An Examination of Change in Teacher Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Science Education Based on the Duration of Inservice Activities

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Individual differences in achievement goals: A longitudinal study of cognitive, emotional, and achievement outcomes

Within achievement goal theory debate remains regarding the adaptiveness of certain combinations of goals. Assuming a multiple-goals perspective, we used cluster analysis to classify 1002 undergraduate students according to their mastery and performance-approach goals. Four clusters emerged, representing different goal combinations: high mastery/performance (i.e., multiple goals), dominant mastery, dominant performance, and low mastery/performance (i.e., low motivation). In a longitudinal analysis over one academic year, the clusters were compared on cognitive appraisals (expected achievement, perceived success), achievement-related emotions (enjoyment, boredom, anxiety), and objective measures of academic achievement (final grade in Introductory Psychology, GPA). The low-motivation cluster demonstrated the least adaptive profile across all outcomes. The multiple-goals, mastery, and performance clusters showed equivalent levels of achievement; however, students in the performance cluster were more psychologically and emotionally vulnerable than the multiple-goals and mastery clusters. Our discussion focuses on the immediate and potentially long-term implications of specific goal combinations for students and educators, with particular attention to understanding the cognitive and emotional vulnerabilities of students in the performance cluster which appear despite satisfactory achievement levels.     

Advocacy for gender minority students: recommendations for school counsellors

Abstract

Research shows that teachers’ and educators’ responses to gender diversity issues in schools either improves or limits the experiences of students. The school counsellor has an important role to play in this process by working closely with other stakeholders to advocate for transgender, intersex and genderqueer (TIG) students. Following a review of recent developments in the USA, recommendations are made and resources identified to assist school counsellors in validating TIG students, and improving school systems in pursuit of their academic, social and emotional success.     

The emperor has no clothes: examining the impossible relationship between gendered and academic identities in middle school students

Despite the social equity work that still needs to be done in schools and society, many researchers, politicians, and social commentators claim that gender equity work in schools has been accomplished. These people assume that actions in school lead to gender equity outside it. But, there may be two problems with this assumption: 1) achieving equity in academic work may mask still‐inequitable gender work in schools and 2) girls’ and boys’ equal academic achievement does not promise social equality, inside or outside schools. The following study offers evidence from a recent middle school study that reveals how children’s gender identities are naturalized as neutral “student” identities, making the effects of children’s gender identity work invisible. This author argues that schooling at best maintains the inequity of the American gender status quo, and perhaps may work to actually lessen chances for women and men’s equitable life opportunities.     

Explorations in promoting conceptual change in electrical concepts via ontological category shift

Chi (1992, 1993) Chi et al. (1994) suggests that many of the difficulties encountered by students in learning Physics concepts arise because they attribute the ontology of material substances to these concepts. These concepts are actually a special type of process - 'Constraint-Based Interactions' (CBI). Slotta and Chi (1996) reported on a study where a group of students explicitly trained in the CBI ontology showed significant gains over a control group in problem solving performance in eight simple electric circuit problems. This paper reports on a series of four studies which explore the usefulness of the ontological categorization framework in investigating students' alternative conceptions of electric circuits and in developing a teaching strategy for promoting conceptual change in the learning of basic electric circuitry concepts.     

Attitudes and values of lecturing staff: Tradition,innovation and change

Attitudes and values of academic staff in a Scottish polytechnic were measured by means of a survey and a Q sort. Seven significant factors emerged from the rotated factor analysis, which represented groupings of staff who shared attitudes (I = Pro- student autonomy (student focus), II = Traditionalists, III = Pro- student autonomy (staff focus), IV = Staff under pressure, V = Seniors, VI = The Professionals and VII = Defensive Traditionalists). Innovators were found to share certain characteristics, and tended to be concentrated in factor groups I and V. All groups valued and enjoyed teaching, though other aspects of the academic role were valued by one or two groups only. Senior lecturers tended to enjoy course development and administration. Gender differences were not marked, though women were over represented in the factor I group. Faculty differences were also small, but pointed to Science faculty staff being somewhat more traditional than others. Furthermore, science faculty staff endorsed the higher levels of intellectual and ethical development less strongly than staff from other faculties. Results are discussed in the light of professional and institutional changes taking place in higher education in the U.K. at present.     

Facilitating invented spelling through language analysis instruction: An integrated model

Invented spelling ability reflects young children's developing awareness of the internal structure of words-at syllabic, phonemic, and morphemic levels, as well as their lettersound knowledge. Controlled intervention studies have demonstrated that these language analysis skills can be taught in kindergarten, with a significant effect on early spelling. This paper examines the effects of an instructional approach that emphasized integration of language analysis teaching into the whole-language kindergarten curriculum. Children who received this type of instruction were, on average, representing all of the phonemes in written words at the end of kindergarten, and their performance continued to improve into first grade.     

学习科学与教育政策——2011计算机支持的协作学习国际会议回顾

2011计算机支持的协作学习国际会议于2011年7月在香港举行。此次会议的主题是计算机支持协作学习的研究与教育政策和实践的链接,旨在促进CSCL研究对各级正规和非正规教育领域的政策和实践带来新启示。会议集中了全球学习科学、教育技术与协作学习领域的前沿科学家,是一次有关学习科学的盛会。除了在香港的研讨会,本次会议还增设了在广州、上海和北京的连锁会,因此在大陆也吸引了不少学者参与。作为2011CSCL会议的前奏,主办方在香港举行了一个小型的全球教育政策论坛,20位成员之中,一半是前沿的学习科学研究人员,另一半则是各国际机构的教育政策领军人物,他们就教育的微观与宏观研究,做了别开生面的对话。我们相信,有关学习科学的研究,必将成为教育领域的基础研究。     

Academic achievement of legal immigrants' children: the roles of parents' pre- and postmigration characteristics in origin-group differences

Using data from the New Immigrant Survey, a study based on a nationally representative sample of legal immigrants, the present study extends prior research on the academic outcomes of immigrants' children by examining the roles of pre- and postmigration parental characteristics and the home environment. An analysis of 2,147 children aged 6-12 shows that parents' premigration education is more strongly associated with children's academic achievement than any other pre- or postmigration attribute. Premigration parental attributes account for the test score disadvantage of Mexican-origin children of legal immigrants, relative to their non-Latino counterparts. The findings reveal continuities and discontinuities in parental socioeconomic status and demonstrate that what parents bring to the United States and their experiences after arrival influence children's academic achievement.