Communications Research

Thomas F. Gordon and Mary Ellen Verna Mass Communication Effects and Processes: A Comprehensive Bibliography, 1950-1975 (Beverly Hills, Calif.: Sage Publications, 1978—$15.00),

Charles Winick, Deviance and Mass Media (Beverly Hills, Calif.: Sage Publications, 1979—$18.50/8.95),

Mail and Telephone Surveys: The Total Design Method by Don A. Dillman (New York: Wiley-Interscience, 1979—$19.95)

Fundamental Statistics in Psychology and Education by J.P. Guilford and Benjamin Fruchter (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1979—$16.00)

Jane T. Bertrand Communications Pretesting (Chicago: University of Chicago Community and Family Study Center, 1978—$3.50, paper)

Gary Gumpert and Robert Cathcart, Inter/Media: Interpersonal Communication in a Media World ( New York: Oxford University Press, 1979—$S.95, paper)     

French Media Books

ELECTRONIC MEDIA: A GUIDE TO TRENDS IN BROADCASTING AND NEWER TECHNOLOGIES, 1920-1983, by Christopher H. Sterling (New York: Praeger, 1984—$34.95/$17.95)

THE LONG-DISTANCE TELEPHONE SOURCEBOOK: A GUIDE TO ALTERNATIVE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES, (Bethesda, Md.: Phillips Publishing, 1984—$127.00, paper)

TELEVISION COMEDY SERIES: AN EPISODE GUIDE TO 153 TV SITCOMS IN SYNDICATION, by Joel Eisner and David Krinsky (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland and Co., Inc., 1984—$49.95)

RELIGIOUS BROADCASTING 1920-1983; A SELECTIVELY ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY, by George H. Hill and Lenwood Davis (New York: Garland Publishing, 1984—$36.00)

FM ATLAS AND STATION DIRECTORY, by Bruce F. Elving (FM Atlas Publishing, Adolph, Minn. 55701—$7.50, paper)

COMPUTER CONTENTS, (Management Contents, 2265 Carlson Drive, Northbrook, Ill. 60062—$95.00/biweekly, or $4.00 per copy)

AMERICAN RADIO: SPRING 1984, by James H. Duncan, Jr. (Duncan Media Enterprises, Box 2966, Kalamazoo, MI 49002—$55.00, paper)

WORLD TABLES: THE THIRD EDITION, by the staff of the World Bank (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1984—$50.00/$25.00 for Volume I, Economic Data; and $25.00/$12.50 for Volume II, Social Data)

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, edited by Donald R. Whitnah (Westport, Ct.: Greenwood Press, 1984—$49.95)

ACRONYMS, INMALISMS, AND ABBREVIATIONS DICTIONARY, edited by Ellen Crowley and Helen Sheppard (Detroit: Gale Research, 1984—$145.00, two volumes)

STATISTICS FOR TRANSPORTATION, COMMUNICATION, AND FINANCE AND INSURANCE: DATA AVAILABILITY AND NEEDS, by Sol D. Helfand, et al. (Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1984—price not given, paper)

TELECOURSE INVENTORY 1984 (Center for Learning and Telecommunications, One Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C. 20036—$20.00, paper)     

Should students design or interact with models? Using the Bifocal Modelling Framework to investigate model construction in high school science

The Bifocal Modelling Framework (BMF) is an approach for science learning which links students’ physical experimentation with computer modelling in real time, focusing on the comparison of the two media. In this paper, we explore how a Bifocal Modelling implementation supported learning outcomes related to both content and metamodeling knowledge, focusing on the role of designing models. Our study consisted of three conditions implemented with a total of 69 9th grade high-school students. The first and second classes were assigned two implementation modes of BMF: with and without a model design module. The third condition, employed as a control, consisted of a class that received instruction in the school’s traditional approach. Our results indicate that students participating in both BMF implementations demonstrated improved content knowledge and a better understanding of metamodeling. However, only the ‘BMF-with-design’ group improved significantly in both content and metamodeling knowledge. Our qualitative analyses indicate that both BMF groups designed detailed models that included scientific explanations. However only students who engaged in the model design component: (1) completed a detailed model displaying molecular interaction; and (2) developed a critical perspective about models. We discuss the implications of those results for teaching scientific science concepts and metamodeling knowledge.     

Looking in a science classroom: exploring possibilities of creative cultural divergence in science teaching and learning

Worldwide proliferation of pedagogical innovations creates expanding potential in the field of science education. While some teachers effectively improve students’ scientific learning, others struggle to achieve desirable student outcomes. This study explores a Taiwanese science teacher’s ability to effectively enhance her students’ science learning. The authors visited a Taipei city primary school class taught by an experienced science teacher during a 4-week unit on astronomy, with a total of eight, 90-minute periods. Research methods employed in this study included video capture of each class as well as reflective interviews with the instructor, eliciting the teacher’s reflection upon both her pedagogical choices and the perceived results of these choices. We report that the teacher successfully teaches science by creatively diverging from culturally generated educational expectations. Although the pedagogical techniques and ideas enumerated in the study are relevant specifically to Taiwan, creative cultural divergence might be replicated to improve science teaching worldwide.     

Pédagogie and didactique: An incestuous relationship

This article deals with the evolution of pedagogical theory in the Francophone world. At present, two major currents of reflection on education exist in the Francophone world. The first, called didactique – didactics – relates to teacher planning, working chiefly from considerations about the pupil's cognitive characteristics. The second, called pédagogie – pedagogy – relates to the features of pedagogical reflection-in-action. This article analyzes the distinctions between the two currents with a view to determining whether they constitute genuine differences.     

The role of parental expectations in understanding social and academic well-being among children with disabilities in Ireland

This paper draws on longitudinal data to examine the extent to which parents’ educational expectations shape academic development and changes in self-concept among young people with different types of disability. The analysis is based on the Growing Up in Ireland longitudinal study, which tracked 7423 children between the primary to secondary school years, 21% of whom were identified with one of four main disability types. Our conceptual framework assumes that parental expectations at age 9 will be influenced by both the child’s disability and child’s academic achievement at that stage, as well as being influenced by other factors such as parent’s own education, family economic vulnerability, family relationships and family structure. Therefore, we take these factors into account in tracing the consequences of parental expectations at age 9, on academic and social outcomes at age 13 after the transition to secondary education. Among young people with a disability, poorer self-concept at age 13 is partly explained by lower parental expectations, particularly for those with general learning and emotional/behavioural disabilities. Similarly, parental expectations are a significant influence on children’s academic outcomes and partly explain the effects of disability status on academic development. Parents’ beliefs about their children’s abilities have a strong influence on achievement and self-concept, raising important issues around the need to promote equality of opportunity, raising awareness of the educational opportunities available, promoting positive expectations and engagement with school and the importance of promoting a range of opportunities for achievement.