bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Women’s Reproductive Rights and the Legacy of Religion in Ireland: The Eighth Amendment and Its Repeal
Authors: Hogan Linda
Published: November 2021

The changing religious landscape in Ireland is the context for this analysis of the implications of the insertion of the 8th Amendment to the Irish Constitution (which in 1983 inserted Article 40.3.3 into the Constitution to give the unborn an equal right to life with that of the mother) and its subsequent repeal in the 2018 referendum. It considers how women’s right to abortion (within the limits specified by the Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy Act 2018) can be vindicated in the context of claims to freedom of religion or belief and in light of the continuing institutional power of the Catholic church in the provision of healthcare. The broader political implications of the changing religious landscape are also considered, as is the question of whether and how the relationship between religion and politics in Ireland can be re-conceptualised.
One-Dimensional Man, One-Dimensional History: Re-reading Herbert Marcuse
Authors: Kleinberg Ethan
Published: November 2021

In this article I revisit Herbert Marcuse’s 1964 work One-Dimensional Man with the goal of reactivating Marcuse’s critique of one-dimensional society but in regard to the current practice and discipline of history. On my reading, it is in the field of history that the dangers of one-dimensionality are felt most acutely today. Especially in the ways that historians and philosophers of history continue to render history as a mausoleum to warehouse an entombed and inactive past. In what follows, I offer a willful and intentional reading of the role and place of philosophy of history in One-Dimensional Man in order to demonstrate the ways that history and historians have now become key proponents of one-dimensionality. I then marshal Marcuse’s analysis, though shorn of the speculative teleology that characterizes the two-dimensional history of Marcuse’s dialectic, in order to reactivate history as a multi-dimensional force to enact change in the future.
A ‘Melting Pot’ City: Migration and Municipality in the Reconstruction of Dortmund
Authors: Shaev Brian
Published: November 2021

This article explores how Dortmund’s municipal government propagated a concept of city-citizenship and belonging for new arrivals by mediating between expellee, refugee and migrant communities and ‘native’ civil society in the 1940s-1950s. The devastation of Dortmund during the Second World War, and the housing and energy shortages that followed, meant that the arrival of over a hundred thousand expellees and refugees in 1945–1960 placed severe strains on municipal resources while exacerbating conflicts between ‘native’ Dortmunders and new arrivals. The success of the Social Democratic Party (spd) in building a hegemonic position in postwar politics and administration by the late 1940s facilitated the coordination of municipal efforts to foster inter-community relations and introduce new populations to city life. Within the city council and government, in expellee meetings, and in municipal events we observe sustained municipal efforts to 1) exert social control over expellee/refugee arrivals to deflect anger at the poor conditions of the reconstruction period away from municipal officials and 2) inculcate taboos based on peace and democratic norms to delegitimise the politics of inter-community resentment. It concludes by tracing how official narratives and municipal practices constructed in the 1940s-50s were redeployed during the arrival of guest workers in the 1960s.
Patronage, Medicine, and Piety in Ayyubid Damascus
Authors: Sánchez Ignacio
Published: November 2021

This is the first of a two-part article that aims at discussing the creation of medical madrasas for Muslims in 7th/13th-century Damascus. This part briefly examines the relationship between medical practitioners and rulers, especially in the Ayyubid period, and studies a number of works written by religious scholars and physicians —often addressed to their patrons—, in which they tackled problems affecting the practice of medicine and its scientific status. I particularly focus on the polemics against pietistic groups who adhered to the doctrine of tawakkul (reliance on God), the emergence of the genre of “prophetic medicine”, and the denunciation of those physicians who impugned the universality of medical principles. This article will provide a wide contextualisation for the discussion of the phenomena that lead to the creation of medical madrasas, which will be analysed in detail in the second part.
Taxonomic and faunistic remarks on European Ptilomyia Coquillett (Diptera: Ephydridae)
Authors: STUKE JENS-HERMANN
Published: November 2021

The number of species of Ptilomyia Coquillett, 1900 occurring in Europe is confirmed as three, with two previously recorded species being synonymised and one species being newly added: Ptilomyia shoka Mathis & Zatwarnicki, 2017 is herewith reported from Georgia for the first time. The available type material of European Ptilomyia species was examined and resulted in two new synonyms: Ptilomyia kairensis (Becker, 1903) = Atissa orsovana Enderlein, 1922 (syn. nov.) = Ptilomyia madeirensis Stuke 2012 (syn. nov.). The known distribution of all three valid European species is discussed, and records are listed from Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Morocco, Portugal and the United Arab Emirates. A key to the European species is provided and the male terminalia of all three species are illustrated.
Differentiation of Adipose Tissue-Derived Stem Cells into Cardiomyocytes: An Overview
Authors: Yan Wenju , Li Yan , Li Gaiqin , Yin Luhua , Zhang Huanyi , Yan Suhua
Published: November 2021

