Group Behavior and Learning in Electronic Forums: A Sociotechnical Approach

The term community is widely and often uncritically used to characterize groupings of people who meet in electronic forums (e-forums). The research reported here shows how the casual use of the term community to characterize these groups can actually undermine their transformation into forms of social organization that are justifiably characterized as communities. This article examines how transforming a group into a community is a major accomplishment that requires special processes and practices. Primary data come from a particular project, the Inquiry Learning Forum (ILF), that aimed to develop "communities of practice" (CoPs) among high school science and mathematics teachers through an elaborate dedicated web site. We examine participants' behaviors in some of the differently structured forums within the ILF web site. While the project's developers expected CoPs to develop autonomously, there was no evidence of CoP formation in open public online forums. The article contrasts two approaches to building online communities that differ sharply: "IT-led community development" and "IT-supported community development." The experience of the ILF project shows that IT-led strategies community development strategies are much more difficult to make workable than are the "IT-supported" strategies.     

Identity(ies) Explored: How Journalists’ Self-conceptions Influence Small-town News

Existing literature on community journalism suggests it is worthwhile to theoretically and conceptually examine journalists in small towns. These reporters and editors always wear multiple hats, including news worker, community member, and booster. Therefore, drawing on newsroom observations and interviews, and applying the interpretive lenses of sociology and identity theory, this study examines the self-perceived identities of weekly newspaper news workers, and how those identities influence their news production. Findings across three organizations show that for these journalists, professional identity is intertwined with personal identity as a church member or baseball coach. Simply put, these journalists see themselves as members of the community that their newspaper covers. Their interactions with friends and neighbors are also interactions with sources – and with advertisers. This sense of personal connection further serves as a key motivation to produce meaningful news for their communities, which the author suggests has served as a safeguard to declines in readership for many small-town weekly newspapers.     

Does defending victimized peers put youth at risk of being victimized?

Defending peers who have been bullied is often thought to put defenders at risk of becoming victimized themselves. The study investigated the concurrent and prospective associations between defending and (peer- and self-reported) victimization, and examined popularity and classroom norms as potential moderators. Participants included 4085 Finnish youth (43.9% boys; M_age = 14.56, SD = .75; 97% born in Finland). Concurrently, defending was positively associated with self-reported victimization in classrooms with high bullying-popularity norms (b = .28, SE = .16). Defending was negatively associated with peer-reported victimization in classrooms with high defending-popularity norms (b = −.07, SE = .03). Defending was not significantly associated with future victimization, suggesting that it is generally not a risk factor for victimization.     

Early Childhood Suspension and Expulsion: A Content Analysis of State Legislation

Early Childhood Education Journal - In recent decades, there has been considerable public interest and policy action regarding the issue of exclusionary discipline from early care and education...     

Signaling organization and stance: academic language use in middle grade persuasive writing

Effective academic writing is accessible to readers because writers follow shared conventions for organization and signal their stance on particular topics; however, few specifics are known about how middle graders might develop knowledge of and use these academic language forms and functions to signal their organization and stance in persuasive essays. This study examined how differences in organization and stance marker use was related to writing quality in 664 persuasive essays written by 176 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students. Essays were collected in the context of a supplemental vocabulary program, transcribed and analyzed for length by researchers, scored for overall writing quality by a team of teachers, and then coded for markers of organization and stance by researchers. Multilevel modeling results reveal that two specific emergent organizational marker types (evidence markers and code glosses) have statistically significant negative relationships to quality, and the variety of stance markers used is a positive predictor of quality when an interaction with length is included in the model. Findings give insight into the ways students are using organization and stance markers and point toward these language forms and functions as potentially pedagogically-relevant and worth assessing.     

Language- and literacy-learning opportunities in early childhood classrooms: Children's typical experiences and within-classroom variability

The present study examined the language- and literacy-learning opportunities of 400 young children enrolled in 81 early childhood classrooms to address two research aims: (1) to describe typical language- and literacy-learning experiences afforded to young children in classrooms, and (2) to investigate the extent to which young children had different experiences within classrooms. Results revealed that participating children, on average, spent over 18 min, or 20% of their day, learning in key language and literacy domains. Further, our findings highlight considerable between- and within-classroom variability in language- and literacy-learning opportunities and suggest that young children are afforded different experiences in their classrooms, particularly in specific learning domains. Future investigations ought to further unpack classroom educational practices to ensure that all young children develop the requisite knowledge and skills necessary for academic success in kindergarten and beyond.     

