Negotiating diversity: an empirical investigation into family,school and student factors influencing New Zealand adolescents’ science literacy

The purpose of this study was to examine a factor triad consisting of family, school and student variables contributing to New Zealand adolescents’ science literacy performance on Programme for International Student Assessment 2006. Results indicated that the selected variables in our study explained 25% of total differences in New Zealand students’ science achievement. Family socio-economic status (SES) as well as adolescents’ motivation to learn science and general value of science were influential factors in students’ science achievement. Findings also revealed a statistically significant interaction effect between SES and first-generation immigrant students but not between SES and second-generation immigrant students. Although parents’ perception of general value of science showed a positive effect on adolescents’ scientific performance, its predictive power was relatively weak.     

Data use by Flemish school principals: impact of attitude,self-efficacy and external expectations

There is an increasing expectation that school principals use data to develop and justify school policy. There is also a strong belief among a wide variety of stakeholders that the quality of decisions within the school increases in proportion to the extent to which these decisions are based on good data. In most schools, however, it appears that data use is still quite limited. Research shows that the school principal plays a key role in data use in schools. In the present study, we examine the impact of external expectations, attitude and self-efficacy on the use of data by principals. The results of a survey among 451 school principals in Flanders show that affective aspects of attitude exhibit the strongest correlation with data use by principals. The impact of cognitive attitude and self-efficacy is statistically significant, but quite limited. The same applies to the perception of external school development-orientated and accountability-orientated expectations to use data.     

Symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and home learning environment (HLE): findings from a longitudinal study

The concept of “Home Learning Environment” (HLE) covers activities in a family providing intellectual stimulation for a child, such as reading to him or her or visiting libraries. Numerous studies have shown an association between HLE and children's cognitive development. In this longitudinal study, we focus on HLE as a predictor for children's behavioral development, namely, for later symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), controlling for relevant aspects like socioeconomic status (SES), or television viewing behavior. We analyzed the development of ADHD symptoms from kindergarten to the end of grade 2 and possible associations with HLE, SES, and television exposure, using a German community sample (N?=?924). Results indicated that ADHD symptoms were negatively and significantly correlated to HLE for all five measurement points as well as to SES (except T4) and to television exposure for T1 to T4. Observing later development, only early HLE but not SES or television exposure served as a significant predictor for ADHD symptoms at school, when age, sex, and ADHD symptoms in kindergarten were controlled for. A structural equation model showed that HLE acted as a mediator between SES and later ADHD symptoms. Our results highlight the importance of the concept of home learning environment also for children's behavioral development. As a consequence, parents should be supported in offering their children a more favorable learning environment.     

Engaging students in learning: findings from a study of project-led education

This paper reports on findings from a three-year study of project-based learning implemented in the first year of the Industrial Engineering and Management programme, at the University of Minho, Portugal. This particular model was inspired on project-led education (PLE), following Powell and Weenk's [2003. Project-Led Engineering Education. Utrecht: Lemma] work. It aims to analyse students’ perceptions of PLE as a learning device and its implications for faculty and students’ role in teaching and learning. Data collection took place in two phases through individual surveys and focus groups to students. Findings suggest the importance of PLE as a device to enhance meaningful learning and provide evidence from students that it helps to increase their engagement in learning. Implications of PLE for faculty and students role in teaching and learning will be discussed in the paper.     

Shared academic values: testing a model of the association between Hong Kong parents’ and adolescents’ perception of the general value of science and scientific literacy

This study investigated parent general value of science operationalized in the 2006 questionnaire of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), as a determinant of adolescents’ scientific literacy performance. The transmission of academic values literature is small. To the best of our knowledge, no previous studies to date have examined the transmission of valuing of science. Study data were drawn from PISA 2006, which focused on science. The study sample comprised 4645 15-year-old adolescents in Hong Kong. Results from the conceptual structural model indicated that parental academic values (general value of science): (a) positively and directly affected adolescents’ valuing of science and in turn further influenced adolescents’ science performance, (b) positively and directly affected adolescents’ science performance, and (c) stimulated adolescents’ motivation to study science and in turn further influenced their science performance. Implications for school-level policy and practice include: (a) promoting parental valuing of science via parent involvement and (b) producing culturally and contextually grounded evidence on strategies for enhancing the transmission of academic values using research methodologies such as action research.     

