Movement Toward Interdisciplinary instruction: Teacher Educators Respond

Tracy completes her laboratory assignment and gathers her books as her second period science class draws to a close. As she leaves the room and heads to her next class, Tracy stops by her locker to drop off her science text and pick up an English literature book for third period. For her, the separation between science and English is both physical and mental. In the time it takes to move from one room to another, Tracy has also moved from one ‘mind set’ to another, exit science, enter English.     

Analysis of academic administrators’ attitudes: annual evaluations and factors that improve teaching

This article examines academic administrators’ attitudes towards the academic evaluation process in the US and those factors that are utilised to improve teaching. We use path regressions to examine satisfaction with evaluation procedures, as well as the direct and indirect effects of these factors on perceptions of whether the evaluation process facilitates quality instruction. With increased pressure for accountability being placed on higher education, it is important to ensure that we are meeting both public and academic expectations. The evaluation process is an important tool to ensure the university’s goals and values are articulated and that academics can be successful in their individual career paths. The problem is most research finds flaws with the current method of evaluation, and academics and academic administrators are sceptical about the process and results. We find there are environmental factors that influence academic administrators’ perceptions of academic evaluations and the ability to improve classroom instruction.     

Find the Message Puzzle

Instructions:Answer the clues (information which helps you find the answer) from 1-20.Put a line through each answer-the first one is done for you.In the boxes which you have not put a line through,you will find a message.What is the message?     

Rethinking scientific specialization

My aim in this paper is to re-examine specialization in science. I argue that we need to acknowledge the role that conceptual changes can play in the creation of new specialties. Whereas earlier sociological accounts focus on social and instrumental changes as the cause of the creation of new specialties, I argue that conceptual changes play an important role in the creation of some scientific specialties. Specifically, I argue that conceptual developments played an important role in the creation of both endocrinology and virology.     

Transformative Professional Learning Within Schools: Relationship to Teachers’ Beliefs, Expertise and Teaching

Although scholarship and research have demonstrated the positive impact of professional learning on academic teaching and learning, an inadequate amount of research has examined how professional learning is associated with transformative teaching for equity, diversity and social justice. This survey study explored the relationship between professional learning and teachers’ beliefs about diversity, transformative expertise, and transformative teaching by comparing two models of professional learning in 25 small urban elementary schools. Results indicated that factors in both the process and transformative content models predicted differences in teachers’ reported beliefs, expertise, or teaching. While some factors such as learning to teach for social justice consistently predicted increased transformative practices, other factors failed to predict or were associated with decreased transformative practices. After discussing the findings, implications for practice, theory and research are offered.     

Person-Environment Fit and its Effects on University Students: A Response Surface Methodology Study

The amount of time, effort, and money expended in pursuit of a college degree makes it important that students choose a university that is a good fit for them. Unfortunately students often determine whether a university is a fit for them through trial and error. This research investigated student-university fit and its relationship with satisfaction and well-being. We assessed student-university fit by developing 18 fit factors and measuring needs for, and supplies of, those factors. We tested our hypotheses using polynomial regression analysis and response surface methodology. Data from 228 students suggest that student-university fit is predictive of students?? satisfaction with their university and psychological well-being.     

‘The constant rejections hurt’: Skills and personal attributes needed to successfully complete a thesis by publication

The thesis by publication (TBP) is an increasingly popular approach to doctoral education that sees candidates publishing their research during their candidature, and including these outputs in their final thesis submission. Responsive to the realities of modern academia, a TBP provides doctoral candidates with opportunities to engage in the scholarly publication process, and to build their research portfolio. As the TBP gains further traction in many fields and countries, there is a need to better understand the skills and attributes needed to complete a TBP successfully. This paper draws on the views of 246 recent doctoral graduates of Australian universities to identify the skills and attributes they felt supported their success. Their responses have implications for the development and refinement of institutional policies and programs that are sensitive to the needs and experiences of doctoral candidates seeking to publish during candidature and create a TBP. As editors, peer‐reviewers, and publishers see a growing influx of papers sole‐ or co‐authored by doctoral candidates in response to the trend toward TBP, they may find themselves involved in supporting students to develop the skills and attributes needed to successfully publish during candidature.