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Descriptors:
Teaching Methods; Outdoor Education; Environmental Education; Social Science Research; Reflection; Ethnography; Moral Values; Conservation (Environment)

Abstract:
The use of autoethnography in social science research is becoming increasingly popular. The potential this research approach might offer to the theory and practice of outdoor education has yet to be fully examined. In this paper, autoethnography is used to explore some personal accounts of my own outdoor experiences from which I derive distinctive meanings. Data emerge from an extended solo journey by canoe and sea kayak, and a dialectical index is presented to distinguish between two ways of characterising outdoor experiences (adventurous and contemplative). These experiences are then used to contextualise myself, and some ideas, within a wider social world. The paper indicates how environmental philosophy and scientific evidence provide a moral imperative that might act as a guide for outdoor practice. It is argued that such practice must be ontologically grounded in order to explore the possibilities of outdoor experiences in providing moral impulses. The opportunity to think beyond the self also indicates how an autoethnographic lens can provide an approach to teaching and learning to stimulate reflective practice. The findings are presented as exploratory because they invite educators to consider how outdoor experiences might stimulate pro-environmental behaviour both in themselves and in their learners. (Contains 3 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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Descriptors:
Academic Achievement; Educational Policy; Racial Composition; Social Science Research; Elementary Schools; Secondary Schools; Age Differences; Effect Size; Minority Group Students; Meta Analysis; Outcomes of Education; Educational Environment; Racial Differences; Socioeconomic Status; At Risk Students; Grade Point Average; African American Students; Hispanic American Students; White Students; High School Students; Middle School Students; Elementary School Students; Grades (Scholastic)

Abstract:
Recently published social science research suggests that students attending schools with concentrations of disadvantaged racial minority populations achieve less academic progress than their otherwise comparable counterparts in more racially balanced or integrated schools, but to date no meta-analysis has estimated the effect size of school racial composition on mathematics outcomes. This metaregression analysis reviewed the social science literature published in the past 20 years on the relationship between mathematics outcomes and the racial composition of the K-12 schools students attend. The authors employed a two-level hierarchical linear model to analyze the 25 primary studies with 98 regression effects. Results indicate that school racial isolation has a small statistically significant negative effect on overall building-level mathematics outcomes. This relationship is moderated by the size of the sample in the study and by the way the independent variable was operationalized. Although it is small, the effect size is substantively meaningful. The effects are stronger in secondary compared to elementary grades, and racial gaps widen as students age. The emergence and widening of the race gaps as students move through the grades suggest that the association of racial segregation with mathematics performance compounds over time. Implications for educational policy and future research are discussed. (Contains 6 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:
Ethnic Groups; Social Science Research; Evaluation Methods; Behavioral Science Research; Likert Scales; Research Methodology; College Students; Student Attitudes; Test Bias; African American Students; Hispanic American Students; White Students; Racial Differences; Psychometrics; Probability

Abstract:
Though ubiquitous, Likert scaling's traditional mode of analysis is often unable to uncover all of the valid information in a data set. Here, the authors discuss a solution to this problem based on methodology developed by quantum physicists: the state multipole method. The authors demonstrate the relative ease and value of this method by examining college students' endorsement of one possible cause of prejudice: segregation. Though the mean level of students' endorsement did not differ among ethnic groups, an examination of state multipoles showed that African Americans had a level of polarization in their endorsement that was not reflected by Hispanics or European Americans. This result could not have been obtained with the traditional approach and demonstrates the new method's utility for social science research. (Contains 2 tables, 5 figures and 3 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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Descriptors:
Immigrants; Surveys; Social Work; Social Science Research; Anglo Americans; Whites; Stranger Reactions; Intergroup Relations; Cultural Awareness; Foreign Countries; Limited English Speaking; Employment; Psychological Patterns; Attitudes; Ethnic Groups; Context Effect; Social Discrimination

