Children's Personal Prerogative in Home and School Contexts

The present study examined young children's conceptions of personal prerogative in the contrasting contexts of home and school. The central question was whether young children have a stable conception of the personal which underlies their responses to regulations in varying contexts. Interviews concerning conceptions of the personal domain were conducted with 37 middle class first grade children. The children were aware of continuities and discontinuities in personal prerogative at home and school as highlighted by their understandings of conventions at school. They identified areas of prerogative at school, but were aware of the conventionalization of some personal issues. They considered school to be the more restrictive place. Despite some willingness to cede authority to teachers for many personal issues, the children reserved rightful decision locus for themselves. They were noncommittal as to whether prerogative should be narrowed at school. They attempted negotiations in both settings, despite less success at school. The children had a conception of personal prerogative which extended over both home and school contexts. Results have implications for classrooms responsive to children's development of autonomy. The study was limited largely to white middle class children, however it raises questions which could have implications for a much broader range of children. Further studies on prerogative in contrasting contexts considering class and ethnic differences may also yield implications for classroom practice which is child and culture sensitive.     

Electron diffraction studies of etched al leaf films

Anomalies occurring in electron diffraction patterns of etched An leaf films were studied. The anomalies were of two kinds, extra lines and orientation effects. The extra lines, in agreement with the report of Thomson and Cochrane, were attributed to contamination of the films by some long chain compound. The orientation effects consisted of a variation of the intensities of several of the lines of the An patterns obtained from the intensity of these same lines as observed in standard patterns of randomly-oriented Au. These abnormal intensities evidenced the existence of the [100] crystal direction as an axis of orientation perpendicular to the face of the film. A second orientation effect, the arcing of some of the lines of the Au patterns, indicated a second axis of orientation parallel to the face of the film but insufficient evidence prevented the identification of this axis of orientation.Results of the orientation study confirm the findings of other investigators, particularly those of Trillat and Hirsch.     

Refinements in mathematics undergraduate students’ reasoning on completed infinite iterative processes

This paper reports a teaching experiment in which two students engaged in tasks that challenged them to describe a final state for a variety of infinite iterative processes. The results from the study indicate that the students used multiple reasoning strategies for addressing these tasks. Refinements in the students’ reasoning occurred as students constructed relationships between the problems they were solving and problems they had solved previously, applying some of the reasoning strategies that they used for one problem to make sense of or solve another problem. We discuss how these findings relate to the existing body of research on infinite iterative processes.     

Beyond Lip-service: An Operational Definition of “Learning-centered College”

Faculty, staff, and student perceptions of high-quality learning experiences were explored using focus groups attempting to define a “learning-centered” college. Common themes emerged suggesting that a successful learning community requires faculty-student collaboration, effective communication, critical thinking skills, reciprocal respect, faculty passion for learning, high expectations of both students and faculty, a variety of teaching and assessment strategies, and student engagement in and responsibility for learning. All groups stressed the need for learning opportunities outside the classroom in both intellectual and social situations. These themes provide a conceptual framework for future campus initiatives, which has broad relevance for other institutions. William C. Bosch is Retired Director of the Center for Learning and Teaching. He received his M.S. in Computer Science from Syracuse University, and his interests include teaching and learning in higher education and educational technology. Jessica L. Hester is an Assistant Professor in Theatre and received her Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests are American theatre history and dramaturgy. Virginia M. MacEntee is Assistant Professor in Curriculum & Instruction. She received her Ed.D. in Early Childhood Education from Nova Southeastern Florida University; and her interests include special education, authentic learning, and classroom technology. James A. MacKenzie is Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences. He received his Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine from Wake Forest University School of Medicine; and his interests include molecular and cellular biology, physiology, and human health and disease. T. Mark Morey is Professor of Psychology and received his Ph.D. at Depaul University. Research interests include stress, trauma, and coping. James T. Nichols is Instruction/Reference Librarian and Distance Learning Librarian. He received his M.A. in Library and Information Management from the University of Denver; his interests include information literacy. Patricia A. Pacitti is Coordinator of Math and Science Services for the Office of Learning Services. She received M.A.s in Mathematics and Statistics from Pennsylvania State University; and her interests include developmental education, curriculum design, and classroom technology. Barbara A. Shaffer is Coordinator of Reference Services and an Instruction Librarian at Penfield Library. She received her M.L.S. from Syracuse University, and her interests include information literacy and online learning. Paul B. Tomascak is an Assistant Professor of Geology and Geochemistry. He received his Ph.D. in geology from the University of Maryland; his research interests include applications of elemental and isotopic systematics to understanding solid Earth and Earth surface processes. Suzanne P. Weber is Associate Dean of the School of Education and Professor of Science Education. She received her Ph.D. in Population Ecology from Syracuse University; her current interests include assessment of student performance and program effectiveness in higher education. Rosalie R. Young is Associate Professor in Public Justice. She received her Ph.D.in political science from Syracuse University, and her interests include family mediation and the ability of the poor to access the legal system. All authors are currently members of the Committee on Learning and Teaching at State University of New York at Oswego.