Computer‐Assisted Instruction and Conceptual Change

Abstract

In this study, the question was addressed which instructional conditions are required to teach students how they themselves can initiate and perform learning activities aimed at conceptual change. The CONTACT‐2 strategy (a computer‐assisted instructional strategy for promoting conceptual change in the domain of basic physical geography) served as starting point for the design of several training procedures aimed at enhancing self‐regulated learning. With the first experimental condition, strategic support was gradually withdrawn ('faded') within each instructional step, while, with the second experimental condition, the number of steps was reduced as the training continued. The original CONTACT‐2 condition served as control condition. Subjects were 65 fifth‐ and sixth‐graders (primary education). Dependent variables concerned students’ abilities to initiate and perform learning activities aimed at conceptual change, the quality of their conceptions, and their learning performance. Results suggested that ‘fading’ can be a fruitful instructional approach to foster self‐regulated learning aimed at conceptual change, provided that the ‘fading’ procedure is tuned to the students’ actual level of self‐regulated learning: external control should not be withdrawn until students are able (and prepared) to initiate and perform the learning activities being required. When these conditions are met, designing effective training procedures aimed at ‘learning for conceptual change’ seems possible.     

Sex education,state policy and the principle of mutual consent

Constitutive of the prevalent sexual morality in most Western European countries is the liberal principle of mutual consent (PMC). This sociological fact may give rise to the ethical question as to whether or not the state has the right to make sure that its citizens will observe PMC, among other ways by prescribing some form of sex education which has PMC as its moral content. With reference to the ambiguity of the term ‘morally permissible’, it is argued that PMC can be interpreted in two fundamentally different ways, namely, as the freedom to arrange one's sexual life according to one's own values and preferences (PMC(a)) or as the view that consensual sex is morally all right or morally unobjectionable (PMC(b)). The claim is defended that PMC(a) should be taken as part of the public morality, whereas PMC(b) should be seen as a private morality. Accordingly, the state has the right to take PMC(a) as a basis for its educational policy, but the state is not allowed to prescribe any form of sex education that has PMC(b) as its moral content. The importance of the distinction between PMC(a) and PMC(b) is shown by giving an evaluation of the Dutch state's responses to recent public statements of orthodox religious leaders about the moral status of homosexuality. Also on the basis of this distinction, the central differences between liberal orthodox and fundamentalist orthodox religious views on sexuality and the role of the state are pointed out. In this connection, it is argued that any view which takes PMC(b) as part of the public morality should be disavowed as a kind of ‘liberal funda‐ mentalism’.     

Investigating the effectiveness of computer simulations for chemistry learning

Are well‐designed computer simulations an effective tool to support student understanding of complex concepts in chemistry when integrated into high school science classrooms? We investigated scaling up the use of a sequence of simulations of kinetic molecular theory and associated topics of diffusion, gas laws, and phase change, which we designed and experimentally tested. In the two effectiveness studies reported, one in a rural and the other in an urban context, chemistry teachers implemented two alternate versions of a curricular unit—an experimental version, incorporating simulations, and a control version, using text‐based materials covering the same content. Participants were 718 high school students (357 rural and 361 urban), in a total of 25 classrooms. The implementation of the simulations was explored using criteria associated with fidelity of implementation (FOI). Each context provided insights into the role of FOI in affecting the effectiveness of the interventions when working with groups of teachers. Results supported the effectiveness of this sequence of simulations as a teaching tool in a classroom context, and confirmed the importance of FOI factors such as adherence and exposure in determining the specific environments in which these materials were most effective. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 49: 394–419, 2012     

Which variables relate to the attitudes of teachers,parents and peers towards students with special educational needs in regular education?

While there is an increased interest in describing attitudes of teachers, parents and peers towards students with special educational needs in regular education, there is a lack of knowledge about various variables relating to the attitudes of these three groups. The aims of this study are: (1) to examine which variables relate to the attitudes of teachers (N?=?44), parents (N?=?508) and peers (N?=?1113) towards students with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Autistic Spectrum Syndrome or a cognitive disability in regular primary education and (2) to examine whether teachers and parents’ attitudes affect the attitudes of peers. An attitude survey was used to assess attitudes and data were analysed by means of multilevel analyses. The variables found in this study relating to attitudes can be used as a foundation to develop interventions to change attitudes.     