Cardiovascular diseases, including congenital and acquired cardiovascular diseases, impose a severe burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Although bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs) therapy can be an effective therapeutic strategy for the heart disease, relatively low abundance,
difficult accessibility, and small tissue volume hinder the clinical usefulness. Adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) show similar potential with BMSCs to differentiate into lineages and tissues, such as smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, and adipocytes, with attractiveness of obtaining
adipose tissue easily and repeatedly, and a simple separation procedure. We briefly summarize the current understanding of the cardiomyocytes differentiated from ADSCs
Tissue Engineering Scaffold Slowly Releasing Neurotrophic Factors to Bridge Long Peripheral Nerve Defect
Authors: Dai Jie , Niyazi Maimaitiaili , Xie Jiang
Published: November 2021

Consistent application of neurotropic factors is necessary in peripheral nerve regeneration, yet challenging to achieve. Here we used a novel neurotropic factor controlled release system consisted of fibrin, fibronectin and hydrogel to slowly release two neurotrophic factors. At the
same time, physiological saline and reverse nerve suturing were used as negative and positive control. A year after surgery, animals which were treated by neurotrophic factor slow release system achieved far better neural regeneration and myelination, as well as superior recovery of hindfoot
than the negative control group. In the meanwhile, the results in the experimental group are still inferior to the nerve allograft group. In can be concluded from those results that, consistent releasing of neurotrophic factors can significantly promote long peripheral nerve regeneration,
but still short of achieving the results same as the gold standard of autologous nerve grafting.
A Linear Relationship between Vertical Velocity and Condensation Processes in Deep Convection
Authors: Grant Leah D. , van den Heever Susan C. , Haddad Ziad S. , Bukowski Jennie , Marinescu Peter J. , Storer Rachel L. , Posselt Derek J. , Stephens Graeme L.
Published: November 2021

Vertical velocities and microphysical processes within deep convection are intricately linked, having wide-ranging impacts on water and mass vertical transport, severe weather, extreme precipitation, and the global circulation. The goal of this research is to investigate the functional form of the relationship between vertical velocity (w) and microphysical processes that convert water vapor into condensed water (M) in deep convection. We examine an ensemble of high-resolution simulations spanning a range of tropical and midlatitude environments, a variety of convective organizational modes, and different model platforms and microphysics schemes. The results demonstrate that the relationship between w and M is robustly linear, with the slope of the linear fit being primarily a function of temperature and secondarily a function of supersaturation. The R2 of the linear fit is generally above 0.6 except near the freezing and homogeneous freezing levels. The linear fit is examined both as a function of local in-cloud temperature and environmental temperature. The results for in-cloud temperature are more consistent across the simulation suite, although environmental temperatures are more useful when considering potential observational applications. The linear relationship between w and M is substituted into the condensate tendency equation and rearranged to form a diagnostic equation for w. The performance of the diagnostic equation is tested in several simulations, and it is found to diagnose the storm-scale updraft speeds to within 1 m s−1 throughout the upper half of the clouds. Potential applications of the linear relationship between w and M and the diagnostic w equation are discussed.
Generation Mechanisms of Mesoscale Eddies in the Mauritanian Upwelling Region
Authors: Dilmahamod Ahmad Fehmi , Karstensen Johannes , Dietze Heiner , Löptien Ulrike , Fennel Katja
Published: November 2021

The physical processes driving the genesis of surface- and subsurface-intensified cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies originating from the coastal current system of the Mauritanian upwelling region are investigated using a high-resolution (∼1.5 km) configuration of GFDL’s Modular Ocean Model. Estimating an energy budget for the boundary current reveals a baroclinically unstable state during its intensification phase in boreal summer and which is driving eddy generation within the near-coastal region. The mean poleward coastal flow’s interaction with the sloping topography induces enhanced anticyclonic vorticity, with potential vorticity close to zero generated in the bottom boundary layer. Flow separation at sharp topographic bends intensifies the anticyclonic vorticity, and submesoscale structures of low PV coalesce to form anticyclonic vortices. A combination of offshore Ekman transport and horizontal advection determined the amount of South Atlantic Central Water (SACW) in an anticyclonic eddy. A vortex with a relatively dense and low PV core will form an anticyclonic mode water eddy, which will subduct along isopycnals while propagating offshore and hence be shielded from surface buoyancy forcing. Less contribution of dense SACW promotes the generation of surface anticyclonic eddies as the core is composed of a lighter water mass, which causes the eddy to stay closer to the surface and hence be exposed to surface buoyancy forcing. Simulated cyclonic eddies are formed between the rotational flow of an offshore anticyclonic vortex and a poleward flowing boundary current, with eddy potential energy being the dominant source of eddy kinetic energy. All three types of eddies play a key role in the exchange between the Mauritanian coastal currents system and the adjacent eastern boundary shadow zone region.
Understanding Collective Identity in Virtual Spaces: A Study of the Youth Climate Movement
Authors: Nasrin Sohana , Fisher Dana R.
Published: November 2021

