beginning physics students: Topics by Science.gov

Sample records for beginning physics students

A longitudinal examination of the link between youth physical fitness and academic achievement.

PubMed

London, Rebecca A; Castrechini, Sebastian

2011-07-01

Childhood obesity has been linked with other persistent health problems, but research is just beginning to examine its relationship with academic performance. This article tracks students longitudinally to examine the ways student physical fitness and changes in fitness align with school performance. Using matched administrative data and individual growth modeling, we examine the relationship between academic achievement and overall physical fitness longitudinally from fourth to seventh and sixth to ninth grades for students in a California community. Comparing those who are persistently fit to those who are persistently unfit, we find disparities in both math and English language arts test scores. These academic disparities begin even before students begin fitness testing in fifth grade and are larger for girls and Latinos. Overall physical fitness is a better predictor of academic achievement than obesity as measured by body mass index. Socioeconomic status acts as a buffer for those who have poor physical fitness but strong academic performance. The findings indicate the presence of a physical fitness achievement gap that has consequences for potential students' future educational and health outcomes. This gap begins as early as fourth grade, which is before physical fitness testing begins in California. © 2011, American School Health Association.
Vector Knowledge of Beginning Physics Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knight, Randall D.

1995-01-01

Presents the Vector Knowledge Test that was designed to see if beginning physics students possess the minimal basic knowledge of vectors that will allow them to proceed with a study of Newtonian mechanics. Concludes that only one-third of the students in a calculus-based introductory course at California Polytechnic had sufficient vector…
Helping Students Draw Correct Free-Body Diagrams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Albert

2017-01-01

As physics instructors, we try to help our students learn physics. But most of us begin to realize that our students are not learning as much as we hope they would. As we listen to our students, we begin to see some of their difficulties. Some of their difficulties are expected, but some are unexpected. One such difficulty is drawing the force…
How Students Use Physics to Reason about Calculus Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marrongelle, Karen A.

2004-01-01

The present research study investigates how undergraduate students in an integrated calculus and physics class use physics to help them solve calculus problems. Using Zandieh's (2000) framework for analyzing student understanding of derivative as a starting point, this study adds detail to her "paradigmatic physical" context and begins to address…
Student Motivation in Physical Education: Breaking down Barriers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mowling, Claire M.; Brock, Sheri J.; Eiler, Kim K.; Rudisill, Mary E.

2004-01-01

A fundamental characteristic of a successful physical education program is that the students are interested and motivated to learn the intended objectives. Unfortunately, in many cases, students begin losing interest in physical education as they progress through school. In order to better understand this phenomenon, the authors explored the…
Does Teaching Experience Matter? The Beliefs and Practices of Beginning and Experienced Physics Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caleon, Imelda S.; Tan, Yuen Sze Michelle; Cho, Young Hoan

2018-02-01

This study utilized multiple data sources to examine the beliefs about learning and teaching physics and the instructional practices of five beginning teachers and seven experienced teachers from Singapore. Our study was implemented in the unique context of teachers teaching the topic of electricity to students grouped according to academic abilities. The topic of electricity is one of the most difficult physics topics for students to understand and for teachers to teach. It was found that the experienced teachers, compared to the beginning teachers, tended to have beliefs about teaching and learning physics that are closer to constructivist views. The majority of the teachers, particularly the beginning teachers, espoused beliefs about learning physics that were incongruent with their beliefs about teaching physics. Although transmission-oriented and teacher-directed practices dominated the classroom lessons of both groups of teachers, more elements of constructivist instruction were found in the classroom lessons of the experienced teachers. It was also found that the classroom practices of the teachers, especially those in their inductive years of teaching, were more aligned with their beliefs about learning physics than their beliefs about teaching physics.
Preparing Historically Underserved Students for STEM Careers: The Role of an Inquiry-based High School Science Sequence Beginning with Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bridges, Jon P.

Improving the STEM readiness of students from historically underserved groups is a moral and economic imperative requiring greater attention and effort than has been shown to date. The current literature suggests a high school science sequence beginning with physics and centered on developing conceptual understanding, using inquiry labs and modeling to allow students to explore new ideas, and addressing and correcting student misconceptions can increase student interest in and preparation for STEM careers. The purpose of this study was to determine if the science college readiness of historically underserved students can be improved by implementing an inquiry-based high school science sequence comprised of coursework in physics, chemistry, and biology for every student. The study used a retrospective cohort observational design to address the primary research question: are there differences between historically underserved students completing a Physics First science sequence and their peers completing a traditional science sequence in 1) science college-readiness test scores, 2) rates of science college-and career-readiness, and 3) interest in STEM? Small positive effects were found for all three outcomes for historically underserved students in the Physics First sequence.
An Interdisciplinary Teaching Program in Geriatrics for Physician's Assistants.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stark, Ruth; And Others

1984-01-01

Describes a beginning course in clinical geriatrics for medical students and student physician's assistants, physical therapists and nurse practitioners. The course will increase students' ability to identify basic physical, psychological, and social characteristics of the normal aging process; and to recognize prevalent myths and negative…
REU Solar and Space Physics Summer School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snow, M. A.; Wood, E. L.

2011-12-01

The Research Experience for Undergrads (REU) program in Solar and Space Physics at the University of Colorado begins with a week of lectures and labs on Solar and Space Physics. The students in our program come from a variety of majors (physics, engineering, meteorology, etc.) and from a wide range of schools (small liberal arts colleges up through large research universities). The majority of the students have never been exposed to solar and space physics before arriving in Boulder to begin their research projects. We have developed a week-long crash course in the field using the expertise of scientists in Boulder and the labs designed by the Center for Integrated Space Weather Modeling (CISM).
Using Physical Education to Improve Literacy Skills in Struggling Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wachob, David A.

2014-01-01

Literacy skills are an essential part of academic performance. When physical educators collaborate with classroom teachers to address these skills, student engagement in the learning process can greatly improve. This article begins by reviewing the growing issues surrounding student literacy and its impact on academic performance. The discussion…
Physical Activity, Exercise, and Sedentary Behavior in College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buckworth, Janet; Nigg, Claudio

2004-01-01

The authors examined the relationship between physical activity, exercise, and sedentary behaviors in 493 college students who were enrolled in 10 conditioning activity classes and had completed questionnaires at the beginning of the course. They analyzed sedentary activities and indicators of participation in exercise and physical activity by…
Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services, Fall 2002-Spring 2003.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kulik, Barbara J., Ed.

2003-01-01

Two issues of this journal on education and related services for students with physical disabilities contain the following major articles or reviews: "Environmental Effects on Education" (Harold F. Perla); "Using Touch Math for Students with Physical Impairments To Teach and Enhance Beginning Math Skills" (Adrienne L. Duris); "Traumatic Brain…
Linking the Van Hiele Theory to Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howse, Tashana D.; Howse, Mark E.

2014-01-01

Geometry is the branch of mathematics that addresses spatial sense and geometric reasoning. Students begin to understand geometry through direct interaction with their physical world. Because it is the study of the physical attributes of the environment, geometry has relevance for every student; the world becomes a big classroom. As students see,…
Dispositional Flow in Physical Education: Relationships with Motivational Climate, Social Goals, and Perceived Competence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzalez-Cutre, David; Sicilia, Alvaro; Moreno, Juan Antonio; Fernandez-Balboa, Juan Miguel

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze the mediating effects of social goals and perceived competence on students' perceptions of motivational climates and dispositional flow in physical education. At the beginning of the physical education unit, 779 students, 12 to 16 years old, were asked to complete four questionnaires: Perceived Motivational…
Does Teaching Experience Matter? The Beliefs and Practices of Beginning and Experienced Physics Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caleon, Imelda S.; Tan, Yuen Sze Michelle; Cho, Young Hoan

2018-01-01

This study utilized multiple data sources to examine the beliefs about learning and teaching physics and the instructional practices of five beginning teachers and seven experienced teachers from Singapore. Our study was implemented in the unique context of teachers teaching the topic of electricity to students grouped according to academic…
The Symmetry of Natural Laws.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Laurie M.

This document is a monograph intended for advanced undergraduate students, or beginning graduate students, who have some knowledge of modern physics as well as classical physics, including the elementary quantum mechanical treatment of the hydrogen atom and angular momentum. The first chapter introduces symmetry and relates it to the mathematical…
Factors Influencing Learning of Classical Mechanics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Champagne, Audrey B.; And Others

Beginning college physics students' misconceptions about moving objects, their mathematics skills, and formal reasoning ability, are all believed to be related to their achievement in physics. It is hypothesized that students whose knowledge structures include misconceptions that are in conflict with concepts in the lectures and text will have…
Quantum Mechanics for Everyone: Can it be done with Technology?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zollman, Dean

2004-10-01

The Visual Quantum Mechanics project has created a series of teaching/learning units to introduce quantum physics to a variety of audiences ranging from high school students who normally would not study these topics to undergraduate physics majors. Most recently we have been developing materials relating modern medical procedures and contemporary physics. In all of these materials interactive computer visualizations are coupled with hands-on experiences to create a series of activities which help students learn about some aspects of quantum mechanics. Our goal is to enable students to obtain a qualitative and, where appropriate, a quantitative understanding of contemporary ideas in physics. Included in the instructional materials are student-centered activities that address a variety of concepts in quantum physics and applications to devices such as the light emitting diode, the electron microscope, an inexpensive infrared detection card, and the Star Trek Transporter. Whenever possible the students begin the study of a new concept with an experiment using inexpensive equipment. They, then, build models of the physical phenomenon using interactive computer visualization and conclude by applying those models to new situations. For physics students these visualizations are usually followed by a mathematical approach. For others the visualizations provide a framework for understanding the concepts. Thus, Visual Quantum Mechanics allows a wide range of students to begin to understand the basic concepts, implications and interpretations of quantum physics. At present we are building on this foundation to create materials which show the connection between contemporary physics and modern medical diagnosis. Additional information is available at http://web.phys.ksu.edu/.
Concerns of nursing students beginning clinical courses: A descriptive study.

PubMed

Cowen, Kay J; Hubbard, Lori J; Hancock, Debbie Croome

2016-08-01

Students harbor fears related to the clinical environment that influence their participation and learning. Some studies have addressed general anxieties in undergraduate nursing students, but few have asked students to report their fears and concerns prior to entering the clinical environment. Therefore, this study examined the fears and concerns of undergraduate nursing students beginning clinical courses as well as their continued concerns upon completion of the first year of instruction. The study also assessed their confidence in physical assessment skills. Ninety-six junior nursing students enrolled in a generic baccalaureate nursing program completed a survey, two items of which asked about their fears and concerns related to beginning clinical experiences and their confidence in physical assessment. A follow up survey was completed at the end of the junior year by 72 students. Making a mistake, lack of course success, and not knowing how to do something were students' major concerns prior to the start of clinical experiences. Bad experiences with a nurse or instructor, freezing up, and uncomfortable patient/family experiences were also concerns. Not knowing how to do something persisted as a concern at the completion of the first year. Fears about being/feeling left alone in a clinical setting as well as concern about the senior year also emerged on the post survey. Confidence in physical assessment was a mean of 60.46 on a scale of 0-100 at the beginning of clinical instruction and 71.28 at the end of the junior year. Faculty should structure learning activities that decrease anxiety and enhance students' confidence prior to initial clinical experiences. Opportunities might include in-depth orientation to clinical settings and various simulations that allow practice of skills and communication. Awareness of predominant student fears and concerns can also guide staff nurses to provide a welcoming environment and enhance learning. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Microcomputers in a Beginning Tertiary Physics Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pearce, J. M.; O'Brien, R.

1986-01-01

Describes a college-level physics course which focuses on both physics knowledge/skills and use of microcomputers. Types of experiments done with the computers and how students use the computers to treat data are considered. (JN)

Partners in Physics with Colorado School of Mines' Society of Physics Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Shirley; Stilwell, Matthew; Boerner, Zach

2011-04-01

The Colorado School of Mines (CSM) Society of Physics Students (SPS) revitalized in 2008 and has since blown up with outreach activity, incorporating all age levels into our programs. In Spring 2010, CSM SPS launched a new program called Partners in Physics. Students from Golden High School came to CSM where they had a college-level lesson on standing waves and their applications. These students then joined volunteers from CSM in teaching local elementary school students about standing waves beginning with a science show. The CSM and high school students then helped the children to build make-and-take demonstrations incorporating waves. This year, rockets are the theme for Partners in Physics and we began with demonstrations with local middle school students. In Spring 2011, CSM SPS will be teaching elementary school students about projectile motion and model rockets along with these middle school students. Colorado School of Mines Department of Physics
English Skills for Life Sciences: Problem Solving in Biology. Tutor Version [and] Student Version.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

California Univ., Los Angeles. Center for Language Education and Research.

This manual is part of a series of materials designed to reinforce essential concepts in physical science through interactive, language-sensitive, problem-solving exercises emphasizing cooperative learning. The materials are intended for limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in beginning physical science classes. The materials are for teams of…
Examining Physics Career Interests: Recruitment and Persistence into College

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lock, R. M.; Hazari, Z.; Sadler, P. M.; Sonnert, G.

2012-03-01

Compared to the undergraduate population, the number of students obtaining physics degrees has been declining since the 1960s. This trend continues despite the increasing number of students taking introductory physics courses in high school and college. Our work uses an ex-post facto design to study the factors that influence students' decision to pursue a career in physics at the beginning of college. These factors include high school physics classroom experiences, other science-related experiences, and students' career motivations. The data used in this study is drawn from the Persistence Research in Science and Engineering (PRiSE) Project, a large-scale study that surveyed a nationally representative sample of college/university students enrolled in introductory English courses about their interests and prior experiences in science.
Spontaneous Dancemaking with Beginning Improvisers: Foundational Practices in Presence, Stillness, and Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Nina

2017-01-01

Many dance artists in their first encounters with improvisational dance making begin not only to learn how to compose spontaneously, but also to gain skills for coping with the uncertainties inherent in the form. This article suggests helpful dance scores for beginning students of physical improvisation and those who teach improvisational…
Mathematics, Experiments, and Theoretical Physics: The Early Days of the Sommerfeld School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eckert, Michael

1999-10-01

The names of his students read like a Who's Who of the pioneers in modern physics Peter Debye, Peter Paul Ewald, Wolfgang Pauli, Werner Heisenberg, Hans A. Bethe - to name only the most prominent. In retrospect, the success of Sommerfeld's school of modern theoretical physics tends to overshadow its less glorious beginnings. A century ago, theoretical physics was not yet considered as a distinct discipline. In this article I emphasize more the haphazard beginnings than the later achievements of Sommerfeld's school, which mirrored the state of theoretical physics before it became an independent discipline.
Focus on Freshman: Basic Instruction Programs Enhancing Physical Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curry, Jarred; Jenkins, Jayne M.; Weatherford, Jennifer

2015-01-01

Physical activity sharply decreases after different life stages, particularly high school graduation to beginning university education. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a specifically designed university physical activity class, Exercise Planning for Freshman (EPF), on students' physical activity and group cohesion…
Teaching the physical examination: a longitudinal strategy for tomorrow's physicians.

PubMed

Uchida, Toshiko; Farnan, Jeanne M; Schwartz, Jennifer E; Heiman, Heather L

2014-03-01

The physical examination is an essential clinical skill. The traditional approach to teaching the physical exam has involved a comprehensive "head-to-toe" checklist, which is often used to assess students before they begin their clinical clerkships. This method has been criticized for its lack of clinical context and for promoting rote memorization without critical thinking. In response to these concerns, Gowda and colleagues surveyed a national sample of clinical skills educators in order to develop a consensus "core" physical exam, which they report in this issue. The core physical exam is intended to be performed for every patient admitted by students during their medicine clerkships and to be supplemented by symptom-driven "clusters" of additional history and physical exam maneuvers.In this commentary, the authors review the strengths and limitations of this Core + Clusters technique as well as the head-to-toe approach. They propose that the head-to-toe still has a place in medical education, particularly for beginning students with little knowledge of pathophysiology and for patients with vague or multiple symptoms. The authors suggest that the ideal curriculum would include teaching both the head-to-toe and the Core + Clusters exams in sequence. This iterative approach to physical exam teaching would allow a student to assess a patient in a comprehensive manner while incorporating more clinical reasoning as further medical knowledge is acquired.
YouTube Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riendeau, Diane

2012-04-01

I am indebted to Frank Noschese for this month's column. Frank has a fantastic blog and video list. He uses these videos in his class and asks the students to determine if they show a Physics Win or a Physics Fail. He will hook his students at the beginning of a new unit with a video and then refer back to that video at the end of the unit. Check out Frank's blog at: fnoschese. wordpress.com/2010/07/21/win-fail-physics-an-introduction/.
Coeducational Elective Physical Education Handbook. Secondary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boise City Independent School District, ID.

This is a handbook on coeducational elective physical education for secondary students. It begins by listing and discussing 10 objectives of elective physical education. The next section contains information on organizing the elective program including preparing the schedule, long range planning, registration, record keeping and grading, testing…
From Start to Finish: Retention of Physics Undergraduates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammer, Donna; Uher, Tim

The University of Maryland Physics Department's NSF Scholarships in Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) project is a unique program that aims to reduce the attrition of students that occurs in the ``pre-major-to-major'' gap - i.e., students who begin at the university intending to study physics, but do not graduate with a physics degree. To increase the retention of admitted students, the UMD S-STEM program is designed to provide student with financial assistance, a strong sense of community, academic support, and career planning. We will discuss how the program has been integrated into the curriculum and culture of the physics department, and focus on developing key components of the program: a nurturing environment, dedicated mentorship, early research experience, and professional development.
Let's Get Virtual

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wills, Eric

2006-01-01

With gym time getting squeezed out by standardized tests and extracurriculars, schools are beginning to digitize physical education. This alternative method is first being offered by Minneapolis public schools in spring of 2005. In digital physical education, students can perform physical activities like they would in a traditional PE class but…
A community of scientists: cultivating scientific identity among undergraduates within the Berkeley Compass Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aceves, Ana V.; Berkeley Compass Project

2015-01-01

The Berkeley Compass Project is a self-formed group of graduate and undergraduate students in the physical sciences at UC Berkeley. Our goals are to improve undergraduate physics education, provide opportunities for professional development, and increase retention of students from populations typically underrepresented in the physical sciences. For students who enter as freshmen, the core Compass experience consists of a summer program and several seminar courses. These programs are designed to foster a diverse, collaborative student community in which students engage in authentic research practices and regular self-reflection. Compass encourages undergraduates to develop an identity as a scientist from the beginning of their university experience.
Sport Progressions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clumpner, Roy A.

This book, which is primarily for secondary physical education teachers, presents a sequential approach to teaching skills that are essential to eight sports. The activities and lead-up games included in the book put beginning students directly into game-like situations where they can practice skills. Each chapter begins with a background of the…
Students' Initial Knowledge of Electric and Magnetic Fields--More Profound Explanations and Reasoning Models for Undesired Conceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saarelainen, M.; Laaksonen, A.; Hirvonen, P. E.

2007-01-01

This study explores undergraduate students' understanding and reasoning models of electric and magnetic fields. The results indicate that the tested students had various alternative concepts in applying their reasoning to certain CSEM test questions. The total number of physics students tested at the beginning of the first course on…
Quantum Mechanics for Beginning Physics Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schneider, Mark B.

2010-01-01

The past two decades of attention to introductory physics education has emphasized enhanced development of conceptual understanding to accompany calculational ability. Given this, it is surprising that current texts continue to rely on the Bohr model to develop a flawed intuition, and introduce correct atomic physics on an ad hoc basis. For…
Investigating Approaches to Diversity in a National Survey of Physics Doctoral Degree Programs: The Graduate Admissions Landscape

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Potvin, Geoff; Chari, Deepa; Hodapp, Theodore

2017-01-01

Graduate admissions play a critical gatekeeping role in the physics community not only because they select students who are allowed to begin their graduate studies, but also because they influence how students perceive graduate school, and in some cases whether or not they will even choose to apply. In conjunction with the APS Bridge Program, we…
The Effect of Health Locus of Control and Perceived Stress on Physical Activity and Body Mass Index of North Texas Community College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wooten, Jason

2009-01-01

Physical inactivity remains one of the primary cofactors that contribute to overweight and obesity, leading to an increased risk of premature morbidity and mortality. Current data suggest that sedentary behavior begins during adolescence and is maintained through college for most students. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of…
Language of Physics, Language of Math: Disciplinary Culture and Dynamic Epistemology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Redish, Edward F.; Kuo, Eric

2015-01-01

Mathematics is a critical part of much scientific research. Physics in particular weaves math extensively into its instruction beginning in high school. Despite much research on the learning of both physics and math, the problem of how to effectively include math in physics in a way that reaches most students remains unsolved. In this paper, we…
Developing Motor and Tactical Skills in K-2 Physical Education: Let the Games Begin

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oslin, Judy

2004-01-01

Most motor development experts, teacher educators, and physical educators agree that the development of fundamental motor skills ought to be the focus of primary level (K-2nd grade) physical education. Given the limited number of days allocated for physical education in most elementary schools, ensuring that all students learn 200 or more…
Assemblage: Raising Awareness of Student Identity Formation through Art

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drouin, Steven D.

2015-01-01

Asking students to physically construct manifestations of their identities is not necessarily a new technique, but the author wanted students to experience the iterative and fluid nature of identity formation with the hopes of beginning a longer discussion of how other individuals, groups, and varying contexts shape identities with and without…

Promoting Health-Related Fitness during Warm-Up Activities for Secondary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Ingrid

2008-01-01

It is common to begin a physical education class by having students run laps. Many teachers find that doing the same running warm-up day after day leads to boredom and a lack of interest in their students. This article provides teachers with developmentally appropriate warm-up activities that will not only motivate students, but also keep them…
A Simple Derivation of Time Dilation and Length Contraction in Special Relativity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Behroozi, Fred

2014-01-01

Undergraduate physics majors typically begin their study of modern physics with special relativity. It is here that physics students first encounter the counterintuitive concepts of time dilation and length contraction. Unfortunately, the derivations of these results are often cloaked in several layers of analysis that render them rather…
Remote Video Supervision in Adapted Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Luke; Bishop, Jason

2013-01-01

Supervision for beginning adapted physical education (APE) teachers and inservice general physical education teachers who are learning to work with students with disabilities poses a number of challenges. The purpose of this article is to describe a project aimed at developing a remote video system that could be used by a university supervisor to…
Student Outcomes of School-Based Physical Therapy as Measured by Goal Attainment Scaling.

PubMed

Chiarello, Lisa A; Effgen, Susan K; Jeffries, Lynn; McCoy, Sarah Westcott; Bush, Heather

2016-01-01

The main purposes were to describe individualized outcomes of students receiving school-based physical therapy and determine if goal attainment differed by gross motor ability and age. One hundred nine physical therapists and 296 students participated. At the beginning of the school year, therapists translated students' Individualized Education Program goals into subgoals using Goal Attainment Scaling and determined students' Gross Motor Functional Classification System level. Researchers categorized goals (posture/mobility, recreation/fitness, self-care, or academics), and therapists identified students' primary goal. At the end of the school year, therapists scored the goals. Descriptive statistics and 2-way analyses of variance were conducted. Students exceeded their expected goal level for primary goals and goals categorized as posture/mobility, recreation/fitness, and self-care and made progress on academic goals. No differences were found by gross motor ability. Younger students had higher goal attainment for primary and recreation goals. Students achieve individualized outcomes addressed by school-based physical therapy.
Outcomes for Students Receiving School-Based Physical Therapy as Measured by the School Function Assessment.

PubMed

Effgen, Susan K; McCoy, Sarah Westcott; Chiarello, Lisa A; Jeffries, Lynn M; Starnes, Catherine; Bush, Heather M

2016-01-01

To describe School Function Assessment (SFA) outcomes after 6 months of school-based physical therapy and the effects of age and gross motor function on outcomes. Within 28 states, 109 physical therapists and 296 of their students with disabilities, ages 5 to 12 years, participated. After training, therapists completed 10 SFA scales on students near the beginning and end of the school year. Criterion scores for many students remained stable (46%-59%) or improved (37%-51%) with the most students improving in Participation and Maintaining/Changing Positions. Students aged 5 to 7 years showed greater change than 8- to 12-year-olds on 5 scales. Students with higher gross motor function (Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I vs IV/V and II/III vs IV/V) showed greater change on 9 scales. Positive SFA change was recorded in students receiving school-based physical therapy; however, the SFA is less sensitive for older students and those with lower functional movement.
Motivational predictors of physical education students' effort, exercise intentions, and leisure-time physical activity: a multilevel linear growth analysis.

PubMed

Taylor, Ian M; Ntoumanis, Nikos; Standage, Martyn; Spray, Christopher M

2010-02-01

Grounded in self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000), the current study explored whether physical education (PE) students' psychological needs and their motivational regulations toward PE predicted mean differences and changes in effort in PE, exercise intentions, and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) over the course of one UK school trimester. One hundred and seventy-eight students (69% male) aged between 11 and 16 years completed a multisection questionnaire at the beginning, middle, and end of a school trimester. Multilevel growth models revealed that students' perceived competence and self-determined regulations were the most consistent predictors of the outcome variables at the within- and between-person levels. The results of this work add to the extant SDT-based literature by examining change in PE students' motivational regulations and psychological needs, as well as underscoring the importance of disaggregating within- and between-student effects.
Going beyond Equations with Disciplinary Thinking in First-Year Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Syed, M. Qasim

2015-01-01

Students in first-year physics courses generally focus on hunting for suitable equations and formulas when tackling a variety of physical situations and physics problems. There is a need for a framework that can guide them to disciplinary ways of thinking and help them begin to think like physicists. To serve this end, in this study, a framework…
Exploring the Link Between Alcohol and Marijuana Use and Teen Dating Violence Victimization Among High School Students: The Influence of School Context.

PubMed

Parker, Elizabeth M; Debnam, Katrina; Pas, Elise T; Bradshaw, Catherine P

2016-10-01

Adolescence is a developmental period when dating behavior is first initiated and when the risk of abuse by or against a dating partner begins to emerge. It is also one in which experimentation with alcohol and illicit substances typically begins. The current study examined the association between recent alcohol use and recent marijuana use and the experience of physical and verbal teen dating violence (TDV) victimization while considering the potential influence of school contextual variables. Data came from 27,758 high school students attending 58 Maryland public high schools. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to identify student- and school-level predictors associated with TDV. Results indicated that approximately 11% of students reported experiencing physical TDV and 11% of students reported experiencing verbal TDV over the past year. In addition, 33% of students reported recent alcohol use and 21% reported recent marijuana use. Hierarchical linear modeling results revealed that students who reported frequent recent alcohol or recent marijuana use were at increased odds of experiencing physical (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]alcohol = 2.80, p < .001; AORmarijuana = 2.03, p < .001) or verbal TDV (AORalcohol = 2.63, p < .001; AORmarijuana = 2.20, p < .001) victimization compared to students who reported little or no alcohol or marijuana use. School support was a protective factor for both physical TDV (AOR = 0.74, p < .001) and verbal TDV (AOR = 0.76, p < .001) victimization. Findings suggested that prevention efforts to address alcohol and marijuana use may have an effect on TDV victimization. Results also highlight the potential utility of enhancing student perceptions of school support as an approach for reducing TDV victimization. © 2015 Society for Public Health Education.
Delivering a lab experience to students in remote road-less locations in Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spencer, Vanessa; Solie, Daniel

2010-02-01

Bush Physics is a pilot physics course offered by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Taught both as a distance delivery course for rural students and as a traditional course to students in Fairbanks, it is designed to prepare rural (predominantly Alaska Native) students for success in STEM programs. While the lecture portion is successfully distance-delivered using teleconference, delivering the laboratory portion effectively has been more challenging. Bush Physics has been taught twice previously to a total of 24 students who otherwise would not have had access to physics instruction. Methods utilized to help distance education students complete the laboratory credit include mailing equipment kits, emailing pictures and video descriptions, travel to certain villages to do experiments during weekends and utilizing on-site mentors. Past results and feedback have improved the laboratory section for spring 2010. We plan to use testing and student surveys to begin to quantify improvement in student mathematical ability and reasoning. )
Math remediation intervention for student success in the algebra-based introductory physics course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forrest, Rebecca L.; Stokes, Donna W.; Burridge, Andrea B.; Voight, Carol D.

2017-12-01

Pretesting and early intervention measures to identify and remediate at-risk students were implemented in algebra-based introductory physics to help improve student success rates. Pretesting via a math and problem-solving diagnostic exam administered at the beginning of the course was employed to identify at-risk students based on their scores. At-risk students were encouraged to utilize an online math tutorial to increase their chances of passing the course. The tutorial covers the same math topics covered by the diagnostic exam. Results from 643 students enrolled in the course showed that the 61 at-risk students who successfully completed the math tutorial increased their odds of passing the course by roughly 4 times those of the at-risk students who did not. This intervention is easily implemented, short term, and can be administered concurrently with the course. Based on these results, the Department of Physics has implemented the math tutorials in all sections of the introductory algebra as well as the calculus-based physics courses.
Developing Quantitative Mental Imagery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Jonathan N.; Tabor, Pamela D.

2012-01-01

Moving beyond physical interactions with materials is a significant mathematical step for students that is often difficult to take. Persistent tally-mark use, for example, among older children is a testament to this challenge. For many students, shifting away from tangible tools begins a precarious journey; teachers should support it with…
Rephrasing Faraday's Law

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, S. Eric

2010-01-01

As physics educators, we must often find the balance between simplicity and accuracy. Particularly in introductory courses, it can be a struggle to give students the level of understanding for which they're ready without misrepresenting reality. Of course, it's in these introductory courses that our students begin to construct the conceptual…
Velocity Space and the Geometry of Planetary Orbits. Artificial Intelligence Memo No. 320.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abelson, Harold; And Others

An approach to orbital mechanics, which is accessible to beginning physics students and presupposes no knowledge of calculus, is presented. A theory of orbits is developed for the inverse-square central force law which differs considerably from the usual deductive approach. This document begins with qualitative aspects of solutions, and leads to a…
Teaching a Hypothesis-driven Physical Diagnosis Curriculum to Pulmonary Fellows Improves Performance of First-Year Medical Students.

PubMed

Staitieh, Bashar S; Saghafi, Ramin; Kempker, Jordan A; Schulman, David A

2016-04-01

Hypothesis-driven physical examination emphasizes the role of bedside examination in the refinement of differential diagnoses and improves diagnostic acumen. This approach has not yet been investigated as a tool to improve the ability of higher-level trainees to teach medical students. To assess the effect of teaching hypothesis-driven physical diagnosis to pulmonary fellows on their ability to improve the pulmonary examination skills of first-year medical students. Fellows and students were assessed on teaching and diagnostic skills by self-rating on a Likert scale. One group of fellows received the hypothesis-driven teaching curriculum (the "intervention" group) and another received instruction on head-to-toe examination. Both groups subsequently taught physical diagnosis to a group of first-year medical students. An oral examination was administered to all students after completion of the course. Fellows were comfortable teaching physical diagnosis to students. Students in both groups reported a lack of comfort with the pulmonary examination at the beginning of the course and improvement in their comfort by the end. Students trained by intervention group fellows outperformed students trained by control group fellows in the interpretation of physical findings (P < 0.05). Teaching hypothesis-driven physical examination to higher-level trainees who teach medical students improves the ability of students to interpret physical findings. This benefit should be confirmed using validated testing tools.
Thermodynamics of Irreversible Processes. Physical Processes in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems, Transport Processes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levin, Michael; Gallucci, V. F.

These materials were designed to be used by life science students for instruction in the application of physical theory to ecosystem operation. Most modules contain computer programs which are built around a particular application of a physical process. This module describes the application of irreversible thermodynamics to biology. It begins with…
Unpacking Gender Differences in Students' Perceived Experiences in Introductory Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kost, Lauren E.; Pollock, Steven J.; Finkelstein, Noah D.

2009-11-01

Prior research has shown, at our institution: 1) males outperform females on conceptual assessments (a gender gap), 2) the gender gap persists despite the use of research-based reforms, and 3) the gender gap is correlated with students' physics and mathematics background and prior attitudes and beliefs [Kost, et al. PRST-PER, 5, 010101]. Our follow-up work begins to explore how males and females experience the introductory course differently and how these differences relate to the gender gap. We gave a survey to students in the introductory course in which we investigated students' physics identity and self-efficacy. We find there are significant gender differences in each of these three areas, and further find that these measures are weakly correlated with student conceptual performance, and moderately correlated with course grade.
Methods to Implement Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arion, Douglas

2015-03-01

The physics community is beginning to become aware of the benefits of entrepreneurship and innovation education: greater enrollments, improved students satisfaction, a wider range of interesting research problems, and the potential for greater return from more successful alumni. This talk will suggest a variety of mechanisms by which physics departments can include entrepreneurship and innovation content within their programs - without necessarily requiring earth-shattering changes to the curriculum. These approaches will thus make it possible for departments to get involved with entrepreneurship and innovation, and grow those components into vibrant activities for students and faculty.
Student Physical Therapists' Competence and Self-Confidence in Basic Clinical Assessment and Musculoskeletal Differential Diagnosis.

PubMed

Alexander, Kathleen M; Olsen, Janette; Seiger, Cindy; Peterson, Teri S

2016-01-01

Student physical therapists are expected to learn and confidently perform technical skills while integrating nontechnical behavioral and cognitive skills in their examinations and interventions. The purpose of this study was to compare the self-confidence of entry-level doctoral student physical therapists during foundational assessment and musculoskeletal differential diagnosis courses and the students' competencies based on skills examinations. Methods using qualitative and quantitative procedures. Student physical therapists (n=27) participated in a basic assessment course followed by a musculoskeletal differential diagnosis course. The students completed confidence surveys prior to skills examinations in both courses. A random sample of students participated in focus groups, led by a researcher outside the physical therapy department. Student confidence did not correlate with competency scores. At the end of the basic clinical assessment course and the beginning of the differential diagnosis course, students' confidence was significantly below baseline. However, by the end of the differential diagnosis course, student confidence had returned to original baseline levels. Over three semesters, the students lost confidence and then regained confidence in their abilities. Additional experience and practice influenced perceived confidence. However, increased competence may have been associated with poor self-appraisal skills instead of increased competency.
Intellectual Development of Students at the Secondary-College Interface in Lebanon.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Za'rour, George I.; Gholam, Ghada K.

1981-01-01

Assesses the level of intellectual development in proportional, combinatorial, and correlational reasoning and the ability to control variables in beginning sophomore students (N=207) at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. Compares this level with their performance on achievement tests in mathematics, biology, chemistry, and physics. (CS)
Girls, boys and conceptual physics: An evaluation of a senior secondary physics course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woolnough, J. A.; Cameron, R. S.

1991-12-01

This paper reports an evaluation of the physics course at Dickson College (ACT) looking at students' high school experience, their expectations before beginning and their impressions and feelings during the course. In general, students seem to have a fairly negative approach to physics, enrolling for a variety of often vague utilitarian reasons but with little expectation of enjoyment or interest. These opinions were most prevalent in girls who tend to find the content difficult and the course as a whole uninteresting. There is also a significant difference between girls and boys in their response to different types of assessment items. In an attempt to enhance the level of interest and enjoyment in students we have been phasing in a more ‘conceptual’ approach to the teaching of physics.

Advanced Undergraduate and Early Graduate Physics Students' Misconception about Solar Wind Flow: Evidence of Students' Difficulties in Distinguishing Paradigms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gross, Nicholas A.; Lopez, Ramon E.

2009-01-01

Anecdotal evidence has suggested that advanced undergraduate students confuse the spiral structure of the interplanetary magnetic field with the flow of the solar wind. Though it is a small study, this paper documents this misconception and begins to investigate the underlying issues behind it. We present evidence that the traditional presentation…
Educating Scientifically - Advances in Physics Education Research

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Finkelstein, Noah

It is now fairly well documented that traditionally taught, large-scale introductory physics courses fail to teach our students the basics. In fact, often these same courses have been found to teach students things we do not want. Building on a tradition of research in physics, the physics education research community has been researching the effects of educational practice and reforms at the undergraduate level for many decades. From these efforts and those within the fields of education, cognitive science, and psychology we have learned a great deal about student learning and environments that support learning for an increasingly diverse populationmore » of students in the physics classroom. This talk will introduce some of the ideas from physics education research, discuss a variety of effective classroom practices/ surrounding educational structures, and begin to examine why these do (and do not) work. I will present both a survey of physics education research and some of the exciting theoretical and experimental developments emerging from the University of Colorado.« less
Educating Scientifically - Advances in Physics Education Research

ScienceCinema

Finkelstein, Noah [University of Colorado, Colorado, USA

2017-12-09

It is now fairly well documented that traditionally taught, large-scale introductory physics courses fail to teach our students the basics. In fact, often these same courses have been found to teach students things we do not want. Building on a tradition of research in physics, the physics education research community has been researching the effects of educational practice and reforms at the undergraduate level for many decades. From these efforts and those within the fields of education, cognitive science, and psychology we have learned a great deal about student learning and environments that support learning for an increasingly diverse population of students in the physics classroom. This talk will introduce some of the ideas from physics education research, discuss a variety of effective classroom practices/ surrounding educational structures, and begin to examine why these do (and do not) work. I will present both a survey of physics education research and some of the exciting theoretical and experimental developments emerging from the University of Colorado.
Methods to Improve Performance of Students with Weaker Math Skills in an Algebra-based Physics Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Leigh

2015-03-01

I will describe methods used at the University of Cincinnati to enhance student success in an algebra-based physics course. The first method is to use ALEKS, an adaptive online mathematics tutorial engine, before the term begins. Approximately three to four weeks before the beginning of the term, the professor in the course emails all of the students in the course informing them of the possibility of improving their math proficiency by using ALEKS. Using only a minimal reward on homework, we have achieved a 70% response rate with students spending an average of 8 hours working on their math skills before classes start. The second method is to use a flipped classroom approach. The class of 135 meets in a tiered classroom twice per week for two hours. Over the previous weekend students spend approximately 2 hours reading the book, taking short multiple choice conceptual quizzes, and viewing videos covering the material. In class, students use Learning Catalytics to work through homework problems in groups, guided by the instructor and one learning assistant. Using these interventions, we have reduced the student DWF rate (the fraction of students receiving a D or lower in the class) from an historical average of 35 to 40% to less than 20%.
Current Density and Continuity in Discretized Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boykin, Timothy B.; Luisier, Mathieu; Klimeck, Gerhard

2010-01-01

Discrete approaches have long been used in numerical modelling of physical systems in both research and teaching. Discrete versions of the Schrodinger equation employing either one or several basis functions per mesh point are often used by senior undergraduates and beginning graduate students in computational physics projects. In studying…
Use of Individual Feedback during Human Gross Anatomy Course for Enhancing Professional Behaviors in Doctor of Physical Therapy Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Youdas, James W.; Krause, David A.; Hellyer, Nathan J.; Rindflesch, Aaron B.; Hollman, John H.

2013-01-01

Medical professionals and public consumers expect that new physical therapy graduates possess cognitive, technical, and behavioral skills required to provide safe and high-quality care to patients. The purpose of this study was to determine if a repertoire of ten professional behaviors assessed at the beginning of doctorate of physical therapy…
Teaching symmetry in the introductory physics curriculum

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hill, C. T.; Lederman, L. M.

Modern physics is largely defined by fundamental symmetry principles and Noether's Theorem. Yet these are not taught, or rarely mentioned, to beginning students, thus missing an opportunity to reveal that the subject of physics is as lively and contemporary as molecular biology, and as beautiful as the arts. We prescribe a symmetry module to insert into the curriculum, of a week's length.
Physics Education Research efforts to promote diversity: Challenges and opportunities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brahmia, Suzanne

2015-04-01

We begin this talk with a brief description of the gender and ethnic diversity of the physics community. We then discuss several current efforts within Physics Education Research that have the potential to further our understanding of issues surrounding underrepresentation. These efforts include research into (1) the role of community and strategies for developing effective communities; (2) physics identity and self-efficacy; (3) the affordances that students from underrepresented groups bring to physics learning; (4) socioeconomics and its impact on mathematization. One of the challenges to conducting this research is the relatively small proportion of underrepresented minority students in current physics classes, and the small number of women in physics and engineering majors. In collaboration with Stephen Kanim, New Mexico State University.
A pedagogical derivation of the matrix element method in particle physics data analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sumowidagdo, Suharyo

2018-03-01

The matrix element method provides a direct connection between the underlying theory of particle physics processes and detector-level physical observables. I am presenting a pedagogically-oriented derivation of the matrix element method, drawing from elementary concepts in probability theory, statistics, and the process of experimental measurements. The level of treatment should be suitable for beginning research student in phenomenology and experimental high energy physics.
Language of Physics, Language of Math: Disciplinary Culture and Dynamic Epistemology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Redish, Edward F.; Kuo, Eric

2015-07-01

Mathematics is a critical part of much scientific research. Physics in particular weaves math extensively into its instruction beginning in high school. Despite much research on the learning of both physics and math, the problem of how to effectively include math in physics in a way that reaches most students remains unsolved. In this paper, we suggest that a fundamental issue has received insufficient exploration: the fact that in science, we don't just use math, we make meaning with it in a different way than mathematicians do. In this reflective essay, we explore math as a language and consider the language of math in physics through the lens of cognitive linguistics. We begin by offering a number of examples that show how the use of math in physics differs from the use of math as typically found in math classes. We then explore basic concepts in cognitive semantics to show how humans make meaning with language in general. The critical elements are the roles of embodied cognition and interpretation in context. Then, we show how a theoretical framework commonly used in physics education research, resources, is coherent with and extends the ideas of cognitive semantics by connecting embodiment to phenomenological primitives and contextual interpretation to the dynamics of meaning-making with conceptual resources, epistemological resources, and affect. We present these ideas with illustrative case studies of students working on physics problems with math and demonstrate the dynamical nature of student reasoning with math in physics. We conclude with some thoughts about the implications for instruction.
The role of recognition and interest in physics identity development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lock, Robynne

2016-03-01

While the number of students earning bachelor's degrees in physics has increased in recent years, this number has only recently surpassed the peak value of the 1960s. Additionally, the percentage of women earning bachelor's degrees in physics has stagnated for the past 10 years and may even be declining. We use a physics identity framework consisting of three dimensions to understand how students make their initial career decisions at the end of high school and the beginning of college. The three dimensions consist of recognition (perception that teachers, parents, and peers see the student as a ``physics person''), interest (desire to learn more about physics), and performance/competence (perception of abilities to complete physics related tasks and to understand physics). Using data from the Sustainability and Gender in Engineering survey administered to a nationally representative sample of college students, we built a regression model to determine which identity dimensions have the largest effect on physics career choice and a structural equation model to understand how the identity dimensions are related. Additionally, we used regression models to identify teaching strategies that predict each identity dimension.
Teaching a Hypothesis-driven Physical Diagnosis Curriculum to Pulmonary Fellows Improves Performance of First-Year Medical Students

PubMed Central

Saghafi, Ramin; Kempker, Jordan A.; Schulman, David A.

2016-01-01

Rationale: Hypothesis-driven physical examination emphasizes the role of bedside examination in the refinement of differential diagnoses and improves diagnostic acumen. This approach has not yet been investigated as a tool to improve the ability of higher-level trainees to teach medical students. Objectives: To assess the effect of teaching hypothesis-driven physical diagnosis to pulmonary fellows on their ability to improve the pulmonary examination skills of first-year medical students. Methods: Fellows and students were assessed on teaching and diagnostic skills by self-rating on a Likert scale. One group of fellows received the hypothesis-driven teaching curriculum (the “intervention” group) and another received instruction on head-to-toe examination. Both groups subsequently taught physical diagnosis to a group of first-year medical students. An oral examination was administered to all students after completion of the course. Measurements and Main Results: Fellows were comfortable teaching physical diagnosis to students. Students in both groups reported a lack of comfort with the pulmonary examination at the beginning of the course and improvement in their comfort by the end. Students trained by intervention group fellows outperformed students trained by control group fellows in the interpretation of physical findings (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Teaching hypothesis-driven physical examination to higher-level trainees who teach medical students improves the ability of students to interpret physical findings. This benefit should be confirmed using validated testing tools. PMID:26730644
Exploring Relationships: Teacher Characteristics and Student Learning in Physical Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Close, Eleanor; Vokos, S.; Seeley, L.

2006-12-01

The Department of Physics and the School of Education at Seattle Pacific University, together with FACET Innovations, LLC, are beginning the second year of a five-year NSF TPC grant, Improving the Effectiveness of Teacher Diagnostic Skills and Tools. We are working in partnership with school districts in Washington State to identify and characterize widespread productive and unproductive modes of reasoning employed by both pre-college students and teachers on foundational topics in physical science. In the first year of the grant, base-line preand post-test data were collected from a large number (N 2300) of middle and high school students. We will discuss relationships between preand post-test results, student learning gains, and student and teacher characteristics. * Supported in part by NSF grant #ESI-0455796, The Boeing Corporation, and the SPU Science Initiative.
Examining Attendance, Academic Performance, and Behavior in Obese Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniels, Dianne Yow

2008-01-01

Although academics and safety continue to rank as high-priority issues in public schools, educators and administrators are beginning to recognize the importance of student health on school success. This move toward a holistic approach suggests that efforts to improve a student's physical, social, and emotional well-being are as important as…
Narrowing the Achievement Gap: A Review of Research, Policies, and Issues. Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hertert, Linda; Teague, Jackie

Student achievement tests consistently show that certain groups of children score far below children in other groups. The data document a strong association between poverty and students' academic success. The achievement gap begins early in children's lives as the result of physical, social, and emotional deprivations. California is attempting to…
Contract Teaching -- One Step Toward Humanizing Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aierstock, Barbara A.

This paper examines the subject of "contract teaching", particularly as it relates to the field of instruction for physical education majors. Essentially, contracting for grades includes, "...an agreement between a teacher and a student at the beginning of a course as to the grade the student expects to receive and the amount and quality of work…
The How To of Badminton from Player to Teacher.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hicks, Virginia

This book is designed to help beginning and advanced students learn to play badminton in physical education classes, and to provide guidelines for the physical education instructor teaching badminton. It includes chapters on how to perform all the basic skills and advanced techniques, and provides a table which lists common errors and suggestions…
Illuminating the Blackbody

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lehoucq, Roland

2011-01-01

The blackbody is one of the first topics the students face at the beginning of their studies on modern physics. The usual framework supposes that a blackbody emits radiation in a 3D space in the form of massless bosons (photons). This paper investigates the blackbody radiation in a more general context in order to discuss the physical hypotheses…
High School Physical Education Teachers' Attitudes and Use of Fitness Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mercier, Kevin; Phillips, Sharon; Silverman, Stephen

2016-01-01

Recommendations for using and implementing fitness tests have been extensively researched and teachers' attitudes toward fitness tests are beginning to be studied. Less understood is how high school teachers use fitness tests and the role their attitudes toward fitness tests affect students' attitudes toward physical activity. The purpose of this…
Vacuum Energy and Inflation: 1. A Liter of Vacuum Energy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huggins, Elisha

2013-01-01

In the popular press, diagrams showing the evolution of the universe begin with a great jump in size labeled "inflation." Can we explain the basic ideas behind inflation to our students who have taken our introductory physics course? Probably not. In our standard introductory physics courses, even those with special relativity, something…

Engaging Preservice Teachers in Context-Based, Action-Oriented Curriculum Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richards, K. Andrew R.; Ressler, James D.

2016-01-01

Physical education teacher education programs have a responsibility to prepare students in the technical aspects of teaching physical education, while also helping them to develop an awareness of the micropolitical cultures of schools that have implications for the implementation of what has been learned. Without the latter, beginning teachers may…
Association of school performance indicators with implementation of the healthy kids, smart kids programme: case study.

PubMed

Nansel, Tonja R; Huang, Terry T K; Rovner, Alisha J; Sanders-Butler, Yvonne

2010-01-01

The purpose of the present analysis was to examine secular trends in school performance indicators in relationship to the implementation of a programme targeting the school food and physical activity environment. Data on available school performance indicators were obtained; retrospective analyses were conducted to assess trends in indicators in association with programme implementation; each outcome was regressed v. year, beginning with the year prior to programme implementation. The Healthy Kids, Smart Kids programme, a grass-roots effort to enhance the school food and physical activity environment in the Browns Mill Elementary School in Georgia. Data included publicly available school records from the years 1995 to 2006. The number of nurse, counselling and disciplinary referrals per 100 students demonstrated a downward trend, while standardized test scores demonstrated an upward trend beginning in the year of programme implementation. School year was a significant predictor of all indicators. Promoting nutrition and physical activity within the school environment may be a promising approach for enhancing both student health and educational outcomes.
Impacts of curricular change: Implications from 8 years of data in introductory physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pollock, Steven J.; Finkelstein, Noah

2013-01-01

Introductory calculus-based physics classes at the University of Colorado Boulder were significantly transformed beginning in 2004. They now regularly include: interactive engagement using clickers in large lecture settings, Tutorials in Introductory Physics with use of undergraduate Learning Assistants in recitation sections, and a staffed help-room setting where students work on personalized CAPA homework. We compile and summarize conceptual (FMCE and BEMA) pre- and post-data from over 9,000 unique students after 16 semesters of both Physics 1 and 2. Within a single institution with stable pre-test scores, we reproduce results of Hake's 1998 study that demonstrate the positive impacts of interactive engagement on student performance. We link the degree of faculty's use of interactive engagement techniques and their experience levels on student outcomes, and argue for the role of such systematic data collection in sustained course and institutional transformations.
From F = ma to Flying Squirrels: Curricular Change in an Introductory Physics Course

PubMed Central

O’Shea, Brian; Terry, Laura; Benenson, Walter

2013-01-01

We present outcomes from curricular changes made to an introductory calculus-based physics course whose audience is primarily life sciences majors, the majority of whom plan to pursue postbaccalaureate studies in medical and scientific fields. During the 2011–2012 academic year, we implemented a Physics of the Life Sciences curriculum centered on a draft textbook that takes a novel approach to teaching physics to life sciences majors. In addition, substantial revisions were made to the homework and hands-on components of the course to emphasize the relationship between physics and the life sciences and to help the students learn to apply physical intuition to life sciences–oriented problems. Student learning and attitudinal outcomes were assessed both quantitatively, using standard physics education research instruments, and qualitatively, using student surveys and a series of postsemester interviews. Students experienced high conceptual learning gains, comparable to other active learning–based physics courses. Qualitatively, a substantial fraction of interviewed students reported an increased interest in physics relative to the beginning of the semester. Furthermore, more than half of students self-reported that they could now relate physics topics to their majors and future careers, with interviewed subjects demonstrating a high level of ability to come up with examples of how physics affects living organisms and how it helped them to better understand content presented in courses in their major. PMID:23737630
From F = ma to flying squirrels: curricular change in an introductory physics course.

PubMed

O'Shea, Brian; Terry, Laura; Benenson, Walter

2013-06-01

We present outcomes from curricular changes made to an introductory calculus-based physics course whose audience is primarily life sciences majors, the majority of whom plan to pursue postbaccalaureate studies in medical and scientific fields. During the 2011-2012 academic year, we implemented a Physics of the Life Sciences curriculum centered on a draft textbook that takes a novel approach to teaching physics to life sciences majors. In addition, substantial revisions were made to the homework and hands-on components of the course to emphasize the relationship between physics and the life sciences and to help the students learn to apply physical intuition to life sciences-oriented problems. Student learning and attitudinal outcomes were assessed both quantitatively, using standard physics education research instruments, and qualitatively, using student surveys and a series of postsemester interviews. Students experienced high conceptual learning gains, comparable to other active learning-based physics courses. Qualitatively, a substantial fraction of interviewed students reported an increased interest in physics relative to the beginning of the semester. Furthermore, more than half of students self-reported that they could now relate physics topics to their majors and future careers, with interviewed subjects demonstrating a high level of ability to come up with examples of how physics affects living organisms and how it helped them to better understand content presented in courses in their major.
Analysis of the Impact of Introductory Physics on Engineering Students at Texas A&M University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perry, Jonathan; Bassichis, William

Introductory physics forms a major part of the foundational knowledge of engineering majors, independent of discipline and institution. While the content of introductory physics courses is consistent from institution to institution, the manner in which it is taught can vary greatly due to professor, textbook, instructional method, and overall course design. This work attempts to examine variations in student success, as measured by overall academic performance in an engineering major, and matriculation rates, based on the type of introductory physics a student took while enrolled in an engineering degree at Texas A&M University. Specific options for introductory physics at Texas A&M University include two calculus based physics courses, one traditional (UP), and one more mathematically rigorous (DP), transfer credit, and high school (AP or dual) credit. In order to examine the impact of introductory physics on a student's degree progression, data mining analyses are performed on a data set of relatively comprehensive academic records for all students enrolled as an engineering major for a minimum of one academic term. Student data has been collected for years of entering freshman beginning in 1990 and ending in 2010. Correlations will be examined between freshman level courses, including introductory physics, and follow on engineering courses, matriculation rates, and time to graduation.
Reaching Out: The Bachelor of Arts Degree In Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hobson, Art

1996-05-01

Physics degrees are not only for physicists. Our department believes that it would be healthy if attorneys, physicians, journalists, politicians, businesspeople, and others had undergraduate degrees in physics. Thus, we have begun offering a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics, for students who want to study physics as a background for other fields such as law (patents, environmental law), medical school, business (high-tech firms), journalism (science reporting, environmental reporting), music (accoustics, electronic music), and essentially any other profession. The program reaches outward, outside of physics, rather than pointing toward further work in physics. It begins with the algebra-based introductory course rather than the calculus-based course for future physicists and engineers. Two new courses are being created to provide these pre-professional students with broad science literacy and knowledge of physics-related technologies. The program is more flexible and less technical than the traditional Bachelor of Science program, allowing students time for outside electives and professional requirements in other fields.
Comparing the cognitive differences resulting from modeling instruction: Using computer microworld and physical object instruction to model real world problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oursland, Mark David

This study compared the modeling achievement of students receiving mathematical modeling instruction using the computer microworld, Interactive Physics, and students receiving instruction using physical objects. Modeling instruction included activities where students applied the (a) linear model to a variety of situations, (b) linear model to two-rate situations with a constant rate, (c) quadratic model to familiar geometric figures. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyze achievement differences between students (a) receiving different methods of modeling instruction, (b) with different levels of beginning modeling ability, or (c) with different levels of computer literacy. Student achievement was analyzed quantitatively through a three-factor analysis of variance where modeling instruction, beginning modeling ability, and computer literacy were used as the three independent factors. The SOLO (Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome) assessment framework was used to design written modeling assessment instruments to measure the students' modeling achievement. The same three independent factors were used to collect and analyze the interviews and observations of student behaviors. Both methods of modeling instruction used the data analysis approach to mathematical modeling. The instructional lessons presented problem situations where students were asked to collect data, analyze the data, write a symbolic mathematical equation, and use equation to solve the problem. The researcher recommends the following practice for modeling instruction based on the conclusions of this study. A variety of activities with a common structure are needed to make explicit the modeling process of applying a standard mathematical model. The modeling process is influenced strongly by prior knowledge of the problem context and previous modeling experiences. The conclusions of this study imply that knowledge of the properties about squares improved the students' ability to model a geometric problem more than instruction in data analysis modeling. The uses of computer microworlds such as Interactive Physics in conjunction with cooperative groups are a viable method of modeling instruction.
Do occupational therapy and physical therapy curricula teach critical thinking skills?