PROCRASTINATION AND THE 2 × 2 ACHIEVEMENT GOAL FRAMEWORK IN MALAYSIAN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

The present study investigated academic procrastination in the context of the 2 × 2 goal achievement theoretical framework within a population of 450 Malaysian undergraduate students, aged 18 to 25 years. Participants completed the Achievement Goal Questionnaire and the Tuckman Procrastination Test. Approach dimensions of both the mastery and performance goal orientations were found to be positively correlated with procrastination, but the avoidance dimensions of the mastery and performance goal orientations were not associated with procrastination. In regression analyses, mastery approach was the strongest predictor of procrastination, suppressing the effect of performance approach. The results suggest that the Western values underlying the achievement goals portrayed by the goal achievement model may not accurately reflect the motivations that are intrinsic to non‐Western individuals. Further research is required to either validate such a tool in non‐Western cultures or, alternatively, investigate alternative factors that may potentially influence procrastination within this demographic.     

The Columbus Myth: Power and Ideology in Picturebooks About Christopher Columbus

In 1992, the 500th anniversary of Columbus’s landing in the Bahamas was simultaneously celebrated and denounced in the US. Damaging facts about Columbus and the impact of his voyages were aired along with demands for truth and change. This study analyzes the power relationships and political ideology of picturebooks about Columbus published in the US in the 20 years since that anniversary to determine what messages and attitudes young readers are likely to absorb from them and whether the picturebook image of Columbus has evolved. It draws on the ideas of progressive educator Herbert Kohl, who demonstrates how the analysis of power relationships in stories reveals their political stance (Should We Burn Babar?, 1995), and on the tradition of progressive librarianship, which seeks to promote intellectual freedom and positive images in children’s literature of all peoples. The study finds extensive use of certain narrative techniques, including patterns of assumptions, avoidance, event selection, and omission. Patterns in illustration and sentence structure (use of passive voice, etc.) as well as stereotyping and Eurocentrism also abound. Finally, mild historical revisionism is introduced in more “balanced” titles, though the definition of balance is problematic. This article finds that the Columbus myth persists with little change, and that few titles present child readers with alternative perspectives.     

Legitimating status: perceptions of meritocracy and inequality among undergraduates at an elite British university

Given the frequent critiques of elite universities for admitting low numbers of state school graduates and, more recently, British Afro‐Caribbean students, how do students attending those universities make meaning of the admissions process? Through an analysis of 46 one‐on‐one in‐depth interviews with undergraduates attending Oxford University, we show that students believe in the fairness of the admissions process, while lamenting the lack of opportunities for educational advancement faced by some disadvantaged youth in British society. Despite their understanding that many British youth do not have access to educational experiences that make Oxbridge an attainable goal, most students do not support changes to make access more equitable across class or racial/ethnic lines. This perspective, which legitimates the status students gain through matriculation at an elite university, supports the maintenance of unequal access to an Oxford education despite the advantages that education is known to confer to graduates. The findings demonstrate elites acknowledging the disadvantages of particular groups in society without acknowledging their own advantages in the same system. They do so by recognizing two elements of merit: (1) intelligence, which most students assumed led to their own admission; and (2) cultivation of that intelligence, which requires elite secondary schools and which most students see as disadvantaging particular groups in society. In the paper we highlight differences in meaning‐making between graduates of grammar, comprehensive and private schools.     

Mathematics and Science Learning Opportunities in Preschool Classrooms

Research Findings: The present study observed and coded instruction in 65 preschool classrooms to examine (a) overall amounts and (b) types of mathematics and science learning opportunities experienced by preschool children as well as (c) the extent to which these opportunities were associated with classroom and program characteristics. Results indicated that children were afforded an average of 24 and 26 min of mathematics and science learning opportunities, respectively, corresponding to spending approximately 25% of total instructional time in each domain. Considerable variability existed, however, in the amounts and types of mathematics and science opportunities provided to children in their classrooms; to some extent, this variability was associated with teachers' years of experience, teachers' levels of education, and the socioeconomic status of children served in the program. Practice or Policy: Although results suggest greater integration of mathematics and science in preschool classrooms than previously established, there was considerable diversity in the amounts and types of learning opportunities provided in the preschool classrooms. Affording mathematics and science experiences to all preschool children as outlined in professional and state standards may require additional professional development aimed at increasing preschool teachers' understanding and implementation of learning opportunities in these 2 domains in their classrooms.