Does poor spelling equate to slow reading? The relationship between reading,spelling, and orthographic quality

High quality lexical representations in memory, characterized by accuracy and stability, are said to underpin fluent reading. Here, the relationship between orthographic quality and reading speed was examined by asking undergraduates (N = 74) to repeatedly read and spell words. Spelling performance over five trials indicated orthographic quality. Single word reading speed was measured using E-Prime technology. A within-participant repeated measures analysis revealed that words which participants spelled consistently accurately, were read faster than words which were misspelled. This pattern also held in a within-word analysis; the same words were read faster by individuals who always spelled them correctly, compared to those who did not. Further, it was found that when words were spelled using the same incorrect letter patterns across trials (i.e., in the same erroneous way), they were read faster than when they had an incorrect but less stable representation (i.e., inconsistent spelling across trials). Hence, the difference in reading speed appears to be a function of both the accuracy and stability of the orthographic representations stored in memory, rather than due to characteristics of individual participants or words. These results lend support for a central role of lexical quality in both spelling and reading, and are discussed with reference to the lexical quality hypothesis.     

System leaders using assessment for learning as both the change and the change process: developing theory from practice

Many schools and school systems have been deliberately working towards full implementation of Assessment for Learning for more than a decade, yet success has been elusive. Using a leader's implementation of Assessment for Learning in one school as an illustration, this article examines eight positional leaders’ experiences as they implemented both the ‘spirit and the letter’ of Assessment for Learning at all levels. This longitudinal qualitative research study draws on the experiences of leaders from Alberta, British Columbia, Germany, Georgia, Hawai`i, Manitoba, New Zealand and Ontario. The authors identify five findings that show how positional leaders use Assessment for Learning as the focus for system-wide change, as well as the change process itself.     

Assessing Long-Term Effects of Inquiry-Based Learning: A Case Study from College Mathematics

As student-centered approaches to teaching and learning are more widely applied, researchers must assess the outcomes of these interventions across a range of courses and institutions. As an example of such assessment, this study examined the impact of inquiry-based learning (IBL) in college mathematics on undergraduates’ subsequent grades and course selection at two institutions. Insight is gained upon disaggregating results by course type (IBL vs. non-IBL), by gender, and by prior mathematics achievement level. In particular, the impact of IBL on previously low-achieving students’ grades is sizable and persistent. The authors offer some methodological advice to guide future such studies.     

Bioinformatics Education in High School: Implications for Promoting Science,Technology, Engineering,and Mathematics Careers

We investigated the effects of our Bio-ITEST teacher professional development model and bioinformatics curricula on cognitive traits (awareness, engagement, self-efficacy, and relevance) in high school teachers and students that are known to accompany a developing interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. The program included best practices in adult education and diverse resources to empower teachers to integrate STEM career information into their classrooms. The introductory unit, Using Bioinformatics: Genetic Testing, uses bioinformatics to teach basic concepts in genetics and molecular biology, and the advanced unit, Using Bioinformatics: Genetic Research, utilizes bioinformatics to study evolution and support student research with DNA barcoding. Pre–post surveys demonstrated significant growth (n = 24) among teachers in their preparation to teach the curricula and infuse career awareness into their classes, and these gains were sustained through the end of the academic year. Introductory unit students (n = 289) showed significant gains in awareness, relevance, and self-efficacy. While these students did not show significant gains in engagement, advanced unit students (n = 41) showed gains in all four cognitive areas. Lessons learned during Bio-ITEST are explored in the context of recommendations for other programs that wish to increase student interest in STEM careers.