What Account of Science Shall We Give? A Case Study of Scientists Teaching First-year University Subjects

This article presents a case study of four academic scientists. These academics teach in the first year of a Bachelor of Science degree at a large research-focused Australian university that has demanded and supported a greater focus on undergraduate learning. Taken as a whole, the accounts of science that the first-year academics in this case study gave, and which they are presenting to their students, challenge the images of science and scientists typically presented in school science curricula. Using Roberts' heuristic of Vision 1 and Vision 2 for the broad purposes of learning science, we consider various accounts given of science by these academic scientists and consider how science might appear to a student who takes all four of their subjects.     

Categorizing pupils' written answers to a mathematics test question: 'I know but I can't explain'

In the literature on school bullying, it is often stated that there is an age decline in the frequency of students victimized by their peers. The empirical studies showing this downward trend are, however, typically based on self-report data. The aim of the present study was to examine the grade-level differences in frequencies of victims bullied at school in cross-sectional data gathered from multiple informants: students themselves, their peers and their teachers. The participantswere 1,220 elementary school children (600 girls and 620 boys) from 48 school classes from the fourth, fifth and sixth grades (i.e. 9-12 years). The often reported age-related decrease in self-reported victimization was found but it was not confirmed by either peer or teacher reports. What actually decreased as a function of age was the frequency of self-identified victims (also labelled as 'paranoids' or 'sensitives' in the previous literature), i.e. students who themselves reported victimization but who did not have the reputational status of being victims among their peers.     

Being a teacher educator: professional identities and conceptions of professional education

Background:?In the context of Cyprus’ accession to the European Union (2004) and a noteworthy increase in immigration towards Cyprus, the Cypriot state was called upon to build more complete and coherent policies addressing culturally diverse educational settings. Cypriot education has historically enforced the nation-building project. However, since its accession negotiations to the EU, Cyprus received calls for harmonising its intercultural education to European standards.

Purpose:?This study aims to examine the content of intercultural policies in Cyprus, which have been initiated and/or developed by the national state and particularly the Ministry of Education and Culture. Furthermore, it explores the ways in which Cypriot policies are shaped by European influences, and the implications of this process for national constructs of intercultural education.

Sources of evidence:?We collected a purposive selection of thirty policy documents regarding intercultural education that were produced by the Ministry of Education and Culture in Cyprus. In addition, six Cypriot policy-makers working in the MEC's departments were interviewee participants. They were selected purposively according to the level of their involvement in the development of Cypriot intercultural policy.

Design and methods:?Data were coded to identify groups of concepts, issues, perceptions and behaviours and interrelationships within a theoretical model. Data triangulation contributed to the development of thematic categories that emerged from the data.

Results:?The analysis of the documentary evidence in this study suggests that the language of European policy has imbued the Cypriot socio-political environment with inclusive discourses enhancing intercultural education. Analysis in this study identifies that the Cypriot Ministry of Education and Culture maintains an assimilationist orientation in its broader educational goals, despite adopting such (inclusive) discourses.

Conclusions:?This study argues on the basis of this evidence that Cypriot intercultural policy appears symbolic, indicating ‘simulated’ development and implementation processes. Arguably, there remains a high degree of ambivalence towards the process of transformation needed to Europeanise intercultural policy in Cyprus.     

Impacts of a Prekindergarten Program on Children's Mathematics,Language, Literacy,Executive Function,and Emotional Skills

Publicly funded prekindergarten programs have achieved small‐to‐large impacts on children's cognitive outcomes. The current study examined the impact of a prekindergarten program that implemented a coaching system and consistent literacy, language, and mathematics curricula on these and other nontargeted, essential components of school readiness, such as executive functioning. Participants included 2,018 four and five‐year‐old children. Findings indicated that the program had moderate‐to‐large impacts on children's language, literacy, numeracy and mathematics skills, and small impacts on children's executive functioning and a measure of emotion recognition. Some impacts were considerably larger for some subgroups. For urban public school districts, results inform important programmatic decisions. For policy makers, results confirm that prekindergarten programs can improve educationally vital outcomes for children in meaningful, important ways.     

Teachers' and Administrators' Use of Evidence of Student Learning to Take Action: Conclusions Drawn from a Special Issue on Formative Assessment

In common-item equating the anchor block is generally built to represent a miniature form of the total test in terms of content and statistical specifications. The statistical properties frequently reflect equal mean and spread of item difficulty. Sinharay and Holland (2007) suggested that the requirement for equal spread of difficulty may be too restrictive. They suggested that an anchor test with representative content coverage and equal mean item difficulty but a smaller spread of item difficulty (miditest) may provide the same or better results for equating while decreasing the pressure to find very hard and very easy items to include in the anchor. Analyses to date have concentrated on the results of equating the scores from one form to another with findings that are supportive of the Sinharay and Holland concept (Sinharay &; Holland, 2006a, 2006b, 2007; Liu, Sinharay, Holland, Feigenbaum, &; Curley, 2009). These studies do not address longer chains of equating. It is important to monitor the possibility of scale drift over forms. The current research begins to address this issue.     

Networking From the Inside Out: Understanding Learners' Processes,Activities, and Experiences

Research to date has demonstrated that networking can be an effective strategy for supporting meaningful learning. However, studies have shown that learners encounter difficulties using it. In an attempt to understand and thus reduce these difficulties, this study examined learners' underlying cognitive processes and activities while networking. Detailed process, observational, and post-activity interview data were gathered on 14 participants during and after their networking of an 800-word text. The study showed that learners must possess several forms of prior knowledge, and devote appropriate time and effort in order to derive benefits from networking. The instructional implications of the process and the methodological contribution of this study are discussed.     

“Do I Really Belong Here?”: The Stigma of Being a Community College Transfer Student at a Four-Year University

ABSTRACT

Students who begin their educational journeys in community college face many obstacles trying to complete their bachelor’s degrees. Much research has been dedicated to identifying academic factors that predict successful transfer and degree attainment, but relatively little research investigates how the community college experience affects these students once enrolled at the four-year university. Here, we present the results of a qualitative study that explored the challenges faced by 14 community college students during and after transfer. Specifically, we focus on student reports of a sense of stigma from having attended community college and how students overcame these feelings. Recommendations are provided for how community colleges and four-year universities can better equip their students with the knowledge and resources to combat this perception of stigma.