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This study investigates how affective and self-related factors impact participation in science learning and environmental awareness and responsibility. Using PISA 2006 datasets from Taiwan and Canada having similar level of science competency, the model for this study verifies and expands an earlier model by examining the relationships among science-related interest, enjoyment, self-efficacy, self-concept, leisure time engagement, and future intended interest in science and how these relationships synergistically interact with environmental awareness and responsibility. The most consistent finding revealed that students' science self-concept in both groups was weakly associated with future intended interest and engagement in science learning and with their sense of environmental awareness and responsibility. Reasons for this phenomenon and possible causes underlying why students' science self-concept was weakly connected to their future intended interest in science learning are also presented. Finally, how the results of this study are important to science education instruction and research are forwarded in which students' identity and beliefs about self in science need to part of the next generation of science education reforms.

In the wake of interest-study research in science education over the past 10 years, investigators have published many articles on how to define, measure, and develop students' interest in learning science. This present study approaches empirical investigations on students' interest in learning science from a different perspective. We argue that when three specific instructional strategies are combined, they form the "Interest Combustion Triangle" (ICT), which ignites and sustains interest in learning science among students who have grown cold toward science content. A future research agenda proposing a newly modified instructional strategy called the "K-W-L2-R Strategy Tool" for providing science teachers and research investigators with a practical method for operationalizing and testing the ICT within the classroom context is also proposed.

Planning for policy implementation is as important as the implementation itself. A policy's intent can be subverted by the way the policy is implemented, or when unanticipated outcomes take precedence over the true intent. This article presents three cases of specific instances of unintended outcomes from policy implementation and presents a model to assist educational reformers in minimizing the impact of unintended negative consequences. The article provides policy makers with a means to predict the full array of outcomes--both intended and unintended--when promoting educational reforms that affect the implementation of new practices and policies.

Communication theory suggests that interactive dialog rather than information transmission is necessary for climate change action, especially for complex systems like agriculture. Climate analogs—locations whose current climate is similar to a target location's future climate—have garnered recent interest as transmitting more relatable information; however, they have unexplored potential in facilitating meaningful dialogs, and whether the way the analogs are developed could make a difference. We developed climate context-specific analogs based on agriculturally-relevant climate metrics for US specialty crop production, and explored their potential for facilitating dialogs on climate adaptation options. Over 80% of US specialty crop counties had acceptable US analogs for the mid-twenty-first century, especially in the West and Northeast which had greater similarities in the crops produced across target-analog pairs. Western counties generally had analogs to the south, and those in other regions had them to the west. A pilot dialog of target-analog pairs showed promise in eliciting actionable adaptation insights, indicating potential value in incorporating analog-driven dialogs more broadly in climate change communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated whether gender differences were present on the confidence judgments made by 8th grade Taiwanese students on the accuracy of their responses to acid-base test items. A total of 147 (76 male, 71 female) students provided item-specific confidence judgments during a test of their knowledge of acids and bases. Using the correctness of the answer responses, a confidence rating score, an unweighted rating score, and a relative confidence rating score were calculated for each respondent. The correlations between the boys and girls for each score area showed girls as scoring higher than boys in their knowledge of acids and bases, were more confident in this knowledge, and more willing to express different levels of confidence among the test items.

This study investigated how the instruction of argumentation skills could be promoted by using an online argumentation system. This system entitled "Cognitive Apprenticeship Web-based Argumentation" (CAWA) system was based on cognitive apprenticeship model. One hundred eighty-nine fifth grade students took part in this study. A quasi-experimental design was adopted and qualitative and quantitative analyses were used to evaluate the effectiveness of this online system in measuring students' progress in learning argumentation. The results of this study showed that different teaching strategies had effects on students' use of argumentation in the topics of daily life and the concept of "vision." When the CAWA system was employed during the instruction and practice of argumentation on these two topics, the students' argumentation performance improved. Suggestions on how the CAWA system could be used to enhance the instruction of argumentation skills in science education were also discussed.

This study investigated the effects of exposure to pseudoscientific television (TV) programs upon Taiwanese citizens' pseudoscientific beliefs. The beliefs and practices of pseudoscience portrayed in the media may misguide the citizens in making life choices that may lead to negative consequences. Participants of this study included 2,024 individuals who were selected using probability proportional to size sampling method. Interviews were conducted and survey data were quantitatively analyzed by means of stepwise multiple regressions and reported with the use of cross tables. Results revealed exposure to pseudoscientific TV programs as a strong predictor of Taiwanese citizens' pseudoscientific beliefs and that younger citizens demonstrate more pseudoscientific beliefs and practices than older citizens. Researchers of this study proposed the need for making better use of mass media as a way to educate citizens about science and reduce pseudoscientific beliefs.

