Classroom observation systems in context: A case for the validation of observation systems

Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability - Researchers and practitioners sometimes presume that using a previously “validated” instrument will produce “valid”...     

The development of the ability to recognize the meaning of iconic signs

Early developmental psychologists viewed iconic representation as cognitively less complex than other forms of symbolic thought. It is therefore surprising that iconic signs are not acquired more easily than arbitrary signs by young language learners. One explanation is that children younger than 3 years have difficulty interpreting iconicity. The current study assessed hearing children's ability to interpret the meaning of iconic signs. Sixty-six 2.5- to 5-year-olds who had no previous exposure to signs were required to match iconic signs to pictures of referents. Whereas few of the 2.5-year-olds recognized the meaning of the iconic signs consistently, more than half of the 3.0-year-olds and most of 3.5-year-olds performed above chance. Thus, the ability to recognize the meaning of iconic signs gradually develops during the preschool years. Implications of these findings for sign language development, receptive signed vocabulary tests, and the development of the ability to interpret iconic symbols are discussed.     

Relationships of attitude toward classroom environment with attitude toward and achievement in science among tenth grade biology students

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship of classroom environment to attitudes toward science and achievement in science among tenth grade biology students. An attitude instrument was administered at three times during the school year to measure student attitudes toward science and the classroom environment. The classroom environment measures examined six areas: emotional climate of the science classroom, science curriculum, physical environment of the science classroom, science teacher, other students in the science classroom, and friends attitudes toward science. Student achievement in science was measured by teacher reported semester grades. The results of the study indicated: (1) student attitudes toward the classroom environment predicted between 56 to 61% of the variance in attitudes toward science, (2) student attitudes toward the classroom environment predicted between 5 to 14% of the variance in achievement in science, (3) student attitudes toward science and attitudes toward the classroom environment predicted between 8 and 18% of the variance in achievement in science.     

Conditions of domination: reflections on harms generated by the British state education system

Education in Britain increasingly appears to serve a very narrow notion of pedagogy, partly reflecting the ‘conditions of domination’ generated by the rise of the new managerialism in the delivery of public services. In the name of economy, efficiency and effectiveness, social progress is increasingly seen to lie in achieving continual increases in ‘productivity’, realised through giving management the absolute freedom to arrange its resources in whatever way it feels appropriate. At the heart of this critical reflection on these contemporary developments lies a concern for the role of education in democratic development, as well as the various harms that are the direct result of a profoundly reductionist and dehumanising ‘education’ system. The article concludes by outlining some alternative possibilities for more humane and democratic pedagogical processes.     

对非线性规划的一类Di Pillo-Grippo增广拉格朗日函数的进一步研究

1 Introduction Duringthe past several decades ,considerable atten-tion has been given to devising methods for solvingconstrained opti mization problemsviaunconstrainedmini mization techniques and a number of researchwork in the area of nonlinear programmi…