From science teacher to technology facilitator: A case study of Katherine

Technology education has a new focus in New Zealand with the publication of the draft Technology Curriculum. Biotechnology is mostly taught by science teachers in New Zealand secondary schools. This study monitors both the author's and the teacher's evolving perspective of technology education from that of applied science to technology and the influence of the draft Technology Curriculum on this process. Specializations: biotechnology/technology education, science education     

Why biosecurity matters: students’ knowledge of biosecurity and implications for future engagement with biosecurity initiatives

Background: Research on biosecurity is important as New Zealand’s agricultural export-driven economy is susceptible to biosecurity threats. Because New Zealand is reliant on the primary industries to drive its economy, bovine diseases such as foot and mouth could have a devastating effect on the economy.

Purpose: Making sure that the general public are aware of the importance of maintaining biosecurity is crucial in order to protect New Zealand’s economy, human health, the environment, and social and cultural values. New Zealand Year 9 students’ knowledge of biosecurity was gauged as these students represented the next generation of individuals tasked to maintain biosecurity in New Zealand.

Design: A qualitative approach using the interpretive mode of inquiry was used to investigate the knowledge about biosecurity with New Zealand Year 9 students. Questionnaires and interviews were the data collection tools.

Sample: One hundred and seventy-one students completed a questionnaire that consisted of Likert-type questions and open-ended questions. Nine students were interviewed about their knowledge.

Results: The findings showed that New Zealand Year 9 students lacked specific knowledge about unwanted plants, animals and microorganisms. These students saw illicit drug plants as unwanted plants and mainly saw possums as unwanted animals in New Zealand. Their knowledge about unwanted microorganisms in New Zealand was dominated by human-disease-causing microbes. A lack of knowledge of biosecurity issues in New Zealand was seen as the major factor in these students limited understanding of biosecurity.

Conclusions: Based on these findings, it can be said that knowledge of an issue is critical in enabling individuals to develop an understanding about biosecurity. Explicit teaching of biosecurity-related curriculum topics could provide New Zealand Year 9 students with an opportunity to develop knowledge about biosecurity in New Zealand.     

Positive and negative contrast effects obtained following shifts in liquid sucrose reward in thirsty rats

In a repeated shifts experiment four independent groups of thirsty rats received the following treatments: LSLS, LLLS, SSLS, and SSSS, with each letter denoting the magnitude (large or small) of sucrose reward received in each of the four phases of the experiment. While no negative contrast effect (NCE) was obtained in Phase 2, a very reliable positive contrast effect (PCE) was found in Phase 3. Moreover, a significant NCE was obtained in Phase 4. The results were explained in terms of the relative rather than absolute effects of reinforcement.     

The Role of the HEI Tutor in Initial Teacher Education School-based Placements

One area of great change and continuing development in the UK is the mentoring role of the Higher Education Institution (HEI) tutor during trainees' school-based professional placements. It might be suggested that with schools assuming ever greater responsibilities for trainees the role of the HEI tutor in school is diminishing and may even become extinct. This paper suggests that whilst tutors' roles are clearly changing, tutors have a crucial role to play in minimising the limitations and maximising the undoubted benefits of professional placements. A wide range of issues relating to trainees' placement schools, HEIs, the development of school-based mentors and trainee teachers, and the role of the HEI tutor are evaluated with suggestions for improving future practice.     

Compounding Confusion? When Illustrative Practical Work Falls Short of its Purpose—A Case Study

Illustrative practical work is commonly used in chemistry education to enrich students?? understandings of chemical phenomena. However, it is possible that such practical work may not serve to foster understanding but rather cause further confusion. This paper reports the struggles experienced by a group of senior (Year 12) secondary chemistry students as they sought to understand redox chemical concepts involved in the reactions occurring when steel wool is added to copper sulfate solution. The results showed that the students lacked the skills required to make accurate observations during the practical work. Nor were they able to link the observed phenomena with previously taught redox concepts. The paper also presents possible ways to overcome the difficulties encountered by students as they move between macroscopic and submicroscopic levels of representation of redox reactions.     

An examination of the relationship between verbal aggressiveness,conflict management strategies,and conflict interaction goals

The purpose of this investigation was to explore the relationship between respondents' trait verbal aggressiveness, conflict management strategies and conflict interaction goals. Data were collected from 105 undergraduate students at a small private affluent southeastern university. Participants were asked to recall a dispute that they had had with a close friend. They completed the OCCI, verbal aggressiveness, and conflict goals measures. Results indicated that verbal aggressiveness was associated in predictable ways with participants' conflict strategies. There also was a substantial and significant negative relationship between verbal aggressiveness and concerns about relational goals during conflicts. These results establish a foundation for future lines of research regarding conflict goals and extend previous investigations regarding verbal aggressiveness.     

Prospects for electronic publication in communication: A survey of potential users

This paper discusses the arguments for and against electronic publication and explores the potential acceptance for an electronic journal in the communication discipline. Using electronic mail, 85 users of a computer communication system were surveyed to determine the factors that would influence their decision to submit research reports to an electronic journal. The survey indicates that a majority of respondents would use an electronic journal to publish research reports and that most viewed publishing as a way to communicate about their work rather than a means for advancing in the field. The survey provides evidence that willingness to electronically publish decreased with higher occupational positions (from Masters student to Associate Professor) with this trend reversing itself at the level of Full Professor.