factor in the process of track placement, but research has shown that they are biased by pupils' social background. Pupils from higher socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to get the advice to enrol in an academic track than pupils from lower socio-economic backgrounds, irrespective of prior…

  7. A Follow-Up Study of Non-Speaking Pupils Who Communicate with Bliss Symbols at Bracke Ostergard, Gothenburg, Sweden.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guttman, Karin

    A regional center for physically disabled children in Gothenburg, Sweden, called Bracke Ostergard, teaches non-speaking pupils to communicate with Bliss symbols. School records were examined for the 38 non-speaking pupils, mostly cerebral palsied, who had been trained to use Bliss symbols. Results showed that, of the 32 cerebral palsied children,…

  8. E-Consultation with Pupils: A Rights-Based Approach to the Integration of Citizenship Education and ICT

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McEvoy, Lesley; Lundy, Laura

    2007-01-01

    This article is based on a pilot study which sought to directly engage pupils in a current government policy initiative using a variety of e-consultation mechanisms and explores how this innovative use of technology could support citizenship education in schools. Drawing on qualitative data collected from interviews with pupils and teachers it…

  9. Monitoring the Achievement of Deaf Pupils in Sweden and Scotland: Approaches and Outcomes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hendar, Ola; O'Neill, Rachel

    2016-01-01

    Over the past two decades there have been major developments in deaf education in many countries. Medical and technical advances have made it possible for more deaf children to hear and speak successfully. Most deaf pupils learn in ordinary classes in mainstream schools. In this article we explore patterns of achievements of deaf pupils to see if…

  10. Structure and Maintenance of a Mathematical Creative Lesson as a Mean of Pupils' Meta-Subject Results Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gorev, Pavel M.; Aydar M. Kalimullin

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of the research is to study and change the structure of a mathematical lesson to improve quality of pupils' mathematical training and design mechanisms of inclusion the systems of open type tasks in educational process considering specifics of pupils' creative personality development. The leading method is modeling of a mathematical…

  11. What Frameworks Are Helpful to Science Teachers and Their Pupils When Thinking about the Relationship between Science and Religion?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Borgeaud, Jane

    2018-01-01

    Secondary school science teachers report that their approaches to some topics are affected by the recognition that some pupils hold religious beliefs, while primary school teacher trainees express concern about teaching evolution to children with a religious faith. Pupils in British schools and internationally often assume a conflict between…

  12. Links between Success in Non-Measurement and Calculation Tasks in Area and Volume Measurement and Pupils' Problems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tumová, Veronika; Vondrová, Nada

    2017-01-01

    Measurement in geometry is one of the key areas of school mathematics, however, pupils make serious mistakes when solving problems involving measurement and hold misconceptions. This article focuses on the possible links between lower secondary pupils' (n = 870) success in solving non-measurement tasks and calculations tasks on area and volume and…

  13. Effects of Different Teaching Styles on the Teacher Behaviours that Influence Motivational Climate and Pupils' Motivation in Physical Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morgan, Kevin; Kingston, Kieran; Sproule, John

    2005-01-01

    This study investigated the effects of different teaching styles on the teaching behaviours that influence motivational climate and pupils' cognitive and affective responses in physical education. Four (two male, two female) initial teacher education (ITE) students and 92 pupils (47 boys, 45 girls), from two schools in the UK, participated in the…

  14. Pupil Perceptions of National Tests in Science: Perceived Importance, Invested Effort, and Test Anxiety

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eklof, Hanna; Nyroos, Mikaela

    2013-01-01

    Although large-scale national tests have been used for many years in Swedish compulsory schools, very little is known about how pupils actually react to these tests. The question is relevant, however, as pupil reactions in the test situation may affect test performance as well as future attitudes towards assessment. The question is relevant also…

  15. System-Level Evaluation: Language and Other Background Factors Affecting Mathematics Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Howie, Sarah

