Search

Papers on network activity among university and other general research libraries and information centers presented at the 1982 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference include: (1) "The Principles of the Relationship Between National and University Library Collections as a Basis for a Network" by K. W. Humphreys (United Kingdom); (2) "Network Services Designed to Serve Research Libraries: The Current State of Development" by Richard M. Dougherty (United States); (3) "Approaches to Coordination of Resources and Services in Southeast Asian Libraries and Information Centers" by Jacques Valls and Daruna Somboonkun (Thailand); (4) "The Development of Special Collections: Problems of Constructing Networks" by Brenda E. Moon (United Kingdom), which describes the British "Background Materials Scheme" and other examples of library cooperation in the building of special collections; (5) "Standards and Normatives of Libraries of Higher Educational Institutions of the USSR" by N. S. Avalova; (6) "Regional Networks and the System of Supra-Regional Resource Sharing in the Federal Republic of Germany: Some Problems of Planning and Realization" by Gunter Gattermann, which discusses the special features of academic library network development in Germany; and (7) "The Development of Library and Information System of the Chinese Academy of Sciences" by Jian Shi and Lizhong Yan (People's Republic of China). (ESR)

This paper argues that ethnic status is a source of inequality conceptually independent from social class status. Many parallels exist between the development of measures and concepts for social class inequality and for ethnic inequality. Three measures of ethnic rank described in this paper correspond to dimensions of power, prestige, and wealth which have been used previously in measuring social inequality. By using three measures of ethnic rank, it is possible to compare the situation of identical ethnic groups in different countries and to compare different societies in relation to the amount of ethnic inequality within them. (1) Demographic characteristics of ethnic groups can be added to the measurement of ethnic social standing which is directly analogous to occupational prestige. These predictors estimate the social standings of ethnic groups within a particular country. (2) A power dimension can measure whether various ethnic groups are represented in institutions to the same degree that they are represented in the population served by that institution. (3) "Payoff" tables can measure the extent to which members of different ethnic groups are rewarded, either by income or occupational prestige, for equivalent performance. Finally, the amount of inequality within a society may be measured by applying an index of income inequality using the total income of each individual ethnic group. Using these measures, the authors calculate and compare social class inequality and ethnic inequality in Israel and Quebec. (KC)

This paper has three objectives: (1) to examine the context in which faculty developers operate; (2) to review 25-year program of research for the findings that are most pertinent to teacher developers; and (3) to situate research into teacher development and consider the strategies that might persuade others to conduct research into teacher development in postsecondary education. The paper begins with an investigation of the structure of knowledge in university courses and moved through studies of the expectations of learning held by professors and students in selected disciplines. The results of the program of investigations over the years fall into three nested categories. At the most general level are findings about methods and lines of convergence across institutions and disciplines. At a more specific level is the examination of student learning and the comparisons between different types of student experience. Nested within these areas is the study of effects of differences in learning contexts. From this body of research, certain indicators of success for faculty developers have been derived. These are: (1) appropriate content in a course; (2) whether or not students have learned to think in a new way; and (3) the extent to which students incorporate their learning from courses into their other studies and their lives as scholars. A second set of indicators revolves around clear expectations for students and strategies for learning. A third set of indicators is needed to guide the research of faculty developers, and to explain instructional goals and methods and the extent to which they can be transferred. (Contains 2 tables, 2 figures and 29 references.) (SLD).

Noting that conceptions of the cognitive representations and processes involved in discourse comprehension and production recently have undergone an important shift in orientation, this paper points out the importance of the shift to the conception of the nature of texts, of text understanding, and of cognitive processes in knowledge creation and written communication. The paper indicates that the shift replaces an earlier "text-centered" view in which the linguistic structure of a text is viewed as central to discourse processing with a "knowledge-centered" view, in which semantic structures for representing knowledge and cognitive processes for generating, manipulating, and communicating knowledge are seen as central. The paper points out that the shift re-introduces an earlier perspective on text comprehension as a constructive process, but also introduces precise models of semantic representation and processing and related models for the semantic analysis of discourse. These models lead to a more unified account of discourse comprehension, production, and other discourse processing abilities, and suggest certain new instructional approaches. It then discusses (1) the shift to a knowledge-centered theory of text comprehension and production, (2) semantic grammars and discourse analysis, (3) the production of semantic representations in writing, and (4) the creation of an environment for planning and analyzing semantic structures in writing. Appendixes contain examples of semantic discourse analysis procedures and text processing schematics. (FL)

