Girls and science: A review of four themes in the science education literature

Despite valuable syntheses of the field of gender and science education, there has not been a systematic, comprehensive review of the literature on gender and science education in recent years. We examine the literature pertaining to girls' engagement in science and develop four themes (equity and access, curriculum and pedagogy, the nature and culture of science, and identity) that we believe provide a coherent picture of the different kinds of approaches happening currently, while at the same time allowing for discussion of how ideas in the field have progressed and changed over time. We present new questions and approaches for further research that arise when applying insights from these themes to ongoing work in gender and science education. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 971–1002, 2008     

Innovative Experiential Learning Activities in Aging: The Experiences of Four BEL Projects

The BSW Experiential Learning (BEL) Program aims to infuse intergenerational content into the curriculum and recruit students to the field of social work by implementing face-to-face learning opportunities with older adults. This article discusses and compares the experiences of 4 diverse BEL projects that implemented gero-experiential learning activities into 1 or more of the BSW curriculum areas: introduction/social work practice, social welfare policy, human behavior in the social environment, social work research, and field practicum. “Three keys to success” are offered as ways in which gero-experiential activities may be successfully implemented by other programs.     

Privacy,speech, and values: what we have no business knowing

In the United States the ascendancy of speech protection is due to an expansive and unjustified view of the value or primacy of free expression and access to information. This is perhaps understandable, given that privacy has been understood as a mere interest, whereas speech rights have been seen as more fundamental. I have argued elsewhere that the “mere interest” view of privacy is false. Privacy, properly defined, is a necessary condition for human well-being or flourishing. The opening section of this article will provide an overview of this theory. Next, after a few remarks on speech absolutism, privacy absolutism, and balancing theories, I will sketch several of the dominant argument strands that have been offered in support of presumptively weighty speech rights. While these arguments, taken together, establish that free speech is important, they do not support the view that speech should nearly always trump privacy. In final section I will present and defend a way to balance free speech and privacy claims.     

Theory of mind and social interest in zero-acquaintance play situations

Many studies have examined associations between children's theory of mind and social behavior with familiar peers, but to date none have examined how theory of mind might relate to behavior toward unfamiliar peers in a play setting. Forty-four 4-year-olds (21 girls, 23 boys) participated in standard theory-of-mind tasks and in a play session with 3 or 4 other children who were unfamiliar. Children were also tested on general vocabulary ability. No relations were found between theory of mind and social engagement. However, positive associations were found between theory of mind and time spent observing, but not interacting with, other children. Possible explanations of the links between theory of mind, temperament, and social interest are considered.