Nuclear power plants? Yes or no? Thank you! The argumentative use of tables and graphs / ¿Centrales nucleares? ¿Sí o no? ¡Gracias! El uso argumentativo de tablas y gráficas

Abstract

The present paper deals with how eleventh grade high school students and university undergraduate students studying environmental science use evidence to write an argumentative text. They were presented with a dilemma with four sets of data (two pro and two anti nuclear energy). Half the sample was given the data in graph format and the other half in table format. The four sets of data differed according to their complexity. We analysed the structure of argument, the use of the evidence (either provided or their own) according to the participants’ position on the dilemma, and the presence of confirmation bias. Our results show a good argumentative competence that does not seem to be affected either by the students’ educational level or data format. We observed an effect of the complexity of the data in relation to the participants’ position.     

Responding to expressed needs

In this article, John Cowan (Open University in Scotland), Carlos Alonzo‐Blanqueto (University of Merida, Yucatan) and Derek Fordyce (Heriot‐Watt University) describe their efforts to offer learners genuine openness as regards course content. They draw on three examples from diverse situations to illustrate their use of the ‘sideline tutor’, an arrangement by which learners can directly influence the choice of what they are about to learn and what the teacher teaches’.     

Science education through informal education

To develop the pedagogic efficiency of informal education in science teaching, promoting a close cooperation between institutions is suggested by Monteiro, Janerine, de Carvalho, and Martins. In their article, they point out effective examples of how teachers and educators work together to develop programs and activities at informal education places such as science museums. Their study explored and discussed the viability and relevancy of school visits to museums and possibilities to enhance the connection between students’ visits in informal contexts and their learning in schools. Given that students learn science by crossing the boundaries of formal and informal learning contexts, it is critical to examine ways of integrated and collaborative approach to develop scientific literacy to help students think, act and communicate as members of problem solving communities. In this forum, we suggest the importance of students’ lifeworld contexts in informal learning places as continuum of Monteiro, Janerine, de Carvalho, and Martins’ discussion on enhancing the effectiveness of informal learning places in science education.     

Fast distributed algebraic connectivity estimation in large scale networks

This paper presents a distributed method to estimate the algebraic connectivity of fixed undirected communication graphs. The proposed algorithm uses bisection to estimate the second smallest eigenvalue of the Laplacian matrix associated to the graph. In order to decide the sub-interval in which the eigenvalue is contained, a distributed averaging algorithm based on Chebyshev polynomials is considered together with a max consensus algorithm. The information exchanged by neighbors in the graph each communication round is constant and independent of the size of the network, making it scalable to large networks. Besides, exploiting the convergence properties of Chebyshev polynomials we provide a direct estimation of the algebraic connectivity so that, instead of the midpoint of the bisection interval, the new approximation can be used. Finally, our algorithm also provides upper and lower bounds on the algebraic connectivity and an estimation of the Fiedler eigenvector associated to it. Simulations in large networks demonstrate the scalability and accuracy of the algorithm.     

The Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment and real-world outcomes: Cross-national applications

The Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment (HCTA) is a reliable measure of critical thinking that has been validated with numerous qualitatively different samples and measures of academic success (Halpern, 2010a). This paper presents several cross-national applications of the assessment, and recent work to expand the validation of the HCTA with real-world outcomes of critical thinking (e.g., contracting a sexual transmitted infection because you did not wear a condom). The real-world outcomes (RWO) inventory measures behavior in a wide range of domains, such as education, health, finance, and interpersonal relationships. Study 1 examined whether scores on the HCTA predicted real-world outcomes in three qualitatively different samples in the United States. Study 2 used the HCTA to assess the effectiveness of an online critical thinking course, and whether the HCTA predicted real-world outcomes in Ireland. Study 3 describes preliminary research involving the translation quality of the RWO (into Spanish and Portuguese) and explored differences in behaviors in the two countries. Overall, the HCTA is a useful tool for assessing critical thinking and predicts real-world outcomes of critical thinking. Cross-national implications and applications are discussed.     

Signal constellations in the hyperbolic plane: A proposal for new communication systems

Signal constellations in the hyperbolic plane are provided as an alternative to traditional signal constellations in the Euclidean plane, since channels may actually exist for which the latter signal constellations are not as suitable as the former. A hyperbolic gaussian probability density function, based solely on geometrical considerations, is derived to determine the performance of the hyperbolic signal constellations. Benefits result from an approach conceived in terms of reduced signal-to-noise ratio, needed to achieve a prescribed error rate and equivalent optimum receiver complexity.