Explorations in promoting conceptual change in electrical concepts via ontological category shift

Chi (1992, 1993) Chi et al. (1994) suggests that many of the difficulties encountered by students in learning Physics concepts arise because they attribute the ontology of material substances to these concepts. These concepts are actually a special type of process - 'Constraint-Based Interactions' (CBI). Slotta and Chi (1996) reported on a study where a group of students explicitly trained in the CBI ontology showed significant gains over a control group in problem solving performance in eight simple electric circuit problems. This paper reports on a series of four studies which explore the usefulness of the ontological categorization framework in investigating students' alternative conceptions of electric circuits and in developing a teaching strategy for promoting conceptual change in the learning of basic electric circuitry concepts.     

Teacher education students' reflections on how problem‐based learning has changed their mental models about teaching and learning

Abstract

Students develop robust mental models of teaching and learning during their school years, and as such, often teach as they were taught—possibly perpetuating practices that limit intellectual inquiry in classrooms. This paper reports on an analysis, using a conceptual framework and NUD?1ST software, of a cohort of 3rd‐year teacher education students' reflections on changes in their mental models following their experiences in a problem‐based learning (PBL) topic. Results provide evidence that students do report changing mental models in areas such as (a) the value of case studies for engaging with subject content, motivating learning, and connecting theory with practice; (b) self‐reflection and peer collaboration for cognitive and professional growth; and (c) processes of inquiry for developing self‐regulated learning practices.     

EUROPEAN DISSERTATION SUMMARIES

To alleviate teachers’ reluctance toward practical work, there has been much discussion on teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge, teaching materials, and failsafe strategies for practical work. Despite these efforts, practical work is still regarded as a challenging task for many elementary science teachers. To understand the complexity of teachers’ conflicts in practical work, this study examines teachers’ ideas about teaching and learning that influence teachers’ decision‐making and action on teaching practical work. More important than knowing technical–rational aspects of practical work is to understand the internal contradictions that teachers have to resolve within themselves regarding their capabilities and beliefs about science teaching and practical work. Using stories and experiences of 38 third‐year university students in a science method course in Korea, we seek to understand the conflicts and negotiations that they experience as they make decisions regarding practical work throughout their course. Reflective writings and group discussions on their lived experiences and concerns were used to probe participants’ ideas on teaching using practical work. From written and verbal data, themes were saturated in terms of the aspects which could (dis)encourage their practice. Results suggest that there are multifactorial challenges in pre‐service teachers’ understandings and concerns in practical work. Besides time, materials, and curriculum, pedagogical assumptions and values also compositely challenge the minds of teachers. As the pre‐service elementary teachers negotiated within themselves the importance of science in classroom and social levels, the question is raised about their identities as pre‐service elementary teachers to appreciate the balance between science teaching and practical work.     

The Effect of a National Initiative on Exam Results

ABSTRACT

This paper considers the examination results of TVEI and non TVEI pupils in the database established at the University of Newcastle in 1985‐87. The pupils took national exams in the summer of 1987, when they were about 16 years old. Their average grades (Exam Means) and their accumulated grades (Exam Totals) were considered separately.

The Exam Mean and Exam Total scores were generally worse for TVEI than non TVEI pupils, even when pupils with the same ability test scores and aspirational scores were compared. However, it is possible that non TVEI factors caused the discrepancy in results and it is these factors which are the subjects of this paper.

The paper considers firstly whether the differences are an artefact of regression analysis. Secondly, the data are considered using various multilevel models. Both analyses suggest that there was no TVEI effect on the Exam Mean score and a negative TVEI effect on the Exam Total. Various explanations for these findings, concerning internal school allocational and curriculum policies, are considered and discussed.     

Media Education in Primary Schools in Austria: Teaching Materials

Abstract

This article describes the questionnaire by which the Austrian Ministry of Education investigated the state of media education in primary schools, and briefly summarizes the results. It then describes the teaching materials that have been and are being produced.     

Post-qualitative research

This article maintains that all research involves crossing (i.e., researching across difference) and then explores how scholars have approached issues of cross-group feminist research. The article is divided into three major sections. The first section explores issues of women?s diversity and their meaning for cross-group feminist research. The second investigates concerns raised with regard to contradictions inherent in this type of research. The third section reviews and discusses a number of strategies feminist and other scholars of qualitative research have used to address problematic issues and contradictions involved in cross-group research.     

Technology's impact: symbiotic or asymbiotic impact on differing cultures?