Since the 1999 fall semester, the TI-92 Plus or the TI-89 has been a compulsory purchase for new students entering one engineering school in Montreal, Canada (almost 1000 enrolments a year). The purpose of this paper is to share impressions of a campus-wide experience and to communicate solutions adopted to help students and faculty members in the use of these calculators. (MM)

With the advent of constructivist oriented instruction in learning institutions comes an enormous challenge, that of structuring individual-centered learning within a community of learners. Within this instructional framework, struggles to satisfy both individual and group learning needs can lead to one canceling the other out. Tendencies towards either individual-centered or collaborative learning depend largely on the Constructivist stance adopted (Cunningham, 1991, Garrison, 1998; Jonassen, 1991, 1995; Lave & Wenger, 1991; Vygotsky, 1987). This ongoing struggle represents the paradox of Constructivist instruction; however, there is an alternative. This exploratory paper utilizes assumption from Internal Realism (Putnum, 1991, 1994), draws from advances in cybernetic science (Maturana & Varela, 1980; Varela, 1981), and communications theory (Habermas, 1990; Krippendorff, 1994) to make the case that underlying biological and communicative structuring play an important constitutive role in multiple levels of meaning construction (biological, psychological, social) that are implicated in learning processes. The extent to which knowledge of underlying structures can inform on learning processes is addressed and recommendations are made for adopting Communicative Constructivist Perspective (CCP) as a potential educational reform tool for increasing awareness of instruction that may detract from efforts to achieve sustainable learning within a community of learners. (Contains 60 references.) (Author/AEF)

The goal of this paper is to demonstrate how Constructivism in education has failed to address criticisms by re-directing or misdirecting the focus of the debate over whether or not Constructivism is able to give support to a viable theory of instruction. In response, support is given to Constructivism by drawing on rational, moral, and communicative frameworks to clarify the main Constructivist tenets and to address levied criticisms. The discussion yields positive support for the possibility of supporting a Constructivist Theory of Learning and Instruction without adopting a Postmodernist stance. The following conclusions are drawn: (1) a close theoretical-practical connection is assumed to be a defining element of Constructivist Theory and can be given support independent of a Postmodernist framework by appealing to a broader notion of rationality that is objectively grounded and co-extensive with the prescriptive idealization of education, and (2) a theoretical exploration of practical cognitive and non-cognitive tools reveals a connection between these tools with prescriptive elements valuable to Constructivism and evolving education. The recommendation is made that, depending on how they are used, objective standards of learning and evaluation are not problematic for Constructivist instruction. (Contains 55 references.) (Author/AEF)

"Memoing," the "theorizing write-up of ideas about codes and their relationships as they strike...the analyst's momentary ideation based on data...with conceptual elaboration" (B. Glaser, 1978), is an important analytic tool used by qualitative researchers at all stages of the research process. The art form of collage is described as a contextualizing strategy in qualitative research that emulates memoing. In this paper an artist/graduate student and a teacher/researcher show how they embarked on a project to use collage as a contextualizing strategy, and the graduate student illustrates the process by examining her work in four collages done during a small research project on the creative decisions of artists. The four collages and accompanying commentary demonstrate how the ambiguity and multidimensionality of the collage medium set up conducive conditions for this analytic strategy. The collage process helps suspend linear thinking and allow elusive qualities of feelings and experiences to be addressed tangibly. The collages are attached. (Contains 30 references.) (SLD)

This paper describes the way in which the author moved from what might have been a textual explanation of a narrative analysis of qualitative data to a poetic rendition. The focus is on the work of a female graduate student working collaboratively with another graduate student. The story emerged as a teacher-as-researcher study on graduate students in a course on teaching language arts that focused on current trends in literacy education and the development of teachers. The students worked collaboratively on a project. The poem, which is included, focuses on of the student's experience in collaboration and self-expression within the context of the graduate program. It shows how she found the ability to use her own voice in her graduate writing. (Contains 22 references.) (SLD)