How does collective identity form in virtual spaces and what role do hashtags play? This paper takes advantage of a unique dataset that includes surveys from activists who organized the nationally coordinated climate strikes in the US that began in spring 2019 to answer these questions. Building on the research about collective identity formation online and the role that hashtags play, we employ social network analysis to assess how collective identity forms online over three waves of protests. In particular, we analyze how activists involved in the youth climate movement used hashtags to project their collective identities and create collective narratives. Our findings show how hashtags use varied over the period of our study, in some cases indicating the formation of a thin collective identity. They also show that there are patterns in the ways hashtags are employed by activists in the movement that suggest the formation of subaltern narratives among those affiliated with youth-led groups. Our paper concludes by considering how this finding helps us understand collective identity in virtual spaces and the role that hashtags play more specifically within social movements.
Location of Injury and Other Factors Associated With Increased Survival Among Severely Injured Geriatric Trauma Patients
Authors: Newman Paige C. , Vernon Tawnya M. , Bresz Kellie E. , Schwartz Jennifer A. T.
Published: November 2021

Background

Patients with a Trauma Injury Severity Score (TRISS) < .5 are termed “unexpected survivors.” There is scarce information published on this subset of geriatric patients whose survival is an anomaly.

Methods

This is a retrospective case-control study examining all geriatric patients (age ≥65) not expected to survive (TRISS<.5) in the Pennsylvania Trauma Outcome Study (PTOS) database from 2013 to 2017. Primary outcome was survival to discharge. We selected 10 clinically important variables for logistic regression analysis as possible factors that may improve survival.

Results

1336 patients were included, 395 (29.6%) were unexpected survivors. Factors that improved survival odds are the following: Place of injury: street/highway (AOR:0.51; 95% CI: .36-.73, P < .001) and residential institution (AOR:0.46; 95% CI: .21-.98, P = .043); and presence of Benzodiazepines (AOR:0.49; 95% CI: .31-.77, P = .002) or ethanol (AOR:0.57; 95% CI: .34-.97, P = .040). Factors that decreased survival odds are the following: Hypotension (AOR: 8.59; 95% CI: 4.33-17.01, P < .001) and hypothermia (AOR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.10-2.28, P = .014). Gender, race/ethnicity, blood transfusion in first 24 hours, shift of presentation to Emergency Department, place of injury (farm, industrial, recreational, or public building), use of Tetrahydrocannabinol, amphetamines or opioids, and level of trauma activation did not impact survival.

Discussion

Location of injury (street/highway and residential institution) and ethanol or benzodiazepine use led to a significant increased survival in severely injured geriatric patients. Hypotension and hypothermia led to decreased survival. Future studies should determine possible reasons these factors lead to survival (and identify additional factors) to focus efforts in these areas to improve outcomes in geriatric trauma.
Concurrent Spigelian and Grynfeltt-Lesshaft Hernias
Authors: Huttinger Ryan M. , Kazaleh Matthew S. , Skinner Dylan J. , Nelson Marsha C.
Published: November 2021

Only 0.12% to 2% of diagnosed hernias are Spigelian type. Even less frequently encountered—Grynfeltt-Lesshaft hernias—hernias have unknown incidence. A Spigelian hernia is encountered along the Spigelian fascia and Grynfeltt-Lesshaft hernias are bounded by the superior lumbar triangle. These unique hernias can both be intermuscular, given their anatomical borders which allow concealment and preclusion of accurate diagnosis. Here, an 86-year-old male presented with symptoms consistent with small bowel obstruction. On physical exam, a right lower quadrant hernia and right posterior flank mass were appreciated. Computed tomography revealed obstruction secondary to bowel incarceration within Spigelian hernia and additional Grynfeltt-Lesshaft hernia. The patient underwent reduction and repair of Spigelian hernia with synthetic mesh, while repair of asymptomatic hernia was deferred. These unusual hernias are difficult to distinguish, given their negligible occurrence and unreliable exam findings. Clinicians must remain cognizant of their features to aid in diagnosis and mitigate potential sequelae.
The World Wars and Their Legacies in Africa and in the Affairs of Africans: The Case of East Africa—Kenya
Authors: Ejiogu EC , Igwedibia Adaoma
Published: November 2021

