The Quest for the Holy Grail or Hunting the Snark? Bridging the quality‐resources divide on effectiveness and efficiency

One key driver of change in higher education is the challenge to do more, with less resource – and to do it better. The dilemma, or paradox, perhaps, of achieving efficiency whilst sustaining or enhancing effectiveness is affecting most institutions. Recognition of it is not the problem, but addressing it is. How it may be addressed will vary with the macro and the micro environments which appertain for institutions and with perceptions and interpretations of its nature and meaning. Is the pursuit of solution(s) likely to be successful, though elusive, or is it illusory and so futile? Should the ethical response be to admit bluntly that quality has suffered? In a competitive environment would such an admission by any one institution be just naïve in the extreme? The paper outlines one faculty's approaches to this hazardous and contentious issue and the main organisational, political, logistical and educational considerations and changes. It is a development of an earlier paper (Livingstone, 1996). The legend of the Grail, the drinking vessel used by Jesus at the Last Supper, tells that if the quest is conducted by those who are truly worthy, then the prize is immense; all the world will be healed. On the other hand, Lewis Carroll warns that, even after valiant efforts have located a Snark, the consequences may be dire:

I engage with the Snark – every night after dark –

In a dreamy, delirious fight.

But oh, beamish nephew, beware of the day,

If your Snark be a Boojum! For then

You will softly and suddenly vanish away,

And never be met with again! (The Hunting of the Snark, 1876)

     

The nature of discrimination learning in pigeons

The results from five experiments are considered in relation to two of Spence's (1937, 1938) proposals concerning discrimination learning. In Experiments 1 and 2, we investigated whether his ideas about the interaction between excitatory and inhibitory generalization gradients can be used to understand how animals solve a complex patterning discrimination. The results supported a development of his proposals as put forward by Pearce (1994), provided a modification was made to Pearce's rulefor determining the shape ofthe generalization gradient. In Experiments 3, 4, and 5, we examined whether animals would pay more attention to stimuli that are relevant, rather than irrelevant, to the solution of a discrimination. The results supported this proposal for stimuli comprising visual patterns, but not for those comprising plain colors. The results also indicated that change of attention was a consequence of preliminary receptor-exposure acts, as envisaged by Spence, and not of more central changes in attention.     

Relationship between science knowledge levels and beliefs toward science instruction held by preservice elementary teachers

Aspects of science background knowledge and attitudes toward teaching science were examined among preservice elementary teachers. The results indicated a low level of science knowledge, a negative relationship between science knowledge and attitude toward teaching science, and a marked lack of confidence toward teaching science among the prospective teachers. Some interesting paradoxes were also found. Recommendations concerning preservice preparation, inclusion of academic science coursework, and collaborative efforts between college departments are offered.     

Crossing cultural borders into science teaching: Early life experiences,racial and ethnic identities,and beliefs about diversity

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to explore the development of belief systems as related to racial and ethnic identities of preservice teachers as they crossed cultural borders into science teaching. Data were collected throughout a yearlong teacher preparation program to learn how early life experiences and racial and ethnic identities of preservice teachers influenced both their beliefs about diversity in science classrooms and science teaching pedagogy. Case studies of three preservice teachers from diverse racial and ethnic background are presented: Asian American, African American, and Rural Appalachian. Using Bank's ethnicity typology, findings suggest that racial and ethnic identity, developed in early life experiences of preservice teachers, provided clarity on the rigidity of their beliefs about diversity and how they view science teaching. By learning about the border crossing experiences of preservice teachers in relation to their beliefs about diversity as related to racial and ethnic identities, the researchers hoped to provide insight on preparing preservice teachers for the challenges of working in diverse classrooms. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 119–141, 2004     

SYMPOSIUM: THE SUPREME COURT''S MICHIGAN DECISIONS

On 23 June 2003, the Supreme Court of the United States issued two rulings on the constitutionality of race preferences in university admissions. The cases in question both involved the University of Michigan and were designated Gratz v. Bollinger and Grutter v. Bollinger. Academic Questions' editors subsequently invited five scholars to address the meaning and significance of those decisions.     

