What schools are for: An analysis of findings from a US National Study

This study examines the current views held by American teacher education students and teacher educators regarding what schools are for, using data gathered from 2, 947 teacher candidates and 1, 217 teacher educators in 29 teacher training institutions across the USA in a national research project — The Study of the Education of Educators. Findings suggest that progressive and liberal views were the most popular schools of thought for both students and faculty members, although in general faculty tended to be more liberal and less conservative than students. In addition, both groups supported all of the broad goals of schooling, with the most emphasis assigned to basic skills education. There were some discrepancies between what students and faculty members believed and what their programs emphasized because programs were perceived as more conservative than students and faculty. In evaluating various sources of influence on students' educational beliefs and values, student teaching and cooperating teachers were found to be the most powerful sources of influence.

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Zusammenfassung In diesem Artikel werden die heutigen Ansichten amerikanischer Lehramtsanwärter und deren Ausbilder bezüglich der Aufgaben der Schule untersucht. Dafür werden Daten aus einem nationalen Forschungsprojekt — Studie der Lehrerausbildung — von 2.947 Leheramtsanwärtern und 1.217 Lehrerausbildern in 29 Leherausbildungsstätten in den USA verwendet. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, daß progressive und liberale Ansichten die beliebtesten Denkschulen für Studenten und Lehrkörpermitglieder waren, die Mitglieder des Lehrkörpers jedoch im allgemeinen liberaler und weniger konservativ als die Studenten waren. Zusätzlich befürworteten beide Gruppen unter besonderer Betonung der Grundausbildung die allgemeinen Zielsetzungen des Schulwesens. Es gab Diskrepanzen zwischen den Überzeugungen der Studenten sowie der Lehrköpermitglieder und den Schwerpunkten der Programme, da die Programme als konservativer als Studenten und Lehrkörper empfunden wurden. Bei der Evaluierung verschiedener Quellen von Einflüssen auf Überzeugungen und Wertvorstellungen im erzieherischen Bereich der Studenten, stellten sich Erfahrungen der Studenten im Unterrichten und die die Studenten betreuenden Lehrer als wichtigstes Element heraus.

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Résumé La présente étude examine les points de vue actuels des étudiants des écoles normales américaines et des formateurs de formateurs sur le rôle des écoles. Elle fait appel pour ce faire aux données recueillies (à partir de 2,947 élèves-enseignants et de 1,217 formateurs d'éducateurs pris dans 29 instituts de formation des maîtres répartis dans tous les USA) dans un projet de recherche réalisé à l'échelon national: Etude sur la formation des éducateurs. Les résultats obtenus suggèrent que les vues progressistes et libérales étaient les écoles de pensée les plus populaires pour les étudiants et les enseignants, bien qu'en général ces derniers soient plus libéraux et moins conservateurs que les élèves. En outre, les deux groupes ont soutenu tous les objectifs généraux de l'enseignement, l'accent majeur ayant été mis sur l'enseignement des compétences de base. On a relevé certaines différences entre l'avis des étudiants et celui du personnel enseignant et entre les éléments mis en relief dans leurs programmes, ceux-ci ayant été jugés plus conservateurs que les étudiants et les enseignants. Lors de l'évaluation des différentes sources d'influence sur les croyances et les valeurs éducatives des étudiants, il est apparu que l'enseignement aux étudiants et la coopération des enseignants constituaient les sources d'influence les plus puissantes.

     

Changing lives: improving care leaver access to higher education

ABSTRACT

Australian and international research documents the limited access of young people transitioning from out-of-home care (OOHC) to further and higher education. This paper examines the processes, outcomes, and key findings of the Raising Expectations project, a collaborative university and industry approach to promote higher education among care leavers at two Australian universities. That approach was informed by the co-authors' previous research, including interviews with enrolled care-leaver students. The paper highlights the relevance of that research in the design and implementation of Raising Expectations. Our findings reiterate the importance of policy and practice reforms informed by rigorous research, particularly involving the voices and agency of care leavers. We outline strategies adopted by the participating universities resulting in a fourfold increase in enrolments, growth in school outreach activities, and significantly improved retention rates. The paper also highlights barriers to higher education access and success, through care-leaver student interviews and policy analysis. These interviews revealed the need for better university outreach and information to prospective care-leaver students, improved support for enrolled care-leaver students, and better capturing of data by universities and governments. The paper also highlights policy barriers to the greater expansion of care-leavers at university, especially in the absence of extended state care.     

Engaging in Science: A Feeling for the Discipline

Most accounts of affect and motivation in the science education literature have discussed them as relevant to, but distinct from, disciplinary pursuits. These include Pintrich’s seminal work on affective and motivational factors in learning science (P. R. Pintrich, 1999, 2003; P. R. Pintrich & E. De Groot, 1990; P. R. Pintrich, R. W. Marx, & R. A. Boyle, 1993). Our purpose here is to build on those ideas, drawing as well on accounts of scientists’ practices (e.g., H. E. Gruber, 1974; E. F. Keller, 1983) and of students’ taking up of disciplinary pursuits (R. A. Engle & F. R. Conant, 2002; R. Lehrer, 2009; M. Scardamalia & C. Bereiter, 1991, 2006) to propose that affect and motivation are inherent in the disciplinary practices of science. Thus, we introduce notions of epistemic affect and epistemic motivation, and we illustrate how these are evident in a case study of a student we have followed from 4th to 7th grade. We consider how this perspective aligns with and contributes to research on interest (e.g., S. Hidi, 2006; S. Hidi, K. A. Renninger, & A. Krapp, 2004; C. Sansone, 2009), and we discuss implications for research and instruction in science education. We argue that part of what should happen in the science class is to cultivate students’ feelings and motivations within the discipline.     