PubMed

Vogel, Kimberly A; Geelhoed, Michael; Grice, Kimatha O; Murphy, Douglas

2009-01-01

This study evaluated whether critical thinking ability can be improved through participation in occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) curricula. The researchers compared levels of the critical thinking skills of OT and PT students at the beginning and end of their programs to determine whether changes occurred and to examine facets of the curricula that may have caused the differences. The curricula include teaching strategies of problem-based learning modules, small group discussion and problem-solving, case studies, clinical observation, and evidence-based practice assignments, as well as teaching about critical thinking as a process in itself. Fifty OT and PT students completed the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal at the beginning and end of 20 mos of the academic phase of their master's degree programs. Researchers analyzed the data using a one-way repeated-measures ANOVA. Results showed no differences between OT and PT students on the pretest or post-test and no differences for PT students between the pretest and post-test. OT students' scores increased significantly from pretest to post-test. The influence of the timing of teaching critical thinking skills in the resulting differences between the two curricula, as well as the validity of the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal is a valid measure of critical thinking changes in allied health students are discussed.
Advancement of understanding in physical science and reduction of mathematical anxiety through the use of supplemental mathematics material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberson, James Chadwick

The purpose of this study was to determine if supplementary mathematics materials (created to be complementary to a physical science course) could provide a significant change in the attitudes and performance of the students involved. The supplementary text was provided in the form of a booklet. Participants were students in a physical science class. Students were given surveys to evaluate existing knowledge of physical science, mathematics skill, and mathematics anxiety in the context of a science class. Students were divided into control and experimental groups by lab section, with the experimental group receiving a supplemental booklet. At the end of the semester, another anxiety survey was given. The anxiety surveys and test grades were compared between groups. Anxiety scores were compared between the beginning and end of the semester within each group. Too few students reported using the booklets for a reliable statistical comparison (of grades) to be made. A statistically significant difference in mathematics anxiety levels was found between the groups.
Beginning without a Conclusion.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frazier, Richard

1988-01-01

Describes a series of activities without conclusions to introduce scientific reasoning in a ninth grade physical science course. Uses popcorn popping to get students to think about the concepts of graphing, histograms, frequency, probability, and scientific methodology. (CW)
Physical Growth and Development: From Conception to Maturity. A Programmed Text.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valadian, Isabelle; Porter, Douglas

In 16 self-contained units, this programmed text explores those aspects of growth and development that form the basis of child health care. The text is designed for a wide audience--students beginning their study of growth and development, health-related and social service personnel, medical students, and physicians. The first two units cover…
Techniques of Differentiation and Integration, Mathematics (Experimental): 5297.27.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forrester, Gary B.

This guidebook on minimum course content was designed for students who have mastered the skills and concepts of analytic geometry. It is a short course in the basic techniques of calculus recommended for the student who has need of these skills in other courses such as beginning physics, economics or statistics. The course does not intend to teach…
Inquiry Science for Liberal Arts Students: A Topical Course on Sound

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pine, Jerry; Hinckley, Joy; Mims, Sandra; Smith, Joel

1997-04-01

We have developed a topical general studies physics course for liberal arts students, and particularly for preservice elementary teachers. The course is taught entirely in a lab, and is based on a mix of student inquiries and ''sense-making'' in discussion. There are no lectures. A physics professor and a master elementary teacher co-lead. The students begin by conceptualizing the nature of sound by examining everyday phenomena, and then progress through a study of topics such as waves, interference, sysnthesis of complex sounds from pure tones, analysis of complex sounds into spectra, and independent projects. They use the computer program Soundedit Pro and the Macintosh interface as a powerful tool for analysis and synthesis. The student response has been extremely enthusiastic, though most have come to the course with very strong physics anxiety. The course has so far been trial-taught at five California campuses, and incorporatio into some of hte regular curricula seems promising.
The Benefits of Dispositional Mindfulness in Physical Health: A Longitudinal Study of Female College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Megan J.; Mermelstein, Liza C.; Edwards, Katie M.; Gidycz, Christine A.

2012-01-01

Objective: This article examines the relationship between dispositional mindfulness, health behaviors (e.g., sleep, eating, and exercise), and physical health. Participants: Participants included 441 college women. Methods: Women completed self-report surveys at the beginning and end of a 10-week academic quarter. The study was conducted over 5…
Special Relativity in Week One: 1) The Principle of Relativity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huggins, Elisha

2011-01-01

We like to begin an introductory physics course with a law of physics that applies to everything, has no known exceptions, and whose consequences are already familiar to students. That law is the principle of relativity. By focusing on the principle of relativity itself, and a careful selection of the thought experiments, we can comfortably…
Mentioning race at the beginning of clinical case presentations: a survey of US medical schools.

PubMed

Nawaz, Hamayun; Brett, Allan S

2009-02-01

Medical students and doctors in the USA frequently mention the patient's race at the beginning of oral or written clinical case presentations. However, this practice is controversial. We aimed to determine whether US medical schools explicitly teach students to mention race at the beginning of case presentations, and to collect additional information on the schools' perspectives on this practice. An Internet-based questionnaire was submitted to directors of courses on history taking and physical examination at all US medical schools. The response rate was 85%. Students are taught to mention race routinely at 11% of schools and selectively at 63% of schools; this practice is discouraged at 9% of schools and not addressed at 18% of schools. Most respondents noted that resident doctors at their institutions routinely mention race at the beginning of case presentations. Even at schools in which mentioning race is discouraged or not addressed, students tend to include race during their clinical rotations. Respondents were divided on whether a standardised approach to inclusion of race should exist at US schools. Teaching about inclusion or exclusion of race in the opening statement of clinical case presentations varies across US medical schools. This variation presents an opportunity for medical educators to discuss tensions between stereotyping and cultural competence in medical education.
Changing Beginning Teachers' Content Knowledge and Its Effects on Student Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sinelnikov, Oleg A.; Kim, Insook; Ward, Phillip; Curtner-Smith, Mathew; Li, Weidong

2016-01-01

Background: Lack of content knowledge (CK) is problematic in teaching in classroom subject areas and in physical education. There is a dearth of data-based research on interventions aimed at helping teachers acquire CK and, in turn, on the effects of CK on student learning. Aim: To investigate the effect of professional development, in the form of…
Investigating the Integration of Everyday Phenomena and Practical Work in Physics Teaching in Vietnamese High Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ng, Wan; Nguyen, Van Thanh

2006-01-01

Making science relevant in students' learning is an important aspect of science education. This involves the ability to draw in examples from daily contexts to begin with the learning or to apply concepts learnt into familiar everyday phenomena that students observe and experience around them. Another important aspect of science education is the…
Teacher's Resource Book for Balloons and Gases. Grade 6. Revised. Anchorage School District Elementary Science Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anchorage School District, AK.

This resource book introduces sixth-grade children to the physical and chemical properties of gases. The unit begins with an investigation of acids and bases. Students then generate carbon dioxide, oxygen, and hydrogen, and investigate the properties of each. The unit culminates with an activity involving an unknown gas. Students conduct tests to…

Using Target Heart-Rate Zones in Your Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilbert, Jennie A.

2005-01-01

Should teachers teach the calculation of target heart rate to students? And when is it appropriate to engage students in the attainment of these heart rates during physical education class activities? The answers to these questions are not easy. One might be tempted to state a simple yes or no and to identify a specific age to begin using training…
Using Tracker to Understand "Toss Up" and Free Fall Motion: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wee, Loo Kang; Tan, Kim Kia; Leong, Tze Kwang; Tan, Ching

2015-01-01

This paper reports the use of Tracker as a computer-based learning tool to support effective learning and teaching of "toss up" and free fall motion for beginning secondary three (15?year-old) students. The case study involved (N = 123) students from express pure physics classes at a mainstream school in Singapore. We used eight…
Time development in the early history of social networks: link stabilization, group dynamics, and segregation.

PubMed

Bruun, Jesper; Bearden, Ian G

2014-01-01

Studies of the time development of empirical networks usually investigate late stages where lasting connections have already stabilized. Empirical data on early network history are rare but needed for a better understanding of how social network topology develops in real life. Studying students who are beginning their studies at a university with no or few prior connections to each other offers a unique opportunity to investigate the formation and early development of link patterns and community structure in social networks. During a nine week introductory physics course, first year physics students were asked to identify those with whom they communicated about problem solving in physics during the preceding week. We use these students' self reports to produce time dependent student interaction networks. We investigate these networks to elucidate possible effects of different student attributes in early network formation. Changes in the weekly number of links show that while roughly half of all links change from week to week, students also reestablish a growing number of links as they progress through their first weeks of study. Using the Infomap community detection algorithm, we show that the networks exhibit community structure, and we use non-network student attributes, such as gender and end-of-course grade to characterize communities during their formation. Specifically, we develop a segregation measure and show that students structure themselves according to gender and pre-organized sections (in which students engage in problem solving and laboratory work), but not according to end-of-coure grade. Alluvial diagrams of consecutive weeks' communities show that while student movement between groups are erratic in the beginning of their studies, they stabilize somewhat towards the end of the course. Taken together, the analyses imply that student interaction networks stabilize quickly and that students establish collaborations based on who is immediately available to them and on observable personal characteristics.
Quod erat demonstrandum: Understanding and Explaining Equations in Physics Teacher Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karam, Ricardo; Krey, Olaf

2015-07-01

In physics education, equations are commonly seen as calculation tools to solve problems or as concise descriptions of experimental regularities. In physical science, however, equations often play a much more important role associated with the formulation of theories to provide explanations for physical phenomena. In order to overcome this inconsistency, one crucial step is to improve physics teacher education. In this work, we describe the structure of a course that was given to physics teacher students at the end of their master's degree in two European universities. The course had two main goals: (1) To investigate the complex interplay between physics and mathematics from a historical and philosophical perspective and (2) To expand students' repertoire of explanations regarding possible ways to derive certain school-relevant equations. A qualitative analysis on a case study basis was conducted to investigate the learning outcomes of the course. Here, we focus on the comparative analysis of two students who had considerably different views of the math-physics interplay in the beginning of the course. Our general results point to important changes on some of the students' views on the role of mathematics in physics, an increase in the participants' awareness of the difficulties faced by learners to understand physics equations and a broadening in the students' repertoire to answer "Why?" questions formulated to equations. Based on this analysis, further implications for physics teacher education are derived.
Neither Animal Nor Vegetable.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freas, Carol

1991-01-01

Presented are interdisciplinary activities that help students to identify minerals and to begin to understand the properties that make each one unique. The concept of individuality is emphasized. Included is a section on minerals and an explanation of their physical characteristics. (KR)
Tinkering through Transition: On "Doctoring" as an Early-Career Academic in Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Benjamin; Christensen, Erin; Occhino, Joseph

2017-01-01

This article addresses the notion of "making it" as an early-career academic in physical education and sport pedagogy. In it, we draw on the tradition of material semiotics to reflect on our shared journeys from doctoral student to beginning scholar and beyond. By attuning ourselves to the relationality, materiality and precariousness of…
Creating and Using a Consumer Chemical Molecular Graphics Database: The "Molecule of the Day" - A Great Way To Begin Your Lecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scharberg, Maureen A.; Cox, Oran E.; Barelli, Carl A.

1997-07-01

"The Molecule of the Day" consumer chemical database has been created to allow introductory chemistry students to explore molecular structures of chemicals in household products, and to provide opportunities in molecular modeling for undergraduate chemistry students. Before class begins, an overhead transparency is displayed which shows a three-dimensional molecular structure of a household chemical, and lists relevant features and uses of this chemical. Within answers to questionnaires, students have commented that this molecular graphics database has helped them to visually connect the microscopic structure of a molecule with its physical and chemical properties, as well as its uses in consumer products. It is anticipated that this database will be incorporated into a navigational software package such as Netscape.
Assessment of the benefits of a summer undergraduate research program for physics and chemistry majors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, Chris; MacDonald, Gina

2006-11-01

Presently at James Madison University, there are slightly more than 100 physics majors and 150 chemistry majors. Each summer, a significant fraction of these students participate in either the chemistry or interdisciplinary materials science Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program on campus. This provides a large pool of students from which to draw data comparing the influence of undergraduate research on both classroom performance and attitudes toward science as a profession. By analyzing the grade point averages of chemistry and physics majors, we have shown slightly larger increases from spring semester to fall semester for students who participated in the REU than those who did not. We have also measured changes in attitudes using surveys of the students both at the beginning and at the end of the summer experience. An analysis of these surveys will be presented.
Association of school performance indicators with implementation of the Healthy Kids, Smart Kids program: case study

PubMed Central

Nansel, Tonja R.; Huang, Terry T.K.; Rovner, Alisha J.; Sanders-Butler, Yvonne

2009-01-01

Objective: The purpose of this analysis was to examine secular trends in school performance indicators in relationship to the implementation of a program targeting the school food and physical activity environment. Design: Data on available school performance indicators were obtained; retrospective analyses were conducted to assess trends in indicators in association with program implementation; each outcome was regressed on year, beginning with the year prior to program implementation. Setting: The Healthy Kids, Smart Kids program was a grass-roots effort to enhance the school food and physical activity environment in the Browns Mill Elementary School in Georgia. Subjects: Data included publicly available school records from the years 1995 to 2006. Results: The number of nurse, counseling, and disciplinary referrals per 100 students demonstrated a downward trend, while standardized test scores demonstrated an upward trend beginning the year of program implementation. School year was a significant predictor of all indicators. Conclusions: Promoting nutrition and physical activity within the school environment may be a promising approach for enhancing both student health and educational outcomes. PMID:19454125
An investigation of the impact of science course sequencing on student performance in high school science and math

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mary, Michael Todd

High school students in the United States for the past century have typically taken science courses in a sequence of biology followed by chemistry and concluding with physics. An alternative sequence, typically referred to as "physics first" inverts the traditional sequence by having students begin with physics and end with biology. Proponents of physics first cite advances in biological sciences that have dramatically changed the nature of high school biology and the potential benefit to student learning in math that would accompany taking an algebra-based physics course in the early years of high school to support changing the sequence. Using a quasi-experimental, quantitative research design, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of science course sequencing on student achievement in math and science at a school district that offered both course sequences. The Texas state end-of-course exams in biology, chemistry, physics, algebra I and geometry were used as the instruments measuring student achievement in math and science at the end of each academic year. Various statistical models were used to analyze these achievement data. The conclusion was, for students in this study, the sequence in which students took biology, chemistry, and physics had little or no impact on performance on the end-of-course assessments in each of these courses. Additionally there was only a minimal effect found with respect to math performance, leading to the conclusion that neither the traditional or "physics first" science course sequence presented an advantage for student achievement in math or science.
An ion accelerator for undergraduate research and teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monce, Michael

1997-04-01

We have recently upgraded our 400kV, single beam line ion accelerator to a 1MV, multiple beam line machine. This upgrade has greatly expanded the opportunities for student involvement in the laboratory. We will describe four areas of work in which students now participate. The first is the continuing research being conducted in excitations produced in ion-molecule collisions, which recently involved the use of digital imaging. The second area of research now opened up by the new accelerator involves PIXE. We are currently beginning a cross disciplinary study of archaeological specimens using PIXE and involving students from both anthropology and physics. Finally, two beam lines from the accelerator will be used for basic work in nuclear physics: Rutherford scattering and nuclear resonances. These two nuclear physics experiments will be integrated into our sophomore-junior level, year-long course in experimental physics.
Using Digital Learning Objects to Introduce Students to the Nature of Models and the Nature of Matter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gustafson, Brenda; Mahaffy, Peter; Martin, Brian

2011-01-01

This article reports a subset of findings from a larger study centered on designing a series of six digital learning objects to help Grade 5 (age 10-12) students begin to consider the nature of models (understood as the physical or mental representation of objects, phenomena, or processes), the particle nature of matter, and the behavior of…
A Statistical Analysis of Activity-Based and Traditional Introductory Algebra Physics Using the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trecia Markes, Cecelia

2006-03-01

With a three-year FIPSE grant, it has been possible at the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) to develop and implement activity- based introductory physics at the algebra level. It has generally been recognized that students enter physics classes with misconceptions about motion and force. Many of these misconceptions persist after instruction. Pretest and posttest responses on the ``Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation'' (FMCE) are analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the activity- based method of instruction relative to the traditional (lecture/lab) method of instruction. Data were analyzed to determine the following: student understanding at the beginning of the course, student understanding at the end of the course, how student understanding is related to the type of class taken, student understanding based on gender and type of class. Some of the tests used are the t-test, the chi-squared test, and analysis of variance. The results of these tests will be presented, and their implications will be discussed.
Physical Therapy-Related Child Outcomes in School: An Example of Practice-Based Evidence Methodology.

PubMed

Effgen, Susan K; McCoy, Sarah Westcott; Chiarello, Lisa A; Jeffries, Lynn M; Bush, Heather

2016-01-01

To describe the use of practice-based evidence research methodology in a prospective, multisite observational study to investigate changes in students' participation in school activity, self-care, posture/mobility, recreation/fitness, and academic outcomes, and the relationships of these changes to characteristics of school-based physical therapy. One hundred nine physical therapists completed the training and data collection and 296 students, 5 to 12 years of age (mean age = 7.3 years) had 6 months of complete data. Therapists completed individualized (Goal Attainment Scaling) and standardized (School Function Assessment) outcome measures for students at the beginning and end of the school year and during the year collected weekly data on services to and on behalf of the students. This research design enabled the investigation of complex research questions related to school-based practice. The findings of this study, to be reported later, should influence school-based therapy by providing guidance related to what activities, interventions, and services influence student outcomes.
Native Language Immersion.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reyhner, Jon

This paper describes the benefits of indigenous mother tongue immersion programs, examining the Total Physical Response approach to immersion for beginning learners and focusing on the development of Maori and Hawaiian mother tongue language immersion programs. The paper discusses the importance of immersing students in a language-risk…
Teaching Contemporary Physics Topics Using Real-Time Data Obtained via the World Wide Web

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Post-Zwicker, A. P.; Davis, W.; Grip, R.; McKay, M.; Pfaff, R.; Stotler, D. P.

1999-12-01

As a teaching tool, the World Wide Web (WWW) is unprecedented in its ability to transmit information and enhance communication between scientist and student. Just beginning to be developed are sites that actively engage the user in the learning process and provide hands-on methods of teaching contemporary topics. These topics are often not found in the classroom due to the complexity and expense of the laboratory equipment and the WWW is an ideal tool for overcoming this difficulty. This paper presents a model for using the Internet to teach high school students about plasma physics and fusion energy. Students are given access to real-time data, virtual experiments, and communication with professional scientists via email. Preliminary data indicate that student collaboration and student-led learning is encouraged when using the site in the classroom. Scientist/student mentoring is enhanced with this form of communication.
Interactive fundamental physics. [THE REAL STUFF: The New Expanded Media Physics Course for secondary school students

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rubin, E.L.

THE REAL STUFF is an Expanded Media Physics Course aimed at students still in the formative early years of secondary school. Its consists of a working script for an interactive multimedia study unit in basic concepts of physics. The unit begins with a prologue on the Big Bang that sets the stage, and concludes with a lesson on Newton's first law of motion. The format is interactive, placing the individual student in control of a layered hypermedia'' structure that enables him or her to find a level of detail and difficulty that is comfortable and meaningful. The intent is tomore » make physics relevant, intellectually accessible and fun. On-screen presenters and demonstrators will be females and males of various ages, ethnicities and backgrounds, and will include celebrities and physicists of note. A lean, layered design encourages repeated, cumulative study and makes the material useful for self-directed Teaming even by college students. THE REAL STUFF introduces a new science teaching paradigm, a way to teach science that will engage even students who have declined'' to be interested in science in the past. Increased participation in science by women, African-Americans and Spanish-speaking students is a particular goal.« less
Situational Analysis of Physical Therapist Clinical Instructors' Facilitation of Students' Emerging Embodiment of Movement in Practice.

PubMed

Covington, Kyle; Barcinas, Susan J

2017-06-01

Physical therapists improve the functional ability of patients after injury and disease. A unique component of their practice is the ability to use the movement of their own bodies to effect change in their patients. This ability has been recognized as a distinctive attribute of expert physical therapists. The purpose of this qualitative situational analysis study was to examine how physical therapist clinical instructors perceive and facilitate their students' emerging integration of movement in practice. Data collection and analysis were guided by a theoretical framework for understanding "professional ways of being." Data were analyzed using coding and mapping strategies consistent with situational analysis techniques. The study included 5 physical therapist clinical instructors and their respective 5 physical therapist students. Data were collected during beginning, midterm, and final weeks of the students' clinical internships using participant interviews, observation, and document analysis. Coded data were summarized using situational analysis mapping strategies, resulting in 11 maps. These maps were further analyzed and reduced to 5 thematic behaviors enacted by a clinical instructor as he or she helps facilitate students' use of movement in practice. These behaviors are adapt, prepare, enhance, connect , and develop . The limited number of participants and the relative homogeneity of the student sample may have limited the diversity of data collected. The 5 behaviors are useful when considered as a trajectory of development. To our knowledge, this study marks the first description of how physical therapist clinical instructors develop students' use of movement in practice and how to enact behaviors important in students' continued professional development. The findings are important for clinical instructors and academic programs considering how best to prepare students to use movement and develop their skills early in practice. © 2017 American Physical Therapy Association
Student Use of Physics to Make Sense of Incomplete but Functional VPython Programs in a Lab Setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weatherford, Shawn A.

2011-12-01

Computational activities in Matter & Interactions, an introductory calculus-based physics course, have the instructional goal of providing students with the experience of applying the same set of a small number of fundamental principles to model a wide range of physical systems. However there are significant instructional challenges for students to build computer programs under limited time constraints, especially for students who are unfamiliar with programming languages and concepts. Prior attempts at designing effective computational activities were successful at having students ultimately build working VPython programs under the tutelage of experienced teaching assistants in a studio lab setting. A pilot study revealed that students who completed these computational activities had significant difficultly repeating the exact same tasks and further, had difficulty predicting the animation that would be produced by the example program after interpreting the program code. This study explores the interpretation and prediction tasks as part of an instructional sequence where students are asked to read and comprehend a functional, but incomplete program. Rather than asking students to begin their computational tasks with modifying program code, we explicitly ask students to interpret an existing program that is missing key lines of code. The missing lines of code correspond to the algebraic form of fundamental physics principles or the calculation of forces which would exist between analogous physical objects in the natural world. Students are then asked to draw a prediction of what they would see in the simulation produced by the VPython program and ultimately run the program to evaluate the students' prediction. This study specifically looks at how the participants use physics while interpreting the program code and creating a whiteboard prediction. This study also examines how students evaluate their understanding of the program and modification goals at the beginning of the modification task. While working in groups over the course of a semester, study participants were recorded while they completed three activities using these incomplete programs. Analysis of the video data showed that study participants had little difficulty interpreting physics quantities, generating a prediction, or determining how to modify the incomplete program. Participants did not base their prediction solely from the information from the incomplete program. When participants tried to predict the motion of the objects in the simulation, many turned to their knowledge of how the system would evolve if it represented an analogous real-world physical system. For example, participants attributed the real-world behavior of springs to helix objects even though the program did not include calculations for the spring to exert a force when stretched. Participants rarely interpreted lines of code in the computational loop during the first computational activity, but this changed during latter computational activities with most participants using their physics knowledge to interpret the computational loop. Computational activities in the Matter & Interactions curriculum were revised in light of these findings to include an instructional sequence of tasks to build a comprehension of the example program. The modified activities also ask students to create an additional whiteboard prediction for the time-evolution of the real-world phenomena which the example program will eventually model. This thesis shows how comprehension tasks identified by Palinscar and Brown (1984) as effective in improving reading comprehension are also effective in helping students apply their physics knowledge to interpret a computer program which attempts to model a real-world phenomena and identify errors in their understanding of the use, or omission, of fundamental physics principles in a computational model.
Using Natural Approach Teaching Techniques.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitman, Charles

1986-01-01

Describes a beginning foreign language class applying the principles of Stephen Krashen's "Natural Approach" and James Asher's "Total Physical Response" method. Initially students carry out the instructor's commands in the form of actions rather than being required to speak. In later stages role play and simple discussions are…

Numberical Solution to Transient Heat Flow Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kobiske, Ronald A.; Hock, Jeffrey L.

1973-01-01

Discusses the reduction of the one- and three-dimensional diffusion equation to the difference equation and its stability, convergence, and heat-flow applications under different boundary conditions. Indicates the usefulness of this presentation for beginning students of physics and engineering as well as college teachers. (CC)
Attitudes of physical therapist students toward physical therapist assistants before and after full-time clinical internships.

PubMed

Cavallo, Cheryl L; Richter, Randy R

2004-01-01

Development of attitudes of physical therapists (PTs) toward physical therapist assistants (PTAs) begins during their professional education, and attitudes are influenced further by clinical experiences. The purpose of this study was to understand attitudes of student PTs toward PTAs. We surveyed 66 clinical intern students enrolled in an entry-level master of physical therapy program. PT students received the same survey before and after their full-time clinical internship. Eleven Likert scale items were used to assess students' attitudes toward PTAs in the areas of competence, financial remuneration, and job security. One item was designed to determine whether PT students' level of contact with PTAs influenced attitudes. A random sample of 13 (20.9%) students who returned surveys were asked to participate in a telephone interview designed to enrich the quantitative data. After item analysis, five of the scale items were eliminated from the analyses due to poor internal consistency. Cronbach's alpha of the remaining six scale items was 0.75. Survey results reveal that PT students maintain an overall positive attitude toward PTAs before and after full-time clinical internship. Qualitative interview data support this finding. Students' attitudes in specific areas of PTA competence were negative and positive, however. The negative attitude may have been based on the students' beliefs that PTAs are not competent to perform physical therapy in situations that are changing or unpredictable. Positive attitudes may have been reflective of the students' beliefs that PTAs are competent to implement established plans of care. Student ranking of four professional issues showed a significant difference before and after full-time clinical internships.
The Physics Portal through Physics Connection Website: It's a new way to Stay Connected!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacome, D. Z.; Mato, P.; Lopez, J. L.; Zhu, W.; Dong, D.

2011-12-01

Our project involves connecting all level of students to science with limited funding available and having necessary resources to keep them updated. Students gain the opportunity to interact with others without having to leave the comfort of their schools. Through the Physics Portal, a door is automatically opened linking students to projects worldwide and expanding their knowledge each day. Through the funds provided we would purchase 2 laptops, a projector, speakers, a microphone, and an HD webcam. This package includes all of the tools needed to communicate and have an interactive experience with other institutions in our local area. Schools receive packages in the mail with every component needed to connect via conferencing to other students, teachers or professors in the field. Information can be recorded on each laptop, reactions of the students, and questions asked to later be updated on the Physics Connection webpage. Physics Connection allows the science community to explore through each recorded session and make recommendations to increase the efficiently of the program. Several applications on the website allow for groups to connect, discuss general ideas, or contact students for admissions to schools. Interviews, event participation, networking, and communication tools are all linked into one complete interactive package. When the experience ends for one student, it begins for another one. The process continues until the majority becomes informed.
The Physics Force presents The Physics Circus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahlberg, E. Dan

2015-03-01

The Physics Force of the University of Minnesota is an outreach program developed with the goal to show students and the public Science is Fun, Science is Interesting, and Science is Understandable. The program grew from a rather small effort by three high school physics teachers and two University of Minnesota staff members. In the almost three decades since its humble beginnings of 100 attendees in a year, it has grown to an average attendance of over 36,000 annually. In the last three years alone, about 110,000 Minnesotans have seen a performance of The Physics Circus which is roughly 2% of the population of the state. In addition to the performances in Minnesota, The Force performed two years at Disney's Epcot Center, was featured on Newton's Apple, and made appearances on the very successful German TV science show, the Knoff-Hoff Show. I will begin the talk with some of our motivation to develop The Physics Force arising from the current ``scientific state'' of our society and then provide more information on The Force including both some history and examples taken from our Physics Circus.
Relativity, quantum physics and philosophy in the upper secondary curriculum: challenges, opportunities and proposed approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henriksen, Ellen K.; Bungum, Berit; Angell, Carl; Tellefsen, Cathrine W.; Frågåt, Thomas; Vetleseter Bøe, Maria

2014-11-01

In this article, we discuss how quantum physics and relativity can be taught in upper secondary school, in ways that promote conceptual understanding and philosophical reflections. We present the ReleQuant project, in which web-based teaching modules have been developed. The modules address competence aims in the Norwegian national curriculum for physics (final year of upper secondary education), which is unique in that it includes general relativity, entangled photons and the epistemological consequences of modern physics. These topics, with their high demands on students’ understanding of abstract and counter-intuitive concepts and principles, are challenging for teachers to teach and for students to learn. However, they also provide opportunities to present modern physics in innovative ways that students may find motivating and relevant both in terms of modern technological applications and in terms of contributions to students’ intellectual development. Beginning with these challenges and opportunities, we briefly present previous research and theoretical perspectives with relevance to student learning and motivation in modern physics. Based on this, we outline the ReleQuant teaching approach, where students use written and oral language and a collaborative exploration of animations and simulations as part of their learning process. Finally, we present some of the first experiences from classroom tests of the quantum physics modules.
Differentiating between Women in Hard and Soft Science and Engineering Disciplines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camp, Amanda G.; Gilleland, Diane S.; Pearson, Carolyn; Vander Putten, James

2010-01-01

The intent of this study was to investigate characteristics that differentiate between women in soft (social, psychological, and life sciences) and hard (engineering, mathematics, computer science, physical science) science and engineering disciplines. Using the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study: 1996-2001 (2002), a descriptive…
The Mile Deep Muon Detector at Sanford Underground Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McMahan, Margaret; Gabriel, Steve

2012-03-01

For educating students and teachers about basic nuclear and particle physics, you can't go wrong with cosmic rays muons as a cheap and reliable source of data. A simple and relatively inexpensive detector gives a myriad of possibilities to cover core material in physical science, chemistry, physics, and statistics and gives students opportunities to design their own investigations. At Sanford Underground Laboratory at Homestake, in Lead, SD, cosmic ray muon detectors are being used to answer the first question always asked by any visitor to the facility, ``Why are you building the lab a mile underground'' A conventional Quarknet-style detector is available in the education facility on the surface, with a much larger companion detector, the Mile Deep Muon Detector, set up 4850 feet below the surface. Using the Quarknet data acquisition board, the data will be made available to students and teachers through the Cosmic Ray E-lab website. The detector was tested and installed as part of a summer program for students beginning their first or second year of college.
A Summer at the University: A twenty five years experience with High School Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zamorano, Nelson

2014-03-01

After running a summer school for enthusiastic high school students for 25 years, we reached the point where three of my colleagues at the physics department, are exstudents from two physics courses offered (more than ten years ago) within our program. There are also graduates in some others Faculties in different universities. Here we would like to describe the evolution of this project since its beginning, with 60 students in an introductory physics class to the 3000 now attending (January 2014) the around 60 courses offered in almost all areas of knowledge, from theater to Biotechnology. Lately, as we became aware of the relevance of teaching sciences to young kids in elementary school, we started a winter section addressing this group of students. The courses are mainly a hands on experience. In this talk we will comment about our learning experience working on this kind of projects and our projections for the future. Partial travel support from Escuela de Verano.
Instilling best educational practices into future physics professionals and faculty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collins, Philip G.

2009-03-01

A primary aim of the New Faculty Workshop (NFW) has been to communicate best educational practices in faculty beginning their teaching careers. However, further amplification of NFW goals is achieved by providing similar content and training to Ph.D. candidates working as Teaching Assistants (TAs). NFW experience led to the successful creation at UCI of a relatively extensive, 30-hour training course now required of every graduate student in the Dept. of Physics and Astronomy. Half of the training occurs before the first week of classes, and focuses on peer instruction, active learning, and results from Physics Education Research. This orientation segues into peer evaluation as first-time TAs and soon-to-be TAs practice teaching styles for each other and evaluate videos of each other teaching their actual courses. This course directly trains 25-30 graduate students each year, indirectly affecting dozens of discussion sections and the experience of nearly 2000 students per quarter.
Applying physics to solve problems in new contexts and representations: Methods Students Use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zollman, Dean

2010-02-01

``The questions on the test were, like, totally different from the homework.'' All of us have heard variations on this statement. Yet, when we look at the homework and the test questions, we see great similarities. Changing the context or the representation in a physics problem can cause students to have significant difficulties. These difficulties persist sometimes in homework problems, exams and even hands-on activities. With significant effort from Sanjay Rebello our group has been investigating some of the issues which lead to the inability to apply physics learned in one context or with one representation to other situations. By looking at what aspects students are able to use easily and those that they have difficulty applying, we are beginning to understand some of the aspects that help this transfer of learning and some that do not. (Supported by the grants from the National Science Foundation and US Department of Education) )
Sex differences in physics learning and evaluations in an introductory course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blue, Jennifer Marie

On a national level, boys and men score higher than girls and women on science and math tests. There have been several investigations into the reasons for these differences, with some believing that they are caused by innate biological sex differences and some that they are caused by social and cultural gender differences. In addition, women who plan to major in science and engineering drop out of those majors at higher rates than men do. This study was designed to contribute to the ongoing discussion about why these differences between women and men exist. This study compared post-test physics scores of a matched sample of men and women to see whether there were differences in how much physics had been learned at the end of a course when there were few differences at the beginning of the course. The study also looked at the ratings that men and women gave to the problem solving method and the sections of the course that used cooperative grouping. It was found that, although the population of students taking Physics 1251 showed differences in performance on physics tests both at the beginning and at the end of the course, when students were matched according to their high school background and their physics pretest scores there was no difference in their post-test scores. It was also found that women liked the relevant aspects of the course more than men did. Implications of these results are discussed.
Nurses with disabilities: can changing our educational system keep them in nursing?

PubMed

Neal-Boylan, Leslie J; Guillett, Sharron E

2008-01-01

A recent qualitative study revealed that registered nurses with physical disabilities experience discrimination in the workplace and frequently leave their jobs and the profession. In light of these findings, it is vital that nursing faculty begin to inculcate students with an appreciation for collegial support before they enter the workplace as registered nurses. The familiar refrain "nurses eat their young" is apparently also true of nurses who have physical limitations. This article will discuss the findings from a qualitative study and offer recommendations for how nurse educators can educate students to help prevent the loss of nurses with disabilities from the profession.
Gender Differences in the High School and Affective Experiences of Introductory College Physics Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hazari, Zahra; Sadler, Philip M.; Tai, Robert H.

2008-10-01

The disparity in persistence between males and females studying physics has been a topic of concern to physics educators for decades. Overall, while female students perform as well as or better than male students, they continue to lag considerably in terms of persistence. The most significant drop in females studying physics occurs between high school and college.2 Since most female physicists report that they became attracted to physics and decided to study it further while in high school, according to the International Study of Women in Physics,3 it is problematic that high school is also the stage at which females begin to opt out at much higher rates than males. Although half of the students taking one year of physics in high school are female, females are less likely than males to take a second or Advanced Placement (AP) physics course.4 In addition, the percentage of females taking the first physics course in college usually falls between 30% and 40%. In other words, although you may see gender parity in a first high school physics course, this parity does not usually persist to the next level of physics course. In addition, even if there is parity in a high school physics course, it does not mean that males and females experience the course in the same way. It is this difference in experience that may help to explain the drop in persistence of females.
Physics in ;Real Life;: Accelerator-based Research with Undergraduates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klay, J. L.

All undergraduates in physics and astronomy should have access to significant research experiences. When given the opportunity to tackle challenging open-ended problems outside the classroom, students build their problem-solving skills in ways that better prepare them for the workplace or future research in graduate school. Accelerator-based research on fundamental nuclear and particle physics can provide a myriad of opportunities for undergraduate involvement in hardware and software development as well as ;big data; analysis. The collaborative nature of large experiments exposes students to scientists of every culture and helps them begin to build their professional network even before they graduate. This paper presents an overview of my experiences - the good, the bad, and the ugly - engaging undergraduates in particle and nuclear physics research at the CERN Large Hadron Collider and the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center.
Self-Concept: An Operational Model for Educators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Obiakor, Festus

This document begins by discussing the important role self-concept plays in a student's academic achievement, social adjustment, and physical capability. A perceptual notion of self-concept is defined as awareness through senses. An operational notion of self-concept is defined as self-descriptive behaviors. Literature is reviewed which defines…
Technical Drafting and Mental Visualization in Interior Architecture Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arslan, Ali Riza; Dazkir, Sibel Seda

2017-01-01

We explored how beginning-level interior architecture students develop skills to create mental visualizations of three-dimensional objects and environments, how they develop their technical drawing skills, and whether or not physical and computer generated models aid this design process. We used interviews and observations to collect data. The…
The Implications of a System-Wide Positive Behavioral Intervention Initiative: From Design to Successful Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Austin, Vance L.; Malow, Micheline S.; Josephs, Nikki L.; Ecker, Andrew J.

2016-01-01

Residential schools for students with emotional and behavioral disorders have been steadily evolving since the beginning of the 20th Century. Traditional behavioral approaches involving physical restraint and confinement have been replaced with more humanistic interventions involving positive reinforcement. This article traces this transformative…
An Inquiry into the Phases of Matter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Sarah

2010-01-01

The "What's the "matter" With XOD" activity addresses students' misconceptions and refines their ideas about phases of matter. This activity introduces the characteristics for solids, liquids, and gases, and begins a discussion about physical and chemical changes and how matter can cycle through different phases. Depending on class size and…
PR2EPS: Preparation, Recruitment, Retention and Excellence in the Physical Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallagher, H. A.; Schaumloffel, J. C.; Bischoff, P.; Labroo, S.; Bachman, N.

2006-05-01

PR2EPS is a multifaceted NSF-DUE sponsored program at SUNY Oneonta that strives to enhance the number of students pursuing degrees in the physical sciences and increase the retention rate of students pursuing STEM degrees. A key focus of the project, which is beginning its third year, is drawing students from the five rural counties surrounding Oneonta, NY. Team members visit 15 to 20 local high schools each year leading discussions on academic and career opportunities in STEM disciplines and inviting students to participate in a one week summer science camp. A variety of hands-on science and engineering activities are designed to engage students and demonstrate to them that they possess the requisite skills and potential to succeed in these technically demanding disciplines. Campers who decide to study physical science at SUNY Oneonta are supported with a modest financial inducement and an evening tutoring center. As these students progress, they gain exposure to research and professional activities designed to show them opportunities and developments in their field and integrate them into the broader community of learners. A description of the program, which is a collaboration of faculty from the Departments of Physics & Astronomy, Chemistry & Biochemistry and Education, as well as an evaluation of the effectiveness of the overall program and its components will be provided.
Resource Letter ALIP-1: Active-Learning Instruction in Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meltzer, David E.; Thornton, Ronald K.

2012-06-01

This Resource Letter provides a guide to the literature on research-based active-learning instruction in physics. These are instructional methods that are based on, assessed by, and validated through research on the teaching and learning of physics. They involve students in their own learning more deeply and more intensely than does traditional instruction, particularly during class time. The instructional methods and supporting body of research reviewed here offer potential for significantly improved learning in comparison to traditional lecture-based methods of college and university physics instruction. We begin with an introduction to the history of active learning in physics in the United States, and then discuss some methods for and outcomes of assessing pedagogical effectiveness. We enumerate and describe common characteristics of successful active-learning instructional strategies in physics. We then discuss a range of methods for introducing active-learning instruction in physics and provide references to those methods for which there is published documentation of student learning gains.

Preconceptions of Japanese Students Surveyed Using the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishimoto, Michi

2010-07-01

We assess the preconceptions of Japanese students about force and motion. The Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation is a research-based, multiple-choice assessment of students' conceptual understanding of Newton's laws of motion and energy conservation. It is administered to determine the effectiveness of introductory mechanics curricula. In this study, the test was given to engineering students at the beginning of the first lecture of an introductory mechanics course for several years. Some students had minimal high school physics education, whereas the others had completed high school physics programs. To probe the students' preconceptions, we studied their test answers for each of the following categories: velocity, acceleration, Newton's first and second laws, Newton's third law, and energy conservation. We find that preconceptions, such as F ∝ mv, are prevalent among the students, regardless of their level of high school physics education. In the case of a collision between two objects, two preconceptions—a mass-dependent model and an action-dependent model—are prevalent. Typically, students combine the two models, with action dependency outweighing mass dependency. In the case of a sled sliding down a hill without friction at two heights and inclinations, a quarter of students used the height-dependent model to answer questions regarding speed and kinetic energy.
Challenges in Teaching Space Physics to Different Target Groups From Space Weather Forecasters to Heavy-weight Theorists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koskinen, H. E.

2008-12-01

Plasma physics as the backbone of space physics is difficult and thus the space physics students need to have strong foundations in general physics, in particular in classical electrodynamics and thermodynamics, and master the basic mathematical tools for physicists. In many universities the number of students specializing in space physics at Master's and Doctoral levels is rather small and the students may have quite different preferences ranging from experimental approach to hard-core space plasma theory. This poses challenges in building up a study program that has both the variety and depth needed to motivate the best students to choose this field. At the University of Helsinki we require all beginning space physics students, regardless whether they enter the field as Master's or Doctoral degree students, to take a one-semester package consisting of plasma physics and its space applications. However, some compromises are necessary. For example, it is not at all clear, how thoroughly Landau damping should be taught at the first run or how deeply should the intricacies of collisionless reconnection be discussed. In both cases we have left the details to an optional course in advanced space physics, even with the risk that the student's appreciation of, e.g., reconnection may remain at the level of a magic wand. For learning experimental work, data analysis or computer simulations we have actively pursued arrangements for the Master's degree students to get a summer employments in active research groups, which usually lead to the Master's theses. All doctoral students are members of research groups and participate in experimental work, data analysis, simulation studies or theory development, or any combination of these. We emphasize strongly "learning by doing" all the way from the weekly home exercises during the lecture courses to the PhD theses which in Finland consist typically of 4-6 peer-reviewed articles with a comprehensive introductory part.
Ethics Instruction in Undergraduate Astronomy and Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pilachowski, Catherine A.; van Zee, L.; Bacher, A. D.; Durisen, R. H.

2009-01-01

Instruction in research ethics is now included as part of the formal undergraduate curriculum in astronomy and physics at Indiana University. Traditionally, students learn research ethics through informal mentoring by research advisors. However, a more formal approach is encouraged by funding agencies, professional societies, and common sense. Following the booklet, "On Being a Scientist: Responsible Conduct in Research" (1995, National Academy Press), our ethics program is built around a "case study" approach using scenarios involving real life situations that students are likely to encounter as undergraduates or beginning graduate students. Students discuss possible resolutions of the ethical questions involved. Discussion topics include reporting data, data rights, credit for ideas, and professional behavior. Scenarios for graduate students involve ethical concerns more appropriate for their career stage, including conflicts of interest, authorship, and collaboration. The answers are not clear-cut, and students must grapple with shades of gray to help them define what the limits of ethical behavior are. The scenarios are available on the Web at www.astro.indiana.edu/education/ethics.html
Fluid Dynamics for Physicists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faber, T. E.

1995-08-01

This textbook provides an accessible and comprehensive account of fluid dynamics that emphasizes fundamental physical principles and stresses connections with other branches of physics. Beginning with a basic introduction, the book goes on to cover many topics not typically treated in texts, such as compressible flow and shock waves, sound attenuation and bulk viscosity, solitary waves and ship waves, thermal convection, instabilities, turbulence, and the behavior of anisotropic, non-Newtonian and quantum fluids. Undergraduate or graduate students in physics or engineering who are taking courses in fluid dynamics will find this book invaluable.
What Is Light?. Students' Reflections on the Wave-Particle Duality of Light and the Nature of Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henriksen, Ellen Karoline; Angell, Carl; Vistnes, Arnt Inge; Bungum, Berit

2018-03-01

Quantum physics describes light as having both particle and wave properties; however, there is no consensus about how to interpret this duality on an ontological level. This article explores how pre-university physics students, while working with learning material focusing on historical-philosophical aspects of quantum physics, interpreted the wave-particle duality of light and which views they expressed on the nature of physics. A thematic analysis was performed on 133 written responses about the nature of light, given in the beginning of the teaching sequence, and 55 audio-recorded small-group discussions addressing the wave-particle duality, given later in the sequence. Most students initially expressed a wave and particle view of light, but some of these gave an "uncritical duality description", accepting without question the two ontologically different descriptions of light. In the small-group discussions, students expressed more nuanced views. Many tried to reconcile the two descriptions using semi-classical reasoning; others entered into philosophical discussions about the status of the current scientific description of light and expected science to come up with a better model. Some found the wave description of light particularly challenging and lacked a conception of "what is waving". Many seemed to implicitly take a realist view on the description of physical phenomena, contrary with the Copenhagen interpretation which is prevalent in textbooks. Results are discussed in light of different interpretations of quantum physics, and we conclude by arguing for a historical-philosophical perspective as an entry point for upper secondary physics students to explore the development and interpretation of quantum physical concepts.
Student difficulties in translating between mathematical and graphical representations in introductory physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Shih-Yin; Maries, Alexandru; Singh, Chandralekha

2013-01-01

We investigate introductory physics students' difficulties in translating between mathematical and graphical representations and the effect of scaffolding on students' performance. We gave a typical problem that can be solved using Gauss's law involving a spherically symmetric charge distribution (a conducting sphere concentric with a conducting spherical shell) to 95 calculus-based introductory physics students. We asked students to write a mathematical expression for the electric field in various regions and asked them to graph the electric field. We knew from previous experience that students have great difficulty in graphing the electric field. Therefore, we implemented two scaffolding interventions to help them. Students who received the scaffolding support were either (1) asked to plot the electric field in each region first (before having to plot it as a function of distance from the center of the sphere) or (2) asked to plot the electric field in each region after explicitly evaluating the electric field at the beginning, mid and end points of each region. The comparison group was only asked to plot the electric field at the end of the problem. We found that students benefited the most from intervention (1) and that intervention (2), although intended to aid students, had an adverse effect. Also, recorded interviews were conducted with a few students in order to understand how students were impacted by the aforementioned interventions.
Applying Sensors to Investigate Gender Differences in Beginning Tennis Players

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yu, Chih-Hung; Wang, Jye-Shyan; Wu, Cheng-Chih

2017-01-01

This study utilized sensors to investigate how females and males might perform and reflect differently on their tennis skills in a beginner class. A quasi-experimental design was conducted in this study to investigate the learning outcome of using tennis sensors. Two classes of students enrolled in a college physical education course participated…
Supporting the Development of Science Teacher Leaders--Where Do We Begin?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanuscin, Deborah L.; Rebello, Carina M.; Sinha, Somnath

2012-01-01

Teacher leadership has been recognized as a necessary ingredient to support educational reform efforts. Leaders provide the needed expertise to ensure reforms are successful in promoting student learning. The overarching goal of the "Leadership in Freshman Physics" program is to support a cadre of teachers-leaders who will become advocates for…
Teaching Disability Employment Discrimination Law: Accommodating Physical and Mental Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kulow, Marianne DelPo

2012-01-01

Disability employment discrimination is often treated summarily in legal environment courses. This is actually a topic with significant practical application in the workplace since managers are often those who are confronted with accommodation requests. It is therefore desirable to include a class with hands-on exercises for students to begin to…
Schoolyard Science. Grades 2-4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perdue, Peggy K.

This book includes 25 science activities in the fields of environmental science, soil science, life science, and physical science. The activities are designed to be used in outdoor settings. Each activity is composed of two parts--an explanatory section for the teacher and a student lab sheet. The teacher explanatory section begins with a brief…
Newton's Laws, Euler's Laws and the Speed of Light

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitaker, Stephen

2009-01-01

Chemical engineering students begin their studies of mechanics in a department of physics where they are introduced to the mechanics of Newton. The approach presented by physicists differs in both perspective and substance from that encountered in chemical engineering courses where Euler's laws provide the foundation for studies of fluid and solid…
Are e-Books for Everyone? An Evaluation of Academic e-Book Platforms' Accessibility Features

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mune, Christina; Agee, Ann

2016-01-01

With the increasing prevalence of e-books in academic library collections, faculty and librarians have begun to express concern regarding the accessibility of these digital texts for students with physical or learning disabilities. To begin addressing these concerns, the California State University System's Affordable Learning Solutions…
School-based physical therapy services and student functional performance at school.

PubMed

Mccoy, Sarah Westcott; Effgen, Susan K; Chiarello, Lisa A; Jeffries, Lynn M; Villasante Tezanos, Alejandro G

2018-03-30

We explored relationships of school-based physical therapy to standardized outcomes of students receiving physical therapy. Using a practice-based evidence research design, School Function Assessment (SFA) outcomes of 296 students with disabilities (mean age 7y 4mo [standard deviation 2y]; 166 males, 130 females), served by 109 physical therapists, were explored. After training, therapists completed 10 SFA scales on students at the beginning and end of the school year. Therapists collected detailed weekly data on services (activities, interventions, types, student participation) using the School-Physical Therapy Interventions for Pediatrics (S-PTIP) system. Stepwise linear regressions were used to investigate S-PTIP predictors of SFA outcomes. Predictors of SFA section outcomes varied in strength, with the coefficient of determination (R 2 ) for each outcome ranging from 0.107 to 0.326. Services that correlated positively with the SFA outcomes included mobility, sensory, motor learning, aerobic/conditioning, functional strengthening, playground access interventions, and higher student participation during therapy (standardized β=0.11-0.26). Services that correlated negatively with the SFA outcomes included providing services within student groups, within school activity, with students not in special education, during recreation activities, and with positioning, hands-on facilitation, sensory integration, orthoses, and equipment interventions (standardized β=-0.14 to -0.22). Consideration of outcomes is prudent to focus services. Overall results suggest we should emphasize active mobility practice by using motor learning interventions and engaging students within therapy sessions. No specific interventions predicted positively on all School Function Assessment (SFA) outcomes. Active movement practice seems related to overall better SFA outcomes. Active mobility practice improved SFA participation, mobility, recreation, and activities of daily living. Engaging students in therapy activities and interventions improved outcomes. © 2018 Mac Keith Press.
Growing a Science Internship One Year at a Time: Updates to the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship Program D. Ortiz-Arias, A. Dominguez, A. Zwicker, S. Greco

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ortiz, Deedee; Dominguez, Arturo; Zwicker, Andrew; Greco, Shannon

2016-10-01

Between 1993-2014, the National Undergraduate Fellowship (NUF) program, sponsored by the DOE Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, provided summer research internships for outstanding undergraduate students from around the country. Since then, the NUF program was merged into the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program, sponsored by the DOE Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Students. While there were many similarities between the two programs, the SULI program did not include the one-week introductory course in plasma physics or the opportunity for participants to present their summer research results at this meeting. In the past two years, working with representatives from both OFES and WDTS, we have again implemented some of the most important components of the NUF program. The week-long, introductory course in plasma physics is included and streamed live- especially important since most undergraduate physics students have not taken a plasma physics course before they begin their research. Students are again able to present their research to our community, a critical component of a full research experience and plans are underway to obtain additional funding to once again include universities as eligible host sites.
Development of depression and deterioration in quality of life in German dental medical students in preclinical semesters.

PubMed

Burger, P H M; Neumann, C; Ropohl, A; Paulsen, F; Scholz, M

2016-11-01

Early intervention to counter mental disorders during the course of studies in dentistry is indicated in view of the pronounced prevalence of burnout in this student collective. To assess the proportion of students in whom these risk states can be quantified in measurable parameters for concrete mental disorders, we conducted surveys among students of dental medicine during the first 2.5 years of their studies. We surveyed a total of 163 students of dental medicine in their first 5 semesters of study. Standardized, validated psychological questionnaires on depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory; BDI-II) and mental and physical quality of life (Short Form Survey; SF-12) were used in the survey, with per-semester participant quotas of around 90%. Regarding depression, the students were within the range of the normal populace at the beginning of the 1st semester. Symptoms of depression then became more pronounced with every succeeding semester. In the fifth semester, the average levels determined were equivalent to a depression with a clinical treatment indication. Hardly any change was registered for physical wellbeing in the quality of life questionnaire. The mental sum scores, however, reflected dramatic downturns in quality of life. Highly significant correlations between the parameters described here - depressivity and mental quality of life - were observed in all semesters. The participating students begin their course of studies at the level of the average populace for the symptoms surveyed, then develop, on average, a clinically manifest depression after 2.5 years. The personal experience of a deterioration of mental quality of life appears to be crucial in the phenomena observed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Correlates of gender and achievement in introductory algebra based physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Rachel Clara

The field of physics is heavily male dominated in America. Thus, half of the population of our country is underrepresented and underserved. The identification of factors that contribute to gender disparity in physics is necessary for educators to address the individual needs of students, and, in particular, the separate and specific needs of female students. In an effort to determine if any correlations could be established or strengthened between sex, gender identity, social network, algebra skill, scientific reasoning ability, and/or student attitude, a study was performed on a group of 82 students in an introductory algebra based physics course. The subjects each filled out a survey at the beginning of the semester of their first semester of algebra based physics. They filled out another survey at the end of that same semester. These surveys included physics content pretests and posttests, as well as questions about the students' habits, attitudes, and social networks. Correlates of posttest score were identified, in order of significance, as pretest score, emphasis on conceptual learning, preference for male friends, number of siblings (negatively correlated), motivation in physics, algebra score, and parents' combined education level. Number of siblings was also found to negatively correlate with, in order of significance, gender identity, preference for male friends, emphasis on conceptual learning, and motivation in physics. Preference for male friends was found to correlate with, in order of significance, emphasis on conceptual learning, gender identity, and algebra score. Also, gender identity was found to correlate with emphasis on conceptual learning, the strongest predictor of posttest score other than pretest score.
Student attitudes to peer physical examination: a qualitative study of changes in expressed willingness to participate.

