An Examination of Mathematics Professional Development Opportunities in Early Childhood Settings

This study investigates how and to what extent preservice and inservice early childhood educators are being prepared to develop mathematics skills and processes in young children, age birth to five, in one southeastern state in the United States. Utilizing a multi-phase mixed methods study and a follow-up survey central to the research question, findings from this study indicate that professional development in mathematics is inadequate. Few of the professional development opportunities focus on specific mathematical content areas or address the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics. In addition, the majority of the professional development opportunities are short, hourly sessions with little to no follow-up. Implications of the results and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Intentional Teaching,Intentional Scholarship: Applying Backward Design Principles in a Faculty Writing Group

Backward design is a course creation method that encourages teachers to identify their goals for student understanding and measurable objectives for learning from the outset. In this article we explore the application of backward design to the production of scholarly articles. Specifically, we report on a writing group program that encourages group goal setting and the acquisition of skills required to achieve these goals. We discuss the relationships between backward design principles and the development of scholarship for publication as well as offer suggestions of best practices for academic writers.     

Students’ Ontological Security and Agency in Science Education—An Example from Reasoning about the Use of Gene Technology

This paper reports on a study of how students' reasoning about socioscientific issues is framed by three dynamics: societal structures, agency and how trust and security issues are handled. Examples from gene technology were used as the forum for interviews with 13 Swedish high-school students (year 11, age 17–18). A grid based on modalities from the societal structures described by Giddens was used to structure the analysis. The results illustrate how the participating students used both modalities for ‘Legitimation’ and ‘Domination’ to justify positions that accept or reject new technology. The analysis also showed how norms and knowledge can be used to justify opposing positions in relation to building trust in science and technology, or in democratic decisions expected to favour personal norms. Here, students accepted or rejected the authority of experts based on perceptions of the knowledge base that the authority was seen to be anchored in. Difficulty in discerning between material risks (reduced safety) and immaterial risks (loss of norms) was also found. These outcomes are used to draw attention to the educational challenges associated with students' using knowledge claims (Domination) to support norms (Legitimation) and how this is related to the development of a sense of agency in terms of sharing norms with experts or with laymen.     

Cross‐cultural epistemological orientations to socioscientific issues

The purpose of this investigation was to examine, from a cross‐cultural perspective, students' epistemological patterns of reasoning about socioscientific issues (SSI), and to identify potential interactions of cultural and scientific identity. Mediating factors associated with students' argumentation and discourse about SSI, as well as the public's understanding of science, has been identified as an important area of investigation in the field of science education. This mixed‐methods design included over 300 students from Jamaica, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United States. Students responded to instruments designed to assess their epistemological conceptualizations and justifications related to distributive justice, allocation of scarce medical resources, and epistemological beliefs over five dimensions related to scientific knowledge. Four iterations of a coding scheme produced over 97% inter‐rater agreement for four independent coders. Results indicate there is a consistent trend toward epistemological congruity across cultures within inductively derived themes of: (1) Fairness; (2) Pragmatism; (3) Emotive Reasoning; (4) Utility; and (5) Theological Issues. Moreover, there were no discernable differences in terms of how students from these countries presented their beliefs on the sub‐categories of each of the five major categories. It appears that students displayed a high degree of congruence with respect to how they frame their reasoning on this SSI as well as their justifications for their epistemological beliefs. There were statistically significant differences regarding the ability to raise scientifically relevant questions among countries. Commonalities as well as distinguishing characteristics in epistemological orientations are compared and contrasted and connections to a model of socioscientific reasoning with implications for research and pedagogy are discussed. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 50:251–283, 2013     

The Development and Validation of a Formula for Measuring Single-Sentence Test Item Readability

This study describes the development and validation of the Homan-Hewitt Readability Formula. This formula estimates the readability level of single-sentence test items. Its initial development is based on the assumption that differences in readability level will affect item difficulty. The validation of the formula is achieved by (a) estimating the readability levels of sets of test items predicted to be written at 2nd- through 8th-grade levels; (b) administering the tests to 782 students in grades 2 through 5; (3) using the class means as the unit of analyses and subjecting the data to a two-factor repeated measures ANOVA. Significant differences were found on class mean performance scores across the levels of readability. These results indicated that a relationship exists between students'reading grade levels and their responses to test items written at higher readability levels.     

Counter-stories as representations of the racialized experiences of students of color in higher education and student affairs graduate preparation programs

In this paper, we employ Critical Race Theory theoretically and methodologically to examine the racialized experiences of students of color in higher education and student affairs (HESA) graduate preparation programs. We employ counter-storytelling as a method for constructing narratives that disrupt the master narrative found within HESA graduate preparation programs, which often boast an espoused commitment to diversity and social justice. Based on a study of 29 graduate students of color in 21 master’s programs across the United States, the counter-stories reflect the endemic nature of racism in graduate education including the classroom, academic program, and campus. Students expressed experiences of tokenization, disappointment, feelings of frustration, anger, and racial battle fatigue. Implications for improving racial climates in graduate education are also shared.     

Join With Other Centers To Produce... A creative arts festival

Young children learn about the world around them when they explore, create, or just mess about with materials. The knowledge gained from these early hands-on experiences is the foundation for the development of more abstract concepts.Jean Linder is an Associate Professor and Ron Linder is a Professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Miriam Piercy is an Assistant Professor at Murray State University in Kentucky. All three authors have been involved with the Children's Festival of the University of South Florida, College of Education. The recent 6th Annual Festival attracted more than 4,000 children to the campus to experience more than 70 various hands-on activities for children.     

The Impact of Studying Abroad on Male Preservice Teachers: A Phenomenological Investigation

In this article, the authors describe changes in preservice teachers’ perceptions of and attitudes regarding diversity following a semester-long study abroad experience. Phenomenological methods were used to analyze data collected from five male preservice teachers during a study abroad to Brussels, Belgium in the Fall of 2010. Changes in participants’ definition and attitudes regarding diversity and resulting implications for practice were evident.