Geographers of Mars: cartographic inscription and exploration narrative in late Victorian representations of the red planet

Over two decades spanning the turn of the twentieth century, astronomers' claims about the landscape and climate of Mars spurred widespread scientific and popular interest in the possibility that the red planet might be inhabited. This essay offers a new explanation for the power with which the notion of an inhabited Mars gripped noted scholars and everyday citizens on both sides of the Atlantic. Rather than pointing to a rekindling of age-old philosophical interest in the plurality of worlds, it argues that turn-of-the-century scientific narratives about Mars derived much of their power and popularity from ties with the newly established discipline of geography. From mapmaking to travelogue-style writing, astronomers borrowed powerful representational strategies from the discipline of geography to legitimize their claims about the red planet. In making the link between geographical and astronomical science more explicit, the essay further suggests that turn-of-the-century representations of Mars could be productively recontextualized alongside geographical works produced in the same period.     

Modeling Rater Response Processes in Evaluating Score Meaning

Rater‐mediated assessments require the evaluation of the accuracy and consistency of the inferences made by the raters to ensure the validity of score interpretations and uses. Modeling rater response processes allows for a better understanding of how raters map their representations of the examinee performance to their representation of the scoring criteria. Validity of score meaning is affected by the accuracy of raters' representations of examinee performance and the scoring criteria, and the accuracy of the mapping process. Methodological advances and applications that model rater response processes, rater accuracy, and rater consistency inform the design, scoring, interpretations, and uses of rater‐mediated assessments.     

Literacy,achievement and success in a Māori tourism certificate programme: reading the world in order to read the word

ABSTRACT

This article critiques international assessment of adult literacy using research findings from students completing a Māori tourism certificate who achieved significant gains in assessment. It is argued that the focus of literacy assessments potentially forces educators to narrow their teaching and learning approaches, manoeuvring them into teaching toward singular or convergent literacy. This leads to utilising teaching and learning strategies drawn from the cultural and social capital of the dominant culture, which is problematic for students without abundance of such capital.

Blending Kaupapa Māori research theory with appreciative inquiry, research revealed that students made significant gains in assessment scores because their educators acknowledged and utilised ways in which they made sense and meaning of their world. Educators drew upon the social and cultural capital of students and engaged them as partners in culturally based teaching and learning processes. Relating to students’ multiple literacies, and the contexts with which they bring meaning to their world in this way, is referred to as drawing from divergent literacies.

This study proposes a need to develop and research alternative ways for improving convergent literacy outcomes. It is suggested that multiple interventions using multi-modal and 360° approaches need to occur simultaneously for best outcomes.     

The impact of technology on the teaching and assessment of ‘systems’ diagrams in two online environmental management modules

Abstract

The context and tools used to create diagrams may hinder or help students in learning how to represent a situation and how to learn about diagramming and the situation at the same time. These equally provide opportunities and challenges to tutors in teaching, assessing and providing feedback on these diagrams, particularly for students studying at a distance. Two online undergraduate modules, dealing with environmental management at The Open University UK, require students to share diagrams with other students, to work collaboratively on diagrams in small groups and include diagrams in all assignments. This paper reports on students’ and tutors’ experiences of using diagrams before, during and outside involvement with both modules to better understand the main factors that influence their educational value, in particular the part that familiarity, experience and confidence in the techniques, the technologies and acts of sharing played in supporting learning or not.     

