Framing the Problem: effects of wording on children's statistical inferences

ABSTRACT A total of 96 children aged 11 to 12 years were given statistical inference problems (base‐rate and law of large numbers) designed to test the effects of wording on their answers. The wording of the problems was manipulated to make the information on base‐rates and on the law of large numbers either more salient or less salient. The latter condition was established by adding extraneous information to base‐rates, or, in the case of the law of large numbers, making the context unfamiliar or focusing choice on a particular person rather than on the group. A significant main effect of wording was found across all problems in favour of the salient condition. The results indicated that the children had a high level of statistical intuition and that they knew when to reason statistically and when not to.     

The role of school leadership in Singapore's future-ready school reform

In this paper, we propose that successful education needs to fulfil three purposes while being cognisant of time and context: (a) learning, (b) lifework and (c) well-being. An education system is successful if it can develop future-ready individuals who will continue to learn beyond graduation, take on future lifework, and thrive in a changing society and environment. The future is context-situated and context-dependent. We have chosen to examine the economic, social and environmental context of Singapore to provide insight on the values, skills and knowledge that are required of future-ready learners according to the three purposes. We have compared the trajectories of other high-income nations with those of Singapore. Traditional teaching and learning practices no longer serve us well in the new realities that emerge. Education practices need to evolve in tandem to meet the demands of the 21st century. The roles that school leaders play include creating teaching and learning environments where these practices can be implemented. In our review of leadership practices and concepts, we have found that it is important for school leaders to question existing assumptions of teaching, learning and leadership practices in order to advance the development of 21st century skills, knowledge, values, and habits in learners.     

Electric charge-mediated coalescence of water droplets for biochemical microreactors

This work proposes the use of charged droplets driven by the Coulombic force as solution-phase reaction chambers for biological microreactions. A droplet can be charged near an electrode under dc voltage by direct contact to the electrode. This process is called electrical charging of droplet (ECOD). This charged droplet can then be transported rapidly between electrodes following the arc of an electric field line by exploiting electrostatic force. As on-demand electrocoalescence, both alkalization of phenolphthalein and bioluminescence reaction of luciferase in the presence of adenosine triphosphate are studied to test the feasibility of the biochemical microreactors using ECOD. Two oppositely charged droplets are merged to have a color change immediately after microchemical reaction. The applicability of an ECOD-driven droplet to measurement of glucose concentration is also tested. The glucose concentration is measured using a colorimetric enzyme-kinetic method based on Trinder’s reaction [J. Clin. Pathol. 22, 158 (1969)]. The color change in the merged droplet is detected with an absorbance measurement system consisting of a photodiode and a light emitting diode.     

Fostering online social construction of science knowledge with primary pre-service teachers working in virtual teams

As many primary pre-service teachers enter teacher education courses with little science background, it is essential in teacher education courses to provide opportunities for them to learn more science independently. The purpose of this study is to investigate an online pedagogical activity that fosters the social construction of science knowledge by primary pre-service teachers working in small virtual teams. The study investigated how the pre-service teachers collaborated online in virtual teams to complete set tasks, their attitudes toward and beliefs about the effectiveness of the online learning experience, and the types and quality of the resources developed. The findings indicated that the virtual team-produced science resource materials were generally of high quality, with nearly half the number of teams engaging with Web 2.0 technologies (e.g. wikis and blogs) to construct their product. The findings indicated positive attitudes toward the collaborative learning even though beliefs about online learning were mixed.     

Trait Emotional Intelligence and Perceived Supervisory Working Alliance of Counseling Trainees and Their Supervisors in Agency Settings

The present study investigated the relationships between supervisee and supervisor trait emotional intelligence (EI) levels and their perception of the supervisory working alliance. Data were collected from 64 supervisor-supervisee dyads among masters-level community counseling internship students and their site supervisors. Findings indicated that supervisees and supervisors with higher levels of trait EI tended to perceive the supervisory working alliance more positively. However, findings did not support the presence of an interaction effect between supervisee and supervisor trait EI on either supervisees’ or supervisors’ perceptions of the working alliance. Implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.     

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Examining the Career Choices of Alternatively Licensed Teachers in Urban Schools

In order to address the issue of persistent teacher shortages, urban districts increasingly rely on alternatively licensed teachers who are often viewed as well-suited to work in urban areas because of their greater age, life and work experiences, and understanding of diverse communities. Yet, research on the retention of these teachers remains inconclusive, with some notable studies suggesting that alternatively licensed teachers are as likely as their traditionally prepared counterparts to quit teaching or migrate out of urban school settings. In this study, we explore the process and salient considerations of five alternatively licensed math and science teachers deciding whether or not to continue teaching in a Midwestern, urban school district. Whereas previous studies typically examine teacher recruitment and retention issues through a narrow analysis of labor market incentives and other external inducements, our study situates teachers’ career decisions within a more holistic narrative that illustrates how individual actions are never determined by any single factor, but rather a web of simultaneous and sometimes contradictory forces generated by prior expectations and immediate realities that are professional as well as personal in nature.     

Visualization of Wormlike Micelle Fluid Flow in a Mixing Tank

In this study,particle image velocimetry was applied to investigate flow fields of wormlike micelle(WLM) fluids in a mixing tank equipped with a four-blade,down-pumping,pitched blade turbine. First,the rheology of WLM fluids was investigated,and the Carreau model was utilized to describe their apparent viscosity. Then,the effects of the rotation speeds and rheological properties on the flow fields were studied using different WLM fluids at different rotation speeds. The results revealed that with increasing Reynolds number,the discharge angle decreases and the carven size increases. Furthermore,elastic effects of WLM fluids lead to a more curved flow and a smaller carven.