Abstract:
Using survey data from 1,036 participants, which included 4 immigrant groups, we examined the factors that influence immigrants' experiences as they interact with nonimmigrant Americans. Logistic and multinomial regression results indicate that non-European immigrants were more likely to report negative experiences with Americans. The odds of reporting negative interactions were lower for African than for Hispanic immigrants. Immigrants who have lived in the United States for 10 years or longer and immigrants who have been involved in community activities were more likely to report negative interactions. Immigrants with employment, perception of lack of cultural understanding, and limited English proficiency also reported positive interaction. The study reinforces the need for social workers to facilitate intergroup relations among diverse populations. (Contains 3 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:
Social Science Research; Instructional Leadership; Educational Administration; Educational Research; Research Needs; Criticism; Research and Development; Theory Practice Relationship; Commercialization; Neoliberalism

Abstract:
This concluding paper examines the contributions in this Guest Issue by locating them within the ongoing debates about the role and contribution of social science research, particularly through the production of journals. Set in the context of on-going attacks on the relevance of social science research and the failure to respond to major crises that affect us all, I argue that the field of educational leadership is an important site for showing the dangers of becoming relevant and accepting that a constructed crisis is a crisis. I argue for intellectual work within the field of educational leadership, and use the critical and socially critical traditions to illuminate this. The papers in this Guest Issue are located in these traditions, and so I examine the contribution made through problematising educational leadership, examining the realities of working lives in schools and conceptualising alternative ways of thinking about professional practice. 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:
Content Analysis; Educational Research; Citations (References); Natural Disasters; Research Reports; Bibliographies; Social Science Research; Qualitative Research; Statistical Analysis; Literature Reviews; Research Utilization; Public Policy; Emergency Programs; Emergency Shelters; Crisis Management; Weather; Risk Management; Psychological Patterns; Emotional Response; Social Environment; Children; Adults; Research Methodology; Business; Schools; Public Health; Government Role; Community Development; Bibliometrics

Abstract:
There, undoubtedly, will be a flurry of research activity in the "Superstorm" Sandy impact area on a myriad of disaster-related topics, across academic disciplines. The purpose of this study was to review the disaster research related specifically to hurricanes in the educational and social sciences that would best serve as a compendium bibliography for researchers, academic faculty, and policymakers in the Hurricane Sandy impact area. To that end, this study, based on a content analysis procedure, identified key articles on hurricanes based on the extant literature indexed in the database PsycINFO. Of the 1,408 references identified, 1000 were scholarly qualitative and quantitative research articles. The author developed a bibliography of 100 key citations to articles, categorized across select topical areas, based on issues central to investigatory efforts following natural disasters. Future research should recommend research designs that address specific concerns of both researchers and policymakers in high-impact, heavily populated areas of the U.S. susceptible to major tropical storm or hurricane damage. (Contains 1 table.) 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:
Well Being; Developed Nations; Older Adults; Interdisciplinary Approach; Social Science Research; Information Technology; Computer System Design; Research Needs; Research Methodology; Social Indicators; Sociometric Techniques; Public Policy; Quality of Life; Comparative Analysis; Cross Cultural Studies; International Cooperation; Aging (Individuals)

