A Cross-National Study of Secondary Science Classroom Environments in Australia and Indonesia

This article reports a cross-national study of classroom environments in Australia and Indonesia. A modified version of the What Is Happening In this Class? (WIHIC) questionnaire was used simultaneously in these two countries to: 1) crossvalidate the modified WIHIC; 2) investigate differences between countries and sexes in perceptions of classroom environment; and 3) investigate associations between students’ attitudes to science and their perceptions of classroom environment. The sample consisted of 1,161 students (594 students from 18 classes in Indonesia and 567 students from 18 classes in Australia). Principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation supported the validity of a revised structure for the WIHIC. Two-way MANOVA revealed some differences between countries and between sexes in students’ perceptions of their classroom environments. Simple correlation and multiple regression analyses revealed generally positive associations between the classroom environment and student attitudes to science in both countries.     

The effect of perceived class mean on the evaluation of instruction

A total of 232 college students in six different courses in three departments participated in a study to examine the effect of perceived course mean on course and instructor evaluations. Following a midsemester exam, students were given their actual earned exam scores and a manipulated class mean that was either ten percentage points higher or lower than the actual class average on the exam. Participants then completed an evaluation of the course and instructor. It was hypothesized that students scoring above the manipulated mean would rate the course and instructor more highly than students scoring below the manipulated mean. It was further hypothesized that students who were told that the class mean was higher would rate the course and instructor more highly than students who were told that the mean was lower. Results supported the first hypothesis. However, hypothesis two was not supported. Students receiving the lower manipulated class mean rated instructors more favorably. Results suggest the need to consider both individual exam scores and class averages in understanding the grade-teaching evaluation relationship.     

Making a Difference in the Lives of Youth: Mapping Success with the “Six Cs”

Many museums offer specialized programs for young people during out‐of‐school time, yet the consequences of such programs are not well documented. This article explores the potential utility of borrowing a conceptual framework from the youth development literature as a tool for assessment. The authors map findings from three studies of museum youth programs onto the youth development framework as an exercise in understanding the extent to which this model may be useful in developing museum youth programs. Results from this preliminary analysis demonstrate that the framework could serve as a viable tool for program design, and could offer a clear, grounded framework with common language for articulating program impacts often known intuitively and/or anecdotally but not formalized.     

Experiences in After-School Programs and Children's Adjustment in First-Grade Classrooms

The experiences of 150 children in after-school programs were examined in relation to performance in first grade. Three aspects of program experiences (emotional climate, quality of peer interactions, and program curriculum) were associated with the children's concurrent adjustment at school, controlling for family selection factors. Staff positivity in the after-school programs was associated with boys displaying fewer internalizing and externalizing problems, whereas staff negativity was related to boys obtaining poorer grades in reading and math. Program flexibility was associated with boys having better social skills. More frequent negative interactions with peers in the programs were related to more internalizing and externalizing problems, and poorer social skills at school. Boys who attended programs offering a larger number of different activities had more internalizing and externalizing problems, and poorer grades in reading and math. After-school experiences also were related to girls' behaviors, but associations were less apparent for girls than boys.     

What Provision for Pupils with Challenging Behaviour?A report of a survey of provision and curriculum provided for pupils with learning difficulties and challenging behaviour

Jill Porter and Penny Lacey, lecturers in special education in the School of Education, University of Birmingham, describe a survey of the provision made by schools for pupils with learning difficulties and challenging behaviour, which focused on in-class support; curriculum access; and additional facilities and resources for such pupils.     

Veterinary medicine books recommended for academic libraries

This bibliography of in-print veterinary medical books published in English may be used as an acquisitions or evaluation tool for developing the monograph component of new veterinary medicine collections or existing science, technology, and medicine collections where veterinary medicine is in the scope of the collection. The bibliography is divided into 34 categories and consists of bibliographic information for 419 titles. The appendix contains an author/editor index. Prices for all entries are in US dollars, except where another currency is noted. The total cost of all books in the bibliography is $43,602.13 (US).