Comparison of Three Human Sexuality Teaching Methods Used in University Health Classes

Three teaching methods (lecture, independent study combined with small-group discussion, and audiovisual) were compared for knowledge gain and attitude change. The investigation involved 62 undergraduate university students enrolled in three personal health classes. A pretest, treatment application, and posttest format was employed. An adapted version of the Sex Knowledge and Attitude Questionnaire was used as the evaluation instrument in all testing sessions. The one-way analysis of covariance was applied to compare both knowledge and attitude results. Application of the Tukey test demonstrated that the lecture method of instruction was significantly more effective in producing sexuality-knowledge gain than was the audiovisual teaching approach. No further comparisons of knowledge gain and no comparison of attitude change yielded significant results.     

The impact of teacher preparation on student achievement in algebra in a “hard-to-staff” urban PreK-12-university partnership

Debate about teacher supply, demand, retention, and attrition has been renewed in recent years by an increased concern about the reduced numbers of prospective teachers entering teacher education programs, the high attrition rate of beginning teachers, and the resulting teacher shortages. U.S. schools are experiencing teacher shortages, especially in low-income urban areas, because of increased school enrollment, teacher retirement, reduction in class size, teacher attrition, and turnover related to low salaries, job dissatisfaction, and lack of administrative support and influence over decision-making. Recently, the increased interest in teacher quality has been the topic of debate for policy-makers, the public, and the educational community. The purpose of this study was to determine if a nontraditional teacher preparation program, the Transition To Teaching program, was a viable way to ease the teacher shortages in a high poverty, urban U.S. school district, and at the same time, to evaluate the impact of teacher training on students' academic achievement. The results of this study afford evidence that the students taught by 1st-year, alternatively prepared teachers achieved as well as or better than their peers taught by traditionally certified 1st-year teachers, according to student achievement in mathematics, specifically Algebra I.     

Cooperating in constructing knowledge: case studies from chemistry and citizenship

This paper looks at three case studies within the teaching and learning of chemistry. Each case considers the effectiveness of group learning activities in terms of the ways in which they enhance cooperative learning. Group tasks are generally undertaken in order to encourage learners to develop their understanding of particular issues, lthough one key disadvantage is that much of the process of the group work is lost as soon as the group disbands. The cases explored here aim to: (i) investigate the development of cooperative attitudes among students, looking for significant learning of scientific concepts, (ii) encourage the development of ethical attitudes, to motivate, and then (iii) empower the participants so that they can build upon the communal knowledge that is generated. In this way learners enhance their levels of partnership and cooperation with other members leading to a fuller and broader understanding of the collaboration required within the values of citizenship education. Using science to educate for citizenship is a growing concern across many countries of the world, in this case illustrated by work in Brazil and the UK.     

Impact of Adaptive Materials on Teachers and their Students with Visual Impairments in Secondary Science and Mathematics Classes

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, important in today’s world, are underrepresented by students with disabilities. Students with visual impairments, although cognitively similar to sighted peers, face challenges as STEM subjects are often taught using visuals. They need alternative forms of access such as enlarged or audio‐converted text, tactile graphics, and involvement in hands‐on science. This project focused on increasing teacher awareness of and providing funds for the purchase of supplemental adaptive resources, supplies, and equipment. We examined attitude and instructional changes across the year of the programme in 15 science and mathematics teachers educating students with visual impairments. Positive changes were noted from pretest to posttest in student and teacher perspectives, and in teacher attitudes towards students with disabilities in STEM classes. Teachers also provided insights into their challenges and successes through a reflective narrative. Several adolescent students resisted accommodations to avoid appearing conspicuous to peers. Teachers implemented three strategies to address this: providing the adaptations to all students in the class; convincing the student of the need for adaptation; and involving the class in understanding and accepting the student’s impairment. A variety of teacher‐created adaptations for various science and mathematics labs are reported. Another finding was many adaptations provided for the student with visual impairment benefitted the entire class. This study supports the claim that given knowledgeable, supportive teachers, and with appropriate accommodations such as tactile or auditory materials, students with visual impairments can be as successful and engaged as other students in science and mathematics.     

The Implications of School‐Leaver Unemployment for Careers Education in Schools

’In particular I would urge that the Irish school system of the future should give freedom—freedom to the individual school, freedom to the individual teacher, freedom as far as may be to the individual pupiV. (Padraig H. Pearse [1916] Irish patriot, poet and educationist.)     

Ideals and Realities: Articulating Feminist Perspectives in Physical Education

Using on information gathered from five female feminist physical education teachers in Brisbane, Australia, this paper examines the relationship between theoretical debates in feminism and feminist practice in secondary schools. Specifically, this paper is concerned with the ongoing debate in feminism over the notion of equality. It is problematic that calls for equality for women are currently understood as calls for sameness to men, leaving men and their life experience as the only standard of analysis. In this paper, how this theoretical struggle between feminists is dealt with in sport and physical education is explored. The teachers articulated various feminist perspectives, but placed their feminism on the physical education agenda piecemeal. Moreover, they failed to challenge the notion of an equality for women based on their sameness to men. Given the duress under which these women articulate their feminism, notions of sameness may be all that is achievable in the current physical education curriculum.     

The continual need for improvement to avoid derailment: a study of college and university administrators

Understanding what relates to the behaviours associated with derailment (i.e. failure or burnout in managerial positions) may prevent costly outcomes of derailment for the manager, co‐workers and the organization. The outcomes of derailment are especially pertinent with those working in college and university administration as many, including faculty, other staff and students, depend on these administrators. Data collected about 173 middle‐ and top‐level college and university administrators from 88 different colleges and universities across the USA revealed that self‐ and observer‐ratings (peers and direct reports) of willingness to improve negatively related to boss ratings of derailment. Specifically, the more administrators were willing to improve (and the more others believed those administrators were willing to improve), the less likely it was that bosses believed those administrators displayed the characteristics and behaviours associated with derailment. We conclude with a discussion of our findings including guidance for college and university administrators.