Sharing results of federal R&D: A look at the department of energy's system for managing scientific and technical information

The Department of Energy's (DOE) scientific and technical information system, operational since the mid-1940s, is described as an example of the manner by which a large Federal R&D agency organizes, manages, and disseminates the information produced by its laboratories and contractor organizations. The role of the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) within the DOE R&D cycle and its place in the DOE information infrastructure are outlined. OSTI's activities, products, and services are described under the following headings: management and dissemination of DOE research results; access to worldwide information on energy R&D; information management and accountability systems; and information consulting and specialized services.     

What predicts adult readers’ understanding of STEM texts?

The current study examined the relations among key variables that underlie reading comprehension of expository science texts in a diverse population of adult native English readers. Using Mechanical Turk to sample a range of adult readers, the study also examined the effect of text presentation on readers’ comprehension and knowledge structure established after reading. In Study 1, ratings of situational interest, select reading background variables, and select measures of readers’ knowledge structure accounted for significant variance in comprehension. In Study 2, the knowledge structure metrics of primacy, recency, and node degree as well as several text ratings were found to be comparable across text presentation formats. Participants who read the text sentence-by-sentence obtained higher scores on measures of comprehension and provided higher ratings of situational interest than those who received the whole paragraph text at once. Knowledge structure measures for the sentence-by-sentence and paragraph formats were similar (68% overlap). We discuss implications for future research examining factors that underlie the successful comprehension of science texts.     

Academic Expectations of Australian Students from Aboriginal,Asian and Anglo Backgrounds: Perspectives of Teachers,Trainee-teachers and Students

There are ethnic group differences in academic achievement among Australian students, with Aboriginal students performing substantially below and Asian students above their peers. One factor that may contribute to these effects is societal stereotypes of Australian Asian and Aboriginal students, which may bias teachers’ evaluations and influence student outcomes. A questionnaire assessing academic expectancies for hypothetical students from different ethnic groups was administered to 55 experienced teachers and 144 training teachers. A measure of self-expectancies and group expectancies was administered to 516 school students. The findings revealed that Asian students were expected to perform better in mathematics and expend greater effort than Aboriginal and Anglo-Australian students. In turn, there were higher expectancies for mathematics performance for Anglo-Australian students compared with Aboriginal students. We discuss the potential implications of these stereotypes for students’ school achievement, particularly the risk that negative implicit stereotypes might result in these students being directed to special education.     

Universals and specifics in learning strategies: Explaining adolescent mathematics, science, and reading achievement across 34 countries

We examined whether strategies of memorization, transfer through elaboration, and metacognition accounted for reading, science, and mathematics achievement across 34 countries. 158,848 fifteen-year-olds completed a reading literacy test and a questionnaire. Of these students, 88,401 completed a science test, and 88,590 completed a mathematics test. We analyzed the data using multi-level regressions of Rasch-estimated test scores and modeled differences across countries and across schools. Students who reported using memorization strategies often scored lower in all subjects. Transfer through elaboration was not significantly linked to any achievement scores. Lastly, students reporting greater use of metacognitive strategies often scored higher. Compared to students in individualistic societies, to achievement scores of students in collective cultures were linked more strongly to schoolmates' use of metacognitive strategies and less strongly to their own use of metacognitive strategies. These results highlight how cultural contexts can moderate the links between adolescents' learning strategies and their academic achievement.     

Broadening Our Scope: International Collaboration for Retooling the Academic Library

The internationalization of higher education and the continuing expansion of technology as a means for learning and sharing information have radically changed the way in which academic libraries offer services and perform outreach. Retooling is essential to maintaining a vibrant and responsive workforce. Continual innovation on the part of training and development professionals is required to manage the expansion of relevant competencies. Through analysis of the current literature and using the results of an exploratory study, which engaged library associations globally, the author demonstrates the need and desire for increased international dialog and collaboration in the area of professional development.     

Developing emotional literacy through individual Dance Movement Therapy: a pilot study

This paper reports a pragmatic mixed methods pilot study of teacher perceptions regarding a school‐based Dance Movement therapy (DMT) service for six children aged four to seven in a North of England primary school.

No previous studies have systematically evaluated DMT in terms of the development of Emotional Literacy (EL), though theoretical support exists in the formation of a non‐verbally mediated empathic, attuned therapeutic relationship, and there is limited evidence linking arts education with EL.

Data were collected on teacher perceptions relating to teacher‐identified goals, and on movement metaphors reported in therapist notes. Results suggest a link between metaphors identified and positive teacher‐rated outcomes in the following areas relating to EL: self‐esteem; emotional expression and regulation; and social function. Causal links cannot be identified with certainty due to the pragmatic uncontrolled design, but are inferred through qualitative teacher feedback. Recommendations for further research are made.     

An International Partnership Promoting Psychological Well-Being in Sri Lankan Schools

This article illustrates the application of psychological and educational consultation in an international setting. With the goal of promoting psychological well-being of the school-age population, a partnership was formed between an American school psychologist and a Sri Lankan educational sociologist and teacher educator. The partners, or co-consultants, engaged in a recursive research–intervention process using participatory culture-specific system consultation to learn the culture; conduct formative research; form partnerships in selected systems; and subsequently develop culture- and context-specific conceptual models, interventions, and assessment/evaluation measures for promoting the psychological well-being of students in Sri Lankan schools. This article describes the stages of the collaborative work across almost two decades and the challenges and benefits inherent in international partnerships.