Professional Journals as a Source of PCK for Teaching Nature of Science: An Examination of Articles Published in The Science Teacher (TST) (an NSTA Journal), 1995–2010     

Sevgi Aydın  Betül Demirdöğen  Nilay Muslu  Deborah L. Hanuscin 《Journal of Science Teacher Education》2013,24(6):977-997

A number of science education policy documents recommend that students develop an understanding of the enterprise of science and the nature of science (NOS). Despite this emphasis, there is still a gap between policy and practice. Teacher professional literature provides one potential venue for bridging this gap, by providing “activities that work” (Appleton in elementary science teacher education: International perspectives on contemporary issues and practice. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ, 2006) that can scaffold teachers’ developing pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching NOS. We analyzed articles published in the NSTA journal The Science Teacher (1995–2010) in terms of the degree to which they provide appropriate model activities and specific information that can support the development of teachers’ PCK for teaching NOS. Our analysis revealed a diversity of NOS aspects addressed by the authors and a wide range of variation in the percent of articles focused on each aspect. Additionally, we found that few articles provided robust information related to all the component knowledge bases of PCK for NOS. In particular, within the extant practitioner literature, there are few models for teaching the aspects of NOS, such as the function and nature of scientific theory. Furthermore, though articles provided information relevant to informing teachers’ knowledge of instructional strategies for NOS, relevant information to inform teachers’ knowledge of assessment in this regard was lacking. We provide recommendations for ways in which the practitioner literature may support teachers’ teaching of NOS through more robust attention to the types of knowledge research indicates are needed in order to teaching NOS effectively.  相似文献   

Season of Change     

Korina Jocson  Ezekiel Dixon-Román  Alisha Smith Jean-Denis  Joel Ariel Arce  Andrew Torres 《Equity & Excellence in Education》2013,46(3-4):217-222

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Beyond the Spectacle     

Korina Jocson  Ezekiel Dixon-Román  Catherine Tebaldi 《Equity & Excellence in Education》2013,46(2):111-113

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From participation to competition: Changes in the notion of decentralization in Swedish higher educational policy 1     

Berit Askling  Edgar Almén 《Tertiary Education and Management》2013,19(3):199-210

Abstract

The relationships between higher education and the world of work are viewed, principally, as similar in economically advanced societies. The comparative study ‘Higher Education and Graduate Employment in Europe’, however, indicates substantial differences between European countries as regards transition to employment, as well as the employment and work situation, according to objective and subjective measures. The analysis is based on a survey of more than 30,000 graduates from 10 European countries about 3–4 years after graduation. The findings suggest that only a minority of 10–20% of graduates face substantial problems on the labour market or end up in positions not commensurate with their level of education. There is a clear North‐South differential in Europe with respect to transition and objective employment measures, while the pattern is more differentiated with respect to the perceived utilisation of knowledge, the self‐rated adequacy of position and the job satisfaction.  相似文献   

The importance and degree of implementation of the European standards and guidelines for internal quality assurance in universities: the views of Portuguese academics     

Claes Elmgren  Ola Román  Maivor Sjölund  Staffan Wahlén  Malin Östling 《Tertiary Education and Management》2013,19(3):245-259

Abstract

The article aims at critically discussing the role and position of a buffer agency from the point of view of some of its different tasks, viz. accreditation, quality audit, support of academic leadership and internal quality enhancement The contribution seeks to illuminate the conflicting roles of a buffer orgamsation in the light of these tasks and pressures from the government and higher education institutions. It concludes that the different roles can support and complement each other, and that change is best accomplished by emphasising support in the early stages of the establishment of a national quality assurance system.  相似文献   

Teachers and tests: assessing pupils' reading achievement in primary schools     

Stefan Johansson  Eva Myrberg  Monica Rosén 《Educational Research and Evaluation》2013,19(8):693-711

The purpose of the present study was to examine validity aspects of teachers’ judgements of pupils’ reading skills. Data come from Sweden's participation in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2001, for Grades 3 and 4. For pupils at the same achievement levels, as measured by PIRLS 2001 test, teachers’ judgements of pupils’ achievement levels varied from one teacher to another. Moreover, there were significant differences between teachers’ judgements in Grades 3 and 4. Teachers in Grade 3 who had taught their pupils for almost 3 years showed higher correspondence between their judgements and pupil achievement within classrooms than 4th-grade teachers who, typically, had only taught their pupils for approximately 1 semester at the time of the data collection. The results indicate that teachers’ judgements and tests can be useful within classrooms, but that teachers may need external assessments to calibrate judgements over classrooms.  相似文献   

An evaluation of health and sexuality education in Turkish elementary school curricula     

