美国国家体育课程标准的历史流变与特点分析

课程标准是引领学校教育发展的纲领性文件,美国在课程标准的可持续发展方面一直走在世界前列。本研究采用文献资料法、比较研究法和逻辑分析法,对美国近二十年来三个不同版本(1995年版、2004年版和2013年版)国家体育课程标准进行了分析。结果表明,大规模的教育变革、解除学校体育危机的需求、对“什么是受过良好体育教育个体”问题的探索引导了美国国家课程标准的流变,具体体现在课程标准框架、课程标准的具体内容和课程标准的评价三个方面,表现出越来越关注对“完整的人”的培养、语言表述更加简洁清晰、可操作性逐步提升、更加强调研究成果的渗透等特点。这种流变对于我国《体育与健康课程标准》的不断修订与完善,促进体育与健康课程的可持续发展具有较强的启发意义。     

Considering the Role of Self-Study of Teaching and Teacher Education Practices Research in Transforming Urban Classrooms

We explore the first four articles in this Special Issue of Studying Teacher Education to identify challenges to the self-study of teaching and teacher education practices (S-STEP) methodology, and how this methodology supports the work of teachers and teacher educators working in urban settings. We respond to these articles by identifying strategies and tools that might be used by S-STEP researchers to strengthen the presentation of their work and to explore the challenges to transforming classrooms using this methodology.     

Interactive Kiosk at the Texas Tech University Libraries

The academic library, given its often privileged position on campus, is the information source that can include directional as well as general campus facts among the myriad of print and e-resources for reference. Also, an academic library's audiences can be quite varied and include prospective students or parents seeking more general knowledge of the building and the campus. Many times this need for information drives patrons to the library service desks. Sometimes, especially during the high-demand seasons of new student orientation and beginning of the fall semesters, the desk is so busy that many patrons will leave because they don't have the time to wait. To address this immediate need for information, Texas Tech University Libraries developed an interactive kiosk to provide general information for frequently asked questions in a more efficient, creative, and interactive way. The kiosk provides a fun method of satisfying a patron's information needs without the requirement of a staff member or the need to wait in line for help. The kiosk is available as long as the Library is open and provides a variety of useful answers to general questions, as well as facts about the Library.     

Identity: a complex structure for researching students’ academic behavior in science and mathematics

This article is a response to Pike and Dunne’s research. The focus of their analysis is on reflections of studying science post-16. Pike and Dunne draw attention to under enrollments in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, in particular, in the field of physics, chemistry and biology in the United Kingdom. We provide an analysis of how the authors conceptualize the problem of scientific career choices, the theoretical framework through which they study the problem, and the methodology they use to collect and analyze data. In addition, we examine the perspective they provide in light of new developments in the field of students’ attitudes towards science and mathematics. More precisely, we draw attention to and explicate the authors’ use of identity from the perspective of emerging theories that explore the relationships between the learner and culture in the context of science and mathematics.     

Consistency of report card grades and external assessments in a Canadian province

The study investigated how well report card grades communicate to students and parents that state educational standards are being met, standards that are objectively measured by infrequently administered mandated assessments. Data sources were report card grades and external assessment scores for 2006–09 for Ontario Canada. The information that parents and students received about student performance from report cards and external assessments were similar (r _s  = .47) to the r = .40–.60 range previously reported. Teachers assigned higher grades than external assessments warranted, even after a major source of construct irrelevant variance in report card grades (teacher ratings on multiple scales measuring student effort and school commitment) was controlled. The relationship of grades to assessment scores was robust across genders, school district types (Public versus Catholic) and language (English and French). Agreement of assessments was higher for grade 6 than for grade 3 and for Writing than for Reading or Mathematics. Report cards provided information about students’ future achievement that was accurate and delivered up to 2 years prior to the administration of external assessments. Seventy to 80% of students who reached the provincial achievement standard on one or both prior report cards were successful on the subsequent external assessment, compared to 30–50% of students who failed to meet the report card standard at least once.