Abstract:
This paper focuses on three main subjects: (1) monitoring quality of life (QoL) in old age; (2) international and interdisciplinary collaboration for QoL research; and (3) computer-based technology and infrastructure assisting (1) and (2). This type of computer-supported cooperative work in the social sciences has been termed eHumanities or eSocial Science. Although QoL issues matter for all ages, given the size of population aging and the demographic outlook of developed countries, QoL in old age is one of the most pressing issues to study (Walker and Mollenkopf in Quality of life in old age: international and multi-disciplinary perspectives, Springer, The Netherlands, 2007). Despite the recognized need for good measurement methods in QoL (e.g., Stiglitz et al. in The measurement of economic performance and social progress revisited. progress revisited. OFCE working documents, Observatoire Francais des Conjonctures Economiques (OFCE), Paris, 2009), effective mechanisms allowing cross-country comparisons are still rare. In the context of QoL or human well-being research and measurement, one of the most influential concepts is the capability approach (CA). Yet, the operationalization of the CA has long been one of the serious challenges faced by capabilities and quality of life researchers. As regards to this issue, we argue that modern technology has the potential to provide ample tools for enhancing the measurement of human well-being, and facilitating large-scale collaborative research on the QoL. This paper demonstrates a methodology, procedures, and tools that we have developed, based on the new technologies designed and developed for both governmental and intergovernmental (OECD) sponsored assessments and that are ready to be used for QoL analysis. We propose a viable alternative for facilitating international and interdisciplinary research collaboration to develop a methodology and a dashboard of indicators to monitor the progress of human well-being over the years and to formalize its multidimensional measure for international comparisons 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:
Foreign Countries; Formative Evaluation; Higher Education; Feedback (Response); Semi Structured Interviews; Hermeneutics; Phenomenology; Case Method (Teaching Technique); Individual Activities; Social Environment; Theories; Social Science Research; Cultural Activities; Educational Practices; Program Effectiveness

Abstract:
Formative assessment is a pedagogic practice that has been the subject of much research and debate, as to how it can be used most effectively to deliver enhanced student learning in the higher education setting. Often described as a complex concept it embraces activities that range from facilitating students understanding of assessment standards, to providing formative feedback on their work; from very informal opportunities of engaging in conversations, to the very formal process of submitting drafts of work. This study aims to show how cultural historical activity theory can be used as a qualitative analysis framework to explore the complexities of formative assessment as it is used in higher education. The original data for the research was collected in 2008 by semi structured interviews and analysed using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. For this present paper three selected transcripts were re-examined, using a case study approach that sought to understand and compare the perceptions of five academic staff, from three distinct subject areas taught within a UK university. It is proposed that using activity theory can provide insight into the complexity of such experiences, about what teachers do and why, and the influence of the community in which they are situated. Individually the cases from each subject area were analysed using activity theory exploring how the mediating artefacts of formative assessment were used; the often implicit rules that governed their use and the roles of teachers and students within the local subject community. The analysis also considered the influence each aspect of the unit of activity had on the other in understanding formative assessment practice. Subsequently the three subject cases were compared and contrasted. The findings illuminate a variety of practices, including how students and staff engage together in formative assessment activities and for some, how dialogue is used as one of the key tools to do this. In conclusion, activity theory is considered a useful methodological framework both from a research perspective, as in this paper, and one that can be used as a tool for the reflective practitioner to promote change in pedagogic practices. (Contains 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:
Social Problems; Problem Solving; Communication Research; Sociocultural Patterns; Cultural Context; Ethnography; Program Design; Case Studies; Social Science Research; Instructional Design; Peace

Abstract:
Designing solutions to social problems requires some degree of interpretive accountability to the sociocultural systems in which design solutions must live. Our case studies show how ethnography of communication research generates distinctive resources for design. (Contains 5 notes.)

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Descriptors:
Climate; Active Learning; Scientific Research; Social Sciences; Social Science Research; Environmental Education; STEM Education; Inquiry; Student Participation; Sociology; Literacy; College Science; Interdisciplinary Approach

Abstract:
Promoting sustainability and dealing with complex environmental problems like climate change demand a citizenry with considerable scientific and quantitative literacy. In particular, students in the STEM disciplines of (biophysical) science, technology, engineering, and mathematics need to develop interdisciplinary skills that help them understand the social dynamics of environmental problems and solutions. To this end, this study examines how participation in a semester-long inquiry-based learning project that involves sociological research on climate change beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors enhances the scientific and quantitative literacies of STEM students. The results suggest that participation in a sociological inquiry-based learning project helps STEM students to (a) improve their knowledge of scientific and statistical principles and processes, (b) hone their scientific research skills, and (c) gain respect for sociology specifically and social science more generally. While the inquiry-based learning project described here deals with climate change, educators can adapt it to deal with other environmental social science research topics (e.g., water use, energy conservation, food security, sustainability). (Contains 1 figure and 5 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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