Digital Commons Network^™

Addressing Misconceptions About Heat Transfer In Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Instruction, Katharyn E. K. Nottis, Michael J. Prince, Margot A. Vigeant

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

Understanding heat, energy and temperature can be difficult. Misconceptions about heat transfer have been found to persist, even after instruction. New instructional methods are needed to address them. This pilot study examined whether researcher-developed, inquiry-based activities could increase conceptual understanding of heat transfer. Twenty-two undergraduate chemical engineering students were assessed before and after instruction with inquiry-based activities. Participants had significantly higher scores on the post-test. An examination of assessment questions revealed substantial improvement on questions closely related to activities. However, participants had difficulty applying concepts in new and related contexts. Educational implications and suggestions for future research will be discussed.

The Effect Of Direct Instruction Versus Discovery Learning On The Understanding Of Science Lessons By Second Grade Students, Marisa T. Cohen

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

This study examined the effectiveness of discovery learning and direct instruction in a diverse second grade classroom. An assessment test and transfer task were given to students to examine which method of instruction enabled the students to grasp the content of a science lesson to a greater extent. Results demonstrated that students in the direct instruction group scored higher on the assessment test and completed the transfer task at a faster pace; however, this was not statistically significant. Results also suggest that a mixture of instructional styles would serve to effectively disseminate information, as well as motivate students to learn.

Anxiety And Depression As Comorbid Factors In Drinking Behaviors Of Undergraduate Students In An Urban Private University, Charles Vohs, Robert Gable, Cynthia Ward, Joseph Barresi, Ronald Martel, Dameian Slocumb

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

This study examined differences among four drinking behavior groups (non-drinkers, low-risk drinkers, high-risk drinkers, and frequent high-risk drinkers) with respect to anxiety and depression in undergraduate males (n = 457) and females (n = 485). Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Results indicated significant differences among the groups only with respect to anxiety (F = 6.49, p < .001), and in levels of anxiety (p < .01) between high-risk females and males. Findings imply needed changes in prevention approaches to reduce high-risk drinking.

Attitudes Of University Students Toward Individuals With Exceptionalities And Inclusive Practices: A Baseline Analysis Of Students Enrolled In The Introductory Course, Maureen Walsh, Sheila Dove Jones, James Krause, Emeka Obiozor, Angela Pang, Deborah Stryker, Barbara Wert, Barbara Wilson, Walter Zilz, Eileen Astor-Stetson

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

This research is investigating Bloomsburg University students’ attitudes toward individuals with exceptionalities and inclusive practices. Members of the “Introduction Course Teaching Team” are collaboratively conducting a mixed methodological study using pre and post-survey data from the Sentiments, Attitudes and Concerns about Inclusive Education Scale (quantitative data) and content analysis data of students’ essays entitled Personal Belief Statements on Inclusive Practices (qualitative data) in order to determine the variables that influence attitudes. Since the Introductory Course at Bloomsburg University includes a large number of students from various academic backgrounds, this large, diversified sample may be reflective of attitudes of the general …

Improving The Self-Esteem Of At-Risk Youth, Gavrielle Levine, Deborah Majerovitz, Elizabeth Schnur, Charletta Robinson, Cadine Soman

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

This study, which is part of a larger study, describes and evaluates a federally-funded (U.S. Administration for Children and Families, CBAE) program, RESOLVE, designed to increase self-esteem and encourage healthy life choices of at-risk youth. This program combines an educational component teaching healthy lifestyles, goal setting, and refusal skills to avoid unhealthy behaviors with a vocational training component. Preliminary data from post-test analysis show increased content knowledge and modest increases in self-esteem suggesting that this program is a promising way to reach a challenging population. It incorporates best practices in health education by taking a holistic approach and addressing physical …

Cognition And Student Learning Through The Arts, Steven A. Melnick, Judith T. Witmer, Martha J. Strickland

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

An increasing number of recent research studies suggest connections between cognition, social and emotional development, and the arts. Some studies indicate that students in schools where the arts are an integral part of the academic program tend to do better in school than those students where that is not the case. This study examines home/school factors that contribute most to variance in student learning and achievement and the arts from over 8,000 students in grade 5. The findings suggest in-school arts programs may have less of an impact on student achievement than proposed by previous research.

