Effects of 3D Printing Project-based Learning on Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Science Attitudes,Science Content Knowledge,and Anxiety About Teaching Science

3D printing technology is a powerful educational tool that can promote integrative STEM education by connecting engineering, technology, and applications of science concepts. Yet, research on the integration of 3D printing technology in formal educational contexts is extremely limited. This study engaged preservice elementary teachers (N?=?42) in a 3D Printing Science Project that modeled a science experiment in the elementary classroom on why things float or sink using 3D printed boats. The goal was to explore how collaborative 3D printing inquiry-based learning experiences affected preservice teachers’ science teaching self-efficacy beliefs, anxiety toward teaching science, interest in science, perceived competence in K-3 technology and engineering science standards, and science content knowledge. The 3D printing project intervention significantly decreased participants’ science teaching anxiety and improved their science teaching efficacy, science interest, and perceived competence in K-3 technological and engineering design science standards. Moreover, an analysis of students’ project reflections and boat designs provided an insight into their collaborative 3D modeling design experiences. The study makes a contribution to the scarce body of knowledge on how teacher preparation programs can utilize 3D printing technology as a means of preparing prospective teachers to implement the recently adopted engineering and technology standards in K-12 science education.     

‘It doesn’t speak to me’: understanding student of color resistance to critical race pedagogy

Scholars maintain that when race and racism are addressed as factors that continue to shape inequality in the classroom, white students often deny the validity of these claims, while Students of Color tend to feel empowered by them. However, drawing on open-ended interviews, focus group discussions, and survey data, we argue that some Students of Color resist critical race pedagogy and curriculum. Specifically, we identify and analyze how this push back is articulated through three triggers: (1) an entrenchment in majoritarian ideologies; (2) a disavowal of racialized oppression; and (3) a disinclination to scrutinize personal experiences marred by race. These dynamics illustrate what we call ‘resisting decolonization’ – a reluctance to grapple with pedagogies that destabilize dominant ideologies about race and racism in schools and disrupt mainstream ideas regarding ethnic or racial identity. We introduce this concept in an attempt to hone critical race pedagogy to better address the needs of Students of Color who sometimes unknowingly participate in the marginalization of Populations of Color through deficit thinking or through the denial of the continuing significance of race.     

The skeletons in our closet: E‐learning tools and what happens when one side does not fit all

In the anatomical sciences, e‐learning tools have become a critical component of teaching anatomy when physical space and cadaveric resources are limited. However, studies that use empirical evidence to compare their efficacy to visual‐kinesthetic learning modalities are scarce. The study examined how a visual‐kinesthetic experience, involving a physical skeleton, impacts learning when compared with virtual manipulation of a simple two‐dimensional (2D) e‐learning tool, A.D.A.M. Interactive Anatomy. Students from The University of Western Ontario, Canada (n = 77) participated in a dual‐task study to: (1) investigate if a dual‐task paradigm is an effective tool for measuring cognitive load across these different learning modalities; and (2) to assess the impact of knowledge recall and spatial ability when using them. Students were assessed using knowledge scores, Stroop task reaction times, and mental rotation test scores. Results demonstrated that the dual‐task paradigm was not an effective tool for measuring cognitive load across different learning modalities with respect to kinesthetic learning. However, our study highlighted that handing physical specimens yielded major, positive impacts on performance that a simple commercial e‐learning tool failed to deliver (P < 0.001). Furthermore, students with low spatial ability were significantly disadvantaged when they studied the bony joint and were tested on contralateral images (P = 0.046, R = 0.326). This suggests that, despite limbs being mirror images, students should be taught the anatomy of, as well as procedures on, both sides of the human body, enhancing the ability of all students, regardless of spatial ability, to take anatomical knowledge into the clinic and perform successfully. Anat Sci Educ 10: 570–588. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.     

