Relationship Between Language and Concept Science Notebook Scores of English Language Learners and/or Economically Disadvantaged Students

Despite research interest in testing the effects of literacy-infused science interventions in different contexts, research exploring the relationship, if any, between academic language and conceptual understanding is scant. What little research exists does not include English language learners (ELLs) and/or economically disadvantaged (ED) student samples—students most at risk academically. This study quantitatively determined if there exists a relationship, and if so, how strong of a relationship, between ELL and ED students’ academic language and conceptual understanding based on science notebook scores used in a larger science and literacy-infused intervention with a sample of culturally diverse students. The study also considered strengths of relationships between language and concept science notebook scores within student language status groups (ELL, former ELL, and English speaking). Correlational analyses noted positive, large, and significant correlations between students’ language and concept scores overall, with the largest correlations for science notebook entries using more academic language. Large correlations also existed for ELL student entries at the end of the school year. Implications of the findings for future research and practice in science classrooms including literacy interventions, such as science notebooks, with populations of culturally diverse students are discussed.

     

The difficult relationship between theory and practice in an in‐service course for science teachers

We compare the content that was expected with what actually was put into practice in a course of ongoing education of secondary education (12–16 year olds) science teachers, and describe the most relevant problems that arose. We believe that the educational content — its nature, how it is organized and presented to the teacher participants, and so on — has a major influence on the relationships that are established between ‘theory’ and ‘practice’. It is from this perspective that the results are analysed.

The data come from statements made by those involved — the director and the coordinator of the course and the teacher participants — obtained in interviews and written documents.

The inference drawn from the analysis of the results is that, in the educational strategy that was being studied, practice is not conceived of as a genuine scenario of production of meanings, but only as a field of application of the theories of the disciplines being taught. This has a decisive influence on the development of the course and on the degree of professional evolution of the participants.     

Students’ understanding of the general notion of a function of two variables

In this study we analyze students’ understanding of two-variable function; in particular we consider their understanding of domain, possible arbitrary nature of function assignment, uniqueness of function image, and range. We use APOS theory and semiotic representation theory as a theoretical framework to analyze data obtained from interviews with thirteen students who had taken a multivariable calculus course. Results show that few students were able to construct an object conception of function of two variables. Most students showed difficulties finding domains of functions, in particular, when they were restricted to a specific region in the xy plane. They also showed that they had not fully coordinated their R³, set, and function of one variable schemata. We conclude from the analysis that many of the interviewed students’ notion of function can be considered as pre-Bourbaki.     

The effect of a structured story reading intervention,story retelling and higher order thinking for English language and literacy acquisition

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of structured story reading intervention, Story reTelling and higher order thinking for English Language and Literacy Acquisition (STELLA), delivered to 38 Hispanic English language learners (ELL) placed in an enhanced transitional bilingual programme over 2 years from first to second grade as compared with 34 control students placed in a typical practice transitional bilingual programme during the same time period. Both treatment and comparison ELL students' retellings of two stories in Spanish and English were measured by five story elements. Findings were that (a) students receiving intervention outperformed their comparison peers in all five story elements in English and Spanish of both stories; (b) students showed stronger ability in their native language in four of five story elements; and (c) students performed at a higher level in the narrative‐informational story than a narrative story in both languages. Educational implications are discussed.     

Ethical Challenges of the Information Society in the 21st Century

The paper deals with theoretical and practical challenges of the information society in the 21st century. In the first part an overview of past and current activities in the field of information ethics at UNESCO is provided (Virtual Forum, Second International Congress on Information Ethics, Observatory on the information Society). The second part presents a historical interpretation of the development of modern information society with the emerging networked world society with its characteristics of interactivity and decentralization. The diversity of moral norms and traditions within this global medium gives rise to the question concerning an Internet-morality as a challenge to ethical thinking. The third part deals with the question of our identity within the framework of a digital ontology. The concepts of “net” and “information” are analysed. A future information ethics is based on a digital ontology. Living in the information age is considered from the point of view of both an ethical imperative and the art of living.     

InfoIQ: Targeting Information and Technology Lifelong Needs

SUMMARY

The evolution of information literacy instruction for graduate students at the UCLA Anderson School of Management is described. The emphasis is on the need for instruction that develops student competencies with an eye toward the long view-a lifetime of learning. Key success factors are leveraging partnerships with key stakeholders, and developing just-in-time interventions at significant events in the student life cycle. An Information Literacy Campaign helped define the needs and competencies, and the subsequent pilot program, InfoIQ, has been successful in integrating information literacy instruction into the core MBA experience.