16144 research outputs found
Sort by
Encouraging Greater Student Inquiry Engagement in Science Through Motivational Support by Online Scientist-Mentors
Get PDFNext Generation Science Standards (NGSS) call for integrating knowledge and practice in learning experiences in K-12 science education. PlantingScience (PS), an ideal curriculum for use as an NGSS model, is a computer-mediated collaborative learning environment intertwining scientific inquiry, classroom instruction, and online mentoring from scientists. With implementation in hundreds of classrooms across the United States, science teachers have noted PS as successful in motivating their students to engage in classroom inquiry investigations. To investigate the role of the online scientist-mentors in motivating students in the PS learning environment, we used self-determination theory (SDT) to guide a multiple case study of 10 student inquiry teams engaged in PS in a rural public school in a large Southwestern U.S. state. We used online dialogues between scientist-mentors and their assigned student inquiry teams to answer research questions about the motivational support provided by scientist-mentors and the association between this support and students\u27 engagement in scientific inquiry. Analyses revealed a general relationship between scientist-mentor motivational support and student inquiry engagement. Differences were observed in the specific ways in which scientists supported autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Student inquiry engagement corresponded to high support in relatedness, whereas correspondence with autonomy support was low
The Harry Brorby Project
Get PDFIn 2014, sixteen boxes of artist Harry Brorby’s personal documents, drawings, photographs, and ephemera were donated to The De Pree Gallery. A respected West Michigan-based painter, printmaker, and sculptor in the 1960s and 70s (whose work is part of the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and Walker Art Center in Minneapolis to name a few), this project seeks to understand Brorby’s prolific career within the context of Contemporary Art and, moreover, the notion of artistic legacy and collective cultural memory. To this end, students have been divided into five project teams, each focusing on a specific aspect of the archives and its preservation: website creation and content management (Amy Van Dommelen, project manager), organization of archival material (Stephanie Harron, project manager), digitization of archival material (Brant Biba, project manager), contact management and historical reconstruction (Nancy Laning, project manager), and provenance reconstruction (Erin Schregardus, project manager). In addition to this group component, each student is concentrating on a specific aspect of Brorby’s archives that peaks their curiosity—something they would like to personally explore further. Individual research papers and on-line digital portfolios will serve as measurable outcomes for the course
Exploring Alternative High Schools: Does Emotional Intelligence Matter?
Get PDFThis is an intervention study focusing on the social and behavioral objectives in high school settings. Our research centers on the development and implementation of an alternative high school. The foundational concept for the school will embody various traits of emotional intelligence: being immersed in the curriculum, the philosophy, the atmosphere, and the teacher/student relationship. Students who attend alternative high schools, their teachers, parents, and administrators comprise the participants in the study. Our research includes quantitative data (tracking suspensions, dropouts, re-entries, graduation rates), qualitative data (interviews, focus groups, surveys, observations, and case studies with students, parents, and teachers), and interventions in a social and behavioral context (e.g. emotional intelligence concepts, core democratic values, team building, goal setting, experiential learning, meditation, school to work transitions, and teachers as a mentor). An ideal alternative high school would accept students who have been unsuccessful in a traditional high school setting. These students will most likely have struggled socially, academically, and behaviorally in previous school experiences. The goals we have for the students attending this school include independence, receiving a diploma or GED, staying out of jail, attaining and retaining a job, and maintaining regular attendance at school. The goal of the study is to identify successful features of alternative high schools, and to consider how an innovative program might draw on both new and existing interventions that research has shown can produce beneficial impacts on students’ educational outcomes. In addition to the quantitative and qualitative data sources, a comprehensive review of the literature will inform the design and implementation plan for alternative high schools. Topics reviewed include at-risk students, teachers as mentors, class sizes, successful alternative high schools, and emotional intelligence
Nursing Body, Mind, and Country: Missionary Nurses and the Hope Hospital School of Nursing in Xiamen, China