PubMed

McLachlan, J C; White, P; Donnelly, L; Patten, D

2010-01-01

A number of studies have explored student attitudes to examining each other (peer physical examination: PPE). Differences have emerged in whether students prefer to be examined by friends or strangers. Changes have been reported in how students feel about PPE if asked before or after the PPE programme commences. RESEARCH INTENTION: Since a Grounded Theory paradigm was employed, there was no formal research hypothesis: the research intention was to explore factors which might underlie changes in student willingness to undertake PPE following familiarity with the process. Students who had completed an Examining Fellow Students Questionnaire at the beginning and end of the academic year, and who had indicated a change in willingness to participate, were invited to attend focus groups. Four focus groups were convened and transcripts were analysed for common themes. Surprisingly, students downplayed the significance of changes. Also unexpectedly, dichotomous views emerged on familiarity, with some students preferring friends for examination and others preferring strangers. Staff embarrassment also emerged as a factor inhibiting student participation. The significance of reported changes in attitudes to PPE may have been exaggerated. Proposals for increasing the willingness of students to participate in PPE are developed from the emergent themes.
Feeding the pipeline: academic skills training for predental students.

PubMed

Markel, Geraldine; Woolfolk, Marilyn; Inglehart, Marita Rohr

2008-06-01

This article reports the outcomes of an evaluation conducted to determine if an academic skills training program for undergraduate predental students from underrepresented minority backgrounds increased the students' standardized academic skills test scores for vocabulary, reading comprehension, reading rates, spelling, and math as well as subject-specific test results in biology, chemistry, and physics. Data from standardized academic skill tests and subject-specific tests were collected at the beginning and end of the 1998 to 2006 Pipeline Programs, six-week summer enrichment programs for undergraduate predental students from disadvantaged backgrounds. In total, 179 students (75.4 percent African American, 7.3 percent Hispanic, 5.6 percent Asian American, 5 percent white) attended the programs during these nine summers. Scores on the Nelson-Denny Reading Test showed that the students improved their vocabulary scores (percentile ranks before/after: 46.80 percent/59.56 percent; p<.001), reading comprehension scores (47.21 percent/62.67 percent; p<.001), and reading rates (34.01 percent/78.31 percent; p<.001) from the beginning to the end of the summer programs. Results on the Wide Range Achievement Test III showed increases in spelling (73.58 percent/86.22 percent; p<.001) and math scores (56.98 percent/81.28 percent; p<.001). The students also improved their subject-specific scores in biology (39.07 percent/63.42 percent; p<.001), chemistry (20.54 percent/51.01 percent; p<.001), and physics (35.12 percent/61.14 percent; p<.001). To increase the number of underrepresented minority students in the dental school admissions pool, efforts are needed to prepare students from disadvantaged backgrounds for this process. These data demonstrate that a six-week enrichment program significantly improved the academic skills and basic science knowledge scores of undergraduate predental students. These improvements have the potential to enhance the performance of these students in college courses and thus increase their level of competitiveness in the dental school admissions process.
Epistemology and expectations survey about experimental physics: Development and initial results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zwickl, Benjamin M.; Hirokawa, Takako; Finkelstein, Noah; Lewandowski, H. J.

2014-06-01

In response to national calls to better align physics laboratory courses with the way physicists engage in research, we have developed an epistemology and expectations survey to assess how students perceive the nature of physics experiments in the contexts of laboratory courses and the professional research laboratory. The Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for Experimental Physics (E-CLASS) evaluates students' epistemology at the beginning and end of a semester. Students respond to paired questions about how they personally perceive doing experiments in laboratory courses and how they perceive an experimental physicist might respond regarding their research. Also, at the end of the semester, the E-CLASS assesses a third dimension of laboratory instruction, students' reflections on their course's expectations for earning a good grade. By basing survey statements on widely embraced learning goals and common critiques of teaching labs, the E-CLASS serves as an assessment tool for lab courses across the undergraduate curriculum and as a tool for physics education research. We present the development, evidence of validation, and initial formative assessment results from a sample that includes 45 classes at 20 institutions. We also discuss feedback from instructors and reflect on the challenges of large-scale online administration and distribution of results.
Dance for health: improving fitness in African American and Hispanic adolescents.

PubMed

Flores, R

1995-01-01

Cardiovascular disease begins early in life but might be prevented or delayed by primary prevention programs designed for children and adolescents. Regular physical activity is an important part of primary prevention programs, and school physical education programs have potential for the promotion of regular physical activity. Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death among Hispanics and African Americans in the United States. Low levels of fitness and increased body mass index are common in African American and Hispanic adolescents. Increased physical activity and the adoption of healthy eating habits would increase fitness and reduce body mass index among these adolescents. The purpose of the study was to undertake a small-scale controlled trial to determine if Dance for Health, an intervention program designed to provide an enjoyable aerobic program for African American and Hispanic adolescents, has a significant effect on improving aerobic capacity, helping students maintain or decrease weight, and on improving attitudes toward physical activity and physical fitness. In the first year of the program (1990-91), approximately 110 boys and girls ages 10-13 years participated in an aerobic dance pilot program three times per week for 12 weeks. Dance for Health was revised and continued in the 1992-93 school year with seventh grade students and an added culturally sensitive health curriculum. Forty-three students were randomized to Dance for Health and 38 to usual physical activity. Those in the intervention class received a health education curriculum twice a week and a dance oriented physical education class three times a week. The usual physical activity consisted mostly of playground activities. Students in the intervention had a significantly greater lowering in body mass index and resting heart rate than students in regular physical activity.

Learning about Gravity I. Free Fall: A Guide for Teachers and Curriculum Developers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kavanagh, Claudine; Sneider, Cary

This article is the first of a two-part review of research on children's and adults understanding of gravity and on how best to teach gravity concepts to students and teachers. This first article concerns free fall—how and why objects fall when they are dropped. The review begins with a brief historical sketch of how these ideas were developed in human history, followed by a summary of the relevant standards and benchmarks. The body of research is organized by the nature of the findings, beginning with studies of the youngest children, followed by older students, adults, and teachers. Although a diversity of misconceptions are found at all age levels, in general children, between the ages of 7 and 9 progress from the idea that things fall because they're not supported to things fall because they're "heavy." Between the ages of 9 and 13, students begin to use the term "gravity," an unseen force, to explain falling, such as "gravity acts just on heavy objects," or "things fall because air is pushing them down." Surprisingly, many high school and college students who can successfully solve numerical problems involving gravity hold qualitative misconceptions similar to those held by much younger students. The finding that even college physics students have significant misconceptions about free fall underscores the importance of effective teaching at the middle and high school levels. Some studies have found that few teachers are aware of their students' misconceptions or know what to do about them. A few studies have reported success in helping students shed their misconceptions, leading to promising recommendations for curriculum development and teaching.
Healthy active living: a residence community-based intervention to increase physical activity and healthy eating during the transition to first-year university.

PubMed

Brown, Denver M Y; Bray, Steve R; Beatty, Kevin R; Kwan, Matthew Y W

2014-01-01

To examine the effects of a Healthy Active Living (HAL) community intervention on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), fruit and vegetable consumption (FVC), and psychosocial mediators of physical activity among students transitioning into university. Sixty undergraduate students were assigned to reside in either the HAL community or no-treatment control residence and completed questionnaire measures at the beginning and end of the academic year. Students living in the HAL community reported significantly more MVPA (F[1, 58]=19.93, p<.001, ηp2=.26) and greater FVC (F[1, 56]=3.12, p=.08, ηp2=.05) compared with controls. Participants in the HAL condition also scored significantly higher in action planning (F[1, 58]=4.79, p<.05, ηp2=.08), partially mediating the effect of the intervention on MVPA. A peer-delivered healthy lifestyles intervention targeting first-year university students appears to be effective in preserving or enhancing health behaviors and cognitions during their transition into university life.
An interdisciplinary teaching program in geriatrics for physician's assistants.

PubMed

Stark, R; Yeo, G; Fordyce, M; Grudzen, M; Hopkins, J; McGann, L; Shepard, K

1984-11-01

An interdisciplinary curriculum committee within the Division of Family Medicine, Stanford University Medical Center, developed and taught a beginning course in clinical geriatrics for medical students and student physician's assistants, physical therapists, and nurse practitioners. Through a series of Saturday classes held in community facilities serving seniors, physician's assistant students had the opportunity to learn clinical geriatrics from a faculty team including a physician's assistant, physician, nurse, physical therapist, social worker, gerontologist, and health educator. Local seniors served as consumer consultants and models of health and vigor. This interdisciplinary approach was modeled by the faculty to demonstrate the need for a team approach to deliver quality care to seniors. In this well-received course, the role of the physician's assistant in health care was made evident to their future physician employers and physical therapy co-workers through faculty modeling as well as through informal contacts and patient conferences. Older people constitute a growing and increasingly medically underserved population. Team training may serve to stimulate physician's assistant students to include geriatrics in their career plans while educating their future physician employers about their role.
Instilling positive beliefs about disabilities: pilot testing a novel experiential learning activity for rehabilitation students.

PubMed

Silverman, Arielle M; Pitonyak, Jennifer S; Nelson, Ian K; Matsuda, Patricia N; Kartin, Deborah; Molton, Ivan R

2018-05-01

To develop and test a novel impairment simulation activity to teach beginning rehabilitation students how people adapt to physical impairments. Masters of Occupational Therapy students (n = 14) and Doctor of Physical Therapy students (n = 18) completed the study during the first month of their program. Students were randomized to the experimental or control learning activity. Experimental students learned to perform simple tasks while simulating paraplegia and hemiplegia. Control students viewed videos of others completing tasks with these impairments. Before and after the learning activities, all students estimated average self-perceived health, life satisfaction, and depression ratings among people with paraplegia and hemiplegia. Experimental students increased their estimates of self-perceived health, and decreased their estimates of depression rates, among people with paraplegia and hemiplegia after the learning activity. The control activity had no effect on these estimates. Impairment simulation can be an effective way to teach rehabilitation students about the adaptations that people make to physical impairments. Positive impairment simulations should allow students to experience success in completing activities of daily living with impairments. Impairment simulation is complementary to other pedagogical methods, such as simulated clinical encounters using standardized patients. Implication of Rehabilitation It is important for rehabilitation students to learn how people live well with disabilities. Impairment simulations can improve students' assessments of quality of life with disabilities. To be beneficial, impairment simulations must include guided exposure to effective methods for completing daily tasks with disabilities.
Use of an audience response system during peer teaching among physical therapy students in human gross anatomy: perceptions of peer teachers and students.

PubMed

Wait, Kevin R; Cloud, Beth A; Forster, Lindsey A; Jones, Tiffany M; Nokleby, Jessica J; Wolfe, Cortney R; Youdas, James W

2009-01-01

An audience response system (ARS) has become popular among educators in medicine and the health professions because of the system's ability to engage listeners during a lecture presentation. No one has described the usefulness of ARS technology during planned nonlecture peer teaching sessions in gross anatomy instruction for health professionals. The unique feature of each peer teaching session was a nongraded 12-15 item ARS quiz assembled by six second-year doctor of physical therapy (DPT) students and purposely placed at the beginning of the review session for those first-year DPT students in attendance. This study used a ten-item questionnaire and a five-point Likert scale in addition to three open ended questions to survey perceptions of both first-year and second-year DPT students about the usefulness of ARS technology implemented during weekly interactive peer teaching sessions during a semester course in Anatomy for Physical Therapists. First-year students overwhelmingly acknowledged the ARS system permitted each student to self-assess his/her preparedness for a quiz or examination and compare his/her performance with that of classmates. Peer teachers recognized an ARS quiz provided them an opportunity to: (1) estimate first-year students' level of understanding of anatomical concepts; and (2) effectively prepare first-year students for their weekly quizzes and future examinations. On the basis of the mutual benefits derived by both students/tutees and teachers/tutors, physical therapist educators may wish to consider using ARS technology to enhance teaching methods for a class in gross human anatomy.
Software-aided discussion about classical picture of Mach-Zehnder interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavalcanti, C. J. H.; Ostermann, F.; Lima, N. W.; Netto, J. S.

2017-11-01

The Mach-Zehnder interferometer has played an important role both in quantum and classical physics research over the years. In physics education, it has been used as a didactic tool for quantum physics teaching, allowing fundamental concepts, such as particle-wave duality, to be addressed from the very beginning. For a student to understand the novelties of the quantum scenario, it is first worth introducing the classical picture. In this paper, we introduce a new version of the software developed by our research group to deepen the discussion on the classical picture of the Mach-Zehnder interferometer. We present its equivalence with the double slit experiment and we derive the mathematical expressions relating to the interference pattern. We also explore the concept of visibility (which is very important for understanding wave-particle complementarity in quantum physics) to help students become familiar with this experiment and to enhance their knowledge of its counterintuitive aspects. We use the software articulated by the mathematical formalism and phenomenological features. We also present excerpts of the discursive interactions of students using the software in didactic situations.
Student effort expectations and their learning in first-year introductory physics: A case study in Thailand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wutchana, U.; Emarat, N.

2011-06-01

The Maryland Physics Expectations (MPEX) survey was designed to probe students’ expectations about their understanding of the process of learning physics and the structure of physics knowledge—cognitive expectations. This survey was administered to first-year university students in Thailand in the first semester of an introductory calculus-based physics course during academic years 2007 and 2008, to assess their expectations at the beginning of the course. The precourse MPEX results were compared and correlated with two separate measures of student learning: (1) individual students’ normalized gains from pre and post Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE) results, which measure students’ conceptual understanding, and (2) student’s scores on the final exam, which measure their more general problem-solving ability. The results showed a significant positive correlation between their overall MPEX score and five of the six MPEX cluster scores, with their normalized learning gains on the FMCE for both academic years. The results also showed significant positive correlations between student MPEX scores and their final exam scores for the overall MPEX score and all MPEX cluster scores except for the effort cluster. We interviewed two groups of five students each, one group with small favorable scores on the precourse MPEX effort cluster and one with high favorable scores on the precourse MPEX effort cluster, to see how the students’ learning efforts compared with their MPEX results. We concluded from the interviews that what the students think or expect about the MPEX effort involved in learning physics does not match what they actually do.
The Physics Teacher: The Four States of Matter—Solid, Squishy, Liquid, and Gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Roy W.

2007-04-01

The featured article offers several demonstrations of substances that seem to be neither solid nor liquid, but somewhere in between. The authors suggest laboratory experiments that can be performed by beginning physics students, and suggest theoretical explanations for the strange viscosity behaviors. The subject is chemistry much more than physics, and it may require chemistry textbook authors to rethink the popular definitions of physical and chemical change. This reviewer then comments on the historical origins of squishiness, and on its unfortunate neglect, in their author's opinion, by general chemistry texts. The subject is properly called rheology, and is of considerable significance to industrial chemists.
Effectiveness of basic life support instruction in physical education students--a pilot study.

PubMed

Bielec, Grzegorz; Klajman, Paweł; Pęczak-Graczyk, Alicja

2014-01-01

According to the literature, 40% of injuries affecting school-age children are sports related. The role of physical education students, as future teachers, seems to be of high importance in terms of protecting children's safety during sports classes. The aim is to evaluate the level of basic life support (BLS) knowledge and skills in physical education students instructed with the use of different methods. Second-year physical education students (n=104, M age=20±0.6 years) were randomly assigned to three groups: experimental 1 (E1), experimental 2 (E2), and control (C). Group E1 students participated in a 2-hour BLS course based on computer-assisted presentations. Group E2 trainees practiced BLS algorithm in pairs during a 2-hour course. No manikins were used in both intervention groups. Students of Group C were asked to learn BLS algorithm on their own. All groups fulfilled a 10-question multiple-choice test on BLS at the beginning and the end of the experiment. After completing the course participants performed BLS on a manikin. The results of knowledge test were not significant before an experiment but differed essentially among the groups afterward (analysis of variance contrast analysis, p<.05). Regardless of teaching method used, no significant differences were found among the students in preparatory BLS actions and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performance on a manikin. The level of CPR performance was very low in all groups. Students of both intervention groups improved their BLS knowledge after the training. Teaching methods used in the current study seemed to be ineffective in terms of practical CPR skills. Access to greater number of modern manikins should improve the BLS training in physical education students. Moreover, permanent consultation on instructional methods with emergency medicine experts is recommended for university teachers.
Construct Validity of Selected Measures of Physical Activity Beliefs and Motives in Fifth and Sixth Grade Boys and Girls

PubMed Central

Saunders, Ruth P.; McIver, Kerry L.; Dowda, Marsha; Pate, Russell R.

2013-01-01

Objective Scales used to measure selected social-cognitive beliefs and motives for physical activity were tested among boys and girls. Methods Covariance modeling was applied to responses obtained from large multi-ethnic samples of students in the fifth and sixth grades. Results Theoretically and statistically sound models were developed, supporting the factorial validity of the scales in all groups. Multi-group longitudinal invariance was confirmed between boys and girls, overweight and normal weight students, and non-Hispanic black and white children. The construct validity of the scales was supported by hypothesized convergent and discriminant relationships within a measurement model that included correlations with physical activity (MET • min/day) measured by an accelerometer. Conclusions Scores from the scales provide valid assessments of selected beliefs and motives that are putative mediators of change in physical activity among boys and girls, as they begin the understudied transition from the fifth grade into middle school, when physical activity naturally declines. PMID:23459310
Construct validity of selected measures of physical activity beliefs and motives in fifth and sixth grade boys and girls.

PubMed

Dishman, Rod K; Saunders, Ruth P; McIver, Kerry L; Dowda, Marsha; Pate, Russell R

2013-06-01

Scales used to measure selected social-cognitive beliefs and motives for physical activity were tested among boys and girls. Covariance modeling was applied to responses obtained from large multi-ethnic samples of students in the fifth and sixth grades. Theoretically and statistically sound models were developed, supporting the factorial validity of the scales in all groups. Multi-group longitudinal invariance was confirmed between boys and girls, overweight and normal weight students, and non-Hispanic black and white children. The construct validity of the scales was supported by hypothesized convergent and discriminant relationships within a measurement model that included correlations with physical activity (MET • min/day) measured by an accelerometer. Scores from the scales provide valid assessments of selected beliefs and motives that are putative mediators of change in physical activity among boys and girls, as they begin the understudied transition from the fifth grade into middle school, when physical activity naturally declines.
Personifying self in physics problem situations involving forces as a student help strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tabor-Morris, A. E.

2013-03-01

How can physics teachers best guide students regarding physics problem situations involving forces? A suggestion is made here to personify oneself as the object in question, that is, to pretend to be the object undergoing forces and then qualify and quantify those forces according to their vectors for the system at hand. This personification is not meant to empower the object to act, just to sense the forces it is experiencing. This strategy may be especially useful to beginning physics learners attacking problems that involve both multiple forces AND multiple objects, since each object acted upon needs to be considered separately, using the idea that one cannot be two places at once. An example of this type of problem expounded on here is Atwood's machine: two weights hung over a pulley with a single rope. Another example given is electromagnetic forces on one charge caused by other charges in the vicinity. Discussion is made on implementation of classroom strategies. Department of Physics
Effect of Modeling Instruction on Concept Knowledge Among Ninth Grade Physics Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ditmore, Devin Alan

A basic knowledge of physics concepts is the gateway to success through high-paying careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Many students show little understanding of concepts following traditional physics instruction. As an alternative to current lecture-based approaches for high school physics instruction, Piaget's theory of cognitive development supports using real scientific experiences to lead learners from concrete to formal understanding of complex concepts. Modeling instruction (MI) is a pedagogy that guides learners through genuine scientific experiences. This project study analyzed the effects of MI on 9th grade physics students' gains on the test measuring mastery of physics concepts, Force Concept Inventory (FCI). A quasi-experimental design was used to compare the FCI scores of a traditional lecture-taught control group to a treatment group taught using MI. A t test t(-.201) = 180.26, p = .841 comparing the groups and an analysis of variance F(2,181) = 5.20 comparing female to male students indicated MI had no significant positive effect on students. A partial eta squared of the effect size showed that 5.4% of the variance in FCI gains was accounted for by gender, favoring female participants for both groups. The significant relationship between content and gender bears further inquiry. A lesson plan guide was designed to help teachers use computer simulation technology within the MI curriculum. The project promotes positive social change by exploring further ways to help adolescents experience success in physics at the beginning of high school, leading to future success in all STEM areas.
Historical Survey of Research in Physics Teacher Preparation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meltzer, David E.

2017-01-01

There have been efforts to provide specialized preparation for prospective physics teachers for over 100 years, both in the U.S. and elsewhere. However, systematic research investigations of these efforts are much more scarce, particularly in the U.S. I will review some highlights of research in physics teacher preparation reported in the U.S. and in several other countries as early as the 1920s. The more recent investigations (beginning around 1970) reveal a pattern of teacher preparation practices emphasizing multiple, extended experiences in analyzing physical systems-and making and testing hypotheses of experimental outcomes-by developing and reflecting on laboratory-based physics activities that are often subsequently taught (as simulated ``micro-teaching'' or in actual classrooms), all under close guidance and intensive coaching from expert physics-teacher educators. Outcomes reported include improvements in the quality of experiment design (emphasizing student-generated explanations rather than rote procedures), and in ability to communicate, better awareness of physics teachers' pedagogical knowledge, and improved learning gains by the teachers' students on tests of conceptual understanding. Supported in part by NSF DUE #1256333.
2010 and Beyond: Virtual Reality and the Communication Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siddens, Paul J., III

The use of virtual reality technology in the Communication discipline is a challenge that educators in the field should investigate thoroughly and begin to embrace as they move into the 21st century. Classrooms with access to the Internet allow students to move outside the physical boundaries of the classroom and suggest a significant change in…
Modeling Stretching Modes of Common Organic Molecules with the Quantum Mechanical Harmonic Oscillator: An Undergraduate Vibrational Spectroscopy Laboratory Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parnis, J. Mark; Thompson, Matthew G. K.

2004-01-01

An introductory undergraduate physical organic chemistry exercise that introduces the harmonic oscillator's use in vibrational spectroscopy is developed. The analysis and modeling exercise begins with the students calculating the stretching modes of common organic molecules with the help of the quantum mechanical harmonic oscillator (QMHO) model.
Science Is an Action Word! Grades 1-3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perdue, Peggy K.

This book includes 20 science activities in the fields of scientific method, earth science, life science, and physical science. Each activity is composed of two parts--an explanatory section for the teacher and a student lab sheet. The explanatory section begins with a brief introduction designed to give an overview of the activity's main concept.…
The Nurturing Teacher: Managing the Stress of Caring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

VanSlyke-Briggs, Kjersti

2010-01-01

This book tackles the concerns of stressed teachers. Whether from nurturance suffering (stress related to caring for students) or from the piles of paperwork yet to be tackled, this text helps the reader sort through the causes of stress, the emotional, physical and social reactions to stress and how one can begin to plan a stress management plan.…
Experts' Understanding of Partial Derivatives Using the Partial Derivative Machine

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roundy, David; Weber, Eric; Dray, Tevian; Bajracharya, Rabindra R.; Dorko, Allison; Smith, Emily M.; Manogue, Corinne A.

2015-01-01

Partial derivatives are used in a variety of different ways within physics. Thermodynamics, in particular, uses partial derivatives in ways that students often find especially confusing. We are at the beginning of a study of the teaching of partial derivatives, with a goal of better aligning the teaching of multivariable calculus with the needs of…
Shake It Out! Belly Dance in Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marquis, Jenée; Gurvitch, Rachel

2015-01-01

Belly dance is a folk dance with a history that can be traced back to the beginnings of civilization. It is a form of expression and movement that has been used for hundreds of years in religious ceremonies, birthing rituals, and social and familial gatherings in the Middle East. Students of belly dance can increase their muscular strength and…

Nutrition, Exercise, and Sleep: Physiological Considerations in the Classroom for Alternative Certification Teachers. Editor's Perspective Article

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, Brian R.

2012-01-01

Proper nutrition, adequate amounts of physical activity, and sufficient amounts of sleep are three important variables for healthy children. Alternative certification teachers quickly enter the classroom at the beginning of their programs and may encounter disengaged students who lack the energy needed for quality learning and achievement.…
Gender Differences in Health Risk Behaviors and Physical Activity among Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Tsu-Yin; Rose, Sherry E.; Bancroft, Joanna M.

2006-01-01

Adolescence is a period of accelerated growth and change, bridging the complex transition from childhood to adulthood. This period offers adolescents an opportunity to begin planning for their futures and to adopt healthy attitudes about risk behaviors that can continue into adulthood, thus setting the stage for a lifetime of desirable health…
Early Paths and Trails to Conestoga Roads. Student Activity Book [And] Teacher's Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pelow, Randall; And Others

This social studies unit traces the development of the American road system beginning with early Indian footpaths and continuing through horse trails, wagon roads, all-weather highways, and the first national road. The role played by the Conestoga wagon is emphasized as well as the physical, economic, and political factors involved in road…
Assessment Outcomes: Computerized Instruction in a Human Gross Anatomy Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bukowski, Elaine L.

2002-01-01

The first of three successive classes of beginning physical therapy students (n=17) completed traditional cadaver anatomy lecture/lab; the next 17 a self-study computerized anatomy lab, and the next 20 both lectures and computer lab. No differences in study times and course or licensure exam performance appeared. Computerized self-study is a…
Integrating evidence-based practice and information literacy skills in teaching physical and occupational therapy students.

PubMed

Boruff, Jill T; Thomas, Aliki

2011-12-01

To ensure that physical and occupational therapy graduates develop evidence-based practice (EBP) competencies, their academic training must promote EBP skills, such as posing a clinical question and retrieving relevant literature, and the information literacy skills needed to practice these EBP skills. This article describes the collaborative process and outcome of integrating EBP and information literacy early in a professional physical therapy and occupational therapy programme. The liaison librarian and a faculty member designed an instructional activity that included a lecture, workshop and assignment that integrated EBP skills and information literacy skills in the first year of the programme. The assignment was designed to assess students' ability to conduct a search independently. The lecture and workshop were successful in their objectives, as 101 of the 104 students received at least 8 out of 10 points on the search assignment. The teaching activities developed for the students in this course appear to have achieved the goal of teaching students the EBP research cycle so that they might begin to emulate it. The collaboration between the faculty member and the librarian was integral to the success of this endeavour. Future work will include the evaluation of students' long-term retention of information literacy objectives. © 2011 The authors. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2011 Health Libraries Group.
Learning from Physicians with Disabilities and Their Patients.

PubMed

DeLisa, Joel A; Lindenthal, Jacob Jay

2016-10-01

Although progress has been made in diversifying medical school admissions and faculty, this has not extended to physicians with physical disabilities. To improve our understanding of medical students and physicians with physical and sensory disabilities, the authors propose systematically gathering information on the needs and experiences of four groups: physicians who had disabilities before beginning practice, physicians whose disabilities were incurred during their medical careers, physicians drawn from those two groups, and patients of physicians with disabilities. It is hoped these data would be used by counselors, administrators, and admissions committees in advising medical school applicants with disabilities and in revising institutional policies with a view to increasing matriculation and graduation rates of medical students with disabilities. © 2016 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.
The relationship between teacher burnout and student motivation.

PubMed

Shen, Bo; McCaughtry, Nate; Martin, Jeffrey; Garn, Alex; Kulik, Noel; Fahlman, Mariane

2015-12-01

Teacher burnout is regarded as a serious problem in school settings. To date, studies on teachers' stress and burnout have largely centred on teachers' own characteristics, socialization, and behaviours, but few have explored the connection between teachers' burnout and students' motivation via their own perceptions of teachers' behaviour and emotional well-being. This study adopted Maslach et al.'s (2001, Annu. Rev. Psychol., 52, 397) job burnout construct and self-determination theory to investigate the relationships between teachers' burnout and students' autonomous motivation over one-semester physical education classes. A total of 1,302 high school students and their 33 physical education teachers in 20 high schools from two school districts in a major Midwest metropolitan area in the United States. The two school districts were demographically similar. Students and physical education teachers completed questionnaires assessing relevant psychological constructs. There were two time points for collecting students' data. One was at the beginning of a fall semester, and the other was at the end of that semester. Hierarchical linear modelling analyses were conducted. It was revealed that teachers' emotional exhaustion was negatively related to students' perceived teacher autonomy support (TAS); in turn, there was a negative relationship between teachers' feeling of depersonalization and students' autonomous motivation development even when controlling for inadequate TAS. The dimensions of teachers' burnout might play different roles in the transmission from teachers to students. Teachers' status of burnout is an important environmental factor associated with students' quality of motivation. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.
e-Learning - Physics Labs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohottala, Hashini

2014-03-01

The general student population enrolled in any college level class is highly diverse. An increasing number of ``nontraditional'' students return to college and most of these students follow distance learning degree programs while engaging in their other commitments, work and family. However, those students tend to avoid taking science courses with labs, mostly because of the incapability of remotely completing the lab components in such courses. In order to address this issue, we have come across a method where introductory level physics labs can be taught remotely. In this process a lab kit with the critical lab components that can be easily accessible are conveniently packed into a box and distributed among students at the beginning of the semester. Once the students are given the apparatus they perform the experiments at home and gather data All communications with reference to the lab was done through an interactive user-friendly webpage - Wikispaces (WikiS). Students who create pages on WikiS can submit their lab write-ups, embed videos of the experiments they perform, post pictures and direct questions to the lab instructor. The students who are enrolled in the same lab can interact with each other through WikiS to discuss labs and even get assistance.
Does Burnout Begin with Student-Teaching? Analyzing Efficacy, Burnout, and Support during the Student-Teaching Semester

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fives, Helenrose; Hamman, Doug; Olivarez, Arturo

2007-01-01

The burnout process may begin as early as the student-teaching experience [Gold, Y., 1985. Does teacher burnout begin with student teaching? "Education", 105, 254-257]. Data from 49 student-teachers in the southwest United States were gathered twice during their student-teaching practicum. Data assessing teacher efficacy, teacher…
Entering research: A course that creates community and structure for beginning undergraduate researchers in the STEM disciplines.

PubMed

Balster, Nicholas; Pfund, Christine; Rediske, Raelyn; Branchaw, Janet

2010-01-01

Undergraduate research experiences have been shown to enhance the educational experience and retention of college students, especially those from underrepresented populations. However, many challenges still exist relative to building community among students navigating large institutions. We developed a novel course called Entering Research that creates a learning community to support beginning undergraduate researchers and is designed to parallel the Entering Mentoring course for graduate students, postdocs, and faculty serving as mentors of undergraduate researchers. The course serves as a model that can be easily adapted for use across the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines using a readily available facilitator's manual. Course evaluations and rigorous assessment show that the Entering Research course helps students in many ways, including finding a mentor, understanding their place in a research community, and connecting their research to their course work in the biological and physical sciences. Students in the course reported statistically significant gains in their skills, knowledge, and confidence as researchers compared with a control group of students, who also were engaged in undergraduate research but not enrolled in this course. In addition, the faculty and staff members who served as facilitators of the Entering Research course described their experience as rewarding and one they would recommend to their colleagues.
A First Course in Atmospheric Thermodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chilson, Phillip

2009-08-01

It is not uncommon to find textbooks that have been written with the intention of catering to a broad spectrum of readers. Often, though not always, the result is a book appropriate for neither advanced nor beginning students. However, Grant Petty had a very specific target audience in mind when he wrote A First Course in Atmospheric Thermodynamics. The book is clearly gauged for atmospheric science and meteorology students who have had introductory courses in physics and calculus but who have not necessarily established a firm foundation in analytic problem solving.
A Great Time to Do Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, Gary

2012-04-01

Has there ever been a more exciting time to do physics? Whether you are interested in the universal questions of matter and energy or just the next cool wireless gadget, whether you want to contribute to the big-picture discussion of all things nuclear or simply save a life with positron emission tomography, you should know that physics is a great place to begin the journey. In this talk, I'll expound a bit on career trajectories of hidden physicists, using both anecdotes and statistics, and conclude with a bit about my favorite research (the physics of Spandex) and pointers about getting science jobs for students, whether it's a summer research internship, an industry position, or in graduate school.
Women in Physics in Perú

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loayza, María Luisa Cerón; Vásquez, Yezeña Huaypar; Cabrejos, Jorge Aurelio Bravo

2009-04-01

The numbers of women receiving undergraduate and master's degrees in physics from San Marcos National University and undergraduate physics degrees from San Luis Gonzaga National University in Perú are reported. The number of undergraduate degrees in physics has increased for women in San Marcos University, but not for women earning master's degrees. Why don't women complete their post-degree studies? Economics and gender stereotypes are factors that women in Perú have to fight each day. Perú does not have a good scholar program in science, so few students are interested in beginning their university careers in science. Improvements in science education are needed for our country to reach its potential.
Secondary School Students' Attitudes to Nanotechnology: What Are the Implications for Science Curriculum Development?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murcia, Karen

2013-01-01

Nanotechnology is guided by the assumption that with the ability to shape or re-shape at the molecular level, we could manipulate the physical world. Some speculate that this ability will be the beginning of the next technological revolution. Hence, an aim of secondary science education should be the development of scientifically literate citizens…
The Development of Science Achievement in Middle and High School: Individual Differences and School Effects.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ma, Xin; Wilkins, Jessie L. M.

2002-01-01

Used hierarchical linear models with data from the Longitudinal Study of American Youth to model the growth of student science achievement in biology, physical science, and environmental science during middle and high school. Growth was quadratic across all areas, with rapid growth at the beginning of middle school and slow growth at the ending…
Metamodelling Messages Conveyed in Five Statistical Mechanical Textbooks from 1936 to 2001

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niss, Martin

2009-01-01

Modelling is a significant aspect of doing physics and it is important how this activity is taught. This paper focuses on the explicit or implicit messages about modelling conveyed to the student in the treatments of phase transitions in statistical mechanics textbooks at beginning graduate level. Five textbooks from the 1930s to the present are…
Using Facet Clusters to Map Learner Modes of Reasoning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vokos, Stamatis; DeWater, L. S.; Seeley, L.; Kraus, P.

2006-12-01

The Department of Physics and the School of Education at Seattle Pacific University, together with FACET Innovations, LLC, are beginning the second year of a five-year NSF TPC project, Improving the Effectiveness of Teacher Diagnostic Skills and Tools. We are working in partnership with school districts in Washington State to use formative assessment as a means to helping teachers and precollege students deepen their understanding of foundational topics in physical science. We utilize a theoretical framework of knowledge-in-pieces to identify and categorize widespread productive and unproductive modes of reasoning in the topical areas of Properties of Matter, Heat and Temperature, and Physical and Chemical Changes. In this talk, we describe the development and iterative refinement of certain facet clusters of student ideas, as well as the usefulness and limitations of such a mapping scheme. * Supported in part by NSF grant #ESI-0455796, The Boeing Corporation, and the SPU Science Initiative.
Exergaming impact on physical activity and interest in elementary school children.

PubMed

Sun, Haichun

2012-06-01

In this study, I explored the impact of exergaming on in-class physical activity (PA) and motivation in physical education. Elementary children participated in a 4-week exergaming unit and a 4-week fitness unit. A t test showed the children's in-class PA in the exergaming unit was significantly lower than in the fitness unit. Results also indicated that students' situational interest in exergaming was significantly higher than in the fitness unit at the beginning and end of instruction. Children's interest declined significantly in both units and at the same rate. The evidence suggests that exergames may have strong motivational power but it is premature to claim they will increase physical activity enough for children to receive health benefits in physical education.
Gender discrimination in physics and astronomy: Graduate student experiences of sexism and gender microaggressions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barthelemy, Ramón S.; McCormick, Melinda; Henderson, Charles

2016-12-01

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Gender in Physics.] Sexism occurs when men are believed to be superior to women, and is thought to be one of the reasons for women's underrepresentation in physics and astronomy. The issue of sexism in physics and astronomy has not been thoroughly explored in the physics education literature and there is currently no clear language for discussing sexism in the field. This article seeks to begin a conversation on sexism in physics and astronomy and offer a starting point for language to discuss sexism in research groups and departments. Interviews with 21 women in graduate physics and astronomy programs are analyzed for their individual experiences of sexism. Although a subset of women did not report experiencing sexual discrimination, the majority experienced subtle insults and slights known as microaggressions. Other participants also experienced more traditional hostile sexism in the form of sexual harassment, gender role stereotypes, and overt discouragement. These results indicate the existence of sexism in the current culture of physics and astronomy, as well as the importance departments must put on eliminating it and educating students about sexism and microaggressions.
Additional evidence of far transfer of scientific reasoning skills acquired in a CLASP reformed physics course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potter, Wendell H.; Lynch, Robert B.

2013-01-01

The introductory physics course taken by biological science majors at UC Davis, Physics 7, was radically reformed 16 years ago in order to explicitly emphasize the development of scientific reasoning skills in all elements of the course. We have previously seen evidence of increased performance on the biological and physical science portions of the MCAT exam, in a rigorous systemic physiology course, and higher graduating GPAs for students who took Physics 7 rather than a traditionally taught introductory physics course. We report here on the increased performance by a group of biological-science majors in a general chemistry course who took the first quarter of Physics 7 prior to beginning the chemistry course sequence compared to a similar group who began taking physics after completing the first two quarters of general chemistry.

The Landscape of Graduate Admissions: Surveying Physics Programs about Doctoral Admissions Practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potvin, Geoff

2014-03-01

Sustaining or improving the best graduate programs as well as increasing the diversity of the physics community requires us to better understand the critical gatekeeping role played by graduate admissions. Admissions processes determine not only who is allowed to begin graduate study but can also influence who chooses to even consider applying. Recently, in concert with some of the activities of the APS Bridge Program, a survey was conducted of directors of graduate admissions and associated faculty in doctoral-granting departments about their admissions practices. Receiving responses from over 75% of departments that award PhDs in physics, respondents were probed about their admissions decisions with special attention on the criteria used in admissions and their relative importance, and how student representation considerations are dealt with in the admissions process (if at all). Results indicate a number of important issues for future students, faculty, and administrators to consider including the importance placed on GRE scores. Results also indicate a sizable number of departments express a latent demand for greater numbers of students from traditionally-underrepresented backgrounds (including women) but simultaneously report a dearth of such students who even apply to their doctoral programs. Implications of these and other findings will be discussed.
Calabi-Yau Geometries: Algorithms, Databases and Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Yang-Hui

2013-08-01

With a bird's-eye view, we survey the landscape of Calabi-Yau threefolds, compact and noncompact, smooth and singular. Emphasis will be placed on the algorithms and databases which have been established over the years, and how they have been useful in the interaction between the physics and the mathematics, especially in string and gauge theories. A skein which runs through this review will be algorithmic and computational algebraic geometry and how, implementing its principles on powerful computers and experimenting with the vast mathematical data, new physics can be learnt. It is hoped that this interdisciplinary glimpse will be of some use to the beginning student.
Squishy Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Habdas, Piotr; Weeks, Eric R.; Lynn, David G.

2006-05-01

Most people do not realize that many substances they use in the kitchen and the bathroom are not simple liquids or solids. Everyone is familiar with three states of matter: solids, liquids, and gases. However, creams, shampoo, toothpaste, and ketchup all have properties of both liquids and solids. This paper describes demonstrations and laboratory exercises1 that show intriguing properties of squishy substances, defined as materials that are not unambiguously solid, liquid, or gas. Unlike some areas of physics, the concepts behind squishy materials are understandable even by beginning students. Squishy physics can be used to show physics questions arising from everyday life and to convey the excitement of current research.
Art as a Vehicle for Nuclear Astrophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilburn, Micha

2013-04-01

One aim of the The Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics (JINA) is to teach K-12 students concepts and ideas related to nuclear astrophysics. For students who have not yet seen the periodic table, this can be daunting, and we often begin with astronomy concepts. The field of astronomy naturally lends itself to an art connection through its beautiful images. Our Art 2 Science programming adopts a hands-on approach by teaching astronomy through student created art projects. This approach engages the students, through tactile means, visually and spatially. For younger students, we also include physics based craft projects that facilitate the assimilation of problem solving skills. The arts can be useful for aural and kinetic learners as well. Our program also includes singing and dancing to songs with lyrics that teach physics and astronomy concepts. The Art 2 Science programming has been successfully used in after-school programs at schools, community centers, and art studios. We have even expanded the program into a popular week long summer camp. I will discuss our methods, projects, specific goals, and survey results for JINA's Art 2 Science programs.
The associations among fundamental movement skills, self-reported physical activity and academic performance during junior high school in Finland.

PubMed

Jaakkola, Timo; Hillman, Charles; Kalaja, Sami; Liukkonen, Jarmo

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyse the longitudinal associations between (1) fundamental movement skills (FMSs) and academic performance, and (2) self-reported physical activity and academic performance through junior high school in Finland. The participants of the study were 325 Finnish students (162 girls and 163 boys), who were 13 years old at the beginning of the study at Grade 7. Students performed three FMS tests and responded to a self-reported physical activity questionnaire at Grades 7 and 8. Marks in Finnish language, mathematics and history from Grades 7, 8 and 9 were collected. Structural equation modelling with multigroup method demonstrated that in the boys' group, a correlation (0.17) appeared between FMS and academic performance measured at Grade 7. The results also indicated that FMS collected at Grade 8 were significantly but weakly (path coefficient 0.14) associated with academic performance at Grade 9 for both gender groups. Finally, the results of this study demonstrated that self-reported physical activity was not significantly related to academic performance during junior high school. The findings of this study suggest that mastery of FMS may contribute to better student achievement during junior high school.
Integrating Condensed Matter Physics into a Liberal Arts Physics Curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collett, Jeffrey

2008-03-01

The emergence of nanoscale science into the popular consciousness presents an opportunity to attract and retain future condensed matter scientists. We inject nanoscale physics into recruiting activities and into the introductory and the core portions of the curriculum. Laboratory involvement and research opportunity play important roles in maintaining student engagement. We use inexpensive scanning tunneling (STM) and atomic force (AFM) microscopes to introduce students to nanoscale structure early in their college careers. Although the physics of tip-surface interactions is sophisticated, the resulting images can be interpreted intuitively. We use the STM in introductory modern physics to explore quantum tunneling and the properties of electrons at surfaces. An interdisciplinary course in nanoscience and nanotechnology course team-taught with chemists looks at nanoscale phenomena in physics, chemistry, and biology. Core quantum and statistical physics courses look at effects of quantum mechanics and quantum statistics in degenerate systems. An upper level solid-state physics course takes up traditional condensed matter topics from a structural perspective by beginning with a study of both elastic and inelastic scattering of x-rays from crystalline solids and liquid crystals. Students encounter reciprocal space concepts through the analysis of laboratory scattering data and by the development of the scattering theory. The course then examines the importance of scattering processes in band structure and in electrical and thermal conduction. A segment of the course is devoted to surface physics and nanostructures where we explore the effects of restricting particles to two-dimensional surfaces, one-dimensional wires, and zero-dimensional quantum dots.
The relation between student motivation and student grades in physical education: A 3-year investigation.

PubMed

Barkoukis, V; Taylor, I; Chanal, J; Ntoumanis, N

2014-10-01

Enhancing students' academic engagement is the key element of the educational process; hence, research in this area has focused on understanding the mechanisms that can lead to increased academic engagement. The present study investigated the relation between motivation and grades in physical education (PE) employing a 3-year longitudinal design. Three hundred fifty-four Greek high school students participated in the study. Students completed measures of motivation to participate in PE on six occasions; namely, at the start and the end of the school year in the first, second, and third year of junior high school. Students' PE grades were also recorded at these time points. The results of the multilevel growth models indicated that students' PE grades increased over the 3 years and students had better PE grades at the end of each year than at the beginning of the subsequent year. In general, students and classes with higher levels of controlling motivation achieved lower PE grades, whereas higher levels of autonomous motivation were associated with higher PE grades. These findings provide new insight on the associations between class- and individual-level motivation with objectively assessed achievement in PE. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Investigating and accounting for physics graduate students' tutorial classroom practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goertzen, Renee Michelle

Physics Education researchers have been working to understanding how students learn physics, which has led to the creation of a body of research-based curricula. It is equally important to study novice instructors, graduate teaching assistants (TAs), who often teach these students. The study of TAs has similarities to how students have been studied: it is important to identify what preconceptions they often enter the classroom with, what resources they may have that they could apply to their physics teaching, and how both the classroom environment and past experiences affect what they are doing in the classroom. Although TAs are responsible for a significant portion of students' instruction at many universities, science TAs and their teaching have not been the focus of any significant amount of study. This dissertation begins to fill this gap by examining physics graduate students who teach discussion sections for introductory courses using tutorials, which are guided worksheets completed by groups of students. While assisting students with their conceptual understanding of physics, TAs are also expected to convey classroom norms of constructing arguments and listening and responding to the reasoning of others. Physics graduate students enter into the role of tutorial TA having relative content expertise but minimal or no pedagogical expertise. This analysis contends that considering the broader influences on TAs can account for TA behavior. Observations from two institutions (University of Colorado, Boulder and University of Maryland, College Park) show that TAs have different valuations (or buy-in) of the tutorials they teach, which have specific, identifiable consequences in the classroom. These differences can be explained by differences in the TAs' different teaching environments. Next, I examine cases of a behavior shared by three TAs, in which they focus on relatively superficial indicators of knowledge. Because the beliefs that underlie their teaching decisions vary, I argue that understanding and addressing the TAs individual beliefs will lead to more effective professional development. Lastly, this analysis advocates a new perspective on TA professional development: one in which TAs' ideas about teaching are taken to be interesting, plausible, and potentially productive.
Examining the Stability of the 7-Item Social Physique Anxiety Scale Using a Test-Retest Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Lisa A.; Burke, Kevin L.; Joyner, A. Barry; Brand, Jennifer S.

2004-01-01

This study examined the stability of the 7-item Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS-7) using a test-retest method. Collegiate, undergraduate (N = 201) students completed two administrations of the SPAS-7, with a 14-day separation between the administrations. The scale was administered either at the beginning or end of the physical activity class.…
2015 Federal Student Aid Supplement for the 1996 and 2004 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study Cohorts. Data File Documentation. NCES 2018-409

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Nichole D.; Duprey, Michael A.

2017-01-01

The 2015 Federal Student Aid Supplement (FSA Supplement), directed by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) at the U.S. Department of Education (ED), is a collection of federal student loan data intended to augment the 1996/01 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:96/01) and the 2004/09 Beginning Postsecondary…
Toward understanding writing to learn in physics: Investigating student writing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demaree, Dedra

It is received wisdom that writing in a discipline helps students learn the discipline, and millions of dollars have been committed at many universities to supporting such writing. We show that evidence for effectiveness is anecdotal, and that little data-based material informs these prejudices. This thesis begins the process of scientific study of writing in the discipline, in specific, in physics, and creates means to judge whether such writing is effective. The studies culminating in this thesis are an aggressive start to addressing these complex questions. Writing is often promoted as an activity that, when put into classrooms in specific disciplines, not only helps students learn to write in the methods of that discipline but also helps students learn content knowledge. Students at the Ohio State University are being asked to write more in introductory courses, and the Engineering schools want their students to have more writing skills for the job market. Combined with the desire of many educators to have students be able to explain the course content knowledge clearly, it would seem that writing activities would be important and useful in physics courses. However, the question of whether writing helps learning or whether students learn writing within a non-English classroom helps learning in the discipline are open to debate, and data are needed before such claims can be made. This thesis presents several studies aimed at understanding the correlation of writing and content, and tracking and characterizing student writing behaviors to see how they are impacted by writing in physics courses. It consists of four parts: summer and autumn 2005 focus on writing in introductory physics labs with and without explicit instruction, while winter and spring 2006 focus on tracking and analyzing student writing and revising behavior in Physics by Inquiry (PbI). With these related projects, we establish three main results. First, there is a need for quantitative studies of Writing to Learn, and in specific of Writing to Learn within physics. Second, we have also made progress in characterizing student behaviors in an effort to quantify the study of writing: the link between writing and learning content is not obvious, and we have shown that students may not even be learning to write through practice in the context of physics. Third, we have developed a valuable new tool, a novel program to track and analyze student writing, that supplies quantitative information about student writing. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
Investigating Student Understanding for a Statistical Analysis of Two Thermally Interacting Solids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loverude, Michael E.

2010-10-01

As part of an ongoing research and curriculum development project for upper-division courses in thermal physics, we have developed a sequence of tutorials in which students apply statistical methods to examine the behavior of two interacting Einstein solids. In the sequence, students begin with simple results from probability and develop a means for counting the states in a single Einstein solid. The students then consider the thermal interaction of two solids, and observe that the classical equilibrium state corresponds to the most probable distribution of energy between the two solids. As part of the development of the tutorial sequence, we have developed several assessment questions to probe student understanding of various aspects of this system. In this paper, we describe the strengths and weaknesses of student reasoning, both qualitative and quantitative, to assess the readiness of students for one tutorial in the sequence.
Teaching the Fundamentals of Energy Efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meier, Alan

2010-02-01

A course on energy efficiency is a surprisingly valuable complement to a student's education in physics and many other disciplines. The Univ. of California, Davis, offers a 1-quarter course on ``understanding the other side of the meter.'' Lectures begin by giving students a demand-side perspective on how, where, and why energy is used. Students measure energy use of appliances in their homes and then report results. This gives students a practical sense of the difference between energy and power and learn how appliances transform energy into useful services. Lectures introduce the types of direct conservation measures--reducing demand, reducing fixed consumptions, and increasing efficiency. Practical examples draw upon simple concepts in heat transfer, thermodynamics, and mechanics. Graphical techniques, strengthened through problem sets, explain the interdependence of conservation measures. Lectures then examine indirect energy savings from measures and consider questions like ``where can one achieve the greatest fuel savings in a car by removing one gram of mass?'' Finally, students learn about conservation measures that circumvent physical limits by adopting new processes. By the end of the course, students have a gained a new perspective on energy consumption and the opportunities to reduce it. )
A taste of the unfamiliar. Understanding the meanings attached to food by international postgraduate students in England.

PubMed

Brown, Lorraine; Edwards, John; Hartwell, Heather

2010-02-01

Using findings from semi-structured interviews with international postgraduate students in England, this paper explores the meanings attached to the food they eat in a new culture. Our study, using interviews, aimed to uncover student responses to both the food they eat whilst abroad and to the food they have left behind. Many students criticised local English food as bland, fattening, and unhealthy; nevertheless, most showed an openness to new foods, trying not only local food but also dishes prepared by their international friends, but this sat alongside a strong attachment to their home country dishes. Eating together was a popular leisure activity, and food of the origin country or region was the most popular cuisine. Eating home country food offered emotional and physical sustenance; students felt comforted by familiar taste, and that their physical health was stabilised by the consumption of healthier food than was available locally. Despite acknowledgement of the importance of food to cultural identity and overall quality of life in the anthropology and nutrition literatures, there is a dearth of research into this aspect of the international student experience; this study, therefore, marks an important beginning. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Learner-Centered Teaching and Improving Learning by Writing Down the Statement of Problems in an Introductory Physics Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aurora, Tarlok

2005-04-01

In a calculus-based introductory physics course, students were assigned to write the statements of word problems (along with the accompanying diagrams if any), analyze these, identify important concepts/equations and try to solve these end-of- chapter homework problems. They were required to bring to class their written assignment until the chapter was completed in lecture. These were quickly checked at the beginning of the class. In addition, re-doing selected solved examples in the textbook were assigned as homework. Where possible, students were asked to look for similarities between the solved-examples and the end-of-the-chapter problems, or occasionally these were brought to the students' attention. It was observed that many students were able to solve several of the solved-examples on the test even though the instructor had not solved these in class. This was seen as an improvement over the previous years. It made the students more responsible for their learning. Another benefit was that it alleviated the problems previously created by many students not bringing the textbooks to class. It allowed more time for problem solving/discussions in class.
Teaching Electrostatics and Entropy in Introductory Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reeves, Mark

Entropy changes underlie the physics that dominates biological interactions. Indeed, introductory biology courses often begin with an exploration of the qualities of water that are important to living systems. However, one idea that is not explicitly addressed in most introductory physics or biology courses is important contribution of the entropy in driving fundamental biological processes towards equilibrium. I will present material developed to teach electrostatic screening in solutions and the function of nerve cells where entropic effects act to counterbalance electrostatic attraction. These ideas are taught in an introductory, calculus-based physics course to biomedical engineers using SCALEUP pedagogy. Results of student mastering of complex problems that cross disciplinary boundaries between biology and physics, as well as the challenges that they face in learning this material will be presented.
Causal relationships of sport and exercise involvement with goal orientations, perceived competence and intrinsic motivation in physical education: a longitudinal study.

PubMed

Papaioannou, Athanasios; Bebetsos, Evaggelos; Theodorakis, Yannis; Christodoulidis, Triantafyllos; Kouli, Olga

2006-04-01

Little information exists about the causal relationships of sport and exercise participation with goal orientations, perceived athletic competence and intrinsic motivation in physical education. A longitudinal study was conducted involving 882 Greek students who completed questionnaires on three occasions: 3 - 5 weeks into the academic year, 3 - 6 weeks before the end of the academic year, and 7 months later. The data were analysed using structural equation models, controlling for age. Task orientation and intrinsic motivation in physical education at the beginning of the academic year predicted sport and exercise participation 7 and 14 months later. Perceived athletic competence both at the beginning and end of the academic year predicted sport and exercise participation 7 and 14 months later, while ego orientation did not predict sport and exercise involvement at either time. Previous sport and exercise participation had positive effects on task orientation and perceived athletic competence 3 - 6 weeks before the end of the academic year and predicted all cognitive-affective constructs 7 months later. These results imply that the cultivation of task orientation, intrinsic motivation in physical education and perceived athletic competence will help to promote sport and exercise participation in adolescence.
[From freshmanship to the first "Staatsexamen"--increase of depression and decline in sense of coherence and mental quality of life in advanced medical students].

