Review: Approaches to educational psychology‐some recent textbooks

Blair, G. M., Jones, R. S., and Simpson, R. H., Educational Psychology (4^th Ed.). New York: Macmillan, 1975. 624 pages. $8.95

Craig, R. C., Mehrens, W. H., and Clarizio, H. F., Contemporary Educational Psychology: Concepts, Issues, Applications. New York: Wiley, 1975. 558 pages. $9.95

Gage, N. L., and Berliner, D. C., Educational Psychology. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1975. 869 pages. $9.95

Lefrancois, G., Psychology for Teaching (2nd Ed.). Belmont, Cal.: Wadsworth, 1975. 372 pages. $7.95

Packard, R. G., Psychology of Learning and Instruction. Columbus, Ohio: Merrill, 1975. 480 pages. $9.95

Smith, M. D., Educational Psychology and its Classroom Applications. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1975. 574 pages. $9.95     

Knowledge of secondary school pupils regarding sexual health education

Objective: To assess the sexual health knowledge of secondary school pupils in order to ascertain whether the current government public health and education policies are having any impact on pupils' sexual health.

Design: Results obtained from a questionnaire as part of a two‐phase intervention study.

Setting: Nineteen mixed‐sex, state secondary schools in central England.

Participants: Year 8 pupils (350 male, 345 female), year 9 pupils (300 male, 325 female) and year 10 pupils (310 male, 329 female).

Intervention: A questionnaire survey to assess the knowledge of pupils' sexual health education.

Main outcome measures: Questionnaires distributed to pupils as baseline to assess their knowledge of sexual health, contraception and sexually transmitted infections.

Results: Sexual health knowledge improves with age. A significant difference across all age groups was found, although knowledge regarding sexually transmitted infections and emergency contraception is poor for all age groups.

Conclusions: Current sexual health education provision is not providing young people with adequate knowledge regarding sexual health and contraception.     

Resources In Review

Abstract

The RFF Reader in Environmental Science and Resource Management , edited by Wallace E. Oates. Washington, DC: Resources for the Future. 1999. Paperback. $22.95. ISBN 0-915707-96-9.

Science through Multiple Intelligences: Patterns that Inspire Inquiry , by Robert Barkman. Tucson, AZ: Zephyr Press, Inc. 1999. Paperback. 165 pages. $39.00. ISBN 1-56976-096-9.

Earth Report 2000: Revisiting the True State of the Planet , edited by Ronald Bailey. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2000. Paperback. 362 pages. $19.95. ISBN 0-07-134260-5.

Hard Green: Saving the Environment from the Environmentalists (A Conservative Manifesto) , by Peter Huber. New York: Basic Books. 1999. Hardcover. $25.00. ISBN 0-468-03112-9.

Song of the Meadowlark , by James Eggert. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press. 1999. Paperback. 145 pages. $12.95. ISBN 1-58008-034-0.

The Greening of Planet Earth: The Effects of Carbon Dioxide on the Biosphere , Greening Earth Society, 4301 Wilson Blvd., Suite 805, Arlington, VA 22203-4193; tel. 703-907-6168; fax 703-907-6161; info@greeningearthsociety.org. 1992. Color. 27 min 50 s. $15.00.

The Greening of Planet Earth Continues: The Promise for the 21st Century & Beyond , Greening Earth Society. 1998. Color. 27 min 30 s. $15.00 (or both for $25.00).

Nature's Nation: An Environmental History of the United States , by John Opie. New York: Harcourt Brace and Company. 1998. Paperback. 515 pages. ISBN 0-15-500219-8.

Visions of Paradise: Glimpses of Our Landscape's Legacy , by John Warfield Simpson. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1999. Clothbound. 387 pages. $35.00. ISBN 0-520-21364-5.

Beyond the Land Ethic: More Essays in Environmental Philosophy , by J. Baird Callicott. Albany: State University of New York Press. 1999. Paperback. 427 pp. $24.95. ISBN 0-7914-4084-2.

The Morning After Earth Day , by Mary Graham. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press. 1999. Hardcover, 153 pages. ISBN 0-8157-3236-8.

