The role of decoding in reading research and instruction

This paper introduces the special issue on decoding by discussing the role of decoding in the framework of reading research and current instructional issues. It briefly describes the contributions of the seven authors by presenting their key conceptions related to typical and atypical learners. The paper emphasizes the importance of decoding as part of the reading and language arts curriculum and provides instructional implications. Decoding is especially important to consider at this time, since instruction in reading, throughout the United States, is all but excluding systematic decoding instruction as it moves to the whole language, literature-based approaches. While many children may learn to read without difficulty using literature-based approaches, many children may fail to pick up the code.     

Beware! Uncle Sam has Your DNA: Legal Fallout from its Use and Misuse in the U.S.

Technology has provided state and federal governments with huge collections of DNA samples and identifying profiles stored in databanks. That information can be used to solve crimes by matching samples from convicted felons to unsolved crimes, and has aided law enforcement in investigating and convicting suspects, and exonerating innocent felons, even after lengthy incarceration. Rights surrounding the provision of DNA samples, however, remain unclear in light of the constitutional guarantee against "unreasonable searches and seizures" and privacy concerns. The courts have just begun to consider this issue, and have provided little guidance. It is unclear whether the laws governing protected health information are applicable to the instant situation, and if so, the degree to which they apply. DNA databanks are not uniformly regulated, and it is possible that DNA samples contained in them may be used for purposes unintended by donors of the samples. As people live their lives, they leave bits of their DNA behind. They cannot be assured that these tiny specimens will not be taken or used against their will or without their knowledge for activities such as profiling to measure tendencies such as thrill-seeking, aggressiveness, or crimes with threatening behavior. Existing racial or ethnic discrimination and profiling may also encompass genetic discrimination and profiling, creating societal class distinctions. This article will explore the constitutionality of collecting genetic materials, the ethics of such activities, and balance the social good in solving crime and deterrence against the individual's security, liberty, and privacy.     

Supporting Teachers to Customize Curriculum for Self-Directed Learning

Journal of Science Education and Technology - Guiding teachers to customize curriculum has shown to improve science instruction when guided effectively. We explore how teachers use student data to...     

The Relationships Between Peer-to-Peer Interactions,Group Formation,Choice of Research,and Course Performance in an Online Environment

Journal of Science Education and Technology - This study explores the relationships between peer-to-peer interactions and (1) group formation among students, (2) choice of research, and (3) course...     

Theoretical and practical significance of formal reasoning

Piaget's theory has profoundly influenced science education research. Following Piaget, researchers have focused on content-free strategies, developmentally based mechanisms, and structural models of each stage of reasoning. In practice, factors besides those considered in Piaget's theory influence whether or not a theoretically available strategy is used. Piaget's focus has minimized the research attention placed on what could be called “practical” factors in reasoning. Practical factors are factors that influence application of a theoretically available strategy, for example, previous experience with the task content, familiarity with task instructions, or personality style of the student. Piagetian theory has minimized the importance of practical factors and discouraged investigation of (1) the role of factual knowledge in reasoning, (2) the diagnosis of specific, task-based errors in reasoning, (3) the influence of individual aptitudes on reasoning (e.g., field dependence-independence), and (4) the effect of educational interventions designed to change reasoning. This article calls for new emphasis on practical factors in reasoning and suggests why research on practical factors in reasoning will enhance our understanding of how scientific reasoning is acquired and of how science education programs can foster it.     

Dialectic dialogue: reflections on adopting a dialectic stance

ABSTRACT

A multiplicity of perspectives and methods are necessary to investigate the complexities of human development and educational institutions. However, many would-be MM researchers still have questions about how to conceptualize and conduct MM research. Taking a dialectic stance, or mixing research approaches to suit the demands of a research problem, is one way to integrate multiple perspectives from conception to conclusions in a MM research study. In this spirit, we engage in a meta-dialogue focused on our use of the dialectic stance in our dissertations. Using an autoethnographic approach we now call ‘dialectic dialogue’, we analytically and reflectively reexamine our respective research processes to investigate, individually and collaboratively, how taking a dialectic stance influenced the paradigms, methodologies, and methods of our MM dissertations. Three verbal and artistic metaphors for our experience emerged from our discussion: feeling boxed in, getting lucky, and radical commitment. Each metaphor is discussed from our individual and shared perspectives. Our goal is to open our dialogue to a field-wide conversation about the dialectic stance; thus, we conclude with questions for the MM field to consider. This article will be of particular interest to newcomers to the field of MM and their mentors.     

Test stimuli: Representational level with middle class and head start children

Low income and middle income 4- and 5-year old children were shown stimuli in three forms: objects, colored pictures, and black and white line drawings taken from commonly used assessment instruments, and were asked to label the stimuli. Results indicated that both groups of children labeled the objects more successfully than the pictures, although this discrepancy was greater for the low income children. In addition, order of presentation influenced labeling performance. These results suggest that attention be paid to the representational level of materials used with young children in testing and educational settings.