Learning opportunities from group discussions: warrants become the objects of debate

In the mathematics education literature, there is currently a debate about the mechanisms by which group discussion can contribute to mathematical learning and under what conditions this learning is likely to occur. In this paper, we contribute to this debate by illustrating three learning opportunities that group discussions can create. In analyzing a videotaped episode of eight middle school students discussing a statistical problem, we observed that these students frequently challenged the arguments that their colleagues presented. These challenges invited students to be explicit about what mathematical principles, or warrants, they were implicitly using as a basis for their mathematical claims, in some cases recognize the modes of reasoning they were using were invalid and reject these modes of reasoning, and in other cases, attempt to provide deductive support to justify why their modes of reasoning were appropriate. We then describe what social and environmental conditions allowed the discussion analyzed in this paper to occur.

Evaluation of Courses by Whole Student Cohorts: a case study

In a climate of unprecedented change in higher education (HE), accurate and immediate course feedback information is vital to the management of institutions, in assisting the development of course material relevant to present student needs. Student contribution to qualitative course evaluation is commonplace although use of relatively small representative groups of students is usual. However, with class sizes increasing — between 100 and 200 is now common — the ability to acquire accurate qualitative evaluation, representatively, is a major issue. This paper describes a methodology providing opportunity for whole cohort groups of students to be involved simultaneously in the generation of feedback. It considers the effectiveness of student consultation meetings as a collection method, the utility of the results in the course development process, how the issues raised and discussed compare with matters included on a university‐wide questionnaire, and whether participating students feel inhibited in discussing matters so publicly.     

How a Change of Environment Changed a Teacher

This paper describes how the experience of working in an unfamiliar cultural environment affected the author's basic conceptions of the nature of teaching and learning. A detailed account is given of the ways in which these ideas were incorporated into a course constructed around the notions of experiential and problem‐based learning. It is suggested that the novelty of the setting stimulated a major change in the teacher's perspective on the nature of higher education and that it would be desirable for academics to be given opportunities to encounter unfamiliar contexts for teaching.     

‘The Right Track’. Teacher Training and the New Right: change and review[1]

The importance of education within the New Right philosophy has been well analysed and documented. The attempt to cut costs, the pursuit of efficiency, improving standards along with greater parental choice and participation are some of the stated policy directions. This article seeks an analysis of the New Right philosophies that have so influenced the Conservatives’ direction within initial teacher training, having a major impact on recent initiatives. In doing so it will take three directions: (a) it will offer an understanding of the New Right philosophies; (b) it will examine changes, past, present and future within school teacher education; and (c) it will place these within a wider framework of the New Right philosophies and strategies. In particular it will look at why traditional methods have been criticised. The article argues that policy within teacher training must not be seen in isolation, for it is related to wider educational issues and social policy arenas, in particular to the development of a ‘quasi‐market’.

     

Mixed methods research in school psychology: A mixed methods investigation of trends in the literature

This article illustrates the utility of mixed methods research (i.e., combining quantitative and qualitative techniques) to the field of school psychology. First, the use of mixed methods approaches in school psychology practice is discussed. Second, the mixed methods research process is described in terms of school psychology research. Third, the current state of affairs with respect to mixed methods designs in school psychology research is illustrated through a mixed methods analysis of the types of empirical studies published in the four leading school psychology journals between 2001 and 2005. Only 13.7% of these studies were classified as representing mixed methods research. We conclude that this relatively small proportion likely reflects the fact that only 3.5% of graduate‐level school psychology programs appear to require that students enroll in one or more qualitative and/or mixed methods research courses, and only 19.3% appear to offer one or more qualitative courses as an elective. Finally, the utility of mixed methods research is illustrated by critiquing select monomethod (i.e., qualitative or quantitative) and mixed methods studies conducted on the increasingly important topic of bullying. We demonstrate how using mixed methods techniques results in richer data being collected, leading to a greater understanding of underlying phenomena. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

tetrad: A Set of Stata Commands for Confirmatory Tetrad Analysis

This article provides a brief overview of confirmatory tetrad analysis (CTA) and presents a new set of Stata commands for conducting CTA. The tetrad command allows researchers to use model-implied vanishing tetrads to test the overall fit of structural equation models (SEMs) and the relative fit of two SEMs that are tetrad-nested. An extension of the command, tetrad_matrix, allows researchers to conduct CTA using a sample covariance matrix as input rather than relying on raw data. Researchers can also use the tetrad_matrix command to input a polychoric correlation matrix and conduct CTA for SEMs involving dichotomous, ordinal, or censored outcomes. Another extension of the command, tetrad_bootstrap, provides a bootstrapped p value for the chi-square test statistic. With Stata’s recently developed commands for structural equation modeling, researchers can integrate CTA with data preparation, likelihood ratio tests for model fit, and the estimation of model parameters in a single statistical software package.     

Young Women and Science: do we need more science?

This article considers some of the implications of women's absence from science and technological fields at all levels of the education system. The authors consider whether the greater participation by women in scientific and technological studies would influence significantly their position in society. The discussion is placed in the context of the ‘needs of the economy’, and the question as to whether or not there is an economic ‘need’ for a workforce which has received a high level of scientific and technological training. There is an examination of the educational case for encouraging young women to study within scientific and technological fields. The authors express concern at the high status attributed to scientific knowledge, and suggest that in focusing on the issue of young women and science, some feminists are legitimising that status.     

Mature age unmatriculated students and the justification of a more liberal admissions policy

In 1974 the University of New South Wales established a procedure for the admission of unmatriculated applicants of over 25 years old. The novel selection procedure employed is described and its effectiveness evaluated. Extensive interview and questionnaire data are reported relating to student motivation, expectations, adjustment problems and responses to the experience of advanced study. The academic performance of successive entry cohorts is shown to be consistently superior to that of students entering direct from school. The implications of the data for more liberal admission policies are then considered.     

Development and validation of scales to measure environmental responsibility,character development,and attitudes toward school

This investigation examines the use of structural equation modeling (SEM) procedures to develop and validate scales to measure environmental responsibility, character development and leadership, and attitudes toward school for environmental education programs servicing middle school children. The scales represent outcomes commonly of interest to environmental education programs and also to after‐school and positive youth development activities. First, we developed the scales using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and then we used multi‐group longitudinal CFA to cross‐validate the model with data collected before participation in the environmental education program, immediately after the program, and three months later. The results support a three‐factor model, producing three scales that appear to be valid and reliable.     

The conundrums of formal and informal meritocracy: dealing with gender segregation in the academy

Higher Education - Despite the academy’s commitment to the idea of meritocratic and fair principles in recruitments, promotions, student admissions and progress, gender segregation and gender...