Learning science: Sociocultural Dimensions of Intellectual Engagement

This paper takes a sociocultural perspective as it addresses the problem of engaging all students in learning science, in contrast to a companion (ASERA ’02) paper where I address the issue in relation to psychological issues, both papers arising from the same set of research studies in science education. In both cases I am asserting that the interaction between the teacher and student is critical in either engaging or alienating students, and, in this paper will address the language aspects of the relationship. Seen in the light of sociocultural, including sociolinguistic, theories, my research findings imply that `science literacy’ could usefully be reconceptualised as the learning of a discourse, or as the learning of a literacy or language—as literacy or language teachers might define these. This paper addresses the development of science literacy as a process of situated learning within a meaningful social context, what Lemke (1995) called an "ecosocial system". From this perspective, learning science is the learning of a discourse. This includes becoming familiar with genres but not in isolation from meaningful community practice. I conclude that if science is seen as a distinct discourse practice, then this has implications for the learning and teaching of science and for teacher education

Do crowded classrooms crowd out learning?

The concern that learning performance may be adversely affected by increased class size appears to be unfounded. But unchecked, the negative peer effect could hinder student achievement.Education Bangladesh ,School children Food ,Nutrition programs ,Food aid ,

Do crowded classrooms crowd out learning?

The concern that learning performance may be adversely affected by increased class size appears to be unfounded. But unchecked, the negative peer effect could hinder student achievement.Education Bangladesh ,School children Food ,Nutrition programs ,Food aid ,

An Investigation of Waste Glass-Based Geopolymers Supplemented with Alumina

An increased consideration of sustainability throughout society has resulted in a surge of research investigating sustainable alternatives to existing construction materials. A new binder system, called a geopolymer, is being investigated to supplement ordinary portland cement (OPC) concrete, which has come under scrutiny because of the CO2 emissions inherent in its production. Geopolymers are produced from the alkali activation of a powdered aluminosilicate source by an alkaline solution, which results in a dense three-dimensional matrix of tetrahedrally linked aluminosilicates. Geopolymers have shown great potential as a building construction material, offering similar mechanical and durability properties to OPC. Additionally, geopolymers have the added value of a considerably smaller carbon footprint than OPC. This research considered the compressive strength, microstructure and composition of geopolymers made from two types of waste glass with varying aluminum contents. Waste glass shows great potential for mainstream use in geopolymers due to its chemical and physical homogeneity as well as its high content of amorphous silica, which could eliminate the need for sodium silicate. However, the lack of aluminum is thought to negatively affect the mechanical performance and alkali stability of the geopolymer system. Mortars were designed using various combinations of glass and metakaolin or fly ash to supplement the aluminum in the system. Mortar made from the high-Al glass (12% Al2O3) reached over 10,000 psi at six months. Mortar made from the low-Al glass (\u3c1% Al2O3) did not perform as well and remained sticky even after several weeks of curing, most likely due to the lack of Al which is believed to cause hardening in geopolymers. A moderate metakaolin replacement (25-38% by mass) was found to positively affect the compressive strength of mortars made with either type of glass. Though the microstructure of the mortar was quite indicative of mechanical performance, composition was also found to be important. The initial stoichiometry of the bulk mixture was maintained fairly closely, especially in mixtures made with fine glass. This research has shown that glass has great potential for use in geopolymers, when care is given to consider the compositional and physical properties of the glass in mixture design

Effect of Certain Mouthwashes on the Number of Oral Bacteria

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66986/2/10.1177_00220345370160060601.pd

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES FOR MANAGING SOCIAL CAPITAL IN THE ERA OF PANDEMIC: A CASE STUDY OF PUBLIC JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

