An innovative model for collaborative reform in Elementary School Science Teaching

This article received the Innovations in Teaching Science Teachers award at the 1996 meeting of the Association for the Education of Teachers in Science. The award is made possible by Delta Education.This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (Grant No. TPE-9050015). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.     

Effect of film-mediated intensive instruction on basic problem-solving skills of ninth graders

How can junior high students sharpen thetr problem-solving skills? Can they be taught to observe accurately, analyze variables, and then generate a hypothesis? A number of approaches to this problem have been tried experimentally. In this study, ninth graders in two experimental groups watched a filmloop from Suchman’s Inquiry Development Program repeatedly until they could name 75 details or generate 5 hypotheses. The control and experimental groups then watched three more filmloops and were tested on both number and quality of details named, questions asked, and hypotheses generated. The assessment was repeated more than a year later with different filmloops. The results suggest that instruction in cue attendance, and perhaps hypotheses generation, would benefit junior high school students, not only immediately, but also in the long run.     

Challenges & compromises in Spike Lee's Malcolm X

–This study looks at Spike Lee's Malcolm X as an important text in understanding Afrocentric perspectives that challenge the ideological stereotypes of mainstream Hollywood film. Malcolm X intervenes between Lee, the filmmaker, and the powerful media industry and is emblematic of the larger discussion of hegemonic and counter-hegemonic views in media culture. This film is not only an interesting case study but a significant part of an ongoing cultural discourse that is as relevant now as when Malcolm X lived. The relevance of this essay lies in its contribution to the discussion of media perspectives with a focus on furthering media literacy. It aids the viewer in understanding the social discourse surrounding a mediated racist ideology and the ongoing cultural work of social equality in the United States. This research finds that in the continuing struggle over media representation, Lee's film is an instrument of media politics, controversy, and commercialization.     

A case study of high school teachers' decision making models for planning and teaching science

The focus of this study was to investigate the manner and the degree to which science teachers consider the nature of the subject matter in their decision making addressing the planning and the delivery of instructional tasks. An assumption of the study is that considerations for the nature of the subject matter should be a factor in a teacher's decision making about what to teach and how to teach. Relevant research literature reviewed includes (1) human decision making and the development of cognitive models of reality, (2) modern philosophies of science, and (3) philosophy of science and science education. Methods of data collection and of data analysis followed Spradley's Developmental Research Sequence guidelines for conducting ethnographic research. Validity of research findings was established from the triangulation of observations, interviews, and documents and surveys. The goal of the research was the development of grounded hypotheses about science TEACHERS' pedagogical decision making. Based on the results of this study it is hypothesized that science TEACHERS' decision-making models of reality for the selection, implementation, and development of instructional tasks are dominated by considerations for (a) student development, (b) curriculum guide objectives, and (c) pressures of accountability. Little, if any, consideration is given to the nature of the subject matter by the science teachers in decision making. Implications exist for the disenfranchisement of teachers from the task of making decisions concerning what to teach.     

Videotime: Selection and Structuring Family Social Time With Rented Commercially Prerecorded Electronic Media

Using in-depth interviews, this research investigates family members' processes for renting and watching commercially prerecorded video electronic media. The study finds that renting prerecorded video material is a negotiated process that begins in advance of viewing, and concludes that the social aspects of viewing are of paramount importance and concern to most family-oriented renters. In short, the viewers consider the time spent watching a rented video, or videotime, as family social time that is structured around this communal act. This study extends previous research in this area by explicating how families make decisions and negotiate the structuring of videotime.     

The long-term effect of intensive instruction on the open exploration behavior of ninth grade students

This study reports the long-term effects of intensive instruction (II) in the cue attendance (CA) or hypothesis generation (HG) on open-exploration behavior. The five dependent measures included: the number of observed details; the number and quality of hypotheses; and the number and diversity of questions. In the original study, Ss receiving either form of II performed significantly better than control Ss on all dependent measures. Both experimental groups performed equally well except for a large number of details observed by the II group. Fifteen months later, Ss II in CA were able to describe more details and ask more questions with greater diversity than the II in HG group or the control Ss. Ss II in HG produced more hypotheses than the control Ss and a higher quality of hypotheses than either the control Ss or the II in CA group.     

Managing Equality in Access

How can equality of access be managed successfully and what are the informing trends that institutions should not only acknowledge but act upon? An opening up of the education market means widening access, but this cannot be done in a vacuum. The associated management of equality in access must have a place in institutions’ strategic plans linked to a system of performance indicators to ensure appropriate measurement. Approaches will differ, but senior management should be committed to allocating resources and devoting marketing energies to this important area. Commitment to CATS will be a significant part of managing equality in access as will be the management of quality in access. These are challenges that are on the further and higher education agenda but which have yet to assume a higher priority in implementation.