This paper presents the validation of an adaptive test developed for placement purposes in French at the post-secondary level, the French CAPT. Results from a second experiment are presented in which verbal protocols were obtained from nine college students of various levels with the thinking-aloud technique used during completion of the exam. The 4-part test includes a paragraph reading section with a comprehensive question about each paragraph, a situation reading section with grammatical statement selection, a sentence gap section, and a semi-authentic dialogue with questions section. A 5th part, under development, will use a graded-response model for self-assessment of ability. All questions are multiple choice; items in the first three parts have been calibrated with a IRT 3-parameter model. Administration of the French CAPT is similar to other computerized adaptive tests and uses a stradaptive algorithm, programmed for the selection of items. Findings indicate that perception of difficulty varied considerably, specifically regarding subjective vs objective difficulty. It is concluded that this use of verbal protocols evidenced no effect due to presentation mode and the use of appropriate desired mental processes during the test. (Contains 27 references.) (NAV)

The revolution brought about by computerized technology, in general, and television imagery, in particular, challenges the perceptual habits and alters the television viewer's means of expressing appreciation of the aesthetic merits of such television images. This study speculates on several perceptual and aesthetic drawbacks of future massive applications of three dimensional (3-D) video images. Specifically it: (1) reviews the technology of existing 3-D media; (2) discusses the principles of visual perception and aesthetics which are challenged by the development of 3-D media technology in television; and (3) provides alternatives to the problems raised by massive application and commercializing of 3-D media technology. It is concluded that the novelty generated by 3-D media technology challenges the fundamental rules of perception and aesthetic appreciation of film and television images, but that neurophysiological bases of the visual perception processes and psychological standards of aesthetic appreciation have strong roots and traditions, and will not easily be bypassed by 3-D media technology. (40 references) (Author)

This study adopts innovative self-study research methods to explore the effectiveness of teachers' use of self-referenced activities designed for the development of personal teaching portfolios. Two short video presentations, along with participant and instructor workshop guides provided necessary instructions and materials. Personalized classroom design and photo activities were completed within a teacher education workshop aimed at developing personal portfolios. Data collection included written/oral activities and videotaped group discussions. Four criterion selected teachers engaged in activities that required the re-design of classroom activities and the use of personal photos. Results indicated that all participants were able to successfully redesign conventional classroom activities as constructivist classroom activities. Photo activities were found to be motivating and relevant to all participants. Recommendations offer insights into future constructivist learning research, the potential benefits of self-referenced knowledge, and the use of self-study research methods. (Contains 33 references.) (Author/AEF)

The purpose of the study presented in this document is to further knowledge about student teacher development contexts during field experiences. The aim is to understand the role of the mentor teacher, the classroom structure and processes, and student teacher content knowledge in the development of a mathematics teaching repertoire. This research used data gathered during the first year of a three-year study. Three student teachers were followed during their second, third, and fourth years in a four-year teacher education curriculum. Findings suggest that subject matter mentoring does not lead to better teaching. Stages of student teacher development may impinge on the ability to understand and focus on subject matter. Student teacher commitment to the learning-teaching experience as well as the relationship with the mentor remain important aspects of the practicum. Contains 22 references. (ASK)

This paper examines the social-emotional functioning of peer-accepted children with learning disabilities (LD) within the theoretical framework of the Vaughn and Hogan model of social competence. Holding peer acceptance constant within the model (i.e. only peer accepted children participated in the study), teacher and self-reported characteristics of socially accepted boys and girls with LD and normal achievement (NA) were evaluated and compared. The purpose of the study was to explore the characteristic features of socially accepted children with and without LD along the three domains of social skills, behavioral conduct, and nonacademic self-concept. Results suggest that having an LD predisposes boys to less favorable teacher ratings in social skills and problem behaviors than same-age peers. Despite these teacher-perceived differences, participants did not differ in self-perceptions of nonacademic competence. Links results to the Vaughn and Hogan social competency model. Implications for practice are discussed. (MKA)

This aim of this study was to analyze the content of students' verbal interactions within a problem-based learning context in biology. This was achieved through the qualitative analysis of the verbal protocols of three groups of two clases of ninth-grade female students (average/high ability, high/high ability, and average/average ability). The three groups were audio and video taped as they worked collaboratively in the problem-based learning environment to solve a problem case created by another group of students. Data were transcribed and analyzed using the idea unit approach. Overall, these groups were successful at negotiating roles and materials to be used to help them solve the problem case. Members in all three groups alternated in terms of researching and obtaining information, reading materials, and note-taking. Few disagreements were found, and when they did occur, they were often quickly resolved. When the students were of equal academic ability, the division of power was shared, but in the average/high ability group, the higher ability student tended to dominate the conversation and assume a more authoritative role. The implications of these findings, particularly of the inequality in participation among students of differing academic abilities, for instruction are discussed. (Contains 2 tables and 12 references.) (SLD)

