Investigations of a complex,realistic task: Intentional,unsystematic, and exhaustive experimenters

This study examines how students' experimentation with a virtual environment contributes to their understanding of a complex, realistic inquiry problem. We designed a week‐long, technology‐enhanced inquiry unit on car collisions. The unit uses new technologies to log students' experimentation choices. Physics students (n = 148) in six diverse high schools studied the unit and responded to pretests, posttests, and embedded assessments. We scored students' experimentation using four methods: total number of trials, variability of variable choices, propensity to vary one variable at a time, and coherence between investigation goals and experimentation methods. Students made moderate, significant overall pretest to posttest gains on physics understanding. Coherence was a strong predictor of learning, controlling for pretest scores and the other experimentation measures. We identify three categories of experimenters (intentional, unsystematic, and exhaustive) and illustrate these categories with examples. The findings suggest that students must combine disciplinary knowledge of the investigation with intentional investigation of the inquiry questions in order to understand the nature of the variables. Mechanically executing well‐established experimentation procedures (such as varying one variable at a time or comprehensively exploring the experimentation space) is less likely to lead students to valuable insights about complex tasks. Our proposed categories extend and refine previous efforts to categorize experimenters by linking scientific procedures with understanding of the science discipline. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 48: 745–770, 2011     

Collaborative Learning in an Information Literacy Course: The Impact of Online Versus Face-to-face Instruction on Social Metacognitive Awareness

Metacognition and social metacognition play important roles in information literacy, online learning, and collaborative learning. This study examines how students rated themselves in both metacognitive and social metacognitive awareness after a collaborative project in an information literacy course offered face-to-face and online. Students in the face-to-face version of the course rated themselves as having higher social metacognitive awareness, though metacognitive awareness scores were similar. Because of this finding, this article makes recommendations for improving collaboration online for information literacy instruction.     

Admissions portfolio for a graduate program: Matching practice and paradigm

Every year since 1964, approximately 120 high-school seniors have been selected for presidential recognition, from across the United States. As the first cohort of Presidential Scholars enters their 60s, we wanted to hear what they think about the roles that academic, professional, and personal achievement have played in their lives and to reconsider sex differences found in earlier studies. Our findings are reported here both as summary data of the responses of 145 Scholars from the 1964–1968 cohort and as selected excerpts, in their own words. Participants in this study share their wisdom about giftedness and talent as it develops across the life span and offer advice to parents, educators, and highly capable young people. They emphasize the importance of hard work, perseverance, and personal relationships and suggest that success is more about self-acceptance and personal fulfillment than it is about formal recognition and prizes.     

Learning difficulties associated with the particulate theory of matter in the Scottish Integrated Science course

Summaries

English

Educators need to know when an adolescent will use a particular available problem‐solving mechanism or strategy. If a student can solve proportional reasoning problems in mathematics and physics classes but fails to comprehend the ‘odds’ in a local lottery, the teacher would like to know why. Three task context factors that form obstacles to generalizing logical reasoning strategies are illustrated by research studies. The obstacles are perceived relevance of the variables, perceived goal of the experiment and variable salience. The relationship between these factors and Piagetian theory is explored. Piaget's view that generalization is difficult to predict is a pessimistic one for educators. In contrast to this view, our findings suggest that it is possible to make some predictions abouthow and when logical mechanisms will be generalized to new situations. Implications for designing educational programmes which enhance generalizability of instruction in logical reasoning are described.     

Taking Responsibility for Learning isn't Everything: A case for developing tertiary students' conceptions of learning

This study examines first year university student perceptions of responsibility for their learning, within the context of their conceptions of learning, with a view to meeting two of the objectives of higher education in Australia: teaching students to think and to learn. A questionnaire was distributed to 100 students undertaking at least one first year subject at the University of Western Sydney (UWS) in 1998. Their written responses provided information about their conceptions of learning, as well as both direct and indirect indications of their perceptions of responsibility. Results indicated that students held perceptions of personal responsibility for their learning, but that their conceptions of learning were essentially quantitative in nature and were at the lower levels of complexity. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of university teaching and learning, and of meeting the ultimate objectives of higher education.     

