Taiwanese Grandmothers: Strengths and Learning Needs as Perceived by Grandmothers,Mothers, and Granddaughters

The purposes of this study were to (a) determine how three generations of females from the same families perceived the grandmothers, (b) identify strengths and learning needs of the grandmothers, and (c) recommend guidelines and curriculum themes to assist the grandmothers in adjusting to change. The 348 Taiwanese subjects included grandmothers (n = 116), mothers (n = 116), and teenage granddaughters (n = 116). Subjects completed a Mandarin version of the Grandparent Strengths and Needs Inventory. Each generation reported favorable ratings for grandmothers on the frustration, difficulty, information needs, and satisfaction scales. Unfavorable ratings were given for the teaching and success scales.     

YouTube: Educational Potentials and Pitfalls

No abstract available for this article.     

Moral sensitivity and its contribution to the resolution of socio-scientific issues

This study explores models of how people perceive moral aspects of socio-scientific issues. Thirty college students participated in interviews during which they discussed their reactions to and resolutions of two genetic engineering issues. The interview data were analyzed qualitatively to produce an emergent taxonomy of moral concerns recognized by the participant. The participants expressed sensitivity to moral aspects including concern and empathy for the well-being of others, an aversion to altering the natural order and slippery slope implications. In arriving at their final resolutions, many participants integrated their moral concerns with non-moral factors. The patterns revealed suggest that moral and non-moral concerns act in concern as they influence socio-scientific decision-making.     

Innovative programs for improvement in reading through cognitive enhancement: a remediation study of Canadian First Nations children

Forty-five Grade 3 students from a reservation school in Western Canada were divided into two remedial groups and a no-risk control group. One remedial group was given a classroom-administered cognitive enhancement program (COGENT) throughout the school year. The second group received COGENT for the first half of the year followed by a pull-out cognitive-based reading enhancement program (PREP). Children were assessed across phonological awareness, rapid naming, reading, and cognitive ability at the beginning of the year, mid-term, and at the end of the school year. MANOVA results showed a significant interaction for reading measures, with students receiving classroom intervention over the school year making the greatest gains. Results are discussed in terms of group, remediation program, and individual participant improvements.     

Teaching students about information: Information literacy and cognitive authority

Scholarship has not undergone a paradigm shift in terms of argument and research with the introduction of the Web-based information world. Searching, on the other hand, has undergone a significant shift. In teaching students to find, use, and evaluate information, librarians and instructors need a useful model of the information world that enables them to teach students about information. A practical example of how this may be accomplished is presented.¹     

Confronting Islamophobia in a Rural Appalachian Classroom

A research study in West Virginia in which a series of lessons were created to address the issues of Islamophobia, American exceptionalism, and nativism within a seventh-grade Ancient Civilizations classroom. The lessons spotlighted the Middle East, and students were presented with a more realistic view of Islamic cultures and were able to interact with Muslim individuals. Lessons focused on achieving authentic human interaction, seeing through multiple perspectives, and appreciating the differences in other cultures. Students were confronted with experiences and content that allowed them to challenge their xenophobic sentiments. These experiences had profound effects on students' negative and xenophobic dispositions.     

Learning the Ropes of Program Evaluation: A Case Study

This case study describes a program evaluation framework that works well for both simple and complex projects. The subject was a retreat designed to integrate graduate students into a five‐year research project. Key elements of the evaluation comprised working with stakeholders and developing a logic model to identify what dimensions to evaluate, gathering and identifying data needed to answer the evaluation questions, constructing rubrics to evaluate the data, and then synthesizing and integrating the data to provide recommendations.     

Learning science content through socio-scientific issues-based instruction: a multi-level assessment study

Science educators have presented numerous conceptual and theoretical arguments in favor of teaching science through the exploration of socio-scientific issues (SSI). However, the empirical knowledge base regarding the extent to which SSI-based instruction supports student learning of science content is limited both in terms of the number of studies that have been conducted in this area and the quality of research. This research sought to answer two questions: (1) To what extent does SSI-based instruction support student learning of science content? and (2) How do assessments at variable distances from the curriculum reveal patterns of learning associated with SSI-based instruction? Sixty-nine secondary students taught by three teachers participated in the study. Three teachers implemented an SSI intervention focused on the use of biotechnology for identifying and treating sexually transmitted diseases. We found that students demonstrated statistically and practically significant gains in content knowledge as measured by both proximal and distal assessments. These findings support the claim that SSI-based teaching can foster content learning and improved performance on high-stakes tests.     

Performance of the Generalized S‐X2 Item Fit Index for Polytomous IRT Models

Orlando and Thissen's S‐X ² item fit index has performed better than traditional item fit statistics such as Yen's Q₁ and McKinley and Mill's G² for dichotomous item response theory (IRT) models. This study extends the utility of S‐X ² to polytomous IRT models, including the generalized partial credit model, partial credit model, and rating scale model. The performance of the generalized S‐X ² in assessing item model fit was studied in terms of empirical Type I error rates and power and compared to G². The results suggest that the generalized S‐X ² is promising for polytomous items in educational and psychological testing programs.