Inspiring vanguards: the Woods Hole experience

Twice a year, the National Library of Medicine and Marine Biological Laboratory co-sponsor a fellowship in Biomedical Informatics for librarians, clinicians, and other health professionals in Woods Hole, MA. The fellowship is designed to inspire participants to become "agents of change" at their institution and to broaden their scope of knowledge for biomedical informatics. This paper discusses the field of biomedical informatics and explores the results of an informal survey from the librarians who participated in the fall session of 2005.     

Ecological Study of Graduation Rates and GPA in a Library Credit Course

The purpose of this ecological study was to examine the impact of a library credit course on graduation rates and GPA using pre-existing records. Over 20?years of aggregate institutional data were analyzed to evaluate the course's impact on first-time-full-time, white, and black students. Results were mixed: students who took the course were less likely to graduate than their peers who did not take the course but enjoyed slightly higher GPAs at graduation. It was discovered that students taking the course are not representative of the overall student body and struggle academically. Implications for revisions to the library credit course are discussed.     

Being in the archive: affect and scholarly distance

Working in the archives of living writers provides exciting possibilities for extended interpersonal research as well as ethical challenges. This article explores the author’s experience of working in Helen Garner’s restricted archives and negotiating the demands of scholarly objectivity with an increasingly felt empathic engagement. The author traces a chronological path through the archives relating to Garner’s three substantial works of non-fiction: The First Stone (1995), Joe Cinque’s Consolation (2004) and This House of Grief (2014). She draws attention to some of the ways in which distance and objectivity can be influenced not only by contact with a living writer but also by the space in which the archive is encountered. With a deliberate focus on the lived experience of researching, rather than a scholarly examination of archival theory, the author offers a case study of how the interaction of archives and living subject can shape research and publication.     

Qatar's Hidden Women: Symbolic Annihilation and Documentary Media Practice

This article explores how documentary film practice and visual storytelling can be used to help portray Qatari women's narratives, even though many are prohibited by cultural norms from appearing in visual media. We investigate which communication and media practices can provide a work-around, ensuring that women's stories and testimonies are documented. We also explore whether Qatar's social and cultural restrictions result in a form of “symbolic annihilation” for Qatari women, as articulated by Gaye Tuchman, and how this impacts Qatari women's position and visibility in local society.     

Research Training Needs of Scientist‐Practitioners: Implications for Counselor Education

Counselors (N = 911) reported the research skills needed for practice and subsequent research training needs. Findings indicate that counselors have a high need for research skills at work, but training needs differ significantly by counselor type. Recommendations include increasing emphasis on single‐case design, survey design, and widely available data analysis tools.     

The effects of static stretching on speed and agility: One or multiple repetition protocols?

Although static stretching (SS) is utilized during warm-up before training and competition, the results about its effects on performance remain controversial. We examined whether performing a stretch of short-to-moderate duration (<60 sec) in a single repetition produces a similar or different effect on speed and agility performance from the effect which is produced while performing the same stretch in multiple repetitions of the same total duration. According to a repeated measurement design, 40 trained males were randomly assigned to either (1) a single repetition group or (2) a multiple repetition group. The participants in each group performed five trials: a control trial (no stretches were performed) and four experimental trials of SS protocols consisting of five exercises performed at either 20 sec (2 × 10 in the second group), 30 sec (3 × 10 in the second group), 40 sec (4 × 10 in the second group) or 60 sec (6 × 10 in the second group) of total duration. A two-way repeated measures analysis of variance showed that the participants in both group improved their speed performance in response to the 20-sec trial, whereas agility remained unaffected. Data analysis also revealed that the repetition number did not affect speed and agility performance. These data suggest that SS of short duration (<30 sec) may actually improve acute speed performance, whereas SS of moderate duration may not hamper speed and agility performance. Moreover, the effects of SS protocols are related to the total duration of each exercise and not to the number of repetitions in which each exercise is performed.     

Mathematics-related anxiety and attitudes: examining the impact among Latina preservice teachers

The purpose of this study was to investigate mathematics-related anxiety and attitudes among Latina preservice teachers. Three sections from the Inventory of Mathematics Attitudes, Experience, and Self Awareness were administered to preservice teachers enrolled in a curriculum and instruction mathematics course during the 1st semester of a 2-semester credential program. Pre- and postsurvey data were examined among female students. There were significant differences on 5 statements that suggest positive perceptions about mathematics and 5 statements that suggest negative perceptions about mathematics. We discuss strategies to reduce mathematics anxiety and address attitudes in preservice teachers.     

Art Education and the Visual Arts in Botswana

The history of art and design education in Botswana has evolved in a unique way and reflects its British colonial history and post‐independence development. It has involved constant exchange and dialogue with other countries through the employment of teachers, teacher trainers and university lecturers from a variety of European, Asian and other African countries. This dialogue has continued as locally trained art teachers pursue their degrees overseas and return with new ideas and influences. At the same time, the development of local crafts for a global market and the inter‐cultural exchange in the visual arts outside the formal education system are thriving with the help of various organisations and the museum and gallery sector. This article will look more closely at the country context, the history and development of art education and the interrelationships that have evolved over the last two decades. It will show how students engage with the challenge of integrating their African heritage and changing traditions with their development as teachers and artists. It will also consider how closer links between the formal and informal art sectors might be mutually beneficial and demonstrate the potential for art and design to play a role in the social, economic and cultural development of the country.     

Contemporary Scientists and their Interactions with Non-Scientists: Alternative Companion Stories for School Curricula

Research in Science Education - Students learn more than science knowledge in a science classroom; they also acquire important messages about the purposes and contexts of science. Roberts (2011)...     

Using the Internet for Communicative Learning Activities in Kindergarten: The Case of the “Shapes Planet”

With the widespread use of the internet, more and more children get acquainted with its various uses at a young age while an increasing number of teachers are designing learning activities that utilize various internet services. Toward this direction, teachers need practical examples of pedagogically verified learning activities. This paper presents an experimental case study of a learning activity meant for teaching preschoolers geometric concepts, which uses communication tools from the internet. The activity constitutes a developmentally appropriate adaptation of a successful model, known as “Monster Exchange”, to kindergarten. The paper presents the proposed adaptation, the experimental findings regarding the errors children mad, the difficulties they encountered, and finally, the drawings that children produced, with the aim of evaluating the appropriateness and the learning value of the activity.