PubMed

Burger, Pascal H M; Tektas, Ozan Y; Paulsen, Friedrich; Scholz, Michael

2014-08-01

Psychiatric disorders (Burnout, depression, anxiety disorders) are common among medical students with a distinctly higher prevalence compared to the general public. Although medi-cal students show a normal health status at the beginning of their university study period, a deterioration of these aspects in higher semesters is evident and continues when they become residents. In our study ESTRELLAS we examined 530 medical students in the preclinical semesters (1st-4th) before their first "Staatsexamen" with validated psychological questionnaires for depression, anxiety, quality of life and sense of coherence. Students in their 1st semester show normal values like the general public. During the 4 semesters a slow and continuous rise of depressive symptoms and anxiety was detected. Quality of life and sense of coherence constantly deteriorated. An increase of physical symptoms was not detected. In the 4th semester the number of depressive students had already doubled. The development of worsening psychological problems and resulting psychiatric disorders seems to be a continuous process, starting with the beginning of the medical studies and growing continuously during the preclinical semesters. Effect-ive strategies for coping with distress should be integrated in the medical curriculum at universities from the very first semester on. Relaxation techniques could thus be an opportunity. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.
The physiatrists' crucial role in the development and implementation of a longitudinal musculoskeletal physical examination curriculum in a medical school.

PubMed

Newcomer, Karen L; Laskowski, Edward R; Grande, Joseph P; Dyrbye, Liselotte N

2013-01-01

The musculoskeletal physical examination (MSK PE) is a critical clinical skill that should be mastered by all medical students. The authors believe that physiatrists should have a crucial role in undergraduate musculoskeletal education. This article outlines the successful integration of an MSK PE curriculum taught by physiatrists into the first 2 yrs of medical school. During year 1, a basic MSK PE is taught concomitantly with the human anatomy course and focuses on anatomical correlation with physical examination maneuvers. In year 2, the MSK PE is taught concomitantly with the musculoskeletal didactic block. Special musculoskeletal tests, basic neurologic evaluation, and case correlation are also added to expand on the examination skills learned in the first year. At the end of the second year and before beginning third-year clinical rotations, students take a practical test to demonstrate their competency in the MSK PE. The authors believe that an important component of their MSK PE educational sessions is a low student-to-instructor ratio (4:1), with ample hands-on supervision of physical examination skills practice. Residents in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation assist with the teaching. With their intensive training and clinical experience in musculoskeletal medicine, physiatric staff and residents are ideal faculty for teaching the MSK PE. The authors are hopeful that this article encourages other physiatrists to construct similar programs aimed to develop MSK PE skills in medical students.
Investigating approaches to diversity in a national survey of physics doctoral degree programs: The graduate admissions landscape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potvin, Geoff; Chari, Deepa; Hodapp, Theodore

2017-12-01

Graduate admissions play a critical gatekeeping role in the physics community not only because they select students who are allowed to begin their graduate studies, but also because they influence how students perceive graduate school, and in some cases whether or not they will even choose to apply. In conjunction with the APS Bridge Program, we conducted a national survey of graduate directors (and related faculty) of physics Ph.D. programs in the United States to explore graduate admissions practices. Our focus was on criteria used in determining admissions, mechanisms through which graduate applicants are handled, and how student representation considerations are incorporated into admissions (if at all). We report here on existing graduate admission practices in physics departments and highlight some critical issues for understanding barriers for diversifying graduate physics, including the use of GRE scores (and the relative importance placed on them). We find that the use of a minimum GRE score for admission, a practice in opposition to recommendations made by the tests designers, is reported to be used in many departments (more than one in three). We also find letters of recommendation to be highly valued in admissions decisions. Our data describe various initiatives at the institutional or individual level to increase gender diversity in admissions. A sizable number of departments also express a latent demand for greater numbers of students from traditionally marginalized racial or ethnic groups, but simultaneously report a lack of such applicants.

Career preference theory: A grounded theory describing the effects of undergraduate career preferences on student persistence in engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dettinger, Karen Marie

This study used grounded theory in a case study at a large public research university to develop a theory about how the culture in engineering education affects students with varying interests and backgrounds. According to Career Preference Theory, the engineering education system has evolved to meet the needs of one type of student, the Physical Scientist. While this educational process serves to develop the next generation of engineering faculty members, the majority of engineering undergraduates go on to work as practicing engineers, and are far removed from working as physical scientists. According to Career Preference Theory, students with a history of success in mathematics and sciences, and a focus on career, enter engineering. These students, who actually have a wide range of interests and values, each begin seeking an identity as a practicing engineer. Career Preference Theory is developed around a concept, Career Identity Type, that describes five different types of engineering students: Pragmatic, Physical Scientist, "Social" Scientist, Designer, and Educator. According to the theory, each student must develop an identity within the engineering education system if they are to persist in engineering. However, the current undergraduate engineering education system has evolved in such a way that it meets only the needs of the Physical Scientist. Pragmatic students are also likely to succeed because they tend to be extremely goal-focused and maintain a focus on the rewards they will receive once they graduate with an engineering degree. However, "Social" Scientists, who value interpersonal relationships and giving back to society; Designers, who value integrating ideas across disciplines to create aesthetically pleasing and useful products; and Educators, who have a strong desire to give back to society by working with young people, must make some connection between these values and a future engineering career if they are to persist in engineering. According to Career Preference Theory, "Social" Scientists, Designers, and Educators are likely to leave engineering, while Pragmatics and Physical Scientists are likely to persist.
Hands-on-Entropy, Energy Balance with Biological Relevance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reeves, Mark

2015-03-01

Entropy changes underlie the physics that dominates biological interactions. Indeed, introductory biology courses often begin with an exploration of the qualities of water that are important to living systems. However, one idea that is not explicitly addressed in most introductory physics or biology textbooks is important contribution of the entropy in driving fundamental biological processes towards equilibrium. From diffusion to cell-membrane formation, to electrostatic binding in protein folding, to the functioning of nerve cells, entropic effects often act to counterbalance deterministic forces such as electrostatic attraction and in so doing, allow for effective molecular signaling. A small group of biology, biophysics and computer science faculty have worked together for the past five years to develop curricular modules (based on SCALEUP pedagogy). This has enabled students to create models of stochastic and deterministic processes. Our students are first-year engineering and science students in the calculus-based physics course and they are not expected to know biology beyond the high-school level. In our class, they learn to reduce complex biological processes and structures in order model them mathematically to account for both deterministic and probabilistic processes. The students test these models in simulations and in laboratory experiments that are biologically relevant such as diffusion, ionic transport, and ligand-receptor binding. Moreover, the students confront random forces and traditional forces in problems, simulations, and in laboratory exploration throughout the year-long course as they move from traditional kinematics through thermodynamics to electrostatic interactions. This talk will present a number of these exercises, with particular focus on the hands-on experiments done by the students, and will give examples of the tangible material that our students work with throughout the two-semester sequence of their course on introductory physics with a bio focus. Supported by NSF DUE.
The Issues Framework: Situating Graduate Teaching Assistant-Student Interactions in Physics Problem Solving

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westlander, Meghan Joanne

Interactive engagement environments are critical to students' conceptual learning gains, and often the instructor is ultimately responsible for the creation of that environment in the classroom. When those instructors are graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), one of the primary ways in which they can promote interactive engagement is through their interactions with students. Much of the prior research on physics GTA-student interactions focuses on GTA training programs (e.g. Ezrailson (2004); Smith, Ward, and Rosenshein (1977)) or on GTAs' specific actions and beliefs (e.g. West, Paul, Webb, and Potter (2013); Goertzen (2010); Spike and Finkelstein (2012a)). Research on students' ideas and behaviors within and surrounding those interactions is limited but important to obtaining a more complete understanding of how GTAs promote an interactive environment. In order to begin understanding this area, I developed the Issues Framework to examine how GTA-student interactions are situated in students' processes during physics problem solving activities. Using grounded theory, the Issues Framework emerged from an analysis of the relationships between GTA-student interactions and the students procedures and expressions of physics content in and surrounding those interactions. This study is focused on introducing the Issues Framework and the insight it can provide into GTA-student interactions and students' processes. The framework is general in nature and has a visually friendly design making it a useful tool for consolidating complex data and quickly pattern-matching important pieces of a complex process. Four different categories of Issues emerged spanning the problem solving process: (1) Getting Started, (2) Solution Approach, (3) Unit Conversions, and (4) Other. The framework allowed for identification of the specific contents of the Issues in each category as well as revealing the common stories of students' processes and how the interactions were situated in those processes in each category. Through the stories, the Issues Framework revealed processes in which students often focused narrowly on procedures with the physics content expressed through their procedures and only sometimes through conceptual discussions. Interactions with the GTA affected changes in students' processes, typically leading students to correct their procedures. The interactions often focused narrowly on procedures as well but introduced conceptual discussions more often than students did surrounding the interactions. Comparing stories across GTAs instead of across categories revealed one GTA who, more often than other GTAs, used conceptual discussion and encouraged students' participation in the interactions. The Issues Framework still needs continued refinement and testing. However, it represents a significant step toward understanding GTA-student interactions from the perspective of students' processes in physics problem solving.
Forum: What Has Actually Changed in Physics Departments in the Situation for Women, Graduate Students and Other People?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulvey, Patrick; Ivie, Rachel; Campbell, David; Murnane, Margaret; Kirby, Kate; Catlla, Anne

2006-03-01

The decade of the 90's was a period of intense scrutiny of climate issues in physics departments, e.g. the status of women, the job situation for new Ph.D.'s and postdocs, and the preparation of physicists for careers inside and outside of physics. There were many conference sessions on these topics, and both APS members and leadership instigated important efforts to focus on specific areas. These efforts included the program of visiting committees to departments to examine the situation for women by the Committee on the Status of Women in Physics, the AIP's various studies of a statistical nature, and the creation by the APS of a Committee on Careers and the Forum on Graduate Student Affairs, as well as the recent APS-AAPT task force on graduate education. This forum patterned after similar sessions 10 years ago - will examine how physics departments have changed as a result of such efforts. It will begin with short (12-minute) talks by a panel of experts to describe what has happened in key areas. The greater part of the session will be a period of observations, questions, and discussion from the audience and the panel together. The purpose is to have an interchange on these interrelated topics from which we can all learn. THE TOPICS TO BE INTRODUCED IN THE SHORT TALKS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SESSION ARE: 1) changes in graduate enrollment, composition, and subsequent jobs (Patrick Mulvey); 2) women in physics and astronomy departments 2005 (Rachel Ivie); 3) changes in graduate curricula and environment (David Campbell); 4) CSWP site visits to physics departments what’s been accomplished and learned (Margaret Murnane); 5) survey of ethical issues in physics departments and the physics profession: results and reactions (Kate Kirby); and (6) physics departments from the point of view of younger physicists (Anne Catlla). The bulk of the session will be a public forum, on these and related issues, among the audience and the panel.
Peer assessment of student-produced mechanics lab report videos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Douglas, Scott S.; Aiken, John M.; Lin, Shih-Yin; Greco, Edwin F.; Alicea-Muñoz, Emily; Schatz, Michael F.

2017-12-01

We examine changes in students' rating behavior during a semester-long sequence of peer evaluation laboratory exercises in an introductory mechanics course. We perform a quantitative analysis of the ratings given by students to peers' physics lab reports, and conduct interviews with students. We find that peers persistently assign higher ratings to lab reports than do experts, that peers begin the semester by giving high ratings most frequently and end the semester with frequent middle ratings, and that peers go through the semester without much change in the frequency of low ratings. We then use student interviews to develop a model for student engagement with peer assessment. This model is based on two competing influences which appear to shape peer evaluation behavior: a strong disinclination to give poor ratings with a complementary preference to give high ratings when in doubt, and an attempt to develop an expertlike criticality when assessing peers' work.
Problem Solving: Helping Students Move From Novices Toward Experts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harper, Kathleen A.

2010-10-01

When introductory physics students engage in problem solving, they often exhibit behaviors that can frustrate their teachers. Some well-known examples of these habits include refusing to draw free-body diagrams, hunting through the book to find an example problem to use as a (perhaps inappropriate) template, and the classic ``plug-n-chug'' mentality. Studies in science education and cognitive science have yielded rational explanations for many of these novice behaviors and lay a groundwork for instructors to aid their students in beginning to develop more expert-like skills and behaviors. A few examples of these studies, as well as curricular tools that have developed as a result, will be shared. These tools not only encourage students to try more expert-like strategies, but also prime them for developing conceptual understanding.
Group Work Tests for Context-Rich Problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer, Chris

2016-05-01

The group work test is an assessment strategy that promotes higher-order thinking skills for solving context-rich problems. With this format, teachers are able to pose challenging, nuanced questions on a test, while providing the support weaker students need to get started and show their understanding. The test begins with a group discussion phase, when students are given a "number-free" version of the problem. This phase allows students to digest the story-like problem, explore solution ideas, and alleviate some test anxiety. After 10-15 minutes of discussion, students inform the instructor of their readiness for the individual part of the test. What follows next is a pedagogical phase change from lively group discussion to quiet individual work. The group work test is a natural continuation of the group work in our daily physics classes and helps reinforce the importance of collaboration. This method has met with success at York Mills Collegiate Institute, in Toronto, Ontario, where it has been used consistently for unit tests and the final exam of the grade 12 university preparation physics course.
Mathematics Competency for Beginning Chemistry Students Through Dimensional Analysis.

PubMed

Pursell, David P; Forlemu, Neville Y; Anagho, Leonard E

2017-01-01

Mathematics competency in nursing education and practice may be addressed by an instructional variation of the traditional dimensional analysis technique typically presented in beginning chemistry courses. The authors studied 73 beginning chemistry students using the typical dimensional analysis technique and the variation technique. Student quantitative problem-solving performance was evaluated. Students using the variation technique scored significantly better (18.3 of 20 points, p < .0001) on the final examination quantitative titration problem than those who used the typical technique (10.9 of 20 points). American Chemical Society examination scores and in-house assessment indicate that better performing beginning chemistry students were more likely to use the variation technique rather than the typical technique. The variation technique may be useful as an alternative instructional approach to enhance beginning chemistry students' mathematics competency and problem-solving ability in both education and practice. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(1):22-26.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.
Framework and implementation for improving physics essential skills via computer-based practice: Vector math

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikula, Brendon D.; Heckler, Andrew F.

2017-06-01

We propose a framework for improving accuracy, fluency, and retention of basic skills essential for solving problems relevant to STEM introductory courses, and implement the framework for the case of basic vector math skills over several semesters in an introductory physics course. Using an iterative development process, the framework begins with a careful identification of target skills and the study of specific student difficulties with these skills. It then employs computer-based instruction, immediate feedback, mastery grading, and well-researched principles from cognitive psychology such as interleaved training sequences and distributed practice. We implemented this with more than 1500 students over 2 semesters. Students completed the mastery practice for an average of about 13 min /week , for a total of about 2-3 h for the whole semester. Results reveal large (>1 SD ) pretest to post-test gains in accuracy in vector skills, even compared to a control group, and these gains were retained at least 2 months after practice. We also find evidence of improved fluency, student satisfaction, and that awarding regular course credit results in higher participation and higher learning gains than awarding extra credit. In all, we find that simple computer-based mastery practice is an effective and efficient way to improve a set of basic and essential skills for introductory physics.
2004/09 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/09). Full-Scale Methodology Report. NCES 2012-246

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wine, Jennifer; Janson, Natasha; Wheeless, Sara

2011-01-01

This report describes and evaluates the methods and procedures used in the 2004/09 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/09). BPS:04/09 is the second and final follow-up interview for the cohort of first-time beginning postsecondary students identified in the 2004 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study. For the first time…
Promoting Fitness and Safety in Elementary Students: A Randomized Control Study of the Michigan Model for Health.

PubMed

O'Neill, James M; Clark, Jeffrey K; Jones, James A

2016-07-01

In elementary grades, comprehensive health education curricula have demonstrated effectiveness in addressing singular health issues. The Michigan Model for Health (MMH) was implemented and evaluated to determine its impact on nutrition, physical fitness, and safety knowledge and skills. Schools (N = 52) were randomly assigned to intervention and control conditions. Participants received MMH with 24 lessons in grade 4 and 28 more lessons in grade 5 including material focusing on nutrition, physical fitness, and safety attitudes and skills. The 40-minute lessons were taught by the classroom teacher who received curriculum training and provided feedback on implementation fidelity. Self-report survey data were collected from the fourth-grade students (N = 1983) prior to the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and 6 weeks after the intervention, with the same data collection schedule repeated in fifth grade. Analysis of the scales was conducted using a mixed-model approach. Students who received the curriculum had better nutrition, physical activity, and safety skills than the control-group students. Intervention students also reported higher consumption of fruits; however, no difference was reported for other types of food consumption. The effectiveness of the MMH in promoting fitness and safety supports the call for integrated strategies that begin in elementary grades, target multiple risk behaviors, and result in practical and financial benefits to schools. © 2016, American School Health Association.
PEER DEVELOPMENT OF UNDERGRADUATE ASTRONOMERS AND PHYSICISTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - MADISON

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abler, Melissa; UW-Madison, Physics Club of

2014-01-01

The physics club at the University of Wisconsin - Madison is actively engaged in many peer-led activities that foster development of career-oriented skills. The Garage Physics program utilizes old, unwanted laboratory equipment to enable students’ in-depth exploration of classroom experiments and to investigate their own ideas. The ability to explore individual interests independently further develops research skills and assists in students’ retention of classroom knowledge. The finished products are then presented to the public at various science education and outreach events throughout the community. Sharing self-motivated projects with the public not only enhances public knowledge, understanding, and interest, but also develops valuable communication skills in the students. A self-developed introductory research guidebook helps younger club members find a mentor in the astronomy or physics departments and begin working in a research group. Senior undergraduate students also facilitate a panel each semester to discuss their experiences in acquiring and maintaining an undergraduate research position.
Combining research-enhanced and technology-enhanced teaching approaches in module design: A case study of an undergraduate course in Solar Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tong, V.

2011-12-01

There is a growing emphasis on the research-teaching nexus, and there are many innovative ways to incorporate research materials and methods in undergraduate teaching. Solar Physics is a cross-disciplinary subject and offers the ideal opportunity for research-enhanced teaching (1). In this presentation, I outline i) how student-led teaching of research content and methods is introduced in an undergraduate module in Solar Physics, and ii) how electronic learning and teaching can be used to improve students' learning of mathematical concepts in Solar Physics. More specifically, I discuss how research literature reviewing and reporting methods can be embedded and developed systematically throughout the module with aligned assessments. Electronic feedback and feedforward (2) are given to the students in order to enhance their understanding of the subject and improve their research skills. Other technology-enhanced teaching approaches (3) are used to support students' learning of the more quantitative components of the module. This case study is particularly relevant to a wide range of pedagogical contexts (4) as the Solar Physics module is taught to students following undergraduate programs in Geology, Earth Sciences, Environmental Geology as well as Planetary Science with Astronomy in the host Department. Related references: (1) Tong, C. H., Let interdisciplinary research begin in undergraduate years, Nature (2010) v. 463, p. 157. (2) Tong, V. C. H., Linking summative assessments? Electronic feedback and feedforward in module design, British Journal of Educational Technology (2011), accepted for publication. (3) Tong, V. C. H., Using asynchronous electronic surveys to help in-class revision: A case study, British Journal of Educational Technology (2011), doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2011.01207.x (4) Tong, V. C. H. (ed.), Geoscience Research and Education, Springer, Dordrecht (2012)
A national survey to explore the willingness of Japanese standardized patients to participate in teaching physical examination skills to undergraduate medical students.

PubMed

Abe, Keiko; Suzuki, Tomio; Fujisaki, Kazuhiki; Ban, Nobutaro

2009-07-01

Standardized patients (SPs) are an increasingly prevalent resource in medical education and evaluation. There is a variety of clinical skills training programs including courses designed to teach and assess communication skills as well as physical examination (PE) skills. In Japan, SPs have contributed enormously to help medical students improve their communication skills. However, there are few SPs who participate in physical examination training and the use of SPs for physical examination is rarely considered as a useful educational resource. The purpose is to explore SPs' perceptions about participating in PE training. A 27-item questionnaire was used to survey 532 SPs in Japan. The response rate was 62% (n = 332). The ratio of females to males was 4:1. SPs perceived PE training using SPs was effective in teaching students physical examination. Eighty percent of SPs were willing to have PE of head, arms, and legs. Twenty-five percent were willing to have PE on their chest, back, and abdomen. Willingness varied by gender and age. SPs perceived that including SPs in physical examination was valuable. Males or people over 50 years old are more willing to participate than females or people under 50. Reluctance to participate in PE may decrease through experience or improved knowledge of PE training and by beginning with examination of head, neck, and legs, then gradually moving to chest, back, and abdomen.
An Overview of Classes Taken and Credits Earned by Beginning Postsecondary Students. WEB Tables. NCES 2013-151rev

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Radford, Alexandria Walton; Horn, Laura

2012-01-01

These Web Tables provide an overview of classes taken and credits earned by a nationwide sample of first-time beginning postsecondary students based on data from the Postsecondary Education Transcript Study (PETS) of the 2004/09 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study. PETS collected transcripts from all the postsecondary institutions…
Preparing Physics Ph.D. Students as Instructors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manhart, Michael; Knapen, Simon

2012-03-01

As demand grows for education in STEM fields, there is an increasing need for Ph.D. physicists with a strong aptitude for and commitment to teaching. Development of these skills begins in graduate school, where most physicists are first exposed to teaching as TAs to undergraduate courses. The TA experience thus has considerable impact on the development of their teaching skills. Unfortunately, many graduate programs do not provide detailed training to their TAs. However, if departments hope to produce physicists who are also outstanding educators, they must create a culture of excellence in teaching that includes adequate training and incentives to excel for their graduate student TAs. As current Ph.D. students in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rutgers University, we have designed and implemented a TA training program to achieve these goals. Our program, Developing Educational Leaders among TAs in Physics (DELTA P), is aimed at new physics TAs and consists of an intensive orientation followed by 10 weekly seminars during the semester. The orientation focuses on the essential practical issues relevant to TAs before they first step in the classroom, while the seminars delve into more specialized topics, ranging from motivating non-majors to physics education research. Students who complete the program are given an official credential by the department to certify their training. After two years DELTA P has begun to effect positive changes to our department's TA experience, and we believe DELTA P serves as a useful model for other departments. In this talk, we will present our program and hope to engage in an interactive discussion with the audience about these issues.
Teaching Research in the Traditional Classroom: Why Make Graduate Students Wait?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carr, Lincoln D.

2016-05-01

Physics graduate programs tend to divide the degree into two parts: (1) theory, taught in classes, almost totally divorced from the lab setting; and (2) research, taught in a research group through hands-on lab experience and mentorship. As we come to understand from undergraduate physics education research that modifying our teaching can rather easily produce quantifiably better results, it is reasonable to ask if we can make similar improvements at the graduate level. In this talk I will present the results of beginning research instruction in the classroom in the very first semester of graduate school, in the most traditional of classes - classical mechanics. In this approach, students build their knowledge from hands-on projects. They get immediately certified and experienced in the machine shop and electronics lab. There are no formal lectures. Students develop and present their own problems, and teach and challenge each other in the classroom. In contrast to polished lectures, both the instructor and the students together learn from their many public mistakes. Students give conference-style presentations instead of exams. As a result, students not only excel in analytical skills, but they also learn to tie theory to measurement, identify statistical and systematic errors, simulate computationally and model theoretically, and design their own experiments. Funded by NSF.
Virtual reality welder training

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, Steven A.; Reiners, Dirk; Prachyabrued, Mores; Borst, Christoph W.; Chambers, Terrence L.

2010-01-01

This document describes the Virtual Reality Simulated MIG Lab (sMIG), a system for Virtual Reality welder training. It is designed to reproduce the experience of metal inert gas (MIG) welding faithfully enough to be used as a teaching tool for beginning welding students. To make the experience as realistic as possible it employs physically accurate and tracked input devices, a real-time welding simulation, real-time sound generation and a 3D display for output. Thanks to being a fully digital system it can go beyond providing just a realistic welding experience by giving interactive and immediate feedback to the student to avoid learning wrong movements from day 1.
Evaluating the use of simulation with beginning nursing students.

PubMed

Alfes, Celeste M

2011-02-01

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of simulation versus a traditional skills laboratory method in promoting self-confidence and satisfaction with learning among beginning nursing students. A single convenience sample of 63 first-semester baccalaureate nursing students learning effective comfort care measures were recruited to compare the two teaching methods. Students participating in the simulation experience were statistically more confident than students participating in the traditional group. There was a slight, nonsignificant difference in satisfaction with learning between the two groups. Bivariate analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between self-confidence and satisfaction. Students in both groups reported higher levels of self-confidence following the learning experiences. Findings may influence the development of simulation experiences for beginning nursing students and encourage the implementation of simulation as a strand from beginning to end in nursing curricula. Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.
From Random Walks to Brownian Motion, from Diffusion to Entropy: Statistical Principles in Introductory Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reeves, Mark

2014-03-01

Entropy changes underlie the physics that dominates biological interactions. Indeed, introductory biology courses often begin with an exploration of the qualities of water that are important to living systems. However, one idea that is not explicitly addressed in most introductory physics or biology textbooks is dominant contribution of the entropy in driving important biological processes towards equilibrium. From diffusion to cell-membrane formation, to electrostatic binding in protein folding, to the functioning of nerve cells, entropic effects often act to counterbalance deterministic forces such as electrostatic attraction and in so doing, allow for effective molecular signaling. A small group of biology, biophysics and computer science faculty have worked together for the past five years to develop curricular modules (based on SCALEUP pedagogy) that enable students to create models of stochastic and deterministic processes. Our students are first-year engineering and science students in the calculus-based physics course and they are not expected to know biology beyond the high-school level. In our class, they learn to reduce seemingly complex biological processes and structures to be described by tractable models that include deterministic processes and simple probabilistic inference. The students test these models in simulations and in laboratory experiments that are biologically relevant. The students are challenged to bridge the gap between statistical parameterization of their data (mean and standard deviation) and simple model-building by inference. This allows the students to quantitatively describe realistic cellular processes such as diffusion, ionic transport, and ligand-receptor binding. Moreover, the students confront ``random'' forces and traditional forces in problems, simulations, and in laboratory exploration throughout the year-long course as they move from traditional kinematics through thermodynamics to electrostatic interactions. This talk will present a number of these exercises, with particular focus on the hands-on experiments done by the students, and will give examples of the tangible material that our students work with throughout the two-semester sequence of their course on introductory physics with a bio focus. Supported by NSF DUE.

STUDENT SUCCESS IN BEGINNING CHEMISTRY (CHEMISTRY 3) AT EL CAMINO COLLEGE, 1964-65.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MOONEY, WILLIAM T.

THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STUDENTS' ACHIEVEMENT ON BEGINNING CHEMISTRY AND THEIR BACKGROUND PRIOR TO ENROLLMENT IN THE COURSE. OF THE 609 STUDENTS ENROLLED IN BEGINNING CHEMISTRY IN THE 1964-65 ACADEMIC YEAR, 45 PERCENT RECEIVED GRADES OF A, B, OR C. OF THE GROUP STUDIED, 23 PERCENT WERE REPEATING THE…
Introductory Geology From the Liberal Arts Approach: A Geology-Sociology Linked Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walsh, E. O.; Davis, E.

2008-12-01

Geology can be a hard sell to college students, especially to college students attending small, liberal arts institutions in localities that lack exaggerated topography. At these schools, Geology departments that wish to grow must work diligently to attract students to the major; professors must be able to convince a wider audience of students that geology is relevant to their everyday lives. Toward this end, a Physical Geology course was linked with an introductory Sociology course through the common theme of Consumption. The same students took the two courses in sequence, beginning with the Sociology course and ending with Physical Geology; thus, students began by discussing the role of consumption in society and ended by learning about the geological processes and implications of consumption. Students were able to ascertain the importance of geology in their daily lives by connecting Earth processes to specific products they consume, such as cell phones and bottled water. Students were also able to see the connection between seemingly disparate fields of study, which is a major goal of the liberal arts. As a theme, Consumption worked well to grab the attention of students interested in diverse issues, such as environmental science or social justice. A one-hour lecture illustrating the link between sociology and geology was developed for presentation to incoming freshmen and their parents to advertise the course. Initial response has been positive, showing an increase in awareness of geological processes among students with a wide range of interests.
26 CFR 1.25A-3 - Hope Scholarship Credit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... academic period beginning in the taxable year (or treated as beginning in the taxable year, see § 1.25A-5(e...) Degree requirement. For at least one academic period that begins during the taxable year, the student... least one academic period that begins during the taxable year, the student enrolls for at least one-half...
A Reciprocal Effects Model of Children's Body Fat Self-Concept: Relations With Physical Self-Concept and Physical Activity.

PubMed

Garn, Alex C; Morin, Alexandre J S; Martin, Jeffrey; Centeio, Erin; Shen, Bo; Kulik, Noel; Somers, Cheryl; McCaughtry, Nate

2016-06-01

This study investigated a reciprocal effects model (REM) of children's body fat self-concept and physical self-concept, and objectively measured school physical activity at different intensities. Grade four students (N = 376; M age = 9.07, SD = .61; 55% boys) from the midwest region of the United States completed measures of physical self-concept and body fat self-concept, and wore accelerometers for three consecutive school days at the beginning and end of one school year. Findings from structural equation modeling analyses did not support reciprocal effects. However, children's body fat self-concept predicted future physical self-concept and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Multigroup analyses explored the moderating role of weight status, sex, ethnicity, and sex*ethnicity within the REM. Findings supported invariance, suggesting that the observed relations were generalizable for these children across demographic groups. Links between body fat self-concept and future physical self-concept and MVPA highlight self-enhancing effects that can promote children's health and well-being.
Do medical student stress, health, or quality of life foretell step 1 scores? A comparison of students in traditional and revised preclinical curricula.

PubMed

Tucker, Phebe; Jeon-Slaughter, Haekyung; Sener, Ugur; Arvidson, Megan; Khalafian, Andrey

2015-01-01

We explored the theory that measures of medical students' well-being and stress from different types of preclinical curricula are linked with performance on standardized assessment. Self-reported stress and quality of life among sophomore medical students having different types of preclinical curricula will vary in their relationships to USMLE Step 1 scores. Voluntary surveys in 2010 and 2011 compared self-reported stress, physical and mental health, and quality of life with Step 1 scores for beginning sophomore students in the final year of a traditional, discipline-based curriculum and the 1st year of a revised, systems-based curriculum with changed grading system. Wilcoxon rank sum tests and Spearman rank correlations were used to analyze data, significant at p <.05. New curriculum students reported worse physical health, subjective feelings, leisure activities, social relationships and morale, and more depressive symptoms and life stress than traditional curriculum students. However, among curriculum-related stressors, few differences emerged; revised curriculum sophomores reported less stress working with real and standardized patients than traditional students. There were no class differences in respondents' Step 1 scores. Among emotional and physical health measures, only feelings of morale correlated negatively with Step 1 performance. Revised curriculum students' Step 1 scores correlated negatively with stress from difficulty of coursework. Although revised curriculum students reported worse quality of life, general stress, and health and less stress from patient interactions than traditional students, few measures were associated with performance differences on Step 1. Moreover, curriculum type did not appear to either hinder or help students' Step 1 performance. To identify and help students at risk for academic problems, future assessments of correlates of Step 1 performance should be repeated after the new curriculum is well established, relating them also to performance on other standardized assessments of communication skills, professionalism, and later clinical evaluations in clerkships or internships.
Astronomy: Social Representations of the Integrated High School Students and Graduates in Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbosa, J. I. L.

The topics related to Astronomy are spread through almost all levels of basic education in Brazil and are also disseminated through the mass media, activities that do not always occur in the proper way. However, their students form their explanations about the phenomena studied by Astronomy, that is, they begin to construct their opinions, their beliefs and their attitudes regarding this object or this situation. In this sense, this work was divided in two fronts, which have the following objectives: (1) To identify the social representations of Astronomy elaborated by students of Integrated secondary education and undergraduate students in Physics; (2) To verify to what extent the social representations developed by the investigated students are equivalent; (3) To Investigate if the social representations designed per undergraduate students in Physics about Astronomy undergo changes after these participate in a course on basic subjects of Astronomy, in comparison with those exposed before the mentioned event. On the first front there is a research of a basic nature, where the data were obtained through of survey, and analysed in accordance with the methodologies pertinent to Central Nucleus Theory, the second front deals with an investigation of an applied nature, and the data obtained were explored through statistical analyses. The results indicate that the researchers have been involved in social representations of the object Astronomy, which are based on elements of the formal education space, and also disclosed in the media, in addition, demonstrate that the students have information about Astronomy and a valuation position in relation to this Science. On the second front, the results indicate that there were changes in the social representations of the undergraduate students in Physics about the term inductor Astronomy, after the course, that is, several elements evoked before the course were replaced by others, which were worked during the event.
The Physics of Semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brennan, Kevin F.

1999-02-01

Modern fabrication techniques have made it possible to produce semiconductor devices whose dimensions are so small that quantum mechanical effects dominate their behavior. This book describes the key elements of quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and solid-state physics that are necessary in understanding these modern semiconductor devices. The author begins with a review of elementary quantum mechanics, and then describes more advanced topics, such as multiple quantum wells. He then disusses equilibrium and nonequilibrium statistical mechanics. Following this introduction, he provides a thorough treatment of solid-state physics, covering electron motion in periodic potentials, electron-phonon interaction, and recombination processes. The final four chapters deal exclusively with real devices, such as semiconductor lasers, photodiodes, flat panel displays, and MOSFETs. The book contains many homework exercises and is suitable as a textbook for electrical engineering, materials science, or physics students taking courses in solid-state device physics. It will also be a valuable reference for practicing engineers in optoelectronics and related areas.
Prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors among pharmacy students from Wroclaw Medical University (Poland).

PubMed

Ilow, Rafał; Różańska, Dorota; Regulska-Ilow, Bożena

2017-08-01

Atherosclerotic processes begin in childhood and their development worsens during adolescence. Early prevention of CVD risk factors may have an important impact on the future health of young people. It can be also helpful in reducing the costs of treating CVD later in life. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of selected cardiovascular disease risk factors among pharmacy students. The study group consisted of 1,168 pharmacy students (892 women and 276 men) from Wroclaw Medical University. The average age was 22.9 years among women and 23.2 years among men. This cross-sectional study was conducted between 2004-2012. 27.5% of men and 7.1% of women were found to be overweight, while visceral obesity was found in 15.2% and in 10.1% of students, respectively. Hypertension was diagnosed in 27.2% of men and in 7.8% of women. Low physical activity was declared by 41.9% of women and by 31.9% of men. There were 22.1% of men and 10% of women who were current smokers. The majority of the study group did not consume enough fruits and vegetables (women 61.8%, men 75%). Body mass index (BMI) was positively associated with waist and hip measurements, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and body fat percentage, while blood pressure was positively associated with BMI and waist circumference. It was found that men with high physical activity had lower BMIs, body fat percentage, waist and hip circumferences, WHR, diastolic blood pressure and heart rate than those who declared low physical activity. Comparing women with high physical activity to those with low physical activity, only lower heart rate was observed. A higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was found more often among men than women. Preventive actions which promote proper nutrition, more physical activity, smoking cessation and regular blood pressure checks and lipid profile tests should be implemented for the students.
Physics and Chemistry of Earth Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navrotsky, Alexandra

1994-11-01

Stressing the fundamental solid state behavior of minerals, and emphasizing both theory and experiment, this text surveys the physics and chemistry of earth materials. The author begins with a systematic tour of crystal chemistry of both simple and complex structures (with completely new structural drawings) and discusses how to obtain structural and thermodynamic information experimentally. Dr. Navrotsky also reviews the quantitative concepts of chemical bonding--band theory, molecular orbit and ionic models. She then covers physical properties and relates microscopic features to macroscopic thermodynamic behavior and treats high pressure phase transitions, amorphous materials and solid state reactions. The author concludes with a look at the interface between mineral physics and materials science. Highly illustrated throughout, this book fills the gap between undergraduate texts and specialized review volumes and is appropriate for students and researchers in earth science and materials science.
The Solar-Terrestrial Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hargreaves, John Keith

1995-05-01

The book begins with three introductory chapters that provide some basic physics and explain the principles of physical investigation. The principal material contained in the main part of the book covers the neutral and ionized upper atmosphere, the magnetosphere, and structures, dynamics, disturbances, and irregularities. The concluding chapter deals with technological applications. The account is introductory, at a level suitable for readers with a basic background in engineering or physics. The intent is to present basic concepts, and for that reason, the mathematical treatment is not complex. SI units are given throughout, with helpful notes on cgs units where these are likely to be encountered in the research literature. This book is suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students who are taking introductory courses on upper atmospheric, ionospheric, or magnetospheric physics. This is a successor to The Upper Atmosphere and Solar-Terrestrial Relations, published in 1979.
United States Air Force Summer Research Program -- 1993. Volume 1. Program Management Report

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-12-01

IEEE Spectrum and Physics Today. High school applicants can participate only in laboratories located no more than 20 miles from their residence. Tailored...faculty and $37/day for graduate students whose homes were more than 50 miles from the laboratory. Transportation to the laboratory at the beginning of...TX 78212- 7200 Branting, Luther Field: Dept of Computer Science Assistant Professor, PhD Laboratory: AL/HR PC Box 3682 University of Wyoming Vol-Page
Does interactive instruction in introductory physics impact long-term outcomes for students?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordon, Vernita

Early college classroom experiences contribute greatly to students leaving STEM majors. Peer instruction is a research-based pedagogy in which students, in small groups in the classroom, discuss concepts and work short problems. A single study at Harvard found that taking peer-instruction introductory physics also increases persistence in science majors. To what degree, if at all, peer instruction helps retention and performance for STEM majors at large public institutions (like University of Texas, Austin) is not known. Here I describe the results of a retrospective pilot study comparing outcomes for students who took different sections of the same calculus-based introductory mechanics course in Fall 2012 and Fall 2014. Compared with traditional lecture sections, peer-instruction sections had a 50% lower drop rate, a 40% / 55% higher rate of enrollment in the 2nd/ 3rd courses in the sequence, and, for the Fall 2012 cohort, a 74% / 165% higher rate of graduating from UT Austin / the UT Austin College of Natural Sciences by Fall 2015. I will discuss weaknesses of this retrospective pilot study and present plans for an intentionally-designed study to be implemented beginning Fall 2017.
Professional concerns of beginning teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students.

PubMed

Guteng, Simon I

2005-01-01

The professional concerns of beginning teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing were examined. Five first-year teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students served as participants. Two of the participants were itinerant teachers; three taught in self-contained classrooms. Participants were selected from programs serving deaf and hard of hearing students in rural and urban areas of the midwestern and southwestern United States. To interview the study participants, the researcher used an in-depth phenomenological method employing semi-structured questions and guided by a constructivist paradigm. Data were analyzed using qualitative analysis strategies (Bogdan & Biklen, 1992; Miles & Huberman, 1994). Results showed that concerns of beginning teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students are specific to service delivery models and geography. Participants provided specific recommendations for addressing the concerns of beginning teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students.
Jump-Start Inquiry: How Students Begin when They Don't Know

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fontichiaro, Kristin; Green, Julie

2010-01-01

In today's increasingly diverse schools, how can educators level the playing field for students with varied background knowledge before these students begin doing research? How can prior knowledge be awakened to give students a foundation upon which meaningful questions can be constructed? How can students be helped to know the words, terms, and…
The Perceptions of Cooperating Teachers Regarding the Skills and Knowledge of Student Teachers Working in Beginning and Middle School Instrumental Music Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoch, Christopher David

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to obtain the perceptions of cooperating teachers in beginning and middle school instrumental music regarding their student teachers' skills and knowledge both at the beginning and at the end of the student teaching experience. The related research has focused primarily on two areas of music teacher education. Program…
Calculating and Understanding: Formal Models and Causal Explanations in Science, Common Reasoning and Physics Teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Besson, Ugo

2010-03-01

This paper presents an analysis of the different types of reasoning and physical explanation used in science, common thought, and physics teaching. It then reflects on the learning difficulties connected with these various approaches, and suggests some possible didactic strategies. Although causal reasoning occurs very frequently in common thought and daily life, it has long been the subject of debate and criticism among philosophers and scientists. In this paper, I begin by providing a description of some general tendencies of common reasoning that have been identified by didactic research. Thereafter, I briefly discuss the role of causality in science, as well as some different types of explanation employed in the field of physics. I then present some results of a study examining the causal reasoning used by students in solid and fluid mechanics. The differences found between the types of reasoning typical of common thought and those usually proposed during instruction can create learning difficulties and impede student motivation. Many students do not seem satisfied by the mere application of formal laws and functional relations. Instead, they express the need for a causal explanation, a mechanism that allows them to understand how a state of affairs has come about. I discuss few didactic strategies aimed at overcoming these problems, and describe, in general terms, two examples of mechanics teaching sequences which were developed and tested in different contexts. The paper ends with a reflection on the possible role to be played in physics learning by intuitive and imaginative thought, and the use of simple explanatory models based on physical analogies and causal mechanisms.
Creative Activities for String Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stabley, Nola Campbell

2001-01-01

Discusses how to teach improvisation, creativity, and movement to beginning music classroom students. Includes background information on teaching each concept and lesson plans to be used with beginning string students. Provides rhythm patterns, exercises, and an assignment used in the lessons. (CMK)
Simulation and Experimentation in an Astronomy Laboratory, Part II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maloney, F. P.; Maurone, P. A.; Hones, M.

1995-12-01

The availability of low-cost, high-performance computing hardware and software has transformed the manner by which astronomical concepts can be re-discovered and explored in a laboratory that accompanies an astronomy course for non-scientist students. We report on a strategy for allowing each student to understand fundamental scientific principles by interactively confronting astronomical and physical phenomena, through direct observation and by computer simulation. Direct observation of physical phenomena, such as Hooke's Law, begins by using a computer and hardware interface as a data-collection and presentation tool. In this way, the student is encouraged to explore the physical conditions of the experiment and re-discover the fundamentals involved. The hardware frees the student from the tedium of manual data collection and presentation, and permits experimental design which utilizes data that would otherwise be too fleeting, too imprecise, or too voluminous. Computer simulation of astronomical phenomena allows the student to travel in time and space, freed from the vagaries of weather, to re-discover such phenomena as the daily and yearly cycles, the reason for the seasons, the saros, and Kepler's Laws. By integrating the knowledge gained by experimentation and simulation, the student can understand both the scientific concepts and the methods by which they are discovered and explored. Further, students are encouraged to place these discoveries in an historical context, by discovering, for example, the night sky as seen by the survivors of the sinking Titanic, or Halley's comet as depicted on the Bayeux tapestry. We report on the continuing development of these laboratory experiments. Futher details and the text for the experiments are available at the following site: http://astro4.ast.vill.edu/ This work is supported by a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Space Rocks Tell Their Secrets: Space Science Applications of Physics and Chemistry for High School and College Classes: Update

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindstrom, M. M.; Tobola, K. W.; Stocco, K.; Henry, M.; Allen, J. S.; McReynolds, Julie; Porter, T. Todd; Veile, Jeri

2004-01-01

As the scientific community studies Mars remotely for signs of life and uses Martian meteorites as its only available samples, teachers, students, and the general public continue to ask, How do we know these meteorites are from Mars? This question sets the stage for a six-lesson instructional package Space Rocks Tell Their Secrets. Expanding on the short answer It s the chemistry of the rock , students are introduced to the research that reveals the true identities of the rocks. Since few high school or beginning college students have the opportunity to participate in this level of research, a slide presentation introduces them to the labs, samples, and people involved with the research. As they work through the lessons and interpret authentic data, students realize that the research is an application of two basic science concepts taught in the classroom, the electromagnetic spectrum and isotopes.
Using Python as a first programming environment for computational physics in developing countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akpojotor, Godfrey; Ehwerhemuepha, Louis; Echenim, Myron; Akpojotor, Famous

2011-03-01

Python unique features such its interpretative, multiplatform and object oriented nature as well as being a free and open source software creates the possibility that any user connected to the internet can download the entire package into any platform, install it and immediately begin to use it. Thus Python is gaining reputation as a preferred environment for introducing students and new beginners to programming. Therefore in Africa, the Python African Tour project has been launched and we are coordinating its use in computational science. We examine here the challenges and prospects of using Python for computational physics (CP) education in developing countries (DC). Then we present our project on using Python to simulate and aid the learning of laboratory experiments illustrated here by modeling of the simple pendulum and also to visualize phenomena in physics illustrated here by demonstrating the wave motion of a particle in a varying potential. This project which is to train both the teachers and our students on CP using Python can easily be adopted in other DC.

Ergonomic factors that cause the presence of pain muscle in students of dentistry.

PubMed

Diaz-Caballero, Antonio-José; Gómez-Palencia, Isabel-Patricia; Díaz-Cárdenas, Shyrley

2010-11-01

To identify the ergonomic factors and the presence of muscular pain in dental students of VIII, IX, X semesters presently practicing at the clinics of the College of Dentistry of university of Cartagena, Colombia, South America. This is a descriptive study carried out in dental students of the VIII, IX, and X semesters which were undergoing clinical practice at the College of Dentistry of University of Cartagena. A convenience sample of 83 students who met the inclusion criteria was taken and those who agreed to participate signed an informed consent. Data collection was obtained by means of a structured questionnaire for ergonomic factors and the presence of pain was identified palpating the muscles object of the study by a physical therapist. The variables evaluated were: presence of pain, affected muscles, affected zones, gender, postures and work environment. The adoption of inadequate postures such as exaggerated flexions or cervical torsions could generate a higher frequency of muscular pain in dental students. The approximating muscle of the thumb showed 11% frequency of pain. The presence of muscular pain was higher for the female group participating in this study. Dentists are prone, since the beginning of their clinical practice as students, to lesions of the skeletal muscle system due to the clinical exercise of the profession, being the most common, muscle pain in the back, neck, shoulders and hands. This would imply initiating an occupational health program promoting healthy lifestyles in their academic environment and their future professional life, at the beginning of their clinical practice in dental school.
The role of the physics department in the preparation of future pre-college teachers: A summary from the international conference on physics education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez, Ramon E.

1997-03-01

This paper summarizes the conference presentations that specifically dealt with the role of the physics department in education of teachers, both before they begin teaching (pre-service) and during their careers (in-service). These presentations in general reflected a consensus that, as in the case of other students, instruction in pre-service and in-service courses should employ more active engagement techniques, both to improve student understanding and to model effective instruction, and that the appropriate use of technology can be a powerful aid to that end. Improvements made in standard introductory physics courses will impact most future secondary science teachers who, by and large, will have science degrees or take a significant amount of science courses. However, pre-service elementary teachers take few science courses and are often science phobic. This population represents the vast bulk of teachers who, if they have a good understanding of basic science, can engage children at the ages when they are most curious. Physics departments can play a valuable role in stimulating and sustaining reform of pre-college science teaching by being more involved in providing effective and appropriate instruction and models for inquiry to current and future elementary and secondary teachers.
W.E. Henry Symposium compendium: The importance of magnetism in physics and material science

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carwell, H.

This compendium contains papers presented at the W. E. Henry Symposium, The Importance of Magnetism in Physics and Material Science. The one-day symposium was conducted to recognize the achievements of Dr. Warren Elliot Henry as educator, scientist, and inventor in a career spanning almost 70 years. Dr. Henry, who is 88 years old, attended the symposium. Nobel Laureate, Dr. Glenn Seaborg, a friend and colleague for over 40 years, attended the event and shared his personal reminiscences. Dr. Seaborg is Associate Director-At-Large at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The Compendium begins with three papers which demonstrate the ongoing importance ofmore » magnetism in physics and material science. Other contributions cover the highlights of Dr. Henry`s career as a researcher, educator, and inventor. Colleagues and former students share insights on the impact of Dr. Henry`s research in the field of magnetism, low temperature physics, and solid state physics; his influence on students as an educator; and his character, intellect and ingenuity, and passion for learning and teaching. They share a glimpse of the environment and times that molded him as a man, and the circumstances under which he made his great achievements despite the many challenges he faced.« less
Repayment of Student Loans as of 2015 among 1995-96 and 2003-04 First-Time Beginning Students. First Look. NCES 2018-410

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woo, Jennie H.; Bentz, Alexander H.; Lew, Stephen; Velez, Erin Dunlop; Smith, Nichole

2017-01-01

This "First Look" report presents selected findings about the repayment of federal student loans using data from the 2015 Federal Student Aid Supplements to two Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Studies (BPS) administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The report examines two cohorts of borrowers:…
Merging the Mazes: Joint Admission as a Transfer Student Pathway

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morris, Brett; Cox, Lisa

2016-01-01

The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) Research Center reports that 48 percent of all students begin their postsecondary education at community colleges--15 percentage points more than the number of students who begin their postsecondary education at four-year public institutions. It's easy to explain why. Access is easier because admission is…
Experimenting with wires, batteries, bulbs and the induction coil: Narratives of teaching and learning physics in the electrical investigations of Laura, David, Jamie, myself and the nineteenth century experimenters. Our developments and instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavicchi, Elizabeth Mary

Physics is conventionally taught as a fixed curriculum which students must master. This thesis changes that: curriculum emerges from what learners try and question in experiments they invent. The thesis narrates: three adult students exploring wires, batteries and bulbs with me as teacher; nineteenth century investigations of electromagnetism; my laboratory work replicating historic instruments. In each case, learning arose through activity with materials. Evidences of this are analyzed within narratives and reflections. I used teaching-research, a method developed by Duckworth from Piaget's clinical interviewing, to research and simultaneously extend students' evolving understandings. What I learned through questioning students informed my next interactions; what they learned extended their experimenting. Similarly, I researched historical accounts interactively: improvising experiments to develop my understandings. Studying my own learning deepened my interpretations of students' learning. My students Laura, David and Jamie experimented by: soldering bulbs to wires, making series and parallel circuits, inserting resistive wire that dimmed bulbs, conducting electricity through salt water They noticed bulb brightness and battery heat, compared electricity's paths, questioned how voltage and current relate. They inferred electricity's effects manifest magnitudes of material properties. They found their experiences while learning were inseparable from what they learned. I researched investigations connected with Cavendish's leather fish, Galvani's frogs, Schweigger's wire spiraled around a compass needle, Henry's electromagnets, Faraday's induction ring, induction devices of Page, Callan, Hearder. Experimentally, I made galvanometers, electromagnets, induction rings, induction coil. I observed effects of electromagnetism, internal resistance, induced sparking. Across these investigations, learning developed with instrumental innovations; confusions were productive for further explorations. This thesis has implications for profoundly changing physics instruction. Physics education research seeks to supplant students' 'misconceptions' with correct explanations; by contrast, this thesis shows that students' original thinking provides their beginnings for moving to new understandings. Students and historic experimenters form and reform new, tentative understandings through many engagements with phenomena. As learners' questioning deepens in detail, its inclusiveness broadens. Evolving understandings are unique and consistent with nature. Wonder empowers continued learning. This thesis is a resource to inspire teachers in exploring the many possibilities within their learning, their students' learning, and physical phenomena.
Covariates of Tooth-brushing Frequency in Low-income African Americans From Grades 5 to 8

PubMed Central

Koerber, A.; Graumlich, S.; Punwani, I.C.; Berbaum, M.L.; Burns, J.L.; Levy, S.R.; Cowell, J.M.; Flay, B.R.

2009-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine tooth-brushing frequency in 575 urban and nearby suburban African American children as part of a comprehensive risk-reduction study for students at high risk for violence, drugs, school delinquency, and unsafe sexual behaviors to determine which covariates predicted tooth-brushing frequency. Methods Students were surveyed 5 times, from the beginning of grade 5 and the end of each year through grade 8, and parents were surveyed at the beginning of grade 5. Peer influence, importance of being liked, self-esteem, attitudes towards tooth-brushing, oral health knowledge, self-efficacy, parental attitudes, and other covariates were examined for the ability to predict self-reporting of tooth-brushing frequency. Results In the fifth grade, peer influence, the importance of being liked, and physical self-esteem were the significant predictors, and peer influence continued to predict tooth-brushing in the eighth grade. Oral health knowledge and parental influence were not significant. Conclusion Peer influence is an important factor in tooth-brushing behavior in metropolitan African American preadolescent children. PMID:17249434
Covariates of tooth-brushing frequency in low-income African Americans from grades 5 to 8.

PubMed

Koerber, A; Graumlich, S; Punwani, I C; Berbaum, M L; Burns, J L; Levy, S R; Cowell, J M; Flay, B R

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine tooth-brushing frequency in 575 urban and nearby suburban African American children as part of a comprehensive risk-reduction study for students at high risk for violence, drugs, school delinquency, and unsafe sexual behaviors to determine which covariates predicted tooth-brushing frequency. Students were surveyed 5 times, from the beginning of grade 5 and the end of each year through grade 8, and parents were surveyed at the beginning of grade 5. Peer influence, importance of being liked, self-esteem, attitudes towards tooth-brushing, oral health knowledge, self-efficacy, parental attitudes, and other covariates were examined for the ability to predict self-reporting of tooth-brushing frequency. In the fifth grade, peer influence, the importance of being liked, and physical self-esteem were the significant predictors, and peer influence continued to predict tooth-brushing in the eighth grade. Oral health knowledge and parental influence were not significant. Peer influence is an important factor in tooth-brushing behavior in metropolitan African American preadolescent children.
Effects of a new parallel primary healthcare centre and on-campus training programme on history taking, physical examination skills and medical students' preparedness: a prospective comparative study in Taiwan.

