Pestalozzianism,natural history and scientific education in nineteenth‐century England: the Pestalozzian institution at Worksop,Nottinghamshire

The importance of Pestalozzianism in the development of Continental European education has been long acknowledged, but less work has been done on the impact and interpretation of Pestalozzian ideas in Britain. The paper utilises a case study of the Worksop Pestalozzian Institution in Nottinghamshire to explore how Pestalozzian practices were adopted and adapted. Sources utilised include the remarkable letters of the Marling brothers, pupils at the school during the 1830s, which shed fascinating light upon curriculum and practices and the experiences of the students. The study shows how the naturalistic and experiential methods were adopted at Worksop that utilised the local landscape and industry in order to teach natural history, improve the physical health and inculcate early‐Victorian moral and social values. It argues that one of the most important intellectual impacts of the school was upon the work of the Spencers William George and Herbert, the latter regarding it as an ‘English Hofwyl’ and using it as a model for the composition of his influential book on education.     

Framing Intellectual Assessment in Terms of a Person-Process-Context Model

We suggest that the assessment of intelligence (a) ought to be tied to measuring basic cognitive components (as opposed to more heterogeneous tasks found on IQ tests and developmental scales); (b) be "contextualized"; and (c) be embedded in developmental theory, unlike current psychometric approaches. As a first step toward thinking about the contextual nature and the developmental course of intelligence, we propose that infants and young children be assessed on four basic information-procesing components that appear to be involved in higher level thinking and reasoning (concept formation, rudimentary counting, visual expectancy, and long-term memory), and that they be followed over time on variants of these measures in order to gain information about rate and quality.     

A Review of: “Engaging Technology in Theological Education: All that We Can't Leave Behind”

Voice is critical to youth; yet discerning and claiming a public religious voice is complicated, especially as youth encounter values that include or exclude them based on personality, ethnicity, religion, gender identification, ability, social class, or sexual orientation. Drawing from interviews, we analyze influences on youth to discover and speak their religious voices in public spaces, and to claim religious motivations for their public personas and actions. The study uncovers complex relationships among young people's religious awareness, social contexts, inner dynamics, and public religious expressions. These relationships suggest directions for religious education in faith communities, schools, and other public spaces.     

Undermining the very democracy we seek to create: discussion practices in adult education and the dangers of repressive tolerance

Discussion has long held an honored place in the pantheon of lionized adult education practices. One of the most frequently venerated aspects of discussion is opening up conversation to include the widest possible diversity of perspectives and intellectual traditions. This democratic attempt to be open and inclusive is held to represent what is best about adult education—its humanistic concern to have all voices heard, all experiences analyzed, and all viewpoints honored. Herbert Marcuse's concept of repressive tolerance stands directly against these sentiments. Marcuse argues that an alternative idea, concept or text can be inserted into a discussion of familiar, mainstream materials in such a way that serves only to underscore the normality of the center while positioning the alternatives as exotic others. This paper explores how this process occurs and suggests how it might be countered.     

Consistency of Practical and Formal Epistemologies of Science Held by Participants of a Research Apprenticeship

The purpose of this research was to examine the consistency between students’ practical and formal understandings of scientific epistemologies (also known as nature of science (NOS) understandings) in the context of a research apprenticeship program. Six high school student participants of a residential summer research apprenticeship program at a major university in the southeastern USA were interviewed twice during their experience to elicit their perspectives regarding their practical epistemologies. A phenomenological approach was used to analyze these interviews. The students held practical epistemological understandings of scientific knowledge that were described as being developmental, valuable, formulaic, and authoritative. A survey administered at the end of the program was used to reveal students’ formal epistemologies of science. These practical and formal epistemologies were described in terms of Sandoval’s (Science Education 89:634–656, 2005) epistemological themes and then compared for all participants. Findings revealed that, for most students, at least some level of consistency was present between their formal and practical epistemological understandings of each theme. In fact, for only one student with one theme, no consistency was evident. These results hold implications for the teaching, learning, and assessment of NOS understandings in these contexts as well as for the design of apprenticeship learning experiences in science.     

An Array of Online Teaching Tools

The Internet offers a huge array of teaching resources for statistics. Here we present a selection of engaging Web‐based tools, ranging from class surveys to individual simulation experiments.     

Harsh Parenting and Child Externalizing Behavior: Skin Conductance Level Reactivity as a Moderator

Skin conductance level reactivity (SCLR) was examined as a moderator of the association between harsh parenting and child externalizing behavior. Participants were 251 boys and girls (8–9 years). Mothers and fathers provided reports of harsh parenting and their children's externalizing behavior; children also provided reports of harsh parenting. SCLR was assessed in response to a socioemotional stress task and a problem-solving challenge task. Regression analyses revealed that the association between harsh parenting and externalizing behavior was stronger among children with lower SCLR, as compared to children with higher SCLR. SCLR may be a more robust moderator among boys compared to girls. Results are discussed with regard to theories on antisocial behavior and multiple-domain models of child development.     

Predictive ability of the medicine ball chest throw and vertical jump tests for determining muscular strength and power in adolescents

This study examined the predictive ability of the medicine ball chest throw and vertical jump for muscular strength and power in adolescents. One hundred and ninety adolescents participated in this study. Participants performed trials of the medicine ball chest throw and vertical jump, with vertical jump peak power calculated via an estimation equation. One-repetition maximum and peak power for the chest press and leg press were assessed using pneumatic exercise machines. The medicine ball chest throw strongly correlated with chest press one-repetition maximum and peak power, while the vertical jump peak power strongly correlated with leg press one-repetition maximum and peak power. The predictive ability of medicine ball chest throw was better than vertical jump peak power for muscular strength and power when controlling for sex, age, height, weight, and maturation, and was not affected by involvement in sports. Results show good predictive ability of the medicine ball chest throw for muscular strength and power in adolescents, while predictable ability of vertical jump peak power is weakened when other factors are taken into account.