This article drew from prominent Kenyan novelist-writer, Ngúgí wa Thiong’o’s personal history on the World Wars and their legacies in Africa and on the affairs of Africans, with a focus on East Africa, and especially his country of Kenya. Ngúgí, whose birth in 1938 and childhood years were on the cusp of the World War II (WWII), reveals that the likes of his father who dodged conscription into Britain’s Carrier Corps in the first War, and the conscription of his two elder brothers—one of whom died in service while the other returned home alive—for military service in WWII constitute significant and relevance issues for careful exploration on the subject matter of both World Wars and their legacies on the African continent. So are the various actors whose advent as actors in the affairs of Africans and others in East Africa is directly linked to World Wars I and II. Those would include the likes of Carey Francis, who came on in 1940 as the principal of the exclusive all-boys Alliance High where a generation of Kenyans that included Ngúgí received British-style public school education, Evelyn Baring, the then colonial governor-general of Kenya who superintended the imposition of the State of Emergency in Kenya, in the period 1952–1959, and even Idi Amin, a rank and file African enlistee in the King’s African Rifles (KAR) in the aftermath of the World War II. Amin and his ilk were deeply involved in the highly repressive British-led campaign during the State of Emergency in Kenya that led to the death of many of their fellow Africans. It is also noteworthy that as a soldier and subsequently, Amin became a central actor in the politics of post-independence Uganda sequel to his overthrow of Milton Obote’s government in a 1971 military coup d’état. The spiraling violence that Amin’s advent enhanced in Uganda’s body politic remains a recurrent feature of governance in that East African state. The analytical reconstruct that emerged in the article is illuminated with elements of C. Wright Mills’ age-old and all-time relevant original theory-rich methodological construct, “the sociological imagination” as the theoretical framework.
COVID-19 and Eating Problems in Daily Life: The Mediating Roles of Stress, Negative Affect and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms
Authors: Sheng Ruike , Yang Xiujie , Zhou Yuyang , Liu Xiaoyan , Xu Wei
Published: November 2021

Background The COVID-19 pandemic poses a challenge to individuals' mental health. People worldwide are experiencing increased stress, negative affect, and posttraumatic stress symptoms, which may lead to eating problems. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the perceived severity of COVID-19 on eating problems and the mediating effects of stress/negative affect/posttraumatic stress symptoms both at the personal level and interpersonal level. Methods: During the COVID-19 outbreak, a total of 108 college students were recruited to report their perceived severity of COVID-19, stress, negative affect, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and eating problems three times a day for seven consecutive days using Ecological Momentary Assessment. Results: State perceived severity of COVID-19 predicted fewer subsequent eating problems in daily life at the personal level. Both state negative affect and posttraumatic stress symptoms were positively associated with eating problems in daily life. At the interpersonal level, trait-like perceived severity of COVID-19, stress, negative affect, and posttraumatic stress symptoms were positively associated with overall eating problems. There were no mediating effects of stress/negative affect/posttraumatic stress symptoms on the relations between perceived severity of COVID-19 and eating problems at the personal/interpersonal level. Conclusions: The perceived severity of COVID-19, stress, negative affect, and posttraumatic stress symptoms might increase the risk of eating problems.
Using Inverse Probability Weighting to Address Post-Outcome Collider Bias
Authors: Breen Richard , Ermisch John
Published: November 2021

We consider the problem of bias arising from conditioning on a post-outcome collider. We illustrate this with reference to Elwert and Winship (2014) but we go beyond their study to investigate the extent to which inverse probability weighting might offer solutions. We use linear models to derive expressions for the bias arising in different kinds of post-outcome confounding, and we show the specific situations in which inverse probability weighting will allow us to obtain estimates that are consistent or, if not consistent, less biased than those obtained via ordinary least squares regression.
Institutional complementarities and technological transformation: IVET responsiveness to Industry 4.0 – meeting emerging skill needs in the European steel industry
Authors: Antonazzo Luca , Stroud Dean , Weinel Martin
Published: November 2021

Digital technology is gradually changing the organisation of production and work. In this article, the authors explore the implications of such developments for workers through the lens of skill, and the skill needs developing out of the shift towards Industry 4.0 technologies now being employed within the European steel industry. Specifically, the article examines the preparedness of initial vocational training systems to support adaptation to Industry 4.0 and the changes in work and employment that will follow. The article addresses such developments from the point of view of institutional theory, analysing how different institutional architectures influence responses to change.
On the Possible Forms a Relationship Might Take between the Moral Character of a Teacher and the Moral Development of a Student
Authors: Osguthorpe Richard D.
Published: November 2021

Background/Context

The claim of a relationship between a teacher's moral character and a student's moral development has its roots in a rich philosophical tradition. It is a tradition that maintains that the young acquire virtue by associating with virtuous people in a virtuous community. In this way, it is assumed virtue is acquired by example and imitation. Recently, this relationship has received increased attention from philosophers of education, who emphasize the importance of the moral character of the teacher in bringing about the proper moral development of the student.