Natural Resource Management and Institutional Change , by Diana Carney and John Farrington. New York: Routledge. 1998. Hardback. 120 pages. $60.00. ISBN 0-415-18604-8.

Green Ink: An Introduction to Environmental Journalism , by Michael Frome. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press. 1998. Paperback. 204 pages. $19.95. ISBN 0-87480-582-1.     

A Design for Teaching a New Land Ethic to Junior High Students

Abstract

Water: Sacred and Profaned , Bayland Productions. Palo Alto, CA: Foundation for Global Community. 1998. 27 minutes. Videotape (closed captioned). $20.00 plus $4.00 shipping and handling. ISBN 0-9638679-9-7.

Interactive Earth: A Global Learning Tool. WorldLink Media. San Francisco: Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley. 1997. CD-ROM with User's Guide. $89.95.

Vital Signs 1998: The Environmental Trends That Are Shaping Our Future , edited by Lester R. Brown, Michael Rentier, and Christopher Flavin. New York: Norton. 1998. Paperback. 204 pages. $12.00. ISBN 0-393-31762-5.

The Coming Age of Scarcity: Preventing Mass Death and Genocide in the Twenty-first Century , edited by Michael N. Dobkowski and Isidor Wallimann. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. 1998. Paperback. $34.95. ISBN 0-8516-2744-0.

Exploring Ecology and Its Applications: Readings From American Scientist, edited by Peter Kareiva. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates. 1998. Paperback. $24.95. ISBN 0-87893-414-6.

Refraining Deforestation: Global Analysis and Local Realities: Studies in West Africa , by James Fairhead and Melissa Leach. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. 1998. Paperback. 238 pp. $22.99. ISBN 0-415-18591-2.

Greening the Ivory Tower: Improving the Environmental Track Record of Universities, Colleges, and Other Institutions , by Sarah Hammond Creighton. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 1998. Paperback. 337 pp. $25.00. ISBN 0-262-53151-8.     

Book Reviews

Education's Lasting Influence on Values: By Herbert H. Hyman and Charles R. Wright: University of Chicago Press, 1979, 161 pages, index, $12.50. Reviewed by William B. Allen.

Attitudes, Language, and Change: By Anne Gere and Eugene Smith: National Council of Teachers of English, Urbana, Illinois, 1979, $4.75, 108 pages, paperback. Reviewed by Gary M. Godfrey.

Instructional Techniques in Higher Education: By Robert B. Kozma, Lawrence W. Belle, George W. Williams: Educational Technical Publications, Inc. 1978, $15.95. Reviewed by Sharon L. Smith.

The Writing on the Wall: Inside Higher Education in America: By Gail Thain Parker: Simon and Schuster, 1979, $9.95, 208 pp. Reviewed by James Murphy.

American Academics: Then and Now: By Logan Wilson: Oxford University Press, 1979. Reviewed by David W. Felder.     

Campus Subculture and Academic Underachievement

Successful Writing in All Disciplines: Language Connections: Writing and Reading across the Curriculum Edited by Toby Fulwiler and Art YoungUrbana, Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English, 1982, 190 pages, $10.75 paperback. Reviewed by Richard Leahy

A Quiet Revolution: The Adult Learner on Campus By Jerold W. AppsChicago: Follet Publishing Company, 1981, 264 pages, index, $17.95. Reviewed by Gary W. Peterson     

Learning outdoors or with a computer: the contribution of the learning setting to learning and to environmental perceptions

ABSTRACT

Background: Outdoor learning and computer-based learning are two different alternatives to in-class conventional teacher-centered learning.

Purpose: This study compares the outdoor learning setting with computer-based learning in class. It examines the influence of the two different learning settings on academic achievements, the learning experience, and pro-environmental perceptions.

Sample: A total of 90 elementary school students (third and fourth-grade classes) participated in the study.

Design and methods: The academic knowledge of the study participants was tested through identical exams for both learning settings. In addition, in each group the students’ perceptions were examined by means of a questionnaire about environmental values and the learning experience.

