The Scholarly Communication of the Future: From Book Information to Problem Solving

As long as scientists discuss scientific problems and communicate with each other, scholarly communication is an essential part of scientific activities. In the very ancient time the scholarly communication was only an oral tradition, a face to face communication. Later on, the written form of communication has taken place. Since the invention of movable printing types by Gutenberg the scholarly communication was preferable in written and printed form. Since 15 years the revolution has taken place with the digital information, which is now available for scholarly communication. There was a paradigm shift from the printed and oral tradition to a new digital electronic science communication. In the future the traditional printed book information for scientific communication will be replaced by problem solving portals with all electronic and digital tools.     

Culture and Commerce at a Postwar Publisher

The tension between commerce and culture has long been recognized as characteristic of the publishing industry. Publishers seek to put forth quality works of cultural significance yet are constrained by the need to earn a profit. This article is a case study of how this conflict played out at a postwar New York City company, Storm Publishers. Storm was a one-person operation run by Alexander Gode-von Aesch, a German immigrant best known for his work as a linguist and translator. Gode founded the company in 1947 to publish The End Is Not Yet, a pacifist novel by the German playwright Fritz von Unruh. Storm went on to publish a diverse array of scholarly and trade books until it was dissolved in 1958. The article analyzes how Gode pursued a number of strategies—relying on personal connections, developing relationships with celebrities, purchasing advertisements, soliciting reviews, cutting costs, generating subsidiary rights income, and sheer tenacity and audacity—in order to compete with larger and more established Manhattan publishers. It argues Gode harbored a contradictory attitude toward the culture–commerce dichotomy, asserting that his aim was to distribute quality works that could not make a profit while at the same time publishing books aimed at bolstering his balance sheet and lamenting others’ lack of sales. As the first history of Storm Publishers, the article sheds light on the midcentury New York publishing industry and how a small firm sought to claim a place in the postwar intellectual economy.     

Development of an Instrument to Assess Student Opinions of the Quality of Distance Education Courses

This study describes the development of a learning process of genetic counseling and basic genetics using an e-learning model and its application to a group of psychologists in the state of Parana in southern Brazil. The aim was to analyze the impact on the increase of knowledge in the presented subjects and the possibility of applying this project on a larger scale. The results of two observations were compared. The observations consisted of scores on the same exams, applied before and after taking the course. Results indicated that the remote education process is indeed a viable alternative for genetic counseling education and is validated for application in large scale together with Centers for Family Health Care Assistance of the Brazilian Ministry of Health Care.     

A Randomized Study of a Literacy-Integrated Science Intervention for Low-Socio-economic Status Middle School Students: Findings from first-year implementation

This paper presents the findings from a randomized control trial study of reading/literacy-integrated science inquiry intervention after 1 year of implementation and the treatment effect on 5th-grade low-socio-economic African-American and Hispanic students’ achievement in science and English reading. A total of 94 treatment students and 194 comparison students from four randomized intermediate schools participated in the current project. The intervention consisted of ongoing professional development and specific instructional science lessons with inquiry-based learning, direct and explicit vocabulary instruction, and integration of reading and writing. Results suggested that (a) there was a significantly positive treatment effect as reflected in students' higher performance in district-wide curriculum-based tests of science and reading and standardized tests of science, reading, and English reading fluency; (b) males and females did not differ significantly from participating in science inquiry instruction; (c) African-American students had lower chance of sufficiently mastering the science concepts and achieving above the state standards when compared with Hispanic students across gender and condition, and (d) below-poverty African-American females are the most vulnerable group in science learning. Our study confirmed that even a modest amount of literacy integration in inquiry-based science instruction can promote students' science and reading achievement. Therefore, we call for more experimental research that focus on the quality of literacy-integrated science instruction from which middle grade students, particularly low-socio-economic status students, can benefit.     

Student Performance in a Multimedia Case-Study Environment

Does an online, multimedia case study influence students’ performance, motivation, and perceptions of science in collegiate level biology classes, and if so, how? One hundred and eight students in 5 classes from 4 campuses in the United States and Puerto Rico participated in data collection (performance tests, surveys and focus group interviews). Pre- and post-test results increased after students participated in the learning environment (F(1, 80) = 17.256, p ≤ 0.01, η² = 0.177). Student confidence in their knowledge also increased. During focus group interviews students reported that the project was a good learning experience (95 %), would help with future classes or careers (87 %), and stimulated student curiosity by demonstrating the application of theoretical knowledge in real-world situations (64 %). The learning environment motivated students by making material relevant, which resulted in better performance. This pedagogical tool is not instructor dependent, and is adaptable.     

