Struggling to understand abstract science topics: A Roundhouse diagram-based study     

Robin E. Ward  James H. Wandersee 《International Journal of Science Education》2013,35(6):575-591

This study explored the effects of Roundhouse diagram construction on a previously low-performing middle school science student's struggles to understand abstract science concepts and principles. It is based on a metacognition-based visual learning model proposed by Wandersee in 1994. Ward and Wandersee introduced the Roundhouse diagram strategy and showed how it could be applied in science education. This article aims at elucidating the process by which Roundhouse diagramming helps learners bootstrap their current understandings to reach the intended meaningful understanding of complex science topics. The main findings of this study are that (a) it is crucial that relevant prior knowledge and dysfunctional alternative conceptions not be ignored during new learning if low-performing science students are to understand science well; (b) as the student's mastery of the Roundhouse diagram construction improved, so did science achievement; and (c) the student's apt choice of concept-related visual icons aided progress toward meaningful understanding of complex science concepts.  相似文献   

So close,and yet so far: cross-racial interactions among undergraduate students in two neighboring borderland communities     

Mónica F. Torres  Mary Prentice  Eduardo C. Arellano  Robin L. Dankovich 《International journal of qualitative studies in education》2013,26(3):369-389

This article discusses two studies on the extent and nature of cross-racial interactions (CRIs) among undergraduate students from two neighboring US–Mexico borderland communities. Of the four participating higher education institutions, two were adjacent to the US–Mexico borderline, while the other two were 45 miles away from the borderline. One study relied on survey responses from over 900 students, while the other relied on focus group data from over 30 students. The participating students were from two universities and two community colleges. Although the students shared some common experiences and attitudes, there were some marked and important differences among them. These differences made a compelling argument for localizing what diversity means and customizing efforts to foster CRIs on college campuses.  相似文献   

Social Support and Socioeconomic Status Predict Secondary Students' Grades and Educational Plans Indifferently Across Immigrant Group and Gender     

Robin Ulriksen  Åse Sagatun  Henrik Daae Zachrisson  Trine Waaktaar  Arne Ola Lervåg 《Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research》2013,57(3):357-376

Social support and socioeconomic status (SES) have received considerable attention in explaining academic achievement and the achievement gap between students with ethic majority and immigrant background, and between boys and girls. Using a Structural Equation Modeling approach we examine (1) if there exist a gap in school achievements between these groups, (2) whether social support and SES is associated with achievements across these groups, (3) whether social support is associated with achievements after controlling for SES, and (4) whether achievement gaps are explained by group differences in social support and SES. Self-reported cross-sectional survey and register data from 8,574 10th graders in Norway was employed. Although we found group differences in achievements, and direct associations with social support and SES, we found no group differences in these associations. Controlling for SES and other sources of social support, teachers' support remained a significant positive influence on students' school outcomes.  相似文献   

A comparison of the physiological response to simulated altitude exposure and r-HuEpo administration     

Michael J. Ashenden  Allan G. Hahn  David T. Martin  Peter Logan  Robin Parisotto  Christopher J. Gore 《Journal of sports sciences》2013,31(11):831-837

Concerns have been raised about the morality of using simulated altitude facilities in an attempt to improve athletic performance. One assumption that has been influential in this debate is the belief that altitude houses simply mimic the physiological effects of illegal recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEpo) doping. To test the validity of this assumption, the haematological and physiological responses of 23 well-trained athletes exposed to a simulated altitude of 2650-3000 m for 11-23 nights were contrasted with those of healthy volunteers receiving a low dose (150 IU·kg^-1 per week) of r-HuEpo for 25 days. Serial blood samples were analysed for serum erythropoietin and percent reticulocytes; maximal oxygen uptake ([Vdot]O_2max) was assessed before and after r-HuEpo administration or simulated altitude exposure. The group mean increase in serum erythropoietin (422% for r-HuEpo vs 59% for simulated altitude), percent reticulocytes (89% vs 30%) and [Vdot]O_2max (6.6% vs -2.0%) indicated that simulated altitude did not induce the changes obtained with r-HuEpo administration. Based on the disparity of these responses, we conclude that simulated altitude facilities should not be considered unethical based solely on the tenet that they provide an alternative means of obtaining the benefits sought by illegal r-HuEpo doping.  相似文献   

Provision of pandemic disease information by health sciences librarians: a multisite comparative case series     

Featherstone RM  Boldt RG  Torabi N  Konrad SL 《Journal of the Medical Library Association : JMLA》2012,100(2):104-112

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Collaborative Testing Improves Performance but Not Content Retention in a Large-Enrollment Introductory Biology Class   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Hayley Leight  Cheston Saunders  Robin Calkins  Michelle Withers 《CBE life sciences education》2012,11(4):392-401

