Critical thinking as culture: Teaching post-Soviet teachers in Kazakhstan

This paper explores the question of whether critical thinking can eventually become part of the cultural fabric in Kazakhstan, a country whose Soviet educational system not only trained teachers to memorise, lecture and intimidate students but also created a culture in educational institutions fraught with many fear-based behaviours engendering competitiveness, intolerance and other hostile behaviours antithetical to critical thinking and an open, democratic society. While educational reform can have profound effects on a nation, education is but one system in a complex network of governmental and cultural systems, and change must be borne by many. This paper reviews literature and presents qualitative data gathered through interviews with Soviet-trained teachers. The authors recommend that teachers should embrace student-centred techniques and critical thinking methodologies, as well as shift from a fear-based, authoritarian, top-down system of relating to students and colleagues to one of cooperation, openness and fairness. Such a reform will take repetitive, intensive and experiential training as well as regular assessments of progress.     

Using word study instruction with developmental college students

This study investigates the effect of word study instruction on the orthographic knowledge of college students enrolled in a developmental reading course. Results revealed significantly greater improvement in orthographic knowledge in students who received word study instruction when compared with those in a control group, suggesting that the word study approach was effective for these students. Because of the influence of orthographic knowledge on spelling, writing and reading, additional research is merited to examine how word study intervention impacts the reading behaviours and academic achievement of college students enrolled in developmental education courses.     

Perceptions of parental substance use disorders in cross-system collaboration among child welfare,alcohol and other drugs,and dependency court organizations

Cross-system collaboration among child welfare (CW), alcohol and other drugs (AOD), and court organizations shows promise in addressing the many needs of CW-involved families experiencing parental substance use disorders (SUDs). Research has suggested that differing perceptions of parents with SUDs among staff in these organizations may hinder the collaborative process. Using a sequential explanatory mixed-method approach, this study explored staff perceptions of parental SUDs among CW, AOD, and court organizations. Logistic regression analyses indicated that, compared to CW respondents, AOD respondents were: (a) less likely to believe that parents could provide effective parenting; (b) more likely to believe that abstinence should be a criterion for reunification; (c) more likely to agree that parents should receive jail time as a consequence for noncompliance with court orders; and (d) more likely to believe that parents could succeed in treatment. Thematic analyses of these focal areas identified two core themes (focus on the primary client and mandated time frames for permanency), as well as multiple subthemes, that provided a nuanced understanding of differing perceptions on these matters. Suggestions for the development of anticipatory cross-system training and practices and implications for policy evaluation are discussed.     

Social justice and career guidance in the Age of Talent

The practice of career guidance is heavily influenced by changes in the workplace impacted by globalization and fluctuating economies. In the current era, known as the Age of Talent, people are increasingly viewed as commodities to fulfill labor market needs. There are controversies and inequities about who has access to meaningful employment and what resources are made available to support people’s career development. Career guidance practitioners need to be responsive to current labor market demands while also considering the implications of their roles and practices for social justice.     

From Vision to Change: Educational Initiatives and Research at the Intersection of Physics and Biology

In this editorial we link the articles published in this Special Issue with the framework from Vision and Change and summarize findings from the editorial process of assembling the Special Issue.The authors of Vision and Change (American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS], 2011 ) issued the following call to action to biologists, physicists, chemists, and mathematicians:

To ensure that all students graduate with a basic level of scientific literacy and meet the challenges raised in Bio 2010: Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future Research Biologists (2003), Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians: Report of the AAMC-HHMI Committee (2009), A New Biology for the 21st Century (2009), and similar reports, biologists, physicists, chemists, and mathematicians need to look thoughtfully at ways they can introduce interdisciplinary approaches into their gateway courses. (AAAS, 2011 , p 54)

