Investing in the renewal of urban science teaching

This article provides a conceptual framework for understanding what is involved in improving urban science teaching and what might be implied by conducting research on its improvement. It is argued in this article that three sets of forces and conditions have a direct impact on urban science classrooms: first, the array of interdependent policies at school, district, and state levels about science teaching in particular and about education improvement more broadly construed; next, the investment and use of instructionally relevant resources at each of the three levels and their differing impacts on the renewal of urban science teaching; and finally, the broader context in which urban science teaching occurs mediating how these resources are—or can be—used. Mediating factors include the professional peer community, subject‐specific instructional leadership, the professional development infrastructure, the supply of available science teachers, and the broader community context. The article concludes with suggestions for how this framework informs directions for future research on the promise and limits of efforts to renew science teaching in urban settings. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 38: 1089–1100, 2001     

Relational efficacy beliefs in athlete dyads: an investigation using actor-partner interdependence models

The first purpose of this study was to examine the interrelationships among three forms of relational efficacy within performing dyads, namely, self-efficacy, other-efficacy, and relation-inferred self-efficacy. The second objective was to examine the relationships between these efficacy beliefs and athletes' perceptions of their commitment to and satisfaction with their current partnership. Participants were 120 junior tennis players (age, M = 14.30 years, SD = 1.21) performing within 60 intact pairs (i.e., doubles). Results revealed that self-efficacy and other-efficacy were predictive of athlete commitment and satisfaction, respectively. In addition, by utilizing actor-partner interdependence models, partner as well as actor effects were evident. The findings illustrate that relational efficacy beliefs may not only have implications for the individual holding such beliefs, but also for his or her relational partner. Implications for the future study of efficacy beliefs within dyadic contexts are discussed.     

Early Literacy Measures for Improving Student Reading Achievement: Translating Research Into Practice

The importance of early literacy instruction and its role in later reading proficiency is well established; however, measures and procedures to screen and monitor proficiency in the area of early literacy are less well researched. The purpose of this study was to (a) examine the technical adequacy and validity of early curriculum-based literacy measures, Letter–Sound Correspondence, Onset Phoneme Identification, and Phoneme Segmentation, developed for use within the problem-solving model in the Minneapolis Public Schools and (b) describe the district-wide implementation of these measures. In general, these measures were found to have adequate reliability and validity, have moderate to moderately high correlations with criterion measures (oral reading, report cards), and be sensitive to growth across the school year. A case study of how these measures are used for screening and progress monitoring to improve reading achievement within 1 school is included. Limitations and future directions are also presented.     

INFUSING GERONTOLOGICAL CONTENT INTO THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION

The graying of the American population and the importance of religion in the lives of older individuals suggests that members of the clergy need to be well informed regarding the processes and realities of aging. For several years, gerontologists have been encouraging theological educators to place an increased emphasis on the needs and concerns of older adults in seminary curriculum. The purpose of the present study was to determine what seminaries are currently doing to prepare pastors for ministry with older adults and to compare the findings to a similar study undertaken more than a decade ago. The results of the current study are quite similar to those obtained in the past. Although several schools have added a course focusing on the needs and concerns of older adults within the last 20 years, gerontological content remains a minor consideration among the vast majority of seminaries. The major recommendation of the study is that seminaries need to infuse their curricula with gerontological content in order for their graduates to be adequately prepared for ministry in twenty-first century America.     

The Credential Question: Attitudes of Teaching Artists in Dance and Theatre Arts

How do teaching artists perceive the need and usefulness of a credential program specifically designed for teaching artists in dance and theatre arts?     

The Impact of a Professional Development Program on Teachers' Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching,Instruction, and Student Achievement

In this paper, we describe findings from a three-year evaluation of a well-developed mathematics professional development program that is commercially available on a wide scale. The professional development is designed to improve teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching and to enable them to elicit more student thinking and reasoning during mathematics lessons. Specifically, it focused on helping teachers (a) learn more mathematics, (b) understand how children learn math, (c) use formative assessment to develop insight into what specific students know and do not know, and (d) develop effective classroom instructional strategies that enable student problem solving. Participants included 105 fourth- and fifth-grade teachers teaching in 19 low-income schools within a single district. Teachers were randomly assigned within schools either to a “business as usual” control group or to receive the professional development. The training consisted of a week-long summer institute and four to six in-service days during the school year. The training was run by full-time trained associates. We find some limited evidence of positive impacts on teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching, but no effects on instructional practice or student outcomes.     

What are the major impact factors on research performance of young doctorate holders in science in China: a USTC survey

Doctoral graduate research performance (DRP) is recognized as one of the most critical indices for evaluation of the success of doctoral education. Doctoral graduates with high research performance directly reflect a higher ability in academic research and academic achievement. Consequently, identifying which factors influence DRP is potentially of great value. This topic is also challenging because of difficulties in identifying the impact factors on research performance and the feasibility of the relative data collection. This paper first examines the relationships between the indicators and DRP. After a review of previous literature, the focus is on the doctoral graduates’ individual factors, advisor factors and learning performance. Data is collected from graduated doctors from the Science Schools of University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). Contrary to expectations, our findings indicate that, based on the Chinese context, learning performance does not appear to be strongly associated with research performance. Individual factors (status of academic origin) do have significant effect on DRP. The advisor factors (including academic status, academic experience and allocation of energy) show a relatively strong association with DRP, in terms of both the number of publications and the impact factor of Science Citation Index (SCI) cited journals.     

An analysis of the relationship between the linear hammer speed and the thrower applied forces during the hammer throw for male and female throwers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the cable force and linear hammer speed in the hammer throw and to identify how the magnitude and direction of the cable force affects the fluctuations in linear hammer speed. Five male (height: 1.88 +/- 0.06 m; body mass: 106.23 +/- 4.83 kg) and five female (height: 1.69 +/- 0.05 m; body mass: 101.60 +/- 20.92 kg) throwers participated and were required to perform 10 throws each. The hammer's linear velocity and the cable force and its tangential component were calculated via hammer head positional data. As expected, a strong correlation was observed between decreases in the linear hammer speed and decreases in the cable force (normalised for hammer weight). A strong correlation was also found to exist between the angle by which the cable force lags the radius of rotation at its maximum (when tangential force is at its most negative) and the size of the decreases in hammer speed. These findings indicate that the most effective way to minimise the effect of the negative tangential force is to reduce the size of the lag angle.