Can Tracing Tools Contribute to Programming Proficiency? The LISP Evaluation Modeler

Abstract

Tracing solutions to programming problems is a long‐standing technique used to reveal the details of a solution and to expose bugs in a program. Tracing can also help programmers build a model or representation of how a programming language responds to code. This article describes the LISP Evaluation Modeler (LEM), an on‐line tracing tool designed to (a) help novices form an understanding of and facility with the LISP evaluation process, and (b) assist all programmers in designing and debugging programs. An empirical study of LEM demonstrates its advantages for design, comprehension, and debugging and suggests ways in which LEM can help novices learning LISP.     

Teacher use of evidence to customize inquiry science instruction

This study investigated how professional development featuring evidence‐based customization of technology‐enhanced curriculum projects can improve inquiry science teaching and student knowledge integration in earth science. Participants included three middle school sixth‐grade teachers and their classes of students (N = 787) for three consecutive years. Teachers used evidence from their student work to revise the curriculum projects and rethink their teaching strategies. Data were collected through teacher interviews, written reflections, classroom observations, curriculum artifacts, and student assessments. Results suggest that the detailed information about the learning activities of students provided by the assessments embedded in the online curriculum motivated curricular and pedagogical customizations that resulted in both teacher and student learning. Customizations initiated by teachers included revisions of embedded questions, additions of hands‐on investigations, and modifications of teaching strategies. Student performance improved across the three cohorts of students with each year of instructional customization. Coupling evidence from student work with revisions of curriculum and instruction has promise for strengthening professional development and improving science learning. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47: 1037–1063, 2010     

Sources of infant feeding information used by pregnant women

Selecting an infant feeding method is one of the most important decisions a mother-to-be makes. Little information is available to characterize women who plan to use both formula and breast milk. In this study, 89 pregnant women indicated their anticipated feeding method and the sources and initiator of infant feeding information. No differences were found in the type of resources used by women who planned to breastfeed, formula feed, or combination feed. Women in the study were four times more likely to initiate a conversation about infant feeding methods with a family member or friend than with a health care provider. Involving these key individuals in perinatal education classes and support programs is a simple, but powerful, strategy that childbirth educators can use to promote breastfeeding.     

Book Reviews

A major role that two‐year colleges play is to provide graduates who are prepared to meet the labor demands of business and industry. Business is no longer content with employees who possess job specific knowledge only, but is seeking employees who possess other attributes as well, such as the ability to solve problems, relate to others, and adapt to changing situations. To meet these demands, a curriculum model has been developed at Spartanburg Technical College to combine job specific content with work‐related skills. Innovative teaching strategies are used to bridge content and skills in such a way so content is not sacrificed, while at the same time, student's work‐related skills are developed. Teaching methodologies are sequentially and strategically placed to allow students to build from a basic to an advanced level of competency for each work‐related skill. The six step process results in several benefits including faculty, student and college development and improved college‐business/industry relations.     

Participatory action research as pedagogy: investigating social and ecological justice learning within a teacher education program

A research collective comprised of teacher candidates, graduate students, and faculty set out to investigate the role and impact of social and ecological justice learning in a teacher education program. Amidst the tensions, negotiations, and articulations of the research design, the collective came to recognize the spaces of participatory action research as sites of growth and efficacy toward justice learning. And, each began to perceive themselves as both impacted by educational structures and as agents enacting their own visions of professional practice. These outcomes are discussed in the context of the growing body of participatory action research, emphasizing the dynamic learning precipitated within the intersections of the research collective. The empirical analysis, involving survey and interview data, brought to bear the rarity of events participants (teacher candidates) recognized as invoking meaningful social and ecological justice learning, and goes some way to describe such learning in terms of embodied experience. The paper closes with a selection of testimonials provided by members of the research collective, offering personal accounts of what was gained through participating in the research process.