Results: The study demonstrates that academic achievements in the two settings were similar, but the students expressed more enthusiasm about the outdoor learning experience than about in-class learning. In addition, the outdoor learning setting contributed more to promoting positive environmental perceptions even though students did not learn directly about environmental issues and sustainability.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that learning in the natural environment is valuable: Alongside the fostering of computerized learning, it is also important to promoteoutdoor learning settings and integrate both settings by implementing mobile technologies in the outdoor teaching.     

Sharing the Excitement of Learning

Abstract

Toward a Literate America Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs To Know By E. D. Hirsch, Jr. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1987, xvii + 251 pages, $16.95. Reviewed by Fauneil J. Rinn

Changing the Odds Academic Women, Working towards Equality By Angela Simeone South Hadley, Massachusetts: Bergin &; Garvey, 1987, 161 pages, $27.95 hardbound, $10.95 softbound. Reviewed by Pheme Perkins

Fruitful Background for Reasonable Discussion Orators and Philosophers: A History of the Idea of Liberal Education By Bruce Kimball New York: Teachers College/Columbia University, 1986, xix + 293 pages, $19.95. Reviewed by Geoffrey Comber     

The Problem of the Inarticulate

Abstract

A Few Good Apples An Apple for My Teacher: Twelve Authors Tell About Teachers Who Made the Difference Edited by Louis D. Rubin, Jr. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 1987, xiv + 186 pages, $10.95 Reviewed by Roy Starling

Abrasive but Hopeful: The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today's Students By Allan Bloom New York: Simon and Schuster, 1987, 392 pages, $18.95 Reviewed by Robert L. Spaeth     

The Teaching Principal is a Supervising Principal

Educational Wastelands (second edition) by Arthur Bestor. Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Press, 1985, 292 pp.

In the Company of Educated Women: A History of Women and Higher Education in America by Barbara Miller Solomon. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1985, 298 pp. hardcover

Curriculum and Aims by Decker F. Walker and Jonas F. Soltis. New York: Teachers College Press, 1986, 716 pp., softcover.

The Duke Longitudinal Studies of Normal Aging 1955-1980 by Ewald W. Busse and George L Maddox. New York: Springer Publishing Co., 1985, 168 pp.,     

Resources In Review

Abstract

Essential Readings in Environmental Education , edited by Harold R. Hungerford, William J. Bluhm, Trudi L. Volk, and John M. Ramsey. Champaign, IL: Stipes. 1998. Paperback. ISBN 0-87563-756-6.

The Industrial Green Game: Implications for Environmental Design and Management , edited by Deanna Richards. Washington, DC: National Academy of Engineering, National Academy Press. 1997. Hardback. 224 pp. $39.95. ISBN 0-309-05294-7.

Stories in the Land: A Place-Based Environmental Education Anthology , with an introductory essay by John Elder. Great Barrington, MA: Orion Society. 1998. Paperback. 127 pp. $8.00. ISBN 0-913098-51-5.

Energies: An Illustrated Guide to the Biosphere and Civilization , by Vaclav Smil. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 1998. Hardcover. 210 pp. $25.00. ISBN 0-262-19410-4.

Human Settlements and Planning for Ecological Sustainability: The Case of Mexico City , by Keith Pezzoli. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 1998. Hardcover. 464 pages. $40.00. ISBN 0-262-16173-7.

Tunnel Visions: Into the Sea of Uncertainty. Ben Lomond , CA: The Video Project, TUN-546-0. 1998. $99.95 institutions, $69.95 individuals; $5.95 shipping and handling. Available as one video of 57 minutes or two videos of 27 1/2 minutes each.

Biodiversity and Conservation , by Michael J. Jeffries. New York: Routledge. 1997. Paperback. 208 pp. $25.99. ISBN 0-415-14905-3.

The Natural Wealth of Nations: Harnessing the Market for the Environment , by David M. Roodman. New York: W.W. Norton. 1998. Paperback. 304 pp. $13.00. ISBN 0-393-31852-4.

Evaluation: A Systematic Approach , Sixth Edition, by Peter H. Rossi, Howard E. Freeman, and Mark W. Lipsey. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 1999. Hardback. 500 pp. $59.95. ISBN 0-7619-0893-5.     

