The effect of Newsday's science education series program on selected ninth-grade students' comprehension of science reading material

Reading is a communication process that is crucial to students in science. Printed text materials are the most widely used teacher aids in the classroom. But reading as a major focus of science instruction has been out of favor with the mainstream of science education since the late 1950s. Despite this, few would deny the value of reading skills in a science class. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine how the use of Newsday's Science Education Series Program affected selected ninth-grade students' comprehension of science reading material. Analysis of covariance showed that students with standardized reading and mathematics scores at least two years above grade level who were taught using newspaper science articles alone had Degrees of Reading Power posttest scores higher at the 0.05 level of significance compared to students taught using Newsday's Science Education Series Program or using only the science article's content as part of class lessons. Students with standardized reading and mathematics scores on grade level taught using Newsday's Science Education Series Program had Degrees of Reading Power posttest scores higher at the 0.01 level of significance compared to students taught by either of the other methods.     

A method of producing up-to-date science material for elementary children

The authors suggest that selected science articles can be rewritten for use with elementary children.     

A reading level match study of nonword reading skills in poor readers with varying IQ.

This study evaluated the hypothesis that poor readers are characterized by poor nonword reading skills, but that a specific deficit, as opposed to a developmental lag, in nonword reading will be found only in subjects whose reading is discrepant from intellectual ability. To test this hypothesis, we measured nonword reading skills in 93 (64 male, 29 female) third-grade poor readers and 54 (37 male, 17 female) fifth-grade poor readers (with and without reading/IQ discrepancies) who were matched to 147 (81 male, 66 female) nondisabled first graders on word identification skills. Results showed third- and fifth-grade poor readers to be significantly more impaired than word-identification level match first graders on all measures on nonword reading. These findings were not related to the verbal IQ level within the poor reader groups and, thus, provide strong evidence for a deficit in nonword reading skills that is not explained by verbal intelligence.     

Predicting reading level in grades 1 to 6 from listening level and decoding level: Testing theory relevant to the simple view of reading

The relationships among pronunciation level (decoding), verbal level (listening), and accuracy level (reading) were investigated in grades 1 to 6, and for students who are in the advanced phase of decoding. The data collected were used to investigate the validity of the simple view of reading and the causal model of reading achievement which holds that pronunciation level (P_L) and verbal level (V_L) are the proximal causes of accuracy level (A_L). A total of 135 students in grades 1-6 were given measures of nonword decoding, real word decoding, listening, and reading. All of the reliable variation in an indicant of the level of reading ability, A_L, could be predicted from an indicant of the level of ability to decode real words, P_L, and an indicant of listening level, V_L. Furthermore, the strong relationship between pronunciation level, P_L, and accuracy level, A_L, did not evaporate for the students who had mastered basic decoding skills, as measured by nonword decoding tests. The correlations between pronunciation level, P_L, and accuracy level, A_L, were high even for students in grades 5 and 6, most of whom probably had progressed beyond the alphabetic phase (phonological recoding). Correlational support was found for the simple view of reading and the causal model which holds that A_L is equal to the square root of the product of V_L and P_L. The above theory and supporting data were interpreted as suggesting that the level of reading accuracy, A_L, of students can be improved the most throughout grades 1 to 6 by emphasizing instruction that will improve pronunciation level, or decoding, even for children who have progressed beyond the beginning to read phase which involves learning the alphabetic principal, or phonological recoding.     

Key skills for science learning: the importance of text cohesion and reading ability

To explore the importance of text cohesion, we conducted two experiments. We measured online (reading times) and offline (comprehension accuracy) processes for texts that were high and low cohesion. In study one (n?=?60), we manipulated referential cohesion using noun repetition (high cohesion) and synonymy (low cohesion). Students showed enhanced comprehension accuracy and faster comprehension responses for text that were high in referential cohesion. In study two (n?=?52), we examined connective text designs (‘because’, ‘and’ and ‘no connective’). Students demonstrated enhanced reading times for text using a ‘because’ connective. Additionally, we examined the individual differences (reading ability, science self-concept and self-esteem) as predictors of achievement with science comprehension tasks. Across both experiments reading ability predicted comprehension with both high (noun-repetition text and ‘and’ text) and low cohesion text (synonym text and ‘no connective’ text). These findings highlight the importance of good reading abilities and text cohesion for promoting science comprehension and learning.     

