What do primary students say about school-based social work programmes?

This article focuses on primary school children’s experiences of school-based social work programmes. These students, aged between 6 and 11, and drawn from a student population comprising 28 different cultural backgrounds and from low socio-economic backgrounds, participated in a case study that researched a school-based social work programme, the St Paul’s Model. The importance of this research lies in the fact that in the area of Australian school social work there is no documented information on how primary school children experience school-based social work programmes. Findings indicate that the school-based social work programmes enhanced the social, emotional, and personal well-being of primary school-aged children and provided enhanced social inclusion programmes and access to resources otherwise denied to primary school-aged children located in economically, socially and politically disadvantaged circumstances.     

图书馆焦虑量表的修订及信效度检验

Constance A.Mellon于1986年首次提出了"图书馆焦虑"的概念.1992年,Bostick编制了图书馆焦虑量表来精确测量图书馆焦虑程度.经在吉林大学200余名本科生中的调查分析后,作者修订完成了五个维度63个项目的中文图书馆焦虑量表.五个维度被命名为知识障碍、员工障碍、舒适性障碍、检索障碍与情感障碍.克隆巴赫内部一致性系数范围从0.629至0.823,重测信度范围从0.734至0.822,全量表信度为0.918.     

A Two-Factor Theory of the Warm-Up Effect in Jumping Performance

Abstract

Eighty girls aged 16 were divided into four subgroups and given 1, 2, 4 or 6 min. of stool stepping as a warm-up exercise preceding a six-trial vertical jump test. A test-retest balanced order design was used to exclude the practice effect. It was found that 1 or 2 min. of warm-up improved performance approximately 20 percent, while 4 min. had no effect, and 6 min. impaired performance 27 percent. The results agreed with the predictions of an a priori mathematical model that postulated a slow but large exponential fatigue effect, and a faster but smaller exponential warm-up effect that improved performance. The difference between these two factors was the net improvement from warm-up.     

How Families Use Questions at Dioramas: Ideas for Exhibit Design

This paper explores the role of questioning in scientific meaning‐making as families talk, look and gesture in front of realistic and artful dioramas at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. The focus is on the ways questioning can either enable movement towards scientific understanding or hinder such progress. The socio‐cultural framework of this research emphasizes Vygotsky's interpretation of the zone of proximal development (zpd). Questions are viewed as tools for mediation in the zpd. This paper examines three families' dialogues, excerpted from a larger study of collaborative sense‐making among family groups in a natural history museum. It seeks to understand how collaborative dialogue meshes everyday understandings with canonical science, in this case through the use of questions.     

Normative data for eight dimensions of reading attitude,Part III—suburban parochial school students

The Survey of Reading Attitudes was administered to 235 intermediate-grade students enrolled in a suburban parochial school in Northeastern Ohio. Statistical analysis consisted of computing means, standard deviations, standard errors of measurement, and coefficient alpha reliability estimates for the eight dimensions of reading attitude included in the Survey. The reliability estimates for the respective dimensions are as follows: Expressed Reading α=.88; Reading as Direct Reinforcement, α=.79; Reading as Enjoyment, α=.89; Alternative Learning Modes, α=.71; Reading Group, α=.76; Reading Anxiety, α=.82; Silent vs. Oral Reading, α=.79; and Comics, α=.72.     

In the Service of Technocratic Managerialism? History in UK Universities

Abstract

This article discusses the conceptualisation, organisation and philosophical orientation of academic history culture in UK higher education. It problematises the extent to which a dominant history culture in UK universities implies and uncritically reproduces normative understandings about the subject; about its epistemological standing, sociopolitical functions, and the presumed cultural value of the discipline practices that students learn to perform. We suggest that current conceptions of history degree curricula are overly thin and organised around a dominant managerialist discourse of skills, personal development and learning outcomes. In a historicised world, in which history-focused behaviour has a crucial, ideological, affirmatory role, and in which historical narratives have a privileged cognitive function, we argue that it is critical for university history students to be able to deconstruct the processes by which history legitimises itself, and reinforces matrices of power in our societies. The positioning of history in higher education as a form of technocratic managerialism closes down spaces in which students can explore the potential of historical practices as a means of engaging with issues of current sociopolitical and ethical concern. We ask in this article, is this what we want an academic history culture to do?     

