Modelling Molecular Mechanisms: A Framework of Scientific Reasoning to Construct Molecular-Level Explanations for Cellular Behaviour     

Marc H. W. van Mil  Dirk Jan Boerwinkel  Arend Jan Waarlo 《Science & Education》2013,22(1):93-118

Although molecular-level details are part of the upper-secondary biology curriculum in most countries, many studies report that students fail to connect molecular knowledge to phenomena at the level of cells, organs and organisms. Recent studies suggest that students lack a framework to reason about complex systems to make this connection. In this paper, we present a framework that could help students to reason back and forth between cells and molecules. It represents both the general type of explanation in molecular biology and the research strategies scientists use to find these explanations. We base this framework on recent work in the philosophy of science that characterizes explanations in molecular biology as mechanistic explanations. Mechanistic explanations describe a phenomenon in terms of the entities involved, the activities displayed and the way these entities and activities are organized. We conclude that to describe cellular phenomena scientists use entities and activities at multiple levels between cells and molecules. In molecular biological research, scientists use heuristics based on these intermediate levels to construct mechanistic explanations. They subdivide a cellular activity into hypothetical lower-level activities (top-down approaches) and they predict and test the organization of macromolecules into functional modules that play a role in higher-level activities (bottom-up approaches). We suggest including molecular mechanistic reasoning in biology education and we identify criteria for designing such education. Education using molecular mechanistic reasoning can build on common intuitive reasoning about mechanisms. The heuristics that scientists use can help students to apply this intuitive notion to the levels in between molecules and cells.  相似文献   

Teachers’ beliefs about improving transfer of algebraic skills from mathematics into physics in senior pre-university education     

Süleyman Turşucu  Jeroen Spandaw  Steven Flipse  Marc J. de Vries 《International Journal of Science Education》2013,35(5):587-604

ABSTRACT

Students in senior pre-university education encounter difficulties in the application of mathematics into physics. This paper presents the outcome of an explorative qualitative study of teachers’ beliefs about improving the transfer of algebraic skills from mathematics into physics. We interviewed 10 mathematics and 10 physics teachers using a semi-structured questionnaire that was based on an algebraic transfer problem. Almost all teachers acknowledged this transfer problem and considered it to be important. We found a continuum of teachers’ beliefs about aspects influencing transfer, including beliefs on improving this transfer. Together with identified improvement aspects about coherent mathematics education, these may help reduce physics teachers’ frustrations who spend extra time on re-teaching mathematics. Teachers think that transfer does not happen, because students see both subjects as separate disciplines. Contrary to most physics teachers, most mathematics teachers do not feel the need to collaborate with physics teachers. We found two extreme, opposite beliefs about the transfer of algebraic skills into physics. An intermediate group believes that only an integrated approach can solve the transfer problem. Some of the teachers’ beliefs could be organised into a beliefs system. Further research could investigate to which extent such beliefs systems exist and which beliefs these contain.  相似文献   

II CIVIL RELIGION: UNIFYING FORCE OR IDOLATRY?∗     

Marc H. Tanenbaum 《Religious education (Chicago, Ill.)》2013,108(5):469-473

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It’s a long way to … an international social history of education: in search of Brian Simon’s legacy in today’s educational historiography     

Marc Depaepe 《History of education》2013,42(5):531-544

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Towards a Competency Model for Teaching Computer Science     

Elena Bender  Peter Hubwieser  Niclas Schaper  Melanie Margaritis  Marc Berges  Laura Ohrndorf 《Peabody Journal of Education》2013,88(4):519-532

To address the special challenges of teaching computer science, adequate development of teachers’ competencies during their education is extremely important. In particular, pedagogical content knowledge and teachers’ beliefs and motivational orientations play an important role in effective teaching. This research field has been sparsely investigated up to now and there exists no consistent competency model for teaching computer science in Germany. Therefore, this paper describes the development of competency in the areas of pedagogical content knowledge, teachers’ beliefs, and motivational orientations with regard to computer science. Competency-relevant factors for teaching computer science are theoretically derived and concretely formulated with the help of expert interviews conducted according to the critical incident technique and analyzed using techniques of qualitative content analysis.  相似文献   

Personality and preference for evaluation methods: A study among business administration students     

Sawsen Lakhal  Serge Sévigny  Éric Frenette 《Studies in Educational Evaluation》2013

