Statement Of Ideas Research Articles

Improving Middle-Grade Students' Reading and Writing of Expository Text

AbstractStudents in the middle grades have difficulty reading and writing in content subjects. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of reading and/or writing instruction in social studies that focused on text organization, main idea statements, and important supporting details. Ninety-eight sixth-grade students were randomly assigned to one of four groups: Group A, receiving reading and writing instruction in social studies; Group B, receiving reading instruction alone; Group C, receiving writing instruction alone; and Group 1), a control condition. Results indicated that students who received the reading instruction, which focused on main ideas and important details, generally had better recall of textbook material they read than students who did not receive the reading instruction. However, no differences among groups were found in short-answer scores or in the quality of students' summaries of textbook selections they read. Also, no differences among groups were found i...

The Process of Constructing Main Ideas From Text

Getting the main idea is generally considered to be the most essential of reading "skills." However, although something is known about readers' use of explicit main idea statements, little is known about how readers construct main ideas that are not stated explicitly in the text. In this study, main idea construction processes are examined by analyzing the verbal reports of expert readers who have read difficult text. Several main idea construction strategies are described, along with strategies for assigning importance to text elements and for managing cognitive resources. Many of these strategies seem to be very amenable to instructional application. The verbal reports also highlight the importance of affective components in models of reading processes.

Barnett Newman and the Sublime

ion simply transforms nature into a sensuously pleasing surface. But what is it about nongeometrical abstraction that makes it so suitable a bearer for 'pure ideas'? Newman does not answer this question explicitly but it is reasonable to assume that he sees non-geometrical abstraction as simply having greater connotative power. It hovers, as it were, in the potently ambiguous semantic space between conventional representational art and pure geometrical abstraction. Characteristically the exploitation of this space takes the form of a combination of loosely biomorphic and geometric elements that transcend mere aesthetic value without relapsing into the mundane narratives of conventional representation. Newman himself uses the term 'ideograph' to pick out symbols of this sort, and defines it specifically as 'A character, symbol, or figure which suggests the idea without expressing its name'. 5 It is unfortunate that Newman's use of the term ideograph has not received wider currency since it quite accurately summarises the semantic foundation of the early phase of abstract expressionism in general as well as his own work of 1945-7, where elements of biomorphic abstraction are dominant. Now if matters had been left here, Newman's work would probably have remained very much within the mainstream of abstract expressionism. However, there is quite emphatic tension between Newman's theory and his practice. On the one hand he is concerned only with a specific range of pure ideas namely those rooted in the selfcomprehension of the artist before the unknown; on the other hand, his ideographic means of evoking this through organic or biomorphic abstraction leads to broader naturalistic associations that tend rather to mask or distract us from the underlying 'pure idea'. Newman, however, comes to terms with this problem in 'The Sublime is Now' of 1948. It is to this paper I now turn. The basis of Newman's discussion is broadly historical, and (as might be expected) his view of art history is very much that of a fall from the metaphysical grace attained by primitive art. As he puts it: Man's natural desire in the arts to express his relation to the Absolute became identified and confused with the absolutisms of perfect creations with the fetish of quality ....'6 For Newman, this 'fetish of quality' is synonymous with the classical tradition of ideal beauty. With Gothic art, in contrast, an authentic state of sublime exaltation is attained through the artist's desire to destroy form; where indeed, 'form can be formless'. The liberating momentum of Gothic art is, however, checked by the Renaissance's reTHE OXFORD ART JOURNAL 7:2 1985 53 This content downloaded from 207.46.13.111 on Sat, 21 May 2016 06:41:14 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms statement of classical ideas. In Newman's words, it 'set the artists the task of rephrasing an accepted Christ legend in terms of absolute beauty as against the original Gothic ecstacy over the legend's evocation of the absolute.'17 Michelangelo's sculpture (for reasons not explained) alone transcends the classical ideal which, for Newman, remains dominant until '. .. in modern times, the Impressionists . . . began the movement to destroy the established rhetoric of beauty by the ... insistence on a surface of ugly strokes.'1 This tendency is crucial, because whilst it is a determining factor in the rise of modern art, it stamps that rise with a merely negative significance a mere embodiment of the rhetorical exaltation that arises from the destruction of the accepted conventions of artistic style and practice. As

PLANNING INTERLENDING SYSTEMS FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

The following collection of papers begins with a statement of ideas and principles by Maurice Line and Sidney Smith, who between them have first‐hand knowledge of the library systems of several developing countries and have carried out intensive studies of document supply in a few. The statement represents their own views, which inevitably reflect their own background and experience in a highly centralised document service (the British Library Lending Division) in a country (the United Kingdom) that has reached a high level of library development. As a result, the authors may well have taken for granted some things that constitute real barriers in other countries — and possibly also over‐estimated some other aspects.

