129 research outputs found
Latino Volunteerism in the 4-H Youth Development Program
Nationally, the 4-H Youth Development Program utilizes more than 350,000 adult volunteers annually, and 25% of the nationâs K-12 students identify as Hispanic or Latino; however, there is a dearth of published literature on Latino volunteerism in the 4-H Youth Development Program. Developmental relationships, a critical component of realizing youth development outcomes, are enhanced when adults and young people share cultural values and identity markers. The Cooperative Extension System has an obligation to reach a diverse audience and ensure program participation reflects the demographics of the communities in which youth live. We review the literature on Latino volunteerism in 4-H, share what we learned implementing the 2016-2019 University of California 4-H Latino Initiative, and provide our reflections and recommendations
Multiple-Methods Needs Assessment of California 4-H Science Education Programming
The California 4-H Science Leadership Team conducted a statewide assessment to evaluate the needs of county-based 4-H programs related to the key areas of the 4-H Science Initiative: program development and design, professional development, curricula, evaluation, partnerships, and fund development. The use of multiple qualitative data sources proved effective in identifying needs and gaps. Integrated findings provided evidence of institutionalization of 4-H Science; the assessment also revealed gaps that represent opportunities for future efforts and directions. Needs identified included intentional and systematic science programming, effective program models, professional development for staff, and consistency in messaging and branding
Defining and Developing Curricula in the Context of Cooperative Extension
Effective curricula are considered to be the cornerstone of successful programming in Extension. However, there is no universal operationalized definition of the term curriculum as it applies to Extension. Additionally, the development of curricula requires a systematic process that takes into account numerous factors. We provide an operational definition of curriculum by describing the parts of a curriculum, discussing the organization of those elements, and recommending theoretical frameworks that complement the learn-by-doing approach used in Extension. We also describe strategies to guide curriculum development, adaptation, and evaluation that will help advance the potential of Extension curricula to achieve their intended outcomes
The Teacherâs Role in Writing: A Study of Teacher Candidatesâ Perceptions
A team of teacher education researchers conducted a qualitative study to explore how teacher candidates viewed the teacherâs role in teaching students to write. Participants (N = 107) enrolled in writing-focused methods courses across four universities completed a reflective quick write near the end of the course. Since writing is a complex and multidimensional activity, these responses were analyzed through the theoretical framework of social cognitive theory. When describing the role of the teacher, the data indicated candidates across all institutions primarily focused on the affective aspects of teaching writing, specifically supporting and developing studentsâ confidence in writing. Some mentioned the need for explicit instruction such as developing studentsâ writing skills and use of strategies. A smaller percentage included both the importance of affective and explicit instruction. Many candidates indicated the significance of the role that teachers play in students learning to write. Implications for writing pedagogy support within and beyond teacher preparation are discussed
Bayesian hierarchical clustering for studying cancer gene expression data with unknown statistics
Clustering analysis is an important tool in studying gene expression data. The Bayesian hierarchical clustering (BHC) algorithm can automatically infer the number of clusters and uses Bayesian model selection to improve clustering quality. In this paper, we present an extension of the BHC algorithm. Our Gaussian BHC (GBHC) algorithm represents data as a mixture of Gaussian distributions. It uses normal-gamma distribution as a conjugate prior on the mean and precision of each of the Gaussian components. We tested GBHC over 11 cancer and 3 synthetic datasets. The results on cancer datasets show that in sample clustering, GBHC on average produces a clustering partition that is more concordant with the ground truth than those obtained from other commonly used algorithms. Furthermore, GBHC frequently infers the number of clusters that is often close to the ground truth. In gene clustering, GBHC also produces a clustering partition that is more biologically plausible than several other state-of-the-art methods. This suggests GBHC as an alternative tool for studying gene expression data. The implementation of GBHC is available at https://sites.
google.com/site/gaussianbhc
Steps to Success: Crossing the Bridge Between Literacy Research and Practice
Steps to Success: Crossing the Bridge Between Literacy Research and Practice introduces instructional strategies linked to the most current research-supported practices in the field of literacy. The book includes chapters related to scientifically-based literacy research, early literacy development, literacy assessment, digital age influences on childrenâs literature, literacy development in underserved student groups, secondary literacy instructional strategies, literacy and modern language, and critical discourse analysis. Chapters are written by authors with expertise in both college teaching and the delivery of research-supported literacy practices in schools. The book features detailed explanations of a wide variety of literacy strategies that can be implemented by both beginning and expert practitioners. Readers will gain knowledge about topics frequently covered in college literacy courses, along with guided practice for applying this knowledge in their future or current classrooms. The bookâs success-oriented framework helps guide educators toward improving their own practices and is designed to foster the literacy development of students of all ages.https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/oer-ost/1009/thumbnail.jp
Analysis of Agglomerative Clustering
The diameter -clustering problem is the problem of partitioning a finite
subset of into subsets called clusters such that the maximum
diameter of the clusters is minimized. One early clustering algorithm that
computes a hierarchy of approximate solutions to this problem (for all values
of ) is the agglomerative clustering algorithm with the complete linkage
strategy. For decades, this algorithm has been widely used by practitioners.
However, it is not well studied theoretically. In this paper, we analyze the
agglomerative complete linkage clustering algorithm. Assuming that the
dimension is a constant, we show that for any the solution computed by
this algorithm is an -approximation to the diameter -clustering
problem. Our analysis does not only hold for the Euclidean distance but for any
metric that is based on a norm. Furthermore, we analyze the closely related
-center and discrete -center problem. For the corresponding agglomerative
algorithms, we deduce an approximation factor of as well.Comment: A preliminary version of this article appeared in Proceedings of the
28th International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science
(STACS '11), March 2011, pp. 308-319. This article also appeared in
Algorithmica. The final publication is available at
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00453-012-9717-
Scientific literacy: California 4-H defines it from citizens' perspective
Scientific literacy is an important educational and societal goal. Measuring scientific
literacy, however, has been problematic because there is no consensus regarding the
meaning of scientific literacy. Most definitions focus on the content and processes
of major science disciplines, ignoring social factors and citizensâ needs. The authors
developed a definition of scientific literacy for the California 4-H Program from
the citizen's perspective, concentrating on real-world science-related situations.
The definition includes four anchor points: science content; scientific reasoning
skills; interest in and attitudes toward science; and contribution through applied
participation. The definition provides the California 4-H Science, Engineering, and
Technology Initiative with a framework for future science curriculum and program development
and implementation, educator professional development, and evaluation
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