Moving from outside to inside: High school students' use of apprenticeships as vehicles for entering the culture and practice of science

The purpose of this study was to investigate how research apprenticeships shaped students' views of the culture and practice of science. Twenty‐seven 11th and 12th graders from across the United States and American Samoa participating in a summer research program were interviewed individually three times over 7 weeks. Seven students were selected as a representative focus group, and in addition to interviews, their journals, entrance questionnaires, and exit questionnaires were analyzed for what they revealed about students' ideas of what constituted scientific work, of the research process, of the existence and importance of communities in which they participated, and of the roles they played in these communities. Based on the pattern of student comments and perspectives, we identified four dimensions of scientific practice and culture whose salience and complexity increased and became articulated over the 7‐week period. These dimensions included technical language, collaboration, uncertainty, and inquiry. The learning that took place with regard to these dimensions took place within three program‐embedded communities, which we identified as laboratory‐centered, program‐centered, and peer‐centered. The roles students played in these communities and the degree to which they could make use of resources within them contributed to students' view of scientific practice and culture, and to the development of the identity kits they began to construct of themselves as scientists. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 36: 677–697, 1999     

The AAMD ABS-SE,Part Two: Criterion-related validity in a behavior-disordered sample

The purpose of this research was to determine the diagnostic validity of Part Two of the AAMD Adaptive Behavior Scale-School Edition (ABS-SE) for the classification of behavior-disordered (BD) children. The sample consisted of 66 elementary school students ranging in age from 7-0 through 12-11. There were three groups of subjects: (a) children classified BD; (b) children referred for behavior problems, but not classified; and (c) children in regular classrooms, neither referred nor classified. Teachers completed Part Two of the ABS-SE for all subjects. Validity was investigated for both domain and factor scores, with discriminant analyses yielding significant classification results. Using the domain scores generated by the stepwise discriminant analysis, the overall rate of correct classification was 71.21%; using factor scores, the level of correct classification increased to 77.27%.     

Teachers and the Very Able: case studies of four Scottish schools

High ability in children is a contentious issue in the Scottish educational system, which promotes equity through equality of opportunity in a non‐selective system. The aim of this research was to establish an understanding of the extent of available provision for very able children in a limited number of schools, and to chart teachers’ perceptions of high ability. Four Scottish schools were studied: one comprehensive high school and three primary schools, involving 17 teachers (primary principal and head teachers), one learning support teacher and three educational psychologists. Semi‐structured interviews, supported by open‐ended questionnaires, were the means of data collection. The data were submitted to a straightforward and qualitative content analysis. Results show tentatively that recognition of high ability is generally scarce in Scotland, that highly able pupils are often subjected to several decategorisations and that there is no consensus amongst teachers of how to understand high ability. A subgroup of able pupils was identified also, termed fast finishers’ by the participants.