α-D-吡喃葡糖甲苷衍生物的结构的计算

本文用MNDO和FHMO(Fenskc-Hall MO)研究了2,3-缩水-4,6-双-氧(对-X苄基)-2-D异头吡喃葡糖甲苷(MX_2A,X=H,F,Cl,Br,I)的结构。用MNDO优化出的MH_2A的键长,键角和二面角和MBr_2A的晶体数据极为接近。计算出了三个取代基的分子内旋转势垒,都有二个极大值。高度约10～350(Kcal/mol)。HOMO是MO69,但和MO66,67,68极为接近,相差只有10(Kcal/mol),而且都是由二个苯环的Pz AO组成。糖苷基上的2-3桥氧原子由于张力,净电荷只有-0.24(电子),而其余三个氧原子都有-0.34～-0.40(电子)电荷。     

Serum adenosine deaminase in carcinoma breast

Serum Adenosine Deaminase (ADA) activity was studied in 20 control cases and 32 patients with carcinoma breast. In control group the ADA activity ranged from 13–94 IU/L with a mean of 43.75±21.55 IU/L while in patients of carcinoma breast it was 16–95 IU/L with a mean of 47.46±22.54 IU/L, but these values were not statistically different. The ADA activity was also compared with other parameters in patients of carcinoma breast but the difference was not statistically significant in the various parameters like duration of disease, menopausal status, tumor size, hemoglobin level, total leucocyte count, absolute lymphocyte count, total serum proteins, serum albumin, histological grade of tumor and lymphocytic infiltration. The only significant difference in ADA activity was when N1 status of lymph node was compared with N2 status of lymph node.     

A nomogram of the neonatal peak of urinary follicle stimulating hormone,luteinizing hormone and testosterone in normal male infants

Daily urinary follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone (T) levels were estimated in a group of 10 normal one month old male infants. Four-hourly urine samples were collected from each infant over a three months period i.e., from one month to four months of infants age. The hormonal levels were expressed as mIU of FSH, LH and ng of T per mg creatinine. The normal hormonal pattern thus obtained could be used to compare patterns obtained from pathological cases or when monitoring the effects of drugs on infants.     

Do baseball pitchers improve mechanics after biomechanical evaluations?

The purpose of this study was to determine how often flaws in pitching mechanics identified from biomechanical analysis are corrected. The biomechanics of 46 baseball pitchers were evaluated twice, with an average of 12 months (range 2–48 months) between evaluations. Pitchers were healthy at the time of both evaluations, competing at the high school, college, minor league or Major League level. After warming up, each participant pitched 10 full-effort fastballs. Automated three-dimensional motion analysis was used to compute eight kinematic parameters which were compared with a database of elite professional pitchers. Flaws—defined as deviations from the elite range—were explained to each participant or coach after his initial evaluation. Data from the second evaluation revealed that 44% of all flaws had been corrected. Flaws at the instant of foot contact (stride length, front foot position, shoulder external rotation, shoulder abduction, elbow flexion) or slightly after foot contact (time between pelvis rotation and upper trunk rotation) seemed to be corrected more often than flaws near the time of ball release (knee extension and shoulder abduction). Future research may determine which level athletes or which training methods are most effective for correcting flaws.     

DSP-based implementation of fast terminal synergetic control for a DC–DC Buck converter

Finite time convergence based on robust synergetic control (SC) theory and terminal attractor techniques is investigated. To this end a fast terminal synergetic control law (FTSC) is applied to drive a DC–DC Buck converter via simulation and through a dSpace based experimental setup to validate the approach. As robust as sliding mode control, the synergetic approach used is chattering free and provides rapid convergence. Efficacy of the proposed fast terminal synergetic controller is tested for step load change and output voltage variation and results compared to classical synergetic and PI control. Experimental validation using dSpace DS1104 confirms the results obtained in simulation showing the soundness of this approach compared to synergetic and PI controllers.     

Visual complexity in infancy: contour or numerosity?

To examine the relationship between visual attention in infancy and the stimulus variables of contour and numerosity, 2- and 4-month-old infants were placed in 3 experimental conditions. In the first condition, the patterns shown to the infants varied in amount of contour but had an equal number of elements; in the second, they varied in numerosity but had an equal amount of contour; and in the third, the patterns varied in both numerosity and contour. The results showed that contour and numerosity acting in tandem are responsible for the age-complexity shift observed in previous investigations of infant attention.     

The influence of deformation on barbell mechanics during the clean pull

For simplicity of biomechanical analyses, the weightlifting barbell is typically modelled as a rigid, nondeformable object. Most coaches and weightlifters, however, are aware of the elastic nature of the barbell, and its influence on the successful completion of lifting attempts. Variables such as velocity, work performed, and power output are indicators of the quality of performance during the snatch, clean, and related weightlifting pulling movements. The aim of this study was to establish whether differences exist in determining these biomechanical parameters when the centre of the barbell is analysed compared with each end of the barbell. Nine men performed three maximal-effort repetitions in the clean pull exercise at 85% of their self-reported single repetition maximum (1-RM) clean (90-155 kg) using a barbell instrumented for mechanical analysis. Results indicated that peak barbell speed was 5-30% (P < 0.05) lower for the centre of the barbell than the ends. Although differences (P < 0.05) in kinetic and potential energy were found between the centre and ends of the bar, differences between total work performed were small (< 6%; P < 0.05) and no differences were observed for average power (P > 0.05). Although approximately the same work and power occur for the centre and ends of the barbell, they manifest as different kinematics as a result of the elastic nature of the equipment. The elastic characteristics should be considered when selecting instrumentation and variables for research involving barbells. Coaches should be aware of the elasticity of barbells, including selecting appropriate viewing angles as well as understanding how deformation may affect the ends of the barbell relative to the centre.