Predictors of hyperactive–impulsive–inattention and conduct problems: A comparative follow‐back investigation

Disruptive behavior patterns are particularly challenging for parents, teachers, and peers as these behaviors often interfere with classroom instruction, frequently lead to academic underachievement, and are associated with social skills acquisition and performance deficits. Children who exhibit a combination of hyperactivity–impulsivity–inattention and conduct problems (HIA + CP) have been shown to be at greater risk for negative social, behavioral, and legal outcomes than children with HIA‐only or CP‐only behavior patterns. This investigation explored the degree to which academic, social, and behavioral characteristics in Grade 4 could differentiate sixth‐grade students with HIA + CP (n = 61), HIA‐only (n = 29), and CP‐only (n = 14). Results showed that the HIA‐only group had higher academic achievement in Grade 4 as measured by teacher judgments and standardized tests than the HIA + CP and CP‐only groups. By Grade 6, the HIA‐only and HIA + CP groups showed lower academic competence than the CP‐only group suggesting that by sixth grade, children having HIA alone or in combination with conduct problems are at greater risk for academic failure. Additionally, HIA + CP and CP‐only groups had poorer social skills than the HIA‐only group. Consistent with past research, students in the three risk groups showed no difficulties in either academic or social self‐concept. Early screening and identification methods using a multiple‐gating model were recommended as a means of proactive approaches to intervention design and prevention. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 721–736, 2005.     

Conceptualising the role of information and communication technologies in the design of higher education teaching models used in the UK

Despite the widespread availability of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and some research into specific pedagogical practices using them, there has been little research on the role of these technologies in shaping broader pedagogical approaches in higher education (HE). Increased experimentation in using ICTs raises questions about their pedagogical role in teaching, learning and assessment provision, and in creating innovative pedagogies. An accepted approach is needed to compare the different ways ICTs and rich media are used in HE teaching models. Within the SusTEACH HE sustainability research project this was needed to support the carbon‐based environmental assessment of HE courses using ICTs. Building on a review of learning design theories and models, and ICTs used for pedagogical purposes, this paper considers several approaches to conceptualising the role of ICTs in HE courses, leading to the development of the Teaching Models Rating Tool designed to examine the role of ICTs in course provision. This tool characterises courses as using Face‐to‐Face Teaching Models, Distance Teaching Models, ICT‐Enhanced Blended Teaching Models or Online Teaching Models. Whilst this tool was designed to support research on sustainable HE teaching models in the UK, it has wider applications to support comparative assessments of pedagogical and economic impacts. Further developments will be informed by the complex and evolving role of ICTs in HE teaching models.     

Beyond the technical: The role of emotion regulation in lacrosse officiating

Emotions can influence the performance of referees leading to a need to examine emotions experienced, and regulation strategies used by referees. The present study assessed emotions and emotion regulation strategies of 19 referees officiating at an Under-19 Lacrosse World Championship. Using survey methods and focus group interviews, officials responded to five questions: (a) What emotions were experienced? (b) What events elicited emotions? (c) How did lacrosse officials manage their own emotional states prior to, throughout, and following a competitive game? (d) How did officials manage others’ emotional states? (e) What were the perceived consequences of these strategies? Results indicate that emotions fluctuated throughout the tournament as referees encountered intrapersonal and interpersonal emotion-eliciting events. These fluctuations are suggested to come from a progressively diminished capacity for emotion regulation. Participants used emotion regulation strategies that could be classified into Gross’ (1999) families of emotion regulation strategies, often relying on suppression, emotion contagion, and preventative refereeing. Collectively, the results offer new insights into referee emotion regulation at international events.     

Longitudinal comparisons of wechsler scales in educable mentally handicapped children and adults

The change in IQ scores over an extended period of time (approximately 17 years) of subjects who had been placed in classes for the Educable Mentally Handicapped was investigated. Analysis indicated that a significant difference existed between WISC scores administered at the time of initial placement (mean age, 11–9) and WAIS scores administered at a later date (mean age, 17–6). In addition, although a difference was revealed with respect to WAIS scores when the students were divided into two groups based upon initial WISC scores (⩽70 vs. >70), it was determined that the change was in a uniform fashion over time; i.e., neither regression nor interaction effects were detected. A final analysis revealed that those students who were located for a follow-up testing approximately 10 years later (mean age 28–8) continued to show a significant increase in IQ scores. The importance placed upon IQ scores for initial placement of students in EMH programs appears to remain suspect.