Factors Affecting the Successful Implementation of a Common Assignment for First-Year Composition Information Literacy

This article describes a two-year pilot program in which instruction librarians introduced a common assignment to measure information literacy in freshman composition courses. The resultant artifacts showed discrepancies between course sections and indicated the need to design an assignment collaboratively with instructors from the ground up. The process revealed nuances of collaboration, and it exposed assumptions about sharing learning goals across multiple sections of a course taught by a diverse group of instructors. Although the first year of the pilot did not result in usable data, it revealed key factors for success in programmatic assessment that we were able to implement in the second year, resulting in a much stronger leadership role for the library.     

Agency, Identity, and Social Justice Education: Preservice Teachers’ Thoughts on Becoming Agents of Change in Urban Elementary Science Classrooms

Using multiple theoretical frameworks, reflective writings and interviews, this study explores preservice elementary teachers’ emerging identities as science teachers and how this identity is connected to notions of critical agency and a stance toward social justice. The study addresses two central questions pertaining to preservice teachers’ conceptions as “agents of change” and how their perceptions as change agents frame their science teacher identities and understanding of teaching science in urban elementary classrooms. Their identity in the moment as elementary preservice teachers—not yet teachers—influences how they view themselves as teachers and how much agency or power they feel they have as agents of change in science classrooms. Findings suggest that science teacher education must play a more immediate, fundamental and emancipatory role in preparing preservice teachers in developing science teacher identities and a stance toward social justice.     

Preparing Elementary Preservice Teachers for Urban Elementary Science Classrooms: Challenging Cultural Biases Toward Diverse Students

This study reports the learning of elementary preservice teachers regarding diversity and teaching science in diverse urban elementary classrooms. From participating in a semester-long book club, the preservice teachers reveal their cultural biases, connect and apply their knowledge of diversity, and understand that getting to know their students are important elements for teaching science in diverse classrooms. These 3 things connect in ways that allow the preservice teachers to understand how their cultural biases impede student learning and gain new knowledge of diversity as they change their cultural biases. Implications of this study reveal that preservice teachers need opportunities to reveal, confront, challenge, and change their cultural models and to develop new models for teaching science in urban elementary classrooms.

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Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Development of Self-Efficacy and Confidence to Teach Science: A Case Study

This study examines the self-efficacy of one preservice elementary school teacher (Kasey) during and after her participation in Science in Childhood Education—a 16-week, elementary preservice science methods course. The case study of this teacher is situated in the context of the class as a whole. This is accomplished through interviewing the one teacher and examining artifacts and observations of the entire class. The results of these experiences are studied to determine what changes have taken place in the participants’ self-efficacy in science teaching as well as the one preservice teacher in greater detail. Because self efficacy is influential to student learning, the results of this study have significant implications for the design of elementary teacher education programs and the support of elementary teachers in teaching science.     

Critical Chemistry Education in a Private,Suburban High School

Research in Science Education - This critical ethnography documents how a group of 25 students and their teacher/researcher in a suburban, private school setting, the vast majority from the...     

Urban high school students’ perspectives about sexual health decision-making: the role of school culture and identity

Studies across fields such as science education, health education, health behavior, and curriculum studies identify a persistent gap between the aims of the school curriculum and its impact on students’ thinking and acting about the real-life decisions that affect their lives. The present study presents a different story from this predominant pattern in the literature. Through a year-long ethnographic investigation of a health-focused New York City public high school’s HIV/AIDS and sex education program, this study illustrates a case in which 20 12th grade students respond positively to their education on these topics and largely assert that school significantly influences their perspectives and actions related to sexual health decision-making. This paper presents the following interpretation of this positive influence: school culture influences these students’ perspectives and decisions around sexual health by contributing to the formation of students’ identities. This paper further shows how science learning in particular becomes important for students in relation to decision-making when it is linked to issues of identity. These findings suggest that, in addition to attending to the design of classroom curriculum, HIV/AIDS and sex education researchers and curriculum developers (as well as those in science education focusing on other controversial science topics) might also explore the kinds of relational and school-wide factors that potentially influence students’ identities, decisions, and responses to school learning.     

The differentiated classroom observation scale

This article presents a new classroom observation scale that was developed to examine the differential learning activities and experiences of gifted children educated in regular classroom settings. The Differentiated Classroom Observation Scale (DCOS) is presented in total, with clarification of the coding practices and strategies. Although the DCOS was developed to examine the impact of differentiated classroom practices for gifted children, it is expected that the scale could be used for observing the educational experiences of any identifiable group of children. Reflections on the benefits offered by the DCOS that are not available with existing measures are provided, and include (a) the ability to contrast the educational experiences of two groups of learners; (b) documentation of a variety of educational factors including pedagogy, student engagement, and level of cognitive activity; and (c) preservation of contextual factors for deeper investigation through a database‐driven record keeping system that maintains disaggregated data from a series of short observational segments.     

Lifelong Learning: Becoming Computer Savvy at a Later Age

Senior citizens represent the fastest growing demographic worldwide. As indicated in the Year 2000 U.S. Census, there are 35 million people 65 or older in the United States (U.S.). By 2030, it is estimated that there will be about 70 million older adults in the U.S. alone (Chadwick-Dias, McNulty, & Tullis, 2003 Bean , C. & Laven M. (2003). Adapting to seniors: Computer training for older adults. Florida Libraries , 46(2). [Google Scholar]). With the older population growing rapidly and being increasingly exposed to computer technology, it is important that they become informed of what computers can do for them, (e.g., e-mail, document creation, games, and access to information via the Internet) (Shapira, Barak, & Gal, 2007 Parvate , V. & Speicher , S. ( 2004 ). Learning to communicate via the Internet: How senior citizens develop an understanding of electronic communication: A cognitive design study proposal . [Google Scholar]; White, McConnell, Clipp, Branch, Sloane et al., 2002 White , H. , McConnell , E. , Clipp , E. , Branch , L. G. , Sloane , R. , Pieper , C. , & Box , T. ( 2002 ). A randomized controlled trial of the psychosocial impact of providing Internet training and access to older adults . Aging & Mental Health , 6 , 213 – 221 .[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). The longitudinal study presented employs a mixed method data collection and analysis approach that includes the use of standardized surveys, measures of physical fitness and physiology, observations in the retirement community, and structured interviews. Drawing upon Auburn University faculty in the College of Engineering, senior citizens participated in workshops designed to develop their skills in computing. The potential significance of the project was to create a valid and reliable model for outreach to retirement and assisted living communities and other centers for senior citizens.