This study examined innovative approaches for managing social capital in Public Junior Secondary Schools in the era of the pandemic in Rivers State, Nigeria. Two (2) research questions and two (2) hypotheses were postulated to guide this study. The study adopted the descriptive survey design. The population of the study comprised all the Public Junior Secondary Schools in Rivers State, Nigeria. A sample of 378 respondents representing 56% of the population, served as the study respondents. This sample was selected using the stratified random sampling technique. A validated Likert-modified 4-scale 16-item instrument titled: ‘Innovative approaches for managing social capital in Public Junior Secondary Schools in the era of pandemic questionnaire (IAMSCPJSSEPQ)’ was used for data collection and its reliability coefficient was established at 0.80 and 0.85 using the Cronbach Alpha Correlation coefficient. Mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the research questions while the z-test statistics were used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of this study revealed that understanding the context and responding rapidly to all identified concerns by creating and intensifying attendance monitoring processes for all students; building and strengthening relationships for learning by adopting teaching methods relevant during the era of the Covid-19 pandemic are some innovative approaches for managing social capital in Public Junior Secondary Schools in the era of pandemic in Rivers State, Nigeria. Based on these findings, the researchers recommended that Rivers State government should endeavour to champion the course of initiating proactive innovative approaches for principals, vice principals and teachers of Public Junior Secondary Schools, aimed at managing social capital with regard to the effects of Covid-19 pandemic on the learning activities and relationships in Public Schools in Rivers State.  Article visualizations

EXTENT OF IMPLEMENTATION OF AUDITING GUIDELINES FOR ASSETS IN FINANCIAL REPORTING IN TERTIARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN SOUTH EAST, NIGERIA

This study determined the extent of implementation of auditing guidelines for assets in financial reporting in tertiary educational institutions in South-East, Nigeria. Two research questions guided the study and four null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Related literature pertinent to the study were reviewed which exposed the need for the study. Descriptive survey research design was adopted, using a population of 1,405 accounting officers. Taro Yamane formula was utilized to select a sample size of 311. A structured questionnaire developed by the researchers was used for data collection. Cronbach Alpha was used to establish the reliability of the instrument. The reliability index obtained was r = 0.81 and 0.80. Data collected were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, t-test and ANOVA. Mean was used to answer the research questions and standard deviation was used to explain how the responses of the respondents varied. ANOVA and t-test were used to test the hypotheses. The results showed that audit guidelines for fixed assets and disposal of fixed assets were moderately implemented by account officers in financial reporting in tertiary educational institutions. The results also showed that there was no significant difference in the mean ratings of account officers based on type and ownership of institutions. Based on the findings, the researchers recommended among others, that the management of tertiary educational institutions should, as a matter of urgency emboss the institutions’ names on all assets and update fixed asset registers thereon to safeguard all assets against pilfering and other unauthorized uses.  Article visualizations

Fusion of Sendai virus with the target cell membrane is required for T cell cytotoxicity

INFECTION of mice with viruses can generate cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) which show restricted specificity for target cell lysis. Specific lysis requires that the virus used to prime the target cells must be of the same type as that used to sensitise the CTL, and that both target and CTL cells must express the same major histocompatability complex (MHC) gene product(s). The nature of the viral gene product(s) and their interaction with the MHC gene product(s) have been the subject of recent stud1−5. Previously we used Sendai virus to show that lysable target cells can be obtained using membrane vesicles which contain only the viral glycoproteins, indicating that these may be the specific viral gene products involved in target formation5. Sendai virus contains two glycoproteins—the haemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HANA) which promotes attachment of virus to cells and the fusion protein (F) which is involved in subsequent virus cell fusion7−9. Both activities are necessary for insertion of these viral glycoproteins into the plasma membrane of the cell10. In this letter we suggest that the insertion of the viral glycoproteins into the cell membrane is an essential step in target cell formation since we can show that virus containing an inactive fusion protein precursor (F0) cannot elicit T cell cytotoxicity unless the fusion activity is generated by proteolytic cleavage of the precursor. Sugamura et al. 6 have suggested that it is primarily the F glycoprotein of the Sendai virus envelope which is essential for the formation of the target antigen, as virus lacking the functional activities of F following trypsin digestion was inactive in priming target cells for T cell killing. However, we show that proteolytic inactivation of either of the two glycoproteins (F or HANA) of virus used to prime target cells will abolish the cytotoxic response