Purpose/Objective

This article is an examination of the various forms that a relationship might take between the moral character of a teacher and the moral development of a student. It brings important distinctions to bear on the assumed relationship and sheds new light on the complexities of the relationship and its possible permutations. The purpose of this article is to better understand these complexities and suggest alternative conceptions of the relationship in question.

Research Design

The methods employed in this article are primarily philosophical and follow the analytic tradition. Analytic philosophy is primarily concerned with the analysis of meaning, and its primary roots are found in the works of Frege, Wittgenstein, Carnap, Russell, and Moore. The success of this type of philosophical inquiry rests on an ability to better understand the use of language. This article draws on the method of ordinary language and concept analysis, relying on the process of making distinctions and suggesting inconsistencies in the language used to describe the relationship in question.

Conclusions/Recommendations

The analysis shows that each of the forms a relationship might take is seemingly quite reasonable and sensible. However, it also concludes that none of these forms provides a definitive claim that a relationship does or does not obtain between the moral character of a teacher and the moral development of a student. The applications for research suggest that scholars pay closer attention to (a) the agency of students in this relationship, (b) the relative influence of a teacher's unintentional moral expressions, and (c) the role of modeling in moral education. These applications also point to an important possible shift in the conceptualization of moral education: toward morally good teaching (for its own sake) and away from teaching students to be morally good.
“Small” Stories and Meganarratives: Accountability in Balance
Authors: Olson Margaret R. , Craig Cheryl J.
Published: November 2021

Background/Context

Meganarratives, or “grand stories,” are composed of loosely held ideas about standardization, the rhetoric of education for all, the focus on individual success, and the appearance of representative diversity that rarely take into account human diversity embedded in deeply rooted value systems and authentically present in “the realm of face-to-face relationships.”

Purpose/Objective/Research/Question/Focus of Study

In this article, we offer atypical, noncanonical “small” stories as accounts of ways in which teachers and students live in small moments of diversity unseen and unheard within prevailing meganarratives of accountability.

Setting

This research took place in the mid-southern United States and eastern Canada.

Population/Participants/Subjects

Research participants included a preservice teacher candidate in Canada and an in-service teacher in the United States.

Research Design

Through using narrative inquiry as a human research method, we feature small storied nuggets of teachers and students breaking through “surface equilibriums and uniformities” to challenge educational orthodoxies that cast long shadows on their work and their relationships and add to the complexities of their lives.

Conclusions/Recommendations

In the final analysis, we argue for fluid back-and-forth movement between small stories and meganarratives in order to nurture dialectical relationships between and among theory, practice, and policy. Such an approach would create spaces for experiences of accountability to be lived and told, and relived and retold, in more balanced ways.
A New Conceptual Model for Principal Involvement and Professional Collaboration in Teacher Education
Authors: Varrati Anita M. , Lavine Mary E. , Turner Steven L.
Published: November 2021

Background/Context

Beginning teachers often identify the school principal as a key figure for support and guidance. Few teacher education conceptual models exist that significantly integrate the building principal into the clinical experiences of teacher candidates. The rationale behind initiating discourse on principal involvement grows out of current policy and reform initiatives that require increased accountability for improved student performance. The call for more deliberate principal involvement in preservice also arises in regard to teacher attrition and retention concerns. Having the principal engage in active mentoring during preservice may positively address these issues by providing a more complete socialization and enculturation process into today's context of schooling.

Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study

The major research questions for this study were: (1) What are the level and types of support that building principals provide for the preparation of new teachers? (2)What are the obstacles that may be preventing principals from becoming more involved with teacher preparation? (3) What are the types of activities that make sense for principal involvement with field experience and student teaching? (4) What are suggestions for more meaningful collaboration between schools and teacher/administrator preparation programs?

Research Design

The study was designed as an interpretive qualitative research project that attempted a measure of self-reporting through in-depth interviews.

