Using Robotics to Motivate ‘Back Door’ Learning

This paper suggests that robotics can provide a vehicle for guiding primary and secondary school children toward an effective understanding of programming and engineering principles. It observes that children find robotics stimulating and motivating, and that their interest in, and focus on, making the robot do what I want leads them via the back door to learn about programming and engineering in a way that is both well-grounded and generaliseable.These observations arise from empirical studies of children participating in robotics competitions: we conducted observations and interviews with all the participating teams at two robotics events (one regional, one international), and we followed one young robotics team in a case study. The children had almost all built their robots using LEGO MindStorms for specific competitions, with soccer, rescue and dance events. The children typically worked in teams, building robots as an extra-curricular activity supported by a teacher/mentor. The children came from a variety of educational and social backgrounds.The paper considers what makes robotics motivating to children, including children who are not considered technically oriented. It describes learning that has emerged from children's experiences in building and programming robots. It describes examples of children learning subjects that they previously considered difficult and inaccessible, in order to solve problems in robotics. It describes examples of children identifying and understanding principles, concepts, and elements of practice that are fundamental to programming and engineering. It describes further how secondary school students working in teams learned that this programming and engineering knowledge has a social context.     

Disagreement over the best way to use the word ‘validity’ and options for reaching consensus

The ability to convey shared meaning with minimal ambiguity is highly desirable for technical terms within disciplines and professions. Unfortunately, there is no widespread professional consensus over the meaning of the word ‘validity’ as it pertains to educational and psychological testing. After illustrating the nature and extent of disagreement, we consider three options for reaching consensus: to eliminate its ambiguity by agreeing a precise technical definition; to embrace its ambiguity by agreeing a catchall lay usage; and to retire ‘validity’ from the testing lexicon.     

Highlighting and taking notes are equally ineffective when Reading paper or eText

Education and Information Technologies - The present study examined whether there is a difference in comprehension when reading from computer-based text versus reading from paper-based text and...     

Subject indexing and citation indexing—part I: Clustering structure in the cystic fibrosis document collection*

The presence of clustering structure in the cystic fibrosis Document Collection is evaluated as a function of the exhaustivity of four subject representations and two citation representations. Experimental results show that for each representation the evidence for clustering structure diminishes as the exhaustivity of the representation decreases. Three of the four subject representations show no evidence of clustering structure at the least exhaustive representations. Although many documents have no references or citations, the citation representations demonstrate the presence of clustering structure over a wider range of exhaustivity levels than the subject representations. Both citation indexes show evidence of clustering structure at the least exhaustive representations. The structures imposed on the CF Document Collection by the subject and citation indexes satisfy the necessary condition for a meaningful clustering outcome.     

The urban university student: A political profile

A survey of University of Pittsburgh student participation in the 1970 election suggests that college students may not exert the independent political influence that many predicted. Pittsburgh students tend to participate within the established party system, to accept traditional party labels (especially the party identity of their parents), and to participate in those (higher-order) political activities usually performed by college-educated adults. Although students may be concerned with effecting programmatic change, radical political activity common to the 1960s is on the want. Our data suggest, further, that the findings and conclusions of the voting studies of the 1950s still apply.The research reported herein was supported in part by an Office of Education Grant, Contract No. OEG-29-480725-1027, Project No. 80725. I appreciate the helpful criticisms of Martha K. Baum and Barbara B. Jameson. Christina M. Jarema was responsible for the processing of the data. This paper was originally presented at the Annual Research Institute of the District of Columbia Sociological Society, Howard University, May 13, 1972.     

Academic marxism and communisms’ fall

Peter Shaw is consulting editor ofAcademic Questions and Will and Ariel Durant Professor of Humanities for 1990–1991 at St. Peter's College, Jersey City, NJ 07306. This essay was originally presented as part of the panel “Academic Utopianism: Its Past and Its Future” at “Strategies for the Nineties,” the second national conference of the National Association of Scholars, held June 8–10, 1990. The panel focused on what impact, if any, the fall of European Communism would have on academic Marxism in the United States.     

Grouping Continuous Data in Discrete Intervals: Information Loss and Recovery

Information loss occurs when continuous data are grouped in discrete intervals. After calculating the squared correlation coefficients between continuous data and corresponding grouped data for four population distributions, the effects of population distribution, number of intervals, and interval width on information loss and recover), were examined.     

Factors in Decisions of Underrepresented Minorities to Forego Science and Engineering Doctoral Study: A Pilot Study

The research described here comprised a pilot study that attempted to identify the factors in decisions of highly capable students from underrepresented minority groups to forego study for science or engineering doctorates. Underrepresented students are defined as Blacks, Hispanics, and Indians. While these groups will soon comprise 30% or more of the population, they receive only 5% of the S & E (Science and Engineering) doctorates. The research was completed under NSF (National Science Foundation) grant no. REC 9908861. The research built on a previous NSF study (RED-9355867) that identified the most effective colleges and universities in the country in the preparation of Black, Hispanic, and Indian science and engineering students for study toward the PhD degree. One of the major concerns raised during the site visits to the top 10 institutions serving these groups was the loss of capable students to other careers. The study obtained information from minority graduates about factors impacting persistence to graduate studies in science and engineering and solicited suggestions for attracting more people like themselves to S & E doctoral study. Twelve underrepresented minority S & E graduates who decided to forego doctoral study in favor of other pursuits. Themes emerging from these conversations regarding reluctance to pursue advanced study included the following: concern for ability to finance such study; weaknesses in advisement practices and systems; lack of full knowledge, early on, about the rewards of doctoral employment; and concern about opportunities for employment after graduation. Suggestions proffered for attracting more underrepresented minorities to S & E doctoral study included the following: early socialization of youngsters into the world of science and its practice; expanded funding for scholarships and fellowships; expanded outreach by colleges and universities; expanded efforts by churches and community groups and deeper commitments by colleges and universities.