The effect of colour of tester on performance on a group reading test

A study of the relationship between colour of tester and performance on a group reading test was carried out using, as testers, two student teachers of similar experience and appearance apart from colour of skin and, as subjects, 24 children of families of West Indian origin and 24 indigenous children matched for school, sex and age (8-9 yrs). Parallel forms of the Young Group Reading Test (Young, 1969) were administered on alternative occasions by the black tester and the white tester. Differences between the mean group scores were not statistically significant. Correlations between performance on test and re-test by ethnic group, sex, school, colour of tester for first test and form of test for first test were statistically significant, and at or beyond the .05 level. Evidence of ethnic-group effect was not apparent. Attempts to reduce stress e.g. the use of group tests, may have inhibited the expression of ethnic-group effect, if indeed it existed.     

Guidance in inquiry-based instruction – an attempt to disentangle a manifold construct

Inquiry-based instruction is an important teaching strategy in science education that can be implemented to achieve different learning goals (e.g. the learning of science content or of inquiry skills and strategies). Inquiry-based instruction is often combined with guidance attempting to assist students to effectively engage in inquiry activities and, through this engagement, reach the intended goals. In recent research, the type and amount of guidance needed to foster student’s learninghas received considerable attention. One challenge in interpreting the results of this line of research is the manifold meanings of the term ‘guidance’ and its implementation in inquiry-based instruction. Moreover, the effectiveness of a particular type and amount of guidance may also depend on the learning goal that is to be achieved. In this paper, we draw on existing research and theoretical considerations in attempting to disentangle three major dimensions in which the implementation of guidance may vary: (a) the degree of autonomy, (b) the degree of conceptual information, and (c) the cognitive domain of guidance. We discuss how these dimensions can be used to capture and systemise fidings of existing studies as well as to infer desiderata for further research on the role of guidance in inquiry-based instruction.     

Sense of place among New England commercial fishermen and organic farmers: implications for socially constructed environmental education

Given the prominence of sense of place in environmental education curricula, this paper aims to empirically examine and strengthen the conceptual understanding of sense of place. The results and implications are derived from research where five commercial fishermen and five organic farmers from the New England Seacoast region participated in a series of in‐depth phenomenological interviews and observations. This study supports the literature‐based conceptual framework that sense of place is comprised of: (1) ecological knowledge, which leads to ecological identity, (2) social knowledge, which facilitates the development of a social identity, and (3) attachment to the human and non‐human community in a place. Two broad themes that emerged from the data demonstrate how the social context of the human and non‐human community contributes to the development of one’s sense of place.     

Inquiry-Based Learning and the Art of Mathematical Discourse

Abstract

Our particular flavor of inquiry-based learning (IBL) uses mathematical discourse, conversations, and discussions to empower students to deepen their mathematical thinking, building on strengths of students in the humanities. We present an organized catalog of powerful questions, discussion prompts, and talk moves that can help faculty facilitate a classroom focused on mathematical discourse. The paper brings this discourse alive through classroom vignettes and explores various teacher moves and their impacts. The mathematical theme of the classroom investigations, Maypole dance patterns, stems from the learning guide “Discovering the Art of Mathematics: Dance.” Both authors are part of the NSF-funded project “Discovering the Art of Mathematics,” which provides IBL materials for mathematics for liberal arts courses, see www.artofmathematics.org.     

“I Bought My Degree,Now I Want My Job!” Is Academic Entitlement Related to Prospective Workplace Entitlement?

Academic entitlement, a term that defines students’ expectations of academic success independent of performance, has been linked with a number of maladaptive behaviors. This study examined the potential relationship between academic entitlement and prospective workplace entitlement in a sample of Canadian students (N=1024) using an online survey. Multivariate analyses produced a significant (p<0.05) positive relationship between academic entitlement and prospective workplace entitlement. Graduate students had higher levels of prospective workplace entitlement than did undergraduates, and those pursuing degrees in Education and Law had significantly lower levels of prospective workplace entitlement than students in other areas of study. Results support a need to develop strategies to minimize entitlement beliefs prior to an individual’s entry into the workforce.     

