Elizabeth Kenyon, Andrea Christoff and Sonya Wisdom
This action research project determines the extent to which the authors were able to expand ideas of both citizen and scientist through their integrated science and social studies…
Abstract
Purpose
This action research project determines the extent to which the authors were able to expand ideas of both citizen and scientist through their integrated science and social studies middle childhood methods course.
Design/methodology/approach
Applying the ideas of citizen science, students in the course developed inquiry projects of their choice centering on the topic of local and global water issues. In addition, students participated in book groups focusing on the ideas of citizen science explicitly. The researchers used surveys, student assessments and interviews to assess the extent to which students' ideas changed.
Findings
While the data reveal the students' conceptions of scientist and citizen both expanded, there was greater change in their conceptions of what it means to be a scientist.
Originality/value
The authors argue that the expansion of ideas of science is important for enacting critical citizenship.
Details
Keywords
Harriet Martineau's writing about Ireland spanned over 35 years of her career and, as a topic of socio-cultural, political, and economic interest, was second only to her prolific…
Abstract
Harriet Martineau's writing about Ireland spanned over 35 years of her career and, as a topic of socio-cultural, political, and economic interest, was second only to her prolific writing on the United States. Through the contexts of her writing (fiction and nonfiction) and of 19th-century Anglo-Irish history, this discussion examines a singular episode in Martineau's life and work, one that highlights her complex views on Ireland and challenges her assumptions about the relentless conundrum popularly termed “the Irish Question.” Martineau's brief epistolary relationship with the young repeal advocate, Mr. Langtrey, helped shape and clarify her thinking about Anglo-Irish relations; subsequently, she produced some of the best writing of her career as a traveling correspondent for the Daily News, reporting on post-famine Ireland. Although on a par with her better-known sociological analyses of America, Martineau's writing about 19th-century Ireland remains comparatively unexamined by scholars of the British Empire, of Victorian intellectual and social history, and of the enduringly contentious Anglo-Irish relations.
WE publish this issue on the eve of the Brighton Conference and our hope is that this number of The Library World will assist the objects of that meeting. Everything connected…
Abstract
WE publish this issue on the eve of the Brighton Conference and our hope is that this number of The Library World will assist the objects of that meeting. Everything connected with the Conference appears to have been well thought out. It is an excellent thing that an attempt has been made to get readers of papers to write them early in order that they might be printed beforehand. Their authors will speak to the subject of these papers and not read them. Only a highly‐trained speaker can “get over” a written paper—witness some of the fiascos we hear from the microphone, for which all papers that are broadcast have to be written. But an indifferent reader, when he is really master of his subject, can make likeable and intelligible remarks extemporarily about it. As we write somewhat before the Conference papers are out we do not know if the plan to preprint the papers has succeeded. We are sure that it ought to have done so. It is the only way in which adequate time for discussion can be secured.
Brian Cook, John Forrester, Louise Bracken, Christopher Spray and Elizabeth Oughton
The purpose of this paper is to explore how flood management practitioners rationalise the emergence of sustainable flood management. Key to this analysis are differences rooted…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how flood management practitioners rationalise the emergence of sustainable flood management. Key to this analysis are differences rooted in assumptions over what flood management is and should do.
Design/methodology/approach
The popularity of natural flood management offers a case with which to explore how a dominant framing persists and how individuals at the government-public interface negotiate different visions of future flood management. The authors draw on the perceptions of flood experts, elucidating a deep hold amongst a professional community “grounded” in science and economics, but also their desire to innovate and become more open to innovative practices.
Findings
The authors show how the idea of “sustainable” and “natural” flood management are understood by those doing flood management, which is with reference to pre-existing technical practices.
Research limitations/implications
This paper explores the views of expert decision making, which suffers from challenges associated with small sample size. As such, the findings must be tempered, but with recognition for the influence of a small group of individuals who determine the nature of flood management in Scotland.
Practical implications
The authors conclude that, in the context of this study, a technical framing persists by predetermining the criteria by which innovative techniques are judged.
Originality/value
Broadly, these findings contribute to debates over the evolution of flood management regimes. This recognises the importance of events while also emphasising the preparations that shape the context and norms of the flood management community between events.
