Fostering compassionate attitudes and the amelioration of aggression through a science class

This study explores how science education could contribute to the amelioration of violent behaviors towards humans and non‐human species, specifically in a Colombian school with a population of socio‐economically disadvantaged students who demonstrate high levels of violence. Until now science education has not sought to change attitudes or to address the issue of school violence that is faced in many communities. Debates around the purposes of science education have paid little or no attention to the possible connection that exists between our attitudes to non‐human animals and those towards humans. This study suggests that science education can play a role in changing attitudes and developing behaviors that aim at caring for others including other humans and non‐human animals. The findings reported here are part of a wider study which included the design and continuing modification of an intervention for a fourth grade science class. The original study took place over 7 months with a group of 38 fourth‐grade students from a socio‐economically disadvantaged population who already presented high levels of aggression. The main focus of the intervention was on encouraging compassionate attitudes towards animals through gaining an understanding of their needs, emotions, capacities, current situations and their similarities with humans. Data were generated through diverse qualitative methods including participatory observations, semi‐structured interviews, and written responses to open questions in three moments during the study. Findings from this study suggest that science education with a focus on promoting understanding and compassion towards animals could contribute to the amelioration of aggression in schools. Resumen: Este estudio investiga cómo la educación en ciencias puede contribuir a la disminución de la agresión en los niños y niñas, incluidos actos de violencia hacia otros animales, específicamente en un colegio en Colombia con una población de bajo nivel socio‐económico y con niveles altos de agresión. Hasta ahora la educación en ciencias no busca responder a la problemática de la violencia presente en colegios en diversas comunidades. Los debates acerca de los propósitos de la educación en ciencias han prestado poca atención a la posible conexión entre nuestras actitudes hacia los humanos y aquellas hacia animales no humanos. Los hallazgos reportados en este estudio sugieren que la educación en ciencias puede jugar un papel en cambiar las actitudes de los estudiantes y desarrollar comportamientos compasivos y de cuidado hacia otros seres vivos y extenderse a seres humanos. Este estudio incluyó el diseño y la modificación continua de una intervención para una clase de ciencias naturales de cuarto elemental. Tuvo lugar durante siete meses con un grupo de 38 estudiantes de cuarto grado de Primaria de una población de escasos recursos económicos y con altos índices de violencia. El propósito central de la intervención fue el de promover actitudes de compasión hacia los animales por medio de mejorar nuestro entendimiento acerca de sus necesidades, emociones, capacidades biológicas, físicas y sociales, situación actual y similitudes con los seres humanos. Los datos fueron generados por medio de diversos métodos cualitativos tales como observaciones participativas, entrevistas semi‐estructuradas y respuestas escritas a preguntas abiertas. Los hallazgos de este estudio sugieren que la educación en ciencias con un enfoque en la comprensión de los animales y promoción de la compasión hacia las demás especies, puede contribuir a la disminución de la agresión y violencia en los estudiantes. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 49: 961–986, 2012     

Influencia de la estructura normative familiar sobre el estilo cognitivo dependencia-independencia de campo: un estudio prospective

Resumen

Según el modelo de la diferenciación se puede predecir que ambientes familiares que permiten al niño la organización y estructuración de sus propias experiencias deben favorecer el desarrollo de un estilo cognitivo más independiente de campo. Con el fin de poner a prueba dicha predicción, en este trabajo se estudia la posible asociación entre el estilo cognitivo dependencia-independencia de campo (DIC) y los tipos de estructuración del medio ambiente familiar (EMAF) propuestos por Lautrey. Para ello se aplicó el Embedded Figures Test (EFT) a 91 niños de 12 a 14 años procedentes de familias con distinta estructuración normativa. Los análisis realizados muestran diferencias significativas en el estilo cognitivo de los niños según el tipo de EMAF: los niños de familias flexibles y débiles son más independientes de campo que los niños de familias rígidas. Los resultados confirman parcialmente las previsiones recalzadas desde el modelo de la diferenciación.     