Collaborative testing has been shown to improve performance but not always content retention. In this study, we investigated whether collaborative testing could improve both performance and content retention in a large, introductory biology course. Students were semirandomly divided into two groups based on their performances on exam 1. Each group contained equal numbers of students scoring in each grade category (“A”–“F”) on exam 1. All students completed each of the four exams of the semester as individuals. For exam 2, one group took the exam a second time in small groups immediately following the individually administered test. The other group followed this same format for exam 3. Individual and group exam scores were compared to determine differences in performance. All but exam 1 contained a subset of cumulative questions from the previous exam. Performances on the cumulative questions for exams 3 and 4 were compared for the two groups to determine whether there were significant differences in content retention. Even though group test scores were significantly higher than individual test scores, students who participated in collaborative testing performed no differently on cumulative questions than students who took the previous exam as individuals.  相似文献   

Droplet dispensing in digital microfluidic devices: Assessment of long-term reproducibility     

Elvira KS  Leatherbarrow R  Edel J  Demello A 《Biomicrofluidics》2012,6(2):22003-2200310

We report an in-depth study of the long-term reproducibility and reliability of droplet dispensing in digital microfluidic devices (DMF). This involved dispensing droplets from a reservoir, measuring the volume of both the droplet and the reservoir droplet and then returning the daughter droplet to the original reservoir. The repetition of this process over the course of several hundred iterations offers, for the first time, a long-term view of droplet dispensing in DMF devices. Results indicate that the ratio between the spacer thickness and the electrode size influences the reliability of droplet dispensing. In addition, when the separation between the plates is large, the volume of the reservoir greatly affects the reproducibility in the volume of the dispensed droplets, creating "reliability regimes." We conclude that droplet dispensing exhibits superior reliability as inter-plate device spacing is decreased, and the daughter droplet volume is most consistent when the reservoir volume matches that of the reservoir electrode.  相似文献   

Speaking but not listening? Accountable talk in an unaccountable context     

Robin Alexander 《Literacy》2010,44(3):103-111

Taking the 2009 UKLA conference theme of “making connections and building literate communities” and recalling Hoggart's plea for literacy to be critically and morally engaged rather than merely functional, this paper calls for a reassessment of the pursuit of literacy in schools so as to connect the language of learning with the language of democratic participation. Given what we know about the way classroom talk mediates both learning and culture, the paper takes such talk as its focus, comparing the author's principles of dialogic teaching with Resnick's criteria for accountable talk. The paper then contrasts these idealised versions of the discourse of pedagogy with the public discourses of power, noting the prevalence of four discourse types – derision, dichotomy, myth and meaninglessness – through which, in pursuit of political goals, governments rewrite history, simplify the problematic, dignify the mundane and marginalise unpalatable evidence. This prompts an addition, in the interests of meaningful citizenship as well as effective learning, to Resnick's criteria of accountability to the learning community, standards of reasoning and knowledge: accountability to language itself.  相似文献   

The quest for full text: an in-depth examination of Pubget for medical searchers     

Featherstone R  Hersey D 《Medical reference services quarterly》2010,29(4):307-319

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Not Enough Science or Not Enough Learning? Exploring the Gaps between Leadership Theory and Practice     

Robin Middlehurst 《Higher Education Quarterly》2008,62(4):322-339

This paper addresses the relationships between leadership theory, practice and development, drawing on both the higher education and wider leadership literature. It explores why challenges and problems exist within the contested field of leadership theory and why gaps remain between theory and practice after more than a century of research – and indeed, with increasing levels of research, scholarship and development in the last 25 years. After highlighting the importance of context for theory, practice and development, the first section of the paper examines a range of factors that contribute to theoretical ‘contests’ including different starting assumptions made by researchers, the different focus of studies, examination of different causal links to explain leadership, differences in values and cultural lenses and different constructs, terminology and perspectives. The second section examines the challenges faced by leadership practitioners, as individuals, and through exercising leadership as a collective responsibility in the context of changing operating environments within higher education institutions and across sectors and countries. The author highlights three areas where some re‐thinking of the links between theory and practice are necessary – at the input stage, linking research findings and recruitment practices; in terms of outcomes, by researching links between leaders, leadership and performance; and in process terms, to examine more deeply complex and relational dynamic of leadership in action. The third section offers a number of specific suggestions as to how closer alignment between theory, practice and development can be achieved. The paper concludes by arguing for greater maturity (in research, practice and development) that acknowledges that leadership is played out in complex, dynamic and changing social systems. A stronger emphasis on ‘leadership learning’ should deliver both better science and better outcomes for leaders and led in higher education.  相似文献