DEVELOPMENT, EVALUATION, AND VALIDATION OF A PAPER-AND-PENCIL TEST FOR MEASURING TWO COMPONENTS OF BIOLOGY TEACHERS’ PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING THE “CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM”

One main focus of teacher education research concentrates on teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). It has been shown that teachers’ PCK correlates with teaching effectiveness as well as with students’ achievement gains. Teachers’ PCK should be analyzed as one of the main important components to evaluate professional development programs. On this account, it is necessary to develop standardized measures of biology teachers’ topic-specific PCK that are labor-efficient. This paper presents a study on the development, evaluation, and validation of a paper-and-pencil test to measure biology teachers’ declarative PCK on the topic of blood and the human cardiovascular system. The development of the test was based, among other considerations, on a review of research literature on PCK and an analysis of 50 videotaped biology lessons. The final test instrument was comprised of 15 items distributed across 2 scales. The findings of the main study—with 93 preservice and in-service biology teachers and 12 biologists—confirmed that this measure of biology teachers’ declarative PCK was reliable, objective, and valid. In-service biology teachers scored higher on the test than preservice teachers (effect size Cohen’s d, 0.65) on one hand and, also, than biologists (Cohen’s d, 1.00) on the other hand. Future versions of this test should explore enlarging the scales and measuring procedural aspects of PCK.     

Questions and positions on education for sustainable development at university in France: example of short professional cycles

The questions focus on the emergence of education for sustainable development in the French university. The case study discusses the curricular examination of the Bachelor of Territory Professional Planning in 17 universities and the diachronic evolution, between 2001 and 2011, of their educational content around sustainable development. The analysis leads to a reflection on the specificity of French contexts, compared to international positions. Indeed, the legitimacy of the education provided is queried against the economization of the educational sphere. Didactic problems are posed by the reduction of distances between social practices and knowledge mobilized for the teachings. The evolution of the ‘school form’ and the specific place of ‘educations for’ in the framework of the institution are questioned.     

Missing the Mark: The Neglect of Stalking and Cyberstalking in Introductory Criminology Textbooks

Textbooks are an essential component of student education, often forming the basis for all information presented in a given class. Introductory texts cannot possibly cover all relevant material, but what is included speaks volumes. Given the prevalence of stalking and cyberstalking in society, this is an important issue for inclusion in introductory criminology and criminal justice classes. An analysis of 20 criminology and 12 criminal justice textbooks is done to determine what students are learning about this prevalent social problem. Specifically, we aim to evaluate whether stalking and cyberstalking are covered, determine the theories associated with the issues, and assess the textbook location in which the issue is covered. Results indicate slight coverage of stalking and cyberstalking in introductory texts.     

Promoting Completion Through Organizational Development and Process Improvement

In 2007, Tulsa Community College (TCC) joined the national Achieving the Dream (ATD) network, which is dedicated to developing data-informed interventions to increase persistence and completion among community college students. TCC’s participation in the national initiative set it down a path for positive institutional change, but it was the College’s restructuring of their internal work teams and their process improvements since 2011–2012 that have resulted in a sustainable system that will help retain knowledge and ensure successful leadership transitions. In 2013, TCC rebranded its modified ATD system as Completing the Dream, combining the goals of Complete College America with the action research principles of Achieving the Dream. Because of these efforts, the College is in a stronger position today than it has ever been to serve our students using evidence-based strategies, ultimately resulting in more college-educated citizens in the Tulsa area.     

Assessment in the Kindergarten Classroom: An Empirical Study of Teachers’ Assessment Approaches

Within the current accountability framework of public education, kindergarten teachers face the challenge of balancing traditional developmental programing and current academically oriented curriculum. Central to this challenge is teachers’ uses of assessment to measure and communicate student learning in relation to their curricular stance. The purpose of this study was to provide an in-depth examination of three teachers’ approaches to assessment within the current context of kindergarten education in order to elucidate potential approaches to bridging developmental and academic demands. Based on data collected from teacher interviews and classroom observations, three profiles are constructed that link focal teachers’ curricular stances with their approach to assessment. The paper concludes with a discussion on assessment within kindergarten education and areas for future research in the field.     

Improving early childhood teacher education: Preservice teachers' beliefs about inclusion

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to describe early childhood preservice teachers’ beliefs about the inclusion of children with special needs in early childhood settings. Nineteen female undergraduate early childhood education preservice teachers participated in one of five focus groups. Students were divided into three groups based on the courses they were enrolled in or had completed: Beginner (sophomore and junior courses), Intermediate (senior courses), and Advanced (student teaching). Additionally, 6 of the 19 students participated in individual interviews. Data analysis resulted in themes related to students’ beliefs and philosophies of inclusion, as well as their thoughts concerning practice in inclusive programs. This paper describes students’ beliefs within each group and compares responses across the different groups. Implications are discussed in relation to teacher education programs and directions for future research.     

好莱坞特效行业衰落

尽管《少年派的奇幻漂流》在全球范围内收获了超过5亿美元的票房成绩,但凭借此片在第85届奥斯卡颁奖典礼上获得"最佳视觉效果奖"的特效公司Rhythm&Hues Studios却在2013年2月13日沦落到申请破产保护的境地。这家已经拥有25年历史的好莱坞老牌视觉效果制作公司曾多次获得各大颁奖礼上的"最佳视觉效果奖",而如今的境遇则让人唏嘘不已。在如今高度商业化的好莱坞,艺术家们只有得到真正的尊重,才能创造出更好的作品。     

Self‐constructed exoticism: gender and Nation in Hōrōki by Hayashi Fumiko

This paper is a reading of Hōrōki (1928–30) by Hayashi Fumiko (1903–1951). The analysis demonstrates how the marginal status of the female protagonist is used as a literary device to create a challenging gendered critique of Japanese urban culture in the early 20th century. The paper discusses how the work reflects concepts of a ‘hybrid’ national identity as defined by Homi Bhabha, and highlights the links between gender and national identity using the concept of the exotic in relation to Alcoff’s concept of gender as positionality. It focuses in particular on the structure of the work, bringing out the idea that by using a disjointed narrative and a fragmented telling of the self, Hayashi Fumiko evokes ideas of the self in relation to the nation that are both unstable and destabilising, thus creating a revolutionary and anarchistic view of Japanese culture; the fluidity and hybridity of the nation are reflected in the fluid and hybrid nature of the work itself.