The Relationship Among Principal “Venturesomeness”, a Stress on Excellence,and the Personal Engagement of Teachers and Students

We proposed a causal relationship between teachers’ perception of principal leadership behavior, school culture, and teacher and student commitment. We hypothesized that a concept we called principal “venturesomeness” would be related to a school culture that stresses accomplishment and mastery, which in turn would be related to teacher commitment, which in turn would predict student commitment to school. We define principal venturesomeness as the extent to which principals are seen as being willing to take risks, are innovative in their approach to instructional leadership, and in general display and encourage achievement‐oriented behavior. The model was tested in two different samples. The first sample was third‐ through six‐grade teachers and students from schools in Arizona. The second sample was third‐ through fifth‐grade teachers and students from Florida. The model was tested using LISREL VI. Many similarities existed between the models in the two samples. Principal Venturesomeness was a strong predictor of an Accomplishment Culture, which in turn was a strong predictor of Teacher Commitment. Contrary to our hypothesis, no relationship existed between Teacher Commitment and Student Commitment. The summary fit statistics indicate that the model did not explain the data adequately. The χ²/df ratio was greater than a rule‐of‐thumb 5.0 and the goodness‐of‐fit index was less than a rule‐of‐thumb .9 in both studies. Although the studies indicated some interesting conceptual relationships, it appears that the proposed model does not adequately explain the theoretical relationships between teacher perceptions, school culture, and teacher and student commitment. The studies do suggest one research direction not yet explored in the literature. That is, the relationship between teacher commitment and student commitment. More empirical work exploring how teacher commitment relates to student outcomes is encouraged.     

Relating Gestures and Speech: An analysis of students' conceptions about geological sedimentary processes

Advances in cognitive science and educational research indicate that a significant part of spatial cognition is facilitated by gesture (e.g. giving directions, or describing objects or landscape features). We aligned the analysis of gestures with conceptual metaphor theory to probe the use of mental image schemas as a source of concept representations for students' learning of sedimentary processes. A hermeneutical approach enabled us to access student meaning-making from students' verbal reports and gestures about four core geological ideas that involve sea-level change and sediment deposition. The study included 25 students from three US universities. Participants were enrolled in upper-level undergraduate courses on sedimentology and stratigraphy. We used semi-structured interviews for data collection. Our gesture coding focused on three types of gestures: deictic, iconic, and metaphoric. From analysis of video recorded interviews, we interpreted image schemas in gestures and verbal reports. Results suggested that students attempted to make more iconic and metaphoric gestures when dealing with abstract concepts, such as relative sea level, base level, and unconformities. Based on the analysis of gestures that recreated certain patterns including time, strata, and sea-level fluctuations, we reasoned that proper representational gestures may indicate completeness in conceptual understanding. We concluded that students rely on image schemas to develop ideas about complex sedimentary systems. Our research also supports the hypothesis that gestures provide an independent and non-linguistic indicator of image schemas that shape conceptual development, and also play a role in the construction and communication of complex spatial and temporal concepts in the geosciences.     

On Comparing Transition Rate Gains

Reuterberg, S.‐E. 1985. On Comparing Transition Rate Gains. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 29, 175‐190. Making transition rate gains comparable is a problem because it is much more difficult to change a very high or very low transition rate than to change a rate near the proportion 0.50. It is shown that measures based on the proportions themselves — i.e. the difference between proportions, the proportion ratio and the residual gain ratio — do not make the gains comparable. Instead a non‐linear transformation has to be done. Two such transformations are discussed: probits and logits. As shown in the report, they both make the transition gains comparable.

A problem more important than the choice of transformation is that of sample error. Therefore, a statistical test is to be recommended. It is shown that log‐linear models are an appropriate test for this purpose.     