PubMed

Yang, Ying-Ying; Wang, Shuu-Jiun; Yang, Ling-Yu; Lirng, Jiing-Feng; Huang, Chia-Chang; Liang, Jen-Feng; Lee, Fa-Yauh; Hwang, Shinn-Jang; Huang, Chin-Chou; Kirby, Ralph

2017-09-25

The primary healthcarecentre (PHCC) is the first place that medical students experience patient contact. Usually, medical students are frustrated by a lack of proper skills training for on-campus history taking (HT), physical examination (PE) and self-directed learning (SDL) to prepare for their PHCC and inhospital patient contact. For pre-clerks, this study aims to compare the effectiveness of PHCC training and PHCC training in combination with on-campus HT and PE training modules (PHCC+on-campus) on their clerkship preparedness. This comparative study utilised prospective, consecutive, end of pre-clerkship group objective structured clinical examination (GOSCE), beginning of clerkship OSCE and self-administered Preparation for Hospital Practice Questionnaire (PHPQ). 128 pre-clinical clerk volunteers (64 each year) receiving PHCC training (7 week PHCCtraining in addition to 7 week assignment based group learning, academic year 2014, controls) and PHCC training in combination with on-campus module training (academic year 2015, 7 week PHCCtraining in addition to 7 week on-campus sessions) were sequentially assessed before the module (week 1), at the end of the module (week 14) and at the beginning of clerkship (week 25). For overall HT and PE skills, both PHCC and PHCC+on-campus module trained pre-clerks performed better on OSCE than GOSCE. Additionally, the improvement was accompanied by higher self-reported PHPQ scores in 'confidence/coping' and 'SDL' domains. At the end of the pre-clerkship and the beginning of the clerkship stages, the degree of improvement in preparedness in 'confidence/coping' and 'SDL' domains was higher for those in the PHCC+on-campus group than for those in the PHCC group. Among the PHCC+on-campus module participants, a positive association was observed between high mean PHPQ-SDL scores and high OSCE scores. Our study suggests that the PHCC+on-campus module, which is paired faculty led and pre-trained dyad student assisted, is effective in developing a preclinical clerk's HT and PE skills and intensifying SDL/patient management abilities to prepare for hospital practice in clerkship. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.
"Socratic Circles are a Luxury": Exploring the Conceptualization of a Dialogic Tool in Three Science Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Copelin, Michelle Renee

Research has shown that dialogic instruction promotes learning in students. Secondary science has traditionally been taught from an authoritative stance, reinforced in recent years by testing policies requiring coverage. Socratic Circles are a framework for student-led dialogic discourse, which have been successfully used in English language arts and social studies classrooms. The purpose of this research was to explore the implementation process of Socratic Circles in secondary science classes where they have been perceived to be more difficult. Focusing on two physical science classes and one chemistry class, this study described the nature and characteristics of Socratic Circles, teachers' dispositions toward dialogic instruction, the nature and characteristics of student discussion, and student motivation. Socratic Circles were found to be a dialogic support that influenced classroom climate, social skills, content connections, and student participation. Teachers experienced conflict between using traditional test driven scripted teaching, and exploring innovation through dialogic instruction. Students experienced opportunities for peer interaction, participation, and deeper discussions in a framework designed to improve dialogic skills. Students in two of the classrooms showed evidence of motivation for engaging in peer-led discussion, and students in one class did not. The class that did not show evidence of motivation had not been given the same scaffolding as the other two classes. Two physical science teachers and one chemistry teacher found that Socratic Circles required more scaffolding than was indicated by their peers in other disciplines such as English and social studies. The teachers felt that student's general lack of background knowledge for any given topic in physical science or chemistry necessitated the building of a knowledge platform before work on a discussion could begin. All three of the teachers indicated that Socratic Circles were a rewarding activity, beneficial to students, which they would use in the future.
Women in physics in Bangladesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choudhury, Shamima K.

2013-03-01

Bangladesh has had a glorious physics tradition since the beginning of the last century, when the physicist S.N. Bose published a groundbreaking paper with Albert Einstein on Bose-Einstein statistics. However, women in Bangladesh traditionally have not been able to make their way in the realm of science in general and physics in particular. Since Bangladesh achieved independence in 1971, the situation has gradually changed and more and more women choose physics as an academic discipline. The percentage of women students in physics rose from 10% in 1970 to almost 30% in 2010. In recent years, women physicists have actively participated in many activities promoting science and technology, creating awareness among the public about the importance of physics education. The present status of women physicists in academic, research, and administrative programs in the government and private sectors in Bangladesh is reported. The greater inclusion of women scientists, particularly physicists, in policy-making roles on important issues of global and national interest is suggested.
Trends in basic mathematical competencies of beginning undergraduates in Ireland, 2003-2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Treacy, Páraic; Faulkner, Fiona

2015-11-01

Deficiencies in beginning undergraduate students' basic mathematical skills has been an issue of concern in higher education, particularly in the past 15 years. This issue has been tracked and analysed in a number of universities in Ireland and internationally through student scores recorded in mathematics diagnostic tests. Students beginning their science-based and technology-based undergraduate courses in the University of Limerick have had their basic mathematics skills tested without any prior warning through a 40 question diagnostic test during their initial service mathematics lecture since 1998. Data gathered through this diagnostic test have been recorded in a database kept at the university and explored to track trends in mathematical competency of these beginning undergraduates. This paper details findings surrounding an analysis of the database between 2003 and 2013, outlining changes in mathematical competencies of these beginning undergraduates in an attempt to determine reasons for such changes. The analysis found that the proportion of students tested through this diagnostic test that are predicted to be at risk of failing their service mathematics end-of-semester examinations has increased significantly between 2003 and 2013. Furthermore, when students' performance in secondary level mathematics was controlled, it was determined that the performance of beginning undergraduates in 2013 was statistically significantly below that of the performance of the beginning undergraduates recorded 10 years previously.
Engaging non-Majors: Teaching From the Eye of Hurricane Katrina and the Pacific Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarmiento, S. E.

2007-12-01

Engaging non-majors to become interested in the geosciences college courses they take for a science requirement represents a challenge. These courses are most likely the only exposure they will ever have to a formal earth science curriculum. Experience shows a general lack of motivation and the need to find effective teaching methods to raise their interest. In the beginning of the fall 2005 semester, I participated in a research project to measure water vapor contents on the ground of the eye of hurricane Katrina in Slidell, Louisiana. Sharing this experience with my physical and environmental geology students made a significant difference (25 percentage final grade improvement) on their interest and course performance over previous semesters. Class presentations with data collected in Katrina contributed to build a general trust in the instructor and in the way, students viewed the role of geosciences in the mitigation of natural hazardous processes. The use of travel blogs and internet enhanced courses allows teaching real time from almost anywhere as it was recently done from the east pacific (360 miles NW from Guam). An interactive portfolio of the faculty field experiences presented at the beginning of the semester has the potential to build student interest and their trust on the faculty experience and passion for the subject.
At the heart of a new profession: Margaret Stansfeld, a radical English educationalist.

PubMed

Smart, R

2001-01-01

It is argued here that Margaret Stansfeld, as Principal of Bedford Physical Training College from 1903 to 1945, succeeded in developing a strong and distinctive 'female tradition' which was widely disseminated by her students. She was realistic in recognizing the strength of opposition from a male-dominated society to women's participation in sport and physical exercise, and steadily overcame it. She achieved this partly by insisting on acceptably 'ladylike' behaviour from her students in conventional social situations, and also by bringing the work of the college into the public arena, through displays of gymnastics, through the use of elementary schools for part of the student teaching experience, through the running of a physiotherapy clinic where treatment was given free of charge, and through the use of students in the outpatients ward of the local hospital. Stansfeld herself was PE organizer for Bedford from 1923. But she was not afraid to fight against prejudice which was demonstrably based on false premises, e.g. medical opposition to women taking part in strenuous physical exercise, or to insist on appropriate clothing for women, however indecorous some might have considered it. The college's long-term success resulted from a series of factors: its curriculum and ethos, the networking process it fostered, the quality of the teachers it produced, the strength of the Old Students' Association, Stansfeld's willingness to embrace new ideas, and the growing academic respectability of the subject. The pivot of the whole process was Stansfeld herself - autocratic, austere, but an inspirational teacher - feared and loved. Students who succeeded were empowered - 'She prepared us for LIFE!' The success of her Old Students was the most important feature, e.g. Phyllis Colson, originator and director of the Central Council of Physical Recreation. Hundreds of others, less well known, in schools all over Britain and abroad, gave their pupils pride in themselves, not only through the experience of games, gymnastics and dance, but through moral example - 'fair play' - and many brought the newest innovations into schools (e.g. Elizabeth Swallow was the first to introduce Laban into a maintained school in 1939). Stansfeld's indomitable spirit was always in evidence, even at the end of her life - she returned to the office of Principal in 1948 at age 88, three years before her own death, after the unexpected death of her successor. It was this strength of will and character above all else which empowered her students as women and as teachers, and which enabled them in their turn to empower their own pupils, and so to replace the myth that physical activities were damaging to women with the growing realization that sport and physical recreation are as beneficial to women as they are to men. Stansfeld was justifiably recognized in her time as a pioneer in the advancement of women's PE, e.g. by the McNair Report (1942), which argued that nothing comparable had been achieved for men. She was the last survivor of the originators of women's PE, and the most influential. It is ironic that the rise of feminism in the second half of the century coincided with the dissipation of the female tradition, epitomised by Stansfeld, as physical education for women, developed by women, in the first half of the century increasingly came to be controlled by men in the second half. It is perhaps the ultimate demonstration of the success of Stansfeld's work that, despite this, at the beginning of the twenty-first century women are free to participate in and enjoy sport and physical leisure in a way that would have seemed impossible at the beginning of the twentieth.
Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study First Follow-up (BPS:96/98) Field Test Report. Working Paper Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pratt, Daniel J.; Wine, Jennifer S.; Heuer, Ruth E.; Whitmore, Roy W.; Kelly, Janice E.; Doherty, John M.; Simpson, Joe B.; Marti, Norma

This report describes the methods and procedures used for the field test of the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study First Followup 1996-98 (BPS:96/98). Students in this survey were first interviewed during 1995 as part of the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study 1996 field test. The BPS:96/98 full-scale student sample includes…
Beginning Special Education Teachers of Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pressley, Denise Marie

2013-01-01

In an attempt to provide educational services to students eligible to receive special education, school systems are using beginning out-of-field teachers. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to determine which skills, knowledge, training methods, and support beginning out-of-field special education teachers identified as necessary to…
The Aftermath of Remedial Math: Investigating the Low Rate of Certificate Completion among Remedial Math Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bahr, Peter Riley

2013-01-01

Nationally, a majority of community college students require remedial assistance with mathematics, but comparatively few students who begin the remedial math sequence ultimately complete it and achieve college-level math competency. The academic outcomes of students who begin the sequence but do not complete it are disproportionately unfavorable:…
Predicting healthy and unhealthy behaviors through physical education: A self-determination theory-based longitudinal approach.

PubMed

Ferriz, R; González-Cutre, D; Sicilia, Á; Hagger, M S

2016-05-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relations between three dimensions of the structured teaching environment (promotion of theoretical knowledge, physical learning, and health improvement) in physical education (PE) and the adoption of health-related behaviors by students. The study adopted a two-occasion longitudinal design based on self-determination theory (SDT). PE students (N = 654, mean age = 16.13, SD = .77) completed measures of perceived structured teaching environment, satisfaction of basic psychological needs and motivation for PE, and healthy (physical activity, sport participation, and healthy eating) and unhealthy (consumption of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs) behaviors at the beginning and end of the first year of post-compulsory secondary education. Path analysis of the proposed relations among variables supported SDT tenets and showed positive relations between the three dimensions of the structured teaching environment, the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, and autonomous motivation in PE. Autonomous motivation contributed to an explanation of variance in two healthy behaviors, physical activity and sport participation. However, no relation was found among motivation in PE, healthy eating, and consumption of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. These results show negligible trans-contextual influence of SDT motivational factors in PE on other healthy behaviors beyond physical activity. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
A comparison of training and physical performance of police students at the start and the end of three-year police education.

PubMed

Lagestad, Pål; van den Tillaar, Roland

2014-05-01

The purpose was to compare male and female police students exercise and physical performances at the beginning and the end of a 3-year police education. Two hundred thirty-five subjects answered the survey about exercise and 85 subjects (58 men: age = 23.7 ± 2.8 years, body mass = 82.1 ± 7.8 kg, height = 1.83 ± 0.06 m; 27 women: age = 24.9 ± 3.1 years, body mass = 66 ± 8.5 kg, height = 1.70 ± 0.09 m) participated in the 4 physical exercises (bench press, pull-ups, standing long jump, and 3,000-m run). It was found that the priority of maximum strength training increased (p < 0.001), whereas the priority of endurance and sprint training decreased during the 3-year period, with no differences between gender (p ≥ 0.28). The performances in the strength-related physical tests, bench press, and pull-ups also increased in the same period. These changes were the same for both genders. Findings showed a discrepancy between what is reported as necessary physical skills in police work and what actually is trained during the police education. This discrepancy was caused by the large focus upon maximal strength in the physical examination program in the police education.
Artifact-based reflective interviews for identifying pragmatic epistemological resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shubert, Christopher Walden

Physics Education Research studies the science of teaching and learning physics. The process of student learning is complex, and the factors that affect it are numerous. Describing students' understanding of physics knowledge and reasoning is the basis for much productive research; however, such research fails to account for certain types of student learning difficulties. In this dissertation, I explore one source of student difficulty: personal epistemology, students' ideas about knowledge and knowing. Epistemology traditionally answers three questions: What is knowledge? How is knowledge created? And, how do we know what we know? An individual's responses to these questions can affect learning in terms of how they approach tasks involving the construction and application of knowledge. The key issue addressed in this dissertation is the effect of methodological choices on the validity and reliability of claims concerning personal epistemology. My central concern is contextual validity, how what is said about one's epistemology is not identical to how one behaves epistemologically. In response to these issues, I present here a new methodology for research on student epistemology: video artifact-based reflective interview protocols. These protocols begin with video taping students in their natural classroom activities, and then asking the participants epistemological questions immediately after watching selected scenes from their activity, contextually anchoring them in their actual learning experience. The data from these interviews is viewed in the framework of Epistemological Resource Theory, a framework of small bits of knowledge whose coordination in a given context is used to describe personal epistemology. I claim that the privileged data from these interviews allows detailed epistemological resources to be identified, and that these resources can provide greater insight into how student epistemologies are applied in learning activities. This research, situated within an algebra-based physics for life scientists course reform project, focuses on student work in Modeling Informed Instruction (MII) laboratory activities, which are an adaptation of Modeling Instruction. The development of these activities is based on the epistemological foundations of Modeling Instruction, and these foundations are used to describe a potential assessment for the epistemological effectiveness of a curriculum.

Teacher candidates' beliefs about including socioscientific issues in physics and chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrett, Sarah Elizabeth

Teaching science for social justice involves a deliberate effort to reconstruct society into something more equitable and just. Introducing socioscientific issues (SSI) into science is one strategy toward this end. However, research indicates that SSI are rarely discussed in the physical sciences even though they exist. This may be due to the beliefs of chemistry and physics teachers with respect to what belongs in these subjects. If we wish to begin to influence these beliefs through initial teacher education, it is essential for teacher educators to understand the origins of these beliefs. In this qualitative study 12 teacher candidates were interviewed at 3 points during a 9 month teacher education program: at the beginning of the course (in September), after the first practicum (in November) and after the second practicum (in March). Teacher candidates' beliefs did not change significantly from the beginning of the study to the end. They displayed varying degrees of commitment to including SSI in their teaching. Based on their (a) conception of the ethics of science, (b) goals for science education, (c) idea of the place of ethics in science (education), and (d) beliefs about including SSI, the teacher candidates were divided into four groups. Four archetypes were derived: "Model Scientist/Engineer", "Model Individual", "Model Teacher", and "Model Citizen". Since these groups are archetypes, none of the participants fits into the categories perfectly but individual teacher candidates demonstrated more characteristics of one archetype than others. Only the 3 Model Citizens were committed to including SSI in their teaching while the others placed the priority on preparing students for the next level of schooling. A model was developed to serve as a microgeneology of teacher candidates' beliefs about including SSI in their teaching. It traced their beliefs from (a) life experiences to (b) conception of ethics and nature of science to (c) goals for science education to (d) inclusion or non-inclusion of SSI. Based on the archetypes, current beliefs were extrapolated into future beliefs. How teacher educators could use this model to influence the future beliefs of their students is discussed.
The Effective and Evolving Role of Graduate Students in the SURFO REU Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pockalny, R. A.

2005-12-01

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships in Oceanography (SURFO) program is a 10-week research/educational program designed to expose 9 undergraduates per year to cutting-edge, authentic oceanographic research at the Graduate School of Oceanography/University of Rhode Island. The SURFO program primarily focuses on the more quantitative aspects of oceanography (e.g., physical oceanography, geophysical fluid dynamics and marine geophysics), which closely parallel the strengths of GSO/URI. Thus, the primary undergraduate population targeted by the program includes students from various disciplines, but with strong backgrounds in math, physics, computer science, and engineering. Over its 20-year existence, the SURFO program has continuously evolved; however, three basics goals of the program have been maintained: 1) expose students to the breadth and depth of oceanography, 2) provide students with an authentic research experience, and 3) integrate/assimilate students into the lifestyle and community of a graduate research institution. An integral component for achieving these goals has been the inclusion of graduate students as workshop leaders/instructors, research mentors, and social directors. In these roles the graduate students act as a 'big brother/sister' to transition the undergraduates into the academic and research community. The graduate students also initially behave as liaisons between the senior researcher and the SURFO participant by fielding questions and concerns the undergraduate may be too intimidated to voice. As the summer progresses, the graduate students typically evolve into a lead research advisor and begin to learn effective techniques for advising students. Responses from SURFO participants on exit questionnaires frequently comment on how their experience and research project were directly affected by the extent of graduate student participation during the summer. Anecdotal evidence also indicates the participating graduate students gain maturity in their approach to research and become more willing advisees.
SU-E-P-04: Transport Theory Learning Module in the Maple Environment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Both, J

2014-06-01

Purpose: The medical physics graduate program at the University of Miami is developing a computerized instructional module which provides an interactive mechanism for students to learn transport theory. While not essential in the medical physics curriculum, transport theory should be taught because the conceptual level of transport theory is fundamental, a substantial literature exists and ought to be accessible, and students should understand commercial software which solves the Boltzmann equation.But conventional teaching and learning of transport theory is challenging. Students may be under prepared to appreciate its methods, results, and relevance, and it is not substantially addressed in textbooks formore » the medical physicists. Other resources an instructor might reasonably use, while excellent, may be too briskly paced for beginning students. The purpose of this work is to render teaching of transport theory more tractable by making learning highly interactive. Methods: The module is being developed in the Maple mathematics environment by instructors and graduate students. It will refresh the students' knowledge of vector calculus and differential equations, and will develop users' intuition for phase space concepts. Scattering concepts will be developed with animated simulations using tunable parameters characterizing interactions, so that students may develop a “feel” for cross section. Transport equations for one and multiple types of radiation will be illustrated with phase space animations. Numerical methods of solution will be illustrated. Results: Attempts to teach rudiments of transport theory in radiation physics and dosimetry courses using conventional classroom techniques at the University of Miami have had small success, because classroom time is limited and the material has been hard for our students to appreciate intuitively. Conclusion: A joint effort of instructor and students to teach and learn transport theory by building an interactive description of it will lead to deeper appreciation of the transport theoretical underpinnings of dosimetry.« less
Gender gaps and gendered action in a first-year physics laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Day, James; Stang, Jared B.; Holmes, N. G.; Kumar, Dhaneesh; Bonn, D. A.

2016-12-01

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Gender in Physics.] It is established that male students outperform female students on almost all commonly used physics concept inventories. However, there is significant variation in the factors that contribute to the gap, as well as the direction in which they influence it. It is presently unknown if such a gender gap exists on the relatively new Concise Data Processing Assessment (CDPA) and, therefore, whether gendered actions in the teaching lab might influence—or be influenced by—the gender gap. To begin to get an estimates of the gap, its predictors, and its correlates, we have measured performance on the CDPA at the pretest and post-test level. We have also made observations of how students in mixed-gender partnerships divide their time in the lab. We find a gender gap on the CDPA that persists from pre- to post-test and that is as big as, if not bigger than, similar reported gaps. We also observe compelling differences in how students divide their time in the lab. In mixed-gender pairs, male students tend to monopolize the computer, female and male students tend to share the equipment equally, and female students tend to spend more time on other activities that are not the equipment or computer, such as writing or speaking to peers. We also find no correlation between computer use, when students are presumably working with their data, and performance on the CDPA post-test. In parallel to our analysis, we scrutinize some of the more commonly used approaches to similar data. We argue in favor of more explicitly checking the assumptions associated with the statistical methods that are used and improved reporting and contextualization of effect sizes. Ultimately, we claim no evidence that female students are less capable of learning than their male peers, and we suggest caution when using gain measures to draw conclusions about differences in science classroom performance across gender.
Symmetry and aesthetics in introductory physics: An experiment in interdisciplinary physics and fine arts education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Veen, Janet Krause

In a recent editorial in Physics Today (July, 2006, p. 10) the ability of physicists to "imagine new realities" was correlated with what have been traditionally considered non-scientific qualities of imagination and creativity, which are usually associated with fine arts. In view of the current developments in physics of the 21st Century, including the searches for cosmic dark energy and evidence from the Large Hadron Collider which, it is hoped, will verify or refute the proposals of String Theory, the importance of developing creativity and imagination through education is gaining recognition. Two questions are addressed by this study: First, How can we bring the sense of aesthetics and creativity, which are important in the practice of physics, into the teaching and learning of physics at the introductory college level, without sacrificing the mathematical rigor which is necessary for proper understanding of physics? Second, How can we provide access to physics for a diverse population of students which includes physics majors, arts majors, and future teachers? An interdisciplinary curriculum which begins with teaching math as a language of nature, and utilizes arts to help visualize the connections between mathematics and the physical universe, may provide answers to these questions. In this dissertation I describe in detail the case study of the eleven students - seven physics majors and four arts majors - who participated in an experimental course, Symmetry and Aesthetics in Introductory Physics, in Winter Quarter, 2007, at UCSB's College of Creative Studies. The very positive results of this experiment suggest that this model deserves further testing, and could provide an entry into the study of physics for physics majors, liberal arts majors, future teachers, and as a foundation for media arts and technology programs.
An Introduction to Tensors for Students of Physics and Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kolecki, Joseph C.

2002-01-01

Tensor analysis is the type of subject that can make even the best of students shudder. My own post-graduate instructor in the subject took away much of the fear by speaking of an implicit rhythm in the peculiar notation traditionally used, and helped us to see how this rhythm plays its way throughout the various formalisms. Prior to taking that class, I had spent many years "playing" on my own with tensors. I found the going to be tremendously difficult but was able, over time, to back out some physical and geometrical considerations that helped to make the subject a little more transparent. Today, it is sometimes hard not to think in terms of tensors and their associated concepts. This article, prompted and greatly enhanced by Marlos Jacob, whom I've met only by e-mail, is an attempt to record those early notions concerning tensors. It is intended to serve as a bridge from the point where most undergraduate students "leave off" in their studies of mathematics to the place where most texts on tensor analysis begin. A basic knowledge of vectors, matrices, and physics is assumed. A semi-intuitive approach to those notions underlying tensor analysis is given via scalars, vectors, dyads, triads, and higher vector products. The reader must be prepared to do some mathematics and to think. For those students who wish to go beyond this humble start, I can only recommend my professor's wisdom: find the rhythm in the mathematics and you will fare pretty well.
Teaching Fluid Mechanics to the Beginning Graduate Student--An Objective-Oriented Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Henry

A premature embarkation in specialized areas of fluid mechanics by the beginning graduate student, without having first thoroughly learned the basics, leads to learning difficulties and destroys zeal for learning. To avoid these problems, many schools in the U.S. offer beginning graduate courses in fluid mechanics (BGCFM). Because the success or…
Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study: 1996-2001 (BPS:1996/2001) Methodology Report. Technical Report. NCES 2002-171

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wine, Jennifer S.; Heuer, Ruth E.; Wheeless, Sara C.; Francis, Talbric L.; Franklin, Jeff W.; Dudley, Kristin M.

2002-01-01

This report describes the methods and procedures used for the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study: 1996-2001 (BPS:1996/2001). These students, who started their postsecondary education during the 1995-96 academic year, were first interviewed in 1996 as part of the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:96). A follow-up…
The Source[R] for Bilingual Students with Language Disorders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roseberry-McKibbin, Celeste

This book is designed to help speech-language pathologists develop vocabulary and phonological awareness skills in bilingual students with language-learning disabilities (LLD). The book targets beginning through intermediate bilingual students in grades K-8. Part 1 of the book begins with teaching style strategies for teaching bilingual students…
The FAMULATUR PLUS as an innovative approach for teaching physical examination skills.

PubMed

Jerg, Achim; Öchsner, Wolfgang; Wander, Henriette; Traue, Harald C; Jerg-Bretzke, Lucia

2016-01-01

The FAMULATUR PLUS is an innovative approach to teaching physical examination skills. The concept is aimed at medical students during the clinical part of their studies and includes a clinical traineeship (English for "Famulatur") extended to include various courses ("PLUS"). The courses are divided into clinical examination courses and problembased-learning (PBL) seminars. The concept's special feature is the full integration of these courses into a 30-day hospital traineeship. The aim is to facilitate the transfer of knowledge from the courses into daily practice. Each week of the FAMULATUR PLUS is structured in line with the courses and focuses on a particular part of the body (e.g., abdomen). A physical examination course under the supervision of a physician is offered at the beginning of the week. Here, medical students learn the relevant examination techniques by practicing on each other (partner exercises). Subsequently, the techniques taught are applied independently during everyday work on the ward, corrected by the supervisor, if necessary, and thereby reinforced. The final POL seminar takes place towards the end of the week. Possible differential diagnoses are developed based on a clinical case study. The goal is to check these by taking a fictitious medical history and performing a physical examination, as well as to make a preliminary diagnosis. Finally, during the PBL seminar, medical students will be shown how physical examination techniques can be efficiently applied in the diagnosis of common cardinal symptoms (e.g., abdominal pain). The initial implementation of the FAMULATUR PLUS proved the practical feasibility of the concept. In addition, the accompanying evaluation showed that the participants of the pilot project improved with regard to their practical physical examination skills.
The FAMULATUR PLUS as an innovative approach for teaching physical examination skills

PubMed Central

Jerg, Achim; Öchsner, Wolfgang; Wander, Henriette; Traue, Harald C.; Jerg-Bretzke, Lucia

2016-01-01

The FAMULATUR PLUS is an innovative approach to teaching physical examination skills. The concept is aimed at medical students during the clinical part of their studies and includes a clinical traineeship (English for “Famulatur”) extended to include various courses (“PLUS”). The courses are divided into clinical examination courses and problembased-learning (PBL) seminars. The concept’s special feature is the full integration of these courses into a 30-day hospital traineeship. The aim is to facilitate the transfer of knowledge from the courses into daily practice. Each week of the FAMULATUR PLUS is structured in line with the courses and focuses on a particular part of the body (e.g., abdomen). A physical examination course under the supervision of a physician is offered at the beginning of the week. Here, medical students learn the relevant examination techniques by practicing on each other (partner exercises). Subsequently, the techniques taught are applied independently during everyday work on the ward, corrected by the supervisor, if necessary, and thereby reinforced. The final POL seminar takes place towards the end of the week. Possible differential diagnoses are developed based on a clinical case study. The goal is to check these by taking a fictitious medical history and performing a physical examination, as well as to make a preliminary diagnosis. Finally, during the PBL seminar, medical students will be shown how physical examination techniques can be efficiently applied in the diagnosis of common cardinal symptoms (e.g., abdominal pain). The initial implementation of the FAMULATUR PLUS proved the practical feasibility of the concept. In addition, the accompanying evaluation showed that the participants of the pilot project improved with regard to their practical physical examination skills. PMID:26958652
Team-based learning in the gross anatomy laboratory improves academic performance and students' attitudes toward teamwork.

PubMed

Huitt, Tiffany W; Killins, Anita; Brooks, William S

2015-01-01

As the healthcare climate shifts toward increased interdisciplinary patient care, it is essential that students become accomplished at group problem solving and develop positive attitudes toward teamwork. Team-based learning (TBL) has become a popular approach to medical education because of its ability to promote active learning, problem-solving skills, communication, and teamwork. However, its documented use in the laboratory setting and physical therapy education is limited. We used TBL as a substitute for one-third of cadaveric dissections in the gross anatomy laboratories at two Doctor of Physical Therapy programs to study its effect on both students' perceptions and academic performance. We surveyed students at the beginning and completion of their anatomy course as well as students who had previously completed a traditional anatomy course to measure the impact of TBL on students' perceptions of teamwork. We found that the inclusion of TBL in the anatomy laboratory improves students' attitudes toward working with peers (P < 0.01). Non-TBL students had significantly lower attitudes toward teamwork (P < 0.01). Comparison of academic performance between TBL and non-TBL students revealed that students who participated in TBL scored significantly higher on their first anatomy practical examination and on their head/neck written examination (P < 0.001). When asked to rate their role in a team, a 10.5% increase in the mean rank score for Problem Solver resulted after the completion of the TBL-based anatomy course. Our data indicate that TBL is an effective supplement to cadaveric dissection in the laboratory portion of gross anatomy, improving both students' grades and perceptions of teamwork. © 2014 American Association of Anatomists.
Gender Differences in Physics 1: The Impact of a Self-Affirmation Intervention

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kost-Smith, Lauren E.; Pollock, Steven J.; Finkelstein, Noah D.; Cohen, Geoffrey L.; Ito, Tiffany A.; Miyake, Akira

2010-10-01

Prior work at CU-Boulder has shown that a gender gap (difference in male and female performance) exists in both the pre- and post-course conceptual surveys, despite the use of interactive engagement techniques [Kost, et al., PRST-PER 5, 010101]. A potential explanation for this persistent gap is that stereotype threat, the fear of confirming a stereotype about one self, is inhibiting females' performance. Prior research has demonstrated that stereotype threat can be alleviated through the use of self-affirmation, a process of affirming one's overall self-worth and integrity [Cohen, et al., Science 313, 1307]. We report results of a randomized experiment testing the impact of a self-affirmation exercise on the gender gap in Physics 1. The gender gap on a conceptual post-survey is reduced from 19% for students who did not affirm their own values, to 9% for students who completed two 15-minute self-affirmation exercises at the beginning of the semester.
A demonstration of particle duality of light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Haili; Liu, Zhihai; Sun, Qiuhua; Zhao, Yancheng

2017-08-01

The need of understanding and teaching about wave-particle duality if light with gets more and more apparent in the background of the attention of modern physics. As early as the beginning of twentieth Century, Einstein dared to "deny" the development of a very perfect light electromagnetic theory, so that the quantum of light can be developed. In 1924, De Broglie put forward wave-particle duality if light to other micro particles and the concept of matter wave, pointed out that all micro particle has wave-particle duality. This is a very abstract concept for students, most college physics teaching all lack of demonstration about particle duality of light. The present article aims to contribute to demonstrate the wave-particle duality of light at the same time using a simple way based on fiber optical tweezers. It is hoped that useful lesson can be absorbed so that students can deepen the understanding of the particle and wave properties of light. To complement the demonstration experiment for this attribute light has momentum.
The effectiveness of a physical activity and nutrition education program in the prevention of overweight in schoolchildren in Criciúma, Brazil.

PubMed

da Silva, L S M; Fisberg, M; de Souza Pires, M M; Nassar, S M; Sottovia, C B

2013-11-01

The objectives of this study were to evaluate nutritional status, aptitude and physical activity at the beginning and end of the nutrition education and physical activity intervention program as compared with a control group. We conducted a 28-week quasi-experimental study involving 238 students (108 in the intervention group (IG) and 130 in the control group (CG)). The IG participated in curricular and extracurricular activities for nutrition education (50 min once a week) and physical activity (50 min twice a week), and the CG participated only in curricular activities. Nutritional status was determined using body mass index, according to the WHO 2007 curve. The effect of the intervention program was evaluated using a model of generalized estimating equations. Among overweight students, a greater reduction in percentile of BMI was observed in the IG (64.6%) compared with CG (36.4%), P=0.001. Improvement in nutritional status occurred in 26.2% of IG versus 10.4% of CG (P=0.014). The IG showed a significant increase in the amount of moderate or vigorous physical activity (P=0.012), whereas in the control group the increase was not significant (P=0.810). In three physical fitness tests, the IG showed significant improvements in performance (P<0.001), whereas the control group's performance was worse in the final evaluation. The intervention program had a positive effect on overweight, with significant improvements in nutritional status and physical fitness.
Stovetop Earth Pecan Pie

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robin, C. M.

2005-12-01

Many fluid mechanical experiments with direct applications to Earth Science are performed with sugary syrups using conceptually straightforward procedures. Corn syrup has indeed proven to be a godsend for those studying convection and related non-linear phenomena. In addition, however, it gives experimentalists a deep physical intuition for the interior workings of hot planets. The basic concepts behind plate tectonics and mantle convection are not difficult; indeed, although they may not be aware of it, most students probably have a basic intuitive understanding of fluid mechanics gained in their daily life. However, the large size and long time scale of geophysical processes may be quite intimidating to young students. Even a simple geophysical experiment requires a complicated array of coolers, heaters and measuring and recording equipment. It is of interest to introduce students to the geodynamical concepts that can be visualized in a high-tech lab using familiar processes and equipment. Using a homemade apparatus and grocery store supplies, I propose using a 'Stove-top Earth pecan pie' to introduce simple geodynamic concepts to middle- and high-school students. The initially cold syrup heats up and the pecans begin to float (continent formation), the syrup begins to convect (mantle convection), and convection slows down after the heat is removed (secular cooling). Even Wilson cycles can be simulated by moving the pan to one side or the other of the stovetop or heating element. The activity formally introduces students to convection and its application to the earth, and makes them think about plate motion, heat transfer, scaling, and experimental procedures. As an added bonus, they can eat their experiments after recess!
Physics through the 1990s: Elementary-particle physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

The volume begins with a non-mathematical discussion of the motivation behind, and basic ideas of, elementary-particle physics theory and experiment. The progress over the past two decades with the quark model and unification of the electromagnetic and weak interactions is reviewed. Existing theoretical problems in the field, such as the origin of mass and the unification of the fundamental forces, are detailed, along with experimental programs to test the new theories. Accelerators, instrumentation, and detectors are described for both current and future facilities. Interactions with other areas of both theoretical and applied physics are presented. The sociology of the field is examined regarding the education of graduate students, the organization necessary in large-scale experiments, and the decision-making process involved in high-cost experiments. Finally, conclusions and recommendations for maintaining US excellence in theory and experiment are given. Appendices list both current and planned accelerators, and present statistical data on the US elementary-particle physics program. A glossary is included.
Physics through the 1990s: elementary-particle physics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1986-01-01

The volume begins with a non-mathematical discussion of the motivation behind, and basic ideas of, elementary-particle physics theory and experiment. The progress over the past two decades with the quark model and unification of the electromagnetic and weak interactions is reviewed. Existing theoretical problems in the field, such as the origin of mass and the unification of the fundamental forces, are detailed, along with experimental programs to test the new theories. Accelerators, instrumentation, and detectors are described for both current and future facilities. Interactions with other areas of both theoretical and applied physics are presented. The sociology of the fieldmore » is examined regarding the education of graduate students, the organization necessary in large-scale experiments, and the decision-making process involved in high-cost experiments. Finally, conclusions and recommendations for maintaining US excellence in theory and experiment are given. Appendices list both current and planned accelerators, and present statistical data on the US elementary-particle physics program. A glossary is included.« less
Physics through the 1990s: Elementary-particle physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

The volume begins with a non-mathematical discussion of the motivation behind, and basic ideas of, elementary-particle physics theory and experiment. The progress over the past two decades with the quark model and unification of the electromagnetic and weak interactions is reviewed. Existing theoretical problems in the field, such as the origin of mass and the unification of the fundamental forces, are detailed, along with experimental programs to test the new theories. Accelerators, instrumentation, and detectors are described for both current and future facilities. Interactions with other areas of both theoretical and applied physics are presented. The sociology of the field is examined regarding the education of graduate students, the organization necessary in large-scale experiments, and the decision-making process involved in high-cost experiments. Finally, conclusions and recommendations for maintaining US excellence in theory and experiment are given. Appendices list both current and planned accelerators, and present statistical data on the US elementary-particle physics program. A glossary is included.
Evaluation of Pre-Service Teacher Preparation for Achieving the National Standards for Beginning Physical Education Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Weiyun

2003-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate pre-service physical education teachers' self-assessment of their competent levels in achieving the national standards for beginning physical education teachers (National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), 1995). One hundred seventy-three pre-service teachers in 10 physical education…

Untypical Undergraduate Research: Player Motion Analysis in Sports

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loerke, Dinah

There is significant concern about the degree of attrition in STEM disciplines from the start of K-12 through to the end of higher education, and the analysis of the `leaky pipeline' from the various institutions has identified a critical decline - which may be as high as 60 percent - between the fraction of students who identify as having an interest in a science or engineering major at the start of college/university, and the fraction of students who ultimately graduate with a STEM degree. It has been shown that this decline is even more dramatic for women and underrepresented minorities (Blickenstaff 2005, Metcalf 2010). One intervention which has been proven to be effective for retention of potential STEM students is early research experience, particularly if it facilitates the students' integration into a STEM learning community (Graham et al. 2013, Toven-Lindsey et al. 2015). In other words, to retain students in STEM majors, we would like to encourage them to `think of themselves as scientists', and simultaneously promote supportive peer networks. The University of Denver (DU) already has a strong undergraduate research program. However, while the current program provides valuable training for many students, it likely comes too late to be effective for student retention in STEM, because it primarily serves older students who have already finished the basic coursework in their discipline; within physics, we know that the introductory physics courses already serve as gatekeeper courses that cause many gifted but `non-typical' students to lose interest in pursuing a STEM major (Tobias 1990). To address this issue, my lab is developing a small research spinoff program in which we apply spatiotemporal motion analysis to the motion trajectories of players in sports, using video recordings of DU Pioneer hockey games. This project aims to fulfill a dual purpose: The research is framed in a way that we think is attractive and accessible for beginning students who have not yet finished the basic physics course sequence, and we hope to use it to attract untypical and retain undecided students in physics. Secondly, since mathematical techniques for trajectory analysis are independent of scale, we hope to harness the creativity and analytical intuition of undergraduates to simultaneously benefit our core biophysical research program.
Student public commitment in a school-based diabetes prevention project: impact on physical health and health behavior.

PubMed

DeBar, Lynn L; Schneider, Margaret; Drews, Kimberly L; Ford, Eileen G; Stadler, Diane D; Moe, Esther L; White, Mamie; Hernandez, Arthur E; Solomon, Sara; Jessup, Ann; Venditti, Elizabeth M

2011-09-20

As concern about youth obesity continues to mount, there is increasing consideration of widespread policy changes to support improved nutritional and enhanced physical activity offerings in schools. A critical element in the success of such programs may be to involve students as spokespeople for the program. Making such a public commitment to healthy lifestyle program targets (improved nutrition and enhanced physical activity) may potentiate healthy behavior changes among such students and provide a model for their peers. This paper examines whether student's "public commitment"--voluntary participation as a peer communicator or in student-generated media opportunities--in a school-based intervention to prevent diabetes and reduce obesity predicted improved study outcomes including reduced obesity and improved health behaviors. Secondary analysis of data from a 3-year randomized controlled trial conducted in 42 middle schools examining the impact of a multi-component school-based program on body mass index (BMI) and student health behaviors. A total of 4603 students were assessed at the beginning of sixth grade and the end of eighth grade. Process evaluation data were collected throughout the course of the intervention. All analyses were adjusted for students' baseline values. For this paper, the students in the schools randomized to receive the intervention were further divided into two groups: those who participated in public commitment activities and those who did not. Students from comparable schools randomized to the assessment condition constituted the control group. We found a lower percentage of obesity (greater than or equal to the 95th percentile for BMI) at the end of the study among the group participating in public commitment activities compared to the control group (21.5% vs. 26.6%, p = 0.02). The difference in obesity rates at the end of the study was even greater among the subgroup of students who were overweight or obese at baseline; 44.6% for the "public commitment" group, versus 53.2% for the control group (p = 0.01). There was no difference in obesity rates between the group not participating in public commitment activities and the control group (26.4% vs. 26.6%). Participating in public commitment activities during the HEALTHY study may have potentiated the changes promoted by the behavioral, nutrition, and physical activity intervention components. ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00458029.
Student public commitment in a school-based diabetes prevention project: impact on physical health and health behavior

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background As concern about youth obesity continues to mount, there is increasing consideration of widespread policy changes to support improved nutritional and enhanced physical activity offerings in schools. A critical element in the success of such programs may be to involve students as spokespeople for the program. Making such a public commitment to healthy lifestyle program targets (improved nutrition and enhanced physical activity) may potentiate healthy behavior changes among such students and provide a model for their peers. This paper examines whether student's "public commitment"--voluntary participation as a peer communicator or in student-generated media opportunities--in a school-based intervention to prevent diabetes and reduce obesity predicted improved study outcomes including reduced obesity and improved health behaviors. Methods Secondary analysis of data from a 3-year randomized controlled trial conducted in 42 middle schools examining the impact of a multi-component school-based program on body mass index (BMI) and student health behaviors. A total of 4603 students were assessed at the beginning of sixth grade and the end of eighth grade. Process evaluation data were collected throughout the course of the intervention. All analyses were adjusted for students' baseline values. For this paper, the students in the schools randomized to receive the intervention were further divided into two groups: those who participated in public commitment activities and those who did not. Students from comparable schools randomized to the assessment condition constituted the control group. Results We found a lower percentage of obesity (greater than or equal to the 95th percentile for BMI) at the end of the study among the group participating in public commitment activities compared to the control group (21.5% vs. 26.6%, p = 0.02). The difference in obesity rates at the end of the study was even greater among the subgroup of students who were overweight or obese at baseline; 44.6% for the "public commitment" group, versus 53.2% for the control group (p = 0.01). There was no difference in obesity rates between the group not participating in public commitment activities and the control group (26.4% vs. 26.6%). Conclusions Participating in public commitment activities during the HEALTHY study may have potentiated the changes promoted by the behavioral, nutrition, and physical activity intervention components. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00458029 PMID:21933431
Effect of lecture instruction on student performance on qualitative questions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heron, Paula R. L.

2015-06-01

The impact of lecture instruction on student conceptual understanding in physics has been the subject of research for several decades. Most studies have reported disappointingly small improvements in student performance on conceptual questions despite direct instruction on the relevant topics. These results have spurred a number of attempts to improve learning in physics courses through new curricula and instructional techniques. This paper contributes to the research base through a retrospective analysis of 20 randomly selected qualitative questions on topics in kinematics, dynamics, electrostatics, waves, and physical optics that have been given in introductory calculus-based physics at the University of Washington over a period of 15 years. In some classes, questions were administered after relevant lecture instruction had been completed; in others, it had yet to begin. Simple statistical tests indicate that the average performance of the "after lecture" classes was significantly better than that of the "before lecture" classes for 11 questions, significantly worse for two questions, and indistinguishable for the remaining seven. However, the classes had not been randomly assigned to be tested before or after lecture instruction. Multiple linear regression was therefore conducted with variables (such as class size) that could plausibly lead to systematic differences in performance and thus obscure (or artificially enhance) the effect of lecture instruction. The regression models support the results of the simple tests for all but four questions. In those cases, the effect of lecture instruction was reduced to a nonsignificant level, or increased to a significant, negative level when other variables were considered. Thus the results provide robust evidence that instruction in lecture can increase student ability to give correct answers to conceptual questions but does not necessarily do so; in some cases it can even lead to a decrease.
The supplemental instruction program: Student perceptions of the learning environment and impact on student academic achievement in college science at California State University, San Marcos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hizer, Suzanne Elizabeth

Higher education in science has been criticized and calls to increase student learning and persistence to degree has been recognized as a national problem by the Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, the National Research Council, and the National Academy of Sciences. One mode of academic assistance that may directly address this issue is the implementation of Supplemental Instruction (SI) in science courses. SI is a specific model of academic assistance designed to help students in historically difficult science classes master course content, thus increasing their academic achievement and retention. This study assessed the SI program at California State University, San Marcos, in supported science courses. Specifically, academic achievement based on final course grades were compared between SI participating and nonparticipating students, multiple affective factors were measured at the beginning and end of the semester, and students' perceptions of the classroom and SI session learning environments recorded. Overall, students who attended five or more SI sessions achieved higher final course grades. Students who chose to participate in SI had higher initial levels of responsibility and anxiety. Additionally, SI participants experienced a reduction in anxiety over the semester whereas nonparticipants experienced an increase in anxiety from beginning to the end of the semester. The learning environment of SI embodies higher levels of constructivist principles of active learning such as cooperation, cohesiveness, innovation, and personalization---with one exception for the physics course, which is a based on problem-based learning. Structural equation modeling of variables indicates that high self-efficacy at the end of the semester is directly related to high final course grades; this is mediated by cohesion in the classroom and the cooperation evidenced in SI sessions. These findings are elaborated by student descriptions of what happened in SI sessions and discussed given the theoretical frameworks of Bandura's concept of self-efficacy and learning environment activities that embody constructivist principles.
Student use of narrative and paradigmatic forms of talk in elementary science conversations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurth, Lori A.; Kidd, Raymond; Gardner, Roberta; Smith, Edward L.

2002-11-01

The purpose of this work was to examine and characterize student use of narrative and paradigmatic expression in elementary science discourse. This interpretive study occurred over a 2-year period in a professional development school with a largely international population. This analysis focused on the narrative and paradigmatic modes of expression used by combined first-second- and second-grade students in a semistructured, fairly autonomous, whole-class conversational format. Students demonstrated competence with both modes of talk at the beginning of the year. Over time, students moved toward more paradigmatic talk, but narrative examples continued to be key components of the science conversations. Topically, students used narrative more often for life sciences and paradigmatic talk for physical sciences. For gender there were no qualitative differences in narrative or paradigmatic expression. However, boys obtained more opportunities to practice their use of both discourse forms by either receiving more speaking turns or expressing more language features per turn. These conversations show that narrative and paradigmatic modes in science need not be in opposition but can, in fact, be used together in complementary ways that are mutually enhancing.
The impact of three instructional styles of teaching physics on students' achievement and attitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Arfaj, Maher Mohammed

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of three instructional styles (traditional teaching, problem-based instruction, and teaching by demonstration) of teaching physics on students' attitudes and achievement. The sample consisted of 106 Saudi students in three physics classes in the second semester of the academic year 1998--1999. Three instruments were used in collecting the data for both quantitative and qualitative parts of the study. For the quantitative part, the researcher developed and pilot tested a 35-item questionnaire with versions to measure students' attitudes before the start of the experiment and then to measure students' attitudes toward the method of teaching. In addition, the researcher developed a 12-item achievement test to measure students gain scores which was administered at the beginning and the end of the treatment. For the qualitative part, the researcher constructed an interview guide consisting of five-open ended questions. The questions were geared to discover students' attitudes toward the implemented instructional style, and if this instructional style assisted them to acquire a good understanding of the studied unit. In the quantitative part, the results showed a significant correlation between students' attitudes toward the method of teaching and their achievement on the posttests. Furthermore, the findings from the one-way ANOVA indicated that there was a significant difference among the three groups in terms of achievement. The mean of achievement gain scores was highest for the problem-based group, followed by the group that was taught by demonstration, and then the traditional teaching group. The findings from the ANOVA indicated that there was also no significant difference between the three groups in terms of attitudes. In the qualitative part, the answers of the five questions revealed four themes: attitudes toward the method of teaching, reasons for liking or disliking the method of teaching, methods of teaching role and academic achievement, and suggestions for improving the method of teaching.
Positioning Ballet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kassing, Gayle, Ed.; And Others

1981-01-01

A series of articles discusses the development of ballet instruction in secondary and higher education, beginning ballet in high school and in college, teaching techniques, ballet for visually handicapped students, and methods for the prevention of injuries in beginning students. (JN)
PROJECT SUCCESS: Electricity. (Pre-post Tests, Vocabulary Lists, Beginning Circuitry, Intermediate Projects).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Sally

Four packets comprise the electricity component of an enrichment program for gifted elementary students. Provided in the introductory packet are sample pre- and posttests for the unit. Remaining packets present vocabulary lists, student worksheets on beginning circuitry, and suggestions for student projects (such as making a battery, constructing…
Teaching Journalism Students about Confidential Whistleblower Sources: An Analysis of Introductory News Writing Textbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huxford, John; Moore, Maria A.

2011-01-01

Whistleblowers are a key journalistic source for many current news stories. However, reporters pursuing these major stories must navigate the dilemma between transparent full disclosure and protecting their confidential source. Professional journalists begin their journey as students, and students begin their journey in the classroom with a…
A Diagrammatic Exposition of Regression and Instrumental Variables for the Beginning Student

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foster, Gigi

2009-01-01

Some beginning students of statistics and econometrics have difficulty with traditional algebraic approaches to explaining regression and related techniques. For these students, a simple and intuitive diagrammatic introduction as advocated by Kennedy (2008) may prove a useful framework to support further study. The author presents a series of…
Trends in Basic Mathematical Competencies of Beginning Undergraduates in Ireland, 2003-2013

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Treacy, Páraic; Faulkner, Fiona

2015-01-01

Deficiencies in beginning undergraduate students' basic mathematical skills has been an issue of concern in higher education, particularly in the past 15 years. This issue has been tracked and analysed in a number of universities in Ireland and internationally through student scores recorded in mathematics diagnostic tests. Students beginning…
Teaching Beginning Chemistry Students Simple Lewis Dot Structures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nassiff, Peter; Czerwinski, Wendy A.

2015-01-01

Students beginning their initial study of chemistry often have a difficult time mastering simple Lewis dot structures. Textbooks show students how to manipulate Lewis structures by moving valence electron dots around the chemical structure so each atom has an octet or duet. However, an easier method of teaching Lewis structures for simple…
Admission Rhetoric and Academic Self-Efficacy: The Importance of First Communications for Conditionally Admitted Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Joyce; Heaney, April

2013-01-01

This article advocates for increased attention on the college admission letter to strengthen conditionally admitted students' academic self-efficacy as they begin the college experience. Although first communications are often considered perfunctory, the language of admission materials has strong potential to help at-risk students begin college…
Beginning Inference in Fourth Grade: Exploring Variation in Measurement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

English, Lyn; Watson, Jane

2013-01-01

This paper addresses one of the foundational components of beginning interference, namely variation, with 5 classes of Year 4 students undertaking a measurement activity using scaled instruments in two contexts: all students measuring one person's arm span and recording the values obtained, and each student having his/her own arm span measured and…
Education: Pathways to Superior Content Knowledge in Preservice Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ober, Derek Logan

2013-01-01

This research addresses lack of student teaching preparation. There is strong evidence that beginning teachers are not trained to adequately teach students due to their lack of preparation/content knowledge. The purpose of this study is to examine the experience of beginning teachers to try to understand why student teachers are not prepared for…
Beginning level nursing students' experiences with cancer patients in their first clinical placement: a qualitative appraisal in Turkey.

PubMed

Yildiz, Hicran; Akansel, Neriman

2011-01-01

This study was conducted to evaluate beginning nursing students' point of view related to caring cancer patients in their first clinical placement. Data were collected by evaluating the diaries kept by four beginning level nursing students who were assigned to do their fundamentals of nursing clinical practice in hematology clinic from February to May 2011. A qualitative research method was used and data were analyzed using inductive method. Nursing students experienced anxiety, had difficulties while communicating with cancer patients and observed some negative practices related to patient care and treatment. During their clinical placement nursing students were able to differentiate right and wrong practices in clinical environment, they tried to tailor their theoretical knowledge to the clinical practice and reported decrease in their anxiety by the end of clinical rotation. Being assigned to care for cancer patients was a stressful experience for the first year students. According to these results, it can be said that clinics such as hematology can be used as a clinical placement only in mandatory conditions for beginning level nursing students because of their limited clinical experience and the knowledge requirement related to these patients.
Using Tracker to understand ‘toss up’ and free fall motion: a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wee, Loo Kang; Kia Tan, Kim; Leong, Tze Kwang; Tan, Ching

2015-07-01

This paper reports the use of Tracker as a computer-based learning tool to support effective learning and teaching of ‘toss up’ and free fall motion for beginning secondary three (15 year-old) students. The case study involved (N = 123) students from express pure physics classes at a mainstream school in Singapore. We used eight multiple-choice questions pre- and post-test to gauge the impact on learning. The experimental group showed learning gains of d = 0.79 ± 0.23 (large effect) for Cohen’s d effect size analysis, and gains with a gradient of total = 0.42 ± 0.08 (medium gain) above the traditional baseline value of non interactive = 0.23 for Hake’s normalized gain regression analysis. This applied to all of the teachers and students who participated in this study. Our initial research findings suggest that allowing learners to relate abstract physics concepts to real life through coupling traditional video analysis with video modelling might be an innovative and effective method for teaching and learning about free fall motion.
Developing the Next Generation of Science Data System Engineers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moses, John F.; Behnke, Jeanne; Durachka, Christopher D.

2016-01-01

At Goddard, engineers and scientists with a range of experience in science data systems are needed to employ new technologies and develop advances in capabilities for supporting new Earth and Space science research. Engineers with extensive experience in science data, software engineering and computer-information architectures are needed to lead and perform these activities. The increasing types and complexity of instrument data and emerging computer technologies coupled with the current shortage of computer engineers with backgrounds in science has led the need to develop a career path for science data systems engineers and architects.The current career path, in which undergraduate students studying various disciplines such as Computer Engineering or Physical Scientist, generally begins with serving on a development team in any of the disciplines where they can work in depth on existing Goddard data systems or serve with a specific NASA science team. There they begin to understand the data, infuse technologies, and begin to know the architectures of science data systems. From here the typical career involves peermentoring, on-the-job training or graduate level studies in analytics, computational science and applied science and mathematics. At the most senior level, engineers become subject matter experts and system architect experts, leading discipline-specific data centers and large software development projects. They are recognized as a subject matter expert in a science domain, they have project management expertise, lead standards efforts and lead international projects. A long career development remains necessary not only because of the breadth of knowledge required across physical sciences and engineering disciplines, but also because of the diversity of instrument data being developed today both by NASA and international partner agencies and because multidiscipline science and practitioner communities expect to have access to all types of observational data.This paper describes an approach to defining career-path guidance for college-bound high school and undergraduate engineering students, junior and senior engineers from various disciplines.
Developing the Next Generation of Science Data System Engineers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moses, J. F.; Durachka, C. D.; Behnke, J.

2015-12-01

At Goddard, engineers and scientists with a range of experience in science data systems are needed to employ new technologies and develop advances in capabilities for supporting new Earth and Space science research. Engineers with extensive experience in science data, software engineering and computer-information architectures are needed to lead and perform these activities. The increasing types and complexity of instrument data and emerging computer technologies coupled with the current shortage of computer engineers with backgrounds in science has led the need to develop a career path for science data systems engineers and architects. The current career path, in which undergraduate students studying various disciplines such as Computer Engineering or Physical Scientist, generally begins with serving on a development team in any of the disciplines where they can work in depth on existing Goddard data systems or serve with a specific NASA science team. There they begin to understand the data, infuse technologies, and begin to know the architectures of science data systems. From here the typical career involves peer mentoring, on-the-job training or graduate level studies in analytics, computational science and applied science and mathematics. At the most senior level, engineers become subject matter experts and system architect experts, leading discipline-specific data centers and large software development projects. They are recognized as a subject matter expert in a science domain, they have project management expertise, lead standards efforts and lead international projects. A long career development remains necessary not only because of the breath of knowledge required across physical sciences and engineering disciplines, but also because of the diversity of instrument data being developed today both by NASA and international partner agencies and because multi-discipline science and practitioner communities expect to have access to all types of observational data. This paper describes an approach to defining career-path guidance for college-bound high school and undergraduate engineering students, junior and senior engineers from various disciplines.