Teaching Teachers

Abstract

Women Against the Odds The Campus Troublemakers: Academic Women In Protest By Athena Theodore Houston: Cap and Gown Press, 1986 xxiv + 293 pages, $23.95 hardbound, $15.95 softbound. Reviewed by Claire Hirshfield

“Artistry of Discussion Leadership” and Other Skills Teaching and the Case Method By C. Roland Christensen, with Abby J. Hansen Boston: Harvard Business School, 1987, 290 pages, $29.95 Reviewed by Richard Leahy

Valuable Background Reading College: The Undergraduate Experience in America By Ernest L. Boyer, president, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching New York: Harper &; Row, 1987, 328 pages, $19.95 Reviewed by Frederick S. Weaver     

Current Issues in Pastoral Management

REVIEW ARTICLE

The Health-Related Behaviour Questionnaire Service from the Schools Health Education Unit: Some Comments on the Review by Lambourn, reviewed by Davis Regis

REVIEWS

The Effective Teacher, by Cedric Cullingford. London: Cassell, 1995. 205pp. pb ISBN 0 304 33177 5, £13.99, hb ISBN 0 304 33180 5, reviewed by Don Baines

Cooperation in the Multi-Ethnic Classroom: The Impact of Cooperative Group Work on Social Relationships in Middle Schools, by Helen Cowie, Peter Smith, Michael Boulton and Rema Laver. London: David Fulton Publishers, 1994. 214+viiipp. pb ISBN 1 85346 284 5, £14.99, reviewed by Andrew Wright

Areas for Growth, by James Hanratty. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994. 108pp. pb ISBN 0 521 46910 4, £25.95, reviewed by Joy Widdows

Refugee Children in the Classroom, by Jill Rutter. Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham Books, 1994. 288pp. pb ISBN 185856 008 X, £13.95, reviewed by Caroline Lodge     

Recorded Student Interviews in Improving Instruction

Abstract

A Valuable Resource: Key Resources on Teaching, Learning, Curriculum, and Faculty Development By Robert J. Menges and B. Claude Mathis San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1988, 406 pages, index, $35. Reviewed by Ohmer Milton

Accomplished Advocates for Change: Women in Academe: Outsiders in the Sacred Grove By Nadya Aisenberg and Mona Harrington Amherst: The University of Massachusetts Press, 1988, xii + 207 pages. Reviewed by Amy A. Kass

The Power of Scientific Thought: The Cultural Meaning of the Scientific Revolution By Margaret C. Jacob Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1988, xii + 274 pages, $29.95. Reviewed by Robert L. Spaeth     

Resources In Review

Abstract

Toxics Release Inventory Package , by the National Science Teachers Association. Arlington, VA. 1999. Boxed Set. $35.00. ISBN 0-87355-171-0.

Introduction to Environmental Geology , by Edward A. Keller. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 1999. Softcover. 383 pages. $50.00. ISBN 0-02-363290-9.

The National Environmental Policy Act: An Agenda for the Future , by Lynton Keith Caldwell. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 1999. Clothbound. 272 pp. $29.95. ISBN 0-253-33444-6.

The Complete Guide to Environmental Careers in the 21st Century , edited by Kevin Doyle for The Environmental Careers Organization. Washington, DC: Island Press. 1999. Paperback. 280 pages. $17.95. ISBN 1-55963-586-X.

Garbage, Trash, and Refuse: Problems and Issues, an Extended Case Study for the Investigation and Evaluation of Community-Based Solid Waste Issues , by Harold R. Hungerford, William J. Bluhm, and Austin Winther. Champaign, IL: Stipes Publishing Company. 1999. Spiralbound. 183 pages. ISBN 0-87563-880-5.

Threatened and Endangered Animals, an Extended Case Study for the Investigation and Evaluation of Issues Surrounding Threatened and Endangered Animals of the United States, Teachers Edition , by Harold R. Hungerford, David Hagengruber, and William J. Bluhm. Champaign, IL: Stipes Publishing Company. 1999. Spiralbound. 192 pages. ISBN 0-87563-874-0.

