Changes in Learning Environment during the Transition from Primary to Secondary School

The study used learning environment variables in investigating changes occurring as students transfer from primary to secondary school, including the role of student sex and school size pathway as influencing factors in changes in learning environment perceptions. The My Class Inventory (MCI) and Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) were used in two data-gathering stages, one in the penultimate month of primary schooling and the other in the fourth month of secondary schooling. The sample comprised 1500 students from 47 feeder primary schools and 16 linked secondary schools. The primary schools ranged from very small isolated country schools to larger city schools with hundreds of students. Five different school size transition pathways were defined for analysis: small-to-medium, medium-to-medium, small-to-large, medium-to-large and ‘within-school’ (involving schools with a K-10 structure, but with separate primary and secondary school sites within the same campus). Although the classroom climate in secondary schools was perceived more favourably than in primary schools (especially in terms of less friction and competitiveness), the quality of teacher-student interaction was perceived to deteriorate on most dimensions assessed by the QTI (e.g. a reduction in teachers' leadership, helping/friendly, understanding and student responsibility/freedom behaviours). But changes in environment perceptions across transition varied with student sex and school size pathway. For example, perceptions of class satisfaction across transition deteriorated for girls, but improved for the boys. The findings have implications for administrators and teachers, particularly those with a role within the ‘middle school’ years. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Impacts of grants and contracts on academic researchers’ interactions with industry

Based on a representative national sample of 1564 academic researchers, we investigate the impacts of research grants and contracts on the nature and extent of faculty research and technology activities with industry. A particular focus is on understanding the independent contributions of industry and government grant sources on levels of industrial involvement. In addition to examining the source of grants, the study controls for a number of independent factors including: scientific field, research center affiliation, tenure status, and gender. Results suggest independent effects of grants and contracts on industrial activities. Grants and contracts from industry have a significant effect on academic researchers’ propensity to work with industry, as measured by an “industrial involvement scale.” Federally-sponsored grants also have an impact in increasing work with industry, but a more moderate one. Further, those with more grants and contracts (of each type) have a greater propensity for industrial involvement than those who have such contracts but fewer. This holds even when proxies for productivity and career stage are introduced in regression equations. The analysis also considers whether provision of grants and contracts is best viewed as a predictor of industrial involvement or just another type of industrial involvement using factor analysis and nested multivariate modeling to compare effects.     

Parent and student perceptions of classroom learning environment and its association with student outcomes

This research is distinctive in that parents’ perceptions were utilised in conjunction with students’ perceptions in investigating science classroom learning environments among Grade 4 and 5 students in South Florida. The What Is Happening In this Class? (WIHIC) questionnaire was modified for young students and their parents and administered to 520 students and 120 parents. Data analyses supported the WIHIC’s factorial validity, internal consistency reliability and ability to differentiate between the perceptions of students in different classrooms. Both students and parents preferred a more positive classroom environment than the one perceived to be actually present, but effect sizes for actual-preferred differences were larger for parents than for students. Associations were found between some learning environment dimensions (especially task orientation) and student outcomes (especially attitudes). Qualitative methods suggested that students and parents were generally satisfied with the classroom environment, but that students would prefer more investigation while parents would prefer more teacher support. The study provides a pioneering look at how parents and students perceive the science learning environment and opens the way for further learning environment studies involving both parents and students.     

The Role of Media Use in the Recall Versus Recognition of Political Knowledge

A knowledgeable electorate is one of the fundamental assumptions of a healthy democracy, and yet studies consistently find the public underperforms in tests of political knowledge. In addition, television news exposure is often poorly associated with political knowledge. Explanations for this include the kinds of knowledge measured. Using an experiment nested in a national survey, this study finds television news exposure is a significant predictor of recognition knowledge while exposure to news via the Internet is a predictor of recall knowledge.     

Factors affecting student career choice in science: An Australian study of rural and urban schools

In 1990/91, a research study was undertaken in England on the Factors Affecting Schools’ Success in Producing Engineers and Scientists (FASSIPES). This study was conducted by Brian Woolnough at the Oxford University Department of Educational Studies, in conjunction with the Institute of Physics and the Institution of Electrical Engineers and National Power (Woolnough, 1991, 1994; Woolnough et al., 1997). Principally, Woolnough attempted to ascertain why young people chose to pursue a career in the physical sciences and engineering. In addition, characteristics of schools which appeared to influence students to pursue a study of science were investigated. A number of countries have since replicated this study as an international research cooperative and the National Key Centre for School Science and Mathematics, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia participated on behalf of Australia. Currently, the following countries have contributed to FASSIPES International in addition to England and Australia: Canada, China, Japan and Portugal.     

A goal-mediational model of personal and environmental influences on tertiary students' learning strategy use

Conclusion The significance of this study is reflected in the interdependence of the variables involved as shown by the emergence of total and indirect effects. Elsewhere, the importance of obtaining ecological maps of classroms to provide a macro level understanding of what is happening has been stressed (Clarke and Dart, 1991b). This study has illustrated how the LISREL procedure provides the facility to obtain an insight into the complex of inter-relationships that exist in ecological maps.The study provides reasonable support for the revised structural model. It also indicates ways in which lecturers may intervene in the classroom to increase the likelihood that students will use learning strategies associated with a deep approach to learning.     

Schools and the transformation of a metropolis

This paper describes the urban decay and deconcentration process in the St. Louis metropolitan area and its relationship to the changes that have occurred in the public school systems in the area. Evidence is offered to suggest that schools are as much the victim of urban decay as they are a cause of it. Because of the linkages between these two processes, it is concluded that urban decay cannot be reversed without reviving schools and that the problems exhibited in many school systems cannot be dealt with unless the urban decay process is slowed or reversed.     

中国高校外语教学刍议

长期以来，中国的外语教学都是把听、说、读、写等基本技能分隔成相对独立的板块来实施的。因此，就有了口语、听力、写作、泛读和精读等诸多课程。在外语教学中最将将采用集各种技能为一体的整体教学思路和方法。其使用和完善将极大地促进中国的外语教学。