Measuring Teachers’ Perceptions Of Grading Practices: Does School Level Make A Difference?, Xing Liu

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

The effectiveness of classroom assessment and grading practices has become an increasingly important research topic in education. However, previous research had no consensus on whether school level had an effect on teachers’ grading practices. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether middle and high school teachers differ in regard to ratings of the importance and usefulness of grading practices, teachers’ perceived self-efficacy of the grading process, and the degree to which factors such as student effort, ability and teachers’ personal grading habits affect their grading decisions. A total of 107 secondary school teachers participated in this study …

Learning To Lead: Examining The Moderator Role In Debrief Conversations Among Professional Developers, Heather K. Harkins

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

This paper reports on a study wherein the author examined her own practice when moderating debrief conversations. The analysis applied a multifaceted theoretical framework from professional learning. The findings suggest that the moderator's role as it was implemented primarily arranged organizing circumstances (Spear and Mocker, 1984) provoked by her own basic psychological needs (Deci and Ryan, 2000), her mental models (Seel, 2001), and her perception of these individual attributes in others. The implications for her future practice as a moderator are discussed.

The Effect Of Deleting Anchor On The Classification Of Examinees, Tia Sukin, Lisa Keller

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

The presence of outlying anchor items is an issue faced by many testing agencies. This study examines the effect of removing or retaining one aberrant anchor item. The degree of aberrancy was manipulated as well as the ability distribution of examinees, and four IRT scaling methods were investigated (Mean-sigma, mean-mean, Stocking & Lord, and Haebara). The results indicate that the percent of correctly classified students was not affected by either retaining or removing the aberrant item, although the over- and under- classification of examinees was. There was no difference among the methods.

An Activity Theoretical Approach To Designing Curriculum And Instruction That Shift The Means And Ends Of History Education, Thomas H. Levine

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

Reformers want history education to help students learn to engage in historical inquiry, read critically across conflicting sources, and engage in civil discussion of controversial issues. How can we help teachers and students shift the roles, norms, and activity in history classrooms to achieve these aims? An activity-theoretical framework suggests the value of explicitly attending to multiple aspects of human activity when designing and presenting reform-oriented pedagogies or curricula. Such attention increases the odds that teachers who implement new approaches or curriculum will achieve significant shifts in the means and ends of history education.

Rigorous Curriculum And Sat, Feifei Li, Thanos Patelis, Robert Lissitz

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

The main purposes of this study are to investigate the relation between course-taking pattern and the SAT score, and examine the invariance of this relation across subgroups. In addition, we are also going to verify the accuracy of self-reported information from the SAT Questionnaire by examining the actual high school transcripts, and build the link between SAT and the achievement by correlating SAT scores with state assessment scores. If the SAT score is a function of high school course-taking behaviors regardless of students' gender, socioeconomic status (SES) and ethnicity, every student should be provided with equal opportunity for rigorous curriculum.

Assessing Measurement Invariance Of The Teachers’ Perceptions Of Grading Practices Scale Across Cultures, Xing Liu

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

In a cross-cultural study, it is crucial to understand whether items and the factorial structure of a survey instrument are equivalent across different cultural groups, because items might mean differently to different population groups, and thus the factorial structure of the measurement instrument might not hold across groups. The purpose of this study was to investigate the measurement invariance of the Teachers’ Perceptions of Grading Practices Scale (TPGP) across the U.S. and China using structural equation modeling. In particular, this study was designed to examine whether items and the factorial structure of the TPGP scale were equivalent across the two …

Improving Automaticity With Basic Addition Facts: Do Taped Problems Work Faster Than Cover, Copy, Compare?, James Cressey, Kristin Ezbicki

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

This small pilot study compared the effectiveness of two interventions to improve automaticity with basic addition facts: Taped Problems (TP) and Cover, Copy, Compare (CCC), in students aged 6-10. Automaticity was measured using Mathematics Curriculum-Based Measurement (M-CBM) at pretest, after 10 days, and after 20 days of intervention. Our hypothesis was that the TP group will gain higher levels of automaticity more quickly than the CCC and control groups. However, when gain scores were compared, no significant differences were found between groups. Limitations to the study include low treatment integrity and a short duration of intervention.

On The Way To Becoming Global Citizens: Use Of Ict By Ukrainian Students, Mariya Yukhymenko, Scott W. Brown

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

Information is one of the important assets in today's society. Information and communication technologies (ICT) may be particular important for students as one of the tools to become global citizens. The objective of this study was to investigate use of ICT by high school students (n=122) from Ukraine, a developing country. The analysis indicates that majority of students from Ukraine have computer at home and more than half of students have the Internet access at home. In addition, gender differences in the use of computer and the Internet were identified. Educational implications and future directions are discussed.