This paper examines research studies of learner control in computer-based instruction (CBI) from 1987-1997. The review evaluates predictions and conclusions from previous literature reviews, in light of current research, and discusses the implications of recent findings for instructional development. Findings suggest that the positions that higher-ability students score higher under learner control and lower-ability students score higher under program control may no longer hold true in the current technological age. (Contains 19 references.) (Author/DLS)

Studies have suggested that the presence of individual differences in children's ability to detect social contingencies may be related to their behavioral characteristics, as a result of cumulative transactions with their physical and social environments. This study sought to identify behavioral characteristics associated with children's ability to detect social contingency and to validate the Detection of Social Contingency (DSC) task. A total of 87 kindergartners and 102 second graders completed the DSC, two measures of cognitive abilities, and a measure of memory span. The children's teachers completed a social behavior questionnaire. Results showed that 29 percent of kindergartners and 49 percent of second graders successfully completed the DSC task, and girls were more likely to detect social contingency than boys. Children who completed the task demonstrated a better memory span than children who did not. Children who learned the contingency rule of the DSC task were more prosocial than those who did not. Among children who were not able to learn the rule, boys were more aggressive than girls. The study shows the discriminant and convergent validity of the DSC task with both age groups. (Contains 13 references.) (MDM)

In the past decade there has been an increasing interest in using alternative forms of representation in qualitative research. Many believe that the use of different forms can enhance the evocative potential of research findings, expand and include more voices in the research, and challenge some long-term notions of what constitutes research and why. The experiences of a graduate student, a teacher in a master's program who was beginning a change of teaching assignment, illustrate an alternative of expression of qualitative research results. The student came to the attention of the instructor because of his own facility on using alternative forms of expression in class assignments. It was thought that understanding this student's experience would help the instructor help other students build on their own representational strengths and add to the general discussion about alternative representation in qualitative research. The process by which the student arrived at a collage of artifacts to represent his student experience is described. The finished collage is both a self-study and a vehicle for thinking about ways of fostering alternative representations of experience. (Contains 20 references.) (SLD)

This study examined the types of knowledge influencing classroom teaching in higher education. A total of 102 professors from across North America regarded as exemplary teachers participated in the study. Respondents were asked to recall a time during the last 3 years when they thought that they had done a poor job of teaching as well as a time when they felt that they had done an exemplary job of teaching. Respondents were then asked to indicate what types of knowledge had influenced their teaching at each time. The results indicated that four types of knowledge influenced classroom teaching: content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, current knowledge of learners, and knowledge of learners' background and appropriate pedagogy. Types of knowledge found not to have a significant impact on classroom teaching included knowledge of curriculum and knowledge of teaching routines. The results were used to develop a model of the knowledge base for teaching in higher education. The findings of the study support the claims that university professors base their teaching, to a large extent, on their knowledge of content. (Contains 32 references.) (MDM)

This study investigated how fathers and mothers modulated the specificity of their tutoring strategies as a function of their children's moment-to-moment behavior during a problem-solving activity. A total of 63 seven-year-old children and their parents participated in the study. Mothers and fathers worked separately with their children on a microcomputer activity, and these activities were recorded and coded to ascertain children's help-seeking and parents' tutoring behaviors. The results indicated that mothers and fathers adjusted their tutoring strategies according to a contingent-shift rule--parents offered more specific support when the children failed and offered less specific support when the children succeeded in their attempts to solve the task. Mothers' and fathers' modulation of their level of tutoring were not different and were not influenced by the sex of the children. Neither boys nor girls were more likely to seek help from their same-sex parent than from the opposite sex parent. (Contains 26 references.) (MDM)

