Paving a clear path in a thick forest: a conceptual analysis of a metacognitive component

The concept of metacognition refers to one’s knowledge and control of one’s own cognitive system. However, despite being widely used, this concept is confusing because of several reasons. First, sometimes it is not at all clear what is cognitive and what is metacognitive. Second, researchers often use the same term, namely, “metacognition” even when they refer to very different aspects of this complex concept. Alternatively, researchers may use different terms to indicate the same metacognitive elements. Another foggy matter is the interrelationships among the various components of metacognition discussed in the literature. This conceptual confusion regarding the concept of metacognition and its sub-components calls for in-depth theoretical and conceptual clarifications. The goal of this article is to portray a detailed example of a conceptual analysis of meta-strategic knowledge (MSK) which is one specific component of metacognition. This specific example is used to draw a general model for conceptual analyses of additional metacognitive components. The approach suggested here is to begin with a clear definition of the target sub component of metacognition, followed by a systematic examination of this sub component according to several dimensions that are relevant to metacognition in general and to that sub component in particular. The examination should include an analysis of how the details of the definition of the target sub-component refer to: (a) general theoretical metacognitive issues raised by prominent scholars; (b) definitions formulated and issues raised by other researchers who have investigated the same (or a similar) sub-component and, (c) empirical findings pertaining to that sub-component. Finally, it should be noted that since metacognition is a relational rather than a definite concept it is important to situate the context within which the conceptual analysis takes place.     

Education: a discipline or a field?

Historically, scholars have made unfailing efforts to position education as a standard science, but no solid success has been achieved regardless of the positivistic paradigm, quantitative approaches, or value-free neutral stances they adopted. In China, scholars have set up a so-called “three independency” standard for the scientific study of education, but it has been finally proved invalid in practice. As interdisciplines permeate the field of education, education experiences a crisis of being colonized. After serious rethinking, interdisciplines were widely believed to do more good than harm to education. Therefore, education is beginning to transform from a “colony” to an “empire”. In this transformation, education finds it necessary to break the traditional disciplinary boundaries and make it a field in which interdisciplinary communication is contributory to the enrichment of scholarship. Translated from Xiamen Daxue Xuebao (Zhexue Shehui Kexue Ban) 厦门大学学报 (哲学社会科学版) (Journal of Xiamen University (Arts & Social Sciences)), 2006, (1): 72–78     

Memories of a fledgling teacher: a beginning teacher's autobiography

By evoking the concept of memory pictures, the author recalls her early years as a teacher. Rather than calling herself a beginning teacher, she characterizes herself as a fledgling teacher to capture the insecurity associated with the first years of teaching. This experience is narrated through five memory pictures: (1) the new school's many rooms; (2) the staff‐room as an arena for curriculum interpretation; (3) the reading road; (4) solving mathematical problems in the classroom; and (5) the assembly hall. These five memory pictures are related to theories of learning, teacher education, visions for child‐centred education and the author's current practice as a teacher educator.     

Childhood trauma as a predictor of reoffending in a Northern Irish probation sample

BackgroundIt is well-documented that there is a high prevalence rate of childhood trauma experiences among the prison population, and studies have found a link between childhood trauma and later acts of violence.ObjectiveThe aim of the current study was to investigate whether childhood trauma (i.e., physical, sexual, emotional abuse and physical neglect) among offenders who have served a life sentence in Northern Ireland was associated with general and violent reoffending patterns. The study also explored the relationship between childhood trauma resulting from the sectarian conflict “The Troubles” in the region and its impact on reoffending.MethodThe casefiles of 100 offenders were coded for trauma experiences and official reoffending data was extracted. Logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the relationship between trauma and reoffending.ResultsThe most common form of childhood trauma were emotional abuse and/or emotional neglect (n = 43), conflict-related trauma (n = 43) and physical abuse (n = 40). Only age (OR .91) and conflict-related trauma (OR 5.57) emerged as significant predictors (p < .05) of general reoffending at any time post release. Similarly, only age (OR .92) and conflict-related trauma (OR 4.57) emerged as significant predictors (p < .05) of violent reoffending. Although it did not reach significance (p = .09), childhood physical abuse was related to an increase in the odds of violently reoffending, of a large magnitude (OR 4.09).ConclusionsConflict-related trauma significantly predicted general and violent reoffending among offenders with previous violent convictions.     

