Are educators ready for reform—A response to the critics

In this rejoinder, we respond to the reactions provided by Thomas Andre, Donald Beggs, Robert Brown, Susan Hegland, Kenneth Henson, Theodore Kowalski, Richard Lathrop, Phyllis Maslow, Royce Ronning, James Schnurr, John Sikula, and John Surber. In addition, we present findings based on data collected from three additional national samples; The National School Board Association (NSBA), the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), as well as teachers who were in the NASSP sample. Finally, we draw conclusions from our data-collection efforts and from reactions given by the scholars listed above to make suggestions about which kinds of reforms educators are ready to implement.     

Girls,boys and conceptual physics: An evaluation of a senior secondary physics course

This paper reports an evaluation of the physics course at Dickson College (ACT) looking at students' high school experience, their expectations before beginning and their impressions and feelings during the course. In general, students seem to have a fairly negative approach to physics, enrolling for a variety of often vague utilitarian reasons but with little expectation of enjoyment or interest. These opinions were most prevalent in girls who tend to find the content difficult and the course as a whole uninteresting. There is also a significant difference between girls and boys in their response to different types of assessment items. In an attempt to enhance the level of interest and enjoyment in students we have been phasing in a more ‘conceptual’ approach to the teaching of physics. Specializations: senior Physics, Chemistry and Biology.     

Integration of technology in the school curriculum

This paper describes, chronologically, the deliberations of a school staff in their decision-making to place technology education in their school. The outcome of these deliberations is a curriculum model whereby objectives of technology awareness, technological literacy, technological capability and transferable skills are integrated with all subjects in the school. The desired outcome is that students at this school will gain a technological education by, for example, attending classes in English, Home Economics, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science and Art. The implementation process is ongoing, is being evaluated and has already experienced senior staff changes and industrial disruption without loss of vigour or intent. Specializations: diagnosis of student learning and teaching for conceptual change, technology education, curriculum evaluation.     

Predicting national direct student loan defaults: The role of personality data

The purpose of this study was to determine if National Direct Student Loan defaulters could be differentiated from payers by using information available at the time the loan is made. Data from 686 repayers and 192 nonpayers were analyzed. It was found that a combination of five student characteristics was all that was needed to accurately predict which students would not repay their loans. The combination of factors which proved to have predictive value in order of importance were: grade point average at the time of the loan, ACT composite score, OPI complexity scale, the OPI anxiety level scale, and the size of the loan. The most striking outcome was that personality measures have strong predictive value in identifying future defaulters. Further validation of these findings is underway.     

Negotiating school-university partnerships: Participants' voices in co-reform

Although many educators recognize the importance of voice, fostering voice in those who have traditionally been voiceless has been difficult. This article, like the program that it describes, tackles that challenge by having participants speak for themselves. Specifically, the participants speak about their involvement in the first year of an alternative teacher education project. In describing their involvement, the participants focus on their roles and relationships as well as the type of partnership and collaboration that emerged from this project.     

Introducing technology education to young children: A design,make and appraise approach

The National Statement on Technology Education will soon be released in Australia. The statement advocates adesign,make andappraise approach to technology education. The document includes Year One children and provides exemplars of curriculum activities for early childhood children. Although much curriculum development in technology education for primary and early childhood has taken place in the UK, little research has been conducted within the early childhood area in Australia. This paper describes a study which sought to investigate how thedesign,make andappraise approach could be implemented within early childhood using existing materials, procedures and teaching programmes. In particular, the pre-school programme was considered to see if the approach was suitable for young children, and if girls could be encouraged into this newly defined area of study. Specializations: early childhood science education, early childhood technology education.     

Cultural problems in minority education: Their interpretations and consequences—Part two: Case studies

Culture has featured prominently in minority educational research, policies, and intervention since the early 1960s. It is receiving even more attention today in minority education discourse due to the emergence of cultural diversity and multicultural education as popular national issues. A careful analysis of the new discourse suggests, however, that the issue has shifted from how cultural differences enhance or deter the school adjustment and academic performance of minority children to the problem of cultural hegemony and representation in school curriculum and other domains of education. In my two-part essay I argue for a reconsideration of the earlier question about how culture affects minority school adjustment and academic performance. In the first part of this essay l (1) argued that there are real cultural differences which confront minority children in school and (2) proposed thecultural frame of reference as a conceptual tool to understand minorities' interpretations of and responses to the cultural problems they encounter. More specifically, I suggested that voluntary minorities who interpret the cultural differences as barriers to be overcome are more successful in crossing cultural boundaries. Involuntary minorities with an oppositional cultural frame of reference are ambivalent in their interpretation of cultural differences as barriers and markers of group identity. They are less successful-in crossing cultural boundaries. In this second part, I will demonstrate my explanations with two case studies: blacks, an involuntary minority group and Chinese Americans, a voluntary minority group. Part One of this paper appeared in Volume 27, Number 3, September 1995.     

Boundary Objects with Agency: A Method for Studying the Design-Use Interface

The design and use of information technologies are not as easily separated as they may seem. Designers have much at stake in the use of their software, while users are greatly influenced by the design of the software that they use. In this article, I explore the complex relationships built up between the designers and users of human anatomy simulations, including processes of cooperation and conflict. I develop and apply a three-step process for studying the design and use of a software product in its social context. First, it is important to focus on the social worlds of designers and users that influence the development of the technology. Next, the emphasis shifts to the technology itself, which can be viewed as a boundary object emerging from the intersection of the contributing social worlds. Finally, the technology exhibits agency by reshaping the relationships and interactions among the contributing social worlds.