Response to Intervention (RtI) is a general education initiative that takes place prior to evaluation for placement in special education. Essentially, the first two tiers of RtI require general education teachers to use research-based instruction with all students and then to evaluate the effectiveness of that instruction. Given that the use of RtI as an assessment tool begins in the general education classroom, the following question remains: Are general educators aware of the development and implementation of RtI as a process for assessing and, eventually, possibly placing students into special education? The purpose of this study was to review the literature to answer the following two questions: (1) To what extent is RtI evident in the professional literature of educator groups (teachers, administrators, and teacher educators) who will be responsible for implementing these school practices? and (2) What is the nature of the published literature (concept papers, assessment practices, instructional practices, and research) on RtI? (Contains 2 tables.)

The importance of employment in society is unmistakable, but for many people sustained employment remains elusive. The unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities is staggering, and the consequences of being unemployed affects those individuals, their families, and society. The effects of performance feedback delivered via covert audio coaching on the job performance of supported employees were examined in this investigation. A multiple baseline design across employees and work tasks was used to evaluate the effects of the intervention on work performance. Supported employees made substantial improvements on their work performance, and the improvements maintained for 4 to 5 weeks following the removal of the intervention. The results have implications for the use of covert audio coaching in employment and other settings. (Contains 5 tables and 2 figures.)

Assessment systems are needed that are sensitive to employees' work performance as well as their need for support, while incorporating the input from both employees and their supervisors. This study examined the correspondence of one such evaluation system, the Job Observation and Behavior Scale (JOBS) and the JOBS: Opportunity for Self-Determination (JOBS: OSD), to establish whether performance and support evaluations administered by work supervisors would match self-determined perceptions of the same variables by sheltered and supported employees with disabilities. Results showed that JOBS ratings established by supervisors did not correspond closely to employees' self-determined ratings for any of the JOBS' subscales (Work-Required Daily Living Activities, Work-Required Behavior, and Work-Required Job Duties). Results also showed that employees consistently overestimated their work performance and underestimated their support needs relative to supervisors' ratings. These results suggest that major discrepancies exist between supervisors' and employees' perceptions of their work performance and support needs. These discrepancies may be important as job coaches, teachers, rehabilitation professionals, and employees and students with disabilities participate in employment preparation and transition planning. (Contains 3 tables.)

This study was designed to examine the effects of Literacy-Based Behavioral Interventions and social stories to improve the work behavior of employees with developmental disabilities. Two experiments were conducted. In the first experiment a multiple baseline across subjects was used to examine the effects of the intervention on employees' requests for materials and supplies, and any resulting improvements in their work engagement. The second experiment employed a multiple baseline across time periods, with an embedded ABAB design, to assess whether the intervention would increase independence and improve "on-time" return-to-work. Results showed that employees with developmental disabilities made substantial improvements in their work behavior as a result of the Literacy-Based Behavioral Intervention, and similar improvements were observed in co-workers as well. (Contains 3 tables and 4 figures.)

This paper presents the results of a case study involving 282 Taiwanese elementary science teachers at the elementary level. These teachers provided responses to the science efficacy instrument (STEBI-A) and also provided personal data regarding how their years of general (YTE) and science (YTS) teaching experience may have influenced student achievement in science. Researchers used two multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to investigate the interaction and influence of YTE and YTS upon the personal science teaching efficacy (PSTE) and science teaching outcome expectations (STOE) of these teachers. The results advocate the position that the years of general teaching experience of elementary science teachers in Taiwan have a significantly greater impact upon their personal science teaching efficacy and science teaching outcome expectations than years of teaching science. This evidence calls into question whether Bandura and Tschannen-Moran's view of teacher efficacy as both context and subject matter specific at the elementary level can be applied to Taiwan elementary teachers who teach science. The results of this study should benefit educators and policy-makers with respect to future elementary teacher education throughout Taiwan and other developing nations.

Supervision and coaching strategies that provide immediate feedback can help improve instruction for novice teachers. In this study, feedback was provided to teachers using "bug-in-ear" technology to coach them to deliver effective instructional interactions: "learn units." Three novice teachers in K-8 classrooms with students with disabilities including emotional disorders, autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and developmental delays participated in the study. Results from the multiple-baseline design showed that the rate and accuracy of effective teaching behaviors increased when in-class feedback was delivered via the electronic "bugs." For two of the three teachers, these increases maintained when the instructional feedback was faded. This study extends previous research and suggests an effective coaching supervision strategy for novice teachers. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

Involvement of students and adult employees into the decisions that affect their education and employment can improve their transition into supported employment. One means for increasing involvement into these decisions is to gain their input into performance evaluations and support needs. The "Job Observation and Behavior Scale: Opportunity for Self-Determination" is an assessment designed to obtain such input from the perspective of students preparing for, and employees participating in, supported employment. This article presents the role of the scale in obtaining student and employee input into their own work performance and support needs; it summarizes the development and technical properties of the instrument; and it describes how this instrument can promote the self-determination of students and adult employees with disabilities. (Contains 6 tables.)

