Novice use of qualitative versus quantitative problem solving in electrostatics

Problem-solving behavior of six novice subjects attempting to solve an electrostatics problem in second-semester calculus-based college physics was observed and recorded. Five of the subjects were characterized as “A” or “B” students and one subject as a “D” student in introductory college physics. Although the A or B subjects were able to arrive at a “correct” solution to the problem, they exhibited major misconceptions about the problem situation as well as minimal qualitative understanding of the problem situation. The A or B subjects were successful in identifying, either from memory or written notes, equations relevant to electrostatics, whereas the D subject was not. The implication of this study is that current instruction in introductory calculus-based college physics and the students' previous science learnings place a premium on acquisition of correct quantitative solutions at the expense of qualitative understanding of physics problem situations.     

Dynamic Forces in Educational Development: A long-run comparative view of France and Germany in the 19th and 20th centuries

Since World War II, much of the economic growth literature has focused on the contribution of human capital to national development. Two assumptions have remained largely unexamined: (i) economic stability results from economic growth, and (ii) investments in human capital result in economic growth ( ceteris paribus ). This paper questions this education-stability link by examining longitudinal data from France and Germany across 170 years. Results indicate that human capital investment prior to 1945 was a response to economic growth. It is only since 1945 that human capital investments appear to drive economic growth. A shift since 1973 leads to doubts as to whether the post-war human capital-driven growth is being sustained. The results raise the question of whether human capital investment might not be as much a consequence as it is a cause of economic stability in the course of time.     

Portfolios, Accountability, and an Interpretive Approach to Validity

How can the results of classroom-based portfolio assessment be communicated outside the classroom? How might a portfolio-based assessment system be designed and implemented? How can we evaluate the merits of portfolio-based assessments?     

Maternal Representations of Attachment during Pregnancy Predict the Organization of Infant-Mother Attachment at One Year of Age

While strong retrospective and concurrent associations between maternal and infant patterns of attachment have been noted, this is one of the first reports of a prospective investigation of such associations. The Adult Attachment Interview was administered to 100 mothers expecting their first child, and, at 1-year follow-up, 96 of these were seen with their infants at 12 months in the Strange Situation. Maternal representations of attachment (autonomous vs. dismissing or preoccupied) predicted subsequent infant-mother attachment patterns (secure vs. insecure) 75% of the time. These observed concordances, as well as the discordances, are discussed in terms of the uniquely powerful contribution the Adult Attachment Interview makes to the study of representational and intergenerational influences on the development of the infant-mother attachment.     

The myth of the competitive market: Linkage with the private sector and problems for higher education reform

Higher Education systems in Western countries currently face many problems. The enormous amount of information and reflection carried out by the members of the SRHE-Leverhulme Study team reveals the scale of these problems in one country. This article focusses on the validity of solutions which would substitute market mechanisms for a system of free education. With this in mind the results of the French experience in the area of professional continuing education are discussed. The idea of turning to the marketplace for initial education stems from a misconception. The second part of the article is concerned with the whole of the university population. In some respects it is unrealistic to claim that students' decisions to undertake university studies can conform to rationality through the operation of human capital theory. How can the market regulate education-employemt relations when equilibrium depends on the volume of the flow of students in x previous years, and when at the same time current techniques do not permit reliable forecasts of qualified manpower needs? Moreover, the socio-economic checks on the adoption of market mechanisms form a nearly insurmountable barrier in European countries. Like the SRHE-Leverhulme Study's conclusions, the article ends by attempting to find a realistic solution to such problems, which involve in part a reform of the methods of operation of higher education institutions.