Changes in the Multi‐Level Effects of Socio‐Economic Status on Reading Achievement in Sweden in 1991 and 2001

This study examines the changes in educational inequality at the school‐ and individual‐levels in 1991 and 2001. Comparisons are made between the IEA Reading Literacy Study 1991 and the so called 10‐Year Trend Study in PIRLS 2001. The between‐school differences in reading achievement variance and the size of the relationship between SES and reading achievement at school‐level are the two main focuses. Applying a two‐level structural equation modeling technique, it was found that the between‐school differences in reading achievement were greater in RLS 2001 than in RLS 1991, and the school SES effect has been strengthened over time. These changes indicate that educational inequality in Sweden has increased over time. Some possible explanations to these changes are discussed with reference to school reforms and demographic changes.     

American Crucible: Race and Nation in the Twentieth Century

Modern Literature for Oral Interpretation: a practice book for Vocal Expression. 418 pp. Gertrude; E. Johnson. The Century Co., 1920.

Public Speaking. By Clarence Stratton, Ph.D. New York, 1920. Henry Holt and Company. Pp. 342. $1.48.

A Manual of Debate and Oral Discussion. By James Milton O'Neill. Published by the Century Company. 303 pages.

Sources of Effectiveness in Public Speaking. Psychological Principles Practically Used in Developing Ability to Speak. By C. Edmund Neil, Professor of Public Speaking in Boston University and Newton Theological Institution. Hinds, Hayden &; Eldredge, Inc., 1920; 590 pages.

University Debaters’ Annual. Phelps, 1919–1920. The H. W. Wilson Co., New York.     

Curriculum as Experienced by Students: How Teacher Identity Shapes Science Notebook Use

This mixed-methods case study examined the notebook entries of one class of 22 second graders as a way of examining how teacher identity shaped the way students experienced their science curriculum. These notebook entries were created during lessons with three different teachers over the course of one school year, using similar kit-based materials to teach science. The entries were coded for inquiry phase, percent missing or incomplete entries, and driving force (teacher-driven, student-driven, or balanced); chi-squared analyses revealed significant differences among the notebook entries created by the same students during lessons taught by each of the three teachers. Qualitative observations of each teachers' instruction around notebook use supported these quantitative differences, and suggested that the differences in curriculum as experienced by students could be attributed to differences in teacher identity, both who the teacher is and what they do in the classroom. These findings indicate that students' notebooks are useful tools for examining how teachers' identities might shape how elementary students experience science curriculum, and that they can be used to help structure more effective professional development plans for each teacher.     

False Equivalency: Think Tank References on Education in the News Media

This study explores the use and presentation of information and research on education by the news media. Using content analysis, this study compares four types of think tanks—contract research, academic, advocacy, and mixed academic and advocacy—and shows how the news media represented each one as a source of research, facts, and figures on education. The findings from this study show that the news media presented all the think tanks as credible sources of research, facts, and figures on education, regardless of the extent to which each think tank emphasized policy and political advocacy over the professional norms of academic research.     

A Survey of Families in a Charter Hybrid Homeschool

“Hybrid homeschools” generally operate as formal schools 2–3 days per week. The rest of the week students are homeschooled. These entities therefore share some aspects of conventional schooling along with some aspects of homeschooling and are classified in a variety of ways by their states, local districts, and even their own administrations. Most hybrid homeschools around the nation tend to be private and religiously affiliated, though some public models have emerged. The purpose of this study was to better understand parents’ stated preferences for choosing to enroll their children in a charter school that is organized as a hybrid homeschool network in southern California. An electronic survey was sent through the network’s CEO to all enrolled families asking questions regarding demographics, stated values, and desired sources of information. The results of this survey find that these hybrid homeschool families are on average slightly more ethnically diverse, less wealthy, and less educated compared to private, religious hybrid homeschoolers, but are also more ethnically diverse, more wealthy, and more educated compared to their sponsoring school district. These families tend to place more value on individualized attention and the learning environment than on religion, safety, or formal academic issues when choosing a hybrid homeschool compared to their private, religious counterparts.