Making Science Relevant: The Experiences of Prospective Elementary School Teachers in an Innovative Science Content Course

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Enhancing Socio-technical Governance: Targeting Inequality in Innovation Through Inclusivity Mainstreaming

Socio-technical governance has been of long-standing interest to science and technology studies and science policy studies. Recent calls for midstream modulation direct attention to a more complicated model of innovation, and a new place for social scientists to intervene in research, design and development. This paper develops and expands this earlier work to demonstrate how a suite of concepts from science and technology studies and innovation studies can be used as a heuristic tool to conduct real-time evaluation and reflection during the process of innovation – upstream, midstream, and downstream. The result of this new protocol is inclusivity mainstreaming: determining if and how marginalized peoples and perspectives are being maximally incorporated into the model of innovation, while highlighting common problems of inequality that need to be addressed.

     

Using a metaphor for learning to improve students' metacognition in the chemistry classroom

A constructivist framework was used in conjunction with an interpretive methodology to investigate the effect of an intervention using the metaphor “learning is constructing” on students' metacognition and learning processes. The metaphor was used to communicate with students regarding learning processes consistent with constructivism. Students were initially found to be generally non‐metacognitive regarding their learning processes. Despite some students possessing metacognitive knowledge consistent with a constructivist learning orientation, their pre‐intervention views and preferences in relation to teaching and learning were predominantly consistent with transmission models. The effect of the intervention on students' metacognition was variable. Some students became increasingly metacognitive and reported evidence of revision of their learning processes. Others reported little or no effect. The effects of the intervention can be partially explained by considering changes to students' metacognition as conceptual change. However, this study also shows that contextual factors are key determinants of students' propensity to enhance their metacognition and learning processes. This study highlights the potential of using metaphor as a means to assist teachers and students develop a shared language of learning in classroom settings. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 38: 222–259, 2001     

Mapping Aspect Ratios in the Age of High-Definition Television

Although high-definition television (HDTV) has led to more film and television content being presented in a widescreen aspect ratio, problems with formatting moving images in nontheatrical environments persist. Because of the different venues and delivery systems available for accessing televisual and cinematic content, the variety of high definition and standard definition television channels across cable and satellite providers, as well as the different aspect ratios filmmakers can choose to photograph their works, nontheatrical exhibition of the moving image continues to be a source of contention in the age of high definition. Drawing upon a number of comments from online home media forums, this study concludes that the variant quality of widescreen images for HDTV is not solely grounded on a subculture of home theatre enthusiasts, but rather how networks and studios negotiate new television technologies for the aesthetic preferences of both film and home theatre buffs and the general viewing audience.     

Biomechanical validation of a specific upper body training and testing drill in cross-country skiing

The aim of this study was to perform a biomechanical validation of a double poling imitation drill on a rollerboard. Six elite cross-country skiers performed three imitation drill trials at maximal speed at 13 degrees inclination and in double poling on roller skis on a paved road of 3 degrees. Pole and strap forces, elbow and hip angles and EMG activity of eight upper body muscles were measured. Force curves showed similar characteristics, except for impact force occurring only at pole plant in double poling on roller skis. Double poling on a rollerboard includes an eccentric roll-down phase not appearing in double polling on roller skis. Forces on the rollerboard were similar to those on roller skis. Courses of the elbow angles indicated similar shapes, except for the angle at the start of the propulsion phase and, consequently, during flexion (p < 0.01). Propulsion time and cycle duration were longer and frequency lower on the rollerboard (all p < 0.001). Muscle activities were not significantly different, except for stronger biceps brachii (p < 0.01) and weaker erector spinae activation (p < 0.05) on the rollerboard. Muscle coordination patterns showed similar onset and offset points of each muscle and comparable activations in both activities, except for biceps brachii. Two movement strategies on the rollerboard were found, which led to small differences in measured variables. The biomechanical validity of double poling on a rollerboard can be judged as moderately high, being aware of the differences in some variables that might be considered in training sessions on the rollerboard, particularly when using intervals with high number of repetitions.