    2005-01-01

    The aim of this study is to describe and to explore the main factors affecting the performance of South African pupils in the mathematics test of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study-Repeat (TIMSS-R). The first objective was to describe the performance of the pupils in the mathematics test, the pupils' proficiency in English, as…

  16. The Influence of Gender, Grade Level and Favourite Subject on Czech Lower Secondary School Pupils' Perception of Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kubiatko, Milan; Janko, Tomas; Mrazkova, Katerina

    2012-01-01

    Geography is an important school subject that brings pupils' description and explanation of social, economic and/or political aspects of the changing world. It has been affirmed that the interest in a subject depends on the attitude to this subject. This study investigates Czech lower secondary school pupils' perception of geography. The research…

  17. The Extent to Which Pupils Manipulate Materials and Attainment of Process Skills in Elementary School Science.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Macbeth, Douglas Russell

    Reported is a study of the importance of the direct manipulative experience in the attainment of science process skills for kindergarten and grade three pupils. Typical self-contained classes were selected to learn exercises from Science - A Process Approach. Some pupils were allowed to manipulate science materials in learning, while others were…

  18. Plenoptic wavefront sensor with scattering pupil.

    PubMed

    Vdovin, Gleb; Soloviev, Oleg; Loktev, Mikhail

    2014-04-21

    We consider a wavefront sensor combining scattering pupil with a plenoptic imager. Such a sensor utilizes the same reconstruction principle as the Hartmann-Shack sensor, however it is free from the ambiguity of the spot location caused by the periodic structure of the sensor matrix, and allows for wider range of measured aberrations. In our study, sensor with scattering pupil has demonstrated a good match between the introduced and reconstructed aberrations, both in the simulation and experiment. The concept is expected to be applicable to optical metrology of strongly distorted wavefronts, especially for measurements through dirty, distorted, or scattering windows and pupils, such as cataract eyes.

  19. Laboratory performance of the shaped pupil coronagraphic architecture for the WFIRST/AFTA coronagraph

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cady, Eric; Mejia Prada, Camilo; An, Xin; Balasubramanian, Kunjithapatham; Diaz, Rosemary; Kasdin, N. Jeremy; Kern, Brian; Kuhnert, Andreas; Nemati, Bijan; Patterson, Keith; Poberezhskiy, Ilya; Riggs, A. J. Eldorado; Ryan, Daniel; Zhou, Hanying; Zimmer, Robert; Zimmerman, Neil T.

    2015-09-01

    One of the two primary architectures being tested for the WFIRST-AFTA coronagraph instrument is the shaped pupil coronagraph, which uses a binary aperture in a pupil plane to create localized regions of high contrast in a subsequent focal plane. The aperture shapes are determined by optimization, and can be designed to work in the presence of secondary obscurations and spiders - an important consideration for coronagraphy with WFIRST-AFTA. We present the current performance of the shaped pupil testbed, including the results of AFTA Milestone 2, in which ≍ 6 × 10-9 contrast was achieved in three independent runs starting from a neutral setting.

  20. Laboratory Performance of the Shaped Pupil Coronagraphic Architecture for the WFIRST-AFTA Coronagraph

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cady, Eric; Mejia Prada, Camilo; An, Xin; Balasubramanian, Kunjithapatha; Diaz, Rosemary; Kasdin, N. Jeremy; Kern, Brian; Kuhnert, Andreas; Nemati, Bijan; Patterson, Keith; hide

    2015-01-01

    One of the two primary architectures being tested for the WFIRST-AFTA coronagraph instrument is the shaped pupil coronagraph, which uses a binary aperture in a pupil plane to create localized regions of high contrast in a subsequent focal plane. The aperture shapes are determined by optimization, and can be designed to work in the presence of secondary obscurations and spiders-an important consideration for coronagraphy with WFIRSTAFTA. We present the current performance of the shaped pupil testbed, including the results of AFTA Milestone 2, in which approximately 6 × 10(exp -9) contrast was achieved in three independent runs starting from a neutral setting.

Top