The invention of counting: the statistical measurement of literacy in nineteenth-century England

This article examines the invention of counting literacy on a national basis in nineteenth-century Britain. Through an analysis of Registrar Generals' reports, it describes how the early statisticians wrestled with the implications of their new-found capacity to describe a nation's communications skills in a single table and how they were unable to escape their model of a society of isolated individuals divided into the literate and illiterate. The continuing influence of this approach is traced in the recent report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIACC).     

Educational quasi-markets,school effectiveness and social inequalities

Over the past few decades, the figure of the market has clearly made its way into the field of education. For some authors, it represents an alternative to regulation by the public authorities, a different form of co-ordination which is better able to meet the objectives of the education systems. Through a secondary analysis of the PISA 2006 database, we test this hypothesis, as well as an alternative one which suggests that the quasi-market, rather than being linked positively to effectiveness of the education systems, would be associated with the students’ achievement dependence on their socio-economic and cultural background and on the social composition of the school they are enrolled in. Our findings suggest that the quasi-market regulation (school autonomy and competition for student recruitment) (1) is not linked to effectiveness and (2) tends to be associated with a stronger link between schools’ social composition and student achievement.     

Founders’ Continuing Roles in Schools Supporting Self-Directed Learning

What should be the continuing role of founders in schools supporting self-directed learning? To answer this, the founders’ views of two North American schools for self-directed learners will be compared. One school is exam-focused and private; the other is, test-free and public. The founders of both schools have comparable beliefs regarding the importance of self-direction in education: Dr. Able, the founder of Able School, sees the primary value of the school as constructing a cohesive “tribe” based on the Socratic method of questioning. Dr. Green, influenced by A. S. Neill’s Summerhill in founding Unschool, considers freedom to live life as one chooses as the principle value. Although both founders played a substantial role in the formative years of their schools, only the founder of Able School still holds a prominent position in the school. Why does this discrepancy exist in the continuing role of the founders? What continuing role for a founder is most compatible with democratic society? The answers to these questions provided in this paper are based on personal communications with Dr. Green after a visit this founder of Unschool made to Able School December 12, 2013 to meet with Dr. Able. The names of the founders and their schools are pseudonyms.     

Student Learning about Biomolecular Self-Assembly Using Two Different External Representations

Self-assembly is the fundamental but counterintuitive principle that explains how ordered biomolecular complexes form spontaneously in the cell. This study investigated the impact of using two external representations of virus self-assembly, an interactive tangible three-dimensional model and a static two-dimensional image, on student learning about the process of self-assembly in a group exercise. A conceptual analysis of self-assembly into a set of facets was performed to support study design and analysis. Written responses were collected in a pretest/posttest experimental design with 32 Swedish university students. A quantitative analysis of close-ended items indicated that the students improved their scores between pretest and posttest, with no significant difference between the conditions (tangible model/image). A qualitative analysis of an open-ended item indicated students were unfamiliar with self-assembly prior to the study. Students in the tangible model condition used the facets of self-assembly in their open-ended posttest responses more frequently than students in the image condition. In particular, it appears that the dynamic properties of the tangible model may support student understanding of self-assembly in terms of the random and reversible nature of molecular interactions. A tentative difference was observed in response complexity, with more multifaceted responses in the tangible model condition.     

Comparison of 3D reconstructive technologies used for morphometric research and the translation of knowledge using a decision matrix

The use of three‐dimensional (3D) models for education, pre‐operative assessment, presurgical planning, and measurement have become more prevalent. With the increase in prevalence of 3D models there has also been an increase in 3D reconstructive software programs that are used to create these models. These software programs differ in reconstruction concepts, operating system requirements, user features, cost, and no one program has emerged as the standard. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic comparison of three widely available 3D reconstructive software programs, Amira^®, OsiriX, and Mimics^®, with respect to the software's ability to be used in two broad themes: morphometric research and education to translate morphological knowledge. Cost, system requirements, and inherent features of each program were compared. A novel concept selection tool, a decision matrix, was used to objectify comparisons of usability of the interface, quality of the output, and efficiency of the tools. Findings indicate that Mimics was the best‐suited program for construction of 3D anatomical models and morphometric analysis, but for creating a learning tool the results were less clear. OsiriX was very user‐friendly; however, it had limited capabilities. Conversely, although Amira had endless potential and could create complex dynamic videos, it had a challenging interface. These results provide a resource for morphometric researchers and educators to assist the selection of appropriate reconstruction programs when starting a new 3D modeling project. Anat Sci Educ 6: 393–403. © 2013 American Association of Anatomists.     

Improving college students’ attitudes toward mathematics

This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of a treatment designed to improve college algebra students’ attitudes toward mathematics. Keller’s ARCS motivational design model was used as a guiding framework for the development of a motivational video, which was delivered online. The application of motivational design to improve mathematics attitudes in an online environment extends the use of motivational design. A pretest-posttest control group design was used to test the effectiveness of the treatment. The participants in this study were 43 students enrolled in a college algebra course offered at a large state university in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Statistically significant results were observed for improved attitudes toward mathematics.     

“Unskilled Laborers”

Advancement of knowledge and progress in technology drives the need for protecting inventions, new ideas, writings, music, and other media. While abundant, intellectual property and copyright issues are not simple, and the United States has adopted multiple rules via treaties worldwide. Academia has been fortunate with regard to the freedom provided by the fair use doctrine. Despite the freedoms, however, some feel that liberty is now limited by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA) and other rules being placed on intellectual property use (Carlson 2004).     

Freshman Disorientation

Abstract

A Provocative Collection The War against the Intellect: Episodes In the Decline of Discourse By Peter Shaw Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1989, 181 pages, $22.50 hardcover, $10.95 paperback. Reviewed by Robert L. Spaeth

Giving Freshmen What They Deserve The Freshman Year Experience M. Lee Upcraft, John N. Gardner and Associates San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1989, 443 pages, $32.95 Reviewed by Roy Starling