Conclusions/Recommendations

M3—A new conceptual model of collaboration (three supports for preservice teacher: mentor, university supervisor, and principal) was presented to include the principal with the preservice teacher, university supervisor, and cooperating teacher in a community of practice for teacher preparation. To build on this research and continue the discourse about the principal's role, several implications and areas for future study are presented: (1) investigation of teacher preparation programs more in depth to get further information about how principals are involved in teacher education, (2) implementation of the M3 conceptual model in a pilot capacity during field and student teaching experiences to gather more data about collaboration, especially the role of the principal, (3) the collaboration of principal preparation and teacher education programs to address this aspect of supervision in course content and internships, (4) the difference in perceptions of prospective and practicing principals regarding their role with teacher candidates during preser-vice, and (5) study of professional development schools to see how the principal is involved in a supervisory and instructional leadership capacity with preservice teachers.
Researching Race in Mathematics Education
Authors: Martin Danny Bernard
Published: November 2021

Background

Within mathematics education research, policy, and practice, race remains undertheorized in relation to mathematics learning and participation. Although race is characterized in the sociological and critical theory literatures as socially and politically constructed with structural expressions, most studies of differential outcomes in mathematics education begin and end their analyses of race with static racial categories and group labels used for the sole purpose of disaggregating data. This inadequate framing is, itself, reflective of a racialization process that continues to legitimize the social devaluing and stigmatization of many students of color. I draw from my own research with African American adults and adolescents, as well as recent research on the mathematical experiences of African American students conducted by other scholars. I also draw from the sociological and critical theory literatures to examine the ways that race and racism are conceptualized in the larger social context and in ways that are informative for mathematics education researchers, policy makers, and practitioners.

Purpose

To review and critically analyze how the construct of race has been conceptualized in mathematics education research, policy, and practice.

Research Design

Narrative synthesis.

Conclusion

Future research and policy efforts in mathematics education should examine racialized inequalities by considering the socially constructed nature of race.
Rethinking the Effects of Classroom Activity Structure on the Engagement of Low- Achieving Students
Authors: Kelly Sean , Turner Julianne
Published: November 2021

Background/Context

A common perspective found in the literature on classroom activity structures hypothesizes that a whole-class mode of instruction is linked with increased problems of achievement motivation for low-achieving students. If whole-class methods of instruction (e.g., recitation-style question-and-answer sessions) are rich in evaluation and foster social comparisons among students, low-achieving students may become disengaged in an effort to avoid negative evaluations. It is important to consider the evidence on activity structures and engagement carefully because this perspective represents a sweeping critique, concluding essentially that the predominant mode of instruction in American schools is detrimental to achieving widespread educational success.

Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study

Are whole-class modes of instruction linked with increased problems of achievement motivation and disengagement for low-achieving students?

Research Design

This study is a review of research on the association between student engagement and activity structure. We review both quantitative and qualitative studies investigating the link between activity structure and student engagement, with an emphasis on studies that identify an interaction between students’ level of achievement, activity structure, and engagement. In interpreting the evidence, we focus on studies of classroom discourse—particularly studies of dialogic and scaffolding instruction, which illustrate variability in the effects of whole-class instruction on student engagement.

Conclusions/Recommendations

Although many relationships between motivational climates and levels of engagement have been clearly documented, we find no conclusive evidence of a link between whole-class instruction and disengagement among low-achieving students. Research on classroom discourse illustrates that the activities that constitute whole-class instruction are not inherently problematic for low-achieving students and can, in fact, promote engagement.
Becoming a Thinking Thinker: Metacognition, Self-Reflection, and Classroom Practice
Authors: Desautel Daric
Published: November 2021

Background/Context

Metacognition has been a subject of study for cognitive theorists, behaviorists, educators, and others. The term metacognition has traditionally and simply been defined as “thinking about thinking,” yet it describes a complex process that can result in a nuanced understanding of oneself as a thinker and a learner. Metacognition (as a process) and metacognitive knowledge (as a product) are seen as important components of cognitive development and signs of intellectual maturity. The development of metacognitive knowledge is not, however, reserved for adult learners. Robust metacognitive knowledge can help young students consciously apply learning strategies, develop effective work habits, and assess their own performance.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to explore what practices lead to successful self-reflection and promote metacognitive development in young learners. The author believes that elementary students who are aware of their tasks and have knowledge of themselves as learners will more effectively apply learning strategies, develop effective work habits, and generally enjoy a richer learning experience. In the interest of best classroom practices, the author has selected activities and routines that complement the existing curriculum and instructional program.

Setting

This study was conducted in an urban elementary school.

Participants

This study was conducted by a classroom teacher with his second-grade students. These students include English language learners of a range of ethnicities, students who receive special education services, and general education students.

