Problem solving activity in the workplace and the school: The case of constructing solids

The purpose of the present study is to document, compare, and analyze the nature of spatial reasoning by practitioners (plumbers) in the workplace and students in the school setting while constructing solids, with given specifications, from plane surfaces. Data were collected from a plumbing workshop and five high school students while constructing a cylindrical container of capacity one-liter and height of 20 cm. The results confirm the power of activity theory and its methodology in explaining and identifying the structural differences between the two activities in the two different cultural settings. Students and plumber activity structures differed in the operational aspect (actions) and the means and concrete conditions (operations) under which such a goal is carried out. Activity theory has the potential to explain the differences between the two activities in terms of differences in the motive, social-cultural settings, the tools that were available and accessible which resulted in different actions, and the constraints (operations) under which the task was executed. Theoretical and pedagogical implications were identified. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The effect of student teaching experience on preservice elementary teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs for technology integration in the UAE

This study examines the effect of the student teaching experience on preservice elementary teachers?? self-efficacy beliefs and the sources of their beliefs about technology integration in teaching in the UAE. The participants were 62 pre-service elementary teachers at the United Arab Emirates University. Pre- and post-survey was administered to examine participants?? self-efficacy beliefs for technology integration prior to and at the end of the teaching experience. Additionally, a purposeful subset of the sample (n?=?16) were interviewed based on their high self-efficacy belies to explore the sources of the high self-efficacy beliefs. Results showed a significant effect of student teaching experiences on participants?? judgment of their self-efficacy about technology integration. Mastery experience and vicarious experience reported to be the most influential sources of self-efficacy to integrate technology among preservice elementary teachers.     

Evaluating the educational usability of Telegram as an SNS in ESAP programs from medical students’ perspective

This study aimed to investigate medical students’ evaluation of using Telegram as a Social Networking Site (SNS) in English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) programs. To this end, the students’ explanatory responses about the merits and demerits of the SNS as well as their suggestions for improving its educational usability were collected. The qualitative data analysis of the students’ responses showed the merit codes of accessibility, data exchange, group learning, competitive atmosphere, peer-checking, and time-saving. The demerit codes emerging from the analysis were dependence and cheating, distrust, addiction, distraction, Internet problems, lack of supervision and lack of instruction. The codes derived from the students’ propositions were upgrading the SNS, dynamic atmosphere, blended-learning, teacher involvement, culture of using the platform, cooperative learning, appropriacy of the materials and type of the materials. The findings indicated that the trend of the students’ views about the merits of the site centered on technical categories, their views about the demerits of the system revolved mainly around behavioral categories and their propositions were closely linked to educational categories. The data analysis also showed significant differences in the perceived significance of the codes to the students with accessibility, Internet problems and type of the materials being the most prominent ones in the merit, demerit, and proposition codes respectively. From the findings, it can be concluded that educators should be encouraged to join the SNS to educationally support students, consider the merits and demerits of the SNS before employing it and improve the usability of the site based on the feedback they receive from students. The study suggests that a fine-tuned action plan be outlined with an eye to the technical, educational and behavioral requirements for using the SNS. It is also recommended that educators’ and students’ level and range of activities as well as ethical codes of conduct on the SNS be clearly stipulated in the course plan of programs involving the use of the site.     

Development of the applicability of simplified Henry’s method for skewed multicell box-girder bridges under traffic loading conditions

Concrete precast multicell box-girder (MCB) bridges combine aesthetics with torsional stiffness perfectly. Previous analytical studies indicate that currently available specifications are unable to consider the effect of the twisting moment (torsional moment) on bridge actions. In straight bridges the effect of torsion is negligible and the transverse reinforced design is governed by other requirements. However, in the case of skewed bridges the effect of the twisting moment should be considered. Therefore, an in-depth study was performed on 90 concrete MCB bridges with skew angles ranging from 0° to 60°. For each girder the bridge actions were determined under the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) live load conditions. The analytical results show that torsional stiffness and live load positions greatly affected the bridges?? responses. In addition, based on a statistical analysis of the obtained results, several skew correction factors are proposed to improve the precision of the simplified Henry??s method, which is widely used by bridge engineers to predict bridge actions. The relationship between the bending moment and secondary moments was also investigated and it was concluded that all secondary actions increase with an increase in skewness.     

