Comparison of the reliability and validity of scores from two concept‐mapping techniques*

This paper reports the results of a study that compared two concept‐mapping techniques, one high‐directed, “fill‐in‐the‐map,” and one low‐directed, “construct‐a‐map‐from‐scratch.” We examined whether: (1) skeleton map scores were sensitive to the sample of nodes or linking lines to be filled in; (2) the two types of skeleton maps were equivalent; and (3) the two mapping techniques provided similar information about students' connected understanding. Results indicated that fill‐in‐the‐map scores were not sensitive to the sample of concepts or linking lines to be filled in. Nevertheless, the fill‐in‐the‐nodes and fill‐in‐the‐lines techniques were not equivalent forms of fill‐in‐the‐map. Finally, high‐directed and low‐directed maps led to different interpretations about students' knowledge structure. Whereas scores obtained under the high‐directed technique indicated that students' performance was close to the maximum possible, the scores obtained with the low‐directed technique revealed that students' knowledge was incomplete compared to a criterion map. We concluded that the construct‐a‐map technique better reflected differences among students' knowledge structure. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 38: 260–278, 2001     

The Difference Differentiation Makes: Extending Eisner's Account

In this analysis Jane Blanken‐Webb extends Elliot Eisner's account of how learning in the arts contributes to the creation of mind. Drawing on the psychoanalytic theory of D. W. Winnicott, Blanken‐Webb argues that the acts of meaning making to which Eisner attends rely on a prior developmental achievement — namely, the establishment of self‐in‐relation‐to‐world. This prior development is important to recognize in order to appreciate all that is at stake and at play within acts of meaning making. To demonstrate this, Blanken‐Webb points to reverberations of an earlier process of psychological differentiation embedded within such acts that are crucial for aesthetic experience and that carry on a continual process of refinement of self‐in‐relation‐to‐world. While Eisner has a great deal to offer regarding the importance of providing students access to multiple forms of representation, this perspective adds that in doing so we are expanding on a foundation of self‐in‐relation‐to‐world, thus facilitating an educational unfolding that is much deeper than we typically recognize.     

Documenting reflection‐in‐action in the classroom: searching for appropriate methods

Schon's [1983] account of “reflection‐in‐action” as a process of “refraining” experience as it proceeds has attracted considerable interest among teacher educators. But that interest has been accompanied by a great deal of confusion, perhaps because “reflection” is such a broad term with familiar meanings. Schon distinguishes the more familiar reflection‐on‐action from reflection‐in‐action that he sees occurring spontaneously within action.

A challenge facing those who stress reflection as a central feature of professional education for teaching involves finding ways to recognize and record the process of reflection‐in‐action in classrooms. This paper promotes discussion of what it means to analyze teaching from the perspective of reflection‐in‐action. After outlining some problems associated with recognizing reflection‐in‐action, data are considered from studies of metaphors and personal accounts of learning to teach. One teacher illustrates the potential of inferring reflection‐in‐action from accounts of changes in teaching practices. Parallel documentation of observations of teaching and interviews about that teaching emerge as a promising approach to the documentation of reflection‐in‐action in classrooms.     

The immediate and longer‐term effectiveness of a speech‐rhythm‐based reading intervention for beginning readers

Despite empirical evidence of a relationship between sensitivity to speech rhythm and reading, there have been few studies that have examined the impact of rhythmic training on reading attainment, and no intervention study has focused on speech rhythm sensitivity specifically to enhance reading skills. Seventy‐three typically developing 4‐ to 5‐year‐old children were randomly allocated to one of three treatment groups and received a speech‐rhythm‐based intervention, a phonological‐awareness‐based intervention, or a control intervention over 10 weeks. All children completed pre‐test, post‐test and delayed post‐test measures of speech rhythm sensitivity, single‐word reading, phonological awareness and vocabulary. The results show that it is possible to train speech rhythm sensitivity in this age group and that children who undertook the speech rhythm intervention showed a significant improvement in their word reading performance compared to children in the control group. Group differences were maintained 3 months later.     

The role of stress processing abilities in the development of bilingual reading

French and Dutch differ regarding the manifestations and lexical functions of the stress pattern of words. The present study examined group differences in stress processing abilities between French‐native and Dutch‐native listeners, thus extending previous cross‐linguistic comparisons involving Spanish‐native and French‐native adults. The results show that Dutch‐native first‐graders significantly outperformed French monolinguals, and that French‐native listeners schooled in Dutch produced intermediary performances, suggesting that stress‐processing abilities are a learnable set of skills. The present study also examined the contribution of stress processing abilities to reading development in Dutch, a stress‐based language, compared to that in French, a syllable‐based language. Although the expected correlation between stress processing abilities and reading was not observed in the Dutch monolinguals, such correlation was observed in the French‐native bilinguals schooled in Dutch and not in the Dutch‐native bilinguals schooled in French. This suggests that stress processing abilities influence reading development in a second, stress‐based, language. Moreover, the monolinguals and bilinguals schooled in Dutch showed significant associations between lexical development and stress processing abilities. Ways in which prosody might be involved in lexical and reading development are explored and discussed.     