Over the past three years or more, the authors have been examining the impact of technology interventions on students and teachers – from cultures where English is a second language. It is their hypothesis that students and teachers from non‐English speaking nations suffer severe disadvantages when technological interventions are superimposed on existing traditional pedagogical models. This paper is the latest in a series that examines extent pedagogies, primarily in Asia, and the pressures of having to re‐conceptualize what has been a tradition for centuries. It traces significant educational origins to their cultural roots and examines contemporary initiatives that, if implemented, may well disrupt. It offers possible solutions that, if approached with reconciliation as its focus, might offset catastrophic results and, in fact, achieve pedagogical symbiosis.L'impact de la technologie: symbiotique ou asymbiotique selon des cultures différentes. Durant les 3 dernières années ou plus, des auteurs ont examiné les interventions sur les étudiants et les enseignants appartenant à des cultures où l'anglais est une seconde langue. C'est une hypothèse que les étudiants et enseignants de pays non anglophones souffrent de plusieurs d´esavantages quand les interventions technologiques sont imposées sur les modèles pédagogiques traditionnels. Cet article est le plus récent d'une série qui examine plusieurs pédagogies, particulièrement en Asie, et les pressions de revoir la conceptualisation qui a été la tradition pendant des siècles. Il met les origines éducatives significatives depuis leurs racines culturelles et examine les initiatives contemporaires qui, si elles sont en oeuvre, peuvent aboutir à des ruptures. L'article offre des solutions possibles qui, si elles sont approchées dans un esprit de conciliation comme point de mire, permettent d'éviter des résultats catastrophiques et, en fait, aboutir à une symbiose pédagogique.Die Wirkung der Technik: Symbiotische oder Asymbiotic Wirkung auf unterschiedliche Kulturen? Über die letzten drei Jahre oder mehr haben die Autoren die Wirkung von Technikeingriffen auf Studenten und Lehrer aus Kulturen geprüft, in denen Englisch eine zweite Sprache ist. Es ist ihre Hypothese, daß Studenten und Lehrer aus nicht englisch sprechenden Nationen schwerwiegende Nachteile erleiden, wenn mit technologischen Eingriffen vorhandene traditionelle pädagogische Modelle überlagert werden. Dieses Papier ist das letzte einer Serie, die umfangreiche pädagogische Gebiete untersucht, in erster Linie in Asien, und den Zwang prüft, das wieder konzeptualisieren zu müssen, was Jahrhunderte eine Tradition gewesen ist. Es verfolgt signifikante Bildungsursprünge hin zu ihren kulturellen Wurzeln und prüft zeitgenössische Initiativen, die, wenn durchgeführt, das gut unterbrechen können. Es bietet mögliche Lösungen an, die, mit dem Ziel der Aussöhnung, katastrophale Ergebnisse ausgleichen und in der Tat eine pädagogische Symbiose erreichen könnten.     

Evaluating Growth for ELL Students: Implications for Accountability Policies

In recent years, many U.S. states have introduced growth models as part of their educational accountability systems. Although the validity of growth‐based accountability models has been evaluated for the general population, the impact of those models for English language learner (ELL) students, a growing segment of the student population, has not received sufficient attention. We evaluated three commonly used growth models: value tables or transition matrices, projection models, and student growth percentiles (SGP). The value table model identified more ELL students as on track to proficiency, but with lower accuracy for ELL students. The projection and SGP models were more accurate overall, but classified the fewest ELL students as on track and were less likely to identify ELL students who would later be proficient. We found that each model had significant trade‐offs in terms of the decisions made for ELL students. These findings should be replicated in additional state contexts and considered in the development of future growth‐based accountability policies.     

The role of self-construal in moderating the advertising repetition effect: evidence from Korea

This study explored the role of self-construal in moderating the effect of same- and varied-ad repetition on consumer response to advertising and brand on the basis of self-construal and encoding variability theory. In the study, subjects primed with independent or interdependent self-construal were exposed to either the same or varied ads. Findings indicate that, for foreground information in ad, independent self-construal subjects elicited more than interdependent self-construal subjects in same-ad repetition whereas there was no difference between independent and interdependent self-construal subjects in varied-ad repetition. However, for background information, interdependent self-construal subjects performed better than independent self-construal subjects in both same- and varied-ad repetition. In the case of brand recall, in varied-ad repetition, interdependent self-construal subjects recalled better than independent self-construal subjects did, whereas there was no difference between interdependent and independent self-construal subjects in same-ad repetition. It was also found interdependent self-construal subjects evaluated the target brand more positively than independent self-construal subjects did in varied-ad repetition. However, there was no difference in brand attitude between independent and interdependent subjects in same-ad repetition.