German Language Media Publications

Bibliography of Austrian Mass Communication Literature, 1945-1975 by Benno Signitzer, et al. (bliss. Verlagsbuchhandlung, Wolfgang Neugebauer, Postfach 64, A 5033 Salzburg, Austria—DM 28)

Einfuhrunq in die Publizistikwissenschaft. Fragestellungen, Theoriean- Sitze, Forschungstechniken (Introduction to Mass Communication Research: Issues, Theories, Methodologies), by Heinz Purer (Verlag Olschlager, Amalienstrasse 81, D-8000 Munich 40, Federal Republic of Germany— DM14.80 or about $7.50, 160 pp.)

Journalistenausbildunq. Modelle, Erfahrungen Analysen (Journalism Education: Models, Experiences, Analyses), edited by Walter Homberg (Munich: same publisher and address as book just above, 1978—DM 39.00 or about $20.00, 245 pp.)

Science Writing: Annotated Selected Bibliography by Erich and Ingrid Geretschlaeger (Department of Mass Communication, University of Salzburg, Sigmund-Haffner-Gasse 18/iii, A-5020 Salzburg—$4.00, 104 pp.)

Medieninformation and Medienkritik in Osterreich (Media Information and Media Criticism in Austria), by Margarethe Eichinger et al. (Austrian Society of Communications, Bankgasse 8, A-1010 Vienna—90.00 Austrian Schillings or about $7.00, 100 pp.)

Katholische Publizistik in den Niederlanden (Catholic Media in the Netherlands), edited by Joan Hemels and Michael Schaolke (Verlag Ferdinand SchOningh, Jahenplatz 1, D-4790 Paderborn, FRG—DM 18.00 or about $9.00, 124 pp.)

Einfahrung in die Pressekonzentrationsforschunq (Introduction to Research on Press Concentration) by Manfred Knoche (Volker Spiess Verlag, Box 147, D-1000 Berlin 66—DM60.00 or about $30.00)

Kommunikationspolitische and Kommunikationswissenschaftliche Forschungsprojekte der Bundesregierung (1974-1978) (Research Projects on Communication Policy and Research by the Federal Government of the FRG) compiled by Walter J. Schutz (Press and Information Office of the Federal Government, Welcker Strasse, D-5300 Bonn—-price not given)     

Fostering innovation through collaborative action research on the creation of shared instructional products by university science instructors

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to profile four university science instructors who utilized action research as a means of learning how to develop and integrate a novel curriculum innovation – engineering design – in their science courses. Data included curriculum maps, lesson plans, notes from group meetings, and instructor reflections. Data analysis included document review and content analysis. Findings from this study suggest that action research effectively enabled the instructors to 1) establish shared ownership of the project goal – to improve preservice teachers’ learning of science through engineering design; 2) continuously test, revise, and recalibrate their shared instructional products; and 3) leverage multiple sources of innovation. Knowledge generated and used by the instructors represented different kinds of knowledge and distributed expertise resulting in products that were more useful and of higher quality than products created by individuals working alone. Consequently, this resulted in increased use of the products and increased instructor commitment to improve them over time. By simultaneously engaging in research and consequently taking specific action to inform their practice, science instructors in this study successfully created shared instructional products that both guided and enhanced their classroom teaching.     

Goal structure effects on social interaction: nondisabled and disabled elementary students

This study compared social interaction behavior between nondisabled and disabled students, as a function of the way tasks were structured during a peer integration program. Of the eight pairs of students, four pairs were assigned to an individualistic goal-structured condition; the other four pairs, to a cooperative condition. For nondisabled students, the cooperative condition was associated with more social interaction during activity and free play sessions. For disabled students, the cooperative condition was associated with more social interaction during activity sessions, but not during free play sessions.     

College science majors' perceptions of secondary school science: An exploratory investigation

This investigation collected and analyzed the perceptions of 45 college science majors regarding their formal science experiences in junior high and high school. Data were gathered using a 72-item survey developed by the author and distributed through subjects' college classes. Analysis included a comparison of subjects' responses with the perceptions of young adults not attending college. Results suggested that college science majors (a) generally hold science in higher regard than do noncollegiate young adults, (b) preferred science teachers who were enthusiastic, knowledgeable, friendly, inspirational, and “fun,” and (c) favored science classes that offered laboratory work, teacher demonstrations, projects, and audiovisual materials. Discrepancies were discovered, however, between subjects' preferences and their recollected experiences in science classrooms, especially at the junior high level.     

Changing middle school students' conceptions of matter and molecules

The purpose of this study was two-fold: (1) to understand the conceptual frameworks that sixth-grade students use to explain the nature of matter and molecules, and (2) to assess the effectiveness of two alternative curriculum units in promoting students' scientific understanding. The study involved 15 sixth-grade science classes taught by 12 teachers in each of two successive years. Data were collected through paper-and-pencil tests and clinical interviews. The results revealed that students' entering conceptions differed from scientific conceptions in various ways. These differences included molecular conceptions concerning the nature, arrangement, and motion of molecules as well as macroscopic conceptions concerning the nature of matter and its physical changes. The results also showed that the students taught by the revised unit in Year 2 performed significantly better than the students taught by the original commercial curriculum unit in Year 1 for 9 of the 10 conceptual categories. Implications for science teaching and curriculum development are discussed.     

Developing a Graduate Level Science Education Course on the Nature of Science

The purpose of this report is to outline our experiences designing and teaching a course on the nature of science to science education graduate students. By addressing questions related to the creation of a new university course, the design of the course syllabus, and the transformation of the syllabus into instruction, we hope to make our craft knowledge more accessible to others who create such courses.     

Job Stress and Satisfaction Among Special Education Teachers: Effects of gender and social role orientation

Eighty-nine female and 43 male special education teachers completed a battery of instruments dealing with job stress and satisfaction and social role characteristics. Social role orientation (expressive, instrumental, balanced, and undifferentiated) was determined for each of the teachers both on- and off-the-job using the Bem Sex Role Inventory, and then analysed in relation to six indices of work-related stress and satisfaction. For female special educators, a balanced social role orientation was associated with higher levels of satisfaction and lower levels of stress, while an undifferentiated orientation was associated with lower levels of satisfaction and higher levels of stress. Implications for teacher preparation programs are discussed, and suggestions for future research are included.