Sex differences in learning abilities and disabilities

Boys more often than girls are affected by all the cognitive developmental disorders of childhood. Differences in the etiology of learning disabilities as well as general sex differences in learning styles in boys versus girls may explain the male preponderance in the prevalence of learning disabilities. The effects on learning of hormonal sex differences, maturation rate differences, and differences in frequency of perinatal brain injury will be discussed.     

Women scholars: Closing the publication gap

As more females receive advanced degrees in business and enter the field of teaching in higher education, the role of females as publishers in scholarly journals will increase. Data collected from 27 business-oriented journals covering a 23-year time period support this premise. The purpose of this article is to present that data in order to show the changing role of women in publishing and to highlight some of the similarities and differences between female and male authors.     

Informal learning: Student achievement and motivation in science through museum-based learning

This study examined changes in student motivation and achievement in science during a visit to a university children’s science museum. The study was based on the pretest–posttest control comparison group design with four treatment groups: control, exhibit, lesson and exhibit/lesson. The sample consisted of 228 sixth-grade students from a Louisiana public school who were randomly assigned to one of the four experimental groups. Pretest, posttest and delayed posttest measures of intrinsic motivation and achievement in science were obtained using the Children’s Academic Intrinsic Motivation Inventory and an achievement test written to measure areas of science incorporated in the museum exhibits. The data were analysed using a one-way ANOVA, dependent t tests and Pearson r. Significant differences were found within groups for (1) the lesson group in motivation and (2) the exhibit group in achievement from pretest to posttest and from posttest to delayed posttest. A significant relationship between level of motivation and science achievement was revealed for the exhibit group on the delayed posttest. There were no other significant findings to support that the treatment led to any long-term effects on motivation or achievement within any of the four experimental groups.     

When learning from animations is more successful than learning from static pictures: learning the specifics of change

The results of three meta-analyses show that the effectiveness of learning from animations, when compared to learning from static pictures, is rather limited. A recent re-analysis of one of these meta-analyses, however, supports that learning from animations is considerably more effective than learning from static pictures if the specifics of the displayed changes need to be learned. In order to further validate this finding as well as to clarify the educational strengths and weaknesses of animations and static pictures, an experimental study with three groups was conducted. Overall, 88 university students participated in the study. One group of learners (n?=?30) watched a single picture of a gear mechanism, one group of learners (n?=?28) watched four pictures, and one group of learners (n?=?30) watched an animation. All groups had to identify specific motions and spatial arrangements covered by the gear mechanism. While learners who watched the animation exhibited the best performance with respect to the identification of motions, learners who watched the pictures showed the best performance with respect to the identification of spatial arrangements. The effect sizes are large. The results of the study help to clarify when animations and when static pictures are most suitable for learning.

     

Adaptive web-based learning: accommodating individual differences through system's adaptation

The idea of developing educational hypermedia systems for the Web is very challenging, and demands the synergy of computer science and instructional science. The paper builds on theories from instructional design and learning styles to develop a design rational and guidelines for adaptive web‐based learning systems that use individual differences as a basis of system's adaptation. Various examples are provided to illustrate how instructional manipulations with regards to content adaptation and presentation, and adaptive navigation support, as well as the overall degree of system adaptation, are guided by educational experiences geared towards individual differences.     

Engaging students in learning science through promoting creative reasoning

ABSTRACT

Student engagement in learning science is both a desirable goal and a long-standing teacher challenge. Moving beyond engagement understood as transient topic interest, we argue that cognitive engagement entails sustained interaction in the processes of how knowledge claims are generated, judged, and shared in this subject. In this paper, we particularly focus on the initial claim-building aspect of this reasoning as a crucial phase in student engagement. In reviewing the literature on student reasoning and argumentation, we note that the well-established frameworks for claim-judging are not matched by accounts of creative reasoning in claim-building. We develop an exploratory framework to characterise and enact this reasoning to enhance engagement. We then apply this framework to interpret two lessons by two science teachers where they aimed to develop students’ reasoning capabilities to support learning.     

Sex differences in attitudes toward science among Northern Sotho speaking learners in South Africa

Abstract

Research shows that although most studies have explored the relationship between attitude and achievement in science only a few have been undertaken to reveal the nature of the relationship between affective variables and process outcomes in science. This study seeks to examine sex differences in attitude toward science among Northern Sotho speaking learners in South Africa. A random sample of 793 respondents (365 boys and 428 girls) in Grade 12 whose ages ranged from 17 to 24 years was selected from 27 schools out of 566 schools in Limpopo Province of South Africa. A questionnaire was administered to pupils during the Physical Science lessons and required almost 45 minutes to complete. The attitude scores of 365 boys and 428 girls were 3.2 (SD = 1.2) and 2.9 (SD = 1.3), respectively. A t-test indicated that the attitude score of boys was significantly higher than that of the girls (t 989 = 3.9, p<.01). Further, the correlation between sex and attitude towards science was .90 (p<.01). The coefficient of concomitance of .81 indicates that sex was associated with 81% of the variance in these attitudes. There is considerable evidence from the findings that males have more positive attitudes towards science than females.     