The continuing shortage of special education teachers, combined with increased ideological critiques of teacher education programs, has spurred the growth of alternative models of teacher preparation. Only recently have professional standards for alternative models been proposed. This paper summarizes two years of a program based on professional standards. External influences, internal design, and implementation elements are presented. Results suggest that there is value in distinguishing between the effectiveness of alternative programs and their success. (Contains 3 tables.)

Preparing people with disabilities for employment is an important task. Many individuals have difficulty learning and performing employment skills without support or guidance. This article describes how literacy-based behavioral interventions (LBBIs), instructional interventions that use print or pictures as an instructional medium, can help teachers, job coaches, and employers who work with individuals with disabilities encourage positive work behaviors. One popular example of an LBBI is a Social Story. Social stories are short individually written stories that describe a situation, skill, or concept to help improve understanding. Historically, educators used Social Stories as a behavior management technique, typically for children with autism. Although literature supports the use of these stories for children with autism, very few studies examine how literacy-based interventions may be useful for individuals with other types of disabilities or how they might be useful as an intervention in vocational or employment settings. (Contains 2 tables.)

Educators will face a variety of ethical and moral dilemmas throughout their teaching careers; however, they do not have a common board that governs its members' ethical behavior. Instead, there are numerous educational organizations that have written their own specific codes for ethical behavior. The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) has developed a code of ethics for educators who work with persons with exceptionalities. Additionally, the National Education Association (NEA) has developed a code of ethics for educators with various roles in the profession. Resolving ethical dilemmas requires difficult educational decisions that do not always have a clear-cut "right" answer. In this article, the authors present several short vignettes of ethical dilemmas that both veteran and novice teachers have faced. The authors then ask readers to consider the possible solutions for these examples and ask them what they would do if faced with similar situation. Finally, the authors analyze each vignette using either the NEA's and CEC's code of ethics, identify ethical indicators that cover the situation, and propose a solution for each dilemma based on the code. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

Paraprofessionals are an important part of the instructional team for students with disabilities. The primary job duties for most paraprofessionals included making copies, monitoring students during lunch, and taking attendance. Today, their jobs look more like those of teachers: Paraprofessionals help with instructional tasks and sometimes teach small groups of students. Paraprofessionals working in special education settings sometimes spend the entire school day providing support in a broad range of academic areas to a student with disabilities. Lasater et al. emphasized knowledge and skills about instructional strategies and learning strategies as an important area for paraprofessional training and development. As part of a university/community college/district initiative to support paraprofessionals, the authors implemented a professional development series to teach them to use learning strategies. Because activity-based training can enhance the skills of paraprofessionals, especially when such training is combined with fieldwork, their program combined these two elements. In a 2-day make-and-take workshop, 25 paraprofessionals learned how to develop and teach learning strategies to the students with whom they work. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

This study investigated effects of an audiotape self evaluation intervention on the instructional behavior of three student teacher interns in classrooms for students with various developmental disabilities. A multiple baseline design was used to evaluate the intervention. Results indicated a positive effect on all interns' use of specific social praise. Generalization probes indicated two of three interns increased their use of specific social praise in non-targeted content areas. Maintenance probes indicated all interns' average use of specific social praise was well above baseline. Implications for teacher educators and classroom teachers of students with developmental disabilities are discussed. (Contains 2 figures and 1 table.)

This article presents the role of the Job Observation and Behavior Scale (JOBS) in promoting objective employee performance evaluations and summarizes the technical properties of the instrument. JOBS is designed to be sensitive to both the work performance and support needs of people who participate in supported employment. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

A study examined the effects of a video-based intervention combining self-assessment, self-modeling, discrimination training, and behavioral rehearsal on two sets of parents' interactions with their children with autism during self-care tasks and social play with their siblings. The intervention increased parents' social prompts and altered parental assistance during children's tasks. (Author/CR)

Describes the Team Environmental Assessment Mapping System (TEAMS), a practical tool for inventorying the environmental demands that a student faces, while also mapping the social influences that drive or hinder a student's performance in those environments. A sample TEAMS map for an adolescent with Down syndrome is provided. (CR)

This study investigated effects of multiple-component behavioral self-management (BSM) interventions on math fluency and engaged time of five fourth-grade students with and without disabilities in general education classrooms. Students increased their math fluency and engaged time, and these continued to improve when the self-management interventions were faded. Improved skills were also generalized to math word problems. (Author/DB)