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This chapter explores the emergence, growth, and current status of the sociology of sport in Canada. Such an endeavour includes acknowledging the work and efforts of Canadian…
Abstract
This chapter explores the emergence, growth, and current status of the sociology of sport in Canada. Such an endeavour includes acknowledging the work and efforts of Canadian scholars – whether Canadian by birth or naturalization or just as a result of their geographic location – who have contributed to the vibrant and robust academic discipline that is the sociology of sport in Canadian institutions coast-to-coast, and who have advanced the socio-cultural study of sport globally in substantial ways. This chapter does not provide an exhaustive description and analysis of the past and present states of the sociology of sport in Canada; in fact, it is important to note that an in-depth, critical and comprehensive analysis of our field in Canada is sorely lacking. Rather, this chapter aims to highlight the major historical drivers (both in terms of people and trends) of the field in Canada; provide a snapshot of the sociology of sport in Canada currently; and put forth some ideas as to future opportunities and challenges for the field in Canada.
Details
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Industry has a vital part to play in helping as many disabled people as possible to lead a worthwhile life, and in giving them the opportunity to earn their own living. Many…
Abstract
Industry has a vital part to play in helping as many disabled people as possible to lead a worthwhile life, and in giving them the opportunity to earn their own living. Many companies recognise this. Discussions staff from the Food Drink and Tobacco Industry Training Board have had with those concerned with the training and employment of handicapped workers, however, suggest that their potential is still not being fully recognised or utilised. Possibly this is because companies while wanting to help simply do not know how to go about it, although those with twenty or more employees are in fact required under the Government's quota scheme to employ a certain percentage of disabled workers, provided of course that this is practicable.
The purpose of this paper is to highlight a selection of poetry titles from the Poets House Showcase of 2006.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to highlight a selection of poetry titles from the Poets House Showcase of 2006.
Design/methodology/approach
This article provides reviews of selected titles from the 2006 Poets House Showcase.
Findings
This review represents a wide‐ranging selection of contemporary poetry collections and anthologies.
Originality/value
This list documents the tremendous range of poetry publishing from commercial, independent and university presses, as well as letterpress chapbooks, art books and CDs.
Details
Keywords
Rebecca Day, Luke Simmons, Elizabeth Shade, Jo Jennison, Clare S. Allely and Raja A.S. Mukherjee
Recent research has proposed a specific female phenotype within autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It suggests females exhibit differences in social communication styles with higher…
Abstract
Purpose
Recent research has proposed a specific female phenotype within autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It suggests females exhibit differences in social communication styles with higher levels of camouflaging and compensatory strategies, as well as variance in restrictive repetitive behaviours (RRBs); however, many existing studies have been based on either small, disproportionate or child and adolescent samples, leaving questions about the specific phenotype. This study aims to explore the sex difference and phenotype in a clinic sample of individuals diagnosed with autism.
Design/methodology/approach
A service evaluation of sex/ gender differences on 150 historical ASD assessment reports (75 males, 75 females) using a 103-item questionnaire developed from a quantitative review of existing literature was undertaken.
Findings
Females camouflaged more significantly than males in five different areas (thinking how to act next, preparing conversation in advance, making lists of prompts/social responses, wearing a mask/acting, less monotone voice); however, these were not maintained in post-analysis correction.
Originality/value
This study points the evidence towards a different phenotype of Autism that is more common in women than men rather than a unique female phenotype.
Details
Keywords
Elizabeth J. Vella, Elizabeth F. Turesky and Jenni Hebert
The purpose of this paper is to use a heutagogical approach to determine whether students enrolled in blended courses achieve higher grades relative to those enrolled in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to use a heutagogical approach to determine whether students enrolled in blended courses achieve higher grades relative to those enrolled in completely online courses, in addition to identifying demographic predictors of academic success in college courses involving Web-based modes of instruction.
Design/methodology/approach
Mixed models regression evaluated predictors of grade in terms of age, gender, instruction mode, graduate vs undergraduate status and full-time vs part-time load across 2,174 students (M = 27.6, SD = 9.54 years) enrolled in Web-based courses for a single term at a mid-sized public university in the northeastern USA.
Findings
In accordance with expectations, a significant main effect indicated higher grades among students enrolled in blended relative to completely online courses. Other predictors of academic success in Web-based courses included older age, female gender, graduate student status and part-time academic load. An interaction between age and gender on grade indicated the difference in performance between men and women diminished among older compared to younger students. Another interaction between age and instruction mode on successful course completion indicated a higher probability of success in blended courses among older students relative to their younger counterparts.
Research limitations/implications
This study is limited by its cross-sectional design of large scope, which is incapable of addressing differences in online instructional styles and student motivation factors.
Originality/value
The current study offers newfound evidence that students enrolled in Web-based college courses may benefit from a blended instructional format, a finding that may be particularly evident among older students.