The Challenges of Defining and Measuring Student Engagement in Science

Engagement is one of the hottest research topics in the field of educational psychology. Research shows that multifarious benefits occur when students are engaged in their own learning, including increased motivation and achievement. However, there is little agreement on a concrete definition and effective measurement of engagement. This special issue serves to discuss and work toward addressing conceptual and instrumentation issues related to engagement, with particular interest in engagement in the domain of science learning. We start by describing the dimensional perspective of engagement (behavioral, cognitive, emotional, agentic) and suggest a complementary approach that places engagement instrumentation on a continuum. Specifically, we recommend that instrumentation be considered on a “grain-size” continuum that ranges from a person-centered to a context-centered orientation to clarify measurement issues. We then provide a synopsis of the articles included in this special issue and conclude with suggestions for future research.     

Relationship between Physical Fitness and Susceptibility to Cardiovascular Disease

Abstract

This study was conducted (a) to determine through factor analysis techniques the basic factors underlying selected blood variables, metabolic variables, and previously determined physical and athletic fitness variables at four fixed stages of metabolic stress and (b) to determine with the t-test and through discriminant function techniques those blood variables which can discriminate between high and low levels of physical fitness. The objective of the analyses was the interpretation of the revealed information in light of previously found knowledge on the relationship of physical activity and susceptibility to heart disease. Four factors were extracted and interpreted: the effect of weight on motor fitness, the detrimental effect of aging on physical fitness, metabolic readiness, and fitness and NEFA mobility. The t-test showed statistical significance for the difference between the physically fit and unfit group means in resting serum cholesterol, submaximal exercise serum cholesterol, maximal exercise blood pH, and recovery period blood pH. The discriminant function of the combined resting and submaximal exercise serum cholesterol has a statistically determined discriminating power for the physically fit and unfit groups.     

Selected Measures of Angular Displacement,Strength, and Flexibility in Subjects With and Without Shin Splints

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if angular displacement between the calcaneus and the midline of the lower leg while running is related to shin splints. A secondary purpose was to compare the strength and flexibility of ankle-joint plantar flexion, dorsal flexion, inversion, and eversion of shin-splint-injured and non-shin-splint-injured subjects. Two groups of conditioned female athletes were randomly selected to participate in this study. One group had a previous history of chronic shin splints, and the other group had no history of shin-splint injury. Angular displacement between the calcaneus and the midline of the lower leg was measured from motion picture film (100 frames/second) taken while the subjects were running at two speeds, 3m/second and 5m/second. A cable tensiometer was used to measure plantar flexion, dorsal flexion, and inversion and eversion strength at the ankle joint; and a goniometer was used to measure the flexibility of the plantar flexors, dorsiflexors, invertors, and evertors at the ankle joint. The results indicated that a shin-splint-injured leg had greater angular displacement between the calcaneus and the midline of the lower leg than a healthy leg, and that shoes and speed of running had an influence upon the amount of angular displacement. In addition, the muscular strength of the plantar flexor muscle was greater in the shin-splint subjects than in the non-shin-splint subjects.     

Assessing faculty performance using student evaluations of teaching in an uncontrolled setting

This paper provides new evidence on the disparity between student evaluation of teaching (SET) ratings when evaluations are conducted online versus in‐class. Using a multiple regression analysis, we show that after controlling for many of the class and student characteristics not under the direct control of the instructor, average SET ratings from evaluations conducted online are significantly lower than average SET ratings conducted in‐class. Further, we demonstrate the importance of controlling for the factors not under the instructor’s control when using SET ratings to evaluate faculty performance in the classroom. We do not suggest that moving to online evaluation is overly problematic, only that it is difficult to compare evaluations done online with evaluations done in‐class. While we do not suppose that one method is ‘more accurate’ than another, we do believe that institutions would benefit from either moving all evaluations online or by continuing to do all evaluations in‐class.     

Spore: Spawning Evolutionary Misconceptions?