Talking and learning physics: Predicting future grades from network measures and Force Concept Inventory pretest scores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruun, Jesper; Brewe, Eric

2013-12-01

The role of student interactions in learning situations is a foundation of sociocultural learning theory, and social network analysis can be used to quantify student relations. We discuss how self-reported student interactions can be viewed as processes of meaning making and use this to understand how quantitative measures that describe the position in a network, called centrality measures, can be understood in terms of interactions that happen in the context of a university physics course. We apply this discussion to an empirical data set of self-reported student interactions. In a weekly administered survey, first year university students enrolled in an introductory physics course at a Danish university indicated with whom they remembered having communicated within different interaction categories. For three categories pertaining to (1) communication about how to solve physics problems in the course (called the PS category), (2) communications about the nature of physics concepts (called the CD category), and (3) social interactions that are not strictly related to the content of the physics classes (called the ICS category) in the introductory mechanics course, we use the survey data to create networks of student interaction. For each of these networks, we calculate centrality measures for each student and correlate these measures with grades from the introductory course, grades from two subsequent courses, and the pretest Force Concept Inventory (FCI) scores. We find highly significant correlations (p<0.001) between network centrality measures and grades in all networks. We find the highest correlations between network centrality measures and future grades. In the network composed of interactions regarding problem solving (the PS network), the centrality measures hide and PageRank show the highest correlations (r=-0.32 and r=0.33, respectively) with future grades. In the CD network, the network measure target entropy shows the highest correlation (r=0.45) with future grades. In the network composed solely of noncontent related social interactions, these patterns of correlation are maintained in the sense that these network measures show the highest correlations and maintain their internal ranking. Using hierarchical linear regression, we find that a linear model that adds the network measures hide and target entropy, calculated on the ICS network, significantly improves a base model that uses only the FCI pretest scores from the beginning of the semester. Though one should not infer causality from these results, they do point to how social interactions in class are intertwined with academic interactions. We interpret this as an integral part of learning, and suggest that physics is a robust example.
An Advanced Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy Course Blending Online and Face-to-Face Instruction

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Objective To assess the effectiveness of online instruction in a cardiology pharmacotherapy elective. Design Eight drug-focused lectures and 6 introductory presentations were added to a cardiology pharmacotherapy course. Students completed an online quiz after each online drug-focused lecture and scores were compared to quizzes taken at the beginning and end of the course, as well as on a cardiology advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE). For online introductory presentations, students completed a quiz at the beginning of the next face-to-face session. A survey was conducted at the end of the course to obtain student feedback. Assessment Compared to baseline scores, student learning was demonstrated after online drug-focused lectures by higher quiz scores attained immediately after completing the lecture, at the end of the course, and at the beginning of the APPE. Furthermore, students performed better on quizzes at the beginning of face-to-face sessions if they first completed an online introductory presentation. Students expressed strong support for the online components of the course. Conclusions A blended learning environment with online and face-to-face instruction is an effective way to teach a cardiology pharmacotherapy elective. The online component of this course was well received by students, improved student preparation before attending class, and appeared to enhance long-term cardiovascular drug knowledge. PMID:19564994
Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Turkish intern nurses regarding physical restraints.

PubMed

Karagozoglu, Serife; Ozden, Dilek; Yildiz, Fatma Tok

2013-01-01

This study was carried out to determine knowledge, attitudes, and practices of intern nurses who completed the nursing internship program on the use of physical restraints. This research was conducted using descriptive and cross-sectional research design. The study sample comprises 91 fourth-grade students who took an integrated curriculum and completed the nursing internship program. The data were collected with the Demographic Characteristics Questionnaire and the Levels of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Staff Regarding Physical Restraints Questionnaire. For the assessment of the data, percentages, the arithmetic mean, and t test were used. The findings indicated that, of the intern nurses, 95.6% observed the use of physical restraints during their education, and 69.2% applied physical restraints. The mean knowledge, attitude, and practice scores of the nurses for physical restraint were 9.38 ± 1.19 (0-11 points), 34.70 ± 5.62 (12-48 points), and 37.95 ± 2.32 (14-42 points), respectively. Intern nurses' knowledge about how to use physical restraints was at a very good level; they displayed positive attitudes, and they used their knowledge and attitudes in their practices to a great extent. Although there are studies on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of nurses working in the fields of elderly care, rehabilitation, and psychiatry in acute care units, there are no studies investigating intern nurses and other nursing students. However, intern nurses about to begin their careers should make accurate decisions regarding the use of physical restrains if they are to ensure patient safety and to fulfill this application effectively in their professional lives.
Space Rocks Tell Their Secrets: Space Science Applications of Physics and Chemistry for High School and College Classes. Update.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindstrom, M. M.; Tobola, K. W.; Allen, J. S.; Stocco, K.; Henry, M.; Allen, J. S.; McReynolds, Julie; Porter, T. Todd; Veile, Jeri

2005-01-01

As the scientific community studies Mars remotely for signs of life and uses Martian meteorites as its only available samples, teachers, students, and the general public continue to ask, "How do we know these meteorites are from Mars?" This question sets the stage for a six-lesson instructional package Space Rocks Tell Their Secrets. Expanding on the short answer "It's the chemistry of the rock", students are introduced to the research that reveals the true identities of the rocks. Since few high school or beginning college students have the opportunity to participate in this level of research, a slide presentation introduces them to the labs, samples, and people involved with the research. As they work through the lessons and interpret authentic data, students realize that the research is an application of two basic science concepts taught in the classroom, the electromagnetic spectrum and isotopes. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract.
Space Rocks Tell Their Secrets: Space Science Applications of Physics and Chemistry for High School and College Classes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindstrom, M. M.; Tobola, K. W.; Stocco, K.; Henry, M.; Allen, J. S.

2003-01-01

As the scientific community studies Mars remotely for signs of life and uses Martian meteorites as its only available samples, teachers, students, and the general public continue to ask, "How do we know these meteorites are from Mars?" This question sets the stage for a three-lesson instructional package Space Rocks Tell Their Secrets. Expanding on the short answer "It's the chemistry of the rock", students are introduced to the research that reveals the true identities of the rocks. Since few high school or beginning college students have the opportunity to participate in this level of research, a slide presentation introduces them to the labs, samples, and people involved with the research. As they work through the lessons and interpret real data, students realize that the research is an application of basic science concepts they should know, the electromagnetic spectrum and isotopes. They can understand the results without knowing how to do the research or operate the instruments.
2004/06 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/06). Methodology Report. NCES 2008-184

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cominole, Melissa; Wheeless, Sara; Dudley, Kristin; Franklin, Jeff; Wine, Jennifer

2007-01-01

The "2004/06 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/06)" is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education to respond to the need for a national, comprehensive database concerning issues students may face in enrollment, persistence, progress, and attainment in postsecondary education and in consequent early rates of…
Influential Factors That Affect Retention and Language Acquisition in Beginning ESL Adults Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez-Garcia, Luis Manuel

2014-01-01

This study explored the problem of student attrition in beginning courses of an Intensive English Program (IEP) that may affect the sustainability of the IEP. The purpose of the study was to understand the perceptions of continuing students and the factors that influenced their motivation and engagement to persist studying in the IEP.…
Development of Emotional Intelligence in First-Year Undergraduate Students in a Frontier State

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leedy, Gail M.; Smith, James E.

2012-01-01

Emotional Intelligence (EI) has been defined as knowing the emotional state of self and others. Its relevance for college student development is only beginning to be researched. In the present research, the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory was administered to college students at the beginning and end of a semester-long course designed…
Beginning Subbaccalaureate Students' Labor Market Experiences: Six Years Later in 2009. Web Tables. NCES 2012-273

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ifill, Nicole; Radford, Alexandria Walton

2012-01-01

This set of Web Tables presents descriptive statistics on the spring 2009 labor market experiences of subbaccalaureate students who first entered postsecondary education in 2003-04. The Web Tables use data from the nationally representative 2004/09 Beginning Post-secondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/09), which followed a cohort of…
Profiles in Successful Group Piano for Children: A Collective Case Study of Children's Group-Piano Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pike, Pamela D.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this collective case study was to explore the best practices in beginning group-piano instruction. Four beginning and intermediate groups of piano students (N =20) were observed. Data were triangulated through in-class observation of students and teachers, teacher interviews and student questionnaires. The master teachers…
STEM in Postsecondary Education: Entrance, Attrition, and Coursetaking among 2003-04 Beginning Postsecondary Students. Web Tables. NCES 2013-152

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Xianglei; Ho, Phoebe

2012-01-01

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are widely regarded as critical to the national economy. To provide a nationally representative portrait of undergraduate students' experiences in STEM education, these Web Tables summarize longitudinal data from a cohort of first-time, beginning students who started postsecondary…
Professional Concerns of Beginning Teachers of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guteng, Simon I.

2005-01-01

The professional concerns of beginning teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing were examined. Five first-year teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students served as participants. Two of the participants were itinerant teachers; three taught in self-contained classrooms. Participants were selected from programs serving deaf and hard…
Entrepreneurship.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kent, Calvin A.; And Others

1985-01-01

Beginning with a conceptual introduction focusing on the nature of entrepreneurship, this issue offers four instructional units for preschool through sixth grade students. Beginning with the preschool and kindergarten unit called "Early Entrepreneurs," young students are introduced to a collection of activities, including creating a new…
Radiation Oncology Medical Student Clerkship: Implementation and Evaluation of a Bi-institutional Pilot Curriculum

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Golden, Daniel W., E-mail: dgolden@radonc.uchicago.edu; Spektor, Alexander; Rudra, Sonali

Purpose: To develop and evaluate a structured didactic curriculum to complement clinical experiences during radiation oncology clerkships at 2 academic medical centers. Methods and Materials: A structured didactic curriculum was developed to teach fundamentals of radiation oncology and improve confidence in clinical competence. Curriculum lectures included: (1) an overview of radiation oncology (history, types of treatments, and basic clinic flow); (2) fundamentals of radiation biology and physics; and (3) practical aspects of radiation treatment simulation and planning. In addition, a hands-on dosimetry session taught students fundamentals of treatment planning. The curriculum was implemented at 2 academic departments in 2012. Studentsmore » completed anonymous evaluations using a Likert scale to rate the usefulness of curriculum components (1 = not at all, 5 = extremely). Likert scores are reported as (median [interquartile range]). Results: Eighteen students completed the curriculum during their 4-week rotation (University of Chicago n=13, Harvard Longwood Campus n=5). All curriculum components were rated as extremely useful: introduction to radiation oncology (5 [4-5]); radiation biology and physics (5 [5-5]); practical aspects of radiation oncology (5 [4-5]); and the treatment planning session (5 [5-5]). Students rated the curriculum as “quite useful” to “extremely useful” (1) to help students understand radiation oncology as a specialty; (2) to increase student comfort with their specialty decision; and (3) to help students with their future transition to a radiation oncology residency. Conclusions: A standardized curriculum for medical students completing a 4-week radiation oncology clerkship was successfully implemented at 2 institutions. The curriculum was favorably reviewed. As a result of completing the curriculum, medical students felt more comfortable with their specialty decision and better prepared to begin radiation oncology residency.« less
Improving Education and Public Outreach Through Astronomy Education Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slater, Timothy F.

2005-04-01

Following in the footsteps of physics education research, the relatively new field of astronomy education research is already making dramatic improvements to the teaching and learning of astronomy. Whereas physics education research has focused predominantly on the introductory physics course, astronomy education is working on developing instruments and models to understand widely ranging domains that span K-12, undergraduate majors and non-majors, and even into the realms of public outreach. As one example, the repeated call for a more student-centered approach to teaching due to the ineffectiveness of lecture has been gaining prominence in the astronomy teaching community. At the beginning of a large-enrollment introductory astronomy survey course, we administered 68-multiple choice items as a pretest to 81 students. At the end of each lecture we administered the specific items related to that particular day's lecture a second time as a posttest. The pretest was 30% correct and the test, when given after lecture alone showed 52% correct. These results illustrate that instructor-centered strategies are largely ineffective at promoting meaningful conceptual gains. Alternatively, when using curriculum materials created from a basis of astronomy education research, we find that the posttest average score grows beyond 70%. Each 15-minute Lecture-Tutorial poses a carefully crafted sequence of conceptually challenging, Socratic-dialogue driven questions, along with graphs and data tables, all designed to encourage students to reason critically about difficult concepts in astronomy. A significant effort was focused on carefully evaluating changes in students' conceptual understanding and attitudes toward learning astronomy. The quantitative and qualitative results strongly suggest that the Lecture-Tutorials help students make significant conceptual gains.
Poetry: An Innovative Teaching Strategy for Exploring Empathy With Beginning Nursing Students.

PubMed

Mood, Laura

2018-05-01

Empathy is a professional value difficult to teach and challenging for beginning nursing students to grasp. This article describes how a poem was integrated in a seminar to engage students in exploring empathy and its relevance to their forming professional identities. Preseminar, nursing students (N = 8) read a book chapter about thinking empathetically. In seminar, they read an assigned poem and, using guiding questions, discussed it in small and large groups. Postseminar, students wrote self-reflections about their most important learning of the week. Through in-seminar discussions and postseminar reflections, students crafted new meanings of empathy, contemplated new insights, and integrated them into their imagined professional identities. In written self-reflections, six of eight students indicated the seminar was their most important learning of the week. Poetry is an engaging platform that makes accessible to beginning students the values of the profession that are difficult to articulate and grasp. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(5):315-318.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.
Academic Pre-Orientation Program for Dental Students: Beginning and End of Program Evaluations, 1998-2016.

PubMed

D'Silva, Evan R; Woolfolk, Marilyn W; Duff, Renee E; Inglehart, Marita R

2018-04-01

Admitting students from non-traditional or disadvantaged backgrounds can increase the diversity of dental school classes. The aims of this study were to analyze how interested non-traditional incoming dental students were at the beginning of an academic pre-orientation program in learning about basic science, dentistry-related topics, and academic skills; how confident they were in doing well in basic science and dentistry-related courses; and how they evaluated the program at the end. The relationships between personal (interest/confidence) and structural factors (program year, number of participants) and program evaluations were also explored. All 360 students in this program at the University of Michigan from 1998 to 2016 were invited to participate in surveys at the beginning and end of the educational intervention. A total of 353 students responded at the beginning (response rate 98%), and 338 responded at the end (response rate 94%). At the beginning, students were more interested in learning about basic science and dentistry-related topics than about academic skills, and they were more confident in their dentistry- related than basic science-related abilities. At the end, students valued basic science and dentistry-related education more positively than academic skills training. Confidence in doing well and interest in basic science and dentistry-related topics were correlated. The more recent the program was, the less confident the students were in their basic science abilities and the more worthwhile they considered the program to be. The more participants the program had, the more confident the students were, and the better they evaluated their basic science and dentistry-related education. Overall, this academic pre-orientation program was positively evaluated by the participants.
Examining the Intersection of Bullying and Physical Relationship Violence Among New York City High School Students.

PubMed

Peters, Zachary J; Hatzenbuehler, Mark L; Davidson, Leslie L

2017-01-01

Research is just beginning to explore the intersection of bullying and relationship violence. The relationship between these forms of youth aggression has yet to be examined in diverse urban centers, including New York City (NYC). This study seeks to identify intersections of joint victimization from bullying and electronic bullying (e-bullying) with physical relationship violence (pRV). This study examines data from the NYC Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), a representative sample of NYC public high school students, to assess the concurrent victimization from bullying at school and e-bullying with pRV, operationalized as physical violence by a dating partner in the past 12 months. Students who reported being bullied at school and e-bullied had increased odds (bullied: OR = 2.5, 95% CI [2.1, 2.9]; e-bullied: OR = 3.0, 95% CI [2.6, 3.5]) of also being victimized by pRV compared with those who did not report being bullied or e-bullied. In logistic regression models, being bullied at school and being e-bullied remained significant predictors of students' odds of reporting pRV (bullied: AOR = 2.6, 95% CI [2.2, 3.1]; e-bullied: AOR = 3.0, 95% CI [2.5, 3.6]) while controlling for race, gender, sexual orientation, and age. This research is the first to assess the intersection of victimization from bullying and e-bullying with pRV in a large, diverse, random sample of urban high school students. In this sample, students who report being bullied or e-bullied are more likely also to report pRV than students who have not been bullied or e-bullied. This research has potential implications for educators, adolescent health and social service providers, and policy makers to tailor programs and enact policies that jointly address bullying and pRV. Future studies are needed to longitudinally assess both victimization from and perpetration of bullying and pRV. © The Author(s) 2015.
Experimental AMO physics in undergraduate optics and lasers courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoyt, Chad

2017-04-01

This talk will describe experimental AMO research projects in undergraduate Lasers and Optics courses at Bethel University. The courses, which include a comprehensive lecture portion, are built on open-ended projects that have a novel aspect. Classes begin with four weeks of small student groups rotating between several standard laser and optics laboratory exercises. These may include, for example, alignment and characterization of a helium neon laser and measurements with a Michelson interferometer or a scanning Fabry-Pérot optical cavity. During the following seven weeks of the course, student groups (2-4 people) choose and pursue research questions in the lab. Their work culminates in a group manuscript and a twenty-minute presentation to the class. Projects in the spring, 2016 Optics course included experiments with ultracold lithium atoms in a magneto-optical trap, a prototype, portable, mode-locked erbium fiber laser, a home-built fiber laser frequency comb, double-slit imaging with single photons, and digital holographic tweezers (led by Nathan Lindquist). Projects in the spring, 2015 Lasers course included ultrafast optics with a mode-locked erbium fiber laser, quantum optics, surface plasmon lasers (led by Nathan Lindquist) and a low-cost, near-infrared spectrometer. Several of these projects are related to larger scale, funded research in the physics department. The format and experience in Lasers and Optics is representative of other upper-level courses at Bethel, including Fluid Mechanics and Computer Methods. A physics education research group from the University of Colorado evaluated the spring, 2015 Lasers and 2016 Optics courses. They focused on student experimental attitudes and measurements of student project ownership.
The Benefits of Peer-Mentoring in Undergraduate Group Research Projects at The University of Arizona

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hardegree-Ullman, Kevin; McGraw, A. M.; Towner, A. P.; Walker-LaFollette, A.; Robertson, A.; Smith, C.; Turner, J.; Biddle, L. I.; Thompson, R.

2013-06-01

According to the American Institute of Physics, the number of graduate students enrolled in astronomy programs in the US has been steadily increasing in the past 15 years. Research experience is one of the key factors graduate admissions committees look for when choosing students. The University of Arizona Astronomy Club is setting a new precedent in research by having students introduce other students to research. This eases the transition to research projects, and allows students to work in a comfortable setting without the sometimes-overwhelming cognitive disconnect between a professor and their students. The University of Arizona's research projects have many benefits to all students involved. It is well established that people learn a subject best when they have to teach it to others. Students leading the projects learn alongside their peers in a peer-mentoring setting. When project leaders move on in their academic career, other project members can easily take the lead. Students learn how to work in teams, practice effective communication skills, and begin the processes of conducting a full research project, which are essential skills for all budding scientists. These research projects also give students hands-on research experience that supplement and greatly expand on concepts taught in the classroom, and make them more attractive to graduate schools and REU programs.

The Ability of Beginning University Chemistry Students to Use ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in Their Learning in 2002

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lim, Kieran F.

2003-01-01

There is an assumption that high-school students are becoming more computer literate, but published studies of specific skill level are lacking. An anonymous multiple-choice survey self-assessed the ICT (information and communication technology) skills of first-year chemistry students at the beginning of 2002. The general level of ICT skill…
Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study: First Follow-Up 1996-98 (BPS:96/98) Methodology Report. Technical Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wine, Jennifer S.; Whitmore, Roy W.; Heuer, Ruth E.; Biber, Melissa; Pratt, Daniel J.

This report describes the methods and procedures used for the full-scale data collection effort of the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study First Follow-Up 1996-98 (BPS:96/98). These students, who started their postsecondary education during the 1995-96 academic year, were first interviewed during 1996 as part of the National…
Calling, Vocational Development, and Well Being: A Longitudinal Study of Medical Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duffy, Ryan D.; Manuel, R. Stephen; Borges, Nicole J.; Bott, Elizabeth M.

2011-01-01

The present study investigated the relation of calling to the vocational development and well-being of a sample of medical students. Students were surveyed at two time points: prior to beginning the first year of medical school and prior to beginning the third year of medical school. At each time point, calling moderately correlated with positive…
An Alternate Path: The Experience of High-Potential Individuals Who Left School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ritchotte, Jennifer A.; Graefe, Amy K.

2017-01-01

Dropping out of school represents the culmination of a process that begins long before a student enters high school. It is estimated that a quarter of students with high potential leave school without a high school diploma; however, research on how high-potential students uniquely experience dropping out of school is in its beginning stages. This…
When can I start pointe work? Guidelines for initiating pointe training.

PubMed

Weiss, David S; Rist, Rachel Anne; Grossman, Gayanne

2009-01-01

The initiation of pointe training for dance students should be determined after careful evaluation of a number of factors. These include: the dance student's stage of physical development; the quality of her (or his) trunk, abdominal and pelvic control ("core" stability); the alignment of her legs (hip-knee-ankle-foot); the strength and flexibility of her feet and ankles; and the duration and frequency of her dance training. For students who meet the requirements related to all of these factors, began ballet training at age eight or later, and who are taking ballet class at least twice per week, pointe work should be initiated in the fourth year of training. Students with poor core stability or hypermobility of the feet and ankles may require additional strengthening to allow them to safely begin pointe training. For those who are only taking ballet classes once per week, or who are not truly pre-professional, pointe training should be discouraged. No student with insufficient ankle and foot plantar flexion range of motion or with poor lower extremity alignment should be allowed to do pointe work.
Group Theory with Applications in Chemical Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobs, Patrick

2005-10-01

Group Theory is an indispensable mathematical tool in many branches of chemistry and physics. This book provides a self-contained and rigorous account on the fundamentals and applications of the subject to chemical physics, assuming no prior knowledge of group theory. The first half of the book focuses on elementary topics, such as molecular and crystal symmetry, whilst the latter half is more advanced in nature. Discussions on more complex material such as space groups, projective representations, magnetic crystals and spinor bases, often omitted from introductory texts, are expertly dealt with. With the inclusion of numerous exercises and worked examples, this book will appeal to advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students studying physical sciences and is an ideal text for use on a two-semester course. An introductory and advanced text that comprehensively covers fundamentals and applications of group theory in detail Suitable for a two-semester course with numerous worked examples and problems Includes several topics often omitted from introductory texts, such as rotation group, space groups and spinor bases
The Six Core Theories of Modern Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stevens, Charles F.

1996-09-01

Charles Stevens, a prominent neurobiologist who originally trained as a biophysicist (with George Uhlenbeck and Mark Kac), wrote this book almost by accident. Each summer he found himself reviewing key areas of physics that he had once known and understood well, for use in his present biological research. Since there was no book, he created his own set of notes, which formed the basis for this brief, clear, and self-contained summary of the basic theoretical structures of classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, quantum mechanics, statistical physics, special relativity, and quantum field theory. The Six Core Theories of Modern Physics can be used by advanced undergraduates or beginning graduate students as a supplement to the standard texts or for an uncluttered, succinct review of the key areas. Professionals in such quantitative sciences as chemistry, engineering, computer science, applied mathematics, and biophysics who need to brush up on the essentials of a particular area will find most of the required background material, including the mathematics.
Lectures on Dark Matter Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lisanti, Mariangela

Rotation curve measurements from the 1970s provided the first strong indication that a significant fraction of matter in the Universe is non-baryonic. In the intervening years, a tremendous amount of progress has been made on both the theoretical and experimental fronts in the search for this missing matter, which we now know constitutes nearly 85% of the Universe's matter density. These series of lectures provide an introduction to the basics of dark matter physics. They are geared for the advanced undergraduate or graduate student interested in pursuing research in high-energy physics. The primary goal is to build an understanding of how observations constrain the assumptions that can be made about the astro- and particle physics properties of dark matter. The lectures begin by delineating the basic assumptions that can be inferred about dark matter from rotation curves. A detailed discussion of thermal dark matter follows, motivating Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, as well as lighter-mass alternatives. As an application of these concepts, the phenomenology of direct and indirect detection experiments is discussed in detail.
First Contact: Expectations of Beginning Astronomy Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lacey, T. L.; Slater, T. F.

1999-05-01

Three hundred seven undergraduate students enrolled in Introductory Astronomy were surveyed at the beginning of class to determine their expectations for course content. The course serves as a survey of astronomy for non-science majors and is a distribution course for general education core requirements. The course has no prerequisites, meets three times each week for 50 minutes, and represents three semester credit hours. The university catalog describes the course with the title "PHYSICS 101 - Mysteries of the Sky" and the official course description is: a survey of the struggle to understand the Universe and our place therein. The structure, growth, methods, and limitations of science will be illustrated using the development of astronomy as a vehicle. Present day views of the Universe are presented. Two questions were asked as open response items: What made you decide to take this course? and What do you expect to learn in this course? The reasons that students cited to take the course, in order of frequency, were: interested in astronomy, interesting or fun sounding course, required general education fulfillment, recommendation by peer. Secondary reasons cited were required for major or minor, general interest in science, and was available in the schedule. Tertiary reasons listed were recommendation by advisor or orientation leader, inflate grade point average, and heard good things about the teacher. The students' expectations about what they would learn in the course were numerous. The most common objects listed, in order of frequency, were: stars, constellations, planets, galaxies, black holes, solar system, comets, galaxies, asteroids, moon, and Sun. More interesting were the aspects not specifically related to astronomy. These were weather, atmosphere, UFOs and the unexplained, generally things in the sky. A mid-course survey suggests that students expected to learn more constellations and that the topics would be less in-depth.
A Study Comparing Typewriting Achievement of Students Attending Class Three and Five Days a Week in Beginning Typewriting at the Community College Level. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ziemer, Adelle W.

The purpose of this study was to determine (1) whether beginning typewriting on the community college level should be taught in a five-day-a-week pattern or in a reduced three-day-a-week pattern; (2) what, if any, relationship existed between the achievement level in beginning college typewriting and the following student characteristics: Locus of…
Evaluation of a multimedia online tool for teaching bronchial hygiene to physical therapy students.

PubMed

Silva, Cibele C B Marques da; Toledo, Sonia L P; Silveira, Paulo S P; Carvalho, Celso R F

2012-01-01

Advances in information technology have been widely used in teaching health care professionals. The use of multimedia resources may be important for clinical learning and we are not aware of previous reports using such technology in respiratory physical therapy education. Our approach was to evaluate a conventional bronchial hygiene techniques (BHTs) course with an interactive online environment, including multimedia resources. Previous developed audiovisual support material comprised: physiology, physiopathology and BHTs, accessible to students through the Internet in conjunction with BHTs classes. Two groups of students were compared and both attended regular classes: the on-line group (n=8) received access to online resources, while the control group (n=8) received conventional written material. Student's performance was evaluated before and after the course. A preliminary test (score 0 to 10) was applied before the beginning of the course, showing that the initial knowledge of both groups was comparable [online, 6.75 (SD=0.88) vs. control, 6.125 (SD=1.35); p>0.05]. Two weeks after the end of the course, a second test showed that the online group performed significantly better than the control group [respectively, 7.75 (SD=1.28) vs. 5.93 (SD=0.72); p>0.05]. The use of a multimedia online resource had a positive impact on student's learning in respiratory therapy field in which instrumental and manual resources are often used and can be explored using this technology.
Effects of a new parallel primary healthcare centre and on-campus training programme on history taking, physical examination skills and medical students’ preparedness: a prospective comparative study in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Yang, Ying-Ying; Wang, Shuu-Jiun; Yang, Ling-Yu; Lirng, Jiing-Feng; Huang, Chia-Chang; Liang, Jen-Feng; Lee, Fa-Yauh; Hwang, Shinn-Jang; Huang, Chin-Chou; Kirby, Ralph

2017-01-01

Objectives The primary healthcarecentre (PHCC) is the first place that medical students experience patient contact. Usually, medical students are frustrated by a lack of proper skills training for on-campus history taking (HT), physical examination (PE) and self-directed learning (SDL) to prepare for their PHCC and inhospital patient contact. For pre-clerks, this study aims to compare the effectiveness of PHCC training and PHCC training in combination with on-campus HT and PE training modules (PHCC+on-campus) on their clerkship preparedness. Design This comparative study utilised prospective, consecutive, end of pre-clerkship group objective structured clinical examination (GOSCE), beginning of clerkship OSCE and self-administered Preparation for Hospital Practice Questionnaire (PHPQ). Setting/participants 128 pre-clinical clerk volunteers (64 each year) receiving PHCC training (7 week PHCCtraining in addition to 7 week assignment based group learning, academic year 2014, controls) and PHCC training in combination with on-campus module training (academic year 2015, 7 week PHCCtraining in addition to 7 week on-campus sessions) were sequentially assessed before the module (week 1), at the end of the module (week 14) and at the beginning of clerkship (week 25). Results For overall HT and PE skills, both PHCC and PHCC+on-campus module trained pre-clerks performed better on OSCE than GOSCE. Additionally, the improvement was accompanied by higher self-reported PHPQ scores in ‘confidence/coping’ and ‘SDL’ domains. At the end of the pre-clerkship and the beginning of the clerkship stages, the degree of improvement in preparedness in ‘confidence/coping’ and ‘SDL’ domains was higher for those in the PHCC+on-campus group than for those in the PHCC group. Among the PHCC+on-campus module participants, a positive association was observed between high mean PHPQ-SDL scores and high OSCE scores. Conclusions Our study suggests that the PHCC+on-campus module, which is paired faculty led and pre-trained dyad student assisted, is effective in developing a preclinical clerk’s HT and PE skills and intensifying SDL/patient management abilities to prepare for hospital practice in clerkship. PMID:28951408
Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study: 1996-2001 (BPS:1996/2001) Methodology Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wine, Jennifer S.; Heuer, Ruth E.; Wheeless, Sara C.; Francis, Talbric L.; Franklin, Jeff W.; Dudley, Kristin M.

2002-01-01

Describes the procedures and results of the full-scale Implementation of the final followup interview with the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study 1996/2001. This study follows a cohort first interviewed in 1996 in their first year of postsecondary education. (SLD)
Mathematics Student Teachers' Epistemological Beliefs about the Nature of Mathematics and the Goals of Mathematics Teaching and Learning in the Beginning of Their Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Viholainen, Antti; Asikainen, Mervi; Hirvonen, Pekka E.

2014-01-01

This article examines Finnish mathematics student teachers' epistemological beliefs concerning the nature of mathematics and the goals of mathematics teaching and learning solely in the beginning of their studies at university. A total of 18 students participated in a study consisting of a short questionnaire and interviews. The data was analyzed…
The prevalence and correlations of medical student burnout in the pre-clinical years: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Mazurkiewicz, Rebecca; Korenstein, Deborah; Fallar, Robert; Ripp, Jonathan

2012-01-01

Burnout is a psychological syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and impaired personal accomplishment induced by repeated workplace stressors. Current research suggests that physician burnout may have its origins in medical school. The consequences of medical student burnout include both personal and professional distress, loss of empathy, and poor health. We hypothesized that burnout occurs prior to the initiation of the clinical years of medical education. This was a cross-sectional survey administered to third-year medical students at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine (MSSM) in New York, New York (a traditional-style medical school with a marked division between pre-clinical and clinical training occurring at the beginning of the third year). Survey included an instrument used to measure job burnout, a sleep deprivation screen, and questions related to demographic information, current rotation, psychiatric history, time spent working/studying, participation in extracurricular activities, social support network, autonomy and isolation. Of the 86 medical students who participated, 71% met criteria for burnout. Burnt out students were significantly more likely to suffer from sleep deprivation (p = 0.0359). They were also more likely to disagree with the following statements: "I have control over my daily schedule" (p = 0.0286) and "I am confident that I will have the knowledge and skills necessary to become an intern when I graduate" (p = 0.0263). Our findings show that burnout is present at the beginning of the third year of medical school, prior to the initiation of the clinical years of medical training. Medical student burnout is quite common, and early efforts should be made to empower medical students to both build the knowledge and skills necessary to become capable physicians, as well as withstand the emotional, mental, and physical challenges inherent to medical school.
[The improvement of the abilities to maintain motor coordination and equilibrium in the students presenting with the functional disorders of the musculoskeletal system by introducing the elements of therapeutic physical training into the structure of academic schedule of physical education].

PubMed

Kapilevich, L V; Davlet'yarova, K V; Ovchinnikova, N A

The problem of deterioration of the health status in the university students at present remains as topical as it was before being a major cause of impaired working capacity, disability and/or poor social adaptation of the large number of graduates. It has been proposed to introduce a class of therapeutic physical training (TPT) into the schedule of physical education for the students. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the formation of the skills needed to maintain motor coordination and equilibrium in the students presenting with the functional disorders of the musculoskeletal system (MSS) including scoliosis by the introduction of the elements of therapeutic physical training into their academic schedules. The main study group was comprised of 32 students (men) at the age of 18-19 years presenting with the disorders of the musculoskeletal system (type III scoliosis, osteochondropathy, and osteochondrosis). The students of this group received a curriculum aimed at improving their motor skills with the emphasis laid on the selected elements of therapeutic physical training. The control group was composed of 17 students without disorders of the musculoskeletal system who attended the physical education classes following the traditional program. The coordination abilities and balance skills were evaluated based on the analysis with the use of the Stabilan-1 stabilographic apparatus. In addition, the stability test and the Romberg test with open and closed eyes were performed. The results of the study give evidence that the introduction of the elements of therapeutic physical training into the structure of academic schedule of physical education for the students suffering from diseases of the musculoskeletal system has beneficial effect on the parameters of stability and the general ability to maintain the posture and balance. Specifically, in the beginning of the academic year, the students of the main study group presenting with the locomotor problems (the scatter of the manifest disorders in the frontal and sagittal planes, the mean amplitude and velocity of fluctuations of the center of pressure, the area of the projection of the center of pressure displacements as well as the quality of the equilibrium function that characterizes the ability to maintain the posture) were significantly different from the respective characteristics in the control group (p<0,05). After the course of therapeutic physical training given during the academic year, the scatter of the manifestations in the frontal and sagittal planes as well as the role of the visual control in the maintenance of balance decreased significantly. The present study has demonstrated that the introduction of the elements of therapeutic physical training into the structure of academic schedule of physical education for the students presenting with the functional disorders of the locomotor apparatus exerts the positive influence on the parameters characterizing stability and the ability to maintain the posture as well as equilibrium at large. Such beneficial effect is apparent in the form of reduction of the amplitude and velocity of fluctuations of the centre of pressure, the decrease in the area of projection of its displacements, and the improvement of the quality of the equilibrium function that characterizes the ability to maintain the posture. Moreover, the ratio of spreading in the frontal and sagittal planes decreases, and the role of the visual control in the maintenance of equilibrium becomes diminished. The results of the study give grounds for recommending the introduction of the elements of therapeutic physical training into the learning process of students presenting with diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
Foundations of Tensor Analysis for Students of Physics and Engineering With an Introduction to the Theory of Relativity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kolecki, Joseph C.

2005-01-01

Tensor analysis is one of the more abstruse, even if one of the more useful, higher math subjects enjoined by students of physics and engineering. It is abstruse because of the intellectual gap that exists between where most physics and engineering mathematics leave off and where tensor analysis traditionally begins. It is useful because of its great generality, computational power, and compact, easy to use, notation. This paper bridges the intellectual gap. It is divided into three parts: algebra, calculus, and relativity. Algebra: In tensor analysis, coordinate independent quantities are sought for applications in physics and engineering. Coordinate independence means that the quantities have such coordinate transformations as to leave them invariant relative to a particular observer s coordinate system. Calculus: Non-zero base vector derivatives contribute terms to dynamical equations that correspond to pseudoaccelerations in accelerated coordinate systems and to curvature or gravity in relativity. These derivatives have a specific general form in tensor analysis. Relativity: Spacetime has an intrinsic geometry. Light is the tool for investigating that geometry. Since the observed geometry of spacetime cannot be made to match the classical geometry of Euclid, Einstein applied another more general geometry differential geometry. The merger of differential geometry and cosmology was accomplished in the theory of relativity. In relativity, gravity is equivalent to curvature.
Beginning Introductory Physics with Two-Dimensional Motion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huggins, Elisha

2009-01-01

During the session on "Introductory College Physics Textbooks" at the 2007 Summer Meeting of the AAPT, there was a brief discussion about whether introductory physics should begin with one-dimensional motion or two-dimensional motion. Here we present the case that by starting with two-dimensional motion, we are able to introduce a considerable…
The Problem Solving Method in Teaching Physics in Elementary School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jandrić, Gordana Hajduković; Obadović, Dušanka Ž.; Stojanović, Maja

2010-01-01

The most of the teachers ask if there is a "best" known way to teach. The most effective teaching method depends on the specific goals of the course and the needs of the students. An investigation has been carried out to compare the effect of teaching selected physics topics using problem-solving method on the overall achievements of the acquired knowledge and teaching the same material by traditional teaching method. The investigation was performed as a pedagogical experiment of the type of parallel groups with randomly chosen sample of students attending grades eight. The control and experimental groups were equalized in the relevant pedagogical parameters. The obtained results were treated statistically. The comparison showed a significant difference in respect of the speed of acquiring knowledge, the problem-solving teaching being advantageous over traditional methodDo not replace the word "abstract," but do replace the rest of this text. If you must insert a hard line break, please use Shift+Enter rather than just tapping your "Enter" key. You may want to print this page and refer to it as a style sample before you begin working on your paper.
Using Blackboard and Skype for Mentoring Beginning Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suk Hwang, Young; Vrongistinos, Konstantinos

2012-01-01

The purpose of this article is to examine the nature of the Blackboard and Skype-based electronic mentoring system for beginning teachers. The Quality Teachers for Quality Students project developed an electronic mentoring system between beginning teachers and experienced teachers to support beginning teachers' instructional and classroom…

Determinants of daytime sleepiness in first-year nursing students: a questionnaire survey.

PubMed

Huang, Ching-Feng; Yang, Li-Yu; Wu, Li-Min; Liu, Yi; Chen, Hsing-Mei

2014-06-01

Daytime sleepiness may affect student learning achievement. Research studies have found that daytime sleepiness is common in university students; however, information regarding the determinants of daytime sleepiness in this population is still lacking. The purpose of this study was to investigate the determinants of daytime sleepiness in first-year nursing students. In particular, we looked for the relationship between perceived symptoms, nocturnal sleep quality, and daytime sleepiness. A cross-sectional and correlational design was employed. Participants were recruited from two nursing programs at an institute of technology located in southern Taiwan. Ninety-three nursing students completed the questionnaires one month after enrollment into their program. Approximately 35% of the participants experienced excessive daytime sleepiness at the beginning of the semester. Six variables (joining a student club, perceived symptoms, daytime dysfunction, sleep disturbances, sleep latency, and subjective sleep quality) were significantly correlated with daytime sleepiness. Among them, daytime dysfunction and perceived symptoms were two major determinants of daytime sleepiness, both accounting for 37.2% of the variance. Daytime sleepiness in students should not be ignored. It is necessary to help first-year students identify and mitigate physical and psychological symptoms early on, as well as improve daytime functioning, to maintain their daytime performance and promote learning achievement. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Impact of Context-Rich, Multifaceted Problems on Students' Attitudes Towards Problem-Solving

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogilvie, Craig

2008-04-01

Young scientists and engineers need strong problem-solving skills to enable them to address the broad challenges they will face in their careers. These challenges will likely be ill-defined and open-ended with either unclear goals, insufficient constraints, multiple possible solutions, and different criteria for evaluating solutions so that our young scientists and engineers must be able to make judgments and defend their proposed solutions. In contrast, many students believe that problem-solving is being able to apply set procedures or algorithms to tasks and that their job as students is to master an ever-increasing list of procedures. This gap between students' beliefs and the broader, deeper approaches of experts is a strong barrier to the educational challenge of preparing students to succeed in their future careers. To start to address this gap, we have used multi-faceted, context-rich problems in a sophomore calculus-based physics course. To assess whether there was any change in students' attitudes or beliefs towards problem-solving, students were asked to reflect on their problem-solving at the beginning and at the end of the semester. These reflections were coded as containing one or more problem-solving ideas. The change in students' beliefs will be shown in this talk.
Job Satisfaction and Career Persistence of Beginning Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mau, Wei-Cheng J.; Ellsworth, Randy; Hawley, Donna

2008-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to examine career persistence and job satisfaction of beginning teachers. Design/methodology/approach: Four hundred and fifty-one tenth grade students from a nationally representative sample, who aspired to be teachers, were examined over a ten year period regarding their career choices. Students who…
Map It Then Write It

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lott, Kimberly; Read, Sylvia

2015-01-01

All writing begins with ideas, but young students often need visual cues to help them organize their thoughts before beginning to write. For this reason, many elementary teachers use graphic organizers or thinking maps to help students visualize patterns and organize their ideas within the different genres of writing. Graphic organizers such as…
Using QR Codes in Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cetner, Michelle

2015-01-01

For years, many schools and districts have had strict policies banning the use of students' personal electronic devices in classrooms. However, some schools are beginning to embrace the educational value of handheld Web-enabled devices that students already bring to school each day. As teachers begin to explore the educational opportunities that…
Categorical Coding of Manual & English Alphabet Characters by Beginning Students of American Sign Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoemann, Harry W.; Koenig, Teresa J.

1990-01-01

Analysis of the performance of beginning American Sign Language students, who had only recently learned the manual alphabet, on a task in which proactive interference would build up rapidly on successive trials, supported the view that different languages have separate memory stores. (Author/CB)
Just Rewards: Positive Discipline Can Teach Students Self-Respect and Empathy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shandler, Nina

1996-01-01

Describes a teacher's approach to classroom management through positive discipline, using positive reinforcements to teach children positive behaviors. Students who feel affirmed can begin to believe in themselves and begin to take responsibility and build successful relationships. Five steps to positive discipline are outlined. (SLD)
Creative Teaching: Why It Matters and where to Begin

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rinkevich, Jennifer L.

2011-01-01

Current research indicates that creativity in teaching can and should be enhanced in order to promote student learning. This article begins by stressing the importance of creativity in education and the ways in which creative teaching benefits students. Next, it addresses key points for better understanding classroom creativity by identifying…
Medical Spanish: A Functional Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hendrickson, James M.

A functional approach to language teaching begins with knowing how students intend to use the foreign language for specific purposes and in specific situations. Instructors of medical Spanish can begin by determining the specific language functions that their students must be able to express when communicating with Hispanic patients, by means of a…
Foregrounding the Background.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robbins, Bruce

1998-01-01

Argues that when introductory activities to the classics begin with background information, it can upstage or confine the life of the story, and shows little faith in the students as readers or in the literature itself. Suggests sometimes letting the literature begin, and then helping students make sense of it. Discusses examples from "To Kill a…
Preparing Beginning Teachers to Elicit and Interpret Students' Mathematical Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sleep, Laurie; Boerst, Timothy A.

2012-01-01

This study investigated how teacher education assignments can be designed to support beginning teachers in learning to do the work of teaching. We examined beginners' formative assessment practices--in particular, their eliciting and interpreting of students' mathematical thinking--in the context of an elementary mathematics methods assignment,…
Supporting Beginning Teacher Planning and Enactment of Investigation-based Science Discussions: The Design and Use of Tools within Practice-based Teacher Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kademian, Sylvie M.

Current reform efforts prioritize science instruction that provides opportunities for students to engage in productive talk about scientific phenomena. Given the challenges teachers face enacting instruction that integrates science practices and science content, beginning teachers need support to develop the knowledge and teaching practices required to teach reform-oriented science lessons. Practice-based teacher education shows potential for supporting beginning teachers while they are learning to teach in this way. However, little is known about how beginning elementary teachers draw upon the types of support and tools associated with practice-based teacher education to learn to successfully enact this type of instruction. This dissertation addresses this gap by investigating how a practice-based science methods course using a suite of teacher educator-provided tools can support beginning teachers' planning and enactment of investigation-based science lessons. Using qualitative case study methodologies, this study drew on video-records, lesson plans, class assignments, and surveys from one cohort of 22 pre-service teachers (called interns in this study) enrolled in a year-long elementary education master of the arts and teaching certification program. Six focal interns were also interviewed at multiple time-points during the methods course. Similarities existed across the types of tools and teaching practices interns used most frequently to plan and enact investigation-based discussions. For the focal interns, use of four synergistic teaching practices throughout the lesson enactments (including consideration of students' initial ideas; use of open-ended questions to elicit, extend, and challenge ideas; connecting across students' ideas and the disciplinary core ideas; and use of a representation to organize and highlight students' ideas) appeared to lead to increased opportunities for students to share their ideas and engage in data analysis, argumentation and explanation construction. Student opportunities to engage in practices that prioritize scientific discourse also occurred when interns were using dialogic voice and the tools designed to foster development of teacher knowledge for facilitating investigation-based science discussions. However, several intern characteristics likely moderated or mediated intern use of tools, dialogic voice, and productive teaching practices to capitalize on student contributions. These characteristics included intern knowledge of the science content and practices and initial beliefs about science teaching. Missed opportunities to use a combination of several teaching practices and tools designed to foster the development of knowledge for science teaching resulted in fewer opportunities for students to engage in data analysis, argumentation based on evidence, and construction of scientific explanations. These findings highlight the potential of teacher-educator provided tools for supporting beginning teachers in learning to facilitate investigation-based discussions that capitalize on student contributions. These findings also help the field conceptualize how beginning teachers use tools and teaching practices to plan and enact investigation-based science lessons, and how intern characteristics relate to tool use and planned and enacted lessons. By analyzing the investigation-based science lessons holistically, this study begins to unpack the complexities of facilitating investigation-based discussions including the interplay between intern characteristics and tool use, and the ways intern engagement in synergistic teaching practices provide opportunities for students to engage in data analysis, explanation construction, and argumentation. This study also describes methodological implications for this type of whole-lesson analysis and comments on the need for further research investigating beginning teachers' use of tools over time. Finally, I propose the need for iterative design of scaffolds to further support beginning teacher facilitation of investigation-based science lessons.
Other Worlds, Other Earths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sunbury, Susan; Gould, R. R.

2011-05-01

The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics is developing a two-to-three week NSF-funded program for middle and high school students using telescope-based investigations of real world cutting edge scientific questions. The goal is to reveal and enhance students' understanding of core concepts in the physical sciences as well as to develop their proficiency in the practice of scientific inquiry. Specifically, students and teachers are joining scientists in the search for habitable worlds by exploring transiting exoplanets. Using robotic telescopes, image processing software and simulations, students take images and then measure the brightness of their target star to create a portrait of a transiting planet including how large it is; the tilt of its orbit; how far it is from its star and what its environment might be like. Once classes collect and analyze their own data, they can begin to compare, combine, and communicate their findings with others in the community. Interactive models help students predict what they might expect to find and interpret what they do find. During the past two years, the Center for Astrophysics has tested the concept in fifty middle-and high-school classrooms, enrichment classes and after school science clubs in 13 states across the United States. To date, astronomy, earth science, and physics students have successfully detected Jupiter-sized planets transiting stars such as TRES-3, HATP-10, and HATP-12. Preliminary results indicate that learning of core concept did occur. Gains in content were most significant in middle school students as this project delivered new information to them while it served primarily as a review of concepts and application of skills for advanced placement classes. A significant change also occurred in students’ self reported knowledge of exoplanets. There was also an increase in students’ awareness of exoplanets and attitudes about science after participating in this project.
Non-Zero Net Force and Constant Velocity: A Study in Mazur's Peer Instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newburgh, Ronald

2009-10-01

A problem addressed infrequently in beginning physics courses is that of a moving body with changing mass. Elementary texts often have footnotes referring to jet planes and rockets but rarely do they go further. This omission is understandable because calculations with variable mass generally require the tools of calculus. This paper presents a changing mass problem that can be treated on an elementary level, thereby leading to an understanding of the role of changing mass on Newton's second law. It also illustrates Mazur's technique of Peer Instruction, a technique that demands active student participation.
PREFACE: 1st-2nd Young Researchers Meetings in Rome - Proceedings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

YRMR Organizing Committee; Cannuccia, E.; Mazzaferro, L.; Migliaccio, M.; Pietrobon, D.; Stellato, F.; Veneziani, M.

2011-03-01

Students in science, particularly in physics, face a fascinating and challenging future. Scientists have proposed very interesting theories, which describe the microscopic and macroscopic world fairly well, trying to match the quantum regime with cosmological scales. Between the extremes of this scenario, biological phenomena in all their complexity take place, challenging the laws we observe in the atomic and sub-atomic world. More and more accurate and complex experiments have been devised and these are now going to test the paradigms of physics. Notable experiments include: the Large Hadronic Collider (LHC), which is going to shed light on the physics of the Standard Model of Particles and its extensions; the Planck-Herschel satellites, which target a very precise measurement of the properties of our Universe; and the Free Electron Lasers facilities, which produce high-brilliance, ultrafast X-ray pulses, allowing the investigation of the fundamental processes of solid state physics, chemistry, and biology. These projects are the result of huge collaborations spread across the world, involving scientists belonging to different and complementary research fields: physicists, chemists, biologists and others, keen to make the best of these extraordinary laboratories. Even though each branch of science is experiencing a process of growing specialization, it is very important to keep an eye on the global picture, remaining aware of the deep interconnections between inherent fields. This is even more crucial for students who are beginning their research careers. These considerations motivated PhD students and young post-docs connected to the Roman scientific research area to organize a conference, to establish the background and the network for interactions and collaborations. This resulted in the 1st and 2nd Young Researchers Meetings in Rome (http://ryrm.roma2.infn.it), one day conferences aimed primarily at graduate students and post-docs, working in physics in Italy and abroad. In its first two editions, the meeting was held at the Universities of Roma "Tor Vergata" (July 2009) and "LaSapienza" (February 2010), and organized in sections dedicated to up-to-date topics spanning broad research fields: Astrophysics-Cosmology, Soft-Condensed Matter Physics, Theoretical-Particle Physics, and Medical Physics. In these proceedings we have collected some of the contributions which were presented during the meetings.
Promoting Visualization Skills through Deconstruction Using Physical Models and a Visualization Activity Intervention

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schiltz, Holly Kristine

Visualization skills are important in learning chemistry, as these skills have been shown to correlate to high ability in problem solving. Students' understanding of visual information and their problem-solving processes may only ever be accessed indirectly: verbalization, gestures, drawings, etc. In this research, deconstruction of complex visual concepts was aligned with the promotion of students' verbalization of visualized ideas to teach students to solve complex visual tasks independently. All instructional tools and teaching methods were developed in accordance with the principles of the theoretical framework, the Modeling Theory of Learning: deconstruction of visual representations into model components, comparisons to reality, and recognition of students' their problemsolving strategies. Three physical model systems were designed to provide students with visual and tangible representations of chemical concepts. The Permanent Reflection Plane Demonstration provided visual indicators that students used to support or invalidate the presence of a reflection plane. The 3-D Coordinate Axis system provided an environment that allowed students to visualize and physically enact symmetry operations in a relevant molecular context. The Proper Rotation Axis system was designed to provide a physical and visual frame of reference to showcase multiple symmetry elements that students must identify in a molecular model. Focus groups of students taking Inorganic chemistry working with the physical model systems demonstrated difficulty documenting and verbalizing processes and descriptions of visual concepts. Frequently asked student questions were classified, but students also interacted with visual information through gestures and model manipulations. In an effort to characterize how much students used visualization during lecture or recitation, we developed observation rubrics to gather information about students' visualization artifacts and examined the effect instructors' modeled visualization artifacts had on students. No patterns emerged from the passive observation of visualization artifacts in lecture or recitation, but the need to elicit visual information from students was made clear. Deconstruction proved to be a valuable method for instruction and assessment of visual information. Three strategies for using deconstruction in teaching were distilled from the lessons and observations of the student focus groups: begin with observations of what is given in an image and what it's composed of, identify the relationships between components to find additional operations in different environments about the molecule, and deconstructing steps of challenging questions can reveal mistakes. An intervention was developed to teach students to use deconstruction and verbalization to analyze complex visualization tasks and employ the principles of the theoretical framework. The activities were scaffolded to introduce increasingly challenging concepts to students, but also support them as they learned visually demanding chemistry concepts. Several themes were observed in the analysis of the visualization activities. Students used deconstruction by documenting which parts of the images were useful for interpretation of the visual. Students identified valid patterns and rules within the images, which signified understanding of arrangement of information presented in the representation. Successful strategy communication was identified when students documented personal strategies that allowed them to complete the activity tasks. Finally, students demonstrated the ability to extend symmetry skills to advanced applications they had not previously seen. This work shows how the use of deconstruction and verbalization may have a great impact on how students master difficult topics and combined, they offer students a powerful strategy to approach visually demanding chemistry problems and to the instructor a unique insight to mentally constructed strategies.
Eight Hundred Years of Physics Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bishop, George

This book uses a biographical pattern to trace the history of physics teaching. Whenever possible the story of an influential person or institution is used to tell the story of that period. The book begins with the contributions of the Greeks, the Romans, and the Arabs to physics and its teaching. Chapters include: (1) "The First Beginnings of…
Exercise Programming for Cardiacs--A New Direction for Physical Therapists.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gutin, Bernard

This speech begins with the presentation of a conceptual scheme of the physical working capacity of a person starting a training program. The scheme shows that after exercise, when recovery begins and sufficient time elapses, the individual recovers and adapts to a level of physical working capacity which is higher than his starting level. From…
Self-regulated learning and science achievement in a community college

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maslin, (Louisa) Lin-Yi L.

