The Effect of Flemish Eco‐Schools on Student Environmental Knowledge,Attitudes, and Affect

Eco‐schools aim to improve the environment through direct and indirect effects. Direct effects are those that result from the implementation of an environmental management system. Indirect effects are educational gains. The current study examines the effectiveness of eco‐schools concerning three student outcomes: (1) environmental knowledge, (2) environmental attitudes, and (3) environmental affect. The study includes 1287, 10–12‐year‐olds from 59 schools (38 eco‐schools and 21 control schools). Multivariate multilevel regression analyses show that eco‐schools mainly influence their students' environmental knowledge; they do not influence environmental affect. Eco‐school students, furthermore, have equal preservation attitudes and lower utilization attitudes, as compared to control‐school students. The implications of these results for research and practice are discussed.     

The Relation between Junior High-School Students’ Problems and Parental Attitudes toward Child Rearing and Family Life

Abstract

This study investigated selected factors relevant to the frequently stated justification for the use of the pass-fail grading at the undergraduate level. Three samples of seventy-five students each were used to investigate the relation between overall, within major, and outside major GPA’s. The outside major GFA was significantly below the overall and within major GPA’s. Stratified random samples of students from four overall GPA ranges were selected from students who had elected a pass-fail course. For each GPA strata, the actual grades earned in pass-fail courses, for within and outside the major, were significantly lower than the previously earned GPA’s.     

The “All-But-the-Dissertation” Student and the Psychology of the Doctoral Dissertation

Completion of the dissertation is an important milestone and often a major obstacle for PhD candidates, some of whom become and remain all-but-the-dissertation students. All-but-the-dissertation students usually disappoint both themselves and their departments. Thus it is important to understand the psychology of the dissertation. A review of doctoral dissertations on the topic of dissertation completion is followed by a discussion of developmental conflicts that frequently influence dissertation difficulties and then a presentation of the dynamic psychotherapy of a patient struggling to complete a dissertation. Problems in both external reality and internal fantasy are noted. The importance of understanding specific developmental conflicts and individual dynamics in treatment of this population is emphasized.     

The Effect of“Metacognitive Strategy”on the Use of“Advance Organizer”

“Advance organizer”is a practical teaching strategy proposed by American modern educational psychologist Ausubel in 1960. This research considers learners’use of metacognitive strategy in the teachin...     

The Effect of “Metacognitive Strategy” on the Use of “Advance Organizer”

"Advance organizer"is a practical teaching strategy proposed by American modern educational psychologist Ausubel in 1960.This research considers learners’use of metacognitive strategy in the teaching activities of"advance organizer",trying to explore the effects of metacognitive strategy in the"advance organizer"teaching practices and testing whether"advance organizer"can effectively help students understand and retain reading materials.Further researches should be focused on how to conduct learners’"metacognitive strategy"training and employ learners’metacognitive strategies into"advance organizer"teaching activities.     

The development of the Teachers’ Attitudes toward Career Learning Index (TACLI)

Teachers play an important role supporting young people to form their career identities and to make successful transitions into further learning and work. In England, there has been limited research that has looked specifically at the role of teachers and none of which has tried to establish a measure of teacher attitude toward careers work. This article details the development of the Teachers’ Attitudes toward Career Learning Index, which was created to measure attitudes and engagement in career learning on teachers in England. The instrument went through a survey design process which included content validity and construct validity components. The process identified five underlying factors in teachers’ attitude and engagement in careers work: (1) career learning and support practices, (2) school career strategy attitudes, (3) subject career learning attitudes, (4) career support attitudes, and (5) school career strategy practices. This process helped refined initial theoretical constructs regarding teachers’ roles in careers learning.     

The Cultural Practice of“Instant Messaging”and Its Effect on Language

By tracing the history of instant messaging(IM),comparing the language used in English IM to historical English,and reviewing the current state of syntax and vocabulary used in IM,some predictions for the future of language can be made.     