A study examined whether storybook exposure and the amount of teaching in reading and writing skills provided by parents would enhance the language skills and emergent literacy of 47 first-grade children. Hierarchical regression analyses that controlled for parents' print exposure, and children's age and analytical intelligence showed that at the beginning of grade 1, storybook exposure explained significant unique variance in children's language skills but not in their emergent literacy, whereas parent teaching explained significant unique variance in children's emergent literacy but not in their language skills. Findings suggest that storybook exposure may have a direct impact on children's language skills whereas additional support in the form of teaching is necessary to enhance emergent literacy. At the end of grade 1, children's language and emergent literacy performance accounted for 20% of the variance in word reading, but storybook exposure and parent teaching did not account for additional significant unique variance. Findings suggest that the long term influence of early home literacy experiences is mediated through children's language skills and emergent literacy. (Contains three tables of data and two figures which illustrate frameworks of relations between home literacy experiences and child outcomes. An appendix contains a list of the four child measures used.) (Author/RS)

This study examined differences between maltreated and non-maltreated children in their perception of parental figures and explored differential perceptions of maternal and paternal figures. Using the Test for Detection of Parental Violence (TDPV), 22 maltreated 4- to 7-year-olds referred by Youth Protection Services were compared to 22 non-maltreated children recruited from preschools and kindergartens. The two groups were matched on age, gender, family income, employment status of parents, and family structure. The TDPV used six maternal pictures and four paternal pictures to elicit stories from the child interpreting situations in which the parental figure and a child interact. Children's stories were audiotaped, transcribed, and blind-scored, yielding scores for Parental Positive Behaviors and Parental Negative Behaviors for both mothers and fathers. Results indicated that maltreated children had a more negative perception of their parents than did non-maltreated children. Both groups showed different perceptions of maternal and paternal figures. Mother figure cards elicited more answers than father figure cards. The maltreated group perceived their parents as more aggressive, punitive, neglecting, and controlling than did non-maltreated children. Maltreated children saw their mother as more neglecting than their father. Non-maltreated children viewed their parents as having more positive affects and providing more explanations and saw their fathers as providing more caregiving than did maltreated children. (KDFB)

This paper reports on research undertaken to provide information about the factors influencing student persistence in undergraduate physics programs at the University of Montreal in Quebec, Canada. Data collection methods included student interviews, faculty and staff interviews, and two separate questionnaire administrations to students enrolled in the physics programs. Findings indicate that approximately 50% of students registered for courses do not attend classes, either the week before final exams in the second term or shortly after the mid-term exams in the first term. Many students were found to have a very limited appreciation of what they could actually do with a degree in physics. While analyzing the differences between the students who continued in their physics studies and those who did not, the only significant difference came from students' perceptions of their potential success and their skills and knowledge. Contains 18 references. (JRH)

A quantitative research synthesis (meta-analysis) was conducted on the literature concerning the effects of feedback on learning from computer-based instruction (CBI). Despite the widespread acceptance of feedback in computerized instruction, empirical support for particular types of feedback information has been inconsistent and contradictory. Effect size calculations from 22 studies involving the administration of immediate achievement posttests resulted in a weighted mean effect of .80. Also, a mean weighted effect size of .35 was obtained from 9 studies involving delayed posttest administration. Feedback effects on learning and retention were found to vary with CBI typology, format of unit content, and access to supplemental materials. Results indicate that the diagnostic and prescriptive management strategy of computer-based adaptive instructional systems provide the most effective feedback. The implementation of effective feedback in computerized instruction involves the computer's ability to verify the correctness of the learner's answer and the underlying causes of error. An appendix provides bibliographic information for the 20 studies included in the meta-analysis. Two tables illustrate data. (Contains 46 references.) (Author)

A study was conducted to investigate the relationship between teaching style and within-term changes in the motivation of two-year college students. "The Echelle de Motivation en Education" (Academic Motivation Scale was administered to 1,597 female and 837 male students at a junior college in Quebec at the beginning of the term and again 3 months later. Teaching style was measured using the Teaching Style Inventory, which identified dominant, auxiliary, back-up, and least-used styles of teaching behaviors to create a teaching profile. Five teaching styles were identified: outcomes oriented; empathic and people oriented; intellectually oriented; innovatively oriented; and mixed teaching style. Findings revealed that highly structured, well-organized, and outcomes-oriented junior college teachers seemed to maintain student motivation, whereas autonomy-supportive and people-oriented teachers were likely to decrease student motivation. The change in student motivation observed in the groups where the teachers had a mixed teaching style supported the idea that versatility in teaching is essential. (Contains 82 references.) (KP)