Evaluation of Elementary Students’ Attitudes Toward Science as a Result of the Introduction of an Enriched Science Curriculum

One of the challenges facing school educators is motivating students to learn science. This study is part of an evaluation of enriched science curriculum introduced in five western Canadian (Alberta) urban schools. The objective was to develop a multidimensional instrument suitable for evaluating the attitudes of students toward science with a potential to be used for classroom assessments. The study addressed instrument validity and reliability by testing a 40-item questionnaire using data from grade 4 students. The six-factor solution provided a conceptual foundation for future studies and instrument refinement. Overall, students who had been learning the experimental curriculum for three years displayed more positive attitudes toward science than control students.Un des défis auquel font face les enseignants est celui de motiver chez les élèves le désir d’étudier les sciences. Cette étude fait partie d’une évaluation du programme enrichi de sciences qui a été présenté dans cinq écoles canadiennes (albertaines) en milieu urbain. Cette étude vise à développer un outil multidimensionnel propice à l’évaluation des attitudes des élèves face aux sciences. L’outil pourrait éventuellement servir dans les évaluations en salle de classe. La validité et la fiabilité de l’outil ont été étudiées en faisant passer un questionnaire de 40 questions à des élèves en quatrième année. La solution à six variables a fourni un fondement conceptuel pour des études ultérieures et l’amélioration de l’outil. Sur l’ensemble, les élèves qui suivaient le programme expérimental depuis trois ans ont démontré des attitudes plus positives face aux sciences que les élèves du groupe contrôle

Assessing Student Orientation to School to Address Low Achievement and Dropping Out

This study contributes to applied and theoretical research for schools and districts by helping inform programs and policies directed at school improvement, raising student achievement, and high school completion. The paper features recent results of ongoing research on student orientation to school that was assessed via a multi-dimensional Student Orientation to School Questionnaire (SOS-Q). The SOS-Q was initially used by a Canadian school district to better understand the reasons for dropping out of school. Since then the project has grown into a multi-organizational collaboration. This study demonstrates persistent associations between student orientation to school, academic achievement, and high school completion and makes the case for integrating valuable non-cognitive components within comprehensive student information and assessment systems.Cette étude contribue à la recherche appliquée et théorique portant sur les écoles et les districts scolaires dans la mesure où elle pourra servir à étayer les programmes et les politiques visant l’amélioration des écoles, le rehaussement du rendement par les élèves et l’achèvement des études secondaires. Cet article présente les résultats récents d’une recherche en cours sur l’adaptation scolaire évaluée par le biais d’un questionnaire pluridimensionnel. Le questionnaire a d’abord servi d’outil pour un district scolaire canadien qui cherchait à mieux comprendre les raisons du décrochage scolaire. Depuis, le projet s’est transformé en collaboration impliquant plusieurs organisations. Cette étude révèle des associations systématiques entre l’adaptation des élèves à l’école, le rendement académique et l’achèvement des études secondaires. Elle milite en faveur de l’intégration de composantes non cognitives importantes au sein des systèmes scolaires d’information et d’évaluation

Fast Initiating Furan-Containing Hoveyda-Type Complexes: Synthesis and Applications in Metathesis Reactions

Two new ruthenium complexes with chelating-ether benzylidene ligands bearing a furan moiety were synthesized and characterized, including X-ray crystallography. They initiated fast, also at 0 °C, and were found to be highly active in a variety of ring-closing, ene-yne, and cross-metathesis reactions, including an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) model, which makes them good candidates for the transformation of complex polyfunctional compounds that require mild reaction conditions

Fast Initiating Furan-Containing Hoveyda-Type Complexes: Synthesis and Applications in Metathesis Reactions

Two new ruthenium complexes with chelating-ether benzylidene ligands bearing a furan moiety were synthesized and characterized, including X-ray crystallography. They initiated fast, also at 0 °C, and were found to be highly active in a variety of ring-closing, ene-yne, and cross-metathesis reactions, including an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) model, which makes them good candidates for the transformation of complex polyfunctional compounds that require mild reaction conditions

Synthesis of phenol-tagged ruthenium alkylidene olefin metathesis catalysts for robust immobilisation inside metal-organic framework support

Two new unsymmetrical N-heterocyclic carbene ligand (uNHC)-based ruthenium complexes featuring phenolic OH function were obtained and fully characterised. The more active one was then immobilised on the metal-organic framework (MOF) solid support (Al)MIL-101-NH. The catalytic activity of such a heterogeneous system was tested, showing that, while the heterogeneous catalyst is less active than the corresponding homogeneous catalyst in solution, it can catalyse selected olefin metathesis reactions, serving as the proof-of-concept for the immobilisation of catalytically active complexes in MOFs using a phenolic tag