Research in Science Education at the University of Paris VII

This article shows the difficulties that pupils have in learning to use a methodology based on the scientific method of forming the hypothesis a posteriori. It also shows the usefulness of the method in gathering together epistemologic information about conceptual models, used during the learning process by 19‐21 year old students.     

Determinanten der Studierbereitschaft unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von Studiengebühren

Even more than other European countries, Germany must fear a serious future skills shortage and lack of experts. Therefore, increasing the proportion of high school graduates who wish to study at a university is a clear political objective. The aim of this paper is to identify variables that hinder or support the decision to pursue university studies. We used longitudinal data of 23,000 graduates of upper secondary school of the years 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008 to analyze how tuition fees (which are charged only in some of the German federal states), family status, and students?? own cost-benefit analyses impacted their decision in favor or against taking up university studies. Results showed that the subjective costs of higher education were highest for persons of low social economic background, and for women. Also, the introduction of tuition fees in some federal states in the year 2006 lowered the percentage of students who wanted to enter higher education. Contrary to our expectations, however, this effect was observed in all federal states, irrespective of whether they had introduced tuition fees or not. Our results suggest that participation in higher education can be increased by both lowering (social and psychological) costs and raising (social and psychological) benefits of higher education.     

Assessment and Evaluation in Social Work Education: Formative and Summative Approaches

Despite a wealth of tacit knowledge in academia regarding effective teaching strategies and a rich theoretical and empirical knowledge base on student learning, social work instructors wishing to identify appropriate ways to measure teaching and learning have little evidence to guide them. This article presents a framework for assessment of student learning and evaluation of instructor teaching that distinguishes between formative methods, which support an ongoing process of improvement, and summative methods, which represent a measure of competence or mastery. While summative methods are often used to meet institutional or programmatic goals, formative methods bridge assessment and evaluation and can result in a more reflective, constructive, and productive experience for both instructors and students.     

University and Social Involvement at the Neighborhood Level: Implications for Social Work Education

The article describes and evaluates an innovative experiment in education and training of social workers at an academic learning center, which was established by the Hebrew University's School of Social Work and Social Welfare in a neighborhood of Jerusalem. The project focused on strengthening the link between theory, research, and practice. Participants were exposed to advanced theories and macropractice seminars, and gained practical experience as well as tools and technologies for coping with the social problems faced by Jerusalem neighborhoods. In that process, they became aware of the difficulties involved in initiating programs and in establishing coalitions with neighborhood institutions, residents, and other constituencies. The article deals with the achievements of the learning center, as well as with the difficulties and dilemmas encountered in the effort to sustain collaboration between the university and the community. In addition, issues related to supervision of students specializing in community work and practice, and implications for social work education are presented and discussed.     

Serial position effects in social transmission of food preference: Retention/demonstration intervals

The effects of retention and demonstration intervals on serial position were evaluated in two experiments with Long-Evans rats. A list of 3 demonstrators that had eaten one of three flavored foods was presented to naive observers. In Experiment 1, there were four groups, three groups with a retention interval compared with one group with a zero retention interval or no retention interval. In Experiment 2, the demonstration interval was reduced. Intervals of 15, 5, 2, and 1 min were used. In Experiment 1, primacy decreased gradually in the four groups as the retention interval was increased in duration. In Experiment 2, primacy also decreased gradually, and recency occurred with the 1-min demonstrator interval. The increase in the duration of the retention interval reduced primacy. The reduction in the duration of the demonstration interval decreased primacy and produced recency.     

Cambios evolutivos en el patrón de lateralización en dos grupos de inmigrantes

Resumen

Se han estudiado los cambios evolutivos de la participación hemisférica cerebral en 80 estudiantes de instituto germanosuecos y en 28 adultos polaco-suecos que llegaron como refugiados políticos desde Polonia a Succia. Mediante un estudio transversal tomando como principal variable independiente la duración de la estancia en Suecia, se encontró que la competencia en la segunda lengua (sueco) variaba desde cero hasta un nivel similar al de los nativos. Se tomaron varias medidas lingüísticas en los dos idiomas como el nivel de palabras mediante pruebas taquistoscópicas y el nivel de palabras y frases con escucha dicótica. Los resultados de las diversas modalidades mostraron la menor participación del hemisferio izquierdo a mayor nivel de bilingüismo. El cambio gradual hacia el hemisferio derecho ocurrió tanto en los bilingües tempranos como en los tardíos, y en la L1 y la L2 en idiomas similares. En idiomas diferentes se obtuvo un efecto significativo marginal sólo para la L2. Se discuten los resultados en función de las hipótesis actuales sobre la lateralización y se ofrecen datos en contra de la hipótesis de los estadios.