The Impact of a Science Education Game on Students’ Learning and Perception of Inhalants as Body Pollutants

This study investigated the knowledge gains and attitude shifts attributable to a unique online science education game, Uncommon Scents. The game was developed to teach middle school students about the biological consequences of exposure to toxic chemicals in an environmental science context, as well as the risks associated with abusing these chemicals as inhalants. Middle school students (n = 444) grades six through eight participated in the study consisting of a pre-test, three game-play sessions, and a delayed post-test. After playing the game, students demonstrated significant gains in science content knowledge, with game usability ratings emerging as the strongest predictor of post-test content knowledge scores. The intervention also resulted in a shift to more negative attitudes toward inhalants, with the most negative shift occurring among eighth grade students and post-test knowledge gains as the strongest predictor of attitude change across all grade levels. These findings suggest that the environmental science approach used in Uncommon Scents is an efficacious strategy for delivering both basic science content and influencing perceived harm relating to the inhalation of toxic chemicals from common household products.     

Simple Marketing Techniques and Space Planning to Increase Circulation

In the academic Information Commons, the frontline staff are key library assets. This article demonstrates one example of frontline staff observing, analyzing, and modifying user behavior using simple marketing techniques and space planning. James Madison University East Campus Library personnel increased circulation of books by increasing the visibility of the book collection. Minor furniture changes in the lobby, adding rotating themed book displays and providing digital and print signage, produced a dramatic effect. Circulation numbers essentially doubled for the lobby browsing book collection and markedly increased for books highlighted in the displays.     

Learning Together: The Student/Parent/Teacher Triad

This report contains an analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data on participant perceptions of the co‐production of learning. It constitutes a refinement of the working model of the triadic relationship between parents, students, and teachers which was the basis of previous reports (Coleman, Collinge, & Seifert, 1992; Coleman, Collinge, & Tabin, 1992; Coleman & Tabin, 1992; Coleman & Collinge, 1991). Given our earlier findings the focus in this paper is upon the theme of collaboration, which is emerging as one critical element in the relationships within the student/teacher/parent triad.

The analysis shows that there are sharp differences in perceptions of collaboration between different triad members. Collaboration between parents and students is perceived to be both strong and balanced in initiation. Teachers show little awareness of its strength. Collaboration between teachers and parents is perceived by both to be one‐sided; each party sees the other as unresponsive. It is invisible to students. Collaboration between students and teachers varies between classrooms, and seems to be based upon the teachers’ perception of student acceptance of responsibility; parents are very keenly aware of this collaboration where it exists. Classroom level differences are also strong; teacher attitudes and practices clearly determine the extent of collaboration.

In British Columbia parent and student attitudes towards classrooms and teachers are affected, sometimes strongly, by teacher practices of parent involvement. These attitudes contribute to parent and student rating of particular schools.     

The role of feedback in young people’s academic choices

ABSTRACT

Women are underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics subjects with more girls leaving these subjects at every stage in education. The current research used a scenario methodology to examine the impact of teacher feedback on girls’ and boys’ choices to study a specific science subject, engineering. British participants aged 13 (N?=?479) were given scenarios where a new teacher encouraged them to take engineering using person feedback which focussed on their abilities, process feedback which focussed on their effort levels or gave them no reason. Results suggested that both boys and girls were more likely to select to study engineering when they received person feedback rather than process or no feedback. Young people also thought that ability was more important to being successful in science than in non-science subjects.This suggests young people feel that ability is needed to succeed in science subjects and person feedback can lead them to believe that they have this ability. Therefore, teacher feedback which gives ability attributions for possible success could be used to encourage more young people to persist in science. However, the potentially negative longer term outcomes of ability attributions and how they may be negated are also discussed.     

Lived experiences and reflections of joint NCATE‐state reviews

Abstract

Teacher education faculty members, state certification officers, and NCATE staff share what they have learned from their NCATE‐state joint review and accreditation visits. Dilemmas concerning the joint review are addressed and include (a) proactive versus reactive measures for institutions of higher education and state affiliations of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, (b) issues of partnership versus separateness, and (c) process versus product frameworks in planning and documenting growth. Conceptual and practical suggestions are offered for working collaboratively to develop high quality teacher education programs and successful joint review and accreditation visits.     

The Development of the Year Curriculum Coordinator at Burntwood School

This article gives an account of a school in which Year Curriculum Teams were created, consisting of a planned combination of tutors across subject clusters. An enhanced role and perspective for the tutor is described. Subsequent changes were accommodated well by the new system, even though the position regarding tutor continuity was changed. As with other school accounts in this issue, a sense of the particular flavour of the school comes through, alongside the structural themes which may have wide application.
Charles Harper and Yvonne Barry are both members of the Senior Management Team at Burntwood School, which has recently been awarded Beacon status. Charles has taught in a number of schools including in Pennsylvania, USA. He was a Head of Art before moving into senior management. Yvonne has taught in two large comprehensive schools and was a Year Curriculum Coordinator before becoming a senior manager. Both have been involved in training staff and in giving presentations at the Institute of Education, CSCS, QME and various London schools. Charles and Yvonne are members of various working groups and advisory bodies including the Open University and the QCA.     

A Comparative Study of Primary and Secondary School Students' Images of Scientists

The Draw-A-Scientist Test was administered to 675 Hong Kong Chinese students to explore their images of scientists. The main purposes were to discover any differences across grade levels and between male and female students, and to see if the results were comparable to those found in studies in other parts of the world. As in the findings of earlier research, there was evidence that students developed a more stereotypic image of a scientist with age and that the scientists drawn were predominantly male. It was also noted that some students, though a small percentage, included special captions and comments to express their views of the scientist. While the DAST is a feasible and simple method, future studies should supplement it with interviews for deeper understanding of students' constructs.