Digital games and the US National Research Council’s science proficiency goals

This review synthesises research on digital games and science learning as it supports the goals for science proficiency outlined in the report by the US National Research Council on science education reform. The review is organised in terms of these research-based goals for science proficiency in light of their alignment with current science education standards and reform documents worldwide. Overall, the review suggests that digital games can support science learning across the four strands but also suggests that there are few strong quantitative studies examining some of the strands. Much of the research conducted to date has centred primarily on the potential of games to scaffold conceptual knowledge, engagement and participation. Less research has focused on epistemological understanding and science process skills. While much debate has asked whether digital games are ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for learning, the research across the strands highlights that the design of digital games, rather than their medium, ultimately determines their efficacy for learning.     

“The Scientific Method” as Myth and Ideal

“The Scientific Method” as it has been portrayed in popular and introductory contexts has been declared a myth. The variation that one finds in introductory presentations of “The Scientific Method” is explained by the fact that there is no canonical account among historians and philosophers of science. What, in particular, is wrong with “The Scientific Method”? This essay provides a fairly comprehensive survey of shortcomings of “The Scientific Method”. Included are corrections to several misconceptions that often accompany such presentations. Rather than treating “The Scientific Method” as a useful approximation or an ideal, the myth should be discarded. Lessons can be learned for introductory pedagogical contexts from considering the shortcomings of the myth.     

Singaporean and Australian Students' Understanding of Vision

A model for the development of an understanding of how people see has been proposed on the basis of a questionnaire and interview study of a cross-section of Australian school students. The model, based on the SOLO model of cognitive development (Collis & Biggs, 1991), involves the building of connections between the eye, light and the object seen in the Ikonic and Concrete Symbolic modes of cognitive functioning. In order to assess the viability of the model across cultures, the questionnaire was administered to 116 primary and secondary school students in Singapore. This paper reports some details of how the model was supported in its most important respects. The few discrepancies might be explained in terms of environmental, linguistic and/or teaching factors.     

An Examination of the Replicability of Angoff Standard Setting Results Within a Generalizability Theory Framework

Evidence of stable standard setting results over panels or occasions is an important part of the validity argument for an established cut score. Unfortunately, due to the high cost of convening multiple panels of content experts, standards often are based on the recommendation from a single panel of judges. This approach implicitly assumes that the variability across panels will be modest, but little evidence is available to support this assertion. This article examines the stability of Angoff standard setting results across panels. Data were collected for six independent standard setting exercises, with three panels participating in each exercise. The results show that although in some cases the panel effect is negligible, for four of the six data sets the panel facet represented a large portion of the overall error variance. Ignoring the often hidden panel/occasion facet can result in artificially optimistic estimates of the cut score stability. Results based on a single panel should not be viewed as a reasonable estimate of the results that would be found over multiple panels. Instead, the variability seen in a single panel can best be viewed as a lower bound of the expected variability when the exercise is replicated.     

Assessing Individual Contributions: Experience of Peer Evaluation in Major Group Projects

With an increasing use of group activities in higher education there are questions being asked about the extent to which the final grading properly reflects individual contribution (or lack of it). The paper describes the development and use of peer evaluation in a DMS group project. Experience of using this method of evaluation shows that groups must be prepared for, and committed to, the activity. Peer evaluation forms part of the assessment process but does not seem sufficiently robust to be the sole source of informational input—especially if substantial grade variations are called for.     

Factor structure of the pictorial scale of perceived competence and social acceptance with two pre-elementary samples

Competing models of the factorial structure of the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance (PSPCSA) were tested for fit using multisample confirmatory factor analysis. The best fitting model was tested for invariance (a) across samples of middle-class (n = 251) and economically disadvantaged (Head Start, n = 117) kindergarten children (whose ages ranged from 67 to 86 months), and (b) over time (at the end of preschool and kindergarten) for the Head Start sample. For kindergarten children, regardless of socioeconomic status, the factor structure of the PSPCSA was consistent with the 2-factor model of Competence and Acceptance. This model also fit reasonably well for Head Start children at the end of their preschool year. However, in addition to providing broad support for the dimensionality of the measure, our findings highlight important concerns about the PSPCSA.     

Doctoral Writing in the Visual and Performing Arts: Issues and Debates

Drawing from a larger study of doctorates in the visual and performing arts, we examine here the diversity of relations which can exist between the creative and written components of a doctoral thesis in these fields in terms of diversity of naming practices for these relations, institutional variation in guidelines and expectations, and fundamental functional roles for the respective components. By bringing together and highlighting key details in these debates and issues, this article provides a foundation for further studies in this complex area.     

Thinking identity differently: dynamics of identity in self and institutional boundary

In research oriented universities, research and teaching are often viewed as separate. Aydeniz and Hodge present one professor’s struggles to synthesize an identity from three different spaces, each with competing values and core beliefs. As Mr. G’s story unfolds, and he reflects upon his negotiation between teaching and research responsibilities, we seek to expand the discussion by presenting a caution to identity researchers. The caution pertains to construction of understanding on how identities are created, and the role that individual stories take in how identities are created and enacted. In this forum contribution, we present several questions in the hopes of furthering the discussion on identity research, and our understanding of the conceptualization of institutional boundaries and objectivity, as well as questions on participant involvement in the process of research.     

Older Workers’ Learning Within Organizations: Issues and Challenges

As increasing numbers of older adults stay in the workforce or engage in encore careers, they are subjected to diverse issues and challenges. The new dynamics of the workplace in a global market exert pressure on older workers and employers alike in which training and development has a potentially significant function for achieving greater productivity and job satisfaction. This article discusses the changing workplace and the diverse range of learning opportunities that may be available to older workers. The article then addresses selected issues of overcoming stereotypical assumptions about the capabilities of older workers, age stratification at work, and the differing perspectives of managers and employees to learning opportunities. The article argues for a negotiated process of learning where significant autonomy is assumed by workers.