An exploratory study of science educators' use of the internet

As is true of all segments of society, science educators' use of the Internet has been increasing. Yet little research is available on the current use of this medium by science educators. This study was conducted with two surveys on two populations. The first, a telephone survey concerning use of the Internet, was administered to a known group of science educators. The second instrument, a revision of the first survey, was administered through the Internet to an unknown population of science educators. Results from the Internet survey showed that time online could be categorized into use of e-mail, bulletin boards, gopher sites, or other uses. In addition, most of the respondents accessed a fee network, rather than a commercial, or fee-paid network. Readers are cautioned that response to the survey was limited, therefore this study does not represent a general statement of science educators' use of the Internet. This study, while it has some limitations, is important in the exploration of Internet use by science educators.     

Co-Researching the Concept of 'Noticing and Adjusting' in Monitoring Literacy Learning

The present article describes the rationale, development and initial evaluation of a framework for enquiry that enabled a team of educational psychologists from four local education authorities to co-research the concept of 'noticing and adjusting' in relation to children's literacy progress. The work is based on reflective practice where psychologists and teachers considered the usefulness of the framework in developing interactive assessment and teaching approaches in the classroom. The collaborative work helped us to focus on teacher practice and innovative thinking rather than child, teacher or resource/environmental deficits.     

Employability: a contemporary review for higher education stakeholders

Higher education institutions are under pressure to produce employable graduates who are required to contribute to the sustainability of strong economic growth and development. As such, the onus is on the higher education sector to present graduates to the labour market who are both work ready and have attained employability. This article contributes to the discussion surrounding the employability of graduates by: enhancing understanding and discussing contemporary evidence and debate around employability; showing the genesis, influence and synthesis of the major models associated with employability; summarising the boundaries and barriers to graduate employment; and exploring the determinants of employability from the employer’s perspective. Importantly, the article summarises the contemporary theoretical bases of employability in the one place. Recommendations are made regarding further research and the need for further theoretical contributions.     

Teleconferencing tools in enterprises—constraints and opportunities

This paper presents an experimental approach for devising training measures to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) avail themselves of the new opportunities offered by teleconferencing tools.
The approach includes 1) an analysis of training needs, carried out by means of interviews, so as to propose methodologies and tools that will encourage SMEs to create the conditions under which they can make the most of the opportunities that tele-cooperation offers for raising productivity; and 2) a controlled experiment that seeks to analyse the conditions under which the experimental use of teleconferencing systems may become a valuable vehicle for helping SMEs to construct active awareness about the potential of these tools.     

PARENTS' ATTITUDES AND PERSONALITIES OF PUPILS WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS OF SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT

The family context is a crucial factor shaping children's personalities, and despite enrichment of the immediate environment with increasing age, it remains the basic determinant of personal development for young people. Family relations — especially the influence of mothers' and fathers' attitudes on children's personalities in the context of school — have not been examined clearly enough. In the present study an attempt has been made to show the interdependence between mothers' and fathers' attitudes as perceived by children and the personalities of pupils with different results at school. Subjects were pupils attending the first classes of secondary school The basic research group was 56 persons with poor results at school who dropped out, the first comparison group 55 children with high marks, the second 57 average achievers. Results showed that the attitudes of fathers and mothers of pupils who dropped out differed from those of pupils with high marks. The personalities of pupils who were successful at school differed from those of pupils with average results.     

Revisiting the Stanford Prison Experiment: A Case Study in Organized Skepticism

Growing evidence exists that the findings of individual studies—including classic experiments—often fail to replicate. Such published results, however, are considered by scholars, and taught to students, as established scientific truth. In this context, citations to Zimbardo and colleagues’ classic Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE) in criminology/criminal justice journals (1975–2014) were content analyzed to assess whether the study’s conclusions have been embraced or treated with skepticism. The data revealed that scholars were widely accepting of the SPE and, even when voicing concerns, supportive of its message. These results suggest the need to give replications higher priority and for scholars to adhere more closely to the scientific norm of organized skepticism. In the classroom, the continued, uncritical acceptance of the SPE—now more than 40 years old—can serve as an opportunity to teach students about the production and assessment of knowledge within criminology.     

Classic texts in undergraduate classes: So far so good

This paper describes and evaluates a classic text project in terms of its stated objectives. First, to have a large number of students read a few classic works in more than one class. Second, to promote discussion of texts among students and faculty and third, to integrate core classes. Survey data collected from students and faculty evaluations point to the success of this project. The factors which contributed to its success are considered. The project was innovative because faculty selected important texts that could be used in a variety of courses and which would promote a broad based liberal education by exposing students to a diversity of perspectives.Teresa L. Scheid-Cook is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where she teaches primarily social theory. She has published inThe Journal of Applied Behavioral Research, Sociology and Social Research, Community Mental Health Journal, International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, andSociological Spectrum. In addition to interests in interdisciplinary teaching, Dr. Scheid-Cook's research includes the organizational analysis of outpatient commitment.     

Tactical behaviour of winning athletes in major championship 1500-m and 5000-m track finals

This article analyses the tactics employed by middle-distance (1500-m) and long-distance (5000-m) runners from an observational methodology perspective. The subject of investigation has received little attention from specialists in the field of athletics, with most research focusing on physiological studies of athlete performance. Using an ad hoc observation tool and a database containing systematically recorded data we detected time patterns (T-patterns) within the data recorded using the Theme software program (version 5.0), and analysed the tactics employed by winners of the men's 1500-m and 5000-m finals of the World Championships in Athletics [Edmonton 2001, Paris 2003, Helsinki 2005 (1500-m final only), Osaka 2007 (1500-m final only), Berlin 2009 and Daegu 2011], the European Athletics Championships (Munich 2002, Göteborg 2006, and Barcelona 2010) and the Olympic Games (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012). T-pattern detection and investigation of the relationship between category systems corresponding to the criteria comprising the observation tool revealed both similarities (starting lane and lane used during race, runner's position during race and sprint zone and lane) and differences (variations in pace, zones in which changes of pace occur, sprint initiation zone and winner's position at the start of the sprint) between the two disciplines.     

Conversations around the Large Table: Building Community in a Portuguese Public Kindergarten

This article analyzes how one teacher, Ana, builds community in the daily life of her classroom in Figueirinha, a Portuguese public kindergarten. It begins by briefly critiquing the dominant research discourse in early childhood education and arguing that community should be central both to life in early childhood classrooms and to research in those classrooms. Figueirinha, Ana, and the Large Table that is the center of Ana's classroom are introduced. Ana's understanding of community is explored by focusing on six themes: membership, awareness, negotiation, responsibility, ritual, and group memory. Ana's practice is illustrated and analyzed through the use of vignettes. The article concludes with a discussion of Ana's practice and her commitment to the community of the classroom.