Equality of educational opportunity at racially isolated schools: Balancing the need for teacher certification with teacher shortage

Providing for equality of educational opportunity at racially isolated schools continues to be an important area of concern for educational policy makers. Quality teachers to staff instruction programs at these schools is essential to promoting equal opportunity for minority groups. Unfortunately, these schools continue to suffer chronic teacher shortages. Recently, California implemented a teacher certification examination (CBEST) designed specifically to improve the quality of teachers entering the profession. An unintended consequence of the certification movement was the exacerbation of the teacher shortage problem at racially isolated schools. The purpose of this study is to examine the characteristics of teachers who passed and failed the CBEST. The study finds that failure rates are highest among minority teachers that are presently employed. The study also finds that the mathematics knowledge subscale scores best discriminate those passing from those failing the CBEST. An analytical approach for determining optimal cutoff scores on the CBEST which balances the need for certification with the problem of teacher shortage is proposed.     

The evaluation of faculty development programs

This article reviews literature pertinent to the evaluation of faculty development programs and presents data from several studies conducted at two institutions. These data were consistent with those previously reported in that faculty participants consistently expressed satisfaction with development services. In addition, one study found that most faculty members voluntarily took some action to improve their instructional effectiveness, though only a minority pursued these efforts in depth. Volunteers who worked intensively with a faculty development consultant improved more on objective measures of effectiveness than did those who were only superficially involved in improvement efforts; those who received no consultative assistance failed to improve significantly. Evidence from a final study provided a control for faculty motivation and led to the conclusion that improvement was contingent both on faculty desire to improve and on the availability of professional assistance.     

Density functional theory study of the adsorption of elemental mercury on a 1T-MoS<Subscript>2</Subscript> monolayer

Elemental mercury has become a global concern because of its significant impact on human health and the ecosystem. A lot of effort has been put towards the removal of elemental mercury from the 2H-MoS₂ (prismatic structure of MoS₂). However, the mechanism of 1T-MoS₂ (polytype structure of MoS₂) in Hg⁰ capture remains unexplored. In this study, density functional theory (DFT) was adopted to investigate the adsorption mechanism of Hg on a 1T-MoS₂ monolayer. The different possible adsorption positions on the 1T-MoS₂ were examined. For different adsorption configurations, the changes in electronic property were also studied to understand the adsorption process. The results elucidated that chemisorption dominates the adsorption between Hg⁰ atoms and the 1T-MoS₂. It was found that the T_Mo (on top of the Mo atom) position is the strongest adsorption configuration among all the possible adsorption positions. The adsorption of Hg⁰ atoms on the 1T-MoS₂ monolayer is influenced by adjacent S and Mo atoms. The adsorbate Hg0 atom is found being oxidized on the T_Mo position of the 1T-MoS₂ with an adsorption energy of ?1.091 eV. From the partial density of states (PDOS) analysis of the atoms, the strong interaction between Hg⁰ and the 1T-MoS₂ surface is caused by the significant overlap among the d orbitals of the mercury atom and the s orbital of the S atom and p and d orbitals of the Mo atom.     

Silent versus oral reading comprehension and efficiency

Seventy‐four students read passages from an individually administered test of reading comprehension (a subtest from the Test of Dyslexia, a test of reading and related abilities currently in development; McCallum & Bell, 2001), and then answered literal and inferential questions. Students were randomly assigned to one of two conditions; 39 students read the passages silently and 35 read orally, with time recorded for each passage read. Comprehension and time were dependent measures for a Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) and two follow‐up Analyses of Covariance (ANCOVA). After controlling for reading ability, results from the MANCOVA showed a significant combined effect ( p < .05); however, a comparison of mean reading comprehension scores showed no significant difference between silent readers and oral readers ( p > .05). On the other hand, with reading ability controlled, silent readers took significantly less time to complete passages compared to those who read orally ( p < .02). In fact, students took 30% longer to read orally than silently, on average. When test directions do not specify either oral or silent reading and error analysis is not a goal, testing will be more efficient via silent responding with no loss of comprehension. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 41: 241–246, 2004.