No full textThis paper is a case study based on the notes, periodicals, and letters of Western missionaries and Chinese Christians affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, found at the Joint Archives of Holland. These sources reveal that the relationship between missionaries and the local Chinese was much more nuanced than the stereotypical images of missionary “imperialists.” This paper seeks to answer the question: What role did missionary nurses play in the lives of their Chinese students during the early twentieth century? Missionary nurses in China during the early twentieth century were essential to the development of modern nursing in China and the promotion of nontraditional career paths for Chinese women. Nurses associated with the Reformed Church in America, such as Jeannette Veldman, Jean Nienhuis, and Jessie Platz, recognized the need for nursing in China and attempted to fill it by creating a nursing school. The school was affiliated with the R.C.A. mission, which encompassed the Hope and Wilhelmina Hospital in Xiamen, China. The missionary nurses admitted young Chinese women who had an interest in a nontraditional path. By educating local women in the science of nursing, the missionary nurses were giving their students an opportunity not available to women in traditional Chinese society. Western nurses encouraged Chinese nursing students to overcome traditional ARTS & HUMANITIES 9 barriers in the areas of dress, gender relations, and women’s role in society. Through the unique relationship that they formed with the young women, missionary nurses were able to aid their students in pushing these boundaries. The cross-cultural friendships formed were based on mutual trust and respect, allowing the missionaries to play a significant role in the lives of their students. Thus, contrary to popular belief, missionaries were forming meaningful relationships with the local people, which were built upon the pillars of faith, friendship, and professionalism
Indian Novels: Colonial and Post-Colonial History
No full textThrough the study of historical fiction, valuable perspectives on historical events can be gained. Unlike history textbooks, novels probe deeper and more personally into significant events and their impact on people and nations. Postcolonial Indian novels show the power of fiction to inform the study of history by providing insight into a watershed period of South Asian history. Train to Pakistan by Khushwat Singh, tells the story of a fictional town on the Border of India and Pakistan following the 1947 Partition of India. Using the tool of fictional prose, Singh shows the complex religious and social ramifications of the political decision to split Pakistan and India into separate countries following India’s independence. The Man-Eater of Malgudi, by R.K. Narayan, provides an analysis of how Indian lifestyles were impacted and ultimately altered by British colonialism in the region. The struggles of building a modern state that retained Indian culture are explored by individuals, allowing the reader to experience a deeper understanding of what the people of India experienced in the postcolonial era. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie is a metaphysical novel set mostly in Bombay and the Kashmir region following the independence of India in 1947. It centers on the struggles of constructing a national identity after colonialism and the difficulties faced by the Indian people and the government given the Partition of India. These three works provide important insights into the period and setting of postcolonial India and in doing so reveal the novel as an important source of historical understanding. By reading and analyzing these novels both the historian and layman can gain valuable insight into the human reality of a people, time, and place
Resistance is Phutile - Using Host Cell Mutants to Advance Our Understanding of Phage Gene Function
No full textMycobacteriophages are viruses that infect members of the bacterial genus Mycobacterium. With over 330 mycobacteriophage genomes sequenced and available in GenBank, they are the largest collection of sequenced phages that infect a single host (Mycobacterium smegmatis). Comparative genomic analysis reveals that mycobacteriophages are very diverse with more than 25 genetically distinct “types.” Collectively, they possess numerous genes that encode novel proteins that have yet to be studied. Some of these novel proteins are predicted to have a role in targeting critical host cell processes during phage infection and promoting new phage production. To identify phage genes that may target critical host cell processes, individual genes or small genomic segments containing only a few genes were expressed in M. smegmatis and effects on cell growth (cytotoxicity) were observed. Using this approach, we have identified several cytotoxic genes or gene segments in two genetically unrelated phages, Vix (gene or gene segments: 65-66, 68-72, 80, and 87-88) and Pumpkin (gene or gene segments: 115, 119, 142 and 143). In an effort to identify relevant host cell targets, we have initiated a genetics approach and present here our initial characterization of spontaneous and chemically induced mutant strains of M. smegmatis that are resistant to specific cytotoxic phage genes. We reason that at least some of the resistant M. smegmatis strains will have mutations in the genes that are the targets of the mycobacteriophages. Subsequent identification of the mutated host cell genes will provide important information on the nature of the interactions involving mycobacteriophages and their host, M. smegmatis