Understanding mathematics achievement: an analysis of the effects of student and family factors

Educators are increasingly recognising the importance of improving students’ mathematics achievement. Much of the current research focuses on the impact of instructional variables on mathematics achievement. The goal of this study was to examine the influence of less researched variables – family and student factors. Participants were 747 economically disadvantaged elementary students grades K-8 in Ohio. Predictor variables included: (a) 13 factors from a parent survey on both child and family circumstances and (b) reading achievement, measured by a norm-referenced achievement test. Outcome variables included three mathematics scales from the same achievement test. Regression analyses examined the impact of the predictors on the outcomes. Reading achievement significantly predicted mathematics achievement for all three outcomes. Parent pessimism and parent-perceived school/cognitive competence of children also emerged as significant predictors for two of the three mathematics outcomes. Implications for research, policy and practice will be shared.     

Exploring the factors related to acceptance of evolutionary theory among Turkish preservice biology teachers: Toward a more informative conceptual ecology for biological evolution

In this study, using multiple regression analysis, we aimed to explore the factors related to acceptance of evolutionary theory among preservice Turkish biology teachers using conceptual ecology for biological evolution as a theoretical lens. We aimed to determine the extent to which we can account for the variance in acceptance of evolutionary theory by using understanding of evolutionary theory, epistemological beliefs, thinking dispositions, and parents' educational level as independent variables. Preservice biology teachers' thinking dispositions, their understanding of evolutionary theory, and their parents' educational level are positively correlated with acceptance of evolutionary theory. We did not find any significant positive correlation between epistemological beliefs and acceptance of evolution because of low reliability coefficients of subscales of the epistemological beliefs instrument. Together they explained 10.5% of the variance. These results suggest that studying the relationship between acceptance of evolutionary theory and other related factors in a multivariate context is more informative than examining the relationship between acceptance of evolutionary theory and other factors in isolation. Our findings indicate that studying a controversial issue such as acceptance of evolutionary theory in a multivariate fashion, using conceptual ecology as a theoretical lens to interpret the findings, is informative. Our results suggest the inclusion of thinking dispositions in conceptual ecology for biological evolution. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 420–443, 2008     

Utilizing Adventure Education Within the Model of Moral Action

Character development has long been an assumed if not easily observed goal of physical activity. Shields and Bredemeier(1995, 2001) proposed a structural developmental model of moral action strongly based on the work of Rest (1984, 1994) along with the significant contributions of Piaget (1923), Kohlbcrg (1981, 1984), and Haan (Haan, Aerts, & Conper, 1985). Adventure education is an experientially based approach that utilizes cooperative physical activities to foster self esteem, trust, communication skills, self awareness, confidence, and the ability to problem solve (Bissnn, 1999: Prouty, 1999). The purpose of this paper is lo explore how adventure-based intervention strategies correspond with the theoretical tenets and implementation guidelines of the model of moral action. The major tenets of the model of tnoral action (Shields & Bredemeier, 1995, 2001) and adventure education are discussed. The extent to which adventure education may act as a conduit for the moral education strategies forwarded by the model of moral action is discussed.     

Recognition of Values-Based Constructs in a Summer Physical Activity Program

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent participants in a summer sports camp embraced values-based constructs and to examine the relationship between perceptions of values-based constructs and affect and attitude. Participants included 135 ethnically diverse boys and girls (mean age 11.98 years) attending the National Youth Sport Program (NYSP). Participants' perceptions of the extent the program emphasized values-based constructs and participants' enjoyment, interest in sport, future expectations, and respect of leadership were assessed. Factor analysis revealed three values-based constructs: Care for Others/Goal Setting, Self-Responsibility, and Self-Control/Respect. Correlational analyses revealed that emphasizing values-based criteria was positively related to the participant's sport enjoyment, interest in sport, positive future expectations, and greater respect for leaders. The practical implications of the findings are discussed.