A sociocultural reading of reform in science teaching in a secondary biology class

Adopting activity theory as a theoretical and methodological framework, this case study illustrates how a teaching and learning situation is planned and implemented over a series of nine 75-min biology classes by a high school science teacher in the context of pedagogical reform. The object of this study emerges within a favourable context of science education curricular reform in Quebec, Canada. By examining the interaction between the poles of an activity system sharing the same object, this case study illustrates how one teacher’s teaching practice is redefined and how some aspects of her teaching personality orient the ways in which she contextually mobilizes new tools and members of her school community in order to implement an awareness campaign on the risks of tanning salons.     

应用型本科院校理工科实验教材建设

以应用型本科院校实验理工科的教材编写为例,分析了教材建设的必要性,指出了目前教材中存在的问题,并结合新编《数字电子技术实验》教材的特点,探讨了以教材为引导,学生动手能力的培养。     

材料科学基础多媒体教学探讨

本文结合金属材料工程专业材料科学基础的教学实践,根据该门课程的特点,指出了材料科学基础多媒体教学的必要性,分析了与传统教学相比所具有的优越性和存在的问题,并指出了相应的改进方法。     

Design procedure for thin three-layer plates made of a depleted material

The efficiency of a long-span structure relies on how material is locally distributed within a fixed structural shape. In this paper a design procedure for thin plates made of three layers of a depleted material subject to a distributed vertical load is proposed. The investigation is driven by the idea of the optimal material organization and has the objective of maximizing the overall stiffness/weight ratio of the structure. Two microstructural architectures of the media are considered: a porous solid structure and a truss arrangement. For each type of microstructure the flexural stiffness has been correlated to the level of depletion by the use of a power law function by setting very few parameters. Finally, invoking the principles of structural homogenization theory, the global flexural response of the plate has also been calculated. The validity of the method is demonstrated by comparing the analytical results with those obtained by a numerical finite element simulation of the structure based on a detailed model of the media.     

CBM maze-scores as indicators of reading level and growth for seventh-grade students

The technical adequacy of CBM maze-scores as indicators of reading level and growth for seventh-grade secondary-school students was examined. Participants were 452 Dutch students who completed weekly maze measures over a period of 23 weeks. Criterion measures were school level, dyslexia status, scores and growth on a standardized reading test. Results supported the technical adequacy of maze scores as indicators of reading level and growth. Alternate-form reliability coefficients were significant and intermediate to high. Mean maze scores showed significant increase over time, students’ growth trajectories differed, and students’ initial performance levels (intercepts) and growth rates (slopes) were not correlated. Maze reading level and growth were related to reading level and/or growth on criterion measures. A nonlinear model provided a better fit for the data than a linear model. Implications for use of CBM maze-scores for data-based decision-making are discussed.     

用教育科学理论指导阅读教学实践

阅读教学是语文教学的重要组成部分。听说读写的训练虽各有要求和渠道，但一个共有凭借便是阅读教学。阅读能力不仅是写作能力和听说能力的基础，也是从事学习和工作的基础能力，被称为“智慧之源”。推进语文教学改革，应该转变阅读教学观念，吸收传统精华，创新阅读教学方法，以提高阅读教学质量。     

功能材料专业材料科学基稿课程教学心得

对功能材料专业金属材料、无机非金属材料和高分子材料三部分知识整合,并将最新的科研成果融入传统的材料科学基础知识中。简要论述了课程改革的基本思路,认真剖析了材料科学基础课程教学改革的几个重要措施,旨在提高教学质量和教学效率,并增强学生的分析能力和创新能力。     

A case study of questioning for reading comprehension during guided reading

This case study explored how a teacher's questioning during guided reading scaffolded six children's understanding of reading. Observations and interview data conveyed that questioning statements and the teacher's involvement as a respondent prompted children's engagement and understanding of the text. Insufficient wait time and open questions with a closed intent seemed to stifle children's understanding of reading. Conclusions suggest teachers' relaxation of questioning to a conversational manner may enable guided reading to be an opportunity to develop children's comprehension on all levels.