PE is not for me: when boys' masculinities are threatened

This study used hegemonic masculinity theory to examine the intersection of masculinities and school physical education from the perspectives of boys who embodied masculinities that were marginalized. Over a 13-week period using present-focused, student-centered, qualitative methodological approaches, we observed, interviewed, and worked in small groups with 5 middle school boys from two schools. We identified three significant themes that merge the stories and experiences of masculinity hierarchies in sport-based physical education. First, we found that four social practices (content, pedagogies, teacher-student relationships, and peer cultures) in these physical education settings privileged some masculinities over others. Second, we examined the role that embodiment played, both in how the boys wore their oppression and in how their bodies resisted marginalizing situations. Third, we describe the contrasts these boys drew between physical activities experienced in sport-based physical education and physical activity experiences in other areas of their lives. We used Connell and Messerschmidt's (2005) reconceptualization of the theory of hegemonic masculinity for understanding how competitive sport-based physical education functioned to oppress boys with masculinities that were deemed abnormal. Additionally, we introduce feminist poststructuralism as a possible theoretical lens for interpreting boys' bodies as also being active agents in social practices rather than being only passive objects who are oppressed and dominated.     

A microfluidic model for organ-specific extravasation of circulating tumor cells

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are the principal vehicle for the spread of non-hematologic cancer disease from a primary tumor, involving extravasation of CTCs across blood vessel walls, to form secondary tumors in remote organs. Herein, a polydimethylsiloxane-based microfluidic system is developed and characterized for in vitro systematic studies of organ-specific extravasation of CTCs. The system recapitulates the two major aspects of the in vivo extravasation microenvironment: local signaling chemokine gradients in a vessel with an endothelial monolayer. The parameters controlling the locally stable chemokine gradients, flow rate, and initial chemokine concentration are investigated experimentally and numerically. The microchannel surface treatment effect on the confluency and adhesion of the endothelial monolayer under applied shear flow has also been characterized experimentally. Further, the conditions for driving a suspension of CTCs through the microfluidic system are discussed while simultaneously maintaining both the local chemokine gradients and the confluent endothelial monolayer. Finally, the microfluidic system is utilized to demonstrate extravasation of MDA-MB-231 cancer cells in the presence of CXCL12 chemokine gradients. Consistent with the hypothesis of organ-specific extravasation, control experiments are presented to substantiate the observation that the MDA-MB-231 cell migration is attributed to chemotaxis rather than a random process.     

Examining organizational learning in schools: The role of psychological safety, experimentation, and leadership that reinforces learning

This study draws upon theory and methods from the field of organizational behavior to examine organizational learning (OL) in the context of a large urban US school district. We build upon prior literature on OL from the field of organizational behavior to introduce and validate three subscales that assess key dimensions of organizational learning that build upon and extend prior education research: psychological safety, experimentation, and leadership that reinforces learning. Data from 941 teachers across 60 schools in this urban district suggest that organizational learning is an underlying condition which is expressed by teacher perceptions of subfactors of psychological safety, experimentation, and leadership that reinforces learning. Implications for adopting the conceptual framework and methods employed in this research for studying organizational learning and school change are discussed.     

阳光妈妈像蛋挞

方格格除了喜欢吃草莓味蛋挞,还喜欢听音乐。方格格写作业的时候,喜欢戴着手机上的耳麦听音乐,一边写一边听,两不耽误。方格格摇头晃脑,随着音乐的节奏自顾自地陶醉着。     

校园大气环境中可吸入颗粒物的监测研究——以北京工业职业技术学院为例

为了确定在常规天气时校园内空气是否适合师生从事室外活动,使用相关监测仪器对北京工业职业技术学院校园及周边空气中的粉尘进行了监测。通过分析监测数据,了解了各种相关气象因素对空气中可吸入颗粒物的影响,最终得到了在常规天气条件下,北京工业职业技术学院校园内空气质量达到二级以上国家标准(即适宜从事室外活动)的结论。     