Stratification in a Dual Economy: A Sectoral Model of Earnings Determination

Hughes, E. C. 1966 making of a physician; general statement of ideas and problems. Pp. 96-9 in W. R. Scott and E. H. Volkart (eds.), Medical Care. New York: Wiley. Kemeny, John G. and J. L. Snell 1960 Finite Markov Chains. Princeton: Van Nostrand. Mayer, Thomas F. 1972 Models of intergenerational mobility. Pp. 308-57 in J. Berger, M. Zelditch, Jr. and B. Anderson (eds.), Sociological Theories in Progress, Vol. 2. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Merton, Robert K., G. Reader and P. L. Kendall 1957 The Student Physician. Cambridge, Ma.: Harvard University Press. Mumford, Emily 1970 Students to Physicians. Cambridge, Ma.: Harvard University Press. Olmsted, Ann and M. Paget 1969 Some theoretical issues in professional socialization. Journal of Medical Education 44:663-9. Shuval, Judith T. 1973 Manpower pools for three health professions in Israel. Social Science and Medicine 7:893-910. 1975a Socialization of health professionals in Israel: early sources of congruence and differentiation. Journal of Medical Education 50:443-57. 1975b From 'boy' to 'colleague': processes of role transformation in professional socialization. Social Science and Medicine 9:413-20. Shuval, Judith and Israel Adler 1977 Processes of continuity and change during socialization for medicine in Israel. Health and Social Behaviour 18:112-24. Singer, Burton and Seymour Spilerman 1976 Representation of social processes by Markov models. American Journal of Sociology 82:1-54.

Expository Paragraph Properties That Influence Literal Recall

Carroll and Freedle (1972) have speculated that the structure of prose paragraphs may constitute a form of plan that influences the manner in which information is processed and/or recalled by the reader. This study investigated the influence of prose structure on sixth grade readers' literal recall scores. Internal and external structural properties of meaningful and less meaningful paragraphs were manipulated. Internal as well as external structural properties had a significant joint influence with paragraph meaningfulness on literal recall. Students reading paragraphs with compact subtopic structure obtained significantly higher recall scores than those reading paragraphs employing a discontinous subtopic structure. At each level of paragraph meaningfulness, the presentation of a main idea statement appeared to have a significant influence on recall.

Speaking Out

Abstract The June 1968 issue of the Journal carried “A Position Paper and a Proposal” (pages 64-65). Along with this was an appeal to AAHPER members to respond in whatever manner they believed appropriate. In recent months many have expressed ideas informally about what needs to be done within and among our several disciplines to provide a more meaningful program for those whom AAHPER seeks to serve—the children and youth of America. This column has been created to serve as a more formal but open forum and offers a challenge to all members to present their printed words for examination and criticism by those who are interested and concerned. If we are not yet victims of what John Gardner has called “organizational dry rot,” nearly all members should be interested. Whether or not we are also concerned to the point of voicing and writing an opinion may be something else again. Are you? Statements of opinions and ideas from the membership are encouraged. They should be brief and authorship must be identified. Two copies should be prepared: send one to Barbara Forker, head, Department of Physical Education for Women, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50010 and one to Cyrus Mayshark, professor and chairman of health education, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37916. A third copy may be sent to AAHPER headquarters.

Edith Wharton and "The Elusive Bright-Winged Thing"

IN 1924, when she was sixty-two, Scribner's copyrighted for Edith Wharton the essays that appeared a year later under the title The Writing of Fiction. The little book, in some sort a manifesto of her rebellion against Henry James, contained also the early statement of ideas about the art and craft of the novel that were to occupy her off and on for the rest of her life. Among the most interesting and neglected formulations of these ideas is the novel Hudson River Bracketed. It has become critical fashion to discount the value of this novel. The

Conditions of Employment and Service in Elementary and Secondary Schools

A SURVEY of the research reported during the past five years on employment and conditions of service for teachers reveals a somewhat barren scene. The necessary routine of social bookkeeping has gone on steadily with only minor changes. Summaries of legal provisions, salary regulations, salaries paid, economic conditions, school district statistics, and measurable teacher characteristics such as age, sex, formal education, and salary received have been reported. The best and most comprehensive of these studies have been those published by the U.S. Office of Education. Many local surveys have been carried out by state education associations and other groups with special or regional interests. Most of these studies, which were directed toward legislation or toward the adoption of improved district salary schedules, generally have been of limited value to educational researchers but often of major importance to those directly involved. When one looks for research going beyond the collection and rough classification of quantifiable facts about current conditions, the picture is rather bleak. The literature mostly consists either of statements of opinions and ideas or of descriptions of plans and panaceas-together with unevaluated and often uncritical and highly biased descriptions of innovations. Few studies which are based on clearly stated hypotheses and strict definitions of conditions have been reported. This chapter will not discuss all of the weaknesses in the organization of educational research that contribute to this situation. However, one probable causal factor which is clearly important to the researcher has been the subject-either directly or peripherally-of some of the better studies reported since 1958. This factor is the lack of a clear definition of the role of education and of the teacher in American society. Teaching conditions, which to a great extent depend upon role expectations held by and for teachers, cannot be unequivocally evaluated or clearly analyzed when these expectations are not made explicit. This problem is revealed in varying degrees in many studies, particularly in those reported by Barr (1961), Davis (1962), Ryans (1960), and Turner and Fattu (1960). Since their results have a bearing on the evaluation of findings in all other areas of teacher employment conditions, studies of teacher status and of role expectations are considered first in this chapter. Staff organization and utilization of staff members are treated secondly. Other topics discussed are teacher load; employment, assignment, and turnover; evaluation,