Design‐based science and real‐world problem‐solving

Design‐based science (DBS) is a science pedagogy in which new scientific knowledge and problem‐solving skills are constructed in the context of designing artifacts. This paper examines whether the enactment of a DBS unit supported students’ efforts to construct and transfer new science knowledge and ‘designerly’ problem‐solving skills to the solution of a new real‐world design problem in a real‐world setting. One hundred and forty‐nine students participated in the enactment of a DBS unit. Their understanding of the curricular content was assessed by identical pre‐instructional and post‐instructional written tests. They were then given a new design problem as a transfer task. There was a statistically significant increase on scores from pre‐test to post‐test with an effect size of 1.8. There was a stronger correlation between the scores of the transfer task and those of the post‐test than with those of the pre‐test; we use this finding to suggest that the knowledge that was constructed during the unit enactment supported the solution of the transfer task. This has implications for the development of science curricula that aim to lead to the construction of knowledge and skills that may be useful in extra‐classroom settings. Whether participation in consecutive enactments of different DBS units increases transfer remains to be investigated in more depth.     

Effects of reading skill and CaSe MiXiNg on nonword reading in German

Many low‐skill readers have problems with visual word recognition. In particular, low‐skill readers show a substantial nonword reading deficit that is attributed to deficits in sub‐lexical processing. In this study, I examined whether the nonword deficits of German 14‐year‐old low‐skill readers were associated with inefficient use of multi‐letter information. In a lexical‐decision experiment, words and nonwords were presented in standard format and in MiXeD cAsE format which has been shown to be especially disrupting for sub‐lexical processing. When the stimuli were presented in standard format, low‐skill readers showed a substantial nonword reading deficit, that is they were generally slower than high‐skill readers, but had special problems with decoding nonwords. However, when stimuli were presented in MiXeD cAsE, low‐ and high‐skill readers showed equal impairments in nonword processing. This finding indicates that low‐skill readers do not use context‐sensitive multi‐letter rules during phonological assembly in normal reading.     

E‐mentoring for social equity: review of research to inform program development

The advent of user‐friendly email programs and web browsers created possibilities for widespread use of e‐mentoring programs. In this review of the research, we presented the history of e‐mentoring programs and defined e‐mentoring and structured e‐mentoring programs, focusing on large‐scale e‐mentoring programs that addressed issues of social equity and educational advancement. The literature reviewed spanned from the mid‐1990s to the present and included journal articles, reports, and book chapters on implemented e‐mentoring programs. The literature indicates that e‐mentoring is not a panacea, neither is it an inexpensive alternative to face‐to‐face mentoring. E‐mentoring is an alternative mode that facilitates the expansion of mentoring opportunities. The research we reviewed supported that the benefits associated with e‐mentoring mirrored the benefits associated with mentoring: informational, psychosocial, and instrumental. In addition, research supports two additional benefits of e‐mentoring: the value of impartiality and inter‐organizational connections, which were facilitated by the use of electronic communications. Research conducted on the programmatic features associated with e‐mentoring programs identified training, coaching, and group e‐mentoring as features that enhanced participant involvement. Our goal in providing a review of the research at this stage in the development of e‐mentoring was to facilitate increased understanding of the current research to enhance future research and programs and to advance e‐mentoring as a field.     

Functional Assessment to Predict Capacity for Work in a Population of School‐leavers with Disabilities

This study reports on an assessment system for school‐leavers with disabilities to identify their capacity for work and the type of transition‐to‐work programme best suited to each person. Participants were 1,556 high school students in four cohorts who left school between 1999 and 2002. Each school‐leaver was assessed by rehabilitation counsellors for functional ability and capacity for work. In a supplementary study, the 2002 cohort was assessed by special transition teachers using a short screening tool. The results demonstrate that there is a predictable hierarchy of functional acquisition among school‐leavers with disabilities and that the single best predictor of future capacity for work and need for transition‐to‐work programmes among this group of young people is the capacity to manage activities of daily living. The results also demonstrate that a short screen used by teachers, together with a behavioural assessment, is sufficient to stream school‐leavers with a disability into a range of transition‐to‐work programmes.     

