Conceptions of mentoring: An empirical study of conceptions of mentoring during the school-based teacher education

This article discusses the mentoring given by the mentor (cooperating teacher) during the practical part of teacher training. This mentoring is empirically described by studying and describing how it is conceived of by a group of mentors and student teachers. The differences in conceptions found concerning the functions are discussed in terms of a reflecting and a taken-for-granted perspective of professional knowledge of teachers. As regards conceptions of the content, it is discussed whether student teachers' practice teaching is an object of reflection or an occasion for practice. Conceptions and patterns of behaviour as regards the form of mentoring are discussed in terms of a principle-oriented strategy and an episode-oriented strategy. The variation described in this way in terms of the disparate perspectives could reflect different types of theoretical awareness of the phenomenon of mentoring that exist among mentors and student teachers.     

Anthropogenic emission is the main contributor to the rise of atmospheric methane during 1993–2017

Atmospheric methane (CH₄) concentrations have shown a puzzling resumption in growth since 2007 following a period of stabilization from 2000 to 2006. Multiple hypotheses have been proposed to explain the temporal variations in CH₄ growth, and attribute the rise of atmospheric CH₄ either to increases in emissions from fossil fuel activities, agriculture and natural wetlands, or to a decrease in the atmospheric chemical sink. Here, we use a comprehensive ensemble of CH₄ source estimates and isotopic δ¹³C-CH₄ source signature data to show that the resumption of CH₄ growth is most likely due to increased anthropogenic emissions. Our emission scenarios that have the fewest biases with respect to isotopic composition suggest that the agriculture, landfill and waste sectors were responsible for 53 ± 13% of the renewed growth over the period 2007–2017 compared to 2000–2006; industrial fossil fuel sources explained an additional 34 ± 24%, and wetland sources contributed the least at 13 ± 9%. The hypothesis that a large increase in emissions from natural wetlands drove the decrease in atmospheric δ¹³C-CH₄ values cannot be reconciled with current process-based wetland CH₄ models. This finding suggests the need for increased wetland measurements to better understand the contemporary and future role of wetlands in the rise of atmospheric methane and climate feedback. Our findings highlight the predominant role of anthropogenic activities in driving the growth of atmospheric CH₄ concentrations.     

The Impact of teacher behavior,teacher sex,and student sex upon student self-disclosure

The effects of systematically varied teacher verbal and nonverbal evaluative behavior upon student willingness to self-disclose were studied within an experimental microlesson. Subjects were 126 sixth-grade students who were removed from their classrooms to participate in a vocabulary lesson with one of the four experimental teachers (two male and two female). Within each experimental condition, the teacher employed one of four evaluative styles: (1) verbally and nonverbally positive, (2) verbally positive and nonverbally negative, (3) verbally negative and nonverbally positive, or (4) verbally and nonverbally negative. The data analysis indicated that teachers' verbal behavior influenced self-disclosure. The magnitude of student self-disclosure scores was a direct function of the positiveness of teacher verbal behavior. Nonverbal behavior also influenced self-disclosure, interacting with student sex. This effect varied across individual teachers, however, and no consistent pattern was evident.     

Institutional attention to European policy agendas: exploring the relevance of instrumental and neo-institutional explanations

This article addresses how European policy initiatives in higher education, research and innovation are diffused in the European higher education research and education area. Based on an instrumental and an institutional perspective, specific expectations are developed as to how policy diffusion might unfold, and, through an in-depth analysis of the strategic plans of 19 higher education institutions in Latvia and Norway, the article identifies factors that potentially mediate European policies into the strategic agenda of universities and colleges. The findings show that European Union membership and policy area seems to matter for the attention given to European policy initiatives, while administrative capacity at institutional level have less or quite mixed effects. The article concludes that both instrumental and institutional perspectives are of value in explaining how European policy diffusion takes place.

     

I agree to sit next to you. Does that mean I like you? Measuring using the wrong tapeline – the lack of ‘Social Distance’ measures for inclusive school development and research – a review of the literature

This review provides an overview of definitions and measurements of ‘Social Distance’ and attitudes children without disabilities carry towards children with disabilities. Measures include explicit and implicit approaches but clearly, the ‘Bogardus Social Distance Scale’ (A Social Distance Scale, 1933, 14 May 2014) is the most used scale in research, yet it is outdated. For a deeper look into what impacts children's ‘Social Distance’ in inclusive school settings and in order to find measurable constructs, relevant attitude questionnaires are discussed. To bring long‐used measures and attitudes together, a comprehensive model of ‘Social distance’ is introduced. This model integrates the classical view on ‘Social Distance’ as interaction willingness with feelings associated with this interaction and includes attitudes children carry towards individuals and towards the group the interaction partner is believed to belong to. In summary, this paper shows the need for a more comprehensive and precise measure on how school children really engage with one another.     

The Appraisement of Antioxidant and Oxidant Status in Women Undergoing Surgical Menopause

The present study was undertaken to study the impact of surgical menopause on oxidant and antioxidant status in relation to estrogen levels after 3 months of surgery. Total 130 women who had undergone total hysterectomy (TH) with or without bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) were included in this study. The oxidant status was assessed by measuring plasma levels of malondialdehyde and antioxidant status was assessed by measuring superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, estrogen, and Vitamin A, E and C levels. The malondialdehyde level was significantly increased (p < 0.05) in all women who underwent TH with or without BSO. Significant increased levels of superoxide dismutase were observed in women who underwent TH with BSO. The blood glutathione levels were significantly decreased in women after TH only but significantly increased in women who had undergone TH with BSO. The levels of estrogen, vitamin E and vitamin C were significantly decreased in women who underwent TH with BSO. The catalase, GPx and vitamin A did not differ significantly in all groups. The result suggests that surgical menopause is associated with oxidative stress which reiterates the fact that ovaries retain some function even after menopause.     

Video as a format in health information

Video is a medium that has passed through a progression of technical advances including the invention of videotape, the incremental refinements to laser videodisc technologies, and the arrival of digital imaging technologies such as CD-ROM, DVD, and the Web's video streaming. Today, video is firmly established as a convenient and effective medium for conveying medical information. One result of these developments is that medical reference librarians can expect to encounter information requests and professional tasks that will require an understanding of these wide-ranging and differing video technologies.