A Longitudinal Study of Alternative Frameworks in School Biology

The following research study is concerned with childrens' natural ideas and beliefs in the area of the life concept. Previous research work has shown that many children form their own theories to explain things in the world around them. These mini-theories are called alternative frameworks because they may differ from the accepted scientific theory. They are very persistent and they may interfere with school learning. This study was carried out in order to discover whether children have alternative frameworks in the area of the life concept and to find out if children of different ages are able to classify correctly certain objects as living or non-living. The attributes of life which children give to a living thing were also examined. Firstly, a Pilot Study was carried out to find out if there were any erroneous ideas present in childrens' minds. Four groups of children, whose ages ranged from 5 to 10 years were allowed to discuss a variety of objects in an informal way; they had to say whether each object was living or not living and to give reasons for their decision. From this study it emerged that alternative frameworks were present at all age levels and that some children believed that certain non-living objects were living because of the attributes which they possessed. The main part of the research, the School Study, involved about 800 pupils in the age range 7 to 11 years from six Primary schools. A work-sheet was designed for the purpose of obtaining information from the pupils. It contained a box-grid with 16 objects, some questions relating to the grid, one question about microscopic things and one about attributes. Several children, mainly pupils aged 7, were also interviewed and their answers were noted. The results showed that nearly every child is certain that animals are living and most children also believe that plants and trees are living. Many children were not sure that mould is living and they had difficulty in suggesting life attributes for it. Only a small percentage of children believe that a potato and fruit are living and many children included them in the category "not living now but came from a living thing"; many children, even at age 11, do not have a concept of dormant life. Many children, the highest percentage being at age 7, included crystals as being living. Their reasons were that crystals grow and look like plants. 50% of children at ages 8,9 and 10 still believe that the sun is livng because it moves and gives light. Similarly, some children at every age level believe that a flame is living because it possesses heat and movement. About 16% of children at every age level included a battery as being living and a few children, aged 7 and under, believed that a clock is living because it "goes" or "works". Many children were able to place meat in the correct category "not living now, but came from a living thing". However, a high percentage of children, except at age 11, do not know the origin of bread, leather or sugar. 50% of children at all age levels have the erroneous belief that the particles inside a substance are living, probably because of their movement In addition, many children do not class microscopic plants as being living. When asked to describe a living thing, most children do not give any of the seven accepted attributes of living things except movement. "Eating" and "Senses" were included fairly frequently. Most children, even at age 11, do not give the attributes reproduction, breathing, growing or excretion. Instead, they include many attributes which pertain to a large, furry animal. If large numbers of children aged 11 have these alternative frameworks, then they are not ready to proceed with a Biology course at Secondary school. They will view teaching about living things and about attributes with surprise and they may not accommodate the new information into their minds. They may simply rote-leam it in order to pass exams. Teachers need to be made aware that alternative frameworks exist in many school-children and the teachers should try to expose these erroneous beliefs before presenting pupils with the correct facts. Pupils in Secondary school should be tested regularly using Diagnostic testing to find out whether they are still retaining any alternative frameworks, before they receive formal instruction in Biology. Then learning will be meaningful and facts will be remembered

Integrating Online Discussions into Engineering Curriculum to Endorse Interdisciplinary Viewpoints, Promote Authentic Learning, and Improve Information Literacy

Engineering is very much an applied discipline where math and science concepts, skills, and tools can be used to design products or processes with new and/or increased value. Research suggests active learning is an effective method for teaching and learning in the engineering classroom. Moreover, students continue to express increased satisfaction when taught using this experiential pedagogical approach. One approach to active learning gaining traction in the engineering classroom is the use of online discussions. The purpose of this paper is to offer a structured approach for engineering educators to develop online discussion prompts aimed to prepare engineering students for entering the workforce; this structure approach includes an intentional and purposeful focus on three core elements: (1) interdisciplinary viewpoints, (2) real-world and authentic experiences, and (3) information literacy applications. A mixed methods analysis provides evidence towards student exposure and awareness to the three core elements of interdisciplinary viewpoints, real world and authentic experiences, and information literacy applications. In addition, students reported a positive experience participating in online discussions, and improvements in student perception changes related to blended learning and self-regulated learning

The impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on genitourinary and prostate cancer care and clinical trials: a qualitative exploration of the Australian and New Zealand experience.

Abstract: Purpose: This qualitative study aimed to understand the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic from March to November 2020 on healthcare delivery and clinical trials for genitourinary (GU) cancers in Australia. Methods: Annually a pre‐conference workshop is hosted by the Australian New Zealand Urogenital and Prostate Cancer Trials Group for supportive care health professionals. In November 2020, those that selected to attend were invited to participate in a focus group. Workshop and focus group discussions were recorded and transcripts were analyzed thematically. Results: Seventy‐two individuals involved in GU cancer care and clinical trials took part. Participants described negative changes to GU cancer care and clinical trials from the pandemic due to reduced clinical services and increased wait times. Trial recruitment was paused temporarily during lockdowns, and standard treatment protocols were used to limit hospital visits. Trial process changes included electronic capture of informed consent, home delivery of oral medications, and delegations of assessments. These changes increased administrative activity for clinical trial teams and Human Research Ethics Committees. A transition to telehealth enabled continuity of service delivery and trials but reduced the opportunity for face‐to‐face patient consultations with increasing concern about the failure to detect supportive care needs. Conclusion: The pandemic has prompted a critical review of service delivery and clinical trials for people with GU cancers

