Teaching of English to Undereducated Adults

Abstract

Teaching English to undereducated adults has been a frustrating experience for many teachers. This research review points to various factors that might account for the language-based problems of educationally deficit adults, implications are drawn for classroom teachers.     

Texas Community College Funding: Nonmetropolitan and Metropolitan Ad Valorem Tax Rates and Revenue

This article examines ad valorem tax rates per $100 valuation and the resultant tax revenues per in-district contact hour for Texas nonmetropolitan and metropolitan public community colleges. The results of the analyses indicate no difference in ad valorem tax rates between these institutions but demonstrate differences in the resultant tax revenues. Recommendations for further research are provided.     

CREATING A COLLABORATIVE CAMPUS CULTURE

Organizational culture influences whether or not community colleges maintain local support as well as overall institutional effectiveness. This paper discusses culture and the context of culture at River Parishes Community College (RPCC) a new institution within the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, currently in its fifth academic year. Implemented to provide faculty, staff, and students with an opportunity to share ideas and strategies for improving student success, the Education for Success through Partnership Rallies on Instruction and Teaching (ESPRIT) expressly aspires to shape campus culture and promote collaboration. This paper discusses organizational culture as well as it reflects the goals and cultural implications of the ESPRIT program at RPCC.     

Sewall wright on the method of path coefficients: An annotated bibliography

When Dudley Duncan and others became interested in linear causal models, they discovered a genetic biologist had laid down the groundwork for them over nearly a 50‐year period. This annotated bibliography covers Sewall Wright's development of the method of path coefficients.     

An Investigation of Explanation Multiple-Choice Items in Science Assessment

Both multiple-choice and constructed-response items have known advantages and disadvantages in measuring scientific inquiry. In this article we explore the function of explanation multiple-choice (EMC) items and examine how EMC items differ from traditional multiple-choice and constructed-response items in measuring scientific reasoning. A group of 794 middle school students was randomly assigned to answer either constructed-response or EMC items following regular multiple-choice items. By applying a Rasch partial-credit analysis, we found that there is a consistent alignment between the EMC and multiple-choice items. Also, the EMC items are easier than the constructed-response items but are harder than most of the multiple-choice items. We discuss the potential value of the EMC items as a learning and diagnostic tool.     

Assessing Knowledge Integration in Science: Construct,Measures, and Evidence

In response to the demand for sound science assessments, this article presents the development of a latent construct called knowledge integration as an effective measure of science inquiry. Knowledge integration assessments ask students to link, distinguish, evaluate, and organize their ideas about complex scientific topics. The article focuses on assessment topics commonly taught in 6th- through 12th-grade classes. Items from both published standardized tests and previous knowledge integration research were examined in 6 subject-area tests. Results from Rasch partial credit analyses revealed that the tests exhibited satisfactory psychometric properties with respect to internal consistency, item fit, weighted likelihood estimates, discrimination, and differential item functioning. Compared with items coded using dichotomous scoring rubrics, those coded with the knowledge integration rubrics yielded significantly higher discrimination indexes. The knowledge integration assessment tasks, analyzed using knowledge integration scoring rubrics, demonstrate strong promise as effective measures of complex science reasoning in varied science domains.     

Selective Parent Participation: Structural and Cultural Factors that Influence School Participation Among Korean Parents

This study examines the process of parent participation for a group of Korean parents in a Korean English two-way immersion program who were labeled “uncooperative.” It adopts Ogbu's cultural ecological theory as the theoretical framework for examining the phenomenon and thus it examines both the environmental as well as the cultural forces that underlie the parents' patterns of participation. Over the course of an academic semester, eight parents and three staff members were interviewed and observed during PTA meetings and other parent involvement events. Findings indicate that the Korean parents practiced “selective participation.” Findings also point to the importance of acknowledging institutional barriers and cultural differences in parents' school participation patterns.     

TEXAS TECH PREP ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF PARTNER OPINIONS: AN ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTIVENESS

Tech Prep is a federal education initiative funded by the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act initially authorized in 1990 then reauthorized in 1998. Texas HB 2401 subsequently established the parameters for the operation of Tech Prep in Texas. Texas has 26 regional consortia that coordinate the delivery of services between secondary school districts and two-year colleges under the leadership of consortium directors. The research reported in this paper examined the effectiveness of these consortia based upon an opinion survey administered to Texas Tech Prep consortia directors, community college technical administrators, and secondary technical program directors.     

CROSS-CULTURAL COMPARISON OF PERCEPTIONS ON THE GLOBAL SCIENTIFIC LITERACY WITH AUSTRALIAN,CHINESE, AND KOREAN MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

In this study, we explored the extent to which Australian, Chinese, and Korean middle school students perceived themselves to have scientific literacy as global citizens and attempted to identify differences and/or commonalities in their perceptions. A total of 655 middle school students (8th and 9th grades; 358 girls and 297 boys) from the three countries participated in the study. We used Global Scientific Literacy Questionnaires (GSLQ) as a survey instrument to assess the students’ perceptions. The GSLQ was developed based on a conceptual framework of Scientific Literacy suggested by Choi, Kim, Lee, Mun, Choi, Krajcik & Shin (2011) and Choi, Lee, Shin, Kim & Krajcik (Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 48(6), 670–697, 2011) for citizenship education in the 21st century. The results indicated that most of the students from the three countries showed a tendency toward higher scores for Science as human endeavor; the lowest scores were in Meta-cognition and self-direction. A pattern of gender difference was also examined among the three countries. We suggest future research questions based on a cross-cultural perspective in order to explore the reasons for the existence of these similarities and differences.