Indigenous knowledge and the machinist metaphors of the bricoleur researcher

This paper explores the intersection between critical methodologies and Indigenous knowledge. It is especially concerned with the ways in which the metaphors associated with the bricoleur researcher – tools and production – conceptualize Indigenous knowledge to that of an ecology and environmental work. This limits the appreciation for and engagement with narrative, and the ways in which “ecological” knowledge is embedded in narrative practices and interpretive processes. The author puts the work of Anishinaabe novelist and theorist Gerald Vizenor in conversation with the writings of J. Kincheloe as a way not only to contrast the central metaphors in critical and Indigenous methodologies, but similarly to highlight the differences between a bricoleur language of research and an Aboriginal language of survivance.     

Taiwanese Grandmothers: Strengths and Learning Needs as Perceived by Grandmothers,Mothers, and Granddaughters

The purposes of this study were to (a) determine how three generations of females from the same families perceived the grandmothers, (b) identify strengths and learning needs of the grandmothers, and (c) recommend guidelines and curriculum themes to assist the grandmothers in adjusting to change. The 348 Taiwanese subjects included grandmothers (n = 116), mothers (n = 116), and teenage granddaughters (n = 116). Subjects completed a Mandarin version of the Grandparent Strengths and Needs Inventory. Each generation reported favorable ratings for grandmothers on the frustration, difficulty, information needs, and satisfaction scales. Unfavorable ratings were given for the teaching and success scales.     

YouTube: Educational Potentials and Pitfalls

No abstract available for this article.     

Moral sensitivity and its contribution to the resolution of socio-scientific issues

This study explores models of how people perceive moral aspects of socio-scientific issues. Thirty college students participated in interviews during which they discussed their reactions to and resolutions of two genetic engineering issues. The interview data were analyzed qualitatively to produce an emergent taxonomy of moral concerns recognized by the participant. The participants expressed sensitivity to moral aspects including concern and empathy for the well-being of others, an aversion to altering the natural order and slippery slope implications. In arriving at their final resolutions, many participants integrated their moral concerns with non-moral factors. The patterns revealed suggest that moral and non-moral concerns act in concern as they influence socio-scientific decision-making.     

Estimating High School GPA Weighting Parameters With a Graded Response Model

The high school grade point average (GPA) is often adjusted to account for nominal indicators of course rigor, such as “honors” or “advanced placement.” Adjusted GPAs—also known as weighted GPAs—are frequently used for computing students’ rank in class and in the college admission process. Despite the high stakes attached to GPA, weighting policies vary considerably across states and high schools. Previous methods of estimating weighting parameters have used regression models with college course performance as the dependent variable. We discuss and demonstrate the suitability of the graded response model for estimating GPA weighting parameters and evaluating traditional weighting schemes. In our sample, which was limited to self‐reported performance in high school mathematics courses, we found that commonly used policies award more than twice the bonus points necessary to create parity for standard and advanced courses.     

Innovative programs for improvement in reading through cognitive enhancement: a remediation study of Canadian First Nations children

Forty-five Grade 3 students from a reservation school in Western Canada were divided into two remedial groups and a no-risk control group. One remedial group was given a classroom-administered cognitive enhancement program (COGENT) throughout the school year. The second group received COGENT for the first half of the year followed by a pull-out cognitive-based reading enhancement program (PREP). Children were assessed across phonological awareness, rapid naming, reading, and cognitive ability at the beginning of the year, mid-term, and at the end of the school year. MANOVA results showed a significant interaction for reading measures, with students receiving classroom intervention over the school year making the greatest gains. Results are discussed in terms of group, remediation program, and individual participant improvements.