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Descriptors:
Geometry; World Problems; Physical Geography; Geometric Concepts; Mathematics; Mathematics Instruction; Mathematics Education; Mathematics Curriculum; Problem Solving; Mathematical Concepts; Professional Personnel; Motion

Abstract:
For students who have difficulty envisioning how the mathematics that they are learning is used outside the classroom, an adventure as field mathematicians can be enlightening. Measuring stream discharge is a field experience that allows students to engage in a hands-on (and boots-on) real-world, problem-solving activity and that integrates mathematics with physical geography. The term "stream discharge" refers to the volume of water per second that passes a cross-sectional plane on a stream. It is perhaps the most important way that a scientist can describe the size of a stream. The overarching goal of this activity is to have students connect familiar fundamental mathematical concepts and develop a method to solve a sophisticated, real-world problem. The mathematical content includes the important topic of modeling real-world phenomena; flexibility in understanding how the dimensions of width, depth, distance, and time can be combined to express velocity, area, and stream discharge; and a practical application of summation notation to find the area of the irregularly shaped cross section of the streambed by partitioning it into smaller rectangles. Students must first understand what it means to measure the discharge of a stream, devise a method to measure the discharge, and then implement their plan. Finally, they reflect on their result and interpret it in a concrete manner. (Contains 5 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Information Sources; Internet; Protocol Analysis; Information Literacy; Scientific and Technical Information; Physical Geography; Information Retrieval; Reading Comprehension; Critical Reading; Cognitive Processes; Achievement Gains; Pretests Posttests; Undergraduate Students

Abstract:
Readers increasingly attempt to understand and learn from information sources they find on the Internet. Doing so highlights the crucial role that evaluative processes play in selecting and making sense of the information. In a prior study, Wiley et al. (2009, Experiment 1) asked undergraduates to perform a web-based inquiry task about volcanoes using multiple Internet sources. A major finding established a clear link between learning outcomes, source evaluations, and reading behaviors. The present study used think-aloud protocol methodology to better understand the processing that learners engaged in during this task: 10 better learners were contrasted with 11 poorer learners. Results indicate that better learners engaged in more sense-making, self-explanation, and comprehension-monitoring processes on reliable sites as compared with unreliable sites, and did so by a larger margin than did poorer learners. Better learners also engaged in more goal-directed navigation than poorer learners. Case studies of two better and two poorer learners further illustrate how evaluation processes contributed to navigation decisions. Findings suggest that multiple-source comprehension is a dynamic process that involves interplay among sense-making, monitoring, and evaluation processes, all of which promote strategic reading. (Contains 7 tables and 1 note.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Field Trips; Human Geography; Grade 5; Geography Instruction; Physical Geography; Field Experience Programs; Student Experience; Student Teacher Attitudes; Field Studies; Pretests Posttests; Expectation; Participant Satisfaction; Foreign Countries; Program Effectiveness; Qualitative Research; Preservice Teacher Education

Abstract:
The aim of this study is to establish expectations of 5th grade students from Marmara University's Department of Geography Teaching on geographical field study in Western Anatolia. For this reason, a field study trip was organized to Western Anatolia. A survey, which was consisted of open-ended questions, was prepared by experts and it was conducted on students before and after the study. The survey revealed that 32.2% of the expectations were related to physical geography, 23.1% to human geography and 44.7% to economic geography. The accumulated data were analyzed using descriptive analysis technique. In conclusion, expectations of students were substantially satisfied after field study. After the fieldwork experience, 67.8% of student expectations were fully met, 7.1% of them were partially met, while 25.1% of their expectations were not fulfilled. It was also established that the rate of fulfilled expectations related to economic and human geography was higher than those related to physical geography. The findings were interpreted and suggestions were made concerning the issue. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Secondary School Students; Foreign Countries; Natural Resources; Occupational Aspiration; Career Choice; Environmental Education; Student Attitudes; Student Recruitment; Universities; Agricultural Education; Rural Areas; Urban Areas; Qualitative Research; Questionnaires; Likert Scales; Photography; School Role; Futures (of Society); Physical Geography; Visual Aids

Abstract:
In 2007, a study titled "Living in the landscapes of the 21st century" was conducted in 11 high schools in metropolitan and rural Victoria. The research team investigated Year 10 students' conceptions of landscapes in order to explore their understandings of natural resource management (NRM), including agriculture, food, land and water management. The aim of the project was to consider how students' career and future aspirations connected with their understandings of landscape futures. There was no discernible difference in the results for metropolitan and rural students with the majority of students expressing a generalised concern for the environment; however, this concern did not translate into career insights associated with NRM. The researchers concluded that there is a need for a stronger emphasis on NRM education as it relates to essential life-sustaining services for all citizens. In addition, it is suggested that university recruitment strategies utilise word selection/description and visual imagery associated with landscapes in order to engage future managers of our natural resources. (Contains 2 figures, 2 tables, and 2 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Marketing; Research; Comparative Analysis; Experiments; Physical Geography; Earth Science; Brainstorming; Problem Solving; Hypothesis Testing; Causal Models; Research Design; Research Methodology; Science Process Skills; Reinforcement

Abstract:
The reaction that occurs when Mentos are added to bottled soft drinks has become a staple demonstration in earth science courses to explain how volcanoes erupt. This paper presents how this engaging exercise can be used in a marketing research course to provide hands-on experience with problem formation, hypothesis testing, and causal research. A detailed description of the process is provided, including a preliminary think-pair-share activity, hypothesis development, experimental design, and execution. Postmortem discussion guidelines that reinforce the linkage between the activity and course learning objectives are included. (Contains 1 figure and 2 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Educational Strategies; Speech Communication; Communication Skills; Experiential Learning; Group Instruction; Cooperative Learning; Physical Geography; Audio Equipment; Information Dissemination; Handheld Devices; Distance Education; Electronic Learning; Independent Study; Language Skills; Questionnaires; Foreign Countries; Undergraduate Students; Social Problems; Environmental Influences; Computer Software; Interviews; Student Evaluation; Feedback (Response)