Report of a psychological assessment in a school setting

Guidelines are provided for the effective writing of psychoeducational reports based on a review of the literature and logical analysis. The literature on psychological assessment was selectively reviewed in terms of implications for effective writing of reports in a school setting. The literature reviewed consists of three broad areas: (a) surveys of consumers' opinions regarding various aspects of assessment reports; (b) research studies examining the content, format, and clarity of assessment interpretations; and (c) a number of “how to” books and articles describing the mechanics of report writing.     

Model construction as a learning activity: a design space and review

Modeling is becoming increasingly important both as a way to learn science and mathematics, and as a useful cognitive skill. Although many learning activities qualify as “modeling”, this article focuses on activities where (1) students construct a model rather than explore a given model, (2) the model is expressed in a formal language rather than drawings, physical objects or natural language texts and (3) the model's predictions are generated by executing it on a computer. Most research on such learning activities has focused on getting students to successfully construct models, which they find very difficult to do. In the hope that new research can find ways to remove this bottleneck, this article attempts to list all the major ideas that have appeared in the literature and might be useful to those developing new learning activities involving model construction. The ideas are organized into a design space with five dimensions: (1) modeling language types, (2) ways for describing the systems that students should model, (3) instructional objectives and their corresponding assessments, (4) common student difficulties and (5) types of scaffolding.     

ePedagogy as a threshold concept: a reflection on a programme for Science Teaching Assistants

Abstract

A Science Teaching Assistant (TA) Programme, at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), focused on preparing promising lecturers. A key component of this programme was the contribution by the Centre for Innovative Education and Communication Technologies (CIECT), which promoted the pedagogical adoption of eTools to assist development of Science TAs. A questionnaire enabled TAs to reflect on the eTools and CIECT’s sessions. The authors reflect on academic developer roles in higher education. Within CIECT’s contribution, ePedagogy was identified as a threshold concept that the TAs found challenging, but that could lead to transformed and improved teaching and learning.     

Characterization of the mean velocity of a circular jet in a bounded basin

A circular jet has broad and important applications in practical engineering. Most research in this area has focused on a free jet, a wall jet or a vertical jet in a bounded domain. In this study, the mean velocities of circular offset jets were studied for four jet exit Froude numbers (Fr), three offset heights (S) (S/d=1, 2, 3) and three submergence ratios (ht/S) (surface jet, mixed jet, and submerged jet) in a bounded basin. Based on the results, we propose a velocity decay formula for a circular jet. The lateral velocity spread was more consistent with Gaussian and Cauchy–Lorentz distributions than the vertical velocity. Moreover, Fr had little effect on the decay of the mean velocity for a circular jet when Re>1×10⁴. The lateral and vertical spreads showed a quadratic relationship with the streamwise distance for different values of Fr at X/d<10. The positions of maximum mean velocity decay were independent of Fr and S/d when X/d<10. The spread rate was more uniform in the lateral direction than that in the vertical direction in a certain region for different S/d and ht/S. Therefore, the decay, spread, and maximum velocity position of the mean velocity for a circular offset jet can remain stable under different values of Fr, offset height, and submergence ratio.     

Implementing summative assessment with a formative flavour: a case study in a large class

Teaching a large class can present real challenges in design, management and standardisation of assessment practices. One of the main dilemmas for university teachers is how to implement effective formative assessment practices with accompanying high-quality feedback consistently over time with large classroom groups. This article reports on how elements of formative practices can be implemented as part of summative assessment in very large undergraduate cohorts (n = 1500 in one semester), studying in different modes (on- and off-campus), with multiple markers, and under common cost and time constraints. Design features implemented include the use of exemplars, rubrics and audio feedback. The article draws on the reflections of the leading teacher, and argues that, for summative assessment to benefit learners, it should contain formative assessment elements. The teaching practices utilised in the case study provide some means to resolve the tensions between formative assessment and summative assessment that may be more generally applicable.     

Social-emotional competence trajectories from a school-based child trauma symptom intervention in a disadvantaged community

Childhood exposure to traumatic experiences and subsequent psychological symptoms increase the risk for lifelong behavioral and mental health problems, including depression diagnoses, reduced adaptive coping strategies, substance abuse, and early death, with negative impacts on children's social development and academic achievement. Social-emotional competence (SEC) is a key component of resilience to trauma exposure, and early deficits predict increased problem behaviors include delinquency and substance use. SEC is a protective factor that moderates the relationship between risks associated with trauma and subsequent outcomes. The current study used a longitudinal experimental design (treatment vs. comparison) to examine outcomes from a trauma-informed initiative in a disadvantaged community with high trauma exposure rates for K-8th grade students (n = 245). The intervention focused on bolstering children's social-emotional skills and resilience while reducing trauma symptoms and improving academic performance through multimodal programming. Hierarchical Linear Modeling indicated significant improvements in SEC from the intervention group, in contrast to the comparison group (B = 3.42, t = 3.04, p < .01), with gender effects indicating females see the greatest benefit (B = 3.52, t = 4.27, p < .01). Results indicated the significance of addressing SEC for children in disadvantaged communities, particularly those indicating a trauma history and resulting symptomology, as well as boys, who indicated reduced treatment effects.     

