A secondary reanalysis of student perceptions of non‐traditional writing tasks over a ten year period

This study aims to add to the growing research related to the implementation of non‐traditional writing tasks in classrooms to encourage science literacy. A secondary reanalysis methodology was employed to review student interviews collected as a part of several individual studies during a ten year research program. This method established an interpretive framework different than the particular frameworks guiding the individual studies. In doing so, a greater ability to generalize findings was sought. Main assertions emerging from the student responses analyzed include recognition of benefits of non‐traditional writing, recognition of the need for particular task characteristics to encourage these benefits, and recognition of greater cognitive activity than is present in typical science classroom writing. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47: 518–539, 2010     

An investigation of Detect,Practice, and Repair to remedy math‐fact deficits in a group of third‐grade students

A multiple‐probe‐across‐problem‐sets (tasks) design was used to evaluate the effects of the Detect, Practice, and Repair (DPR) on multiplication‐fact fluency development in seven third‐grade students nominated by their teacher as needing remediation. DPR is a multicomponent intervention and begins with a group‐administered, metronome‐paced assessment used to identify specific facts in need of repair. Next, Cover, Copy, and Compare (CCC) procedures are used to enhance automaticity with those specific facts. Lastly, students complete a 1‐min speed drill and self‐graph their fluency performance. Results showed large level and trend increases in fact fluency after DPR was applied across all three sets of multiplication problems. Discussion focuses on the importance of developing effective and efficient basic‐skill‐remediation procedures and directions for future research. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Examining Arguments Generated by Year 5, 7, and 10 Students in Science Classrooms

A critical component of science is the role of inquiry and argument in moving scientific knowledge forward. However, while students are expected to engage in inquiry activities in science classrooms, there is not always a similar emphasis on the role of argument within the inquiry activities. Building from previous studies on the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH), we were keen to find out if the writing structure used in the SWH approach helped students in Year 5, 7, and 10 to create well constructed arguments. We were also interested in examining which argument components were important for the quality of arguments generated by these students. Two hundred and ninety six writing samples were scored using an analysis framework to evaluate the quality of arguments. Step-wise multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine important argument components. The results of this study suggest that the SWH approach is useful in assisting students to develop reasonable arguments. The critical element determining the quality of the arguments is the relationship between the student’s written claims and his or her evidence.     

Prior achievement, effort, and mathematics attitude as predictors of current achievement

A sample of Australian secondary school students was used to explore the relationships among a set of standardised Year 7 numeracy and literacy tests, measures taken at Year 10 of mathematics attitude and schoolwork effort, and Mathematics and English scores in a state-wide Year 10 examination. Additionally, the predictive capacity of the numeracy and literacy tests, together with the attitude and effort measures, were examined in relation to the Mathematics and English scores. A correlation analysis showed that the numeracy and literacy tests were positively and significantly related and had similar relationships with the two Year 10 examination scores. Mathematics attitude was significantly associated with Year 10 Mathematics but effort did not correlate significantly with either of the Year 10 examination scores. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that the relevant Year 7 test results contributed to a considerable amount of the total variance in the two Year 10 examination scores. A sub-sample of the students was interviewed and four case studies were selected to interrogate the notions of achievement, mathematics attitude, and effort. Although these case studies act as a source of qualitative evidence to supplement the quantitative findings, they also indicate that effort, in particular, is a notion worthy of further investigation. Other implications for researchers, as well as school personnel, are noted.     

Theology in Australian higher education: the ‘Newcastle Model’ brings theology home to the academy

This article investigates the movement of theological education away from diocesan controlled theological colleges in the Anglican Church of Australia into the mainstream curriculum of public universities. Particular reference is made to the establishment of Theology as an area of study at The University of Newcastle. Other models of theological education based on particular hermeneutic interests of Anglicanism are examined. Comparisons are drawn between those institutions seeking to maintain partisan control over theological education and those who cede control, in part or entirely, to the public university. Discussion of some historical material leading to the implementation of the ‘Newcastle Model’ is presented as this relates to church and public policy on Theology in higher education. The article argues that the place of theological education is in the academy or public university since it is there that Theology, like other public knowledge, best develops and maintains a critical intention.     