The articles that comprise this special issue of CBE—Life Sciences Education (LSE) take important steps toward responding to this call by describing teaching and learning at the intersection of biology and physics. Broadly defined, the work aims to encourage the development of genuine interdisciplinary understanding, or “the capacity to integrate knowledge and modes of thinking in two or more disciplines or established areas of expertise to produce a cognitive advancement … in ways that would have been impossible or unlikely through single disciplinary means” (Boix Mansilla and Duraisingh, 2007 , p. 219). Indeed, many of the most exciting recent breakthroughs in the life sciences have occurred at the intersection of these established disciplines. Physical laws help to predict, describe, and explain biological phenomena occurring at molecular to ecosystem levels, and the development of new physical tools helps to visualize these phenomena in new and informative ways. Thus, the Vision and Change report stresses the urgency for undergraduate biology and physics educators to develop, assess, and revise content materials, pedagogical strategies, and epistemological perspectives for encouraging student learning in interdisciplinary biology and physics classes.We received more than 50 abstracts in response to the call for this special issue, and we are pleased to publish 10 Articles, four Essays, and eight Features reflecting the state of educational transformation at the intersection of biology and physics. Several articles describe integration of physics into biology curriculum or biology into physics curriculum that goes beyond simple provision of examples from the respective disciplines (e.g., Batiza et al., Christensen et al., Svoboda Gouvea et al., O’Shea et al., Thompson et al., Breckler et al.). A number of articles address cross-cutting themes, such as problem solving (e.g., Hoskinson et al.) and energy (e.g., Cooper and Klymkowsky, Svoboda Gouvea et al.), the application of mathematical laws to biological phenomena (e.g., Redish and Cooke), epistemology (e.g., Watkins and Elby), and assessment as a powerful tool for driving curriculum change, in this case the integration of physics and biological thinking (e.g., Svoboda Gouvea et al., Momsen et al., Thompson et al.). Other articles reflect research crossing disciplinary boundaries to introduce research approaches (e.g., Watkins and Elby, Momsen et al.) or innovative curriculum models (e.g., Manthey and Brewe, Donovan et al., Thompson et al.) to help students develop reasoning strategies that move beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries. The Hillborn and Friedlander essay highlights potential impacts of cross-disciplinary collaboration in education on the revised Medical College Admission Test.We were pleased by the number of articles coauthored by physicists and biologists working in teams to examine and recommend new directions for the future of biology education. These teams brought a richness and depth of knowledge in both disciplines that made it possible to move instruction and research forward at the intersection of the disciplines. Together, these articles start to provide the evidence base for responding to the calls for interdisciplinary teaching and learning. Further, they provide opportunities to compare and contrast education and epistemologies in biology and physics, allowing for more informed integration of knowledge from these disciplines.     

A consideration of five traditional educational philosophies for speech communication

The authors present five traditional educational philosophies— Idealism, Realism, Neo‐Thomism, Experimentalism, Existentialism—which identify an instructor's educational approaches to speech communication.     

It Is Not Just a Matter of Ethics: A Survey of the Provision of Health Disclaimers,Caveats, and Other Health-related Alerts in Consumer Health Information on Eating Disorders on the Internet

Eating disorders affect millions of people, and their prevalence demonstrates that the condition exists across gender and cultural boundaries. The Internet is a major channel for publishing and disseminating electronic information, allowing worldwide access of massive health-related, lay- and professional-oriented information. However, much research has found that health-related information on the Internet can be overwhelming, incomplete, and/or inaccurate. The success of health promotion in the 21st century depends on whether available consumer health information (CHI) is adequate, accurate, and easy to use. Usually, health disclaimers, caveats, and other health-related alerts are messages to notify users that the information provided is not intended nor implied to be a replacement or an alternative for professional health-related advice. These messages also serve as indicators to show that information providers take ethical responsibility for quality control in terms of providing valid and reliable consumer health information on the Internet. The study used content analysis¹to examine the provision and assess the quality of health disclaimers, caveats, and other health-related alerts included in adult CHI on eating disorders published on the Internet in 1998. The researcher-generated instrument was based on evaluative criteria derived from Alexander and Tate;²Health On the Net Foundation;³Mitretek Systems;⁴and Silberg, Lundberg and Musacchio.⁵Web search engines (Northern Light, HotBot, and Excite) were used for data collection on Internet-based publications. The results indicated that the CHI on eating disorders on the Internet did not include disclaimers, caveats, and other health-related alerts which demonstrates a lack of quality control and ethical responsibility on the part of the information providers and site administrators.     

A Library Compliance Strategy for Regional Accreditation Standards: Using ACRL Higher Education Standards with Community and Junior Colleges in the Western Association of Schools and Colleges

The standards of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges provide accreditation guidance for two-year libraries in their jurisdiction. These standards are the basis for a successful evaluation of the libraries. However, the ACRL Standards for Libraries in Higher Education and the associated workbook provide significant guidance and assistance in crafting a successful assessment. The library at Windward Community College is used as an example of successful employment of this strategy to provide a thorough assessment, which was validated by the ACCJC accrediting visit. Appendices provide materials used by Windward library in the successful evaluation and are recommended for use by other libraries.     

NEW TECHNOLOGIES

THE COMMUNITY MEDIUM, edited by Nancy Jesuale with Ralph Lee Smith (182 pages)

A GUIDE FOR LOCAL POLICY, edited by Nancy Jesuale with Richard M. Neustadt and Nicholas P. Miller (131 pages)

Jane Wilson, “New Information Technologies for the Nonprofit Sector,” (The Foundation Center, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, N.Y. 10106---$4.95, paper)

1982 CABLE ADVERTISING DIRECTORY (Nations Cable Television Association, 1724 Massachuse Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036---$30. paper)

THE INTERACTIVE CABLE TV HANDBOOK (Phillips Publishing , 7315 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1200 N, Bethesda, MD 20814---$49.00, paper)

COUNTDOWN: DIRECT-TO-HOME SATELLITE BROADCASTING IN THE EIGHTIES (65 pages---$75.00, paper)

VIDEODISC: BOOM OR BUST? THE STORY OF THE VIDEODISC IN 1981 FROM THE PAGES OF TELEVISION DIGEST (75 pages, $75.00, paper)