The Making of a Physician — General Statement of Ideas and Problems

Social scientists are being called upon more and more to study training for the various professions and to consult with those who make policy with reference to it. The following pages suggest a general frame of reference for such study. They were written for several people, both medical educators and social scientists, who were thinking of embarking on a modest study tracing the course of students through the maze of a particular medical school. There resulted a daylong discussion which was of great value in planning the study. It was more like a prolonged group interview than a formal discussion. While the ideas refer specifically to medicine, they implicitly refer to other professions as well.

A further account of the feeding mechanism of chirocephalus diaphanus

During the last ten years Professor Storch and I have published a series of papers on the feeding mechanism of the Branchiopoda. While we agree on the whole and support the views of the earlier workers, Lundblad and Naumann, there are certain fundamental points on which we differ. Last year I published a lengthy descriptive and comparative paper on the subject which summarized the position of the problem as I saw it at the date of its publication, June 20, 1933. Since then two papers have appeared, one by Lowndes (1933) on the feeding mechanism of Chirocephalus , and the other by Eriksson (1934) on the feeding mechanism of the Branchiopoda, in neither of which, unfortunately, is any reference made to my last paper. This would have been of little consequence if these scientists had accepted the views of other workers, but as they both put forward entirely novel ideas the publication of their papers can only lead to confusion in a problem which is already extremely difficult to follow. Lowndes’s paper is relatively short and makes little reference to previous work—in fact, Storch’s work is ignored except for the inclusion of two of his papers in the literature list. The treatment of the problem is that of statement of new ideas with little, if any, argument as to why my views are incorrect and often, and on the most critical points, without any experimental or morphological evidence.

Analogues of Wordsworth's The Borderers

The Borderers does not, and cannot, rank high among Wordsworth's poems. It is curiously lacking in the glamor, the color, the atmosphere of a remote and picturesque past by which the romantic poets are wont to impart a persuasive verisimilitude to their pictures of the Middle Ages. The characters of the play have slight individuality, and in spite of the calamities that befall them, they evoke no sympathy. Although the poem exhibits intellectual power in the handling of a philosophical problem and a finely whittled precision in the statement of ideas, yet these robust merits are unhappily wedded to the mawkish ineptitude of contemporary literature. The hero, Marmaduke, is the humanitarian freebooter of Schiller's Robbers; however, to do him justice, he does not, like Karl Moor, support young men at college with his tainted money. Herbert and Idonea present a lachrymose picture of virtue in distress; the blind old man is a sentimentalized Oedipus, and his daughter is a Greuze maiden, a girl with a broken pitcher, who has stepped out of her frame to go a-wandering; her angelic perfection only exasperates. Even the “little dog, tied by a woollen cord,” that guides the wandering Herbert, has a sentimental pedigree; he is the faithful animal of current novels—the descendant, for example, of virtuous, old Trusty, the “shag house-dog” of The Man of Feeling.

Some experiments upon the relations between ether, matter, and electricity

In the following paper are described a number of experiments, undertaken at the suggestion of Professor H. A. Rowland, upon the relations between ether, matter, and electricity. The theories advanced in the paper as suggestive of the experiments are, to the best of the writer's ability, statements of Professor Rowland's ideas. Unfortunately the sudden illness and death of Professor Rowland prevented him from reviewing the paper.Since the development of the wave theory of light by Huygens in 1678, the most important problem which has confronted the physicist has been the determination of the nature and the properties of the medium which we must imagine to fill all space for the propagation of the waves which give rise to the sensation of light. Numerous ethers have been postulated, each with properties which might account for the phenomenon under consideration, but none of which have made any claim to universal application. Green has developed extensively the elastic solid theory, and has even made estimates of the density and rigidity of the ether. The recent development of the electro‐magnetic theory of light and the location of the electro‐magnetic energy in the ether have demanded properties entirely different from any which could be furnished by a rigid elastic solid, and new ethers have been postulated accordingly. Faraday's discovery of the rotation of the plane of polarization of light in a magnetic field suggested that the particles of matter, or the ether in connection with them, must be in rotation. As a result of the theories proposed by Ampere and Weber, and developed by Maxwell, modern theories of magnetism are based on some kind of rotary or vortical motion in the ether, and if a piece of iron is magnetized, we imagine that the molecules, or something about them, rotate also. Maxwell has tried to detect the presence of any such rotation in an electro‐magnet. With a kind of gyroscope he showed that, if it exists, the angular momentum must be small compared with any quantities which we can measure. An attempt was made, at the suggestion of Professor Rowland, by Mr. Paul McJunkin and the author, to determine within what limit it is possible to say that there is no frictional or viscous resistance in the ether connected with such rotation.