Topics in library technology: copying techniques

Photocopying applications in the library include the combining of previously separate material, the separation of a single item into two or more of its parts, and the selection of parts of existent material by the use of overlays. The production of catalog cards, the creation of sheet material (new book lists, reference bibliographies) from card-form materials, an Index Medicus-derived alerting service, and overdue notices copied from charge cards are among the applications exemplifying these general types. Larger-scale operations employing microfilm are noted. The distinction between copying and printing, in the light of equipment advances, is discussed.     

Leistungstest, Offenheit von Bildungsgängen und obligatorische Beratung der Eltern

Zusammenfassung Dieser Beitrag untersucht das übertrittsverfahren von der Grundschule in die Sekundarschule I der deutschsprachigen Schulen des Kantons Freiburg (Schweiz). Das Deutschfreiburger übergangsmodell mit seinen verschiedenen Komponenten wird vorgestellt und evaluiert. Ein besonderes Augenmerk liegt dabei auf der Frage, ob unerwünschte Effekte des famili?ren Hintergrunds durch dieses Modell reduziert bzw. eliminiert werden k?nnen. Untersucht wird im Weiteren die übereinstimmung der übertrittsempfehlung von Eltern und Lehrkr?ften sowie der Prüfungsleistung. Die Autoren kommen zum Schluss, dass das untersuchte übergangsmodell die Effekte des famili?ren Hintergrunds beim übertritt von der Primarschule in die Sekundarschule relativ gering h?lt. Der sozio?konomische Hintergrund wirkt sich über die übertrittsempfehlung von Lehrkr?ften und Eltern auch auf den tats?chlichen übertritt aus; die absoluten Effekte des famili?ren Hintergrunds fallen jedoch — nach Kontrolle der Schulleistung — insgesamt vergleichsweise schwach aus. Der eingesetzte Bewertungsbogen, den Lehrkr?fte und Eltern zus?tzlich zu den Noten als Basis für die übergangsempfehlung einsetzen, scheint resistent gegenüber Effekten des famili?ren Hintergrunds zu sein.      

Students’ reasoning about electricity: combining performance assessments with argumentation analysis

Our study monitored the cognitive and motivational effects within different educational instruction schemes: On the one hand, teacher‐centred versus hands‐on instruction; on the other hand, hands‐on instruction with and without a knowledge consolidation phase (concept mapping). All the instructions dealt with the same content. For all participants, the hands‐on approach as well as the concept mapping adaptation were totally new. Our hands‐on approach followed instruction based on “learning at work stations”. A total of 397 high‐achieving fifth graders participated in our study. We used a pre‐test, post‐test, retention test design both to detect students' short‐term learning success and long‐term learning success, and to document their decrease rates of newly acquired knowledge. Additionally, we monitored intrinsic motivation. Although the teacher‐centred approach provided higher short‐term learning success, hands‐on instruction resulted in relatively lower decrease rates. However, after six weeks, all students reached similar levels of newly acquired knowledge. Nevertheless, concept mapping as a knowledge consolidation phase positively affected short‐term increase in knowledge. Regularly placed in instruction, it might increase long‐term retention rates. Scores of interest, perceived competence and perceived choice were very high in all the instructional schemes.     

Researching the impact of teacher professional development programmes based on action research,constructivism, and systems theory

This paper deals with the topic of professional development programmes’ impact. Concepts and ideas of action research, constructivism, and systems theory are used as a theoretical framework and are combined to describe and analyse an exemplary professional development programme in Austria. Empirical findings from both quantitative and qualitative studies regarding the programme’s impact are provided and discussed. Moreover, implications for future programmes’ planning and implementation are provided.     

Teaching Gene Technology in an Outreach Lab: Students’ Assigned Cognitive Load Clusters and the Clusters’ Relationships to Learner Characteristics, Laboratory Variables, and Cognitive Achievement

This study classified students into different cognitive load (CL) groups by means of cluster analysis based on their experienced CL in a gene technology outreach lab which has instructionally been designed with regard to CL theory. The relationships of the identified student CL clusters to learner characteristics, laboratory variables, and cognitive achievement were examined using a pre-post-follow-up design. Participants of our day-long module Genetic Fingerprinting were 409 twelfth-graders. During the module instructional phases (pre-lab, theoretical, experimental, and interpretation phases), we measured the students’ mental effort (ME) as an index of CL. By clustering the students’ module-phase-specific ME pattern, we found three student CL clusters which were independent of the module instructional phases, labeled as low-level, average-level, and high-level loaded clusters. Additionally, we found two student CL clusters that were each particular to a specific module phase. Their members reported especially high ME invested in one phase each: within the pre-lab phase and within the interpretation phase. Differentiating the clusters, we identified uncertainty tolerance, prior experience in experimentation, epistemic interest, and prior knowledge as relevant learner characteristics. We found relationships to cognitive achievement, but no relationships to the examined laboratory variables. Our results underscore the importance of pre-lab and interpretation phases in hands-on teaching in science education and the need for teachers to pay attention to these phases, both inside and outside of outreach laboratory learning settings.