Student perspectives on creating a positive classroom dynamic: science education in prison

Detailed student perspectives on their involvement in prison education are limited in published literature, yet such contributions are invaluable to education practitioners wanting to create inclusive learning environments. This article focuses on the student experience of taking part in a science outreach programme teaching science in prison in England, which was designed to build confidence in students who face challenges in accessing education pathways. Here, former students share their experiences of the programme, as well as other education courses in prison, and offer guidance on best practices for those engaging in outreach or research with the prison population. In particular, their reflections highlight that by creating and maintaining an environment that is accessible, inclusive and relatable, students from all backgrounds are able to engage in course content, and overcome hidden barriers to accessing education. Furthermore, based on their lived experience, the students offer practical advice with regard to improving future access to education in prison. The aim of this article is to give a voice to students in prison about their education experience, highlighting which aspects of this outreach programme (and other education courses) were impactful for them

Testing absolute plate reference frames and the implications for the generation of geodynamic mantle heterogeneity structure

International audienceAbsolute reference frames are a means of describing the motion of plates on the surface of the Earth over time, relative to a fixed point or “frame.” Multiple models of absolute plate motion have been proposed for the Cretaceous–Tertiary period, however, estimating the robustness and limitations of each model remains a significant limitation for refining both regional and global models of plate motion as well as fully integrated and time dependent geodynamic models. Here, we use a novel approach to compare five models of absolute plate motion in terms of their consequences for forward modelled deep mantle structure since at least 140 Ma. We show that the use of hotspots, either fixed or moving, or palaeomagnetics, with or without corrections for true-polar wander, leads to significant differences in palaeo-plate velocities of over 10 cm/yr as well as differences in the location of palaeo-plate boundaries of up to 30° in longitude and latitude. Furthermore, we suggest that first order differences in forward predicted mantle structure between the models are due mostly to differences in palaeo-plate velocities, whereas variation in the location of plate boundaries may contribute to smaller wavelength offsets. We present a global comparison of the absolute reference frames in terms of mantle structure, which we have tomographically filtered to reflect the resolution of the seismic tomography model S20RTS. At very long wavelengths hotspot models best reproduce the mantle structure. However, when geometry and the match of smaller-scale subducted slab volumes are compared, a hybrid model based on moving hotspots after 100 Ma and palaeomagnetic data before (with no corrections for true-polar wander), best reproduces the overall mantle structure of slab burial grounds, even though no single model fits best at all mantle depths. We find also that the published subduction reference frame tested here results in a modelled mantle structure that agrees well with S20RTS for depths > 2500 km, equivalent to subduction before the Cretaceous, but not for shallower depths. This indicates that a careful assimilation of hotspot, palaeomagnetic and seismic tomography data into future absolute plate motion models is required to derive a more robust subduction reference frame

Measuring educational efficiency at student level with parametric stochastic distance functions: an application to Spanish PISA results

The aim of the present paper is to examine the observed differences in Students’ test performance across public and private‐voucher schools in Spain. For this purpose, we explicitly consider that education is a multi‐input multi‐output production process subject to inefficient behaviors, which can be identified at student level using a parametric stochastic distance function approach. The empirical application of this model, based on Spanish data from the Programme for International Student Assessment implemented by the Organization for Economic Co‐operation and Development in 2003, allows us to identify different aspects of the underlying educational technology. Among other things, the results provide insights into how student background, peer group, school characteristics and personal circumstances interact with educational outputs. Moreover, our findings suggest that, once educational inputs and potential bias due to school choice endogeneity are taken into account, no further unexplained difference remains between students’ efficiency levels across public and private‐voucher schools.public schools, educational efficiency, stochastic frontier, distance function,