The effect of video-based approach on prospective teachers’ ability to analyze mathematics teaching

This is an intervention study that explored the effect of using video lesson analysis methodology (VLAM) on the ability of prospective middle/high school mathematics teachers to analyze mathematics teaching. The sample of the study consisted of 26 female prospective mathematics teachers enrolled in a methods course at the United Arab Emirates University. The participants were divided equally into two groups, experimental and control. The experimental group was involved in video lesson analysis where they analyzed ten video lessons throughout the semester. The group members interacted via discussion forums through Blackboard technology. Both groups wrote analyses of two video lessons, one before the intervention program and another at the end of it. It was found that the intervention remarkably improved the ability to analyze mathematics teaching of the experimental group while little improvement occurred to the control group. Implications for teacher education programs are discussed.     

Students’ Alternative Conceptions about Electricity and Effect of Inquiry-Based Teaching Strategies

This study attempted to investigate the alternative conceptions that a group of 12 Lebanese students in a grade 9 class hold about electricity. It also attempted to evaluate learning outcomes of implementing in that class an inquiry-based module for the acquisition of conceptual understanding of basic concepts in electricity. Fourteen mostly subjective tests were administered throughout the implementation phase of the inquiry-based module to assess the evolution of participants’ conceptions. The instrument DIRECT (Version 1.0) focusing on conceptual understanding was used as a post-instructional test to measure acquisition of understanding. The findings revealed that most of the alternative conceptions reported in literature were found amongst the participants. Results of the post-testing showed that the implemented inquiry-based approach was successful in enhancing participants’ conceptual understanding of the targeted DC circuit concepts.     

Scientific views and religious beliefs of college students: The case of biological evolution

The purpose of this study was to explore how some university biology majors in Beirut, Lebanon, accommodate the theory of biological evolution with their existing religious beliefs. Sixty-two students enrolled in a required senior biology seminar responded to open-ended questions that addressed (a) their understanding of the theory of evolution, (b) their perception of conflict between this theory and religion, and (c) whether the theory of evolution clashed with their own beliefs about the world. Based on their responses, 15 students were selected for an in-depth exploration of their written responses. Students' answers clustered under 1 of 4 main positions: for evolution, against evolution, compromise, and neutral. The authors suggest that teaching students about the nature of scientific facts, theories, and evidence is more likely to enhance understanding of evolutionary theory if students are given the opportunity to discuss their values and beliefs in relation to scientific knowledge. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 34: 429–445, 1997.     

Iranian faculty members’ metaphors of the internationalization of medical sciences education

Higher Education - Faculty members’ beliefs can affect the trajectories of internationalization activities at a university. This study aimed to use metaphor analysis to discover Iranian...     

Regaining focus in Irish Junior Cycle Science: potential new directions for curriculum and assessment on Nature of Science

The Irish national discourse on curriculum and assessment reform at the Junior Cycle level has been fraught with controversy in the past two years. The introduction of the new curriculum and assessment framework in 2012 by the then Minister of Education, Ruairi Quinn has led to significant media coverage and teacher union response. In this paper, we argue that in the midst of the reaction toward the particular assessment elements of the framework, the focus has been lost on key revisions made in the draft science curriculum and assessment specification released in September 2014. A central aspect of the draft document released for consultation includes the introduction of a ‘Nature of Science’ (NOS) theme intended to be an overarching feature of all science teaching and learning. We examine the coverage of NOS in the draft document and analyze it relative to a model of NOS developed in our recent book. Our analysis illustrates that the draft science curriculum and assessment specification for Junior Cycle incorporates contemporary research and aligns the Irish curriculum with most features of NOS, although some aspects need further development including the articulation of a nuanced model of NOS. We highlight some future directions for curriculum and assessment development for a comprehensive, coherent and holistic coverage of NOS in Junior Cycle Science in Ireland.