Artistic interpretation

This essay argues for a revised perspective of the theory of “feminine style” developed by Karlyn Kohrs Campbell to explain the characteristics of historical feminist rhetorical action. Using a case study of contemporary feminine style in the political discourse of Texas Governor Ann Richards, the authors argue that the formal characteristics of feminine style, such as reliance on concrete reasoning, personal disclosure, and audience participation, can be viewed as integrally related to a philosophical position grounded in the uniqueness of women's experience. They conclude that the form and content of Richards’ rhetoric function to critique traditional grounds for political judgment and to offer an alternative political philosophy based in traditionally feminine values of care, nurturance, and affective relationships. These conclusions have relevance both for the study of feminist rhetoric and for the development of a critical rhetoric.     

How Science Teachers DiALoG Classrooms: Towards a Practical and Responsive Formative Assessment of Oral Argumentation

Journal of Science Education and Technology - We present lessons learned from an ongoing attempt to conceptualize, develop, and refine a way for teachers to gather formative assessment evidence...     

Environmental satisfiers in academe

Utilizing a nationwide sample of university professors in the United States, this study explored job satisfaction levels of academicians and the differences between perceived satisfaction of faculty in professional schools and that of faculty in other disciplines. The results were based upon responses from 336 faculty representing 24 universities selected on a stratified basis which included large, small, public and private universities. Teaching dimensions and research requirements were the most satisfying elements of the academic work environment; support and compensation aspects were the most dissatisfying. Faculty from professional schools reported higher levels of satisfaction for almost all of the 22 separate environmental dimensions, and these faculty also reported higher salaries and less stringent requirements for tenure and promotion. The demographic variables which explained the greatest amount of variance in work satisfaction scores were tenure, teaching load, sex, institution (public-private), and age. Salary and academic rank, which a priori are considered to be significant in an academician's satisfaction with work, appeared to have a lesser impact.     

Are teachers' beliefs incongruent with their observed classroom behavior?

The study forcuses on an on-going question of whether teachers' beliefs are incongruent with their observed classroom behavior. The setting for the study is a Protestant high school in a large southwestern city. In particular, two teachers are studied. Elicitational questioning and classroom observations are used as procedural methods for data collection. Congruency/incongruency is determined qualitatively, i.e., by comparing observed patterns of teacher classroom behavior with their elicited beliefs. Findings indicate that congruent and incongruent beliefs must be understood in terms of a clustering effect of beliefs in belief systems. Moreover, such findings can be used in understanding teacher decision making processes and classroom teaching strategies.     

A Genetically Optimized Predictive System for Success in General Chemistry Using a Diagnostic Algebra Test

In higher education, many high-enrollment introductory courses have evolved into “gatekeeper” courses due to their high failure rates. These courses prevent many students from attaining their educational goals and often become graduation roadblocks. At the authors’ home institution, general chemistry has become a gatekeeper course in which approximately 25% of students do not pass. This failure rate in chemistry is common, and often higher, at many other institutions of higher education, and mathematical deficiencies are perceived to be a large contributing factor. This paper details the development of a highly accurate predictive system that identifies students at the beginning of the semester who are “at-risk” for earning a grade of C- or below in chemistry. The predictive accuracy of this system is maximized by using a genetically optimized neural network to analyze the results of a diagnostic algebra test designed for a specific population. Once at-risk students have been identified, they can be helped to improve their chances of success using techniques such as concurrent support courses, online tutorials, “just-in-time” instructional aides, study skills, motivational interviewing, and/or peer mentoring.