Science education as a pathway to teaching language literacy: a critical book review

In this paper, I present a critical review of the recent book, Science Education as a Pathway to Teaching Language Literacy, edited by Alberto J. Rodriguez. This volume is a timely collection of essays in which the authors bring to attention both the successes and challenges of integrating science instruction with literacy instruction (and vice versa). Although several themes in the book merit further attention, a central unifying issue throughout all of the chapters is the task of designing instruction which (1) gives students access to the dominant Discourses in science and literacy, (2) builds on students’ lived experiences, and (3) connects new material to socially and culturally relevant contexts in both science and literacy instruction—all within the high stakes testing realities of teachers and students in public schools. In this review, I illustrate how the authors of these essays effectively address this formidable challenge through research that ‘ascends to the concrete’. I also discuss where we could build on the work of the authors to integrate literacy and science instruction with the purpose of ‘humanizing and democratizing’ science education in K-12 classrooms.     

Validation of a touch screen tablet assessment of early literacy skills and a comparison with a traditional paper-based assessment

ABSTRACT

Touch screen tablets are being increasingly used in schools for learning and assessment. However, the validity and reliability of assessments delivered via tablets are largely unknown. The present study tested the psychometric properties of a tablet-based app designed to measure early literacy skills. Tablet-based tests were also compared with traditional paper-based tests. Children aged 2–6 years (N?=?99) completed receptive tests delivered via a tablet for letter, word, and numeral skills. The same skills were tested with a traditional paper-based test that used an expressive response format. Children (n?=?35) were post-tested 8 weeks later to examine the stability of test scores over time. The tablet test scores showed high internal consistency (all α’s?>?.94), acceptable test-retest reliability (ICC range?=?.39–.89), and were correlated with child age, family SES, and home literacy teaching to indicate good predictive validity. The agreement between scores for the tablet and traditional tests was high (ICC range?=?.81–.94). The tablet tests provides valid and reliable measures of children’s early literacy skills. The strong psychometric properties and ease of use suggests that tablet-based tests of literacy skills have the potential to improve assessment practices for research purposes and classroom use.     

Student Teaching at a Nature Center

Abstract

A statewide assessment of the status of environmental science (ES) in Texas school districts was conducted in 1985. Respondents were 126 science curriculum supervisors and 278 teachers (grades seven through twelve) representing 339 (38 percent) of those independent school districts (ISDs) (N = 893) having at least one science-certified teacher. The assessment results characterized ES in terms of grade level, subject matter, and implementor; degree to which ES facilities external to the classroom are used and factors preventing their use; ES teaching materials used and needed; levels of emphasis placed on selected teaching strategies; those content areas emphasized in ES; and ES implementation difficulties and needed assistance.     

Clinical analysis of minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy in a single center by a single medical group

Objective: McKeown esophagectomy followed by cervical and abdominal procedures has been commonly used for invasive esophageal carcinoma. This minimally-invasive operative procedure in the lateral prone position has been considered to be the most appropriate method. We describe our experiences in minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy (MIME) for esophageal cancer. Methods: Between March 2016 and February 2018, a total of 82 patients underwent MIME by a single group in our department (a single center). All procedure, operation, oncology, and complication data were reviewed. Results: All MIME procedures were completed successfully, with no conversions to open surgery. The median operative time was 260 min, and median blood loss was 100 ml. The average number of total harvested lymph nodes was 20.1 in the chest and 13.5 in the abdomen. There were no deaths within 30 postoperative days. Twenty cases (24.4%) developed postoperative complications, including anastomotic leak in 4 (4.9%), single lateral recurrent nerve palsy in 4 (4.9%), bilateral recurrent nerve palsy in 1 (1.2%), pulmonary problems in 3 (3.7%), chyle leak in 1 (1.2%), and other complications in 7 (including pleural effusions in 4, incomplete ileus in 2, and neck incision infection in 1; 8.54%). Average postoperative hospitalization time was 12 d. Blood loss, operation time, morbidity rate, and the number of harvested lymph nodes were analyzed by evaluating learning curves in different periods. Significant differences were found in operative time (P=0.006), postoperative hospitalization days (P=0.015), total harvested lymph nodes (P=0.003), harvested thoracic lymph nodes (P=0.006), and harvested abdominal lymph nodes (P=0.022) among different periods. Conclusions: Surgical outcomes following MIME for esophageal cancer are safe and acceptable. The MIME procedure for stages I and II could be performed proficiently and reached an experience plateau after approximately 25 cases.     

