Color research and its application to the design of instructional materials

This paper is divided into three major sections: Color as Seen—Physiological; Color as Seen—Psychological; and Color and Learning. The first section deals with color adaptations and the effects of color on acuity and relates these to the design of instructional materials. The second section covers color meanings and preferences, as well as color harmony and the relationships of these factors to the design of instructional materials. The third section provides an overview of research on color and learning. It includes the effects of color on attention, search tasks, other objective and non-objective measures of learning, and the use of color for cathode ray tube (CRT) displays. Although the measurable effects of color may be slight, colored materials are preferred and they are used almost universally. Therefore, designers of instructional materials need to use color wisely by paying attention to the physiological and psychological effects of color and the effect of color on learning.     

Engaging New Faculty in the Scholarship of Teaching

This article describes how scholarly teaching projects were conceived, implemented, and evaluated by junior faculty from a variety of disciplines at a medium-sized midwestern university. The authors explore: considerations in designing scholarly teaching projects, methods used to evaluate teaching effectiveness, and outcomes of the teaching projects. Finally, two of the teaching projects illustrate how junior faculty with diverse courses, class sizes, and teaching concerns approached the task of improving their teaching.     

Scale Alignment in Between‐Item Multidimensional Rasch Models

Scores estimated from multidimensional item response theory (IRT) models are not necessarily comparable across dimensions. In this article, the concept of aligned dimensions is formalized in the context of Rasch models, and two methods are described—delta dimensional alignment (DDA) and logistic regression alignment (LRA)—to transform estimated item parameters so that dimensions are aligned. Both the DDA and LRA methods are applied to real and simulated data, and it is demonstrated that both methods are broadly effective for achieving aligned scales. The routine use of scale alignment methods is recommended prior to comparing scores across dimensions.     

Hands on what? The relative effectiveness of physical versus virtual materials in an engineering design project by middle school children

“Hands‐on” activities play an important, but controversial, role in early science education. In this study we attempt to clarify some of the issues surrounding the controversy by calling attention to distinctions between: (a) type of instruction (direct or discovery); (b) type of knowledge to be acquired (domain‐general or domain‐specific); and (c) type of materials that are used (physical or virtual). We then describe an empirical study that investigates the relative effectiveness of the physical–virtual dimension. In the present study, seventh and eighth grade students assembled and tested mousetrap cars with the goal of designing a car that would go the farthest. Children were assigned to four different conditions, depending on whether they manipulated physical or virtual materials, and whether they had a fixed number of cars they could construct or a fixed amount of time in which to construct them. All four conditions were equally effective in producing significant gains in learners' knowledge about causal factors, in their ability to design optimal cars, and in their confidence in their knowledge. Girls' performance, knowledge, and effort were equal to boys' in all conditions, but girls' confidence remained below boys' throughout. Given the fact that, on several different measures, children were able to learn as well with virtual as with physical materials, the inherent pragmatic advantages of virtual materials in science may make them the preferred instructional medium in many hands‐on contexts. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach     

Assessing pupils’ attitudes towards religious and worldview diversity – development and validation of a nuanced measurement instrument

ABSTRACT

In this article, we outline the development and validation of an instrument for the assessment of attitudes towards religious diversity. The instrument uses four parallel scales, which evaluate attitudes towards Muslims, Christians, Jews and towards Non-religious people. Each scale is subdivided into eight parallel profile types and tests for the acceptance of six levels of social proximity. Drawing on a sample of 281 respondents (which include Muslims, Christians, Jews, Non-religious and Other) and employing the item response theory, we examine the reliability and validity of the instrument and present first results. We found that respondents discriminated greatly between the eight profile types and made clear distinctions with regard to the proximity of social relationships. Relative to these distinctions within each religion, differences between the four groups Muslims, Christians, Jews and Non-religious appeared minimal. These findings suggest that the results of previous research which indicate scepticism towards Islam despite general respect for religious diversity could be due to stereotyping.     

“Bridging Old Relations”: The (De)Construction of Ethnic Identity in the Educational Context of Bosnia and Herzegovina From the Teachers' Point of View

The present study focuses on an educational arrangement in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) known as “two schools under one roof.” The term refers to two different ethnic groups (Bosniaks and Croats) physically sharing the same school building, but maintaining separate administrations, teaching staff, and curricula. The purpose of the study is to explore the manner in which teachers (seven Bosniak and four Croat) from the two ethnic groups perceive and construct their group identities within this context. Findings indicate that the teachers’ sense of belonging to different ethnic groups is strong and that the use of language functions as a vital marker for expressing group identity. In addition, satisfaction with the current situation and perceptions of interactions and discrimination differ substantially between the groups. We argue that this type of educational organization may reignite dormant tensions between the groups and accentuate ethnic differences in terms of (de)constructing ethnic identity.     

Degree pictures: Visualizing the university student journey

Abstract

The field of learning analytics is progressing at a rapid rate. New tools, with ever-increasing number of features and a plethora of datasets that are increasingly utilized demonstrate the evolution and multifaceted nature of the field. In particular, the depth and scope of insight that can be gleaned from analysing related datasets can have a significant, and positive, effect in educational practices. We introduce the concept of degree pictures, a symbolic overview of students’ achievement. Degree pictures are small visualizations that depict graphically 16 categories of overall student achievement, over the duration of a higher education course. They offer a quick summary of students’ achievement and are intended to initiate appropriate responses, such as teaching and pastoral interventions. This can address the subjective nature of assessment, by providing a method for educators to calibrate their own marking practices by showing an overview of any cohort. We present a prototype implementation of degree pictures, which was evaluated within our School of Computer Science, with favourable results.     

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.     

Distance distortions in memory for spatial locations

The present study examined developmental differences in the effect of route extensity on the memory for the locations of objects in a spatial array. Kindergarten and adult subjects were trained to remember the locations of 4 objects. During this training, objects were either connected by a combination of indirect, looped train tracks and direct train tracks (experimental subjects) or connected by entirely direct train-track routes (control subjects). Analyses of actual interobject distances, from subjects' reproductions of object locations on a response board (without train tracks), revealed that children, but not adults, distort distance in terms of the nature of travel observed between objects. Further testing revealed that differences in the amount of time taken for travel could not account for the results obtained with children.     

Notes on the American Fascination with the English Tradition of School Inspection

The paper briefly explores the dynamics of the American school reform movement to explain the current American interest in English school inspection. The main explanation suggested is that there is a clear and growing awareness of the difficulties of ‘knowing schools’ through standardized testing. Knowledge from testing is a poor resource for schemes of school accountability and for supporting the work of teachers. Reflecting American interest, the ‘Study of School Inspection’ (Wilson, 1995) was carried out in 1992 to discover the underlying assumptions in the ways traditional English inspection knows and judges schools. The study, which was based on watching LEA and HM inspectors at work over a 9 month period, considers some of the ramifications of the English approach for American assessment and reform