Abstract:
The emergence of user-friendly technologies has made podcasting an accessible learning tool in undergraduate teaching. In a geomorphology course, student-produced podcasts were used as part of the assessment in 2008-2010. Student groups constructed radio shows aimed at a general audience to interpret and communicate geomorphological data within the context of relevant social and environmental issues. Questionnaire results suggest that the novel format engaged students, and promoted group working, IT, language and oral communication skills, and a deeper understanding of the context of geomorphic data. For teachers, podcasting technology offers efficient teaching of oral communication, with opportunities for distance and self-directed learning. (Contains 4 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Distance Education; Physical Geography; Foreign Countries; Geography Instruction; Access to Education; Universities; Comparative Analysis; Grades (Scholastic); Undergraduate Study; Academic Achievement; Undergraduate Students; Geographic Location; Program Descriptions; Course Descriptions; Statistical Analysis; Educational Quality; Quality Control

Abstract:
Enormous distances across the vast South Pacific hinder student access to the main Fiji campus of the regional tertiary education provider, the University of the South Pacific (USP). Fortunately, USP has been a pioneer in distance education (DE) and promotes multi-modal delivery of programmes. Geography has embraced DE, but doubts remain about comparability of various modes of study. This paper offers a diachronic examination of final grade performance of undergraduate physical geography students learning via three different modes. Data collected over 10 years on the pass rates of greater than 1300 students are analysed. Various influences on student achievement are highlighted. (Contains 9 notes, 7 tables, and 2 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Evidence; Undergraduate Students; Student Attitudes; Physical Geography; Climate; Misconceptions; Credibility; Measures (Individuals); Introductory Courses; Interdisciplinary Approach; Science Instruction; Science Education; College Science; Instructional Effectiveness; Pretests Posttests; Comparative Analysis; Time; Weather

Abstract:
Overcoming students' misconceptions may be a challenge when teaching about phenomena such as climate change. Students tend to cite short-term weather effects as evidence to support or refute long-term climate transformations, which displays a fundamental misunderstanding about weather and climate distinctions. Confusion about weather and climate may also reflect student misunderstanding about deep time, a concept that spans several scientific content areas. This study examines the relationships between students' understanding of deep time and their understandings of the distinctions between weather and climate, as well as how these understandings influence students' perceptions about the plausibility of human-induced global climate change. Undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory science class on global climate change completed measures of their (a) understanding of distinctions between weather and climate, (b) knowledge of deep time, and (c) plausibility perceptions of human-induced climate change, both at the beginning and end of the course. The study includes comparison groups of similar students enrolled in introductory physical geography classes. Results revealed that greater knowledge of deep time and increased plausibility perceptions of human-induced climate change provide significant explanation of variance in students' understanding of weather and climate distinctions. Furthermore, students achieve significantly increased understanding of weather and climate, even with brief instruction. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Direct Instruction; Cartography; Elementary Secondary Education; World Geography; Human Geography; Academic Achievement; Classes (Groups of Students); Physical Geography; Geography Instruction; Higher Education; Community Colleges; Two Year College Students; Comparative Analysis; Attendance; English Language Learners; Native Speakers; Educational Technology; Multimedia Instruction

Abstract:
In this study done at a community college in South Florida, the achievements of students who spoke English as their second language who had attended their K-12 education outside the United States in their home countries, in a U.S. college course on world geography are compared with the achievements of students in the same classes who spoke English as their first language and who had attended their K-12 education in U.S. schools. It is important to mention that 25% of the students who had attended their K-12 education in U.S. schools in this research were taking college classes at the same time they were studying at high school. In order to help level the playing field for both groups of students, the courses, which were 29 classes each, were taught in a classroom setting using visual computerized technology including PowerPoint presentations, DVDs, virtual fieldtrips, and online exploration of geographic data to explain all points of pedagogical interest instead of relying solely on direct instruction based on the textbooks used for these classes. Attendance was taken orally by the researcher for each class and these attendance sheets were the basis for determining student participation. Only students who attended all or all but one of the classes were included in the study. One of the important components of this study was the exposure of the students to highly visual and, hence, contextual, classroom lessons. The results of this research show no significant difference between the rates of achievement of the two groups, a resounding success in and of itself, given the difference in language proficiency levels of non-U.S.- and U.S.-educated students, although there are two interesting anomalies. There are very slight, non-statistically significant indications of superior achievement by the non-U.S.-educated students in human geography, cartography, and overall scores, and very slight, non-statistically significant indications of superior achievement by the U.S.-educated students in physical geography. (Contains 2 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Higher Education; Educational Research; Researchers; College Faculty; Postsecondary Education as a Field of Study; Personal Narratives; Educational Policy; College Instruction; Interdisciplinary Approach; World Views; Figurative Language; Physical Geography

Abstract:
Ever since he stumbled into doing higher education research as a young academic in the 1980s, the author has been trying to understand it as a "field" of study. His career, as a former business lecturer, then an academic developer and now an associate professor for higher education working in an Education Faculty has given him opportunities to see it from different angles. Hence, in many respects, the map the author presents in this article says as much about his own background and experiences as a higher education researcher as about the field more generally. The main point he is seeking to make through the map is the way in which higher education research is crudely split between policy-based and teaching- and learning-oriented researchers who rarely, in his experience, have much awareness of each others' scholarship. (Contains 1 figure.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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