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Learning Preferences (learning + preference)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Education40%

Selected Abstracts

SONG LEARNING ACCELERATES ALLOPATRIC SPECIATION

EVOLUTION, Issue 9 2004
R. F. Lachlan
Abstract The songs of many birds are unusual in that they serve a role in identifying conspecific mates, yet they are also culturally transmitted. Noting the apparently high rate of diversity in one avian taxon, the songbirds, in which song learning appears ubiquitous, it has often been speculated that cultural transmission may increase the rate of speciation. Here we examine the possibility that song learning affects the rate of allopatric speciation. We construct a population-genetic model of allopatric divergence that explores the evolution of genes that underlie learning preferences (predispositions to learn some songs over others). We compare this with a model in which mating signals are inherited only genetically. Models are constructed for the cases where songs and preferences are affected by the same or different loci, and we analyze them using analytical local stability analysis combined with simulations of drift and directional sexual selection. Under nearly all conditions examined, song divergence occurs more readily in the learning model than in the nonlearning model. This is a result of reduced frequency-dependent selection in the learning models. Cultural evolution causes males with unusual genotypes to tend to learn from the majority of males around them, and thus develop songs compatible with the majority of the females in the population. Unusual genotypes can therefore be masked by learning. Over a wide range of conditions, learning therefore reduces the waiting time for speciation to occur and can be predicted to accelerate the rate of speciation. [source]

Lexis that rings a bell: on the influence of auditory support in vocabulary acquisition

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS, Issue 2 2010
Andreas Bürki
This empirical study investigated the effectiveness of auditory support in vocabulary learning by comparing acquisition and retention of lexical items studied using a traditional paired-associates memorisation technique to results achieved using an audio-supported paired-associates technique. The subjects were 88 Korean university students. Results indicated that the audio-supported vocabulary learning approach leads to significantly higher rates of acquisition. This advantage was retained over the two months following treatment. The largest difference was noticed in pronunciation. Furthermore, it was found that success in the audio-supported approach was not significantly dependent on learning preferences, and that the approach enjoyed a higher level of acceptance among subjects than non-auditory paired-associates memorisation. [source]

Motivating and Maximizing Learning in Minority Classrooms

NEW DIRECTIONS FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES, Issue 112 2000
Irene M. Sanchez
Successful learning experiences contribute to student motivation and retention and require that educators design programs around learning preferences. This chapter discusses the relationship of learning preferences to motication and retention and presents a profile of learning preferences of Hispanic and Native American learners. [source]

The ,digital natives' debate: A critical review of the evidence

BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, Issue 5 2008
Sue Bennett
The idea that a new generation of students is entering the education system has excited recent attention among educators and education commentators. Termed ,digital natives' or the ,Net generation', these young people are said to have been immersed in technology all their lives, imbuing them with sophisticated technical skills and learning preferences for which traditional education is unprepared. Grand claims are being made about the nature of this generational change and about the urgent necessity for educational reform in response. A sense of impending crisis pervades this debate. However, the actual situation is far from clear. In this paper, the authors draw on the fields of education and sociology to analyse the digital natives debate. The paper presents and questions the main claims made about digital natives and analyses the nature of the debate itself. We argue that rather than being empirically and theoretically informed, the debate can be likened to an academic form of a ,moral panic'. We propose that a more measured and disinterested approach is now required to investigate ,digital natives' and their implications for education. [source]

Multicenter Study of Preferences for Health Education in the Emergency Department Population

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 6 2010
M. Kit Delgado MD
Abstract Objectives:, Emergency departments (EDs) are increasingly proposed as high-yield venues for providing preventive health education to a population at risk for unhealthy behaviors and unmet primary care needs. This study sought to determine the preferred health education topics and teaching modality among ED patients and visitors. Methods:, For two 24-hour periods, patients aged 18 years and older presenting to four Boston EDs were consecutively enrolled, and waiting room visitors were surveyed every 3 hours. The survey assessed interest in 28 health conditions and topics, which were further classified into nine composite health education categories. Also assessed was the participants' preferred teaching modality. Results:, Among 1,321 eligible subjects, 1,010 (76%) completed the survey, of whom 56% were patients and 44% were visitors. Among the health conditions, respondents were most interested in learning about stress and depression (32%). Among the health topics, respondents were most interested in exercise and nutrition (43%). With regard to learning modality, 34% of subjects chose brochures/book, 25% video, 24% speaking with an expert, 14% using a computer, and 3% another mode of learning (e.g., a class). Speaking with an expert was the overall preferred modality for those with less than high school education and Hispanics, as well as those interested in HIV screening, youth violence, and stroke. Video was the preferred modality for those interested in learning more about depression, alcohol, drugs, firearm safety, and smoke detectors. Conclusions:, Emergency department patients and visitors were most interested in health education on stress, depression, exercise, and nutrition, compared to topics more commonly targeted to the ED population such as substance abuse, sexual health (including HIV testing), and injury prevention. Despite many recent innovations in health education, most ED patients and visitors in our study preferred the traditional form of books and brochures. Future ED health education efforts may be optimized by taking into account the learning preferences of the target ED population. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:652,658 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine [source]