Correlates of adjustment to aging among the young-old and the oldest-old: A comparative analysis

This study aims to compare the correlates of adjustment to aging (AtA) reported by young-old and oldest-old adults and to build two structural models to explore the correlates of AtA for these two age groups. A cross-national study encompassing a community-dwelling sample of 823 older adults aged 65 years and older was undertaken. Several measures were employed to assess AtA, subjective well-being, and sense of coherence. A questionnaire to determine socio-demographic (sex, age, professional and marital status, education, household, adult children, family’s annual income, living setting, and self-reported spirituality), lifestyle and health-related characteristics (perceived health, recent disease, medication, and leisure) was also used. Structural equation modeling was employed to investigate a structural model of AtA, comprising socio-demographic, lifestyle, and health-related variables, as well as SWB and SOC for both groups. Leisure was the most significant correlate of AtA for the young-old (β = .422; p < .001) while self-reported spirituality was the most significant correlate of AtA for the oldest-old (β = .711; p < .001). Significant correlates explain 67.8% and 73.1% of the variability of AtA, respectively. The results presented in this study highlighted different perspectives of AtA, outlined in two structural models, for the groups, and the need of addressing the differences between these, when implementing health care interventions, in particular the relevance of leisure and self-reported spirituality.     

How open source software works: “free” user-to-user assistance

Research into free and open source software development projects has so far largely focused on how the major tasks of software development are organized and motivated. But a complete project requires the execution of “mundane but necessary” tasks as well. In this paper, we explore how the mundane but necessary task of field support is organized in the case of Apache web server software, and why some project participants are motivated to provide this service gratis to others. We find that the Apache field support system functions effectively. We also find that, when we partition the help system into its component tasks, 98% of the effort expended by information providers in fact returns direct learning benefits to those providers. This finding considerably reduces the puzzle of why information providers are willing to perform this task “for free.” Implications are discussed.     

Profiting from voluntary information spillovers: how users benefit by freely revealing their innovations

Empirical studies of innovation have found that end users frequently develop important product and process innovations. Defying conventional wisdom on the negative effects of uncompensated spillovers, innovative users also often openly reveal their innovations to competing users and to manufacturers. Rival users are thus in a position to reproduce the innovation in-house and benefit from using it, and manufacturers are in a position to refine the innovation and sell it to all users, including competitors of the user revealing its innovation. In this paper, we explore the incentives that users might have to freely reveal their proprietary innovations. We then develop a game-theoretic model to explore the effect of these incentives on users’ decisions to reveal or hide their proprietary information. We find that, under realistic parameter constellations, free revealing pays. We conclude by discussing some implications of our findings.     

Problems in the planning of higher education

With the growing demand for places in German universities, the present system of allowing entrance to everyone who holds the Abitur has become unsatisfactory. This paper looks at ways of controlling the size of the higher education system and allocating resources from the viewpoint of economic theory.Three ideal type educational planning models are sketched, one of which - a market model - is argued to have the greatest advantages. It would involve a state credit scheme for students with repayments via a graduate tax; student fees would provide all or most of the universities' funds. It would remove the inequity of the present system which involves a transfer of income from today's (relatively poorer) earners to tomorrow's, and from those with lower earning potential to those with higher. Since students would be in a position to choose the most satisfying and/or cheapest courses of study and would find it easier to change courses if they wished, it would reward cost-saving and student-satisfying innovation. By providing more finely graded levels of qualification within subject areas, it would reduce the extent to which jobs are ordered hierarchically in an irrational and inefficient way; and the universities would respond more flexibly to changes in labour market demands.This is a translation, with minor amendments, of a paper published in Fundamental Problems of Infrastructure Planning for Growing Economies, Proceedings of the Conference of the Society for Social Policy, Innsbruck, 1970, Berlin: Verlag von Duncker und Humblot, 1971. It is reproduced here by arrangement with the publisher. The article was translated into English by David Webster.