Development of an instrument to measure Faculty’s information and communication technology access (FICTA)

The phenomenon of “digital divide” is complex and multidimensional, extending beyond issues of physical access. The purpose of this study was to develop a scale to measure a range of factors related to digital divide among higher education faculty and to evaluate its reliability and validity. Faculty’s Information and Communication Technology Access (FICTA) scale was tested and validated with 322 faculty teaching in public and private sector universities. Principal components analysis with varimax rotation confirmed an 8-factor solution corresponding to various dimensions of ICT access. The 57-item FICTA scale demonstrated good psychometric properties and offers researchers a tool to examine faculty’s access to ICT at four levels – motivational, physical, skills, and usage access.     

Exploring shifts in the characteristics of US government-funded science curriculum materials and their (unintended) consequences

Grant-funded curriculum development efforts can substantially impact practice and research in science education. Therefore, understanding the sometimes-unintended consequences of changes in grant priorities is crucial. Using the case of two large funding agencies in the United States, the current portfolio review provides insight into these consequences by examining shifts in the characteristics of K-12 science curriculum materials funded during two time periods with differing funding priorities. Findings revealed a move away from comprehensive curricula, increased reliance on technology-based materials, a growing trend towards open access, but also a decrease in teacher supports. While these shifts may enhance teachers’ flexibility to shape curriculum, they also increase the challenge of ensuring curricular coherence. Recommendations are outlined for policymakers, science education researchers, and curriculum developers.     

Hindsight bias and developing theories of mind

Although hindsight bias (the "I knew it all along" phenomenon) has been documented in adults, its development has not been investigated. This is despite the fact that hindsight bias errors closely resemble the errors children make on theory of mind (ToM) tasks. Two main goals of the present work were to (a) create a battery of hindsight tasks for preschoolers, and (b) assess the relation between children's performance on these and ToM tasks. In two experiments involving 144 preschoolers, 3-, 4-, and 5-year olds exhibited strong hindsight bias. Performance on hindsight and ToM tasks was significantly correlated independent of age, language ability, and inhibitory control. These findings contribute to a more comprehensive account of perspective taking across the lifespan.     

Preparing engineers for the challenges of community engagement

Despite calls to address global challenges through community engagement, engineers are not formally prepared to engage with communities. Little research has been done on means to address this ‘engagement gap’ in engineering education. We examine the efficacy of an intensive, two-day Community Engagement Workshop for engineers, designed to help engineers better look beyond technology, listen to and learn from people, and empower communities. We assessed the efficacy of the workshop in a non-experimental pre–post design using a questionnaire and a concept map. Questionnaire results indicate participants came away better able to ask questions more broadly inclusive of non-technological dimensions of engineering projects. Concept map results indicate participants have a greater understanding of ways social factors shape complex material systems after completing the programme. Based on the workshop’s strengths and weaknesses, we discuss the potential of expanding and supplementing the programme to help engineers account for social aspects central to engineered systems.     

Searching for Signs of Intelligent Life: An Investigation of Young Children's Beliefs About Robot Intelligence

Children's worlds are increasingly populated by intelligent technologies. This has raised a number of questions about the ways in which technology can change children's ideas about important concepts, like what it means to be alive or smart. In this study, we examined the impact of experience with intelligent technologies on children's ideas about robot intelligence. A total of 60 children aged 4 through 7 were asked to identify the intellectual, psychological, and biological characteristics of 8 entities that differed in terms of their life status and intellectual capabilities. Results indicated that as children gained experience in this domain, they began to differentiate robots from other familiar entities. This differentiation was indicated by a unique pattern of responses about the intellectual and psychological characteristics of robots. These findings suggest that experience may yield a more highly developed viewpoint that reflects an appreciation of the distinctions between biological life, machines, and artificially intelligent technologies.

People who grew up in the world of the mechanical are more comfortable with a definition of what is alive that excludes all but the biological and resist shifting definitions of aliveness.… Children who have grown up with computational objects don't experience that dichotomy. They turn the dichotomy into a menu and cycle through its choices. (Turkle, 1999 Turkle, S. 1999. “What are we thinking about when we are thinking about computers”. In The science studies reader, Edited by: Biagioli, M. 543–552. New York: Routledge.  [Google Scholar], p. 552)     

Psychosocial Adjustment Over a Two–Year Period in Children Referred for Learning Problems: Risk,Resilience, and Adaptation

Children with learning difficulties have an increased prevalence of psychosocial adjustment problems. We hypothesized that within the context of a risk and resilience model contextual variables influence adjustment, over and above any effects of academic performance. The Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) was used to evaluate the relationship between psychosocial adjustment, changes in academic skills, and contextual factors longitudinally over a two–year period in 100 children (ages 7 to 11) referred for learning problems. Although there was little improvement in academic skills, contextual factors contributed to observed psychosocial outcome. Different factors were salient for parents, teachers, and children. Context–derived vulnerability and protective factors can be important determinants of adjustment in children with learning problems, even though the academic difficulties can remain chronic.     

MARC Reborn: Migrating MARC Fixed Field Metadata into the Variable Fields

Despite calls over the past decade and a half for MARC to be replaced with an encoding standard that is more in keeping with current metadata practices, the current standard has evolved in such a way as to render many of the arguments by those who call for its demise moot. A further revision to the standard is proposed to address the one remaining problem with MARC so as to allow it to better serve the needs of information seekers for years to come.