The use of computer simulations as educational tools may afford the means to develop understanding of evolution as a natural, emergent, and decentralized process. However, special consideration of developmental constraints on learning may be necessary when using these technologies. Specifically, the essentialist (biological forms possess an immutable essence), teleological (assignment of purpose to living things and/or parts of living things that may not be purposeful), and intentionality (assumption that events are caused by an intelligent agent) biases may be reinforced through the use of computer simulations, rather than addressed with instruction. We examine the video game Spore for its depiction of evolutionary content and its potential to reinforce these cognitive biases. In particular, we discuss three pedagogical strategies to mitigate weaknesses of Spore and other computer simulations: directly targeting misconceptions through refutational approaches, targeting specific principles of scientific inquiry, and directly addressing issues related to models as cognitive tools.     

Erika Love (1925–2020)

Erika Love, MLA president and early advocate for research in libraries, died October 8, 2020. Erika held many leadership positions in the profession and received several MLA awards recognizing her contributions. She has been called “the midwife” of MLA''s early research initiatives [1].

Erika Love, Medical Library Association (MLA) president and early advocate for research in libraries, died October 8, 2020, at the age of 95. Born in Germany, Erika grew up in an educated and culturally rich environment. Her family did not support the National Socialism regime and suffered political persecution and economic hardship. After World War II, she matriculated at the University of Heidelberg. She worked as a library assistant at Amerika Haus in Darmstadt, a postwar organization fostering cultural interchange. In 1948, Erika married Victor Lamar Love; they moved to Indiana, his home state [2].     

‘We learnt that last week’: reading into the language practices of teachers

The messages teachers convey to their students through their use of language can often go unconsidered, yet such practices can have a significant impact on students and their schooling, and in the creation of learning difficulties. In this paper we employ a discursive and ideological approach to analysing teachers’ language practices and suggest that such systematic examination is warranted given the centrality of ‘teacher talk’ to students’ schooling. We draw attention to these concerns through an analysis of a spoken text between a teacher and student in the context of ‘show and tell’; a dialogue drawn from a larger body of data of interviews with and observations of teachers in six Australian primary schools. The analysis attempts to uncover the meanings conveyed to the student in question, Sam, through his teacher’s language practices and to demonstrate the potentially detrimental effects of these practices on his schooling. Generally, we propose that teachers frequently employ linguistic techniques to refashion students in various ways, according to the norms of schooling; norms that often do not account very well for student difference and which position them as ‘difficult’. Specifically, we argue that Sam’s teacher seems more interested in moulding Sam’s behaviour to conform to the interests of the school than in valuing his heritage and contributions.     

School-to-work experiences: curriculum as a bridge

Because workers must be prepared to constantly update their skills and reeducate themselves for new skills, lifelong learning must be a goal for every teacher and student. The curriculum provided during educational experiences should pave the way for attainment of this goal. This is particularly true for deaf and hard of hearing students. School-to-work (STW) has become an umbrella term for activities, experiences and opportunities that prepare students for the world of work, such as youth apprenticeships, mentoring, internships, job shadowing, career exploration, and integration of academic and vocational curriculum. This article provides historical background on STW, laws shaping requirements for STW programs, and research supporting STW components. Recommendations are provided for curricular elements of an STW program, and trends in STW are forecast.     

Patterns and trends in part‐time adult education participation in relation to UK nation,class, place of participation,gender, age and disability, 1998–2003 1

Analysis of data from six years of the British Household Panel Survey (1998–2003) has been used to look at variances in take‐up of part time learning opportunities by adults over time in the UK and, separately, by its four constituent nations. The paper provides a useful backdrop of ‘facts and figures’ on patterns of take‐up in part time education and training over the first six years of Labour Governments. Whilst the home‐international comparisons show differences in terms of general levels of participation they show similar patterns of participation along gender and class lines. Apart from evidencing a steep upturn in the take‐up of home‐based learning amongst women, a persistent finding was how little had changed over this six year period in terms of removing barriers that position some as disadvantaged and others as advantaged.