Exploring the interplay of cultural capital,habitus, and field in the life histories of two West African teacher candidates

This paper captures the life histories of two West African pre-service teachers pursuing their education in the United States. Based on a larger study examining the life histories of 45 undergraduate pre-service teachers, these narratives focus specifically on international student experiences in the US. Grounded in Bourdieu’s theory of habitus, capital, and field, the life histories of Bakar and Selma illustrate how their capital and habitus become contingent on the field(s) (i.e. sites, time, and agents within a specific context) in which they are situated. The narratives of Bakar and Selma captured their early educational experiences, teacher preparation practices, and future possibilities as they moved in and out of different fields where the exchange of capital occurred, which then led to restructuring and/or de-valuerization of certain habitus. The experiences of Bakar and Selma heighten our awareness of the capital and habitus deployed in a variety of contexts – fields – in the US and elsewhere. We conclude by incorporating discussion focused on working with international teacher candidates.     

Development and validation of a path analytic model of students' performance in chemistry

This article reports the development and validation of an integrated model of performance on a chemical concept - volumetric analysis. From the chemical literature a path-analytic model of performance on volumetric analysis calculation was postulated based on studies utilizing the proportional reasoning schema of Piaget and the Cumulative learning theory of Gagne. This integrated model hypothesized some relationships among the variables: direct proportional reasoning, inverse proportional reasoning, prerequisite concepts (content) and performance on volumetric analysis calculations. This model was postulated for the two groups of students involved in the study - that is those who use algorithms with understanding and those who use algorithms without understanding. Two hundred and sixty-five grade twelve chemistry students in eight schools (14 classes) in the lower mainland of British Columbia, Canada participated fully in the study. With the exception of the test on volumetric analysis calculations all the other tests were administered prior to the teaching of the unit on volumetric analysis. The results of the study indicate that for subjects using algorithms without understanding, their performance on VA problems is not influenced by proportional reasoning strategies while for those who use algorithms with understanding, their performance is influenced by proportional reasoning strategies.     

The Personal Response System as a Teaching Aid

Objective: To examine the classroom use and implications of a Personal Response System, a technological tool to provide immediate feedback from the students to the instructor

Courses: Any communication course, particularly those presented in large lecture halls     

To trust or not to trust?—teacher marking versus external marking of national tests

In the Swedish educational system, teachers have the dual responsibility of assigning final grades and marking their own students’ national tests. The Government has mandated the Swedish Schools Inspectorate to remark samples of the national tests to see if teacher marking can be trusted. Reports from this project have concluded that intermarker consistency is low and that teachers’ markings are generous as compared to those of the external markers. These findings have been heavily publicized, leading to distrust in teachers’ assessments. In the article, we analyze and discuss the remarking studies from methodological as well as substantive angles. We conclude that the design applied in the reanalysis does not allow inferences about bias in marking across schools or teachers. We also conclude that there are several alternative explanations for the observation that teacher marks are higher than the external marks: The external markers did not form a representative sample, they read copies with sometimes marginal legibility, and they used a different scale for marking than the teachers had used. The results are thus not as clearcut as suggested by the reports and media releases, which is because a school inspections logic rather than a research logic was applied in designing, conducting, and reporting the studies.     

Optofluidic characterization of marine algae using a microflow cytometer

The effects of global warming, pollution in river effluents, and changing ocean currents can be studied by characterizing variations in phytoplankton populations. We demonstrate the design and fabrication of a Microflow Cytometer for characterization of phytoplankton. Guided by chevron-shaped grooves on the top and bottom of a microfluidic channel, two symmetric sheath streams wrap around a central sample stream and hydrodynamically focus it in the center of the channel. The lasers are carefully chosen to provide excitation light close to the maximum absorbance wavelengths for the intrinsic fluorophores chlorophyll and phycoerythrin, and the excitation light is coupled to the flow cytometer through the use of an optical fiber. Fluorescence and light scatter are collected using two multimode optical fibers placed at 90-degree angles with respect to the excitation fiber. Light emerging from these collection fibers is directed through optical bandpass filters into photomultiplier tubes. The cytometer measured the optical and side scatter properties of Karenia b., Synechococcus sp., Pseudo-Nitzchia, and Alexandrium. The effect of the sheath-to-sample flow-rate ratio on the light scatter and fluorescence of these marine microorganisms was investigated. Reducing the sample flow rate from 200 μL/min to 10 μL/min produced a more tightly focused sample stream and less heterogeneous signals.     

THE GERONTOLOGY PRACTICUM AS SERVICE-LEARNING

This article argues that the gerontology practicum placement is service - learning when guidance is provided to help students integrate the dual goals of service and learning , and when the requisite components of reflection , analysis , and application are built into the practicum experience . Exit interviews conducted with students and field supervisors supported the idea that the practicum experience offered a balance between service and learning , and it was an opportunity for interdisciplinary teamwork , reciprocal benefits , and professional development . Specific discussion focuses on the pedagogical techniques used to encourage individual and group reflection , the synthesis of experiences with academic training , and the application of new understandings in the field setting .