Physical characteristics that predict involvement with the ball in recreational youth soccer

This study examined the relative contribution of age, stage of puberty, anthropometric characteristics, health-related fitness, soccer-specific tests and match-related technical performance to variance in involvements with the ball during recreational 5-a-side small-sided (32 × 15 m) soccer matches. Using a cross-sectional design, 80 healthy male students (14.6 ± 0.5 years of age; range 13.6–15.4) who played soccer recreationally were randomly divided into 10 teams and played against each other. Measurements included height, body mass, pubertal status, health-related fitness (12-min walk/run test, standing long jump, 15-m sprint and sit-ups in 30 s), soccer-specific tests (kicking for speed, passing for accuracy and agility run with and without a ball), match-related technical performance (kicks, passes and dribbles) and involvements with the ball during matches. Forward multiple regression analysis revealed that cardiorespiratory fitness (12-min walk/run test) accounted for 36% of the variance in involvements with the ball. When agility with the ball (zigzag running) and power (standing long jump) were included among the predictors, the total explained variance increased to 62%. In conclusion, recreational adolescent players, regardless of their soccer-specific skills, may increase participation in soccer matches most through physical activities that promote improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle power and agility.     

The contribution of reflective learning to experiential learning in business education

Abstract

Experiential learning theory states that reflection is just as important to learning as action. However, business educators often overlook reflection in their experiential learning activities, especially when it’s understood as a dialogue process. Drawing on reflective learning theory, we explored the case of an undergraduate business programme that has been combining experiential learning with three different reflective learning mechanisms for the past ten years. Results show that: (1) reflective dialogue is central for ensuring that impressions from experience translate into better-defined learning outcomes, (2) this dialogue process greatly benefits from a closely guided process, and (3) different reflection mechanisms contribute differently to the learning process. Considering how fast experiential learning has popularised in business schools, this study alerts educators to the importance of combining their experiential learning activities with a guided process of reflection. Otherwise, educators risk students extracting meagre, wrong or misleading impressions from their experience.     

Hemispheres’ Modes of Cognitive Functions in a Finnish School: grades and behaviour

This research investigated the relationship between cognitive mode of functions, school grades, behaviour problems, untidiness and impulsiveness. Right ear dominance was not significant compared to the left ear dominance in music. Music was significant when subjects were left ear (right hemisphere) dominants (REAHD) and right eye (left hemisphere) dominants (LEYHD) had better grades compared to all left eye (right hemisphere) dominants at the 0.016<0.05 level. But also (REAHD)‐(LEYHD) had even better grades when compared to left eye and left ear dominance (right hemisphere) T‐test 0.001, and also with left ear hemisphere and right eye dominance 0.024 < 0.05. Mathematics and language were not statistically significant with SOLAT and conjugated lateral eye‐movement. The OKKIE questionnaire (untidiness, impulsiveness and behaviour problems) on the whole was not statistically significant, but the right hemisphere dominants were the only ones who scored the highest in many questions from the OKKIE questionnaire in behaviour problems and impulsiv‐ity either with SOLAT or lateral eye‐movement test from the 0.0569 to 0.0900 level, and thinking loud was significant to the 0.05 level. When the subjects were regrouped — left with SOLAT and right with conjugated lateral eye‐movement, and right with SOLAT and integrated with conjugated lateral eye‐movement — the mean scores were meaningful in religion and music. In technical/manual work, they had the worst mean scores compared to other combinations.     

Teachers negotiating discourses of gender (in) equality: the case of equal opportunities reform in Andalusia

This article is focused on the analysis of the narratives produced by a group of teachers, experts in coeducation, while they were discussing their everyday activities. They are responsible for the implementation of a Plan for Gender Equality in public secondary schools in Andalusia (Spain). This study is based on contributions about doing gender view, according to which gender is not an attribute of individuals, but a way of making sense of interactions and practising a complex system as functioning on three levels: sociocultural, interactional, and individual. We use these levels to understand gender culture in schools through teachers’ discourse. Our interest lies particularly in the meanings, contradictions, difficulties, and conflicts experienced by expert teachers in co-education. Our study was based on group discussions with teachers in charge of the plan for equal opportunities between women and men in school settings. Results show teachers’ conflicts about meanings and how they are supposed to apply the Equality Plan. We observed interactional levels during these conflicts and analysed how teachers construct and validate their discourse.