Get real: making problematic the pathway into the teaching profession

Learning to be a teacher is a complex and very personal matter that involves transformation from student teacher (pre‐service teacher) to teacher. The pathway to being a teacher is scattered with what appears to be competing tensions in various realities. This paper explores those tensions and realities through the context of two final year integrated field‐ and campus‐based subjects that all pre‐service teachers undertake as they complete their four‐year teacher education journey into the primary (ages 5‐ to 12‐years‐old) teaching profession. We then propose a framework involving a variety of realities that pre‐service teachers face through the recognition and resolution of the tensions these pre‐service teachers experience in the workplace.     

History education in transit: where to for Kazakhstan?

This study examines the post‐socialist transition in the secondary education history programme in Kazakhstan from 1990 to the present. The article examines the influence of policy talk and action upon official educational policy, and how the deployment of a new national narrative is being used to construct a de‐Sovietized‐re‐Kazakhified national identity. Educational objectives in calling for de‐Russification and de‐Sovietization are considered in the light of two other objectives: to de‐politicize and de‐ideologize the curriculum following the break‐up of the Soviet Union. I argue that there are two parallel projects at work that both support a more Kazakhified history curriculum and counter‐balance an ethno‐nationalizing programme by developing the World History programme. This study is based on 10 months of in‐country fieldwork encompassing document review, interviews and classroom observations in Kazakh and Russian medium of instruction schools.     

Sharing personalised stories on iPads: a close look at one parent–child interaction

Little is known about how specific iPad applications affect parent–child story‐sharing interactions. This study utilises a case‐study approach to provide an insight into the patterns of interaction, which emerge when a mother and her 33‐month‐old daughter share a self‐created, audio‐visual ‘iPad story’. Multimodal analysis allowed us to gain insights into the complex interaction patterns orchestrated in this new, personalised story‐sharing medium. We found that the app‐mediated story‐sharing context produced a harmonious and smooth interaction, achieving a coherence that is typical of ‘happy’ oral stories. We suggest that the observed interaction resembles that of experiencing a piece of art, and we highlight the need for a holistic approach to understanding the implications for research and practice of children's interactions during multimedia story sharing.     

The backyard human performance technologist: Applying the development research methodology to develop and validate a new instructional design framework

Development research methodology (DRM) has been recommended as a viable research approach to expand the practice‐to‐theory/theory‐to‐practice literature that human performance technology (HPT) practitioners can integrate into the day‐to‐day work flow they already use to develop instructional products. However, little has been written about how it can be applied in a workplace setting to allow HPT practitioners to consider this research approach for adoption into their own activities. This article provides a real‐world application of the DRM to help close this literature gap. After providing background information to establish the case context, the article presents an overview of how this research approach was applied to an effort to develop and validate a new instructional design framework for potentially training National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronauts for deep space exploration missions. The result of this case indicates that this research methodology provides a viable approach that HPT practitioners can integrate into their current practices to provide a practice‐based research baseline to contribute to the practice‐to‐theory/theory‐to‐practice literature.     

Predicting growth of nonword reading and letter‐sound knowledge following rime‐ and phoneme‐based teaching

The present study sought to extend a recent study by Savage, Carless and Stuart , by looking at the pre‐test phonological skills that predicted improvements in letter‐sound knowledge and nonword reading. Results showed overall that phoneme manipulation predicted improvements in nonword reading and letter‐sound knowledge even when pre‐test scores on the respective dependent variables were controlled. Pre‐test letter‐sound knowledge was an independent predictor of nonsense word reading. Overall, onset‐rime manipulation did not add to the prediction of outcome. Onset‐rime manipulation predicted decoding improvements in a subgroup where children were exposed to both rime and phoneme‐based teaching.     

Adjustment problems,self‐efficacy,and psychological distress among Chinese gifted students in Hong Kong

The relationships among adjustment problems, self‐efficacy, and psychological distress were investigated in a sample of 207 Chinese gifted students in Hong Kong. A mediation‐effect model specifying that adjustment problems had an effect on psychological distress mediated by self‐efficacy was hypothesized and tested using structural equation modeling procedures. For comparison, a direct‐effect model and a direct‐and‐mediation‐effect model were also fitted to the data. The results indicated that the direct‐and‐mediation‐effect model provided the best and a reasonably adequate fit, suggesting that the effects of adjustment problems on psychological distress could be direct, but more importantly the effects could also be mediated by self‐efficacy. Implications of the findings for enhancing the self‐efficacy of students to promote their psychological well‐being are discussed.     

