Looking through the lenses of science literacy and cultural diversity: learning from Helena’s mistake

Maria Andrée focuses on an immigrant student whose error in a laboratory activity leads to a novel, colorful outcome that she excitedly shares with peers. After engaging in class activities for a few weeks she returns to her earlier dislike of science, saying: "I hate science, particularly Chemistry." The classroom activity system focused on reproduction of school knowledge did not expand to accommodate Helena's “new activity system with an object of learning science.” This essay suggests teachers be prepared to teach diverse students in ways supporting multiple ways to engage in science. This becomes possible when teachers view their classrooms as dynamic, participatory activity systems that support content mastery as contributing to but not being identical to science identity and science literacy.     

Preschool to kindergarten transition patterns for African American boys

This study focused on the transition patterns of African American boys from preschool to kindergarten using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) dataset. Analyses were conducted to examine whether socioeconomic status, parenting (i.e., emotional support, intrusiveness), and attendance in a center-based program predicted likelihood of being in a particular transition pattern. Four patterns emerged from the data: (1) Increasing Academically, (2) Early Achiever: Declining Academically & Socially, (3) Low Achiever: Declining Academically, and (4) Consistent Early Achiever. There was heterogeneity in the school transition patterns of African American boys, with many showing stability from preschool to kindergarten. Family income and parenting practices and interactions were associated with an increased probability of being in the group that showed a significant increase in academics, suggesting the importance of parents’ provision of enriching opportunities and experiences for African American boys as they transition from preschool to kindergarten.     

论教育学的学科规训功能

作为一门大学学科,教育学拥有知识和组织双重属性,从而孕育了其自身规训的特殊内涵。教育学的学科规训之于教育学的学科发展,既有促进又有规限。教育学的学科规训,促进了教育学知识范围的扩展、教育学学术梯队的形成、教育学学术机构的建立、教育学基本范式的确立以及教育学学科传人的培养。同时,学科规训在一定程度上会影响教育学的人才培养和阻碍教育学的跨学科研究。完善学科内部建制和外部建制,是确保教育学的学科规训功能得以有效发挥的重要保障。     

Teacher–Student Interactions in Korean High School Science Classrooms

This paper provides a preliminary picture of teacher–student interaction in Korean senior high schools. In order to do this, the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) was translated into Korean and administered to 439 students (99 science-independent stream students, 195 science-oriented stream students and 145 humanities stream students). Based on the results from this survey, interviews with some students and teachers were also carried out and three science classrooms were also observed. It was found that the teacher–student interactions in Korean senior high school science classrooms reflect the general image of the youth-elder relationship in society as well as the senior high school's unique nature – portraying a scene of directing teachers and obeying students. It was also found that students experience unique interactions in their science classrooms with their particular teachers. It was considered that this difference comes from the overlapping of a teacher's personal characteristics with the nature of a stream (e.g., curriculum, expectation towards the students in that stream). This article reports part of a larger study conducted with Korean senior high school students and teachers. The aim of the main study was to investigate three different aspects of the high school science classroom environments in Korea, namely, the degree of implementation of constructivism, the pattern of teacher–student interactions, and the learning environment in laboratory classes. Based on the realisation that teacher–student interactions have not been systematically dealt with especially at the senior high school level in Korea, this article pays particularly attention to this aspect. The intention was also to provide useful insights for improving the current situation in senior high school science classrooms in Korea.     

Book reviews

Anyone who engages in or follows media research knows of the work of Gavriel Salomon. His publications are some of the most frequently cited in the literature. Advance information about a new book by him prompted us to treat the book more elaborately than usual. We asked Salomon’s colleague, Dick Clark, to do a review, and Keith Mielke and Erhard Heidt to comment on the implications of the book for future research in media. — Ed     

Different courses, different students, same results? An examination of differences in study progress of students in different courses

An important issue in higher education researchis how to keep study progress at a good pace.In this article we will deal with the studyprogress of first-year students in variouscourses in Dutch higher education. Why are somecourses more effective than others? Dosuch aspects as the composition of studentpopulation and different curricula influencevariation in study progress, after controllingfor individual factors? Multilevel analysisshows that there is in fact such variationbetween courses and this variation is onlypartially explained by individualcharacteristics and course characteristics. Atthe individual level, sex, initial ability,academic fit, expectation and commitment areimportant factors. After controlling for theseindividual factors, some courses still turn outto be more effective than others in gettingtheir students to earn credits. Students incourses with a high proportion of women makemore progress than students in courses with ahigh proportion of men. Furthermore, courseswith a high average number of student studyhours per week do better. Courses are ranked inan `order of effectiveness' before and afterimportant factors in the models are taken intoaccount. Comparing courses before and aftercontrolling for any characteristics clearlyprovides a different picture of effectivecourses.     

Stimulus blocking during compound discrimination training with pentobarbital and visual stimuli

Learning & Behavior - To investigate blocking by drug-induced stimuli and visual stimuli, three groups of rats were trained to escape shock in a T-maze by choosing the left or right arm. During...     

周立波故乡生活小说创作琐谈

周立波在益阳农村深入生活达十年之久,所创作的长篇小说《山乡巨变》取得了不可低估的现实主义成就;所创作的短篇小说充满着诗意美;周立波故乡生活继承了乡土小说传统,开创了新风格、新主题、新传统。