Diversity of Students' Beliefs about Biological Evolution

The purpose of this study was to determine the beliefs about biological evolution held by college freshman students in one Catholic university in the Philippines. After 4 weeks of constructivist-inspired instruction, interviews and journal entries revealed that the students have diverse beliefs about the theory of evolution. They posited rejection, acceptance or doubt about the evolutionary theory based on their scientific and theological beliefs, perceptions about the evidence of evolution and misconceptions about evolutionary theory, in particular, human evolution. Based on the results, it is discerned that there indeed is a clear interaction between science and religion in the teaching and learning of science. The authors also conclude that students' current worldviews, in the form of attitudes and beliefs, affect how they understand concepts.     

The Influences of University-Based Coursework on Field Experience

This study explored the influence of university-based teacher education courses on preservice teachers as they engaged in the field-based portion of their preparation. Forty-two preservice teachers contributed reflective writings about the successes and challenges they faced during field experiences in light of knowledge and skills learned during their university-based coursework. Participants’ self-reflective writings were coded and analyzed for emerging themes that cut across all responses. The results indicated a shift from concerns about performance of teaching tasks in the classroom to concerns about the performance of students in terms of learning. This shift was consistent with a goal of the preservice program, namely, helping preservice teachers focus on student learning.     

Developing formative assessments for postgraduate students in engineering

This paper outlines an approach taken to produce computer-based formative assessments for two modules in a one-year taught MSc programme in Road Management and Engineering. It presents the aims of the assessments, the taxonomy adopted to ensure that the formulation of the questions addressed learning outcomes related to the development of higher order skills and the choice of software used. Further, the students’ qualitative perception of the assessments is presented together with a discussion on key elements that affected the implementation procedure. This included an understanding of the higher order skills assessed, knowledge of the facilities offered by the software to be used, and the commitment needed to designing, delivering and improving flexible learning materials.     

Help or Hindrance? Higher Education and the Route to Ethnic Equality

Upward social mobility has been evident among British ethnic minority communities since the 1960s, and education appears to have had a key role in this process. Despite this, social scientists have been slow to consider the link between education, ethnicity and social stratification. The role of higher education has been particularly neglected. Although there has been some suggestion of an ethnic bias in the allocation of university places, previous work in this area has been limited by the nature of the data that have been available and by the types of analysis that have been conducted. This article includes detailed consideration of the key stages of the university application procedure, and particular attention is given to the role of candidates' predicted and actual A-level grades. Although young people from ethnic minority backgrounds are admitted into university in large numbers, it is suggested that higher education has an ambivalent role in relation to ethnic equality. Institutional biases mean that ethnic minority candidates are filtered into the new university sector, and it is concluded that biases in education and the labour market combine to create a cumulative pattern of ethnic disadvantage.     

Assessing the Interpersonal Communication Competence of Vocational Teachers: contemporary issues and dilemmas

In recent months, certain major policy documents have highlighted the importance of facilitating the development of interpersonal communication competence in vocational teachers. These documents include the provocative Australian Education Council Review Committee Report (Finn Report) which lists interpersonal and personal development as one of six key competency areas. As new vocational teacher education courses like the Bachelor of Teaching are beginning to be developed on a national scale within Australia, it is appropriate to cater for the development of interpersonal communication competence in vocational teacher education curricula. Among the more vexatious questions which need to be addressed is the determination of whether vocational teachers can demonstrate interpersonal communication competence, particularly in relation to their professional roles. This paper examines current scientific literature on communication competence. Since competence implies more than skill alone, consideration is also given in this paper to ways of identifying vocational teachers’ understanding of interpersonal communication processes and their importance in relation to the facilitation of learning in the post‐secondary vocational education sector. Such issues as assessing interpersonal communication competence in teacher‐learner relationships by means of direct observation, video‐based structured reflection, and self‐analysis are identified for further study. Finally, implications are drawn for vocational teacher education curricula currently being developed within Australia.