Good images, effective messages? Working with students and educators on academic practice understanding

Work at Northumbria University has focussed on activity that extends opportunities for students to engage directly with the skills development necessary for sound academic practice. This has included highly visual campaigns on the "Plagiarism trap", providing access to Turnitin plagiarism detection software, guides and sessions to highlight use of associated referencing tools. Sessions on a variety of topics, such as supporting study skills and reading originality reports, have been provided for students on taught, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. This provision has included students working on collaborative partners' sites and also those on research programmes. Alongside the activities with students, "designing out" approaches have been embedded in staff development within the educator community at Northumbria. Formative use of Turnitin is integrated throughout programmes and academic practice development is formally recognised within the University Learning and Teaching Strategy's focus on information literacy. This article outlines and reviews these activities in a critical institutional context and evaluates responses from a variety of students and educators to determine how effective these measures have been

An evaluation of systematic versus strategically-placed camera traps for monitoring feral cats in New Zealand

We deploy camera traps to monitor feral cat (Felis catus) populations at two pastoral sites in Hawke’s Bay, North Island, New Zealand. At Site 1, cameras are deployed at pre-determined GPS points on a 500-m grid, and at Site 2, cameras are strategically deployed with a bias towards forest and forest margin habitat where possible. A portion of cameras are also deployed in open farmland habitat and mixed scrub. We then use the abundance-induced heterogeneity Royle–Nichols model to estimate mean animal abundance and detection probabilities for cameras in each habitat type. Model selection suggests that only cat abundance varies by habitat type. Mean cat abundance is highest at forest margin cameras for both deployment methods (3 cats [95% CI 1.9–4.5] Site 1, and 1.7 cats [95% CI 1.2–2.4] Site 2) but not substantially higher than in forest habitats (1.7 cats [95% CI 0.8–3.6] Site 1, and 1.5 cats [95% CI 1.1–2.0] Site 2). Model selection shows detection probabilities do not vary substantially by habitat (although they are also higher for cameras in forest margins and forest habitats) and are similar between sites (8.6% [95% CI 5.4–13.4] Site 1, and 8.3% [5.8–11.9] Site 2). Cat detections by camera traps are higher when placed in forests and forest margins; thus, strategic placement may be preferable when monitoring feral cats in a pastoral landscape

Olivine friction at the base of oceanic seismogenic zones

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2007. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research 112 (2007): B01205, doi:10.1029/2006JB004301.We investigate the strength and frictional behavior of olivine aggregates at temperatures and effective confining pressures similar to those at the base of the seismogenic zone on a typical ridge transform fault. Triaxial compression tests were conducted on dry olivine powder (grain size ≤ 60 μm) at effective confining pressures between 50 and 300 MPa (using Argon as a pore fluid), temperatures between 600°C and 1000°C, and axial displacement rates from 0.06 to 60 μm/s (axial strain rates from 3 × 10−6 to 3 × 10−3 s−1). Yielding shows a negative pressure dependence, consistent with predictions for shear enhanced compaction and with the observation that samples exhibit compaction during the initial stages of the experiments. A combination of mechanical data and microstructural observations demonstrate that deformation was accommodated by frictional processes. Sample strengths were pressure-dependent and nearly independent of temperature. Localized shear zones formed in initially homogeneous aggregates early in the experiments. The frictional response to changes in loading rate is well described by rate and state constitutive laws, with a transition from velocity-weakening to velocitystrengthening at 1000°C. Microstructural observations and physical models indicate that plastic yielding of asperities at high temperatures and low axial strain rates stabilizes frictional sliding. Extrapolation of our experimental data to geologic strain rates indicates that a transition from velocity weakening to velocity strengthening occurs at approximately 600°C, consistent with the focal depths of earthquakes in the oceanic lithosphere.This research was supported by the Deep Ocean Exploration Institute at WHOI and NSF grants to Greg Hirth and Brian Evans

Going beyond (electronic) patient-reported outcomes: harnessing the benefits of smart technology and ecological momentary assessment in cancer survivorship research

Rapid developments in digital mobile and sensor technology have facilitated the active and passive collection of detailed, personalized data in increasingly affordable ways. Researchers may be familiar with the daily diary, portable computers, or the pedometer for the collection of patientreported outcomes (PRO) in cancer survivorship research. Such methods, termed ecological momentary assessment (EMA), have evolved with technological advances, e.g., collecting data or providing interventions (ecological momentary intervention, EMI) via apps or devices such as smartphones. These smart technology-adapted sEMA/ sEMI methods are more widely used in affective disorders or addictive behavior research but are currently still under-utilized in cancer survivorship research. A recent scoping review on the use of active EMA among cancer survivors identified twelve articles published between 1993 and 2018. Most of the included studies in that review used portable computers. This commentary will discuss the utility of sEMA/sEMI in cancer survivorship research and call for action to advance this area of science