A Geohistorical Study of ‘The Rise of Modern Science’: Mapping Scientific Practice Through Urban Networks, 1500–1900

Using data on the ‘career’ paths of one thousand ‘leading scientists’ from 1450 to 1900, what is conventionally called the ‘rise of modern science’ is mapped as a changing geography of scientific practice in urban networks. Four distinctive networks of scientific practice are identified. A primate network centred on Padua and central and northern Italy in the sixteenth century expands across the Alps to become a polycentric network in the seventeenth century, which in turn dissipates into a weak polycentric network in the eighteenth century. The nineteenth century marks a huge change of scale as a primate network centred on Berlin and dominated by German-speaking universities. These geographies are interpreted as core-producing processes in Wallerstein’s modern world-system; the rise of modern scientific practice is central to the development of structures of knowledge that relate to, but do not mirror, material changes in the system.

Predicting student self-concept,anxiety, and responsibility from self-evaluation and self-praise

Nineteen elementary teachers were observed for the frequency with which they modeled self-praise for their students and taught their students to praise and evaluate themselves. Measures of student self-concept, anxiety, and achievement responsibility were taken at the end of the year. It was found that teacher modeling of self-praise correlated negatively with boys' selfconcept and positively with girls'. Teacher encouragement of students to praise other students correlated positively with boys' anxiety and negatively with girls'. Teacher modeling of self-praise and teacher encouragement of students to praise other students were the best predictors of self-concept.     

A Methodological Toolkit for Science

Science & Education -     

Changing Children's Overt Behaviour Related to Self‐esteem by the Use of Behaviour Modification

Abstract The experiment was designed to monitor the effects of behavioural techniques upon the frequency of positive self‐referent verbal statements (PSRVS) and on overt behaviours considered to be related to global self‐esteem. Fourteen maladjusted boys aged 10‐12 years were randomly assigned to an experimental and control group to monitor the effect of procedures to enhance the frequency of PSRVS. Both groups experienced extraction procedures and rewards but only the experimental group received modelling, instruction and contingent rewards. An ABCDA design demonstrated a very substantial and significant increase in PSRVS within the experimental group over the treatment period and provided some evidence for a generalisation effect on return to baseline and in the follow‐up period. A post‐experiment analysis of teacher ratings of the pupils on the Behaviour Rating Form (BRF) showed a significant difference in favour of the experimental group.