CREATE Cornerstone: Introduction to Scientific Thinking,a New Course for STEM-Interested Freshmen,Demystifies Scientific Thinking through Analysis of Scientific Literature

The Consider, Read, Elucidate hypotheses, Analyze and interpret data, Think of the next Experiment (CREATE) strategy for teaching and learning uses intensive analysis of primary literature to improve students’ critical-thinking and content integration abilities, as well as their self-rated science attitudes, understanding, and confidence. CREATE also supports maturation of undergraduates’ epistemological beliefs about science. This approach, originally tested with upper-level students, has been adapted in Introduction to Scientific Thinking, a new course for freshmen. Results from this course''s initial semesters indicate that freshmen in a one-semester introductory course that uses a narrowly focused set of readings to promote development of analytical skills made significant gains in critical-thinking and experimental design abilities. Students also reported significant gains in their ability to think scientifically and understand primary literature. Their perceptions and understanding of science improved, and multiple aspects of their epistemological beliefs about science gained sophistication. The course has no laboratory component, is relatively inexpensive to run, and could be adapted to any area of scientific study.     

Why Change to the Chinese Classification Scheme? A Case Study in an Academic Library

This article provides a background for the change of the classification system for Chinese language materials at an academic library. It describes how the decision was made; how choices on partial reclassification or total reclassification were made; and how matters such as project planning, implementation, and vision for the future are being handled. It is hoped that the authors’ experience can offer tips for other libraries contemplating reclassification projects. By making use of the Chinese Library Classification (CLC) numbers from various sources in Mainland China, the authors envisage increased cataloging efficiency and cost saving in the long run.     

Comment on “The Impact of Online Assessment on Grades in Community College Distance Education Mathematics Courses” by Ronald W. Yates and Brian Beaudrie

Abstract

This article comments on an earlier article by professors Yates and Beaudrie (2009 Yates, R. W. and Beaudrie, B. 2009. The impact of online assessment on grades in community college distance education mathematics courses. The American Journal of Distance Education, 23(2): 62–70. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar])who examined whether online assessment facilitates student cheating and found no evidence of such a greater prevalence of cheating. Professors Yates and Beaudrie are commended for their contribution to this increasingly important area of research. The analysis indicates that professor Yates and Beaudrie's (2009 Yates, R. W. and Beaudrie, B. 2009. The impact of online assessment on grades in community college distance education mathematics courses. The American Journal of Distance Education, 23(2): 62–70. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) conclusion may have been influenced by (1) a failure to adequately account for student ability, leading to potential selection bias; (2) their use of course grades, rather than exam grades as the key measure of student performance; (3) possible differences in precautions that instructors may have deployed in the unproctored sections in order to discourage cheating; and (4) the evolution of distance learning resources and methods over their long period of study.     

Developing an effective education reform model for indigenous and other minoritized students

Educational disparities between indigenous Maori students and those of the majority continue to be a major issue in New Zealand. Te Kotahitanga, an iterative research and development programme, which commenced in 2001, supports teachers to implement a relationship-based pedagogy in their classrooms in order to improve Maori students' achievement in mainstream secondary schools. This article addresses the question of how gains in Maori students' achievement can be sustained and expanded. Schools, from an earlier phase of the project, in their 6th and 7th year of the programme were examined, using a theory-based model designed to evaluate and promote dimensions necessary for effective institutional support of the teaching innovation. This article demonstrates that schools that have been the most effective implementers of the intervention have seen the greatest gains made by Maori students in the 1st year of national assessments. This article then discusses effective leadership for addressing problems schools encountered while implementing the pedagogic reform.     

School reform and opportunity throughout the lifecourse: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936

The long-term effects of secondary-school reforms in the first half of the 20th century are investigated through the long-term follow up of a sample of people born in Scotland in 1936 who were first surveyed in 1947. Members of the sample who were living in the Lothian region of Scotland were re-interviewed in 2004–2007, providing information about their occupational status and educational achievement. The occupational status and educational attainment of respondents’ parents were collected in the follow up, as was information about school attended by respondents. Respondents completed the same intelligence test as they sat in 1947. The main research question is whether attempts by policy makers in the early 20th century to widen access to secondary schooling had long-term effects on the social distribution of educational and occupational opportunities.     

Teaching About Theory-Laden Observation to Secondary Students Through Manipulated Lab Inquiry Experience

This study seeks to develop and evaluate a modified lab inquiry approach to teaching about nature of science (NOS) to secondary students. Different from the extended, open-ended inquiry, this approach makes use of shorter lab inquiry activities in which one or several specific NOS aspects are manipulated deliberately so that students are compelled to experience and then reflect on these NOS aspects. In this study, to let students experience theory-laden observation, they were provided with different “theories” in order to bias their observations in the lab inquiry. Then, in the post-lab discussion, the teacher guided students to reflect on their own experience and explicitly taught about theory-ladenness. This study employs a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design using the historical approach as the control group. The results show that the manipulated lab inquiry approach was much more effective than the historical approach in fostering students’ theory-laden views, and it was even more effective when the two approaches were combined. Besides, the study also sought to examine the practical epistemological beliefs of students concerning theory-ladenness, but limited evidence could be found.     

Interdisciplinary Lessons for the Teaching of Biology from the Practice of Evo-Devo

Evolutionary developmental biology (Evo-devo) is a vibrant area of contemporary life science that should be (and is) increasingly incorporated into teaching curricula. Although the inclusion of this content is important for biological pedagogy at multiple levels of instruction, there are also philosophical lessons that can be drawn from the scientific practices found in Evo-devo. One feature of particular significance is the interdisciplinary nature of Evo-devo investigations and their resulting explanations. Instead of a single disciplinary approach being the most explanatory or fundamental, different methodologies from biological disciplines must be synthesized to generate empirically adequate explanations. Thus, Evo-devo points toward a non-reductionist epistemology in biology. I review three areas where these synthetic efforts become manifest as a result of Evo-devo’s practices (form versus function reasoning styles; problem-structured investigations; idealizations related to studying model organisms), and then sketch some possible applications to teaching biology. These philosophical considerations provide resources for life science educators to address (and challenge) key aspects of the National Science Education Standards and Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy.     

Academic Achievement Trajectories of Homeless and Highly Mobile Students: Resilience in the Context of Chronic and Acute Risk

Analyses examined academic achievement data across third through eighth grades (N = 26,474), comparing students identified as homeless or highly mobile (HHM) with other students in the federal free meal program (FM), reduced price meals (RM), or neither (General). Achievement was lower as a function of rising risk status (General > RM > FM > HHM). Achievement gaps appeared stable or widened between HHM students and lower risk groups. Math and reading achievement were lower, and growth in math was slower in years of HHM identification, suggesting acute consequences of residential instability. Nonetheless, 45% of HHM students scored within or above the average range, suggesting academic resilience. Results underscore the need for research on risk and resilience processes among HHM students to address achievement disparities.