学术评等的光与影

在英语中,“评等”一词具有双重涵义:“层级系列”和“腐败或污秽”.本文指出,学者在学术期刊发表研究的压力来自于极度化的学术“评等”.本文首先陈述这种压力的迹象,并探讨影响因子和高等教育排行榜所引发的后果.本文将排行榜与四大发展趋势相结合:1)专业技能的理性主义成为韦伯所强调的科层制权威的特征之一;2)高等教育管理和规制的政治化趋势在新管理主义和学术评估中的高度体现;3)商业性学术出版的定价和资金筹措利用以上趋势实现利润的最大化;4)尽管编辑或期刊本身持反对观点或重视期刊的不同目标,但却只能在新规则体系中做出决定.在阐述上述四大发展趋势的基础上,本文将对笔者所编辑的期刊《比较教育评论》展开讨论,指出排行榜的替代选项,并建议推进更具生命力和参与度的教育研究.具体而言,本文建议将学术论文作为学术交流的副产品,将此作为目前仅将影响因子视为判断学术期刊质量的标准尺度的替代性或互补性方式.最后,本文主张期刊和读者都应注重学术交流的内涵价值,将学术交流视为最重要的产物.     

Teacher Access and Mentoring Abilities: Predicting the Outcome Value of Extra Class Communication

Reasoning from Sunnafrank's theory of predicted outcome value (POV), this investigation examined how students' assessments of their teachers' accessibility and mentoring abilities influenced their perceptions of the predicted value of engaging in extra class communication (ECC). Student perceptions of teacher physical and social accessibility, along with teacher mentoring abilities (including career, course, and psychosocial), were all substantially and positively related to students' ratings of the POV of ECC. However, only social accessibility, course mentoring, and career mentoring emerged as significant predictors of POV in the regression model. These findings validate POV theory by confirming that students readily assess what they have to gain (or lose) from potential ECC encounters based on what their teachers can offer them. These findings are discussed with regard to understanding how students may be motivated to realize the benefits of ECC.     

More Than Just Low-Hanging Fruit: A Collaborative Approach to Weeding in Academic Libraries

This article focuses on using collaboration to develop and implement a comprehensive and systematic approach to weeding in a small academic library. Collection assessment, analysis of options, and determination of feasibility form the basis for the development of the weeding agenda. Collaborative strategies that include the creation of a collection management committee, the formation of weeding teams, and the inclusion of teaching faculty shape the implementation of the weeding project. Finally, the authors address unforeseen problems and the collaborative solutions developed to address them.     

Reification of instructional materials as part of the process of developing problem‐based practices in mathematics education

This teacher development study closely examined a teacher's practice for the purpose of understanding how she selected and implemented instructional materials, and correspondingly how these processes changed as she developed her problem‐based practice throughout a school year. Data sources included over 20 hours of planning and analysis meetings with the teacher and 27 video‐taped lessons with discussions before and after each lesson. Through qualitative analysis we examined the data for: students' cognitive demand for curricular materials the teacher selected and implemented; teacher's beliefs and practices for students' engagement in mathematical thinking; and teacher's and students' communication about mathematics during instruction. We found that the teacher shifted her views and use of instructional materials as she changed her practice towards more problem‐based approaches. The teacher moved from closely following her traditional, district‐adopted textbook to selecting problem‐based tasks from outside resources to build a curriculum. Simultaneously, she changed her practice to focus more on students' engagement in mathematical thinking and their communication about mathematics as part of learning. During this shift in practice, the teacher began to reify instructional materials, viewing them as instruments of her practice to meet students' needs. The process of shifting her views was gradual over the school year and involved substantial analysis and reflection on practice from the teacher. Implications include that teachers and teacher educators may need to devote more attention and support for teachers to use instructional materials to support instruction, rather than materials to prescribe instruction. This use of instructional materials may be an important part of transforming practice overall.