Sex and grade differences and learning rate in an intensive summer reading clinic

In a long-term study of student progress in the Loyola University of the South Summer Reading Clinic, patterns of variance for sex and grade level were examined. Three assessment tools were used: the Nelson Reading Test (Vocabulary and Paragraph Comprehension) for grades four through eight, the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test (Vocabulary and Comprehension) for grades one through three, and the Spache Diagnostic Reading Scales (Instructional [oral] and Independent [silent] subtests) for all students. Subjects were 684 public and private school students in grades one through eight referred to the Clinic over an eight-year period. All were referred for possible reading disabilities. Because reading disabled males outnumber reading disabled females in the general population, the Clinic's data were examined to elucidate the comparative success rates of boys and girls in an intensive reading clinic setting. Grade differences also were examined to find significant differences in rate of learning among different grades. Females outscored males significantly on all measures. Both a difference in performance among grades and a difference in rate of learning among grades were shown.     

Interactive learning through web-mediated peer review of student science reports

Two studies analyzed impacts of writing and receiving web-mediated peer reviews on revision of research reports by undergraduate science students. After conducting toxicology experiments, 77 students posted draft reports and exchanged double-blind reviews. The first study randomly assigned students to four groups representing full, partial, or no peer review. Students engaging in any aspect of peer review made more revisions than students confined to reviewing their own reports. In the second study, all students engaged in peer review, and the influence of writing versus receiving critiques was analyzed using linear regression. Both studies showed receiving reviews to be more significant than writing them in terms of triggering report revisions. Students valued the peer review experience and credited it with giving them insights about their work. Conclusions address implications for optimal design of online peer review systems and for further research into student learning gains.

Sex differences in history ability

Education as the Psychologist Sees It. By W. B. Pillsbury (University of Michigan). New York: The Macmillan Co., 1925. Pp. ix + 342.

New Practical English for High Schools. By W. D. Lewis and J. F. Hosic. American Book Co., 1925. Pp. 448.

Experiments and Exercises in Educational Psychology. By Harvey A. Peterson (Illinois State Normal University). Bloomington, Ill.: Public School Publishing Co., 1925. Pp. 256.

Century Readings in Ancient Classical and Medieval and Modern European Literature. Edited by John W. Cunliffe and Grant Showerman. New York: Century Co., 1925. Part I: Pp. xx + 614. Part II: vi + 543. Price, two vols, in one, $5 ; each, separately bound, $3.50.

Psychology: A Study of Mental Activity. By Harvey A. Cars (University of Chicago). New York: Longmans, Green &; Co., 1925. Pp. v + 432.

Prose and Poetry of the Revolution. Edited by Frederick C. Prescott and John H. Nelson. New York: T. Y. Crowell Co., 1925. Pp. xxiv + 266. Price, $1.50 net.

Training in Literary Appreciation. By F. H. Pritchard. New York: T. Y. Crowell Co., 1924. Pp. x + 237.

The Hale Literary Readers (Books One, Two, and Three). By Edward Everett Hale (Union College). Yonkers: Word Book Co., 1925. Pp., Book One, ix + 244; Book Two, xi + 243; Book Three, xii + 244. Price, 60 cents each.

Civic Sociology. By Edward Alsworth Eoss (University of Wisconsin). Yonkers: World Book Co., 1925. Pp. viii + 365. Price, $1.80.

Child‐Library Readers. Book Two—By W. H. Elson and Lura E. Runkel. Pp. 240. Price, $0.68. Book Eight—By W. H. Elson and Mary H. Burris. Pp. 560. Chicago: Scott, Foresman &; Co., 1925.

How to Know Textiles. By Cassie Paine Small (University of Washington). Boston: Ginn &; Co., 1925. Pp. xxiii + 374. Price, $1.56.

Memory Selections. By Edward W. Stitt (Associate Superintendent of Schools, New York City). New York: Hinds, Hayden &; Eldredge, 1925. Pp. xvi + 295. Price, $1.60.

The Jones Spelling Book. By W. Franklin Jones. Chicago: Hall &; McCreary Co., 1925. Pp. xxiv + 227.

Business Letter Writing. By Roy Davis (Boston University) and Clarence H. Lingham. Boston: Ginn &; Co., 1925. Pp. v + 317. Price, $1.40.

Teaching English in High Schools. By Russell A. Sharp. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1924. (Riverside Educational Monographs.) Pp. 175. Price, $1.20. Sensible; wholesome in attitude; conservative, yet modern; full of good suggestions. The author has read and thought much about teaching English. Perhaps too inclusive for its size.

Summary of Investigations Relating to Reading. By William Scott Gray. Chicago: The University of Chicago, 1925. (Supplementary Educational Monographs.) Pp. viii + 276. Price, $2. Paper‐bound.

Summary of Educational Investigations Relating to Arithmetic. By Guy Thomas Buswell and Charles Hubbard Judd. Chicago: The University of Chicago, 1925. (Supplementary Educational Monographs.) Pp. viii + 212. Price, $1.50. Paper‐bound.