CORRELATES OF GAY‐RELATED NAME‐CALLING IN SCHOOLS

The aim of this study was to examine whether attitudes about gay‐related name‐calling, social norms concerning gay‐related name‐calling among co‐students, teacher intervention, and school‐related support would predict whether secondary school pupils had called another pupil a gay‐related name during the last month. A total of 921 ninth‐grade pupils (aged 14 to 15 years) at 15 lower secondary schools from two regions in Norway participated in the study by filling out a questionnaire. A logistic regression analysis revealed that having a negative attitude toward calling someone gay‐related names was negatively associated with having called a pupil gay‐related names in the last month. However, having heard a pupil call another pupil gay‐related names at school was the variable that most powerfully predicted this behavior. These findings give certain grounds for optimism regarding the prevention of gay‐related name‐calling and indicate that preventive measures aimed at students’ awareness would probably make a difference.     

Reconceptualising moderation in asynchronous online discussions using grounded theory

This article reports a grounded theory study of the moderation of asynchronous online discussions, to explore the processes by which tutors in higher education decide when and how to moderate. It aims to construct a theory of e‐moderation based on some key factors which appear to influence e‐moderation. It discusses previous research on the definition and practice of e‐moderation, and then describes the study, which involved four e‐moderators working in two different university contexts. Key themes on e‐moderation, which emerged using a grounded theory approach, are discussed. It proposes a framework for e‐moderation and suggests that as a facilitative activity, it should be sufficiently contained within a ring‐fenced learning arena. Factors outside and inside the ring‐fence that appear to influence e‐moderation and their implications for future theory development and validation are discussed.     

Techno‐pedagogy and the Conversational Learning Paradigm: Delivering the Curriculum at the Centre for Individual Language Learning

Techno‐pedagogy or the powerful combination of various technologies and pedagogy provides new opportunities to support a range of learning environments. This article describes how the Centre for Individual Language Learning (CILL) at Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore applies techno‐pedagogy to a conversational self‐organised learning (S‐O‐L) environment. The concept of S‐O‐L is explained in terms of conversational constractivist learning events within a social context. We also review the pedagogy of S‐O‐L in terms of delivering task management components within a learning organisation. We then show how the CILL facility functions as a self‐organised conversational learning environment with its adapted working model of S‐O‐L pedagogy. We then discuss the three key technologies available in CILL and explain how the integration of these three technologies provides for a conversational scaffolding learning environment that helps deliver the CILL curriculum. This pedagogic process facilitates in learners the development of independent learning skills through both collaborative and individualized language learning encounters that enables them to take increased responsibility for self‐organising their own learning in both school and the community. The article concludes by discussing the benefits of techno‐pedagogic solutions and how these have shaped learning within a self‐organised conversational learning environment at CILL.     

Delinquency and reputational orientations of adolescent at‐risk and not‐at‐risk males and females

This research investigated differences in delinquent activities and the reputational orientations of at‐risk and not‐at‐risk male and female adolescents. Initially, we sought to establish that adolescent males and females differed in these respects. This was found to be the case: males (n = 722) scored significantly higher than females (n = 738) on seven self‐reported delinquency variables and on eight reputation enhancement variables pertaining to social deviance, non‐conforming reputation, and power/evaluation private identity. When a sample of 31 at‐risk females was subsequently pair‐wise age matched with 31 not‐at‐risk females, at‐risk females scored significantly higher on all delinquency variables other than school misdemeanors. These at‐risk females also scored significantly higher on four reputation enhancement variables relating to social deviance and non‐conformity. Given that at‐risk females did not differ from their not‐at‐risk counterparts in level of involvement in school misdemeanors, we sought to determine whether this was also the case for at‐risk and not‐at‐risk males. An age‐matched sample of 91 pairs revealed that at‐risk males reported significantly higher involvement than not‐at‐risk males in all aspects of delinquency, including school misdemeanors. They also sought a more non‐conforming reputation. To explore the relationships between delinquency and reputation enhancement, a canonical correlation analysis was performed. All findings are discussed in the light of reputation enhancement theory.     

The Need for E‐Learning Strategies: Higher Education Institutions and Their Responses to a Changing Environment

Integrating e‐Learning in their educational delivery and support processes is one way of strategy formation higher education institutions can deploy to respond to their changing environment. In this article, the focus of such a strategy formation is on three strategic choices: traditional, face‐to‐face, campus‐based education (back‐to‐basics), flexible on‐campus delivery of education (stretching‐the‐mould) or anytime, anywhere education (worldcampus). Results of a quantitative study showed that higher education institutions with a worldcampus strategy differ from higher education institutions with a back‐to‐basics strategy because they have a stronger focus on ‘increasing access,’ ‘offering logistic flexibility,’ and ‘use of ICT for income generation.’ By doing so, these higher education institutions aim to respond to an environment that is becoming increasingly market‐oriented and competitive.