Pennsylvania Department of Education

ABSTRACTThis study explored the relationship between preservice teachers' (PSTs') conceptualization of mathematical problem‐solving and their performance. Fifty‐six PSTs engaged in a two‐part questionnaire that included prompts related to their views and understanding of problem‐solving as well as an authentic mathematical task. Results revealed that 47% of participants perceived problem‐solving as a means to find a solution, 41% conceptualized it as a skill with steps or strategies, and 7% viewed it as a process of discovery or reflection. For the mathematical task, we explored outcomes across five dimensions: understanding, representation, communication, accuracy, and reflection. Results showed that most PSTs were placed in the developing category for understanding, representation, and communication. Nearly half were placed in an emerging category for accuracy. For the reflection category, most PSTs were split between the developing and emerging levels. Furthermore, significant correlations existed between PSTs' problem‐solving views and their performance; for example, those seeing it as an art performed better overall. This study ends with implications aimed at improving PSTs' educational experiences in mathematical problem‐solving.

The present study examined relations between concern for mianzi, or the social perception of one's prestige and standing in the group, and adjustment in Chinese adolescents. Participants were seventh- and ninth-grade students in rural and urban regions of China (n = 794, Mage = 14 years). Data were obtained from multiple sources including peer assessments, teacher ratings, self-reports, and school records. The results showed that concern for mianzi was associated with social competence, leadership, academic achievement, as well as aggression and mixed peer relationships in rural adolescents. In contrast, concern for mianzi was associated with comprehensive social, school, and psychological adjustment problems in urban adolescents. The results indicate the role of context in shaping the relations between adolescents' concern for mianzi and adjustment.

Introduction: Limited health knowledge, literacy, engagement in preventive health services, participation in health promotion behaviors, and cultural factors place Latino men at high risk for colorectal cancer (CRC). This pilot study aimed to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a faith-based cancer education intervention focusing on Latino men between 45 and 74 years old. Methods: This pilot study used a single group pre- and post-intervention research design to compare changes in knowledge, perceived benefit of screening, perceived susceptibility and severity of CRC, and the completion of CRC screening after the intervention. Results: In this study, Latino men were willing to participate in a CRC educational intervention supported by a faith-based institution. The participants had limited knowledge about CRC, yet most recognized that screening is beneficial and that getting CRC is serious. Sixty percent of the participants completed the fecal immunochemical screening test, which showed that the intervention impacted the screening uptake among this group. Conclusion: The findings of this study support the further development of faith-based interventions focusing on Latino men.

Personal health tracking devices and internet-based digital platforms with the capacity to collect, aggregate, and store data at massive scales are examples of tools that have broadened priorities in computing to include data science. In response, there has been growing attention in research and practice emphasizing pre-college groups. This is partly because of the growing recognition-reflected in initiatives like CS4ALL, Code.org, Bootstrap: Data Science, Exploring Computer Science-that learning experiences before college are consequential in sustaining a robust pipeline of computer scientists and engineers. Despite these inroads, there is justifiable concern that existing efforts might not fully support learner development in the necessary conceptual, epistemological, and heuristic styles needed to productively parse and understand “big data.” This is because computing-based curricula that include data science often involve data curated by others (rather than learners directly), which results in simulated versions of practice instead of engagement that is realistically discursive and messy. This is further complicated by the persistent shortage of K-12 computer science teachers in general and even fewer who can design and implement curricula that support authentic engagement with data science. To address these issues, we leverage culturally relevant and constructionist perspectives in a sandbox (i.e., open-ended) science where tools like Scratch and electronic textiles (E-textiles) have had success expanding possibilities in computing to also include activities where learners can engage broadly along varied pursuits-and encounter challenges that spur computational thinking and problem-solving. The literature suggests that learning activities framed in this way encourage knowledge construction, practice literacies, and seriously impact learner attitudes, interest, and perceptions of growth in the field. This latter set of self-concept measures represents a few of many related key predictors of long-term field participation and persistence. In this work-in-progress scholarship of discovery research, we co-develop, with youth and educators, “Coding Like a Data Miner” (CLDM)-a sandbox approach to computing-based data science wherein learners access a social media platform, Twitter, to mine, analyze, and understand quantitative and qualitative data sources. In this preliminary work, we assess affordances in co-developing a curriculum that leverages sandbox approaches to data science. Ultimately (and what will be presented in our final submission), we aim to study learning outcomes when high school students' access, analyze and make sense of “big data” sets of their own. We collaborated with high school teachers in a West Texas/Paso Del Norte region where computer science educators are exceptionally scarce and where there is an urgent and persistent need to support underrepresented learner access to burgeoning areas of computing. Using mixed-methodological approaches (e.g., quantitative analysis of learner pre- and post-survey responses along with qualitative assessments of semi-structured interview data), we address the following research questions: (1) What affordances exist using co-design approaches to develop sandbox data science for pre-college learners? (2) Which computational concepts do students learn when carrying out CLDM activities, (3) Which computational practices do high school students enact when mining, processing, and analyzing big data sets in CLDM? (4) How do learner knowledge and perceptions about data science shift after participating in CLDM? We use contemporary perspectives in computing education, constructionism, and equity to discuss how open-ended sandbox approaches to computing-based data science support learner computational thinking, practice literacies, and field perceptions.