Environmental factors regulating cyanobacteria dominance and microcystin production in a subtropical lake within the Taihu watershed, China

Understanding the pattern of phytoplankton and their dependence on water quality variables, can help the management of eutrophic lakes. The aim of this study was to determine water quality and environmental factors associated with cyanobacteria dominance and microcystin production in Qingshan Lake, a subtropical lake located in the headwater of the Taihu watershed, China. Water samples collected monthly from 10 study sites in Qingshan Lake were analyzed for the species distributions of freshwater algae and physico-chemical parameters including total nitrogen (TN), ammonia (NH₄ ⁺-N), nitrate (NO₃ ⁻-N), total phosphorus (TP), and chlorophyll a (Chl-a) from June, 2008 to May, 2009. Qingshan Lake was found to be eutrophic, based on the calculated trophic state index (TSI). The average TN of 4.33 mg/L during the study period exceeded the Surface Water Quality Standards of China. TP was significantly correlated with relative abundance of cyanobacteria and Microcystis biovolume, indicating its important role in regulating cyanobacteria. Microcystis, Anabaena, and Oscillatoria were dominant cyanobacteria in Qingshan Lake from June to November, 2008. Cyanobacteria dominance was regulated by water temperature and TP. Principal component analysis further indicated that microcystin production was most affected by water temperature, TP, and cyanobacteria biomass. Results suggest that the control of TP in summer can mitigate cyanobacteria dominance and microcystin production in Qingshan Lake, and close monitoring should be undertaken in summer.     

The effect of class composition by gender and ability on secondary school students’ school well-being and academic self-concept: A literature review

In the field of educational effectiveness research, the influence of a class’ student body on students’ individual achievement scores has been a popular research interest for many years. Yet, few studies have focussed on the effects of class composition on students’ non-achievement outcomes, and up to now, hardly any attempts have been made to summarize the findings of previous studies on this topic by conducting a literature review. The current study tries to fill in this gap and focuses on the effects of class composition in secondary education in terms of ability and gender on students’ school well-being and academic self-concept. The results of this literature review indicate that ability grouping is beneficial for strong students’ school well-being, but rather detrimental for the school well-being of weak students. The reverse holds for students’ academic self-concept. Furthermore, our results show that single-sex classes are advantageous for girls’ school well-being and academic self-concept. As for boys, the results are inconclusive.     

Spore and the sociocultural moment

Analyses of the game Spore have centered on the important issues of accuracy of evolution content and engendering interest in science. This paper suggests that examination of the degree of scaffolding necessary to use the game in pedagogy is a missing part of the discussion, and then questions the longevity of the Spore discussion relative to the general dissatisfaction with the science presented in the game. The paper proposes that analysis of Spore and other technological tools in science education may be embedded in an historical moment which directs the discussion towards satisfying sociocultural and organizational needs and away from pedagogical ones.     

A Dialectic Analysis of a Community Forum on Faith: The “Most Segregated” or Separated Hour?

Homogeneity remains the norm in churches despite the ideal of diversity called for by leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr. This incongruity prompted an analysis of a community forum convened to address racial tensions growing from a school board conflict in Little Rock, Arkansas. The phrase, “the most segregated hour in America is 11:00 A.M. on Sunday,” surfaces multiple times in relation to the homogeneity–diversity dialectic. This tension-centered analysis revealed varied functions of irony as forum participants responded to this dialectic. Major findings included (1) countering the assumption that segregation is wrong through alternation; (2) framing through transcendence based in dramatic irony; (3) relying on a personal narrative based on selection; (4) contesting the role of significant choice based in event-based irony; and (5) representing the marginalized discourse of diversity as mystery. We extend tension-centered research and theory by explicating the role of irony in opening spaces within contested discourse. Practitioners can utilize openings created by irony through enriched dialogue about identity and transcendent rituals.     

Do Library Fines Work?: Analysis of the Effectiveness of Fines on Patron's Return Behavior at Two Mid-sized Academic Libraries

Data on library fines imposed at Eastern Illinois University and the University of Hawaii at Manoa was extracted and compared to determine whether fines had an impact on the patron's return behavior. The results indicated that fines as well as patron group status (undergraduate, graduate, faculty) have an impact on the patron's return behavior.