Fatma Hazır Bıkmaz  Duygu S. Güler 《Sex education》2013,13(3):277-292

Research was undertaken to evaluate whether and to what extent the health‐related domains, including sexuality education, specified by the Development of Health Awareness in Adolescent Project Science Committee overlapped with the goals and objectives of the 2002/03 elementary school curricula (grades one to eight; ages 7–14 years) in Turkey. For this aim, the goals and objectives of the courses in the curricula that include health‐related and sexuality‐related subjects were compared by the seven domains with a total of 230 subcategories. The analysis demonstrated that 147 of the 230 subcategories matched the goals and objectives of the curricula with the highest frequencies in the domains of physical development, protection from detrimental‐external factors and healthy living habits. However, the domain of healthy beginning to life was found to have the lowest frequency. Moreover, subcategories such as pregnancy–birth, unintended pregnancy, sexual identity, changes in adolescence, sexual violence and abuse, birth control and sexual discrimination were not covered at all. These results are discussed in relation to the missing points that might have implications for policy and practice in health and sexuality education in Turkey.  相似文献   

Food‐Based Science Curriculum Increases 4th Graders Multidisciplinary Science Knowledge     

Jana A. Hovland  Virginia G. Carraway‐Stage  Artenida Cela  Caitlin Collins  Sebastián R. Díaz  Angelo Collins  Melani W. Duffrin 《Journal of Food Science Education》2013,12(4):81-86

Health professionals and policymakers are asking educators to place more emphasis on food and nutrition education. Integrating these topics into science curricula using hand‐on, food‐based activities may strengthen students’ understanding of science concepts. The Food, Math, and Science Teaching Enhancement Resource (FoodMASTER) Initiative is a compilation of programs aimed at using food as a tool to teach mathematics and science. Previous studies have shown that students experiencing the FoodMASTER curriculum were very excited about the activities, became increasingly interested in the subject matter of food, and were able to conduct scientific observations. The purpose of this study was to: (1) assess 4th graders food‐related multidisciplinary science knowledge, and (2) compare gains in food‐related science knowledge after implementation of an integrated, food‐based curriculum. During the 2009–2010 school year, FoodMASTER researchers implemented a hands‐on, food‐based intermediate curriculum in eighteen 4th grade classrooms in Ohio (n = 9) and North Carolina (n = 9). Sixteen classrooms in Ohio (n = 8) and North Carolina (n = 8), following their standard science curricula, served as comparison classrooms. Students completed a researcher‐developed science knowledge exam, consisting of 13 multiple‐choice questions administered pre‐ and post‐test. Only subjects with pre‐ and post‐test scores were entered into the sample (Intervention n = 343; Control n = 237). No significant differences were observed between groups at pre‐test. At post‐test, the intervention group scored (9.95 ± 2.00) significantly higher (p = 0.000) than the control group (8.84 ± 2.37) on a 13‐point scale. These findings suggest the FoodMASTER intermediate curriculum is more effective than a standard science curriculum in increasing students’ multidisciplinary science knowledge related to food.  相似文献   

Teaching in rural Turkey: pre-service teacher perspectives     

Irem Kızılaslan 《欧洲师范教育杂志》2012,35(2):243-254

Despite preliminary findings that preparing teachers for rural positions is of great importance in Turkey’s conditions, little has been reported regarding the measures that need to be addressed in order to effectively prepare teachers for remote areas. In response to this gap, the present study aimed to provide some preliminary views about the expectations of pre-service teachers in relation to rural teaching from a qualitative research paradigm. Data were collected through an open-ended questionnaire from 115 senior pre-service teachers in a large Turkish university. Thematic analysis of the data revealed that participants had polarised views about the issue. While some of them viewed the experience positively, others highlighted the potential challenges. Pre-service teachers’ vague and dichotomous images concerning rural teaching suggested that they had some preconceptions formed through media representations or word of mouth. Implications for teacher education and professional development, along with directions for future research were included.  相似文献   

Reasons which influence on the students’ decision to take a university course: differences by gender and degree     

Jesús Manuel López-Bonilla  Ramón Barrera Barrera  Mª Ángeles Rodríguez Serrano  Luis Miguel López-Bonilla  Beatriz Palacios Florencio  Mª Carmen Reyes Rodríguez 《Educational studies》2012,38(3):297-308

After compulsory secondary education; many teenagers face the process of choosing a university degree. This process involves uncertainties referred to their personal abilities, interests, social expectations and professional future. The present work is aimed at determining whether the reasons behind the selection of a particular university degree differ depending on the chosen degree. Another objective is determining whether these reasons differ significantly according to gender. The sample comprises 983 students belonging to the area of social and legal sciences at the University of Seville. The obtained results reveal the existence of four main reasons behind the selection of university degrees for which significant gender-related differences were observed: easy degree, job opportunities, high wages and provision of social services. Besides, these seven reasons are observed to differ widely in six of the considered degrees.  相似文献