Preservice, Secondary Social Studies Teachers' Perceptions Of Gender Equity, Margaret M. Monaghan

NERA Conference Proceedings 2008

This study examines preservice, social studies teachers’ perceptions of gender equity. The assumption that preservice teachers recognize gender as an important issue and are willing and able to take the initiative to remedy inequities in their classroom structures and content is considered. Six participants were interviewed using Seidman’s (2006) three-round, interview protocol. A focused life history was compiled to situate participants’ perceptions within their personal and professional experiences. Findings suggest a disconnect between preservice teachers' intentions and their practice in regards to gender equity. More explicit attention to gender equity in teacher education programs is recommended.

The Weekly Challenger, October 23, 2008, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The October 23, 2008, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

Illinois State University Report, October 23, 2008, Illinois State University

Illinois State University Report (1966-2012)

Illinois State University bi-weekly employee newsletter.

University Promotions

News Releases

No abstract provided.

The Scarlet - Volume Xc, No. 6 (October 23, 2008), Scarlet Staff

The Scarlet Archive (Student Newspaper) (1939-2011) (In Progress)

The October 23, 2008 edition of The Scarlet (est. 1939), Clark University's student-run newspaper. The Scarlet is intellectually and editorially independent of the University.

The cover story for this issue is "Clark alum returns from Iraq". Other headlines and coverage include "Student Council appoints chairs", "Mythbusters: changing MIT's image", "Picking on Palin: Has the media gone too far?", the 2008 Presidential election, CHOICES (student-run sex health group), TV on the Radio's "Dear Science", reality TV, and more.

Every issue of The Scarlet from the 2011-2012 academic year to the present can be found here, located in our Student Works …

The Alestle - Vol. 67 No. 19 - 10/23/2008, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

The Alestle

Vol. 67 No. 19

Ke Alakai, Vol. 82, No. 05 (2008-10-23), Brigham Young University Hawaii

Ke Alaka'i

No abstract provided.

The Bg News October 23, 2008, Bowling Green State University

BG News (Student Newspaper)

The BGSU campus student newspaper. October 23, 2008. Volume 99-Issue 41.

Montana Kaimin, October 23, 2008, Students Of The University Of Montana, Missoula

Montana Kaimin, 1898-present

Student newspaper of the University of Montana, Missoula.

October 23, 2008, The Daily Mississippian

Daily Mississippian (all digitized issues)

No abstract provided.

Campus Chronicle (Vol. 11, No. 11), Valparaiso University

Campus Chronicle

No abstract provided.

Spectrum, Volume 25, Issue 6, Sacred Heart University

Newspapers (Obelisk & Spectrum)

Highlights include: Cleaning cut back in certain residence halls -- Journalists addresses ethical election issues -- Woman in the running: Round table discussion -- Army ROTC provides mental and physical challenges -- Memories of murdered Israeli teenagers survive -- Psychology professor aids Academy with NYC marathon -- Political Pedestals --Ratemyprofessors.com Rates well SHU -- Prescription for dangerous study habits -- Football suffers first loss to Albany -- Women's Volleyball sweeps NJIT --

Compassion And Sympathy As Moral Motivation, Steven Sverdlik

Occasional Papers

No abstract provided.

The Cord Weekly (October 22, 2008)

The Cord

No abstract provided.

Sexual Orientation And Household Decision Making. Same-Sex Couples’ Balance Of Power And Labor Supply Choices, Sonia Oreffice

Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Working Papers

I estimate how intra-household bargaining affects gay and lesbian couples’ labor supplies, investigating their similarity to heterosexual decision-making, in a collective household framework. Data from the 2000 US Census show that couples of all types exhibit a significant response to bargaining power shifts, as measured by differences between partners in age or non-labor income. In gay, lesbian, and heterosexual cohabiting couples, a relatively young or rich partner has more bargaining power and hence supplies less labor, the opposite holding for his/her mate. Married couples value the older spouse instead, or the richer. No effects are found for same-sex roommates.

Work In Progress - A Design Guide To Retain Female (And Male) Students In Engineering, Linda Vanasupa, Katherine C. Chen, Stacey Breitenbach, Karen R. Bangs

Materials Engineering

Despite a rich body of research on factors contributing to attrition of women during the college, women continue to be underrepresented in the graduating classes of most traditional engineering disciplines. We present our Four-Domain Development Diagram (4DDD) in an attempt to enable a systems approach to managing all the factors that contribute to retention. This diagram makes explicit the connections between the learners' response factors in the learning environment, including motivation, interest, and ultimately retention. Although we are only three years into our use of the diagrams' relationships, we have seen a lower overall net attrition rate (male and female) …