A Comparison of Self-Explanation and Elaborative Interrogation

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of two learning strategies, self-explanation and elaborative interrogation, for the retention of scientific facts. University students (N= 55) were asked to learn facts about the cardiovascular system using one of three approaches. Self-explanation participants were required to explain what the facts meant to them and how they related to their prior knowledge. Elaborative interrogation participants answered “why” the facts made sense. Finally, the control group simply repeated the facts aloud. Self-explanation participants significantly outperformed elaborative interrogation and repetition control participants on measures of cued recall and recognition. Elaborative interrogation was no more effective than repetition. Results were discussed in terms of the practicality and flexibility of each approach.     

Creating Community on the Margins: The Successful Black Female Academician

The experiences of a Black Female academic, working at a Predominately White Institution (PWI), is explored in this work. The author suggests that Black women have been historically marginalized within most PWI’s and historically this has been viewed in a negative light. Here it is suggested that Black women in academe view this position as one of power which can be used to propel them towards the goals of tenure and promotion. This work uses Black Feminist Theory to examine these experiences and to provide a proper context for analysis.     

Higher prevalence of childhood sexual abuse among Latino men who have sex with men than non-Latino men who have sex with men: data from the Urban Men's Health Study

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of childhood sexual abuse among Latino adult men who have sex with men who live in the US was estimated because a history of childhood sexual abuse increases HIV sexual risk behaviors and other negative health outcomes in adulthood. METHOD: The Urban Men's Health Study is a random-digit telephone probability survey of 2881 adult men who have sex with men (MSM) aged 18 years or older residing in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Self-reported history of childhood sexual abuse was the main outcome measure gathered from 2692 MSM. RESULTS: A significantly higher proportion of Latino MSM reported sexual abuse before age 13 (22%) than did non-Latino MSM (11%). CONCLUSIONS: Latino MSM are twice as likely to report a history of childhood sexual abuse than are non-Latino MSM. Given the association between childhood sexual abuse and increased risk for HIV and other negative health outcomes, health providers must remain vigilant to the possibility of childhood sexual abuse histories among their Latino patients.     

Doing dissections differently: A structured,peer‐assisted learning approach to maximizing learning in dissections

Areas of difficulty faced by our veterinary medicine students, with respect to their learning in dissection classes, were identified. These challenges were both general adult‐learning related and specific to the discipline of anatomy. Our aim was to design, implement, and evaluate a modified reciprocal peer‐assisted/team‐based learning format—Doing Dissections Differently (DDD)—to complement existing dissection classes, with the intention of enhancing both student learning and the student learning experience. Second year veterinary medicine students (n = 193), in their usual dissection groups, were randomly assigned to one of four roles: anatomist, clinician, radiologist, and learning resources manager. Students attended a preparatory workshop outlining the skills required for effective execution of their role. They were then asked to perform their roles throughout five consecutive musculoskeletal dissection classes. Student attitudes to dissection classes before and after DDD were evaluated by questionnaire (146 respondents). There was a significant (P = 0.0001) improvement after DDD in a number of areas: increased perceived value of dissection classes as an anatomy learning aid; improved appreciation of the clinical relevance of anatomy; increased use of resources before and during dissection classes; and longer preparation time for dissection classes. Before DDD, 45% of students felt that at least one peer did not contribute usefully to the group during dissection classes; no improvement was seen in this measure after DDD. Although the new format highlighted a potential need to improve teamwork, most students actively engaged with DDD, with dissection classes valued more highly and utilized more effectively. © 2012 American Association of Anatomists.     

Convergence Concerns in Local Television: Conflicting Views From the Newsroom

This nationwide survey studies the impact of convergence on reporters and producers in small and medium local television markets. The article examines the manner in which convergence-related responsibilities affect the daily routines of these news workers. It also assesses their perceptions of convergence and challenges they face, including concerns about the impact of convergence on the quality of their work. Authors compare these views to the opinions of news directors across the United States (gathered in previous research), finding significant differences between news workers' perspectives and those of their bosses.