Gathering data: does it make sense?

Abstract

Much laboratory work in school science involves observation and measurement; an important development, in recent years, has been the application of computers to this activity. Data-logging techniques have been available to science teachers for some time (outside the United Kingdom [UK], this technology is sometimes known as microcomputer-based laboratories or MBL). It is only relatively recently, however, that data-logging technology has become sufficiently user-friendly and affordable for it to be more widely adopted. The use of sensors, interfaces and data-loggers to capture and record data, and its subsequent display and analysis using computer software, now constitute a realistic alternative to traditional approaches. With the National Curriculum for initial teacher training including information and communications technology now in place in the UK, the time seems opportune to take stock of current use of data-logging methods and to consider how they might be further developed. This article describes how data-logging currently appears to be used in science lessons. It considers how the demands of the National Curriculum have shaped current practice, and argues for a shift of emphasis in the pupils' role in data-logging activities. Some suggestions are then offered for encouraging pupils to engage in more interpretative activity, which recent software readily supports.     

Medicine as a calling among male and female medical students in Israel: Does it make a difference?

This study focused on the perception of medicine as a calling and its associations with medical training satisfaction, career certainty, career satisfaction, career commitment, and well-being among 176 Israeli medical students. Participants replied to an online questionnaire including the Brief Calling Scale (Duffy and Sedlacek in Career Dev Q 59:27–41, 2010) and measures related to medical training, a medical career, and well-being. Calling was positively associated with all outcome measures, and gender moderated these associations, which were stronger for female medical students in comparison with male medical students. The importance of taking these gender differences regarding calling under consideration for career counseling is discussed.     

What Does it Mean to Question?

The purpose of this paper is two fold: first, to tease out the meaning inherent in the correlativity of the question and answer process and second, to suggest a philosophical answer to the question “What does it mean to question?” in the context of teacher education. To that end, we want to claim that R.G. Collingwood’s “Logic of Question and Answer” is a valuable tool in filling the gap in scholarship concerning the art of questioning. While research into the activity of teaching often emphasizes the role and effectiveness of questioning, these studies have largely focussed on the strategies and results of the practice of questioning. We argue that they place too little emphasis on making sense of the process itself and that more time should be spent on the Logic of Question and Answer. To accomplish our goal, in Collingwoodian form, we will contextualize an example of how the understanding of the question and answer complex informs the practice of teacher education in the specific area of the Social Studies Methods Course.     

Does ACCEL Excel as a Model of Giftedness? A Reply to Commentators

In this essay, I respond to commentators on my article on the Active Concerned Citizenship and Ethical Leadership (ACCEL) model for understanding giftedness. I cover a number of topics that arose in or out of the commentaries, in particular, systems inertia; toxic leadership; teaching for creativity; flight from reality; the role of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in teaching for wisdom; the developmental nature of giftedness; making a positive, meaningful, and enduring difference; IQ as a diagnostic tool rather than as a gatekeeper; meeting the needs of marginalized young people; teacher education; and retrospective studies. I conclude that the differences among all of us in this symposium are small and that we all agree that a model like ACCEL—whatever its exact terms—is needed to move the field of giftedness beyond a preoccupation with abilities, narrowly defined.     

Does assessment for learning make a difference? The development of a questionnaire to explore the student response

Assessment for learning is a widely used term and the concept forms the basis of many teaching innovations in higher education. However, the definitions and scope of assessment for learning vary considerably. We describe a conceptualisation of assessment for learning that encompasses current thinking in a holistic way and which has been trialled and extensively refined in practice. A student questionnaire is presented which has enabled us to explore the student experience. Results indicate that the overall student experience is more positive in modules where assessment for learning approaches are used and students are more likely to take a deep approach to learning. It also demonstrates that the student experience is centred on staff support and module design, feedback, active engagement and peer learning. The full questionnaire is made available and its wider use in evaluation, enhancement and research is encouraged.     

Does high-quality professional development make a difference? Evidence from TIMSS

Abstract

While professional development has been emphasised in many countries, few comparative studies have examined the degree of teachers’ participation in professional development and its effect on teachers. Using the TIMSS 2007 data, this study analyses to what extent teachers participated in professional development in 50 TIMSS countries and examines the relationship among high-quality teachers’ professional development, teachers’ beliefs, attitudes and job satisfaction. The study found that the extent to which teachers have participated in professional developmental activities was surprisingly low. In particular, teachers in 47 countries have rarely participated in active learning. The study also found that high-quality teacher professional development was significantly associated with greater job satisfaction, higher expectations for student performance and more positive attitudes in teachers concerning their implementing the school’s curriculum. Policy implications for professional development are discussed.     

Does family make a difference? Mid-term effects of a school/home-based intervention program to enhance reading motivation

This study examined the effects of a school/home-based intervention program designed to enhance the reading motivation and comprehension of Swiss fourth graders (N = 713). In order to identify the specific contribution of the home environment, the program was implemented in one group without (N = 244) and in one group with (N = 225) parental participation. The intervention was based on the principles of Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2002) and lasted one school year. Effects of the treatment were investigated in a pretest-posttest control group design with follow-up. Multilevel analyses showed that the school/home-based intervention had significant effects on reading enjoyment and reading curiosity. Effects on reading enjoyment were still detectable at 5-month follow-up. However, no effects were found for reading self-concept or reading comprehension. The findings highlight the potential of the family in the sustained promotion of reading motivation.     