Self-regulated learning involves students' use of strategies and skills to adapt and adjust towards achievement in school. This research investigates the extent to which self-regulated learning is employed by community college students, and also the correlates of self-regulated learning: Is it used more by students in advanced science classes or in some disciplines? Is there a difference in the use of it by students who complete a science course and those who do not? How does it relate to GPA and basic skills assessments and science achievement? Does it predict science achievement along with GPA and assessment scores? Community college students (N = 547) taking a science course responded to the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). The scales measured three groups of variables: (1) cognitive strategies (rehearsal, elaboration, organization, and critical thinking); (2) metacognitive self-regulation strategies (planning, monitoring, and self-regulation); and (3) resource management strategies (time and study environment, effort regulation, peer learning, and help-seeking). Students' course scores, college GPA, and basic skills assessment scores were obtained from faculty and college records. Students who completed a science course were found to have higher measures on cumulative college GPAs and assessment scores, but not on self-regulated learning. Self-regulated learning was found not to be used differently between students in the advanced and beginning science groups, or between students in different disciplines. The exceptions were that the advanced group scored higher in critical thinking but lower in effort regulation than the beginning group. Course achievement was found to be mostly unrelated to self-regulated learning, except for several significant but very weak and negative relationships in elaboration, self-regulation, help-seeking, and effort regulation. Cumulative GPA emerged as the only significant predictor of science achievement, accounting for roughly one-third of the variance. The basic skills assessments and self-regulated learning were not significant predictors. English and reading assessments were more highly significant predictors in the biology than in the physical science groups, while math assessment was not related to science achievement.
Chronicling a successful secondary implementation of Studio Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohl, Patrick B.; Vincent Kuo, H.

2012-09-01

The Colorado School of Mines (CSM) has taught its first-semester calculus-based introductory physics course (Physics I) using a hybrid lecture/Studio Physics format since the spring of 1997. Starting in the fall of 2007, we have been converting the second semester of our calculus-based introductory physics course (Physics II) to a hybrid lecture/Studio Physics format, beginning from a traditional lecture/lab/recitation course. In this paper, we document the stages of this transformation, highlighting what has worked and what has not, and the challenges and benefits associated with the switch to Studio Physics. A major goal in this study is to develop a method for secondary implementations of Studio physics that keeps the time and resource investments manageable. We describe the history of Studio at CSM and characterize our progress via several metrics, including pre/post Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM) scores, Colorado Learning About Science Survey scores (CLASS), exam scores, failure rates, and a variety of qualitative observations. Results suggest that Studio has increased student performance and satisfaction despite an aggressive expansion of class sizes in the past few years. Gains have been concentrated mostly in problem-solving skills and exam performance (as opposed to conceptual survey gains), in contrast to what has sometimes been seen in other studies.

The effect of restructuring student writing in the general chemistry laboratory on student understanding of chemistry and on students' approach to the laboratory course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudd, James Andrew, II

Many students encounter difficulties engaging with laboratory-based instruction, and reviews of research have indicated that the value of such instruction is not clearly evident. Traditional forms of writing associated with laboratory activities are commonly in a style used by professional scientists to communicate developed explanations. Students probably lack the interpretative skills of a professional, and writing in this style may not support students in learning how to develop scientific explanations. The Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) is an inquiry-based approach to laboratory instruction designed in part to promote student ability in developing such explanations. However, there is not a convincing body of evidence for the superiority of inquiry-based laboratory instruction in chemistry. In a series of studies, the performance of students using the SWH student template in place of the standard laboratory report format was compared to the performance of students using the standard format. The standard reports had Title, Purpose, Procedure, Data & Observations, Calculations & Graphs, and Discussion sections. The SWH reports had Beginning Questions & Ideas, Tests & Procedures, Observations, Claims, Evidence, and Reflection sections. The pilot study produced evidence that using the SWH improved the quality of laboratory reports, improved student performance on a laboratory exam, and improved student approach to laboratory work. A main study found that SWH students statistically exhibited a better understanding of physical equilibrium when written explanations and equations were analyzed on a lecture exam and performed descriptively better on a physical equilibrium practical exam task. In another main study, the activities covering the general equilibrium concept were restructured as an additional change, and it was found that SWH students exhibited a better understanding of chemical equilibrium as shown by statistically greater success in overcoming the common confusion of interpreting equilibrium as equal concentrations and by statistically better performance when explaining aspects of chemical equilibrium. Both main studies found that students and instructors spent less time on the SWH reports and that students preferred the SWH approach because it increased their level of mental engagement. The studies supported the conclusion that inquiry-based laboratory instruction benefits student learning and attitudes.
Teaching Sustainable Water Resources and Low Impact Development: A Project Centered Course for First-Year Undergraduates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cianfrani, C. M.

2009-12-01

Teaching Sustainable Water Resources and Low Impact Development: A Project Centered Course for First-Year Undergraduates Christina M. Cianfrani Assistant Professor, School of Natural Science, Hampshire College, 893 West Avenue, Amherst, MA 01002 Sustainable water resources and low impact development principles are taught to first-year undergraduate students using an applied design project sited on campus. All students at Hampshire College are required to take at least one natural science course during their first year as part of their liberal arts education. This requirement is often met with resistance from non-science students. However, ‘sustainability’ has shown to be a popular topic on campus and ‘Sustainable Water Resources’ typically attracts ~25 students (a large class size for Hampshire College). Five second- or third-year students are accepted in the class as advanced students and serve as project leaders. The first-year students often enter the class with only basic high school science background. The class begins with an introduction to global water resources issues to provide a broad perspective. The students then analyze water budgets, both on a watershed basis and a personal daily-use basis. The students form groups of 4 to complete their semester project. Lectures on low impact design principles are combined with group work sessions for the second half of the semester. Students tour the physical site located across the street from campus and begin their project with a site analysis including soils, landcover and topography. They then develop a building plan and identify preventative and mitigative measures for dealing with stormwater. Each group completes TR-55 stormwater calculations for their design (pre- and post-development) to show the state regulations for quantity will be met with their design. Finally, they present their projects to the class and prepare a formal written report. The students have produced a wide variety of creative, mostly practical designs. Student feedback about the course has included high praise for the applied nature of the project as well as the use of advanced students to lead the groups and help provide guidance throughout the project. Example of low impact development using clustered housing, rain gardens (small dots), green roofs (circles on house sites), vegetated swales along roadways, infiltration area, and a reforested buffer (along right edge).
Reducing gender differences in performance in introductory college physics through values affirmation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kost-Smith, Lauren

2011-04-01

Despite males and females being equally represented at the college level in several STEM disciplines (including biology, chemistry and mathematics), females continue to be under-represented in physics. Our research documents and addresses this participation gender gap in the introductory, calculus-based physics courses at the University of Colorado. We characterize gender differences in performance, psychological factors (including attitudes and beliefs) and retention that exist in Physics 1 and 2 [L. E. Kost, et al., Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 5, 010101 (2009); L. E. Kost-Smith, et al., Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 6, 020112 (2010)]. We find that the gender differences in performance can largely be accounted for by measurable differences in the physics and mathematics backgrounds and incoming attitudes and beliefs of males and females. But these background factors do not completely account for the gender gaps. We hypothesize, based on gender differences in responses to survey questions about students' sense of physics identity and confidence levels, that identity threat (the fear of confirming a negative characterization about one's identity) is playing a role in our courses. Working with researchers in psychology, we implemented an intervention where students either wrote about their most important values or not, twice at the beginning of the course [A. Miyake, et al., Science, 330, 1234 (2010)]. This ``values affirmation'' activity reduced the male-female performance difference substantially and elevated women's modal grades from the C to B range. Benefits were strongest for women who tended to endorse the stereotype that men do better than women in physics. This brief psychological intervention may be a promising way to address the gender gap in science performance.
Foreign Language Learning Difficulties and Teaching Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banks, Tiffini

2008-01-01

Beginning foreign language (FL) courses in high school often have high numbers of learning disabled (LED) and at-risk students, perhaps because many students who are considered to be college bound begin foreign language study in middle school. This paper examines FL difficulties as well as effective strategies that others have used to conquer…
Professional Identity Tensions of Beginning Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pillen, Marieke; Beijaard, Douwe; den Brok, Perry

2013-01-01

This study reports on interviews with 24 beginning teachers about tensions they experienced regarding their professional identity. The interviewees reported a total of 59 tensions of tension that fell into three themes: (1) the change in role from student to teacher; (2) conflicts between desired and actual support given to students; and (3)…
Mathematical Content of Curricula and Beginning Salaries of Graduating Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, B. Brian; Lee, Jungsun

2009-01-01

The authors examined an association between mathematical content in college-level curricula and beginning salaries of graduating students on the basis of data collected from a public university in the southern region of the United States. The authors classified the mathematical content requirements of the curricula into the following 5 groups…
Does the First Week of Class Matter? A Quasi-Experimental Investigation of Student Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hermann, Anthony D.; Foster, David A.; Hardin, Erin E.

2010-01-01

Teaching experts suggest that establishing clear expectations and a supportive environment at the beginning of a college course has a lasting impact on student attitudes. However, minimal empirical evidence exists to support these suggestions. Consequently, we randomly assigned instructors to either begin their course with a reciprocal interview…
Tools for Knowledge Analysis, Synthesis, and Sharing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Medland, Michael B.

2007-01-01

Change and complexity are creating a need for increasing levels of literacy in science and technology. Presently, we are beginning to provide students with clear contexts in which to learn, including clearly written text, visual displays and maps, and more effective instruction. We are also beginning to give students tools that promote their own…
Beginning Teacher Challenges Instructing Students Who Are in Foster Care

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zetlin, Andrea; MacLeod, Elaine; Kimm, Christina

2012-01-01

Children in foster care compose a population of students very vulnerable to school failure. Placement and school instability and lack of collaboration between the school and child welfare agency are some of the barriers that impede their school performance. This study focused on the classroom context and questioned beginning general and special…
Virtues-Based Advice for Beginning Medical Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coverdale, John H.

2007-01-01

Objective: The goals of this article are to present a framework, based on John Gregory's (1724-1773) concept of professionalism, for advising beginning medical students about what is important to training and to the practice of medicine. Method: The author presents Gregory's concept of professionalism with an emphasis on the related virtues.…
Exploring Beginning Inference with Novice Grade 7 Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Jane M.

2008-01-01

This study documented efforts to facilitate ideas of beginning inference in novice grade 7 students. A design experiment allowed modified teaching opportunities in light of observation of components of a framework adapted from that developed by Pfannkuch for teaching informal inference with box plots. Box plots were replaced by hat plots, a…
Minimum Competency Testing In the Dallas Independent School District.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montgomery, Patricia A.; Arrasmith, Dean G.

The development and implementation of the Dallas Independent School District's Basic Objectives Assessment Test (BOAT) are described. Beginning in 1979, this minimum competency test was administered system-wide to all students in grades 8-12 (except for those enrolled as special education students), and beginning in 1983 it will be used in…
Early Integration of Tutorial Support in Beginning Algebra

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Copus, Colleen; McKinney, Betsy

2016-01-01

Anecdotal observations reveal that most students with strong arithmetic skills will succeed in the Beginning Algebra course even if they have no previous experience with algebra. In trying to quantify this with an initial teacher-created survey of arithmetic skills, it was observed, for three consecutive semesters, that students who scored in the…
Educate at Penn State: Preparing Beginning Teachers with Powerful Digital Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Orrin T.; Zembal-Saul, Carla

2008-01-01

University based teacher education programs are slowly beginning to catch up to other professional programs that use modern digital tools to prepare students to enter professional fields. This discussion looks at how one teacher education program reached the conclusion that students and faculty would use notebook computers. Frequently referred to…
Student Performance on Conceptual Questions: Does Instruction Matter?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heron, Paula

2012-10-01

As part of the tutorial component of introductory calculus-based physics at the University of Washington, students take weekly pretests that consist of conceptual questions. Pretests are so named because they precede each tutorial, but they are frequently administered after lecture instruction. Many variables associated with class composition and prior instruction could, in principle, affect student performance. Nonetheless, the results are often found to be ``essentially the same'' in all classes. Selected questions for which we have accumulated thousands of responses, from dozens of classes representing different conditions with respect to the textbook in use, the amount of prior instruction, etc., serve as examples. A preliminary analysis suggests that the variation in performance across all classes is essentially random. No statistically significant difference is observed between results obtained before relevant instruction begins and after it has been completed. The results provide evidence that exposure to concepts in lecture and textbook is not sufficient to ensure an improvement in performance on questions that require qualitative reasoning.
45 CFR 156.602 - Other coverage that qualifies as minimum essential coverage.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

.... Coverage offered to students by an institution of higher education (as defined in the Higher Education Act... essential coverage for plan or policy years beginning on or before December 31, 2014. For coverage beginning... essential coverage for plan or policy years beginning on or before December 31, 2014. For coverage beginning...
45 CFR 156.602 - Other coverage that qualifies as minimum essential coverage.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

.... Coverage offered to students by an institution of higher education (as defined in the Higher Education Act... essential coverage for plan or policy years beginning on or before December 31, 2014. For coverage beginning... essential coverage for plan or policy years beginning on or before December 31, 2014. For coverage beginning...
White light Sagnac interferometer—a common (path) tale of light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwartz, Eyal

2017-11-01

White or polychromatic light sources are vastly abundant in nature and lie in our most basic understanding of the theory of light, beginning from stars like our Sun and extending to every common household light bulb or street lamp. In this paper, I present concepts of white light interferometery using a common-path Sagnac interferometer, manifested in a straightforward laboratory experiment. I further show the use of this as a Fourier transform spectrometer while presenting a basic overview of the theoretical concepts and spectrum of different light sources obtained experimentally. This work, both experimentally and analytically, is suitable for upper-level undergraduate physics or engineering courses where electromagnetic theory and optics are discussed. The experiment and theory presents important deep concepts and aspects in modern optics and physics that every science student should acquire.
Reducing the gender achievement gap in college science: a classroom study of values affirmation.

PubMed

Miyake, Akira; Kost-Smith, Lauren E; Finkelstein, Noah D; Pollock, Steven J; Cohen, Geoffrey L; Ito, Tiffany A

2010-11-26

In many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines, women are outperformed by men in test scores, jeopardizing their success in science-oriented courses and careers. The current study tested the effectiveness of a psychological intervention, called values affirmation, in reducing the gender achievement gap in a college-level introductory physics class. In this randomized double-blind study, 399 students either wrote about their most important values or not, twice at the beginning of the 15-week course. Values affirmation reduced the male-female performance and learning difference substantially and elevated women's modal grades from the C to B range. Benefits were strongest for women who tended to endorse the stereotype that men do better than women in physics. A brief psychological intervention may be a promising way to address the gender gap in science performance and learning.
Eleven quick tips for running an interdisciplinary short course for new graduate students.

PubMed

Saunders, Timothy E; He, Cynthia Y; Koehl, Patrice; Ong, L L Sharon; So, Peter T C

2018-03-01

Quantitative reasoning and techniques are increasingly ubiquitous across the life sciences. However, new graduate researchers with a biology background are often not equipped with the skills that are required to utilize such techniques correctly and efficiently. In parallel, there are increasing numbers of engineers, mathematicians, and physical scientists interested in studying problems in biology with only basic knowledge of this field. Students from such varied backgrounds can struggle to engage proactively together to tackle problems in biology. There is therefore a need to establish bridges between those disciplines. It is our proposal that the beginning of graduate school is the appropriate time to initiate those bridges through an interdisciplinary short course. We have instigated an intensive 10-day course that brought together new graduate students in the life sciences from across departments within the National University of Singapore. The course aimed at introducing biological problems as well as some of the quantitative approaches commonly used when tackling those problems. We have run the course for three years with over 100 students attending. Building on this experience, we share 11 quick tips on how to run such an effective, interdisciplinary short course for new graduate students in the biosciences.

The Pre-Major in Astronomy Program at the University of Washington: Increasing Diversity Through Research Experiences and Mentoring Since 2005

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenfield, Philip

2013-01-01

Graduate students in the astronomy department at the University of Washington began the Pre-Major in Astronomy Program (Pre-MAP) after recognizing that underrepresented students in STEM fields are not well retained after their transition from high school. Pre-MAP is a research and mentoring program that begins with a keystone seminar. First year students enroll in the Pre-MAP seminar to learn astronomical research techniques that they apply to research projects conducted in small groups. Students also receive one-on-one mentoring and peer support for the duration of the academic year and beyond. They are incorporated early into the department by attending Astronomy Department events and Pre-MAP field trips. Successful Pre-MAP students have declared astronomy and physics majors, expanded their research projects beyond the fall quarter, presented posters at the UW Undergraduate Research Symposium, and received research fellowships and summer internships. In this talk, we will discuss how we identified the issues that Pre-MAP was designed to address, what we've learned after six years of Pre-MAP, and share statistical results from a long-term quantitative comparison evaluation.
Analysis of air temperature changes on blood pressure and heart rate and performance of undergraduate students.

PubMed

Siqueira, Joseana C F; da Silva, Luiz Bueno; Coutinho, Antônio S; Rodrigues, Rafaela M

2017-01-01

The increase in air temperature has been associated with human deaths, some of which are related to cardiovascular dysfunctions, and with the reduction of physical and cognitive performance in humans. To analyze the relationship between blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) and the cognitive performance of students who were submitted to temperature changes in classrooms. The university students answered a survey that was adapted from the Battery of Reasoning Tests over 3 consecutive days at different air temperatures while their thermal state and HR were measured. During those 3 days, BP and HR were evaluated before and after the cognitive test. The average and final HR increased at high temperatures; the tests execution time was reduced at high temperatures; and the cognitive tests was related to Mean BP at the beginning of the test, the maximum HR during the test and the air temperature. The cognitive performance of undergraduate students in the field of engineering and technology will increase while performing activities in a learning environment with an air temperature of approximately 23.3°C (according to their thermal perception), if students have an initial MBP of 93.33 mmHg and a 60 bpm HRmax.
The preservice microteaching course and science teachers' instructional decisions: A qualitative analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gess-Newsome, Julie; Lederman, Norman G.

The purpose of this investigation was to qualitatively investigate the effects of a microteaching course on preservice science teachers' perceptions of teaching, instructional decisions, and changes in beliefs which occur throughout the course. A total of 17 preservice teachers constituted the sample for this investigation. In addition to viewing and self-critiquing the videotapes of their lessons, students received both oral and written feedback from peers and instructors. Subjects were also required to complete a reaction questionnaire concerning their beliefs/perceptions prior to the first presentation as well as following each of the four required presentations. Systematic comparisons among students' self-critiques and reaction questionnaires yielded a total of 12 categories of concerns/beliefs about teaching. These categories pertained to either Concerns for Self or Concerns for Students. Although the subjects appeared to proceed through a developmental process beginning with concerns for self and moving toward concerns for students, analyses of subjects' comments about students revealed that such remarks were actually egocentric. Additionally, the data indicated that preservice teachers view planning as a complex, two-component process (i.e., the physical act of writing a plan and the subsequent mental rehearsal of that plan.).
Open-ended projects in undergraduate optics and lasers courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoyt, Chad

This talk will describe the format and experience of undergraduate Lasers and Optics courses at Bethel University. The courses, which include a rigorous lecture portion, are built on open-ended research projects that have a novel aspect. They begin with four weeks of small student groups rotating between several standard laser and optics laboratory exercises. These may include, for example, alignment and characterization of a helium neon laser and measurements with a Michelson interferometer or a scanning Fabry-Pérot optical cavity. During the following seven weeks of the course, student groups (2-4 people) choose and pursue research questions in the lab. Their work culminates in a group manuscript typeset in and a twenty-minute presentation to the class. Projects in the spring, 2014 Optics course included experiments with ultracold lithium atoms in a magneto-optical trap, optical tweezers, digital holography and adaptive optics. Projects in the spring, 2015 Lasers course included ultrafast optics with a mode-locked erbium fiber laser, quantum optics, surface plasmon lasers (led by Nathan Lindquist) and a low-cost, near-infrared spectrometer. Several of these projects are related to larger scale, funded research in the physics department. The format and experience in Lasers and Optics is representative of other upper-level courses at Bethel, including Fluid Mechanics and Computer Methods. A physics education research group from the University of Colorado evaluated the spring, 2015 Lasers course. They focused on student experimental attitudes and measurements of student project ownership.
Bioliteracy and Teaching Efficacy: What Biologists Can Learn from Physicists

PubMed Central

Klymkowsky, Michael W.; Garvin-Doxas, Kathy; Zeilik, Michael

2003-01-01

The introduction of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) by David Hestenes and colleagues in 1992 produced a remarkable impact within the community of physics teachers. An instrument to measure student comprehension of the Newtonian concept of force, the FCI demonstrates that active learning leads to far superior student conceptual learning than didactic lectures. Compared to a working knowledge of physics, biological literacy and illiteracy have an even more direct, dramatic, and personal impact. They shape public research and reproductive health policies, the acceptance or rejection of technological advances, such as vaccinations, genetically modified foods and gene therapies, and, on the personal front, the reasoned evaluation of product claims and lifestyle choices. While many students take biology courses at both the secondary and the college levels, there is little in the way of reliable and valid assessment of the effectiveness of biological education. This lack has important consequences in terms of general bioliteracy and, in turn, for our society. Here we describe the beginning of a community effort to define what a bioliterate person needs to know and to develop, validate, and disseminate a tiered series of instruments collectively known as the Biology Concept Inventory (BCI), which accurately measures student comprehension of concepts in introductory, genetic, molecular, cell, and developmental biology. The BCI should serve as a lever for moving our current educational system in a direction that delivers a deeper conceptual understanding of the fundamental ideas upon which biology and biomedical sciences are based. PMID:14506504
Life in the Universe - Astronomy and Planetary Science Research Experience for Undergraduates at the SETI Institute

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiar, J.; Phillips, C. B.; Rudolph, A.; Bonaccorsi, R.; Tarter, J.; Harp, G.; Caldwell, D. A.; DeVore, E. K.

2016-12-01

The SETI Institute hosts an Astrobiology Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. Beginning in 2013, we partnered with the Physics and Astronomy Dept. at Cal Poly Pomona, a Hispanic-serving university, to recruit underserved students. Over 11 years, we have served 155 students. We focus on Astrobiology since the Institute's mission is to explore, understand and explain the origin, nature and prevalence of life in the universe. Our REU students work with mentors at the Institute - a non-profit organization located in California's Silicon Valley-and at the nearby NASA Ames Research Center. Projects span research on survival of microbes under extreme conditions, planetary geology, astronomy, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), extrasolar planets and more. The REU program begins with an introductory lectures by Institute scientists covering the diverse astrobiology subfields. A week-long field trip to the SETI Institute's Allen Telescope Array (Hat Creek Radio Astronomy Observatory in Northern California) and field experiences at hydrothermal systems at nearby Lassen Volcanic National Park immerses students in radio astronomy and SETI, and extremophile environments that are research sites for astrobiologists. Field trips expose students to diverse environments and allow them to investigate planetary analogs as our scientists do. Students also participate in local trips to the California Academy of Sciences and other nearby locations of scientific interest, and attend the weekly scientific colloquium hosted by the SETI Institute at Microsoft, other seminars and lectures at SETI Institute and NASA Ames. The students meet and present at a weekly journal club where they hone their presentation skills, as well as share their research progress. At the end of the summer, the REU interns present their research projects at a session of the Institute's colloquium. As a final project, students prepare a 2-page formal abstract and 15-minute presentation that mirrors the requirements for professional conference presentations. In collaboration with the mentors, successful projects are selected and funded for submission to national scientific conferences during the subsequent academic year. This program is funded by the NSF AST Grant # 1359346.
The Conditions of Beginning Reading Instruction for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spector, Janet E.; Cavanaugh, Brian J.

2015-01-01

A disproportionate number of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are below grade level in reading. This trend may be due in part to characteristics of the disability, but it may also reflect lack of access to the instructional conditions needed for success in beginning reading. In this study, we surveyed special education teachers to…
Working Downstream: A Beginning EL Teacher Negotiating Policy and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malsbary, Christine Brigid; Appelgate, Mollie H.

2016-01-01

This case study describes how a beginning teacher struggled to meet her students' needs in an ESL classroom. Her struggle demonstrated the interrelated nature of policy and practice: Policy effects in her school isolated her and made her feel solely responsible for the achievement of her newly arrived English-learning (EL) students. Her case…
Influence of Knowledge of Content and Students on Beginning Agriculture Teachers' Approaches to Teaching Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rice, Amber H.; Kitchel, Tracy

2016-01-01

This study explored experiences of beginning agriculture teachers' approaches to teaching content. The research question guiding the study was: how does agriculture teachers' knowledge of content and students influence their process of breaking down content knowledge for teaching? The researchers employed a grounded theory approach in which five…
The Effects of Financial Aid on College Success of Two-Year Beginning Nontraditional Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Jin; Hossler, Don

2017-01-01

This study aims to understand the role of financial aid in college success of two-year beginning nontraditional students. By applying discrete time event history models with propensity score covariate adjustment to a nationally representative sample from BPS: 04/09, this study answers research questions centering around the effects of Pell Grants,…
When the Fractional Cookie Begins to Crumble: Conceptual Understanding of Fractions in the Fifth Grade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eichhorn, Melinda S.

2018-01-01

When teachers conduct a universal screening in mathematics, they identify students who are struggling with mathematical content and adjust their instruction. In this mixed-methods study in Kolkata, India, teachers piloted a screening tool at the beginning of the academic year in 5th grade to determine students' (n = 171) understanding of…
What Matters in Increasing Community College Students' Upward Transfer to the Baccalaureate Degree: Findings from the Beginning Postsecondary Study 2003-2009

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaSota, Robin R.; Zumeta, William

2016-01-01

This research uses the nationally representative Beginning Postsecondary Study: 2003-2009 to investigate the relative significance in upward transfer of individual and institutional factors for different groups of students, considering their state policy contexts of variable support for improved articulation and transfer between 2-year and…
!Si se puede!: Undocumented Immigrants' Struggle for Education and Their Right to Stay

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rincon, Alejandra

2010-01-01

In this article, the author talks about an increasing movement that generates support for the Dream Act, the federal proposal which would allow some undocumented students to begin the path towards permanent residency. Beginning in Summer 2009, when more than 500 converged in DC for a national Dream Act graduation ceremony, students and their…
Individual Differences in Beginning Composing: An Orchestral Vision of Learning To Write. Technical Report No. 9.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyson, Anne Haas

A participant observation study of a primary grade classroom, in which three first grade students were selected as case study subjects, illustrates the range of workstyles of beginning writers. Primary grade teachers are often concerned that their students are not producing writing comparable with their capabilities, but educators' conceptions of…
Beginnings: Beginning Musical Strategies with Social Implications for Level V Middle School Students in Baltimore County, Maryland.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teske, Patricia W.

This document presents strategies developed for teaching learning disabled, emotionally disturbed, or intellectually limited middle school students in the music classroom. The proposed strategies are designed to meet the following criteria: (1) the musical activities are to be musically appropriate for middle school adolescents; (2) each activity…
Sound Foundations: Organic Approaches to Learning Notation in Beginning Band

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, Chad

2016-01-01

By starting with a foundation of sound before sight, we can help our students learn notation organically in a way that honors the natural process. This article describes five organic approaches to learning notation in beginning band: (1) iconic notation, (2) point and play, (3) student lead-sheet, (4) modeling, and (5) kid dictation. While…
Teaching Professionalism in Nursing: A Quantitative Survey of Beginning Student Nurse Perceptions of Professional Values Interpreted within a Leadership Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corrao, Jocelyn J.

2016-01-01

The researcher designed this quantitative dissertation research to explore the perceptions of beginning nursing students toward professionalism in nursing, specific to professional values within the context of curriculum delivery for a leadership and management course in one baccalaureate nursing program. In addition, the researcher reviewed the…
Examining the Discourse on the Limit Concept in a Beginning-Level Calculus Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gucler, Beste

2013-01-01

Existing research on limits documents many difficulties students encounter when learning about the concept. There is also some research on teaching of limits but it is not yet as extensive as the research on student learning about limits. This study explores the discourse on limits in a beginning-level undergraduate calculus classroom by focusing…
Aggregating Concept Map Data to Investigate the Knowledge of Beginning CS Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mühling, Andreas

2016-01-01

Concept maps have a long history in educational settings as a tool for teaching, learning, and assessing. As an assessment tool, they are predominantly used to extract the structural configuration of learners' knowledge. This article presents an investigation of the knowledge structures of a large group of beginning CS students. The investigation…
(S)Partners for Heart Health: a school-based program for enhancing physical activity and nutrition to promote cardiovascular health in 5th grade students.

PubMed

Carlson, Joseph J; Eisenmann, Joey C; Pfeiffer, Karin A; Jager, Kathleen B; Sehnert, Scott T; Yee, Kimbo E; Klavinski, Rita A; Feltz, Deborah L

2008-12-22

The American Heart Association Position Statement on Cardiovascular Health Promotion in Public Schools encourages school-based interventions for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) through risk factor prevention or reduction in children with an emphasis on creating an environment that promotes healthy food choices and physical activity (PA). In an effort to address issues related to CVD risk factors including obesity in Michigan children, a multi-disciplinary team of Michigan State University (MSU) faculty, clinicians, and health profession students was formed to "(S)partner" with elementary school physical education (PE) teachers and MSU Extension staff to develop and implement a cost-effective, sustainable program aimed at CVD risk factor prevention and management for 5th grade students. This (S)partnership is intended to augment and improve the existing 5th grade PE, health and nutrition curriculum by achieving the following aims: 1) improve the students' knowledge, attitudes and confidence about nutrition, PA and heart health; 2) increase the number of students achieving national recommendations for PA and nutrition; and 3) increase the number of students with a desirable CVD risk factor status based on national pediatric guidelines. Secondary aims include promoting school staff and parental support for heart health to help children achieve their goals and to provide experiential learning and service for MSU health profession students for academic credit. This pilot effectiveness study was approved by the MSU IRB. At the beginning and the end of the school year students undergo a CVD risk factor assessment conducted by MSU medical students and graduate students. Key intervention components include eight lesson plans (conducted bi-monthly) designed to promote heart healthy nutrition and PA behaviors conducted by PE teachers with assistance from MSU undergraduate dietetic and kinesiology students (Spartners). The final 10 minutes of each lesson, MSU Spartners conduct small breakout/discussion groups with the 5th grade students. Additionally, each Spartner case manages/mentors two to three 5th grade students using a web-based goal setting and tracking protocol throughout the school year. This paper describes the rationale, development, and methods of the Spartners for Heart Health program. This is a multi-level intervention designed to promote heart healthy behaviors and prevent or manage CVD risk factors in children. We believe this will be a viable sustainable intervention that can be disseminated and adopted by other institutions with minimal cost by engaging college students as an integral part of the measurement and intervention teams.

(S)Partners for Heart Health: a school-based program for enhancing physical activity and nutrition to promote cardiovascular health in 5th grade students

PubMed Central

Carlson, Joseph J; Eisenmann, Joey C; Pfeiffer, Karin A; Jager, Kathleen B; Sehnert, Scott T; Yee, Kimbo E; Klavinski, Rita A; Feltz, Deborah L

2008-01-01

Background The American Heart Association Position Statement on Cardiovascular Health Promotion in Public Schools encourages school-based interventions for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) through risk factor prevention or reduction in children with an emphasis on creating an environment that promotes healthy food choices and physical activity (PA). In an effort to address issues related to CVD risk factors including obesity in Michigan children, a multi-disciplinary team of Michigan State University (MSU) faculty, clinicians, and health profession students was formed to "(S)partner" with elementary school physical education (PE) teachers and MSU Extension staff to develop and implement a cost-effective, sustainable program aimed at CVD risk factor prevention and management for 5th grade students. This (S)partnership is intended to augment and improve the existing 5th grade PE, health and nutrition curriculum by achieving the following aims: 1) improve the students' knowledge, attitudes and confidence about nutrition, PA and heart health; 2) increase the number of students achieving national recommendations for PA and nutrition; and 3) increase the number of students with a desirable CVD risk factor status based on national pediatric guidelines. Secondary aims include promoting school staff and parental support for heart health to help children achieve their goals and to provide experiential learning and service for MSU health profession students for academic credit. Methods/Design This pilot effectiveness study was approved by the MSU IRB. At the beginning and the end of the school year students undergo a CVD risk factor assessment conducted by MSU medical students and graduate students. Key intervention components include eight lesson plans (conducted bi-monthly) designed to promote heart healthy nutrition and PA behaviors conducted by PE teachers with assistance from MSU undergraduate dietetic and kinesiology students (Spartners). The final 10 minutes of each lesson, MSU Spartners conduct small breakout/discussion groups with the 5th grade students. Additionally, each Spartner case manages/mentors two to three 5th grade students using a web-based goal setting and tracking protocol throughout the school year. Discussion This paper describes the rationale, development, and methods of the Spartners for Heart Health program. This is a multi-level intervention designed to promote heart healthy behaviors and prevent or manage CVD risk factors in children. We believe this will be a viable sustainable intervention that can be disseminated and adopted by other institutions with minimal cost by engaging college students as an integral part of the measurement and intervention teams. PMID:19102777
ZTF Undergraduate Astronomy Institute at Caltech and Pomona College

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penprase, Bryan Edward; Bellm, Eric Christopher

2017-01-01

From the new Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), an NSF funded project based at Caltech, comes a new initiative for undergraduate research known as the Summer Undergraduate Astronomy Institute. The Institute brings together 15-20 students from across the world for an immersive experience in astronomy techniques before they begin their summer research projects. The students are primarly based at Caltech in their SURF program but also includes a large cohort of students enrolled in research internships at Pomona College in nearby Claremont CA. The program is intended to introduce students to research techniques in astronomy, laboratory and computational technologies, and to observational astronomy. Since many of the students are previously computer science or physics majors with little astronomy experience, this immersive experience has been extremely helpful for enabling students to learn about the terminologies, techniques and technologies of astronomy. The field trips to the Mount Wilson and Palomar telescopes deepen their knowledge and excitement about astronomy. Lectures about astronomical research from Caltech staff scientists and graduate students also provide context for the student research. Perhaps more importantly, the creation of a cohort of like-minded students, and the chance to reflect about careers in astronomy and research, give these students opportunities to consider themselves as future research scientists and help them immensely as they move forward in their careers. We discuss some of the social and intercultural aspects of the experience as well, as our cohorts typically include international students from many countries and several students from under-represented groups in science.
Use of clickers and sustainable reform in upper-division physics courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubson, Michael

2008-03-01

At the University of Colorado at Boulder, successful reforms of our freshmen and sophomore-level physics courses are now being extended to upper-division courses, including Mechanics, Math Methods, QM, E&M, and Thermal Physics. Our course reforms include clicker questions (ConcepTests) in lecture, peer instruction, and an added emphasis on conceptual understanding and qualitative reasoning on homework assignments and exams. Student feedback has been strongly positive, and I will argue that such conceptual training improves rather than dilutes, traditional, computationally-intensive problem-solving skills. In order for these reforms to be sustainable, reform efforts must begin with department-wide consensus and agreed-upon measures of success. I will discuss the design of good clicker questions and effective incorporation into upper-level courses, including examples from materials science. Condensed matter physics, which by nature involve intelligent use of approximation, particularly lends itself to conceptual training. I will demonstrate the use of a clicker system (made by iClicker) with audience-participation questions. Come prepared to think and interact, rather than just sit there!
[Food habits and health-related behaviors in a university population].

PubMed

Sánchez Socarrás, Violeida; Aguilar Martínez, Alicia

2014-09-18

The university population is considered a particularly vulnerable group from the nutritional point of view as it begins to take responsibility for their food and going through a critical period in the consolidation of habits and food-related behaviors. Previous studies highlight the loss of healthy dietary patterns and the need to develop educational and nutritional interventions. To analyze habits and food-related behaviors in a university population in Catalonia as a starting point to develop effective strategies for health promotion. Cross-sectional observational study of dietary habits and food-related behaviors (alcohol, tobacco and physical activity) in Catalan university students. Lunch and dinner at home were the essential meals of the surveyed students while breakfast and afternoon snack were omitted about 20% of cases. The obtained dietary pattern was characterized by an excessive consumption of red meat (84%) and poor or very poor consumption of vegetables (39.8%), cereals (92.6%) and fruit (73.9%). The consumption of alcohol was low, and the most consumed beverage was beer. The majority of students reported not being regular smokers. Among regular smokers predominated women. Alcohol consumption was also low and beer was the most consumed beverage. A considerable number of students were used to performing moderate or intense physical activity three or more times a week, although a similar proportion not perform any physical activity regularly. In the studied population, food habits that deviate from the recommendations of the Mediterranean Diet are detected in a large number of students: low consumption of fruits and vegetables, increased consumption of dairy products and a predominance in the consumption of red meat in front of poultry. These changes are in line with those that occurred in recent years in Spain and in other industrialized countries. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.
Preparing Physics and Chemistry Teachers at the University of Arizona

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novodvorsky, Ingrid

2006-04-01

Beginning in 2000, science majors at the University of Arizona who wish to teach in middle or high schools have enrolled in the College of Science Teacher Preparation Program (CoS TPP). Students in the program take General Education courses, content courses, and science pedagogy courses that make them eligible for teacher certification. Students can remain in their science degree programs, and take the required science pedagogy courses, or they can enroll in a BS in Science Education degree that includes the pedagogy courses, with concentrations available in Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, and Physics. Science educators from six different departments, two permanent Adjunct Instructors, and two Teachers in Residence teach the program's courses. (One of the Teachers in Residence is supported by the PhysTEC project.) Most of the pedagogy courses include field experiences in area science classrooms; the program works with some 115 mentor teachers from throughout the Tucson area, who host preservice teachers in their field experiences. In the first six years of the program, 14 program graduates have been chemistry and physics teachers. This compares to a total of six chemistry and physics teachers produced by the College of Education program in the four years preceding the creation of the CoS TPP. In this presentation, I will describe the unique features of the courses that prospective chemistry and physics teachers take and the field experiences in which they participate. In addition, I will describe how PhysTEC-supplied resources have been used to improve the program, and the ways in which we are assessing the program's success.
Change in diet, physical activity, and body weight among young-adults during the transition from high school to college.

PubMed

Wengreen, Heidi J; Moncur, Cara

2009-07-22

The freshmen year of college is likely a critical period for risk of weight gain among young-adults. A longitudinal observational study was conducted to examine changes in weight, dietary intake, and other health-related behaviors among first-year college students (n = 186) attending a public University in the western United States. Weight was measured at the beginning and end of fall semester (August - December 2005). Participants completed surveys about dietary intake, physical activity and other health-related behaviors during the last six months of high school (January - June 2005) in August 2005 and during their first semester of college (August - December 2005) in December 2005. 159 students (n = 102 women, 57 men) completed both assessments. The average BMI at the baseline assessment was 23.0 (standard deviation (SD) 3.8). Although the average amount of weight gained during the 15-week study was modest (1.5 kg), 23% of participants gained > or = 5% of their baseline body weight. Average weight gain among those who gained > or = 5% of baseline body weight was 4.5 kg. Those who gained > or = 5% of body weight reported less physical activity during college than high school, were more likely to eat breakfast, and slept more than were those who did not gain > or = 5% of body weight. Almost one quarter of students gained a significant amount of weight during their first semester of college. This research provides further support for the implementation of education or other strategies aimed at helping young-adults entering college to achieve or maintain a healthy body weight.
Opportunities for Regenerative Rehabilitation and Advanced Technologies in Physical Therapy: Perspective From Academia.

PubMed

Norland, Ryan; Muchnick, Matthew; Harmon, Zachary; Chin, Tiffany; Kakar, Rumit Singh

2016-04-01

As rehabilitation specialists, physical therapists must continue to stay current with advances in technologies to provide appropriate rehabilitation protocols, improve patient outcomes, and be the preferred clinician of choice. To accomplish this vision, the physical therapy profession must begin to develop a culture of lifelong learning at the early stages of education and clinical training in order to embrace cutting-edge advancements such as stem cell therapies, tissue engineering, and robotics, to name a few. The purposes of this article are: (1) to provide a current perspective on faculty and graduate student awareness of regenerative rehabilitation concepts and (2) to advocate for increased integration of these emerging technologies within the doctor of physical therapy (DPT) curriculum. An online survey was designed to gauge awareness of principles in regenerative rehabilitation and to determine whether the topic was included and assessed in doctoral curricula. The survey yielded 1,006 responses from 82 DPT programs nationwide and indicated a disconnect in familiarity with the term "regenerative rehabilitation" and awareness of the inclusion of this material in the curriculum. To resolve this disconnect, the framework of the curriculum can be used to integrate new material via guest lecturers, interdisciplinary partnerships, and research opportunities. Successfully mentoring a generation of clinicians and rehabilitation scientists who incorporate new medical knowledge and technology into their own clinical and research practice depends greatly on sharing the responsibility among graduate students, professors, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), and DPT programs. Creating an interdisciplinary culture and integrating regenerative medicine and rehabilitation concepts into the curriculum will cultivate individuals who will be advocates for interprofessional behaviors and will ensure that the profession meets the goals stated in APTA Vision 2020. © 2016 American Physical Therapy Association.
BOOK REVIEW: Fundamentals of Plasma Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cargill, P. J.

2007-02-01

The widespread importance of plasmas in many areas of contemporary physics makes good textbooks in the field that are both introductory and comprehensive invaluable. This new book by Paul Bellen from CalTech by and large meets these goals. It covers the traditional textbook topics such as particle orbits, the derivation of the MHD equations from Vlasov theory, cold and warm plasma waves, Landau damping, as well as in the later chapters less common subjects such as magnetic helicity, nonlinear processes and dusty plasmas. The book is clearly written, neatly presented, and each chapter has a number of exercises or problems at their end. The author has also thankfully steered clear of the pitfall of filling the book with his own research results. The preface notes that the book is designed to provide an introduction to plasma physics for final year undergraduate and post-graduate students. However, it is difficult to see many physics undergraduates now at UK universities getting to grips with much of the content since their mathematics is not of a high enough standard. Students in Applied Mathematics departments would certainly fare better. An additional problem for the beginner is that some of the chapters do not lead the reader gently into a subject, but begin with quite advanced concepts. Being a multi-disciplinary subject, beginners tend to find plasma physics quite hard enough even when done simply. For postgraduate students these criticisms fade away and this book provides an excellent introduction. More senior researchers should also enjoy the book, especially Chapters 11-17 where more advanced topics are discussed. I found myself continually comparing the book with my favourite text for many years, `The Physics of Plasmas' by T J M Boyd and J J Sanderson, reissued by Cambridge University Press in 2003. Researchers would want both books on their shelves, both for the different ways basic plasma physics is covered, and the diversity of more advanced topics. For the undergraduate level, I would find it easier to construct an introductory course from Boyd and Sanderson.
An undergraduate laboratory activity on molecular dynamics simulations.

PubMed

Spitznagel, Benjamin; Pritchett, Paige R; Messina, Troy C; Goadrich, Mark; Rodriguez, Juan

2016-01-01

Vision and Change [AAAS, 2011] outlines a blueprint for modernizing biology education by addressing conceptual understanding of key concepts, such as the relationship between structure and function. The document also highlights skills necessary for student success in 21st century Biology, such as the use of modeling and simulation. Here we describe a laboratory activity that allows students to investigate the dynamic nature of protein structure and function through the use of a modeling technique known as molecular dynamics (MD). The activity takes place over two lab periods that are 3 hr each. The first lab period unpacks the basic approach behind MD simulations, beginning with the kinematic equations that all bioscience students learn in an introductory physics course. During this period students are taught rudimentary programming skills in Python while guided through simple modeling exercises that lead up to the simulation of the motion of a single atom. In the second lab period students extend concepts learned in the first period to develop skills in the use of expert MD software. Here students simulate and analyze changes in protein conformation resulting from temperature change, solvation, and phosphorylation. The article will describe how these activities can be carried out using free software packages, including Abalone and VMD/NAMD. © 2016 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Using Facet Clusters to Guide Teacher Professional Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seeley, Lane; DeWater, L. S.; Vokos, S.; Kraus, P.

2006-12-01

The Department of Physics and the School of Education at Seattle Pacific University, together with FACET Innovations, LLC, are beginning the second year of a five-year NSF TPC project, Improving the Effectiveness of Teacher Diagnostic Skills and Tools. We are working in partnership with school districts in Washington State to help teachers make their classrooms into better diagnostic learning environments. In this talk, we describe initial efforts to construct content-rich professional development courses for teachers, which are infused with diagnostic assessment that target the fine structure of student ideas in specific topical areas. * Supported in part by NSF grant #ESI-0455796, The Boeing Corporation, and the SPU Science Initiative.
Comment on ‘Wind-influenced projectile motion’

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winther Andersen, Poul

2015-11-01

We comment on the article ‘Wind-influenced projectile motion’ by Bernardo et al (2015 Eur. J. Phys. 36 025016) where they examine the trajectory of a particle that is subjected to gravity and a linear air resistance plus the influence from the wind. They find by using the Lambert W function that the particle's trajectory for a special angle, the critical angle {θ }{{C}}, between the initial velocity and the horizontal is part of a straight line. In this comment we will show that this result can be proved without using the Lambert W function which is not that well known to beginning students of physics.
Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Achieving the Beginning Teacher Standards Inventory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Weiyun

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the factorial validity and reliability of the "Achieving the NASPE Standards Inventory (ANSI)" that assesses pre-service physical education teachers' perceptions of achieving the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) beginning teacher standards (2003). Four hundred fifty-two…
Emotional Arousal of Beginning Physics Teachers during Extended Experimental Investigations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ritchie, Stephen M.; Tobin, Kenneth; Sandhu, Maryam; Sandhu, Satwant; Henderson, Senka; Roth, Wolff-Michael

2013-01-01

Teachers often have difficulty implementing inquiry-based activities, leading to the arousal of negative emotions. In this multicase study of beginning physics teachers in Australia, we were interested in the extent to which their expectations were realized and how their classroom experiences while implementing extended experimental investigations…
When Traditional Won't Do: Experiences from a "Lower-Level" Mathematics Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Crystal

2010-01-01

As the last bell rings, students scurry to their respective classrooms, doors begin to close, and the class period begins. Imagine that you are in the hallway of the school and you look into an advanced mathematics class, into an Algebra I, Part I, mathematics class (a course designed for students who have not found success in mathematics). What…
Where It Begins: Parental Strategies that Impact the Kindergarten Readiness of African American Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

English, Katrina E.

2010-01-01

The need to close the educational gap between Black and White students necessitated a search for answers through parental strategies that impact school readiness. Educational and child development literature support the fact that what a caregiver/parent does and/or does not do for their children, essentially, beginning at birth , has an impact on…
Editor in Chief[R] Beginning: Grammar Disasters and Punctuation Faux Pas.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beckwith, Carrie; Block, Cheryl; Broz, Christine; Hockett, Margaret; White, David

This workbook is designed as an introduction to the "Editor in Chief" series, which reinforces the rules of written English. In this workbook, student first review the rules of grammar and mechanics using multiple-choice questions; then the students learn to apply these rules in context by editing stories in a variety of formats. This "Beginning"…
A Longitudinal Study of Chickering and Reisser's Vectors: Exploring Gender Differences and Implications for Refining the Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foubert, John; Nixon, Monica; Sisson, V. Shamim; Barnes, Amy C.

2005-01-01

A racially mixed random sample of 247 students at a midsized public university in the Southeast completed the Student Development Task and Lifestyle Inventory at the beginning of their first year, beginning of their sophomore year, and end of their senior year (Winston, Miller & Prince, 1987). Results showed partial support of Chickering and…
Changes in Transferable Knowledge Resulting from Study in a Graduate Software Engineering Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bareiss, Ray; Sedano, Todd; Katz, Edward

2012-01-01

This paper presents the initial results of a study of the evolution of students' knowledge of software engineering from the beginning to the end of a master's degree curriculum in software engineering. Students were presented with a problem involving the initiation of a complex new project at the beginning of the program and again at the end of…
Course-Taking Patterns of Community College Students Beginning in STEM: Using Data Mining Techniques to Reveal Viable STEM Transfer Pathways

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Xueli

2016-01-01

This research focuses on course-taking patterns of beginning community college students enrolled in one or more non-remedial science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses during their first year of college, and how these patterns are mapped against upward transfer in STEM fields of study. Drawing upon postsecondary transcript…
Developing critical thinking disposition and emotional intelligence of nursing students: a longitudinal research.

PubMed

Kaya, Hülya; Şenyuva, Emine; Bodur, Gönül

2017-01-01

Emotional Intelligence is considered as an important characteristic of nurses that can affect the quality of their work including clinical decision-making, critical thinking, evidence and knowledge use in practice. The study is aimed to determine nursing students' critical thinking disposition and emotional intelligence in an academic year. A longitudinal design. The focus population of this longitudinal study consists of 197 freshman students studying at a faculty of nursing. Asymmetrical cluster sampling method was used to determine sample group and all the students registered in the first year were included in scope of the study. Information Form, California Critical Thinking Disposition Scale and Emotional Intelligence Assessment Scale were used for data collection. SPSS version 11.5 was used for data analysis. Nursing students have a low level of critical thinking disposition and intermediate level of emotional intelligence both at the beginning and end of academic year. There was no statistically significant difference in both skills at the beginning and end of year. There was a statistically significant difference between students' critical thinking disposition and emotional intelligence at the beginning of academic year. There was a positive correlation at a medium level between students' critical thinking disposition and emotional intelligence at the beginning and end of academic year. In light of these results, it is that suggested the study should be prolonged as longitudinal because development of both skills require a long time. The current study holds importance that it sheds light on other relevant studies and nursing education programs. Copyright Â© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Entering Research: A course that creates community and structure for beginning undergraduate researchers in the STEM disciplines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balster, N.

2009-12-01

The benefits of undergraduate research are well documented such that these experiences have been incorporated into many school curricula. However, students still face many challenges (e.g. community establishment, identifying a mentor) when beginning research or are insufficiently supported to be successful in them. To help students overcome these challenges, we developed a novel course, called Entering Research, which helps undergraduates navigate the research experience and provides a supportive community of peers and experienced researchers as course facilitators. Following a teaching as research model, we studied the impact of this course over the three years it has been offered (2006-09). To date, 83 students who completed the course were given a pre and post assessment of learning gains (77% response). These students were also asked to answer a series of questions related to confidence, skills, and knowledge at course end, which we also compared to a group of similar students (n=92) who did not take the course, but were engaged in undergraduate research (63% response). Overall, we found that students value the Entering Research course, as they rated all of the topics covered in the seminar as helpful to their learning. Learning about research ethics and developing a research proposal were rated as most helpful, while web-based discussions and visiting peer laboratories were ranked lowest among the 20 survey questions. Relative to the post assessments, when aggregated by category, confidence, skill, and knowledge all significantly increased: knowledge at 22%, followed by skills (13%), and confidence (10%). All but two areas of confidence were self-rated as significant gains (p<0.01). All but two skills showed significant increases (p<0.01). And all five knowledge questions increased significantly (p<0.01). To test if these gains were related to the course, we compared these results to control group assessments. Students in the Entering Research course were significantly more confident in their ability to identify scientific misconduct (p<0.01), as well as in their ability to make connections between their research experience and their biology or physical sciences coursework (p<0.01). The Entering Research students self-reported greater skill in developing a research project, conducting a research project, and analyzing data (p<0.05). There were similar significant gains in knowledge. Importantly, almost a third of the students enrolled in Entering Research indicate that they would not have pursued independent research without the support of the course. This course was equally rewarding to faculty facilitators who were also assessed as part of this three-year study. The results of this study demonstrate the value in a course that supports beginning undergraduate research. We hypothesize that the implementation of similar courses at other institutions will increase the attraction of science to diverse students, and provide a mechanism for creating community and connections that transcended individual research projects.
Replicating a self-affirmation intervention to address gender differences: Successes and challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kost-Smith, Lauren E.; Pollock, Steven J.; Finkelstein, Noah D.; Cohen, Geoffrey L.; Ito, Tiffany A.; Miyake, Akira

2012-02-01

We previously reported on the success of a psychological intervention implemented to reduce gender differences in achievement in an introductory college physics course. In this prior study, we found that the gender gap on exams and the FMCE among students who completed two 15-minute self-affirmation writing exercises was significantly reduced compared to the gender gap among students who completed neutral writing exercises. In a follow-up study we replicated the self-affirmation intervention in a later semester of the same course, with the same instructor. In this paper, we report the details and preliminary results of the replication study, where we find similar patterns along exams and course grades, but do not observe these patterns along the FMCE. We begin to investigate the critical features of replicating educational interventions, finding that replicating educational interventions is challenging, complex, and involves potentially subtle factors, some of which we explore and others that require further research.
Ready, set, teach! How to transform the clinical nurse expert into the part-time clinical nurse instructor.

PubMed

Hewitt, Peggy; Lewallen, Lynne Porter

2010-09-01

Many schools of nursing are hiring part-time clinical instructors with little or no teaching experience. Although they contribute greatly to student nurses' clinical experience, many do not realize the commitment they are making when they accept such a position. If key issues are addressed before new part-time clinical instructors begin teaching, the transition could be made more smoothly. An in-depth orientation, awareness of the need for preparation for clinical rotations, and strategies to assist students in achieving course objectives can guide new instructors as they begin this venture. Preparing new part-time clinical instructors from the beginning will give them a more accurate picture of clinical education, increasing their recruitment and retention and providing students with quality learning experiences. Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.
Modellus: Learning Physics with Mathematical Modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teodoro, Vitor

Computers are now a major tool in research and development in almost all scientific and technological fields. Despite recent developments, this is far from true for learning environments in schools and most undergraduate studies. This thesis proposes a framework for designing curricula where computers, and computer modelling in particular, are a major tool for learning. The framework, based on research on learning science and mathematics and on computer user interface, assumes that: 1) learning is an active process of creating meaning from representations; 2) learning takes place in a community of practice where students learn both from their own effort and from external guidance; 3) learning is a process of becoming familiar with concepts, with links between concepts, and with representations; 4) direct manipulation user interfaces allow students to explore concrete-abstract objects such as those of physics and can be used by students with minimal computer knowledge. Physics is the science of constructing models and explanations about the physical world. And mathematical models are an important type of models that are difficult for many students. These difficulties can be rooted in the fact that most students do not have an environment where they can explore functions, differential equations and iterations as primary objects that model physical phenomena--as objects-to-think-with, reifying the formal objects of physics. The framework proposes that students should be introduced to modelling in a very early stage of learning physics and mathematics, two scientific areas that must be taught in very closely related way, as they were developed since Galileo and Newton until the beginning of our century, before the rise of overspecialisation in science. At an early stage, functions are the main type of objects used to model real phenomena, such as motions. At a later stage, rates of change and equations with rates of change play an important role. This type of equations--differential equations--are the most important mathematical objects used for modelling Natural phenomena. In traditional approaches, they are introduced only at advanced level, because it takes a long time for students to be introduced to the fundamental principles of Calculus. With the new proposed approach, rates of change can be introduced also at early stages on learning if teachers stress semi-quantitative reasoning and use adequate computer tools. In this thesis, there is also presented Modellus, a computer tool for modelling and experimentation. This computer tool has a user interface that allows students to start doing meaningful conceptual and empirical experiments without the need to learn new syntax, as is usual with established tools. The different steps in the process of constructing and exploring models can be done with Modellus, both from physical points of view and from mathematical points of view. Modellus activities show how mathematics and physics have a unity that is very difficult to see with traditional approaches. Mathematical models are treated as concrete-abstract objects: concrete in the sense that they can be manipulated directly with a computer and abstract in the sense that they are representations of relations between variables. Data gathered from two case studies, one with secondary school students and another with first year undergraduate students support the main ideas of the thesis. Also data gathered from teachers (from college and secondary schools), mainly through an email structured questionnaire, shows that teachers agree on the potential of modelling in the learning of physics (and mathematics) and of the most important aspects of the proposed framework to integrate modelling as an essential component of the curriculum. Schools, as all institutions, change at a very slow rate. There are a multitude of reasons for this. And traditional curricula, where the emphasis is on rote learning of facts, can only be changed if schools have access to new and powerful views of learning and to new tools, that support meaningful conceptual learning and are as common and easy to use as pencil and paper.
Evaluation of a College Freshman Diversity Research Program in Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tremmel, Michael J.; Garner, S. M.; Schmidt, S. J.; Wisniewski, J. P.; Agol, E.