The Environment: Principles and Applications , by Chris Park. New York: Routledge. 1997. Paperback. 598 pp. $35.00. ISBN 0-415-12200-7.     

Students' Views of Teaching

Abstract

Much To Do About Writing: Teaching and Assessing Writing By Edward M. White San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1985, 304 pages, $19.95. Reviewed by David Taylor

A Poignant, Colorful Portrait: Refugee Scholars in America: Their Impact and Their Experiences By Lewis A. Coser New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1984, xviii + 351 pages, $25.00. Reviewed by R. W. Franklin     

Discrepancies Among Teachers' Priorities for and Knowledge of Freshwater Topics

Abstract

A Blueprint for Environmental Education , edited by Jane S. Shaw. Bozeman, MT: Political Economy Research Center. 1999. Paperback. ISBN 0-9668243-1-8.

Environmental Education and Biodiversity , edited by Arjen E. J. Wals. Wageningen, The Netherlands: National Reference Centre for Nature Management. 1999. Paperback. ISBN 90-75789-03-3.

The Environmental Impact Statement Process and Environmental Law , by Emmett B. Moore. Columbus, OH: Battelle Press. 2000. Paperback. 162 pages. $19.95. ISBN 1-57477-092-6.

Caring for Plunet Earth, Volume 1: The Great Lakes, CD-ROM , Grand Rapids, MI: Center for Environmental Study. 1998. $39.00. Formatted for Macintosh, Windows 95, and Windows 3.1

Edgar Beaver's Destiny: An Environmental Fable , by Joseph Petulla. Available through Xlibris Corporation (www.Xlibris.com). 2000. Paperback. 124 pages. $16.00. ISBN 0-7388-2471-2.

A Plague of Frogs: The Horrifying True Story , by William Souder. New York: Hyperion. 2000. Hardback. Illustrated. 299 pages. $23.95. ISBN 0-7868-6360-9.

Environmental Education and Communication for a Sustainable World: Handbook for International Practitioners , edited by Brian A. Day and Martha C. Monroe. Washington, DC: Academy for Educational Development. 2000. Paperback. 138 pages. ISBN 0-89492-108-8.     

Student leadership in small group science inquiry

Background: Science educators have sought to structure collaborative inquiry learning through the assignment of static group roles. This structural approach to student grouping oversimplifies the complexities of peer collaboration and overlooks the highly dynamic nature of group activity.

Purpose: This study addresses this issue of oversimplification of group dynamics by examining the social leadership structures that emerge in small student groups during science inquiry.

Sample: Two small student groups investigating the burning of a candle under a jar participated in this study.

Design and method: We used a mixed-method research approach that combined computational discourse analysis (computational quantification of social aspects of small group discussions) with microethnography (qualitative, in-depth examination of group discussions).

Results: While in one group social leadership was decentralized (i.e., students shared control over topics and tasks), the second group was dominated by a male student (centralized social leadership). Further, decentralized social leadership was found to be paralleled by higher levels of student cognitive engagement.

Conclusions: It is argued that computational discourse analysis can provide science educators with a powerful means of developing pedagogical models of collaborative science learning that take into account the emergent nature of group structures and highly fluid nature of student collaboration.     

Reinforcement and the Scholarly Response

Abstract

Failure is Impossible Women Teaching for Change: Gender, Class and Power By Kathleen Weiler South Hadley, Massachusetts: Bergin &; Garvey, 1988, 174 pages, $29.95 hardbound, $12.95 softbound Reviewed by Martha Kendall

Just the Right Medicine Exhortations on Liberal Education: A Dean Speaks His Mind By Robert L. Spaeth Collegeville, Minnesota: Office of Academic Affairs, St. John's University, 1988, 110 Pages, $4.95 softbound Reviewed by Pheme Perkins

Are Intellectuals as Irrelevant as They Seem? The Last Intellectuals: American Culture In the Age of Academe By Russell Jacoby New York: Basic Books, 1987, 290 pages, $18.95. Reviewed by Joseph A. Amato