Between “Islamic” and “un-Islamic”: Navigating Religion at an American Islamic High School

Abstract

This article aims to demonstrate how one American Islamic school community grapples with external and internal demands on religion, and how this process impacts notions of what is religious. At ‘Ilm High School, an Islamic high school on America’s West Coast, school administrators and teachers must accommodate students’ and parents’ diverse and often competing ideas about Islam and the “Islamic.” In doing so, they sometimes downplay the “Islamic” in their Islamic Studies classes, policies, and school representation. They do this without venturing into the “un-Islamic”, casting a wide “religious net” and keeping Islam capacious and relevant enough for Muslim students.     

Executive function: association with multiple reading skills

Reading and Writing - Executive function (EF) is related to reading. However, there is a lack of clarity around (a) the relative contribution of different components of EF to different reading...     

The effect of different initial densities of nematode （Meloidogyne javanica） on the build-up of Pasteuria penetrans population

Pasteuria penetrans will build-up faster where there is a high initial nematode density and can suppress root-knot nematode populations in the roots of tomato plants. The effect of different initial densities of nematode (Meloidogyne javanica) (150, 750, 1500, 3000) and P. penetrans infected females (F1, F3) densities (F0=control and     

Group tagging: Using video tagging to facilitate reflection on small group activities

Collaborative learning in class-based teaching presents a challenge for a tutor to ensure every group and individual student has the best learning experience. We present Group Tagging, a web application that supports reflection on collaborative, group-based classroom activities. Group Tagging provides students with an opportunity to record important moments within the class-based group work and enables reflection on and promotion of professional skills such as communication, collaboration and critical thinking. After class, students use the tagged clips to create short videos showcasing their group work activities, which can later be reviewed by the teacher. We report on a deployment of Group Tagging in an undergraduate Computing Science class with 48 students over a semester. Through our analysis of interviews and log data, we show that Group Tagging helped the students remain attentive and on-task during group work, and encouraged them to participate more during group activities.     

Teachers’ Roles,Students’ Personalities,Inquiry Learning Outcomes,and Practices of Science and Engineering:The Development and Validation of the McGill Attainment Value for Inquiry Engagement Survey in STEM Disciplines

Inquiry engagement is a newly defined construct that represents the participation in carrying out practices of science and engineering to achieve learning outcomes and is influenced by learners’ personalities and teachers’ roles. Expectancy value theory posits that attainment values are important components of task values that, in turn, directly influence students’ achievement-related choices and performance. The current paper developed and validated the McGill Attainment Value for Inquiry Engagement Survey (MAVIES) with undergraduate students in STEM disciplines. The MAVIES is a 67-item, learner-focused survey that addresses four components that are theoretically important for engaging in scientific inquiry: (a) teachers’ roles, (b) students’ personalities, (c) inquiry learning outcomes, and (d) practices of science and engineering. Evidence for internal consistency and construct, content, and criterion validity was obtained from 85 undergraduates who had experience with scientific inquiry in diverse STEM fields. Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed factors that were consistent with role theory, Big Five personality traits, revised Bloom’s learning outcomes, and the Next Generation Science Standards. The MAVIES instrument is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring undergraduate students’ attainment values for scientific inquiry engagement in STEM disciplines.     

The group dynamics approach: A sociopsychological approach for testing the effect of discovery and expository teaching on the science achievement and attitude of young Egyptian students

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two instructional modes, discovery and expository, for teaching science knowledge, both application and recall, and science attitude to fifth-grade male and female Egyptian students. The population used for this study consisted of 276 fifth-grade students in two Egyptian schools. Twelve 45-min science classes meeting over a 21-day period made up the treatment period, with each of the two teachers instructing six of the 12 class periods for all eight subgroups of students. The results warrant the following conclusions: Fifth-grade Egyptian students taught by the discovery method scored higher in science achievement, both recall and application, than students taught by the expository method. Students taught by the discovery method scored higher in science attitude than students taught by the expository method. Female Egyptian students scored in science achievement and science attitude similar to males.     

Towards utilising emerging technologies to address the challenges of using Open Educational Resources: a vision of the future

Educational technology research and development - The rapid advancements in online education have pointed to a new open learning approach using Open Educational Resources (OER). In this approach,...     

Cognitive and Educational Interventions for Orphans and Vulnerable Children Affected by HIV/AIDS: A Meta-Analysis

Orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS (HIV OVC) are at risk for cognitive difficulties and lack of access to education. Interventions addressing cognitive or educational outcomes for HIV OVC worldwide were examined through systematic searches conducted from October 2016 to 2019. We examined the summative effectiveness of interventions and the specific effects of participant age and intervention length. Interventions targeting cognitive outcomes had a small, significant effect, with no effect of moderating variables. Interventions targeting educational outcomes had significant effects. Educational interventions over 1 year were effective, but effects of intervention length were not significant. Overall, this review provides support for the effectiveness of interventions targeting cognitive and educational outcomes for OVC and highlights the need for more research on such interventions.     

Phytochemical composition,biological potential and enzyme inhibition activity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scandix pecten-veneris</Emphasis> L.

Objective

Scandix pecten-veneris L. is a less studied wild edible herb and is considered an extinct plant species in many parts of the world. This study was designed to evaluate its phytochemical composition and biological potential of S. pecten-veneris L.

Methods

Phytochemicals including alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols, and tannins were determined in extracts of S. pecten-veneris. Antioxidant activity was determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), while reducing power was tested by ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. Antimicrobial activity against seven bacterial and four fungal strains was evaluated using agar well diffusion assay. Enzymes inhibition study was performed for urease, phosphodiesterase-I, and catalase-II.

Results

S. pecten-veneris showed moderate antiradical activity and reducing potential of hydroxyl radicals to about 20% of the initial value. The antioxidant activity of various extracts of S. pecten-veneris showed a linear correlation with total phenolic contents in the order of water>n-butanol>chloroform>ethyl acetate>methanol extracts. S. pecten-veneris leaves showed the highest inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus aureus while the highest antifungal activity was observed against Candida albicans. The plant extract was most potent against urease enzymes but showed moderate activity against phosphodiestrase-I and carbonic anhydrase-II.

Conclusions

Our data demonstrate that in addition to its culinary uses, S. pecten-veneris has good medicinal potential and hence could be used for treating some specific health ailments.