2014-01-01

Graduate students in the astronomy department at the University of Washington began the Pre-Major in Astronomy Program (Pre-MAP) after recognizing that underrepresented students in STEM fields are not well retained after their transition from high school. Pre-MAP is a research and mentoring program that begins with a keystone seminar where they learn astronomical research techniques that they apply to research projects conducted in small groups. Students also receive one-on-one mentoring and peer support for the duration of the academic year and beyond. Successful Pre-MAP students have declared astronomy and physics majors, expanded their research projects beyond the fall quarter, presented posters at the UW Undergraduate Research Symposium, and received research fellowships and summer internships. Here we examine the success of the program in attracting underrepresented minorities and in facilitating better STEM retention and academic performance among incoming UW students. We use the University of Washington Student Database to study both the performance of Pre-MAP students and the overall UW student body over the past 8 years. We show that Pre-MAP students are generally more diverse than the overall UW population and also come in with a variety of different math backgrounds, which we show to be an important factor on STEM performance for the overall UW population. We find that that Pre-MAP students are both more academically successful and more likely to graduate in STEM fields than their UW peers, regardless of initial math placement.
Experts' understanding of partial derivatives using the partial derivative machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roundy, David; Weber, Eric; Dray, Tevian; Bajracharya, Rabindra R.; Dorko, Allison; Smith, Emily M.; Manogue, Corinne A.

2015-12-01

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Upper Division Physics Courses.] Partial derivatives are used in a variety of different ways within physics. Thermodynamics, in particular, uses partial derivatives in ways that students often find especially confusing. We are at the beginning of a study of the teaching of partial derivatives, with a goal of better aligning the teaching of multivariable calculus with the needs of students in STEM disciplines. In this paper, we report on an initial study of expert understanding of partial derivatives across three disciplines: physics, engineering, and mathematics. We report on the central research question of how disciplinary experts understand partial derivatives, and how their concept images of partial derivatives differ, with a focus on experimentally measured quantities. Using the partial derivative machine (PDM), we probed expert understanding of partial derivatives in an experimental context without a known functional form. In particular, we investigated which representations were cued by the experts' interactions with the PDM. Whereas the physicists and engineers were quick to use measurements to find a numeric approximation for a derivative, the mathematicians repeatedly returned to speculation as to the functional form; although they were comfortable drawing qualitative conclusions about the system from measurements, they were reluctant to approximate the derivative through measurement. On a theoretical front, we found ways in which existing frameworks for the concept of derivative could be expanded to include numerical approximation.
Response of the skeletal system to helicopter-unique vibration.

PubMed

Gearhart, J R

1978-01-01

An 18-month prospective skeletal system study was conducted on flying and nonflying personnel relative to chronic low-frequency vibration as experienced in helicopter flight. The aviators were initial entry students in rotary-wing training while the non-flying participants were beginning basic military training. Comparisons were made on the basis of anthropometric measurements, radiological studies, and bone mineral density changes as measured by photon absorption. The bone mineral densitometry showed no significant variation in the aviator group. A short-term 10% demineralization of the distal ulna in the non-flying group was noted immediately following the physical training. The final bone mineral density of basic training subjects returned to the initial level 18 months after the physical training. It was concluded that the helicopter aircrew members under study were exposed to levels of vibration below the threshold of vibration required to produce a measurable change in the skeletal system.
Healthy school as an ecological model for prevention of childhood obesity.

PubMed

Lee, Albert; Ho, Mandy; Keung, Vera

2010-01-01

A number of risk factors including obesity, insufficient consumption of fruits and vegetables, and lack of physical activities are responsible for the majority of chronic disease burden. Healthy behaviours should begin early in life with sustained actions, but in many countries there is no system addressing positive health. The opportunities offered by different settings for gaining entry into individuals and groups are of paramount importance for health promotion. Evidence has shown the effectiveness of the Healthy School model to improve healthy eating and physical activities. In this article we report key findings of studies in Hong Kong showing changes in school policies and environment in relationship to student health apart from improvement of health behaviours by adopting the Healthy School framework. A case study has illustrated how the framework created a supportive environment, policies changes, and personal health skills development to improve healthy eating. The Healthy School model can help to combat childhood obesity.
Brane Physics in M-theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Argurio, Riccardo

1998-07-01

The thesis begins with an introduction to M-theory (at a graduate student's level), starting from perturbative string theory and proceeding to dualities, D-branes and finally Matrix theory. The following chapter treats, in a self-contained way, of general classical p-brane solutions. Black and extremal branes are reviewed, along with their semi-classical thermodynamics. We then focus on intersecting extremal branes, the intersection rules being derived both with and without the explicit use of supersymmetry. The last three chapters comprise more advanced aspects of brane physics, such as the dynamics of open branes, the little theories on the world-volume of branes and how the four dimensional Schwarzschild black hole can be mapped to an extremal configuration of branes, thus allowing for a statistical interpretation of its entropy. The original results were already reported in hep-th/9701042, hep-th/9704190, hep-th/9710027 and hep-th/9801053.
EDITORIAL: Student undergraduate laboratory and project work

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schumacher, Dieter

2007-05-01

During the last decade 'labwork' courses at university level have changed significantly. The beginning of this development was indicated and partly initiated by the EU-project 'Labwork in Science Education' funded by the European Community (1999-2001). The present special issue of the European Journal of Physics focuses on a multitude of different aspects of this process. The aim of this publication is to improve the exchange of experience and to promote this important trend. In physics research labs a silent revolution has taken place. Today the personal computer is omnipresent. It controls the experiment via stepping motors, piezo-microdrives etc, it monitors all parameters and collects the experimental data with the help of smart sensors. In particular, computer-based modern scanning and imaging techniques open the possibility of creating really new types of experiments. The computer allows data storage and processing on the one hand and simulation and modelling on the other. These processes occur in parallel or may even be interwoven. The web plays an important role in modern science for inquiry, communication, cooperation and publication. Traditional labwork courses do not prepare students for the many resulting demands. Therefore it is necessary to redefine the learning targets and to reconsider the learning methods. Two contributions show exemplarily how modern experimental devices could find their way into students' labs. In the article 'Infrared thermal imaging as a tool in university physics education' by Klaus-Peter Möllmann and Michael Vollmer we can see that infrared thermal imaging is a valuable tool in physics education at university level. It can help to visualize and thereby enhance understanding of physical phenomena of mechanics, thermal physics, electromagnetism, optics and radiation physics. The contribution 'Using Peltier cells to study solid-liquid-vapor transitions and supercooling' by Giacomo Torzo, Isabella Soletta and Mario Branca proves that new experiments which illustrate both fundamental physics and modern technology can be realized even with a small budget. Traditional labwork courses often provide a catalogue of well known experiments. The students must first learn the theoretical background. They then assemble the setup from specified equipment, collect the data and perform the default data processing. However, there is no way to learn to swim without water. In order to achieve a constructivist access to learning, 'project labs' are needed. In a project labwork course a small group of students works as a team on a mini research project. The students have to specify the question of research, develop a suitable experimental setup, conduct the experiment and find a suitable way to evaluate the data. Finally they must present their results e.g. in the framework of a public poster session. Three contributions refer to this approach, however they focus on different aspects: 'Project laboratory for first-year students' by Gorazd Planinšič, 'RealTime Physics: active learning laboratories' by David Sokoloff et al and 'Labs outside labs: miniprojects at a spring camp for future physics teachers' by Leos Dvorák. Is it possible to prepare the students specifically for project labwork? This question is answered by the contribution 'A new labwork course for physics students: devices, methods and research projects' by Knut Neumann and Manuela Welzel. The two main parts of the labwork course cover first experimental devices (e.g. multimeters, oscilloscopes, different sensors, operational amplifiers, step motors, AD/DA-converters). Then subjects such as data processing, consideration of measurement uncertainties, keeping records or using tools like LABVIEW etc are focused on. Another concrete proposal for a new curriculum is provided by James Sharp et al, in 'Computer based learning in an undergraduate physics laboratory: interfacing and instrument control using MATLAB'. One can well imagine that project labs will be the typical learning environment for physics students in the future. However, the details of this change should be based on a better understanding of the learning process in a students' lab. A deeper insight is given by the contribution of Claudia von Aufschnaiter and Stefan von Aufschnaiter in 'University students' activities, thinking and learning during laboratory work'. A second important alteration has taken place in physics education during the last decade. The so-called new media have changed the world of learning and teaching to an unprecedented extent. Learning with new media is often much more related to physics labwork than to traditional lectures or seminars (e.g. small learning groups, problem based learning, a high level of interactivity). We need to take these new tools into consideration as suitable amendment (blended learning) or substitution (e-learning, distance learning) of labwork courses. The developments with presumably the highest impact on physics education are modelling tools, interactive screen experiments and remote labs. Under 'modelling tools', all computer programs are summarized which enable the simulation of a physical process based on an explicit or implicit given formula. Many commercial program packages are available. The application of modelling tools in labwork courses permits a tight binding of theory and experiment. This is particularly valid and necessary in the case of project work. An interactive screen experiment (ISE) is a computer assisted representation of a physical experiment. When watching a video clip of an experiment students are forced to be passive observers. In the case of an ISE they can manipulate the setup on the screen with the help of a hand-like mouse pointer and the computer will show the appropriate result. The ISE consists of a large number of digital photos taken from the real experiment. From an epistemological point of view an ISE has the character of an experiment and can be used to discover or to prove a physical law. Many more details and an overview of possible applications can be found in the contribution 'Multimedia representation of experiments in physics' by Juergen Kirstein and Volkhard Nordmeier. A remotely controlled lab (RCL) or 'remote lab' (RL) is a physical experiment which can be remotely controlled via web-interface (server) and client-PC. During recent years a lot of RLs have appeared and also disappeared on the web. At first sight it seems fascinating to use a rare and sophisticated experiment from any PC which is connected to the web. However, in order to provide such a high level experiment continuously and to manage the schedule for sequential access, an enormous amount of manpower is necessary. Sebastian Gröber et al describe their efforts to provide a number of useful RCLs in the contribution 'Experimenting from a distance—remotely controlled laboratory (RCL)'. At many universities, physics labwork courses are also provided for students of other disciplines. Usually these groups are significantly larger than the group of physics students. Labwork courses for these groups must account for the specific objectives and students' learning conditions (previous knowledge, motivation). Heike Theyßen describes a targeted labwork course especially designed for medical students: 'Towards targeted labwork in physics as a subsidiary subject: enhancing the learning efficiency by new didactical concepts and media'. The term 'targeted' refers to the specific choice of content and methods regarding the students' learning conditions as well as the objectives of the labwork course. These differ significantly from those of labwork courses for physics students. In this case two targeted learning environments were developed, implemented and evaluated by means of several comparative studies. Both learning environments differ from traditional physics labwork courses in their objectives, didactical concept, content and experimental setups. One of them is a hypermedia learning environment, in which the real experiments are represented by ISEs. We are just at the beginning of the process of developing new labwork courses. Students' labs are often provided for large learning groups. Therefore the development of new methods as well as the acquisition of new equipment demands a large amount of investment. Using the paths of communication and cooperation established in science, we can optimize the process of renewal in order to spare manpower and financial means. Robert Lambourne exemplarily presented the cooperation project piCETL in his article 'Laboratory-based teaching and the Physics Innovations Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning'. The articles show that the renewal process has many different facets. New concepts are in demand as well as new experimental setups; the new media as well as the recent progress in didactic research have a strong influence on the trends. All aspects are closely linked, which can be seen by the number of mutual citations in the contributions. In order to give the reader an orientation we have structured the content of this special issue along the following lines: • successful new ideas for student labs and projects • new roles of student labs and project work • information and communication technology in laboratory and project work. This special issue provides an overview and examples of best practice as well as general concepts and personal contacts as stimuli for an enhancement of the renewal of labwork courses at university level.
From Teaching Physics to Teaching Children: Beginning Teachers Learning from Pupils

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Findlay, Morag; Bryce, Tom G. K.

2012-01-01

This article discusses the development of beginning physics teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in the context of teaching basic electricity during a one-year Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) course and beyond. This longitudinal study used repeated semi-structured interviews over a period of four-and-a-half years. The…
Navigating the Realities of the Induction Years: Exploring Approaches for Supporting Beginning Physical Education Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ensign, Julene; Mays Woods, Amelia

2017-01-01

Because significant challenges continue to exist in the retention of teachers, the need for an infusion of proactive assimilation strategies, especially related to the induction phase, has become a mandate in physical education. Beginning teachers face countless potential hurdles. From marginalization, role conflict, and teaching diverse student…
Safety Is No Laughing Matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, Patricia S.; Greco, Thomas G.

1995-12-01

At the beginning of each fall semester the chemistry department holds a safety seminar for all beginning chemistry students and student laboratory assistants to emphasize safe laboratory practices. As part of the program, two faculty members have presented a light-hearted skit which highlights numerous safety violations made by two general chemistry "students" as they carry out a titration lab. The audience is challenged to participate in a contest to identify the violations and the student with the most correct safety errors receives a prize. The skit can be carried out with minimal props and preparation time and script for the skit is presented for your use.
Geography Education: Applying Spatial Aspects to Everyday Life: American Association of Geographers Geography Education Specialty Group

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wessell, Jonathan E.

2016-01-01

Throughout his career teaching geography, Johnathan Wessell has always stressed to his students that they already knew a lot about geography before they entered his classroom. He writes in this article that once he convinces his students of this, they begin to realize that geography is all around them, and that they, in turn, begin to shift their…
Deconstructing Content Knowledge: Coping Strategies and Their Underlying Influencers for Beginning Agriculture Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rice, Amber H.; Kitchel, Tracy

2016-01-01

The purpose of this grounded theory qualitative study was to explore how beginning agriculture teachers break down content knowledge for student understanding. The overarching theme that emerged during data collection and analysis was beginning teachers' self-perceived content knowledge deficiency in various subjects within agriculture. This…
Six Beginning Music Teachers' Music Teacher Role Identities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paise, Michele Paynter

2010-01-01

In this study, I used a qualitative approach to explore the music teacher role identities of six beginning music teachers prior to, during, and after their student teaching experience. Data collection included participant-observation, interviews, and e-mail communication. Specifically, I looked at what each of these beginning music teachers…
The Learning Styles of Students Related to Individualized Typewriting Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt, B. June

1983-01-01

Discusses a study which indicated that relationships exist between students' learning styles and their attitudes toward individualized, competency-based typewriting instruction, particularly for beginning students. (JOW)
BOOK REVIEW: Introduction to Plasma Physics: With Space and Laboratory Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Browning, P. K.

2005-07-01

A new textbook on plasma physics must be very welcome, as this will encourage the teaching of courses on the subject. This book is written by two experts in their fields, and is aimed at advanced undergraduate and postgraduate courses. There are of course many other plasma physics textbooks available. The niche which this particular book fills is really defined by its subtitle: that is, `with space and laboratory applications'. This differs from most other books which tend to emphasise either space or fusion applications (but not both) or to concentrate only on general theory. Essentially, the emphasis here is on fundamental plasma physics theory, but applications are given from time to time. For example, after developing Alfvén wave theory, observations of Alfvén waves in the solar wind and in the Jovian magnetosphere are presented; whilst ion acoustic cylcotron waves are illustrated by data from a laboratory Q machine. It is fair to say that examples from space seem to predominate. Nevertheless, the approach of including a broad range of applications is very good from an educational point of view, and this should help to train a generation of students with a grasp of fundamental plasma physics who can work in a variety of research fields. The subject coverage of the book is fairly conventional and there are no great surprises. It begins, inevitably, with a discussion of plasma parameters (Debye length etc) and of single particle motions. Both kinetic theory and magnetohydrodynamics are introduced. Waves are quite extensively discussed in several chapters, including both cold and hot plasmas, magnetised and unmagnetised. Nonlinear effects—a large subject!—are briefly discussed. A final chapter deals with collisions in fully ionised plasmas. The choice of contents of a textbook is always something of a matter of personal choice. It is easy to complain about what has been left out, and everyone has their own favourite topics. With that caveat, I would question whether the rather heavy emphasis on waves is optimal. Newcomers to plasma physics could be left with the impression that plasma physics is mainly a collection of dispersion relations. On the other hand, there is almost no mention of two fluid theory, surely an important subject. Topics relevant to fusion edge plasmas, a subject of growing research interest, are not mentioned at all (for example, sheath theory; also partially ionised plasmas, which are also of course very relevant in space applications). And I am surprised that the discussion of MHD stability does not even mention the kink instability, which is of primary importance both in fusion and solar plasmas. The book is clearly set out and easy to read. Diagrams are clear and helpful. Derivations are properly explained, without leaving too many missing steps. From the point of view of a textbook, it is useful that not too much mathematical knowledge is assumed; for example, when it is needed, the theory of Laplace transforms is explained. A nice feature—very important for a text book—is the presence of end-of-chapter problems. These will be very useful for both students and teachers! It is also good that each chapter has a comprehensive list of references, which might be used to direct more advanced students to the up-to-date scientific literature, as well as suggestions for further reading. Although the primary emphasis is on standard, `classical' plasma physics, a good attempt is made to present more recent aspects of the subject. For example, after presenting the standard theory of particle orbits—which usefully includes a discussion of Hamiltonian theory as well as guiding centre theory—there is an introduction to the topic of chaotic orbits. Such material is important from an educational point of view, so that from the very beginning students are made aware that plasma physics is a living subject. Overall, this is a very useful addition to the literature. I would recommend it for adoption as a course text for those teaching courses in plasma physics. It would also be a useful book for reference or self study for those working in the field, particularly new postgraduate students.
Impact of Implementation and Conduct of the HEALTHY Primary Prevention Trial on Student Performance

PubMed Central

Hernandez, Arthur E.; Marcus, Marsha D.; Hirst, Kathryn; Faith, Myles S.; Goldberg, Linn; Treviño, Roberto P.

2016-01-01

Purpose To determine whether a school-wide intervention program to reduce risk factors for type 2 diabetes (T2D) affected student achievement, rates of disciplinary actions, and attendance rates. Design The HEALTHY primary prevention trial was designed to evaluate a comprehensive school-based intervention to reduce factors for T2D, especially overweight and obesity. Students were followed up from beginning of sixth grade (Fall 2006) through end of eighth grade (Spring 2009). Setting Forty-two middle schools at seven U.S. sites. Subjects Schools were randomized in equal numbers at each site to intervention (21 schools, 2307 students) or control (21 schools, 2296 students). Intervention An integrated school-wide program that focused on (1) foods and beverages, (2) physical education, (3) classroom-based behavior change and education, and (4) social marketing communication and promotional campaigns. Measures Aggregate (grade- and school-wide) test performance (passing rate), attendance, and referrals for disciplinary actions. Analysis Descriptive statistics and tests of intervention versus control using mixed linear models methods to adjust for the clustering of students within schools. Results There were no differences between intervention and control schools in test performance for mathematics (p = .7835) or reading (p = .6387), attendance (p = .5819), or referrals for disciplinary action (p = .8671). Conclusion The comprehensive HEALTHY intervention and associated research procedures did not negatively impact student achievement test scores, attendance, or referrals for disciplinary action. PMID:24200256
Impact of implementation and conduct of the HEALTHY primary prevention trial on student performance.

PubMed

Hernandez, Arthur E; Marcus, Marsha D; Hirst, Kathryn; Faith, Myles S; Goldberg, Linn; Treviño, Roberto P

2014-01-01

To determine whether a school-wide intervention program to reduce risk factors for type 2 diabetes (T2D) affected student achievement, rates of disciplinary actions, and attendance rates. The HEALTHY primary prevention trial was designed to evaluate a comprehensive school-based intervention to reduce factors for T2D, especially overweight and obesity. Students were followed up from beginning of sixth grade (Fall 2006) through end of eighth grade (Spring 2009). Forty-two middle schools at seven U.S. sites. Schools were randomized in equal numbers at each site to intervention (21 schools, 2307 students) or control (21 schools, 2296 students). Intervention . An integrated school-wide program that focused on (1) foods and beverages, (2) physical education, (3) classroom-based behavior change and education, and (4) social marketing communication and promotional campaigns. Aggregate (grade- and school-wide) test performance (passing rate), attendance, and referrals for disciplinary actions. Descriptive statistics and tests of intervention versus control using mixed linear models methods to adjust for the clustering of students within schools. There were no differences between intervention and control schools in test performance for mathematics (p = .7835) or reading (p = .6387), attendance (p = .5819), or referrals for disciplinary action (p = .8671). The comprehensive HEALTHY intervention and associated research procedures did not negatively impact student achievement test scores, attendance, or referrals for disciplinary action.

Statistics Anxiety and Business Statistics: The International Student

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, James A.

2008-01-01

Does the international student suffer from statistics anxiety? To investigate this, the Statistics Anxiety Rating Scale (STARS) was administered to sixty-six beginning statistics students, including twelve international students and fifty-four domestic students. Due to the small number of international students, nonparametric methods were used to…
Recruiting Fresh Faces: Engaging the Next Generation of Geoscientists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, C. M.; Keane, C. M.; Gonzales, L. M.

2008-12-01

Approximately 385,000 college students take an introductory geoscience course each year in the United States, according to a study by the American Geological Institute (AGI). This represents only 2.3 percent of the total enrolled higher education population in the US. Though geoscience departments frequently report that introductory geoscience courses are a major source for recruiting new majors, the large numbers of students enrolled in introductory geoscience courses result in only approximately 2,300 new geoscience majors each year, or 0.1 percent of the total college population. According to the College Board, more than 19,000 SAT test-takers in 2007 indicated an interest in pursuing a major in Physical Science, Interdisciplinary Science or Engineering. Forty-nine percent of SAT-takers have had an earth or space science course during high school. There is large pool of college-bound students may be interested in the geosciences, but are unaware of the educational and career opportunities available to them. In an effort to increase the flow of top talent into the geosciences, the American Geological Institute (AGI) launched an ambitious student engagement initiative as part of its Geoscience Workforce Program. This initiative will assist geoscience departments in engaging and recruiting new majors from introductory geoscience courses and will help students connect with the professional community. The academic geoscience community makes up less than 17 percent of the entire geoscience workforce, and many students may not be aware of careers available in other industries and sectors. AGI will make updated careers resources, including diverse employment opportunities, salary potential, and quality of life information, freely available to geoscience instructors for use in their introductory courses. Beginning in Fall 2008, AGI will distribute a New Majors Kit to students in selected geoscience departments. These kits will include tools to help students in their careers, such as access to the Online Glossary of Geology, and will also allow students to join several professional geoscience societies free of charge so that they are included in our global community from the beginning of their academic careers. AGI is creating a global network for geoscience students using social networking and video-sharing websites. Student engagement materials will also address parents' concerns, since they have considerable influence in students' decisions. According to a study by the National Research Center for College and University Admissions, 70 percent of high school juniors say their parents influence their college choices. The AGI Student Engagement Initiative is designed to compliment the recruiting efforts of individual geoscience departments and to assist them in attracting the next generation of geoscientists to our community.
Physiotherapy students' conceptions of skill at the beginning of their Bachelor studies.

PubMed

Kurunsaari, Merja; Piirainen, Arja; Tynjälä, Päivi

2015-05-01

Skills have recently received widespread attention in education policy documents and discussions. This article reports the results of research on Bachelor's degree physiotherapy students' conceptions of skill at the beginning of their studies. The aim of the present study was to examine how beginning students understand skill, and the focus was on conceptions of skill in general rather than on any particular skills. The participants of the study were 35 physiotherapy students. The data were gathered within the first two weeks of their university studies. Specifically, requested essays written by the students were analyzed using the phenomenographic approach. The data-driven analysis yielded four descriptive categories which reflect the students' conceptions of skill: (1) Talents; (2) Skills requiring individual practice; (3) Skills requiring social practice; and (4) Competence requiring collaboration. The categories form a hierarchy. The differences between the categories are described along seven themes of variation. The themes were named: (1) Acquisition; (2) Emotions; (3) Motivation; (4) Reflection; (5) Evaluation; (6) Agency; and (7) Social Environment. This hierarchical system of categories sheds new light on students' understanding of the skill. The findings can be used as a basis for planning physiotherapy curricula, especially for designing skills education and training, and for supporting students along their educational path, especially in offering opportunities for students to reflect on their skill conceptions. Ultimately, physiotherapy students' awareness of different skill conceptions and developing their skills to advise and treat will benefit patients.
Music therapy internship supervisors and preinternship students: a comparative analysis of questionnaires.

PubMed

Knight, Andrew J

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare perceptions of professional competency between preinternship music therapy students and internship supervisors. Preinternship music therapy students and internship supervisors were asked to fill out the Internship Concerns Questionnaire (ICQ-ST, student; ICQ-SU, supervisor). Participants (N = 106) included 85 students at 16 AMTA-approved universities (n = 85), and 21 internship supervisors at active AMTA national roster internship sites (n = 21). Twenty items on the ICQ were rated on a Likert-type scale, and 1 item (Part B) asked the participant to indicate any other concerns not addressed in the ICQ. Music therapy interns and supervisors differed significantly in their mean ratings on 2 of the 20 items: "Communicating with facility staff" (p = .025) and "Maintaining client confidence" (p = .016). In both cases the student interns reported a significantly lower mean level of concern about getting assistance in these areas than did their supervisors. The present study suggests that music therapy educators may better prepare music therapy students for a successful internship by evaluating the perceptual gaps in professional training expectations between students and supervisors prior to the internship. Internship supervisors may also benefit from student's own perceptions of their knowledge and skills upon beginning the internship. Ultimately, the student is responsible for being prepared to begin the process from intern to beginning professional at the start of the internship, and to commit to gaining as much as possible from the combination of academic and clinical experiences available to them.
The Nördlingen-Ries Geopark and nearby museums as a natural teaching laboratory for Geoscience students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaminski, Michael; Kaka, SanLinn; Kaminski, Matthew

2017-04-01

The hypervelocity impact of an asteroid in southern Germany around 15 million years ago not only caused an environmental catastrophe, but it also created a scenario that provides us with a world-class natural laboratory for teaching the basic Principles of Geology. The combination of museum visits and observation of rock outcrops enables the student to reinforce or rediscover the basic principles of physical and historical Geology that are presented in first- or second-year Geoscience courses. At KFUPM, our visit to the Ries Geopark begins at the Ries Crater Museum in Nördlingen, where students review knowledge learned in their Physical Geology course: the Nebular Theory, origin of the solar system, and the classification of meteorites based on real examples. Students then learn the stages of impact crater formation, shock metamorphism, and the products of impact crater formation such as tectites, impact breccia and suevite. Students also become familiar with the Mesozoic stratigraphy of Southern Germany, reviewing basic principals of stratigraphy. Visits to local outcrops reinforce the knowledge gained at the Museum. A visit to the nearby Solnhofen Museum and quarries provides insight into the nature of the late Jurassic animals that lived at the edge of the Tethys Sea, reinforcing many topics learned during their second-year Paleontology course, such as taphonomy, and the idea of a death assemblage. At the Museum of the Geosciences Department of the University of Tübingen, the students become familiar with Mesozoic ammonoids as part of their second-year Paleontology course. A visit to the Urwelt Museum and quarry in Holzmaden explores animal life during the Early Jurassic, stratigraphic principles as presented on the museum's "geological staircase", and the origin of petroleum source rocks. The museum houses spectacular examples of Early Jurassic marine reptiles. All knowledge gained in the Jurassic of southern Germany enriches the students' understanding of the Jurassic subsurface petroleum system in Saudi Arabia, which is one of the world's largest petroleum reservoirs. The combination of museum visits followed by field studies centered around the Ries Geopark in southern Germany not only creates a world-class attraction for Geotourists, but also an ideal teaching laboratory for students interested in Physical and Planetary Geology, Historical Geology, and Paleontology at various levels within the respective subjects.
A Study Of Undergraduate Students' Alternative Conceptions Of Earth's Interior Using Drawing Tasks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McAllister, Meredith L.

2014-12-01

Learning fundamental geoscience topics such as plate tectonics, earthquakes, and volcanoes requires students to develop a deep understanding of the conceptual models geologists use when describing the structure and dynamics of Earth's interior. Despite the importance of these mental models underlying much of the undergraduate geoscience curriculum, surprisingly little research related to this complex idea exists in the discipline-based science education research literature. To better understand non-science-majoring undergraduates' conceptual models of Earth's interior, student-generated drawings and interviews were used to probe student understanding of the Earth. Ninety-two semi-structured interviews were conducted with non-science-major college students at the beginning of an entry-level geology course at a large Midwestern university. Students were asked to draw a picture of Earth's interior and provide think-aloud explanations of their drawings. The results reveal that students hold a wide range of alternative conceptions about Earth, with only a small fraction having scientifically accurate ideas. Students' understandings ranged from conceptualizing Earth's interior as consisting of horizontal layers of rock and dirt, to more sophisticated views with Earth's interior being composed of concentric layers with unique physical and chemical characteristics. Processes occurring within Earth, such as "convection," were rarely mentioned or explained. These results provide a first-steps basis from which to further explore college students' thinking and contribute to the growing body of knowledge on earth science teaching and geoscience education research.
Introductory Geophysics at Colorado College: A Research-Driven Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bank, C.

2003-12-01

Doing research during an undergraduate course provides stimulus for students and instructor. Students learn to appreciate the scientific method and get hands-on experience, while the instructor remains thrilled about teaching her/his discipline. The introductory geophysics course taught at Colorado College is made up of four units (gravity, seismic, resistivity, and magnetic) using available geophysical equipment. Within each unit students learn the physical background of the method, and then tackle a small research project selected by the instructor. Students pose a research question (or formulate a hypothesis), collect near-surface data in the field, process it using personal computers, and analyse it by creating computer models and running simple inversions. Computer work is done using the programming language Matlab, with several pre-coded scripts to make the programming experience more comfortable. Students then interpret the data and answer the question posed at the beginning. The unit ends with students writing a summary report, creating a poster, or presenting their findings orally. First evaluations of the course show that students appreciate the emphasis on field work and applications to real problems, as well as developing and testing their own hypotheses. The main challenge for the instructor is to find feasible projects, given the time constraints of a course and availability of field sites with new questions to answer. My presentation will feature a few projects done by students during the course and will discuss the experience students and I have had with this approach.
Attracting Girls into Physics (abstract)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gadalla, Afaf

2009-04-01

A recent international study of women in physics showed that enrollment in physics and science is declining for both males and females and that women are severely underrepresented in careers requiring a strong physics background. The gender gap begins early in the pipeline, from the first grade. Girls are treated differently than boys at home and in society in ways that often hinder their chances for success. They have fewer freedoms, are discouraged from accessing resources or being adventurous, have far less exposure to problem solving, and are not encouraged to choose their lives. In order to motivate more girl students to study physics in the Assiut governorate of Egypt, the Assiut Alliance for the Women and Assiut Education District collaborated in renovating the education of physics in middle and secondary school classrooms. A program that helps in increasing the number of girls in science and physics has been designed in which informal groupings are organized at middle and secondary schools to involve girls in the training and experiences needed to attract and encourage girls to learn physics. During implementation of the program at some schools, girls, because they had not been trained in problem-solving as boys, appeared not to be as facile in abstracting the ideas of physics, and that was the primary reason for girls dropping out of science and physics. This could be overcome by holding a topical physics and technology summer school under the supervision of the Assiut Alliance for the Women.
Effect of 3-year education in the Main Fire Service School on the fitness level of students.

PubMed

Tomczak, Andrzej; Bertrandt, Jerzy; Kłos, Anna; Szymańska, Wiesława; Stankiewicz, Wanda

2017-12-23

The aim of the study was to determine changes in the fitness level among students of the Main Fire Service School during 3-year's education. A total of 75 male and 5 female students took part in the study. Fitness level measurements were carried out before beginning the studies (Measurement 0) and after the 1st, 2nd and 3rd years at the school (Measurement 1, 2, 3). The following tests were performed to estimate level of physical fitness for men: pull-ups on a bar, a 50 m sprint and 1,000 m run, and for women: sit-ups, medical ball (2 kg) throw from above the head and a 4 x10 m shuttle run. General fitness level (average number of points from 3 attempts) of the male and female students improved. Improvement of fitness level between Measurement 0 (male students 60.3p.±7.58; female students 61.60p.±3.08), and Measurements 1, 2, 3 (men 64.59p.±6.87; 64.41p.±7.17; 64.03p.±7.65 and women 68.40p.±1.99; 66.67p.±2.36; 68.87±1.87 respectively), was found. The same relationship was found while analysing results of individual competitions. Only speed endurance (anaerobic-aerobic) assessed during Measurement 0 at 64.03p.±10.23, decreased after the 1st year at the school (Measurement 1 - 59.29p.±14.14) and remained on the same level during Measurements 2 and 3 (60.25p.±11.20 and 58.56p. ±12.80, respectively). Speed endurance (anaerobic-aerobic) is a capability which decreased among the students in the subsequent years. Because this capability highly correlates with activities that a fire-fighter will perform during rescue operations, it should be treated as a matter of priority during physical education classes in the Main Fire Service School.
2012/14 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study: (BPS:12/14). Supporting Statement Part A. Request for OMB Review. OMB #1850-0631 v.8. Revised May 28, 2014

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education Statistics, 2014

2014-01-01

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the U.S. Department of Education (ED), Institute of Education Sciences, is requesting clearance for data collection materials and procedures for the full-scale collection of the 2012/14 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:12/14) first follow-up, including the student…
Number Frequency in L1 Differentially Affects Immediate Serial Recall of Numbers in L2 between Beginning and Intermediate Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sumioka, Norihiko; Williams, Atsuko; Yamada, Jun

2016-01-01

A list number recall test in English (L2) was administered to both Japanese (L1) students with beginning-level English proficiency who attended evening high school and Japanese college students with intermediate-level English proficiency. The major findings were that, only for the high school group, the small numbers 1 and 2 in middle positions of…
Physician. A metapaedogogical text.

PubMed

Dean-Jones, Lesley

2010-01-01

It has generally been thought that the short treatise Physician was written for the beginning medical student and as such it has been criticized for being so superficial as to be worthless for producing anything but an empty charade of a physician. There are also numerous cruces in the text on which scholars have failed to come to any consensus. This paper argues that by taking the audience of the treatise to be the beginning instructor rather than the beginning student the tone of and information included in the treatise can be seen to be appropriate and the textual cruces can all be explained with little or no amendment by the same hypothesis.
Interactive NMR: A Simulation Based Teaching Tool for Fundamentals to Applications with Tangible Analogies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griesse-Nascimento, Sarah; Bridger, Joshua; Brown, Keith; Westervelt, Robert

2011-03-01

Interactive computer simulations increase students' understanding of difficult concepts and their ability to explain complex ideas. We created a module of eight interactive programs and accompanying lesson plans for teaching the fundamental concepts of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) that we call interactive NMR (iNMR). We begin with an analogy between nuclear spins and metronomes to start to build intuition about the dynamics of spins in a magnetic field. We continue to explain T1, T2, and pulse sequences with the metronome analogy. The final three programs are used to introduce and explain the Magnetic Resonance Switch, a recent diagnostic technique based on NMR. A modern relevant application is useful to generate interest in the topic and confidence in the students' ability to apply their knowledge. The iNMR module was incorporated into a high school AP physics class. In a preliminary evaluation of implementation, students expressed enthusiasm and demonstrated enhanced understanding of the material relative to the previous year. Funded by NSF PHY-0646094 grant.
The development of science achievement in middle and high school. Individual differences and school effects.

PubMed

Ma, Xin; Wilkins, Jesse L M

2002-08-01

Using data from the Longitudinal Study of American Youth (LSAY), hierarchical linear models (HLMs) were used to model the growth of student science achievement in three areas (biology, physical science, and environmental science) during middle and high school. Results showed significant growth in science achievement across all areas. The growth was quadratic across all areas, with rapid growth at the beginning grades of middle school but slow growth at the ending grades of high school. At the student level, socioeconomic status (SES) and age were related to the rate of growth in all areas. There were no gender differences in the rate of growth in any of the three areas. At the school level, variables associated with school context (school mean SES and school size) and variables associated with school climate (principal leadership, academic expectation, and teacher autonomy) were related to the growth in science achievement. Initial (Grade 7) status in science achievement was not associated with the rate of growth in science achievement among either students or schools in any of the three areas.
Codevelopment of conceptual understanding and critical attitude: toward a systemic analysis of the survival blanket

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viennot, Laurence; Décamp, Nicolas

2016-01-01

One key objective of physics teaching is the promotion of conceptual understanding. Additionally, the critical faculty is universally seen as a central quality to be developed in students. In recent years, however, teaching objectives have placed stronger emphasis on skills than on concepts, and there is a risk that conceptual structuring may be disregarded. The question therefore arises as to whether it is possible for students to develop a critical stance without a conceptual basis, leading in turn to the issue of possible links between the development of conceptual understanding and critical attitude. In an in-depth study to address these questions, the participants were seven prospective physics and chemistry teachers. The methodology included a ‘teaching interview’, designed to observe participants’ responses to limited explanations of a given phenomenon and their ensuing intellectual satisfaction or frustration. The explanatory task related to the physics of how a survival blanket works, requiring a full and appropriate system analysis of the blanket. The analysis identified five recurrent lines of reasoning and linked these to judgments of adequacy of explanation, based on metacognitive/affective (MCA) factors, intellectual (dis)satisfaction and critical stance. Recurrent themes and MCA factors were used to map the intellectual dynamics that emerged during the interview process. Participants’ critical attitude was observed to develop in strong interaction with their comprehension of the topic. The results suggest that most students need to reach a certain level of conceptual mastery before they can begin to question an oversimplified explanation, although one student’s replies show that a different intellectual dynamics is also possible. The paper ends with a discussion of the implications of these findings for future research and for decisions concerning teaching objectives and the design of learning environments.
Student Teaching: The Emotional Cycle.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brand, Manny

1978-01-01

The author discusses the emotional cycle of a beginning student teacher: fear/elation/enthusiasm/depression. He suggests that if the student teaching triad--student teacher, supervising teacher, and college supervisor--recognize this cycle, it will aid the supervisors in providing emotional support. (KC)
Two approaches to physics tutoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solomaniuck, Tania

One in two first-year students at science or biomedical faculties fail in basic subjects such as mathematics, chemistry or physics. Course-specific tutoring is one of the available means for improving their performance. In the present research, two tutoring models are developed. Both incorporate independent learning, but from different perspectives and priorities. A pragmatic tutoring approach. The first part of the thesis describes the search process for an optimal course-specific tutoring strategy for a standard first-year physics course in life sciences curricula. After a number of empirical research rounds, a pragmatic compromise emerged as the most suitable form of tutoring. The approach is characterised by: (1) priority to questions from students; (2) a high degree of interactivity with the tutor and among students; (3) due consideration to the number of questions to be dealt with and the depth in which they should be discussed. Most students participating in the tutoring sessions expressed their satisfaction and performed sufficiently well in their exams. However, there was still a problem: the students' insight into the course material was restricted to first-order processing of the syllabus. While this would be satisfactory in non-scientific study programmes, it is deemed insufficient in programmes where deeper insight is required in order that students be able to deal adequately with new conceptual questions or problems. In-depth tutoring. In science programmes, the core objective is for students to acquire in-depth knowledge. Therefore, science educators are designing and studying teaching methods that are geared not only to the acquisition of in-depth knowledge as such, but also to the motivation of students to take a more in-depth approach to learning. Some of the crucial notions in their research are: the extent to which the course content ties in with students' prior knowledge, problem-setting strategies and concept-context linking. 'In-depth tutoring' integrates these crucial notions into a didactical structure that deviates from the classical course structure proposed in reference works. Chapters and learning activities begin with key questions in an area of application that ties in with the interests of the students. In the case of biology students, they are invited to answer biomechanical questions on the basis of their ready knowledge of dynamics, to compare their answers with those from their fellow-students, and to evaluate. However, the questions are formulated in such a way that the students will encounter a problem: lack of knowledge, contradictions, ... This problem creates a need for new information and thus provides a motivation for the knowledge expansion foreseen in the curriculum. Through carefully designed assignments, the students acquire the knowledge and skills they need in order to be able to reach consensus on a scientifically substantiated answer to the initial question.
Line, Shape, Color.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenman, Geri

2002-01-01

Describes an art project used with beginning high school art students that teaches them about continuous line drawing. Explains that the students create portraits of themselves, or another student, using glue, black construction paper, and chalk. (CMK)
Values of Communication Students and Professional Self-Selection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parsons, Patrick R.

1989-01-01

Examines the fundamental cultural values and political attitudes of communications students at the beginning of their professional education. Compares profiles of students in advertising, print and broadcast journalism, telecommunications, and public relations. (MM)
Systemic Perspectives on Beginning Teacher Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schlechty, Phillip C.; Whitford, Betty Lou

1989-01-01

Discusses the importance of basing beginning teacher programs in schools where roles are structured to support induction and provide exemplary education for students. Addresses structural and political issues, human resource development, and symbolism. (RJC)

Viscous Flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ockendon, Hilary; Ockendon, John

1995-01-01

Viscous flow crops up in many real-life situations such as aerodynamics and lubrication, and because of its universality it is a paradigm for the application of mathematics to the real world. This book is a coherent account of the ways in which mathematics can both give insight into viscous flow and suggest analogies and implications for other branches of applied mathematics. The authors place particular emphasis on the unification brought about by the use of asymptotic analysis and scaling properties and the use of everyday observations from the real world (especially industry) to illustrate the theory. The book is aimed at final-year undergraduate and beginning graduate students in applied mathematics, physics, and engineering courses on fluid flow.
Handbook Of X-ray Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnaud, Keith A.; Smith, R. K.; Siemiginowska, A.; Edgar, R. J.; Grant, C. E.; Kuntz, K. D.; Schwartz, D. A.

2011-09-01

This poster advertises a book to be published in September 2011 by Cambridge University Press. Written for graduate students, professional astronomers and researchers who want to start working in this field, this book is a practical guide to x-ray astronomy. The handbook begins with x-ray optics, basic detector physics and CCDs, before focussing on data analysis. It introduces the reduction and calibration of x-ray data, scientific analysis, archives, statistical issues and the particular problems of highly extended sources. The book describes the main hardware used in x-ray astronomy, emphasizing the implications for data analysis. The concepts behind common x-ray astronomy data analysis software are explained. The appendices present reference material often required during data analysis.
Decoding the Assessment Alphabet Soup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engelhardt, Paula

2010-10-01

The number of assessment instruments that help physics instructors evaluate the conceptual learning of their students has grown over the last twenty years. Today, the number of tests that are available begin to look like an alphabet soup, FCI, MBT, TUG-K, CSE, CSM, CSEM, DIRECT, BEMA, LOCE, FMCE, SEMCO, etc. What can these assessment tests do for you that is different from what you regularly do? How do these tests differ from the tests and other assessments you already give in class? What is meant by formative and summative assessment and why should you care? What are some of the issues associated with giving one of these assessment tests? These are the questions that will be addressed in this talk.
Factors Influencing the First-Year Persistence of First Generation College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duggan, Michael

The factors that influence the first-year persistence of first generation college students at four-year institutions were studied using data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS) database. The BPS is a longitudinal study of first-time students in the 1995 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study. First generation students are those whose…
Understanding the Academic Struggles of Community College Student Athletes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demas, Jason

2017-01-01

When students begin their education at community colleges, they may face more obstacles to obtaining their college education than students starting in four-year institutions. Research has shown the importance of academic and student services in the support of student athletes, that community college student athletes are often at academic risk, and…
Enabling Students to Participate in School Improvement through a Students as Researchers Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Amanda; Nash, Judith

2009-01-01

This article explores students' potential to make a difference to their school through a Students as Researchers programme. It begins by discussing the impetus for the current increase in student voice initiatives in schools. It continues the debate around issues of student empowerment and students' identity as change agents through an analysis of…
SOS: Observation, Intervention, and Scaffolding towards Successful Online Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ainsa, Trisha

2017-01-01

Research, reflection, and evaluation of online classes indicated a need for graduated scaffolding for first time students experiencing distance learning. In order to promote student engagement in the online learning process, I designed SOS for beginning online students. Sixty-three online students were offered an opportunity to participate in a…
Field Instructors' Perspectives on Foundation Year MSW Students' Preplacement Anxiety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenthal Gelman, Caroline

2011-01-01

This study elicited 39 field instructors' perspectives on the anxiety that students experience as they begin field placements. Field instructors rated students as significantly more anxious than did students themselves, and although field instructors believed anxiety interferes with learning to a greater extent than did students, they did not…
Emerging Information Literacy and Research-Method Competencies in Urban Community College Psychology Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolfe, Kate S.

2015-01-01

This article details an assignment developed to teach students at urban community colleges information-literacy skills. This annotated bibliography assignment introduces students to library research skills, helps increase information literacy in beginning college students, and helps psychology students learn research methodology crucial in…
Strategy Instruction. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beckman, Pat

This digest discusses using strategy instruction to assist students with learning disabilities. It begins by describing strategy instruction as teaching students about strategies, teaching them how and when to use strategies, helping students identify personally effective strategies, and encouraging students to make strategic behaviors part of…
Screening College Students for Hypercholesterolemia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faigel, Harris C.

1992-01-01

Describes one college's mandatory mass cholesterol screening for new students. Each year, over 30 beginning students with unknown hypercholesterolemia were detected. The program suggests that mass screening efficiently and economically identifies students who would benefit from cholesterol reduction, a modifiable risk in coronary artery disease.…
Student Values and Professional Self-Selection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parsons, Patrick R.

To investigate the fundamental cultural values and political attitudes of communications students at the beginning of their professional education, and to compare the differing attitudes of students in advertising, print and broadcast journalism, telecommunications, and public relations, a study surveyed journalism and communications students at…
Mature Women Students: Separating or Connecting Family and Education. Gender and Society: Feminist Perspectives on the Past and Present Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Rosalind

Thirty-one mature women students of different races and social classes were interviewed during the years 1988 and 1989 to determine how they separate and/or connect family and education. The women were interviewed either at the beginning and end of their first year of study, the beginning and end of their third year of study, or after they had…
The Relationship between Beginning Teachers' Engagement with Induction Program Components and Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holt, Janice Hooper

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine induction programs in North Carolina during the 2010-2011 school year to determine beginning teachers received the support as recommended by State Board of Education policy. Participants were second-year high school teachers participating in district level beginning teacher induction programs and were…
Yes, High School Students Can Analyze Chandra Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keohane, J. W.; Clearfield, C. R.; Olbert, C. M.

2002-12-01

For the past two years, high school students at the North Carolina School of Science and Math (NCSSM) have worked with new and archival Chandra data, and have produced interesting scientific results. These results have included one refereed paper in the Ap.J., and about a dozen presentations at scientific meetings (including three at this meeting). The students were selected, based on interest, from the junior class at NCSSM, to stay on campus and work intensively for 2 to 4 weeks over the summer. Each team of students selected an object with public Chandra ACIS data, and were taught how to produce data products such as images and spectra, as well as conduct a literature search. In most cases, a paper had already been published using those data, and the students were usually able to reproduce the results. As the students waded through the literature, they would search for a theory to test or an interesting new phenomenon. Often the students would request an image in another wavelength to compare in detail to the Chandra data. After the summer, many students continued to work throughout the following fall semester, producing a paper for submission to the Siemens Westinghouse Science and Technology Competition by the beginning of October. In the process of conducting research, the students learn to apply many physics concepts, and learn valuable scientific research and writing skills. Those students that choose to continue with astrophysics can often dive directly into a high-level research project immediately when they arrive at college. These programs have been funded by NASA, through E/PO grants attached to parent research grants.
Sports Physicals

MedlinePlus

... Staying Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español Sports Physicals KidsHealth / For Teens / Sports Physicals What's in ... beginning of your sports season. What Is a Sports Physical? In the sports medicine field, the sports ...
Innovative Training of In-service Teachers for Active Learning: A Short Teacher Development Course Based on Physics Education Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zavala, Genaro; Alarcón, Hugo; Benegas, Julio

2007-08-01

In this contribution we describe a short development course for in-service physics teachers. The course structure and materials are based on the results of educational research, and its main objective is to provide in-service teachers with a first contact with the active learning strategy “Tutorials in Introductory Physics,” developed by the Physics Education Research Group at the University of Washington. The course was organized in a constructivist, active learning environment, so that teachers have first to experience, as regular students, the whole Tutorial sequence of activities: Tutorial pre-test, Tutorial, and Tutorial Homework. After each Tutorial, teachers reflect on, and recognize their own students’ learning difficulties, discussing their teaching experiences with their colleagues in small collaborative groups first and the whole class later. Finally they read and discuss specific Physics Education Research literature, where these learning difficulties have been extensively studied by researchers. At the beginning and at the end of the course the participants were given the conceptual multiple-choice test Force Concept Inventory (FCI). The pre-/post-instruction FCI data were presented as a practical example of the use of a research-based test widely used in educational research and in formative assessment processes designed to improve instruction.
Elevated blood pressure and its predictors among secondary school students in Sarawak: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Grace Kho, Woei Feng; Cheah, Whye Lian; Hazmi, Helmy

2018-03-01

Hypertension is a health issue affecting adolescents. Accumulating evidence affirms that elevated blood pressure begins in childhood and tracks into adulthood. This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of elevated blood pressure and its predictors among secondary school students in Sarawak, Malaysia. A total of 2,461 secondary school students aged 12-17 years from 19 schools in Sarawak participated in the study. Questionnaire was used to obtain socio-demographic data, parental history of hypertension, and self-reported physical activity. Anthropometric and blood pressure measurements were taken. Data was entered and analysed using SPSS version 23.0. The prevalence of adolescents with elevated blood pressure, overweight, central obesity, and overfat were 30.1%, 24.3%, 13.5%, and 6.7%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated the predictors significantly associated with elevated blood pressure among respondents: overweight (adjusted odds ratio=3.144), being male (adjusted odds ratio=3.073), being Chinese (adjusted odds ratio=2.321) or Iban (adjusted odds ratio=1.578), central obesity (adjusted odds ratio=2.145), being overfat (adjusted odds ratio=1.885), and being an older adolescent (adjusted odds ratio=1.109). Parental history of hypertension, locality, and physical activity showed no significant associations. The obesity epidemic must be tackled at community and school levels by health education and regulation of school canteen foods. Copyright© by the National Institute of Public Health, Prague 2018.
Modeling the Nature of Science with the Mystery Tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Scott

2014-12-01

Oftentimes physics is portrayed as merely a list of facts that we know about the world around us, when in fact it is a way of knowing about that world. At times physics claims to understand the inner working of objects that cannot be directly observed, such as the core of the planets and Sun, or the structure of an atom. It is important for students to learn not only the facts of what we know about science, but also how we know what we know about science, even if we cannot directly observe it. This article describes a new take on a black box activity that has been around for years, the mystery tube.1 It is simple to construct but effective at demonstrating the nature of science (NOS). It illustrates the difference between observation and inference, and steps students through the scientific process. Beginning with a scientific question, students make observations, form a hypothesis, predict further observations, and test them before revising or strengthening their hypothesis. This activity provides a fantastic introduction to NOS, either as an alternative to other NOS activities2 or as a lead-in to a discussion of NOS.3 It can be used as an in-class activity, starting off a discussion of how scientists can claim to know what we know, or it can be used as an introductory lab, setting the foundation for how all subsequent activities should be conducted.
Evaluation of 8-week body weight control program including sea tangle (Laminaria japonica) supplementation in Korean female college students

PubMed Central

You, Jeong Soon; Sung, Min Jung

2009-01-01

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of a body weight control program with supplementation of sea tangle (20 g/day) on 22 female college students. The contents of the program for 8 weeks contained diet therapy, exercise and behavioral modification through nutrition education. Body composition, dietary habit scores, serum lipid profiles, daily nutrient intakes and the quality of life were assessed at the beginning and at the end of the program. Average age of subjects and height were 20.8 years and 161.9 cm, respectively. After 8 weeks, there were significant reductions in body weight, body fat mass, percent body fat, waist-hip ratio and BMI. The dietary habit score such as a balanced diet, regularity of mealtime, overeating, eating while watching TV or using the computer and eating salty food were increased significantly. Serum lipid levels such as total cholesterol level, LDL-cholesterol level and triglyceride level were decreased but not significantly. There were decreases in intake of energy, protein and fat and increases in intakes of dietary fiber, folic acid, calcium and potassium from the beginning to the end of the program. There were significant improvements on subcomponents of quality of life; physical functioning, general-health and vitality. The limitation of this study was the fact that there was no control group, but an overall evaluation suggests the 8-week body weight control program consisting of diet therapy, exercise and behavioral modification with supplementation of sea tangle would be helpful to improve the body composition, dietary habits, daily nutrient intakes and quality of life in Korean female college students. PMID:20098584

Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from this site.