Research Design

This action research study was designed as a qualitative case study. After assessing student metacognitive knowledge with a survey of reading strategies, the author began a course of instruction in skills and habits that he believed might promote self-reflection and metacognition. These skills and habits included directed goal-setting, the use of language prompts to articulate mental events, posttask written self-reflections, and posttask oral conversations. Data collected following this instruction consisted of observations of student interactions, written records of students’ conferences along with the academic goals they set on a weekly basis, and the written products of reflective journal writing and posttask self-reflections.
Looking in the Mirror: Helping Adolescents Talk More Reflectively during Portfolio Presentations
Authors: Fredrick Tim
Published: November 2021

Background/Context

Portfolio assessment is a popular form of authentic assessment, but often portfolios become simply folders full of papers rather than student reflections on their work.

Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study

The author conducted a study aiming to help the ninth-grade students in his English language arts classroom be more reflective about their reading and writing portfolios.

Research Design

This study was conducted as a teacher research study in two parts. The first part studied the effect on the reflectiveness of students when using a 10-minute one-on-one presentation with the teacher instead of a cover letter. From the data received from these first-semester presentations, the teacher-researcher categorized the students’ statements into reflective and nonreflective categories. In the second part of the study, the teacher used these categories to teach students to speak more reflectively during their second-semester presentations.

Conclusions/Recommendations

The author found that students can be taught to be more reflective about their work and that this newfound reflectiveness helps students take more control in their literacy education.
Toward Democratic Discourse: Scaffolding Student-Led Discussions in the Social Studies
Authors: Flynn Nora K.
Published: November 2021

Background/Context

Discussion in classrooms has been cited as an activity integral to active participation in a democracy. Much research into classroom practice reveals that recitation, not discussion, is the most common form of classroom discourse. How teachers conceive of discussion, what they actually do when they attempt discussion with students, and how they are taught to implement discussions are all inquiries that uncover the actual workings of discussion within classrooms. This article addresses students’ experiences in discussion and how one teacher scaffolds instruction in discussion in order to achieve a more democratic discourse in her classroom.

Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study

This article traces one teacher's research into what students experience during class discussions and how their responses led her to inquire into her own practice of implementing discussion-based activities in a content-area course. She seeks a more “democratic” classroom in which genuine discussion among equal peers is possible because the skills underlying discussion are taught. Scaffolding the teaching of discussion skills throughout a year of a world studies class allowed for students to take a more active and engaged role in discussion and expand their vision of active participation and a “good” discussion while grounding their discussion in historical content.

Setting

A public selective enrollment secondary school in Chicago was the site of this action research.

Population/Participants/Subjects

Eighty-eight students enrolled in ninth-grade Honors World Studies took part in this study.

Research Design

This study uses action research, or teacher inquiry into classroom practices and instructional responses to findings. Its data are qualitative in nature.

Data Collection and Analysis

Data were collected in the form of student reflections after discussions with peers, teacher observations during student-led discussions, and student–teacher debriefings after discussion activities.
What Happens When Eighth Graders Become the Teachers?
Authors: Stecz Stephanie
Published: November 2021

Background/Context

Significant research has been done on the cognitive and academic outcomes of older-younger and peer-peer student relationships. Whether in a one-on-one setting or a setting in which responsibility for teaching is shared among members of a collaborative group, well-planned, well-organized, and well-executed student-student interactions have repeatedly shown positive evidence of student progress and learning This action research project differentiates itself from previous research in several ways because it focuses on motivational and attitudinal outcomes when every student in a classroom of eighth graders serves as a teacher of “new-to-everyone” content for three classes of younger students.

Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study

The research question I asked was: What happens when my eighth-grade students teach younger students about Japan? My purpose was to find out if and how teaching younger students affected eighth graders in my K-8 inner city public school. I was also interested in whether and how the project affected the school community.

Setting

The research took place in a K-8 inner city Chicago public school.

Population/Participants/Subjects

The participants were 27 eighth-grade students, and a second-grade, a third-grade, and a fourth-grade class of approximately 25 students each. Approximately 96% of participating students were African American, and 4% were Hispanic.

Intervention/Program/Practice

The project consisted of a 10-week period during which my eighth-grade class was split into three groups that developed and taught lessons about Japan to classes of younger students.