Knowledge Assessment of Food Safety Managers in Utah and Its Implications on the Exam and Instruction

ABSTRACT: Food Safety Manager's Certification is offered through a state‐local Extension partnership in Utah using an online course management system. Exams and course materials were created by an Extension Specialist at Utah State Univ. Extension Agents provide exam and curriculum facilitation in each county. This form of distance education enables access for students in all 29 Utah counties. All 454 students (Jan 2008–Mar 2009) successfully passed the food safety managers exam in 1 or 2 attempts and received certification. Twenty‐nine percent of those taking the exam received certification without accessing any of the course materials. The overall passing exam score mean was 82%. When combining both passing and failing exam attempts, the students' mean was 79%. The students' mean of the lower 25% was only 65%. When evaluating the 7 food safety knowledge domains, students' means were highest in personal hygiene and lowest in facility, equipment, and layout. The lower 25% of students failed to score 70% in 6 of 7 food safety knowledge domains. The English course materials were provided in 3 options where students could select 1 or more: online, textbook, and DVD. For students who chose to access educational materials 67% used online learning, 40% textbooks, and 10% DVDs as part of their study options. Extension Agent feedback on Hispanic students enrolled in the program indicates a need for Spanish language study materials. Overall, the Utah Food Safety Managers program demonstrates a successful state‐local Food Science Extension approach to distance education, online curricula, and the use of computers to facilitate testing and learning.     

Reading practice in Irish primary classrooms: too simple a view of reading?

This article investigates issues surrounding the adoption of the ‘simple view’ of reading. While this theory of the reading process has recently been espoused as the official view of early reading instruction in England, a recent Irish study, discussed in this article, indicated that this view of reading is also widespread among Irish teachers. This article argues that a less simple view of reading recognising the importance of cognitive flexibility, metacognition and explicit comprehension strategy instruction in reading needs to be promoted among all educators. A lack of emphasis on such explicit reading comprehension instruction has been found to be a common thread in research conducted in the United States, in England and in Ireland and is often linked to reading underachievement. Hence, the authors conclude that the implementation of a more holistic and inclusive ‘balanced’ model of reading development is immediately imperative in reading classrooms, both in Ireland and internationally.     

Dynamics of forensic interviews with suspected abuse victims who do not disclose abuse

OBJECTIVES: The present study was designed to explore structural differences between forensic interviews in which children made allegations and those in which children did not make allegations. METHODOLOGY: Fifty forensic interviews of 4- to 13-year-old suspected victims of abuse who did not disclose abuse during the interview were compared with the same number of forensic interviews of alleged victims who made allegations of sexual or physical abuse. Only cases in which there was substantial reason to believe that abuse had taken place were included in the study. Audiotapes of the interviews were examined with a focus on interviewer utterances and children's responses during the pre-substantive rapport-building, episodic memory training, and 'getting the allegation' phases of the interviews, which all employed the NICHD Investigative Interview Guide. FINDINGS: Forensic interviews which yielded allegations of child abuse were characterized by quite different dynamics than interviews with children who did not make allegations. When interviewing non-disclosers, interviewers made less frequent use of free recall prompts and offered fewer supportive comments than when interviewing children who made allegations of abuse. Children who did not disclose abuse were somewhat uncooperative, offered fewer details, and gave more uninformative responses, even at the very beginning of the interview, before the interviewers focused on substantive issues and before the interviewers themselves began to behave differently. CONCLUSIONS: A premature focus on substantive issues may prevent children who are not responsive in the episodic memory training phase from disclosing abuse. Identifying reluctant disclosers and making more extensive efforts to build rapport before substantive issues are broached, or interviewing such children in more than one session, may help suspected victims disclose their experiences.     

Effects of a feint on reactive agility performance

This study compared reactive agility between higher-standard (n = 14) and lower-standard (n = 14) Australian footballers using a reactive agility test incorporating a life-size video image of another player changing direction, including and excluding a feint. Mean agility time in the feint trials was 34% (509 ± 243 ms; p < 0.001; effect size 3.06) longer than non-feint trials. In higher-standard players, agility time was shorter than for lower-standard players in both feint (114 ± 140 ms; p = 0.18; effect size 0.52; likely beneficial) and non-feint (32 ± 44 ms; p = 0.22; effect size 0.47; possibly beneficial) trials. Additionally, the inclusion of a feint resulted in movement time increasing over three times more in the lower-standard group (197 ± 91 ms; p = 0.001; effect size 1.07; almost certainly detrimental) than the higher-standard group (62 ± 86 ms; p = 0.23; effect size 0.66; likely detrimental). There were weak correlations between the feint and non-feint trials (r = -0.13-0.14; p > 0.05), suggesting that reactive agility involving a feint is a unique skill. Also, higher-standard players are more agile than their lower-standard peers, whose movement speed deteriorates more as task complexity increases with the inclusion of a feint. These results support the need for specific training in multi-turn reactive agility tasks.