The Effect of Teacher Attitudes on Children’s Responses to Defective Articulation

Abstract

A group of 040 first-grade children reacted to four criterion attitude" "elected to reflect different way" teacher" may respond verbally toward a child with defective speech. They answered four questions indicating their acceptability of him. The purpose of the Investigation was to study the effect of the teacher attitudes on the children's responses. Results Indicate a significant relationship" and support the assumption that the social acceptability of speech-defective school children Is related to teacher attitudes. These children are chosen more often by their peers when the basis for selection Is friendship rather than speaking ability.     

The Effect of Listening to Excerpts from Children’s Stories about Mexican-Americans on the Attitudes of Sixth Graders

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of listening to excerpts from children's stories about Mexican-Americans upon 1) attitudes toward Mexican-Americans, 2) self-concepts, and 3) reading interests. The sample consisted of 220 sixth graders who were classified by sex and ethnicity and randomly divided into experimental and control groups. Once weekly for six weeks, children heard story excerpts and responded to the Interest Questionnaire. After six weeks, children were given an ethnic attitude measure and a selfesteem inventory. ANOVA results revealed that treatment promoted positive ethnic attitudes inconsistently and had no significant effect upon self-concept or interest scores.     

The Heterogeneous Non-resident Student Body: Measuring the Effect of Out-Of-State Students’ Home-State Wealth on Tuition and Fee Price Variations

More than 40 years of research has found a positive relationship between increases in the proportion of non-resident students enrolling in an institution and increases in the tuition prices this institution charges to these same students. Notably, this line of research has consistently treated this non-resident student body as if they constitute a homogeneous group in terms of their socioeconomic well-being, when in reality these students come from states with differing levels of socioeconomic prosperity. Notably, given that tuition and fee charges to non-resident students are market-based, institutions charge what out-of-state students are willing to pay. Under this rationale, it follows that the wealthier the student body of an institution is, the more institutions will be able to charge them in terms of tuition and fees for their education. The purpose of this study is twofold. First, it offers a method to measure the level of wealth of the non-resident student body enrolling at an institution considering the level of wealth of these students’ home states, therefore creating a measure of heterogeneity of the non-resident student body. The second purpose is to evaluate whether this measure of heterogeneity is associated with larger increases in the net tuition and fee prices charged to these students compared to the increases related to the homogeneous structure that ignores these students’ home-state wealth. This twofold purpose was addressed utilizing a dataset built from regional, state, and institutional information of 1743 public and private not-for-profit 4-year institutions across the contiguous United States. Since all the outcome variables were found to be spatially dependent, spatial econometrics techniques were employed for model estimation. Results corroborated that treating non-resident students as a homogeneous structure rendered downwardly biased estimates of institutions’ abilities and/or decisions to set higher or lower tuition and fee prices compared to the estimates obtained using the heterogeneous structure. Considering current general disinvestment of states in higher education, the analysis of factors driving non-resident tuition and fee price-setting has become especially relevant for public policy officials and decision-makers at both the institution- and state-levels. Accordingly, this study examines a critical issue in the finance of higher education—the setting of institutional tuition and fees for non-resident students.     

The Influence of Student Characteristics and the Community College on Bachelor’s Degree Attainment

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in baccalaureate degree attainment among transfer students with associate’s degrees, transfer students without associate’s degrees, and university-native students. The study also investigated if demographic characteristics or academic preparation characteristics (i.e., transfer cumulative grade point average [GPA], transfer hours earned, cumulative overall grade point average, and cumulative credit hours earned) predicted graduation rates. Participants included transfer students from all community colleges and native students from one university in one southeastern state. The study utilized a causal-comparative research design. The chi-square test of independence was used to determine if differences in graduation rates existed, and logistic regression was used to determine if demographic characteristics and academic preparation predicted graduation rates. Community college students graduated at higher rates than native students. The academic preparation variables made a significant contribution in the prediction of graduation, with the strongest predictor being the cumulative overall GPA.     