Restructuring of schools as a consequence of computer use?

The central question discussed is whether the use of computers leads to the restructuring of schools or classrooms. Several authors argue that intensive use of computers must lead to new classroom patterns or new forms of schooling. Data from the international comparative study of computers in education, conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), reveal that in almost all schools in industrialized countries activities with computers are taking place. However, a relatively small number of teachers are involved, and these activities are not indicating real changes in the structure of schools and classrooms.     

Does music make your brain work?

If m usic m akes you sm arter and exercise helps you to think, surelyexercising to m usic can turn you into a genius(天才)?A group of A m eri-can researchers believe thatthis is indeed true.A team of scientists from O hio State U niversity (俄亥俄州立大学)conducted experim ents on 33volunteers (志愿者) w ho w ere recoveringfrom heart disease follow ing surgery(外科手术).A boy adds som e healthy sounds to the environm ent.They found thatpeople who exercised while listening to Italian com pose…     

How to make the neighbourhood school a school for all?

A new special education strategy was launched in Finland by the Ministry of Education in 2007. The new Basic Act was enacted in 2010 and the new national core curriculum concerning three‐tiered support for pupils in 2011. Since the 1990s, teachers across Finland have participated in developing Finnish basic education towards greater inclusion. The goal of this study was to enhance understanding of the implementation of the Finnish educational reforms. In this study, teachers' perceptions of good inclusive teaching arrangements were analysed and compared with the theories of inclusive education. There is still a lack of information available on the implementation of inclusive education practices, and especially about teachers' experiences of teaching in inclusive classrooms. In 2010, basic education teachers (N = 327) in Lapland, Finland, were asked to describe their experiences and perceptions of inclusive teaching arrangements. The results indicated that teaching practices have become more diverse, flexible and differentiated, enabling teaching of diverse groups. More and more teachers preferred teaching in teams and planning their work together, showing that changes in schools change the teacher's profession too. In this study, a framework for inclusive schools was constructed through implementing the indexes of inclusion created by Booth and Ainscow.     

How to make more friends?

Most of us want to make morefriends. Following steps will help you:Be fun to be around. You need to befriendly so that people will feel good when     

Does a visual-orthographic deficit contribute to reading disability?

In this study, visual-orthographic skills were defined as the ability to recognize whether letters and numerals are correctly oriented. Aims were to investigate whether visual-orthographic skills would contribute independent variance to reading, and whether children with a visual-orthographic deficit would be more impaired readers than similar children without this deficit. Participants were 207 children, aged 8 to 10 years, who attended school in a small suburban community. Because of the evidence that phonological awareness and naming speed are strongly related to reading, visual-orthographic skills were entered into hierarchical regression analyses following these variables. With age, verbal IQ, and verbal short-term memory also controlled, visual-orthographic skills accounted for significant independent variance in all reading measures. When children with a visual—orthographic deficit (29% of the sample) were compared with those without this deficit, they were significantly lower on all reading variables. At 8 to 10 years of age, reading progress of some children continues to be hampered by a problem in orthographic memory for the orientation of letters and numerals. Such children will require special attention, but their problems may be overlooked. As recommended by Willows and Terepocki (1993), there is need for further research on the phenomenon of letter reversals when they occur among children beyond first grade.     

What Does It Take to Become a CPT?

Many performance improvement professionals are considering seeking the Certified Performance Technologist (CPT) certification offered by the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI). This article provides an overview of factors for potential CPTs to consider: adherence to the standards and ethics code as well as the interrelationships of professional principles and personality traits. Prospective CPTs are encouraged to include a self‐assessment as part of their considerations related to acquiring CPT certification.     

Price-induced substitution of faculty in academe: Does mission make a difference?

In an earlier paper Tuckman and Chang demonstrated that college faculty were substitutable and that differences in faculty salaries influenced the distribution of faculty by rank and sex. This paper uses a similar methodology to explore the question of whether institutions of high education with different missions have different substitution patterns and price elasticities. Our main conclusion is that price-related substitution does exist at each of the four types of colleges in our sample. However, the observed price effects are small and there is little evidence that any one college type is consistently more price responsive than any other.     

Emotional experiences during test taking: Does cognitive ability make a difference?

This study examined test-related experiences of enjoyment, anger, anxiety, and boredom in a sample of 2059 German school students (50% female) from grade 6, and how they relate to students' abstract reasoning ability (ARA). Emotions were assessed immediately before, during, and after a mathematics achievement test. Analysis of variance showed that emotions experienced during the test situation differed based on students' ARA level, with correspondence analysis revealing substantial differences between the emotional profiles of different ability groups. Enjoyment proved to be most prominent in students with high ARA, whereas anger and anxiety were predominant for students with low ARA. Boredom was found to be highest among students in the intermediate ARA group. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

The academic achievement of students in a New Zealand university: Does it pay to work?

There is growing concern about the detrimental effect of term-time employment on university students’ academic success. We report results from an online survey of 1837 students of the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, whose responses were later matched to their academic records for a semester. The majority of employed students reported working out of financial necessity. There was no difference in grades between employed and non-employed students, but hours worked had a direct negative linear effect on the grades of employed students. Subsequent analysis suggested that employed students might have had significantly higher grades than the non-employed subsample if they had not worked. Mediating and moderating effects on the relationship between hours worked and academic performance were identified, and a model of the work–achievement relationship developed. Universities could do more to accommodate the reality of part-time work by their students.