History,philosophy, and science teaching: The present rapprochement

This paper traces the use of, and arguments for, the history and philosophy of science in school science courses. Specific attention is paid to the British National Curriculum proposals and to the recommendations of the US Project 2061 curriculum guidelines. Some objections to the inclusion of historical material in science courses are outlined and answered. Mention is made of the Piagetian thesis that individual psychological development mirrors the development of concepts in the history of science. This introduces the topic of idealisation in science. Some significant instances are itemised where science education has, at its considerable cost, ignored work in philosophy of science. Arguments for the inclusion of the history and philosophy of science in science teacher education programmes are given. The paper finishes with a list of topical issues in present science education where collaboration between science teachers, historians, philosophers, and sociologists would be of considerable benefit.     

Effects of Client Race‐Ethnicity on Perceptions of Counselor Trainees: Study 1 and Study 2

The authors investigated the impact that racial stereotypes have on counselor trainees' perceptions of the attributes and behaviors of ethnically diverse male clients. Two studies were conducted in which participants were counselor trainees (Study 1, N = 58; Study 2, N = 75) who received a case study in which a male student sought counseling for problems affecting his school work. No differences were revealed in Study 1. In Study 2, counselor perceptions of client attributes differed across client race–ethnicity. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for training counselors, particularly regarding multicultural courses and workshops.     

Social network perspectives reveal strength of academic developers as weak ties

Social network perspectives acknowledge the influence of disciplinary cultures on academics’ teaching beliefs and practices with implications for academic developers. The contribution of academic developers in 18 scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) projects situated in the sciences are explored by drawing on data from a two-year national project in Australia within a case study research design. The application of a social network lens illuminated the contribution of eight academic developers as weak ties who infused SoTL knowledge within teams. Two heuristic cases of academic developers who also linked across networks are presented. Implications of social network perspective are discussed.     

A Person-Centered Approach to Understanding Teachers' Classroom Practices and Perceived School Goal Structures

ABSTRACT

We examined 179 teachers' perceptions of their own classroom practices and their school's motivational climate to illuminate the ways these perceptions work in concert. Using teachers' responses to two scales of the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Survey, a cluster analysis revealed three profiles of teachers described as cluster 1: Aligned: Performance Moderate, Mastery High: We agree with everything!; cluster 2: Aligned: Performance Low, Mastery High: Yea to Mastery! Nay to Performance!; and cluster 3: Unaligned: Classroom Mastery with School Performance: We're Mastery Structured in a Performance School. Cluster analyses revealed significant differences suggesting these teacher groups had distinct profiles. This study adds to the literature on goal theory aimed at understanding and advancing teachers' motivationally supportive practices and can be used in teacher education and development to help teachers identify, reflect on, and understand their classroom goal structures and how they relate to structures operating at the school level.     

‘Unthinkable’ Selves: Identity boundary work in a summer field ecology enrichment program for diverse youth

The historical under-representation of diverse youth in environmental science education is inextricably connected to access and identity-related issues. Many diverse youth with limited previous experience to the outdoors as a source for learning and/or leisure may consider environmental science as ‘unthinkable’. This is an ethnographic study of 16 diverse high school youths’ participation, none of who initially fashioned themselves as ‘outdoorsy’ or ‘animal people’, in a four-week summer enrichment program focused on herpetology (study of reptiles and amphibians). To function as ‘good’ participants, youth acted in ways that placed them well outside their comfort zones, which we labeled as identity boundary work. Results highlight the following cultural tools, norms, and practices that enabled youths’ identity boundary work: (1) boundary objects (tools regularly used in the program that facilitated youths’ engagement with animals and nature and helped them work through fear or discomfort); (2) time and space (responsive, to enable adaptation to new environments, organisms, and scientific field techniques); (3) social support and collective agency; and (4) scientific and anecdotal knowledge and skills. Findings suggest challenges to commonly held beliefs about equitable pedagogy, which assumes that scientific practices must be thinkable and/or relevant before youth engage meaningfully. Further, findings illustrate the ways that fear, in small doses and handled with empathy, may become a resource for youths’ connections to animals, nature, and science. Finally, we propose that youths’ situated identity boundary work in the program may have the potential to spark more sustained identity work, given additional experiences and support.     

Assessment of Practical Work in Ireland: A critique

Proponents of science, technology and society (STS) education advocate a literacy grounded in the context of ethical, individual and social responsibility. Accordingly, STS programs and themes have been designed and developed in an effort to interpret science and technology as complex socially embedded enterprises, and to promote the development of a critical, scientifically and technologically literate citizenry capable of understanding STS issues, empowered to make informed and responsible decisions, and able to act upon those decisions. This paper posits that STS is a desirable and commendable goal. However, many dilemmas arise when educators begin to seriously address issues of power, knowledge, decision‐making, and responsible action in the science curriculum. In particular, this paper is a case study of an elementary teacher involved in STS education, with her grade three‐four class. The real‐life event or issue that triggers the STS curriculum unit is the school's septic tank overload. In describing this case, the author examines the potential power and problems of STS education.     

Voice and speech examinations in American educational institutions

A PHILOSOPHICAL BASIS OF MEDICAL PRACTICE: TOWARD A PHILOSOPHY AND ETHIC OF THE HEALING PROFESSIONS. By Edmund D. Pellegrino and David C. Thomasma. New York: Oxford University Press, 1981; pp. xv + 342. $19.95.

THE SILENT WORLD OF DOCTOR AND PATIENT. By Jay Katz. New York: The Free Press, 1984; pp. xxi + 263. $15.95.

ROUTINE COMPLICATIONS: TROUBLES WITH TALK BETWEEN DOCTORS AND PATIENTS. By Candace West. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1984; pp. xiv + 199. $27.50.

TALKING WITH PATIENTS, VOLUME 1: THE THEORY OF DOCTOR‐PATIENT COMMUNICATION. By Eric J. Cassell. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1985; pp. xiii + 223. $9.95 paper.

TALKING WITH PATIENTS, VOLUME 2: CLINICAL TECHNIQUE. By Eric J. Cassell. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1985; pp. xii + 200. $9.95 paper.     

Influence of expectation and campus racial climate on undergraduates' interracial interaction

In this study, the authors examine the influence of interracial interaction expectation and campus racial climate perception on attitudes toward interracial interaction which, in turn, influences the levels of interracial interaction among students at a multicultural university in Malaysia. Interaction across race is fundamental to students' growth and development. Responses from 193 Malay and 165 Chinese students were analysed by means of hierarchical regression. Results support the hypothesized influence of interracial interaction expectation and campus racial climate perception on attitudes toward interracial interaction for the Chinese students. For the Malay students, however, only interracial interaction expectation is significant. Attitudes toward interracial interaction, in turn, significantly predict levels of interracial interaction for both groups. The results support the hypothesized differential strength of relationships among the variables for the two racial groups. Implications for higher education are discussed.