The goal of this study is to verify whether preference for evaluation methods can be predicted by personality as defined by the Big Five model, when controlling for gender and business major. A sample of 108 students enrolled in two compulsory undergraduate business courses completed an online questionnaire. Analysis of multiple linear hierarchical regressions indicate that gender, business major and personality account for 7–16% of the variance in preference for case studies, group work, oral exams, written exams, multiple choice tests, and practical work. These findings are discussed with regard to the relationship between personality factors predicting preference for evaluation methods and potential impacts on student evaluation and academic success in business schools.  相似文献   

Neighborhoods,Social Support,and African American Adolescents' Mental Health Outcomes: A Multilevel Path Analysis     

Noelle M. Hurd  Sarah A. Stoddard  Marc A. Zimmerman 《Child development》2013,84(3):858-874

This study explored how neighborhood characteristics may relate to African American adolescents' internalizing symptoms via adolescents' social support and perceptions of neighborhood cohesion. Participants included 571 urban, African American adolescents (52% female; M age = 17.8). A multilevel path analysis testing both direct and indirect effects of neighborhood characteristics on adolescents' mental health outcomes was conducted. Higher neighborhood poverty and unemployment rates predicted greater internalizing symptoms via lower cumulative social support and perceptions of neighborhood cohesion. In contrast, higher concentrations of African American and residentially stable residents in one's neighborhood related to fewer internalizing symptoms among adolescent residents via greater cumulative social support and perceptions of neighborhood cohesion. Implications of these findings are discussed.  相似文献   

Careers in aging: how job-seekers search for and how employers advertise positions in aging-related markets     

Tina M. Kruger  Leanne J. Clark-Shirley  Marc Aaron Guest 《Educational gerontology》2013,39(7):483-494

Given its rapidly-aging population, the U.S. needs a workforce that is informed about and capable of meeting the diverse needs of older adults. Students pursing gerontology education may feel unsure of career opportunities as they enter a job market with traditionally clearly-defined disciplinary backgrounds. The goal of this study was to explore how people currently employed in an aging-related job searched for positions, and how this compared to phrasing used by employers to advertise job openings across several aging-related fields. A web-based survey was administered to employees in aging-related positions, and a search of four job-seeking websites to collect and analyze aging-related job postings was conducted. Most (63%) currently working in the field of aging reported finding their jobs through referral from a friend/colleague or through job search sites or job boards. Out of 493 relevant job postings identified, only 175 of the postings (35%), preferred or required applicants to have some type of aging-related knowledge, skills, training, or prior experience. There may be consequences to not specifically recruiting applicants with aging-related backgrounds: job seekers with qualifications in aging may look for other positions that expressly call for their specialized skills or knowledge, and quality of services and care may be different when provided by persons without such training.  相似文献   

Developing a Model of Medication Adherence among Filipino Elderly     

Allan B. de Guzman  Katrina Illyana J. Guevara  Frances Jane B. Guiang  Anton Lorenzo I. Gutierrez  Alayne S. Habaluyas  Marc Alison P. Hizon 《Educational gerontology》2013,39(5):298-313

While adherence to medication remains a problematic area in the care of chronically ill elderly, an extended model that incorporates the interaction of studied variables remains a blank spot. Anchored on Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior, this article details our efforts to develop and test a model of medication adherence among Filipino elderly relative to their medication belief, follow-up visits, consultation satisfaction, memory task, trust with physician, perceived stress, memory strategies, social support, memory load, depression, length of time taking the medication, number of conditions, and self-efficacy with medication adherence. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to study causalities among all parameters. With the participation of 325 older adults located in District IV, Sampaloc, Manila, data needed were gathered through a multiaspect questionnaire consisting of a robotfoto, a memory strategy usage measure, an eight-scale Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, a 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale, a General Self-efficacy Scale, a Consultation Satisfaction Questionnaire, and a Perceived Stress Scale. Data were analyzed using AMOS version 19. Results revealed that depression, trust with physician, and number of conditions affect adherence positively, while event-based memory, consultation satisfaction, memory load, and external memory strategy affect it otherwise. Some suggested variables were found to have no impact at all. As this study reveals, careful consideration should be given to multiple factors, and their interrelationship should be examined well. Because many factors can influence medication adherence behavior of the elderly, and because the reasons for their noncompliance are also varied, multifaceted solutions must be developed.  相似文献   

Performance indicators as conceptual technologies   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Bob Barnetson  Marc Cutright 《Higher Education》2000,40(3):277-292

This paper posits that performance indicators (PIs)are conceptual technologies that shape what issuesacademics think about and how academics think aboutthose issues by embedding normative assumptions intothe selection and structure of those indicators.Exploring the assumptions embedded in Alberta's(Canada) PIs yields an initial typology of assumptionsthat academics can apply to performance indicators inhigher education to understand, refine or criticallychallenge their introduction.  相似文献