Using culture as a resource in mathematics: the case of four Mexican–American prospective teachers in a bilingual after-school program

This paper explores Mexican–American prospective teachers’ use of culture—defined as social practices and shared experiences—as an instructional resource in mathematics. The setting is an after-school mathematics program for the children of Mexican heritage. Qualitative analysis of the prospective teachers’ and children’s interactions reveals that the nature of the mathematical activities affected how culture was used. When working on the “binder activities,” prospective teachers used culture only in non-mathematical contexts. When working on the “recipes project,” however, culture was used as a resource in mathematical contexts. Implications for the mathematics teacher preparation of Latinas/os are discussed.     

Learning to read in Russian: effects of orthographic complexity

Much attention has been paid to the delay in writing acquisition caused by irregularities of Russian orthography, but little is known about their effect on reading acquisition. Results of the present longitudinal reading acquisition study of Russian first graders suggest that phonological recoding is the dominant strategy in the initial phase of reading development in Russian, while there is evidence of gradual shift towards orthographic processing in reading high‐frequency regular words. The study confirms that Russian readers encounter difficulties in reading orthographically complex words, where phonological recoding does not completely succeed. These findings are compared with results of reading acquisition studies in other orthographies, and their relevance for models of reading acquisition in different types of orthographies is discussed.     

Adaptive learning in university students’ opinions: Cross-border research

Education and Information Technologies - Contemporary education is often based on using e-learning courses, which have become a popular means of delivering didactic material to students. Among the...     

Direct and indirect effects of education on job satisfaction: A structural equation model for the Spanish case

Empirical literature has traditionally analyzed the effect of education on job satisfaction with single-equation models that ignore interrelationships between theoretical explanatory variables. Their results are somewhat inconclusive. We propose estimating a structural equation model to obtain both the direct effects and the set of indirect effects. Analysis of these effects allows us to explain the apparent contradictions that have existed to date, and to improve knowledge of the economic value of education. The proposed model shows that people with higher levels of formal education are more satisfied with their jobs, because they are more likely to access jobs with characteristics that provide greater satisfaction.     

What Matters to Whom: Predictors of Teacher Satisfaction in a Career Development Plan

This article examines several workplace predictors of career satisfaction for teachers involved in a career development plan. Furthermore, it examines whether different aspects of the work environment, including intrinsic job characteristics and positive personnel evaluation, are predictors of career satisfaction for teachers in different groups. The predictors of career satisfaction vary according to divergent work roles and career phases. Among the independent variables emerging as important are informational resources and hierarchy of authority for entry-level teachers, rationality of promotion for career-level teachers, and positive evaluation by the principal for experienced teachers who are not participating in the career development plan.     

Anatomy Learning from Prosected Cadaveric Specimens Versus Plastic Models: A Comparative Study of Upper Limb Anatomy

Human cadaveric prosections are a traditional, effective, and highly appreciated modality of anatomy learning. Plastic models are an alternative teaching modality, though few studies examine their effectiveness in learning of upper limb musculoskeletal anatomy. The purpose of this study is to investigate which modality is associated with a better outcome, as assessed by students' performance on examinations. Overall, 60 undergraduate medical students without previous knowledge of anatomy participated in the study. Students were assigned into two groups. Group 1 attended lectures and studied from cadaveric prosections (n = 30) and Group 2 attended lectures and used plastic models in the laboratory (n = 30). A knowledge assessment, including examination with tag questions (spot test) and written multiple-choice questions, was held after the end of the study. Students' perceptions were also investigated via an anonymous questionnaire. No significant difference in students' performance was observed between the group using prosections and the group using plastic models (32.2 ± 14.7 vs 35.0 ± 14.8, respectively; P = 0.477). Similarly, no statistically significant difference was found regarding students' satisfaction from using each learning modality (P = 0.441). Plastic models may be a valuable supplementary modality in learning upper limb musculoskeletal anatomy, despite their limitations. Easy to use and with no need for maintaining facilities, they are highly appreciated by students and can be useful when preparing for the use of cadaveric specimens.     

The Psychological Uses of Ruthlessness in a Children's Fantasy Tale: Beatrix Potter and The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902) is one of the top best-selling children's books of all time. In an attempt to account for its staggering success, this paper examines the dynamic processes through which meaning shapes itself out of fictional constructs. A study of Potter's tale presents insights into the psychic logic of the author's intentions and her uses of narrative to give order through form to desire. Drawing on the work of Freud, Brooks and Winnicott, concepts such as transference, masterplot and wish fulfilment are considered as ways of illuminating the symptomatic uses of Peter for Potter. Arguably, the little hero's enactments of ruthlessness, 'mouth love' and defiance function as symbolic containing devices through which the author expresses her capacity for self-knowledge. The story's symbolization of greed serves not only as a displacement of the psychic reality of hunger felt by a gifted, rigidly controlled Victorian female author, but equally important, as a transitional space for child readers through time to imagine the capacity to go to extreme limits in terms of satisfying psychic spaces left empty and angry by want.     

Design and Reflection Help Students Develop Scientific Abilities: Learning in Introductory Physics Laboratories

Design activities, when embedded in an inquiry cycle and appropriately scaffolded and supplemented with reflection, can promote the development of the habits of mind (scientific abilities) that are an important part of scientific practice. Through the Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE), students construct physics knowledge by engaging in inquiry cycles that replicate the approach used by physicists to construct knowledge. A significant portion of student learning occurs in ISLE instructional labs where students design their own experiments. The labs provide an environment for cognitive apprenticeship enhanced by formative assessment. As a result, students develop interpretive knowing that helps them approach new problems as scientists. This article describes a classroom study in which the students in the ISLE design lab performed equally well on traditional exams as ISLE students who did not engage in design activities. However, the design group significantly outperformed the non-design group while working on novel experimental tasks (in physics and biology), demonstrating the application of scientific abilities to an inquiry task in a novel content domain. This research shows that a learning environment that integrates cognitive apprenticeship and formative assessment in a series of conceptual design tasks provides a rich context for helping students build scientific habits of mind.     

Two decades of charter schools: Expectations,reality, and the future

The first charter school law was passed in Minnesota in 1991 and with it, a new school reform movement began. After two decades, 41 states and Washington D.C. have adopted charter legislation. This special issue provides an opportunity for scholars to reflect upon the promises and limitations of charter schools and to offer policy advice for those in a position to influence future reforms. Together, the papers within this special issue examine the achievement effects of charter schools, their cost effectiveness, the competitive pressure created by charter schools, the degree to which charter schools are innovative and how some of the operational and policy features of charter schools may affect outcomes.