Philosophy,education, and the explosion of knowledge

In science, and in the teaching of science, knowinghow is as important as knowingthat. The value of theoretical knowledge is limited, especially so in view of the rapid increase in available information. Methodological analysis of concrete problems should play a major role in teaching. Also, students should learn to contextualize problems in disciplines other than their major area of interest. Generalists are badly needed for this, in teaching and in research. However, current forms of interdisciplinary integration must be de-emphasized.     

The effect of the direction of motion on students' conceptions of forces

The ability to generalise principles to a range of situations is generally considered to be important in science education. However, several studies have found that students do not consistently apply their conceptions in the study of mechanics, and that they respond to irrelevant contextual features of the question, such as the type of object in motion. The present study was designed to investigate whether the direction of the motion (i.e. vertical or horizontal) was a contextual feature which influenced students' ideas about the forces involved in motion. The results indicated that 14% of the university science teaching students studied and 25% of the Year 10 students were influenced by the direction of the motion. Some of these students described a ‘motion force’ in one direction (usually vertical) but not the other, while others described forces opposing the motion in one direction (which was always vertical) but not the other. Specialization: science education     

Cumulative environmental risk and youth maladjustment: the role of youth attributes

Using data from 5,070 youth ages 11 to 18 years old who participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, concurrent and longitudinal associations among cumulative risk, protective factors, and youth maladjustment were examined. Cumulative risk was associated with concurrent conduct problems and depressed mood. For conduct problems, a compensatory effect was found for scholastic achievement and problem-solving ability. For depressed mood, a compensatory effect was found for scholastic achievement. A protective-reactive effect of self-esteem was found for both forms of maladjustment. Youth gender, grade, and ethnicity moderated these associations. Cumulative risk predicted change over time in depressed mood. Scholastic achievement and self-esteem compensated for this risk. Findings indicate that youth attributes offer limited protection when adolescents experience risk factors across life domains.     

Gender differences when choosing school subjects: Parental push and career pull. Some tentative hypotheses

The literature has made us all aware of large gender differences in students' atttudes to science, in enrolment statistics in upper high school and tertiary level science courses, and in different spheres of employment. What have not been looked at in detail are the factors which are influential when students begin to make choices in early high school, choices which may well set them on a particular pathway from which it is difficult to turn. This preliminary study identifies factors which students in a Year 9 class believed were influential on the limited subject choices they had been able to make in Years 8 and 9, and the factors they believed would be most influential on choices to be made later in the school. In addition the students' views of science, of the separate sciences, and of their anticipated career patterns were sought. Several interesting findings were made which, if validated in further work, could lead to strategies which would support other approaches designed to reduce gender imbalances related to science. Specializations: non-scientific conceptions and conceptual change, problem solving, science teacher education. Specializations: Gender issues.     

Beurteilereffekte bei der Messung von Unterrichtsqualität

In the external evaluation of schools the technique of classroom observation belongs to the methodological standard repertoire. Nevertheless the measurement of quality of classroom teaching based upon selected lesson sequences, which are as a rule inspected only briefly, is fraught with a lot of methodological problems. Therefore it is relevant for a substantiated quality assurance to reveal problems in the measurement of quality of classroom teaching due to an implementation of adequate empirical methods. This is made possible by using the generalizability theory and the many-facet Rasch model. Analyses based upon data of the Hamburg school inspection point out that by using an appropriate data collection procedure rater effects in classroom observations turn out comparatively low at about nine percent of total variance. Furthermore analyses prove that it is insufficient to simply quantify the agreement among raters by using global reliability measures, but that it is necessary to check up on intra rater consistency for getting valid and in this way reliable results from classroom observations for the practice.     

Measuring the degree of implementation of school-based assessment schemes for practical science

The study described in this paper investigated the degree of implementation of school-based assessment schemes for practical science. An assessment scheme in Hong Kong was used as the context for the research. Five dimensions of implementation were identified and a conceptual framework was built by breaking down each dimension into attributes and these into content areas. The research method used in the study incorporated some modifications on most past designs in order to determine adequately the construct validity of data and to examine any method-specific biases. Three measuring instruments (namely, a student questionnaire, a teacher questionnaire and an observation schedule) were designed. The construct validity of student data was demonstrated through confirmatory factor analysis and multitrait-multimethod analysis. Comparative analyses of students' perceptions, teacher self-reports and independent observational data resulted in convergent findings for only three out of the ten attributes of implementation.     

Physics teachers' action-research experience with a teaching module on “Force”

Eight physics teachers from three research schools working in collaboration with the author developed, tried, and evaluated a teaching module on “Force”. The module was designed for students in a non-western society, for whom there is no cultural term that explicitly defines the concept. This paper describes illustrative examples of the trials and evaluation exercise of the module. It concludes with a summary of the effects the teachers' interaction with the module had on their professional development. Specializations: Physics education, science education, education in developing countries.     

Faculty research involvement and instructional outcomes

Faculty members in the natural-mathematical sciences (N=93) and in the social-behavioral sciences (N=90) were rated on research involvement by department heads and on teaching outcomes by students. Differences in teaching outcomes for members of the two disciplines confirmed several common stereotypes. Those heavily involved in research appeared to establish higher academic standards for students than did the relatively uninvolved, but the two faculty groups generally did not differ on student progress ratings. However, for four of ten criterion measures, a significant interaction occurred. Student ratings were positively related to the degree of research involvement for faculty members in natural-mathematical sciences but negatively related to research involvement on the part of social-behavioral scientists.     

Practising what I preach: Modelling reflective practice to student teachers

This study explores the relationship between a teacher educator's explicit modelling of reflection on practice and student-teachers' developing use of reflection on practice. In this case, the teacher educator attempted to offer his student-teachers opportunities to see, hear and understand the thinking that underpinned his pedagogy so that they might better understand and develop their reflective skills in their own teaching practice. Through a framework developed from the work of Dewey (1933) a theoretical perspective on reflection was designed and applied to the student-teachers' thoughts as displayed through their journal writing and interviews. This paper demonstrates that modelling is an important aspect to enhancing student-teachers' learning about teaching and learning.     

Lessons learned from more than two decades of HIV/AIDS prevention efforts: implications for people who are deaf or hard of hearing

In contrast with the nearly 30 years of HIV/AIDS research with the hearing community, data on HIV infection among persons who are deaf and hard of hearing is primarily anecdotal. Although the few available estimates suggest that deaf and hard of hearing persons are disproportionately affected by HIV infection, no surveillance systems are in place to identify either frequency or mode of HIV infection within this population. Moreover, to date, all empirically validated HIV prevention interventions have relied on communication strategies developed for persons who hear. Therefore, understanding and developing effective prevention methods is crucial for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. The authors explore (a) factors among this population that may contribute to HIV-related behaviors, (b) four key concepts consistently included in successful interventions, and (c) practical ways in which to use this information to tailor effective intervention strategies for this population.