Particle Induced Gamma-ray Emission as a Rapid Detection Technique for Perfluorinated Compounds
No full textRecent studies have shown that perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), a broad class of chemicals used as powerful, long-lived surfactants in consumer products, are associated with human health hazards. Because of the environmental persistence of PFCs, their ability to bioaccumulate, and their suspected human toxicity, new methods to identify these chemicals in consumer products are needed. Current detection techniques include liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), a costly procedure in both time and resources. Particle induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE) is an established ion beam analysis technique that has been used to quantitatively measure light elements in diverse target materials. PIGE utilizes a beam of accelerated protons to excite 19F nuclei in a target. As these nuclei return to their ground state, they emit characteristic gamma-rays that can be used to quantify the fluorine concentration in a sample. In this study, an in-air PIGE methodology has been established as an effective tool to determine the presence or absence of PFCs used as coatings in consumer products including papers, carpets, and textiles. The two goals of this project are to (1) establish PIGE as an effective technique for PFC analysis and (2) disseminate this technique with other laboratories to make cheap and efficient analysis of PFCs in consumer goods and the environment
The Emerging Indigenous Knowledge and Practices Implemented by Smallholder Farmers of Kibale District in Uganda
No full textA study on actual and emerging indigenous knowledge and practices implemented by smallholder farmers was carried out in three sub-counties of Kibaale District in Uganda. Using the data collected from this study, we wish to: identify past and present practices used to enhance farm production and productivity determine the impact modern farming methods has had on indigenous knowledge determine the relationship between the desired and actual food production of smallholder farmers identify the cultural and religious practices associated with enhanced agricultural production and agro-ecosystem management among the farmers. Summaries of several variables in the dataset will be presented and discussed. We will use inference from different statistical models to answer the questions listed above and conclude with an overall summary of our findings
Ferroelectric and Conductance Characterization of SrTiO3 Thin Films Grown on Silicon
No full textThin-film ferroelectric/semiconductor heterostructures are regarded as potential platforms for high-density data storage. In certain structures, the local ferroelectric polarization state of the film has been shown to modulate conductivity with nanoscale precision [Maksymovych et al., Science 324, 1421-5 (2009), Gajek, et al., Nature 6, 296-297 (2007)]. Thus, information could in principle be encoded into the local polarization states of the thin film, creating nanoscale bits. SrTiO3 (STO) thin films exhibit epitaxial strain-induced ferroelectricity when deposited directly onto the surface of n-type Si(001) [Warusawithana, et al., Science 324, 367-369 (2009)]. In the work presented here, local probes were used to investigate the nanoscale ferroelectric and conductive properties of STO thin films (thicknesses ranging t = 2-10 nm) deposited on p-type Si(001) via molecular beam epitaxy, with a SrO interfacial layer. We observe classic signatures of ferroelectricity for samples having STO thicknesses of t \u3c 5 nm. We patterned ferroelectric domains lithographically by applying voltages via a conductiveatomic force microscopy (c-AFM) tip. Domains were subsequently imaged with piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM), which indicated the ability to pole ferroelectric features with length scales of order 100 nm. Ferroelectric hysteresis loops revealed stable switching characteristics, with coercive voltages Vc≈1-2 V. In addition, preliminary evidence suggests a correlation between polarization direction and conductivity (determined via current-voltage, I-V curves) through the sample. Conclusive evidence of such ferroelectric-modulated conductivity, however, would require simultaneous measurement of conductivity and ferroelectric switching. Current work is focusing on this prospect
Reading Skills Have Improved! Results of an After School Tutoring Program
No full textChildren’s After School Achievement (CASA) is an after-school tutoring program that pairs Hope College volunteers with at-risk elementary learners from the Holland community. The purpose of this study was to track children’s growth in reading skills after participating in the CASA program for an academic school year. Students were given the Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills (CIBS II) subtests of word recognition, oral reading, and reading comprehension. A paired sample t-test was conducted to determine whether these at risk children improved their reading skills. This study summarizes the findings of this research