USING A STATE TEACHER CERTIFICATION TEST TO ASSESS AN INQUIRY-BASED SCIENCE EDUCATION PROGRAM

In this study, we looked at the impact of our specially designed inquiry-based science courses for pre-service elementary teachers on their science content knowledge as measured by a high-stakes state certification test for elementary education. We conducted a pre/post-analysis of the certification test scores of 1,003 pre-service teachers. Cohort 1 consisted of 424 students who took the test prior to implementation of our reformed science courses. Cohort 2 consisted of 579 students taking the test after complete implementation. We examined overall test scores, science subscores, total science credits, age, and science transfer credits. We found that the overall test score dropped significantly from cohort 1 to cohort 2, but the science subscores remained unchanged. Our results showed that students who took all 3 of the science content courses vs. none scored significantly higher on the science portion, non-traditional students (older than 25) scored similarly to traditional-aged students, and there was a negative correlation with the number of science courses transferred. Of importance is the fact that students who took the minimal number of science courses and are less interested in science passed the science portion at the same rate (over 90%) as science majors and minors. We conclude that our pre-service elementary teachers can and do learn science content using inquiry as recommended by the National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996).     

A history of higher and professional correspondence education in the UK

ABSTRACT

Correspondence education, or learning by post, lasted over 100 years in the UK; it had its roots in the nineteenth century, peaking in the mid-1960s. It was also widespread, numbering hundreds of thousands of enrolments, significantly increasing access to higher education. Yet it has been marginalised in accounts of British higher education. This is partly because it was largely private and for-profit and so distinct from the public education system, while the state declined to play any significant role in its oversight. Consequently, little official data concerning correspondence education has ever been available. This paper constructs an account of the history of correspondence education in the UK in terms of its development as a form of academic and professional provision, and its regulatory framework. The paper also considers the reasons for the eventual demise of the correspondence education sector following changes in teaching methods, and the impact of digital technology.     

Engaging and training students in the development of inclusive learning materials for their peers

With equal access requirements and increasing rates of enrolment of students with disabilities in higher education, universities must find appropriate and efficient ways to create accessible materials which benefit and support all students. In response to cuts to disability funding, issues relating to the provision of an inclusive curriculum are now dominating institutional policy and educational discourses. This paper reports on a trans-Atlantic project which utilised student employees to convert and develop inclusive learning materials for their peers, with the expressed purpose of piloting a sustainable intervention method generalisable to meeting similar needs of diverse universities for inclusive material provision and a future workforce aware of disability issues and accommodations. Qualitative in-depth interviews with ten students (eight UK and two US) find that involving student employees in the delivery of inclusive materials improves partnerships and attitudes around disability and accessibility measures.     

Internationalization of Canadian Agriculture: Policy and Governing Paradigms

Abstract

Purpose: To identify various organizational climatic factors responsible for role performances of veterinary officers in Andhra Pradesh, India.

Design/methodology/approach: Study was conducted in 11 selected districts. Data were collected from 220 respondents through a pretested interview schedule and subjected to correlation and multiple regression to draw valid inferences. Organizational climate was measured by using the index specially prepared for the study.

Findings: Around 76% of the respondents perceived that the organizational climate prevailing in the department of animal husbandry was favorable. Leadership, teamwork and trust had significant contribution towards perception of organizational climate. The respondents were least satisfied with motivation, decision-making and goal setting components of the organizational climate. The model with seven variables out of 16 independent variables was a good fit with R square of 85.59%. Work motivation, persistence disposition, participativeness, job satisfaction, physical facilities availability and timeliness of availability of facilities were found to have significant positive influence while job stress had significant negative influence on perceived organizational climate.

Practical implications: This investigation has an organizational and social significance for development of livestock organizations not only in India, but also to other SAARC countries as well.

Originality/value: No empirical evidence on inter-relation between organizational climate and job performance of veterinarians is available at present in Andhra Pradesh.     

The Many Turnings of Agricultural Extension in Australia

Abstract

Purpose: This article outlines the development of extension as a discipline in Australia, its organization, and the ideological changes that have occurred from the second half of the nineteenth century through to the present.

Design/Methodology/Approach: It considers the evolution of extension across the different states of Australia from a national perspective and describes how the research development and extension (RD&E) complex has rotated through cycles of crises, highs, awakenings in thought and practice, and periods where achievements and institutions unravel.

Findings: Discussed is the tension between public and private sector extension, as well as the successes and failures of various paradigms. It considers the impacts of different agricultural policy on Australian agricultural RD&E across the decades. In particular it deals with the current ‘unravelling’ of the agricultural RD&E system in Australia, and tries to anticipate future demands on agricultural extension and how these services might be delivered into the future.

Practical Implications: The article challenges the reader to consider the discipline of extension as a subset of the greater society in which it exists. It provides an insight into how the agricultural research, development and extension capacity of a nation can be observed to ebb and flow over generations in accord with the rhythm of society.

Originality/Value: The article presents a perspective that has not been fully captured or understood until now.     

The empowerment of women dairy farmers in India

This study explores the role of communication in the empowerment process of female dairy farmers in India, through a program that particularly draws on the theoretical perspectives of Paulo Freire and Saul Alinsky regarding empowerment. Female dairy fanners who participated in this communication program were more empowered than female dairy farmers who did not participate.     

Reviews: Ethics,consulting, and communication

Ethics in Human Communication (2nd ed.). Edited by Richard L. Johannesen. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press, 1983, pp. x + 244. $8.95.

Ethics, Morality and the Media: Reflections on American Culture. Edited by Lee Thayer. New York: Hastings House, 1980, pp. xvi + 302. $21.50 (cloth) or $11.95 (paper).

Ethical Perspectives and Critical Issues in Intercultural Communication. Edited by Nobleza C. Asuncion‐Landé. Falls Church, VA: Speech Communication Association, 1978, pp. x + 179. $7.00.

Organization Development and Change (2nd ed.). By Edgar F. Huse. St. Paul: West Publishing, 1980, pp. xiv + 528. $22.50.

Trends and Issues in OD: Current Theory and Practice. Edited by W. Warner Burke and Leonard D. Goodstein. San Diego: University Associates, 1980, pp. vii + 351. $18.50.

Consultation. Edited by Thomas Backer and Edward Glaser. Los Angeles: Human Interaction Research Institute. Triannually. No charge.

Group and Organization Studies. Edited by Marshall Sashkin. San Diego: University Associates. Quarterly. $28.00 (individuals) and $54.00 (institutions).

Training and Development Journal. Edited by Patricia Galagen Hurley. Washington: American Society for Training and Development. Monthly. $40.00 (non‐members).     

Informatization,globalization, and privatization in the new Millenium

Informatization is the process through which the new communication technologies are used as a means for furthering socioeconomic development as a nation becomes more and more an information society. The informatization strategy in very recent years has provided an alternative to previous strategies of development communication. India is an example of such a shift, as the New Economic Policy of 1991 opened the nation's borders to global competition and encouraged a change from state‐owned institutions to private businesses. Several high‐technology cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad helped India become a major player in the computer software industry. The privatization of Indian television promoted consumerism, capitalism, and other Western values. One result of informatization is a growing digital divide between the majority of India's population versus the 100 million urban, elite information workers. Comparisons are made with Singapore's road to informatization.