Educational Cross‐Word Puzzle Book. By Robert K. Speer (Teachers College) and J. Ralph McGaughy (Teachers College). Yonkers: World Book Co., 1925. Pp. 53. Price, $0.52. Paper‐bound.

College English Grammar. By George 0. Curme (Northwestern University). Richmond, Va.: Johnson Publishing Co., 1925. Pp. xxii + 414.

Paper Cutting. By Annye Allison (Public Schools, Richmond, Va.). Milwaukee: Bruce Publishing Co., 1924. Pp. 159. Price, $2.25.

Applied English Grammar. By D. S. Burleson (East Tennessee State Normal School). Boston: Allyn &; Bacon, 1925. Pp. xii + 381.

Stories About Bears. By Lilian Gask. New York: T. Y. Crowell Co., 1925. Pp. 167. Price, $1.50 net.

Learning to Typewrite, with a Discussion of the Psychology and Pedagogy of Skill. By William F. Book (Indiana University). New York: The Gregg Publishing Co., 1925. Pp. xix + 463. Price, $2.80.

The Boys' Book of Pirates. By Henry Gilbert. New York: T. Y. Crowell Co. Pp. 319. Price, $2.75 net.

Treasure Island. By Robert Louis Stevenson. Illustrated by Stephen Reid. New York: T. Y. Crowell Co., 1925. Pp. 318. Price, $1.50 net.

Famous American Statesmen. By Sarah K. Bolton. New York: T. Y. Crowell Co., 1925. Pp. 381. Price, $2 net.

The Psychology of Skill. By William F. Book (Indiana University). New York: The Gregg Publishing Co., 1925. Pp. ix + 257. Price, $2.

The Book of Plants. By Bertha Morris Parker (University of Chicago) and Henry Chandler Cowles (University of Chicago). Cambridge: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1925. Pp. vi + 252. Price, $0.88.

The Poems of Robert Louis Stevenson. Introduction by William P. Trent. New York: T. Y. Crowell Co., 1925. Pp. xxiv + 358. Price, $1.75 net.

The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope. Edited by A. W. Ward. New York: T. Y. Crowell Co., 1925. Pp. lii + 569. Price, $1.75 net.

Elementary Psychology. By Arthur I. Gates (Teachers College). New York: The Macmillan Co., 1925. Pp. xv + 594.

Physiological Chemistry. By C. J. V. Pettibone (University of Minnesota). St. Louis: C. V. Mosby Co., 1923. Pp. 376.

What Evolution Is. By George Howard Parker (Harvard University). Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1925. Pp. vii + 173. Price, $1.50.

Common Science. By Carleton W. Washburne. Yonkers: World Book Co., 1925. Pp. xv + 390.

How to Teach General Science. By J. O. Frank. Oshkosh, Wis.: The Author, 1925. Pp. xvi + 194. Price, $2.

Workaday Arithmetic. By Margaret M. Campbell. New York: The Century Co., 1924. Pp. xxv + 179.

Teaching Agriculture. By James B. Berry (Vocational Supervisor, Pennsylvania). Yonkers: World Book Co., 1924. Pp. xiv + 230. Price, $2.

Modern Algebras‐Ninth School Year. By Raleigh Schobung (University of Michigan) and John R. Clark (Teachers College). Yonkers: World Book Co., 1924. Pp. xiii + 382.

The Teaching of Science and the Science Teacher. By Hebert Brownell (University of Nebraska) and Frank B. Wade (Shortridge High School, Indianapolis). New York: The Century Co. Pp. xi + 322. Price, $2.

A Treasury of Verse for Little Children. Selected by M. G. Edgar. Color frontispiece and sixteen drawings by Willy Pogany. New York: T. Y. Crowell Co. Pp. 152. Price, $1.50 net.

Folk Tales from Many Lands. Retold by Lilian Gask. Illustrated by Willy Pogany. New York: T. Y. Crowell Co., Pp. 301. Price, $2.50 net.

Plant and Animal Improvement. By Elmer Roberts (University of Illinois) and Eugene Davenport (University of Illinois). Boston: Ginn &; Co., 1925. Pp. xii + 174. Price, $1.32.

The Teaching of Elementary Algebra. By Paul Ligda (McClymonds High School, Oakland). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1925. Pp. xvii + 256. Price, $1.90.     

The science literacy gap: A Karplus lecture

The great American experiment in mass higher education has failed completely in the sciences, where we have a small educated elite and an illiterate general public. Our graduate education in science is the best in the world, and contrary to the belief of some, we do not face a future shortage of scientists. However, the rest of our educational system is bad enough to constitute a threat to the ideal of Jeffersonian democracy. The Mechanical Universe, a video series produced by Caltech and aimed at high school physics teachers, is described. Although that project has been very successful, much more must be done. The educational infrastructure must be strengthened to the point where science can be taught gradually, throughout the school years and beyond. Furthermore, those of us who are professional teachers of science must become better teachers, both by increasing our own mastery of our subjects and by better understanding the difficulties our students have in learning science.Robert Karplus Memorial Lecture, Seattle, April 8, 1989