ABSTRACTObjectivesThe aim of this study is to evaluate the integrated transformative learning theory and quantitative measurement model developed by Stuckey and colleagues in 2013.MethodsThe Transformative Leaning Survey (TLS) was administered as a cross‐sectional web survey to 467 respondents recruited from a variety of sources. The questionnaire includes four transformative learning outcome measures (acting differently, deeper self‐awareness, holding more open perspectives, experiencing a deep shift in worldview) and 14 transformative learning process measures in three domains (extra‐rational, rational, social critique).ResultsThe majority of respondents were female (73.7 percent), white (70.7 percent), with a graduate degree (57.2 percent), and professional employment (56.1 percent); the median age was 35–44. Reliabilities (alpha) of TLS scales ranged from 0.68 to 0.91 (median = 0.78). Multivariate regression identified two rational process factors (Action, Disorienting Dilemma) and two social critique process factors (Empowerment, Unveiling Oppression) that had significant (p < 0.05) positive independent associations with multiple transformative learning outcome measures; no extra‐rational process measures were significant.ConclusionsThis study replicates, validates, and extends the development of the Transformative Leaning Survey and advances transformative learning theory by identifying drivers of transformative learning outcomes. Further quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method research on transformative learning is needed.

Objectives: Since the 1990s, cultural competence and cultural humility have been advanced across health disciplines, including health education and promotion, as approaches to use to address the health needs of increasingly diverse populations, reduce persistent health disparities and promote health and health equity. While these terms are sometimes used interchangeably, each of them represents a different approach when working across cultural groups. Health professionals, including health education specialists, may also find it helpful to employ cultural intelligence when working with diverse populations. The purpose of this article is to briefly define cultural competence and cultural humility and describe how cultural intelligence can provide health education specialists with another tool when working with diverse groups. Design: Review of the literature. Setting: USA and related contexts. Results: While cultural intelligence shares some similarities with previous terms, it differs in drawing from intelligence research and emphasises an understanding of different cultures, problem-solving and adaptations in numerous cultural settings. Conclusion: This article defines cultural intelligence as an essential capability to learn and use when engaging with diverse cultural groups and working in cross-cultural settings.

e17054 Background: Conventionally fractionated radiotherapy (CFRT) or moderately hypofractionated radiotherapy (MFRT) ± short-course androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is commonly employed for unfavorable intermediate-risk (UIR) prostate cancer. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has not been widely adopted, but may have radiobiologic advantages over more conventionally fractionated treatments. We hypothesized that radiotherapy dose-escalation with SBRT (35-40Gy in ≤5 fractions) is associated with improved overall survival (OS) relative to biologically equivalent doses of CFRT (72-86.4Gy in 1.8-2.0Gy/fraction) or MFRT (≥60Gy in 2.4-3.2Gy/fraction) ± ADT. Methods: The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was used to identify 28,028 men with UIR prostate cancer who received CFRT with (n = 12,872) or without ADT (n = 12,984), MFRT with (n = 251) or without ADT (n = 281), and SBRT with (n = 212) or without ADT (n = 1,428). SBRT+ADT patients were excluded due to low patient numbers. Inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to balance measured confounders. Unweighted- and weighted- multivariable analysis (MVA) using Cox regression was used to compare OS hazard ratios. Results: Relative to CFRT without ADT, CFRT+ADT (Hazard Ratio (HR): 0.92, [95% Confidence Interval: 0.87-0.97], P = .002) and SBRT without ADT (HR: 0.74 [0.61-0.89], P = .002) were both associated with improved OS on MVA. Relative to CFRT+ADT, SBRT without ADT correlated with improved OS on MVA (HR: 0.81 [0.67-0.99], P = .04). Weight-adjusted MVA demonstrated that SBRT (HR: 0.80 [0.65-0.98], P = .036) and ADT (HR: 0.91 [0.86-0.97], P = .002) correlated with improved OS. SBRT was not associated with improved OS relative to MFRT. Conclusions: Using inverse propensity treatment weighting, we adjusted for age, comorbidity score, and tumor factors, and observed a significant overall survival benefit in favor of administering dose-escalated SBRT over CFRT+ADT. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show that SBRT is associated with improved OS relative to CFRT for men with UIR prostate cancer. Together, this suggests that SBRT offers a cheaper and shorter course of therapy that mitigates COVID-19 exposure, which also is associated with improved OS relative to CFRT for UIR prostate cancer and may obviate the need for ADT in this population. While we await results from several ongoing clinical trials, we believe this study lends support to the use of SBRT in men with UIR prostate cancer.

This heuristic study examined potential serial sexual homicide offenders (SSHOs), an unacknowledged offender group comprised of aspiring and probable SSHOs, and compared them with successful SSHOs. Data were collected on six aspiring SSHOs who each failed a single homicide attempt, 16 probable SSHOs who committed 17 homicides in separate events, and 13 successful SSHOs who killed 90 victims in separate events. The study results indicate that while potential SSHOs share more in common with successful SSHOs than they do with single-victim nonsexual homicide offenders, and that there is an overlap between potential SSHOs and successful SSHOs, there is currently insufficient evidence to suggest that there are discreet transitions among categories. While few potential SSHOs strive to become successful SSHOs, this may be due to weak or nonexistent emotional triggers. Being a potential SSHO does not appear to be a predictable first step on a pathway towards becoming a successful SSHO, as potential SSHOs cannot reliably be thought of as prospective SSHOs if all things were equal. The present study could not foresee all potential SSHOs becoming successful ones. An as yet unidentified number of factors still appear to separate potential SSHOs from successful SSHOs.