The lag effect in secondary school classrooms: Enhancing students’ memory for vocabulary

Educators often face serious time constraints that impede multiple repetition lessons on the same material. Thus, it would be useful to know when to schedule a single repetition unit to maximize memory performance. Laboratory studies revealed that the length of the retention interval (i.e., the time between the last learning session and the final memory test) dictates the optimal lag between two learning sessions. The present study tests the generalizability of this finding to vocabulary learning in secondary school. Sixth-graders were retaught English–German vocabulary after lags of 0, 1, or 10 days and tested 7 or 35 days later. In line with our predictions, we found that the optimal lag depends on the retention interval: Given a 7-day retention interval, students performed best when relearning occurred after 1 day. When vocabulary was tested after 35 days, however, students benefited from lags of both 1 and 10 days. Model-based analyses show that enhanced encoding processes and stronger resistance to forgetting—but not better retrieval processes—underlie the benefits of optimal lag. Our findings have practical implications for classroom instruction and suggest that review units should be planned carefully by taking the time of the final test into consideration.     

Field dependence-independence cognitive style and academic achievement: A review of research and theory

Field dependence-independence was originally conceived as a neutral style dimension, in that field-dependent subjects were considered to be as well-adapted to their environment as field-independent subjects. Subsequent authors, however, questioned this assumption of neutrality, on the grounds that field-independent subjects generally perform better in certain intellectual tasks. Such findings provoked interest in the possible repercussions of field dependence-independence for education. Here, we review research into the possible effects of FDI on achievement at school. In general, field-independent subjects perform better than field-dependent subjects, whether assessment is of specific disciplines or across the board. We discuss possible explanations for this difference in performance.     

The acceptability of lies: A comparison of Ecuadorians and Euro-Americans

This study examined differences between Ecuadorian and Euro-American college students in the perceived acceptability of lies. Six different lie domains were examined: flattery, impression management, conflict avoidance, enhancement of others’ self-esteem, self-aggrandizement, and instrumental lies. Overall, Euro-Americans rated lies as more acceptable than Ecuadorians. In both cultures, lies motivated by a desire to benefit others were considered to be more acceptable than lies that primarily benefited the self. Additionally, lying to the outgroup was perceived as being more acceptable than lying to the ingroup. These results were interpreted in light of the findings that Ecuadorians scored higher on measures of uncertainty avoidance and power distance, whereas Euro-Americans scored higher on levels of independence. The implications of these findings for intercultural relations and future directions for research are discussed.     

Effort allocation in tournaments: The effect of gender on academic performance in Italian universities

We consider the academic performance of Italian university graduates and their labor market position 3 years after graduation. Our data confirm the common finding that female students outperform male students in academia but are overcome in the labor market. Assuming that academic competition is fair and that individual talent is equally distributed by gender, we suggest that the gender gap evident in degree scores is endogenously due to the greater effort exerted by female students. We find that females face a greater increase in labor market returns from signalling through academic performance. This higher prize explains the greater effort exerted by females and the higher probability of winning the academic competition.     

Who is willing to pay for science? On the relationship between public perception of science and the attitude to public funding of science

This article examines the relationship between the general public's understanding of science and the attitude towards public funding of scientific research. It applies a multivariate and discriminant analysis (Wilks' Lambda), in addition to a more commonly used bivariate analysis (Cramer's V), to data compiled from the Third National Survey on the Social Perception of Science and Technology in Spain (FECYT, 2006). The general conclusion is that the multivariate analysis produces information complementary to the bivariate analysis, and that the variables commonly applied in public perception studies have limited predictive value with respect to the attitude towards public funding of scientific research.     

The Attitudes of Different Partners Involved in Higher Education towards Students with Disabilities

In this article we analyse the inclusion of students with disabilities in the field of university attendance, emphasising the importance of attitudes of teachers as well as the rest of the university community as a whole for inclusion to be successful. The effect of variables of gender, education and training and contact with students with disabilities on these attitudes is also detailed. A scale was applied to assess attitudes towards disabilities to 2671 participants, including students with and without disabilities, teachers and administrative and services staff from the Faculty of Education in a University in Southern Spain. The results show that in general, the university community has positive attitudes towards students with disabilities, with differences according to the group, with university teachers having the most favourable attitudes. The results are discussed and suggestions for future research are offered.