Research Design

This was an action research project that I did in my classroom while teaching full time.
Beyond the Bake Sale: A Community-Based Relational Approach to Parent Engagement in Schools
Authors: Warren Mark R. , Hong Soo , Rubin Carolyn Leung , Sychitkokhong Phitsamay UY
Published: November 2021

Background/Context

Parent involvement in education is widely recognized as important, yet it remains weak in many communities. One important reason for this weakness is that urban schools have grown increasingly isolated from the families and communities they serve. Many of the same neighborhoods with families who are disconnected from public schools, however, often contain strong community-based organizations (CBOs) with deep roots in the lives of families. Many CBOs are beginning to collaborate with public schools, and these collaborations might potentially offer effective strategies to engage families more broadly and deeply in schools.

Purpose

This article presents a community-based relational approach to fostering parent engagement in schools. We investigated the efforts of CBOs to engage parents in schools in low-income urban communities. We argue that when CBOs are authentically rooted in community life, they can bring to schools a better understanding of the culture and assets of families, as well as resources that schools may lack. As go-betweens, they can build relational bridges between educators and parents and act as catalysts for change.

Research Design

Using case study methodology, we studied three notable school-community collaborations: the Logan Square Neighborhood Association in Chicago, Illinois; the Camino Nuevo Charter Academy in Los Angeles, California; and the Quitman Street Community School in Newark, New Jersey. Each case represents one of three types of collaboration identified in previous research: community service, community development and community organizing.

Findings

Although differences in context mattered, we found three common dimensions of parent engagement work across the cases. The three core elements of this community-based relational approach are (1) an emphasis on relationship building among parents and between parents and educators, (2) a focus on the leadership development of parents, and (3) an effort to bridge the gap in culture and power between parents and educators. We contrast this community-based approach with more traditional, school-centric, and individualistic approaches to parent involvement.

Conclusions

There are a number of lessons from this study for educators interested in broadening and deepening parent participation in schools. First, educators can benefit from taking a patient approach, building relationships over time. Second, schools may not be able to do parent engagement work alone; they can profit from the social capital expertise of community-based organizations. Finally, educators would benefit from understanding that communities bring different needs, aspirations, and desires to their children's education. If educators collaborate with community partners and help to develop parent leadership, they can form initiatives that meet the interests, values, and capacities of any particular school community.
Teaching Practice: A Cross-Professional Perspective
Authors: Grossman Pam , Compton Christa , Igra Danielle , Ronfeldt Matthew , Shahan Emily , Williamson Peter W.
Published: November 2021

Background/Context

This study investigates how people are prepared for professional practice in the clergy, teaching, and clinical psychology. The work is located within research on professional education, and research on the teaching and learning of practice.

Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study

The purpose of the study is to develop a framework to describe and analyze the teaching of practice in professional education programs, specifically preparation for relational practices.

Setting

The research took place in eight professional education programs located in seminaries, schools of professional psychology, and universities across the country.

Population/Participants/Subjects

Our research participants include faculty members, students, and administrators at each of these eight programs.

Research Design

This research is a comparative case study of professional education across three different professions—the clergy, clinical psychology, and teaching. Our data include qualitative case studies of eight preparation programs: two teacher education programs, three seminaries, and three clinical psychology programs.

Data Collection and Analysis

For each institution, we conducted site visits that included interviews with administrators, faculty, and staff; observations of multiple classes and field-work; and focus groups with students who were either at the midpoint or at the end of their programs.

Conclusions/Recommendations

We have identified three key concepts for understanding the pedagogies of practice in professional education: representations, decomposition, and approximations of practice. Representations of practice comprise the different ways that practice is represented in professional education and what these various representations make visible to novices. Decomposition of practice involves breaking down practice into its constituent parts for the purposes of teaching and learning. Approximations of practice refer to opportunities to engage in practices that are more or less proximal to the practices of a profession. In this article, we define and provide examples of the representation, decomposition, and approximation of practice from our study of professional education in the clergy, clinical psychology, and teaching. We conclude that, in the program we studied, prospective teachers have fewer opportunities to engage in approximations that focus on contingent, interactive practice than do novices in the other two professions we studied.
Social Stratification in Higher Education
Authors: Grodsky Eric , Jackson Erika
Published: November 2021

Background/Context

Over the past half century, scholars in a variety of fields have contributed to our understanding of the relationship between higher education and social stratification. We review this literature, highlighting complementarities and inconsistencies.

Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study

We situate our review of the literature on inequality and higher education in the context of a behavioral model of postsecondary participation that takes into account the actions of both students and institutions.

Conclusions/Recommendations

We recommend that researchers continue to engage in cross-disciplinary dialogues around challenges in postsecondary research and policy, advocate for an increase in the use of experimental designs, and encourage the development of linkages across administrative data sets. We also recommend that future research improve the alignment among behavioral theories, proposed interventions, study design, and analytic techniques.