The effects of different types of text and individual differences on view complexity about genetically modified organisms

ABSTRACT

View change about socio-scientific issues has been well studied in the literature, but the change in the complexity of those views has not. In the current study, the change in the complexity of views about a specific scientific topic (i.e. genetically modified organisms; GMOs) and use of evidence in explaining those views was examined in relation to individual factors and type of text (informational, persuasive, or narrative). Undergraduate students completed measures of their prior views about GMOs their epistemic beliefs about the nature of science, and activities related to food consumption. Participants then read either an informational, persuasive, or narrative passage about GMOs and again answered a question related to their views about GMOs. Participants who read the persuasive passage decreased in the complexity of their views, while those who read the narrative and expository passage increased in the complexity of their views. Additionally, while cultural activities related to the complexity of individuals’ views during the pretest, these significant differences were not evident at posttest after the text intervention. These findings can be used to help scientists and teachers better understand how to communicate information critical to understanding complex science and environmental issues to the public and their students.     

The Structure of Phonological Processing and Its Relationship to Basic Reading

We investigated various structural models of phonological processing and the relationship of phonological processing abilities to basic reading. Data were collected on 116 kindergarten and first grade students. The specific ability model, which included phonological awareness, phonological memory, and rapid automatized naming as separate abilities, had the strongest fit to the data. Of the specific phonological processing abilities, rapid automatized naming was least associated with a second-order factor. Phonological awareness and rapid automatized naming accounted for variance in word reading, although the latter demonstrated limited practical utility. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Critical race and LatCrit theory and method: Counter-storytelling

Using critical race theory as a framework, the article utilizes counter-storytelling to examine the different forms of racial and gender discrimination experienced by Chicana and Chicano graduate students. After describing the critical race theory framework and counter-storytelling method, the article moves to a story of two composite and data-driven characters, Professor Leticia Garcia and graduate student Esperanza Gonzalez. Various theoretical and conceptual issues such as self-doubt, survivor guilt, impostor syndrome, and invisibility are woven into Esperanza's graduate school and Professor Garcia's pre-tenure experiences.     

Pedagogy and the problem of difference: On reading community in The Darker Side of Black

This paper examines the responses of two groups of high school students to Isaac Julien's film The Darker Side of Black and theorizes what these responses might suggest for how students imagine and argue for community. It explores the tension that is produced as students argue for community as continuous and stable in the face of discontinuity and difference in the diaspora. The paper raises the possibilities for how pedagogy may occupy the space of tension that emerges from competing notions of community. It calls attention to the pedagogic constraints that come from the practice of privileging difference between communities, which might well compromise engagement with difference within. The trope of culture as the attribute of social groups that has come to structure debates on multicultural and antiracist education is critiqued.     

Undergraduate Students' Perceptions and Behaviors Related to the Aged and to Aging Processes

Aging education is relatively new to the university, and our understanding of the perspectives students bring to aging populations is correspondingly limited. This investigation surveys 546 students at a midsized, Midwestern university to explore students' views toward elders, toward serving elders, and toward the relevance of aging education for various other areas of study. Our results suggest generally favorable attitudes: older students and students with greater contact with aging populations were more positive than their counterparts; gender, GPA, and aging courses taken showed sporadic or no effects on various attitudes. These preliminary findings offer a baseline for future investigations. Our findings suggest that students who have more contact through friendship and volunteer experiences have more positive attitudes toward working with older adults. Additional research is needed to examine if type of gerontological instruction is associated with attitudes toward aging and aging education.     

美国解决全球气候变化政策解析

介绍了美国目前限制和减少温室气体排放的方法和政策及其影响,并在分析温室气体排放和全球气候变化的科学数据的基础上,对现行政策进行评述并追踪美国在减少温室气体排放方面所做的努力及这些努力中潜在的可能具有的政策效力。     

Accompanying the Path of Maternity: The Life History of a Colombian Doula

Doulas have fundamentally improved the health-care experience of pregnant women internationally. Women who recognize the importance of not being alone during pregnancy have embraced this role for centuries. However, less is known about doulas practicing in countries experiencing health inequities like Colombia. Miller''s methodology and Atkinson''s interview domain was used to answer the question “What life experiences led a Colombian woman to become a doula?” A central theme emerged, “A calling from within: Growing up to accompany the transition from woman to mother.” The path to becoming a doula evolved from life experiences involving health inequities, and a sense of femininity, maternity, and the women''s role in rural Colombia.