The Teacher Education Internet Server: an evolving resource for educators

ABSTRACT

The Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) is an international organization of teacher educators from all disciplines who are interested in the creation and dissemination of knowledge about the use of information technology in teacher education. The Teacher Education Internet Server (TEIS) has been established by SITE to support professional interchange and academic discourse and will serve as a complement to traditional ways of sharing academic information such as professional journals and conferences. With the evolution and spread of Internet information servers, it is envisioned that TEIS may make worthwhile contributions to use of technology in teacher education. As telecommunications technologies evolve, from FTP to Gopher to the World Wide Web, a major challenge for TEIS remains: to develop guidelines for collaboration at a distance that allow educators from around the world to work together to identify, acquire, and organize information and related materials. The notion of volunteer ‘curators’ for different academic areas is being explored as one possible method for support of such collaboration. It is hoped that the Teacher Education Internet Server will become a useful resource for those integrating technology into teacher education, allowing educators throughout the world to share their work and ideas with their colleagues.     

Trait anticipatory public speaking anxiety as a function of self‐efficacy expectations and self‐handicapping strategies

The purpose of this study was to determine if the independent variables of self‐efficacy expectations and self‐handicapping strategies would predict trait anticipatory public speaking anxiety. A model was proposed and tested in which self‐efficacy expectations were found to be significant independent predictors of trait anticipatory public speaking anxiety. Self‐handicapping was not a significant predictor. Implications for future research are discussed.     

Cyborgs in the Academic Library: A Cyberfeminist Approach to Information Literacy Instruction

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Does Book Subject Influence Format Preference? Survey Results From a Sample of Graduate Business School Students,Staff, and Faculty

A sample of 325 students, faculty, and staff at a graduate business school completed an online survey designed to assess their knowledge and utilization of the library's e-book collection as well as their desired method of accessing various types of books. Participants were asked about their format preference for reading four different types of books: course textbooks, computer software guides, career development books, and popular business titles. The final section of the survey gave respondents an opportunity to provide free form comments and thoughts about e-books. The implications of this research for collection development are discussed.     

The impact of an integrated approach to science and literacy in elementary school classrooms

This study investigates the efficacy of an integrated science and literacy approach at the upper‐elementary level. Teachers in 94 fourth grade classrooms in one Southern state participated. Half of the teachers taught the treatment unit, an integrated science–literacy unit on light and energy designed using a curriculum model that engages students in reading text, writing notes and reports, conducting firsthand investigations, and frequent discussion of key concepts and processes to acquire inquiry skills and knowledge about science concepts, while the other half of the teachers taught a content‐comparable science‐only unit on light and energy (using materials provided by their districts) and provided their regular literacy instruction. Students in the treatment group made significantly greater gains on measures of science understanding, science vocabulary, and science writing. Students in both groups made comparable gains in science reading comprehension. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 49: 631–658, 2012     

From Gatekeeping to Engagement: A Multicontextual, Mixed Method Study of Student Academic Engagement in Introductory STEM Courses

The lack of academic engagement in introductory science courses is considered by some to be a primary reason why students switch out of science majors. This study employed a sequential, explanatory mixed methods approach to provide a richer understanding of the relationship between student engagement and introductory science instruction. Quantitative survey data were drawn from 2,873 students within 73 introductory science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses across 15 colleges and universities, and qualitative data were collected from 41 student focus groups at eight of these institutions. The findings indicate that students tended to be more engaged in courses where the instructor consistently signaled an openness to student questions and recognizes her/his role in helping students succeed. Likewise, students who reported feeling comfortable asking questions in class, seeking out tutoring, attending supplemental instruction sessions, and collaborating with other students in the course were also more likely to be engaged. Instructional implications for improving students’ levels of academic engagement are discussed.     

A person-oriented approach to understanding dimensions of parenting in low-income mothers

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