The Effect of “Living Values: An Educational Program” on Behaviors and Attitudes of Elementary Students in a Private School in Lebanon

The study examines the effect of the “Living Values Educational Program” (LVEP) on certain behaviors and attitudes related to personal intelligences (Intrapersonal & Interpersonal) in elementary school students in a private school in Lebanon. A sample of 76 second and third grade students was randomly selected. A pre-post experimental control group design was used. Students in the treatment group followed lessons from three of the program’s value units, namely: Peace, Respect and Love, in addition to the regular school curriculum for a whole school year, while the control group continued with the school’s regular curriculum. Both groups were pre tested prior to the implementation of the program and then post tested using the following instruments: Harter’s Perceived Competence Scales, Teachers’ Rating Scale, and the BarOn Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i:YV (S)). Data was analyzed using t-tests and qualitative teacher parent interviews. Significant treatment effects were found on students’ self-perceptions in the Scholastic, Cognitive and Social domains of the Harter Scale, as compared to the control group. Also, significant differences in the Teachers Rating Scale posttest measures, in favor of the treatment group were also found, but not on the EQ-i:YV (S) subscales and total EQ post test mean scores. Results were discussed and explanations were provided with recommendations for future research.     

“The Scientific Method” as Myth and Ideal

“The Scientific Method” as it has been portrayed in popular and introductory contexts has been declared a myth. The variation that one finds in introductory presentations of “The Scientific Method” is explained by the fact that there is no canonical account among historians and philosophers of science. What, in particular, is wrong with “The Scientific Method”? This essay provides a fairly comprehensive survey of shortcomings of “The Scientific Method”. Included are corrections to several misconceptions that often accompany such presentations. Rather than treating “The Scientific Method” as a useful approximation or an ideal, the myth should be discarded. Lessons can be learned for introductory pedagogical contexts from considering the shortcomings of the myth.     

The Swiss “Tina Fey Effect”: The Content of Late-Night Political Humor and the Negative Effects of Political Parody on the Evaluation of Politicians

This article investigates the content and effects of political humor on late-night television. Besides conducting a systematic content analysis of a Swiss late-night show, this article examines the effects of late-night political parody on competence evaluations of politicians. An experiment manipulated the televised parody of a politician and measured political knowledge. Results show that exposure to a televised political parody decreased competence ratings of politicians only for individuals high in political knowledge. The reason is that viewers must already have an understanding of current political affairs to “get the joke”—that is, the implicit message transported by the parody. The implications of such a negative “Tina Fey Effect” are discussed.     

The Nature of the Gift: Accountability and the Professor‐Student Relationship

In this paper I introduce the theory of gift giving as a possible means to reconcile the contradictions inherent in accountability measures of ‘faculty productivity’ in the American university. In this paper I sketch the theory of gift economies to show how, given the historical ideals that characterize the faculty‐student relationship, a theory of gift giving could help us better judge the labor of the faculty. I suggest that it is the relational character of teaching that frustrates accountability measures and that perhaps if viewed as a gift economy—and in particular an economy with ‘reproductive’ ends—we could better grasp the effectiveness of these relationships.     

The Champion and The Victim of The “Wild lndulgences” of Life and Nature——Jack London and His Novels′ Creation

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The Effects of Computer‐assisted Systematic Observation on the Attitudes and Efficiencies of Pre‐service Teachers

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of computer‐assistance during systematic observation on the attitudes of pre‐service teachers towards systematic observation and on the time required to analyze the data gathered. During their field experience, pre‐service teachers were randomly assigned to conduct systematic observation in a computer‐assisted group or traditional ‘pencil and paper’ group. Results indicated that pre‐service teachers who used computer‐assisted systematic observation required significantly (alpha – 0.01) less time to perform quantitative analysis. The data also revealed several significant differences in attitudes between the pre‐service teachers who used computers and those who used the traditional ‘pencil and paper’ methods of systematic observation.