Using authentic representations of practice in teacher education: Do direct instructional and problem-based approaches really produce different effects?

This paper investigates the effects of different instructional approaches (problem-based vs. direct instructional) on student teachers' analysis of practice when using authentic representations of practice in teacher education. We assigned 638 student teachers from 21 equivalent teacher education courses to one of the two conditions. Students' analyses of practice were evaluated on selective attention, reflective thought, and theory-practice integrations in a pre-post-design. In line with inconsistent findings from prior research, we were able to produce evidence for equivalent effects of the instructional approaches on all dependent variables using Bayesian data analyses. As called for in a review on the topic, we additionally explored the role of the instructors administering the field study interventions. Findings revealed that a positive attitude toward the instructional approach the instructors administered was related to more theory-practice integrations in the students' analyses.

Visual attention to variation in female facial skin color distribution.

OBJECTIVES: Visible skin condition of women is argued to influence human physical attraction. Recent research has shown that people are sensitive to variation in skin color distribution, and such variation affects visual perception of female facial attractiveness, healthiness, and age. METHODS: The eye gaze of 39 males and females, aged 13 to 45 years, was tracked while they viewed images of shape- and topography-standardized stimulus faces that varied only in terms of skin color distribution. RESULTS: The number of fixations and dwell time were significantly higher when viewing stimulus faces with the homogeneous skin color distribution of young people, compared with those of more elderly people. In accordance with recent research, facial stimuli with even skin tones were also judged to be younger and received higher attractiveness ratings. Finally, visual attention measures were negatively correlated with perceived age, but positively associated with attractiveness judgments. CONCLUSIONS: Variation in visible skin color distribution (independent of facial form and skin surface topography) is able to selectively attract people's attention toward female faces, and this higher attention results in more positive statements about a woman's face.