On the discrepancy of access to higher education in a province with a large ethnic minority population

Based on a survey of students from different social strata, different family backgrounds and different levels of access to higher education in 10 higher education institutions (HEIs) in Yunnan, an ethnic minority (EM) province, this essay tries to find out the discrepancy in the enrollment opportunity of higher education for children from different strata in the EM province in order to find a breakthrough to narrow the gap. Translated from Changchun Gongye Daxue Xuebao 长春工业大学学报 (Journal of Changchun University of Technology), 2006, (1): 9–16     

Science learning and a Sense of Place in a Urban Middle School

This paper offers an analysis into low-income, urban middle school children's sense of place and what and how their sense of place matters in science learning by focusing on the following questions: In what ways is students' sense of place leveraged in a science classroom? How does the content and context of science class shape how students leverage their sense of place? What learning opportunities emerge when sense of place is leveraged in class? Drawing from an ethnographic investigation into an environmental statistics class in a mid-sized public middle school, we examined sense of place events from their source, process, and outcome perspectives. Our findings are presented from two aspects of sense of place events, (1) characterizing students' sense of place by exploring sources of the sense of place events, and (2) examining processes of how students' sense of place is being leveraged in the episodes. We also examine two kinds of tensions that emerge in the class when sense of place is leveraged by students and acknowledged by the teacher: epistemological tensions (related to what the students are learning) and procedural tensions (related to how they are learning).     

Inferring a child's level of self-esteem from a knowledge of other personality factors

Two hundred and six school-age children completed Coopersmith's Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI) (Coopersmith, 1967, 1984) and the Children's Personality Questionnaire (CPQ) (Porter & Cattell, 1979). Correlation and regression analysis confirmed that there is a high degree of shared variance between these measures, suggesting that self-esteem may be more integrated within an individual's total personality functioning than has been discussed in the literature. The psychometric implications of this finding are discussed.     

Salience of Emotional Intelligence as a Core Characteristic of Being a Counselor

The authors investigated the association between emotional intelligence and counseling self‐efficacy. Participants were 140 counseling students and practicing counselors who completed the Emotional Judgment Inventory and the Counseling Self‐Estimate Inventory. Emotional intelligence differentiated counselors from noncounselors (Mdn d = .6650) but provided mixed results in differentiating counseling students and counselors. Moreover, the emotional intelligence factors Identifying Own Emotions, Expressing Emotions Adaptively, and Using Emotions in Problem Solving successfully predicted counseling self‐efficacy of both counseling students and practicing counselors (R = .537). Emotional intelligence may be another marker for individuals exploring professional counseling as a career and for improving students' counseling self‐efficacy.     

Developing a taxonomy of science concepts based on a scale of empirical distance

The term ‘concept’ is used in different ways within educational literature and has at least two different, although related, referents in relation to science knowledge, namely, public knowledge and private understandings. A taxonomic structure for ‘science concepts’ (public knowledge) has been developed to provide a rationale for the choice of phenomena to be used in the investigation of students’ ‘concepts’ and also to act as a frame of reference for generating insights about the data to be collected. Furthermore, it may be a useful heuristic to predict other science concepts likely to be highly problematic in school teaching situations and thus worthy of detailed research. The taxonomy, called a ‘Scale of Empirical Distance’ (SED), enables science concepts to be mapped according to their degree of closeness to concrete realities. The scale shows a recognition of the empirical basis of science concepts and the role of human senses in the perception of the material world even though “absolute objectivity of observation is not a possible ideal of science” as Harre (1972) has noted. The scale uses two binary variables, namely, ‘visual’ and ‘tactile’, to generate four categories of science concepts ranging on a continuum from concrete to abstract. Some concepts related to ‘matter’ will be classified and discussed. Specializations: science teacher education, primary science curriculum and methods, students’ personal meanings of phenomena.