No abstract

The Programme for International Student Assessment in 2006 included several measures of students' interest in science. These measures were constructed by combining information from several items where students are asked to respond to statements along Likert scale categories. Since there is evidence for Likert scales providing culturally biased country scores, we demonstrate in this article that the relative profiles of interest can be meaningfully analysed across countries. Hence, we have developed national relative profiles of interest in science constructed from the country-and item-specific residuals at the item level. Subsequently, these relative profiles of interest have been used as input in a cluster analysis providing identification of distinct groups of countries with similar item-by-item patterns of interest in science. The most notable feature of the analysis is an overall division between two larger groups of countries, roughly corresponding to European/Western countries in one group and non-European countries, with only a few exceptions, in the other group. A number of meaningful clusters of countries, partly defined by language and partly by localisation, are identified within each of the two main clusters. In order to develop a more detailed understanding of the characteristic features of the various clusters, descriptive information about the items is included in the analysis. The most notable finding is the strong relative preference for life and health issues among the non-European countries, contrasted with the distinct favouring of items relating to physical/technological systems in the European/Western countries.

No abstract

Infections of brown trout Sulmo truttu L. by larvae of the nematode Eustrongylides sp. were studied over a period of two years in Fernworthy Reservoir, Devon. The parasite, here as clsewhere in Britain, is acquired only in the lake itself and not in the streams feeding it. Both native and introduced brown trout were infected but not rainbow trout which did not survive sufficiently long in the reservoir. The parasite showed a preference for female fish and for fiqh over 20 cm in length. Since these latter were approaching the end of their natural life span in the lake, there was insufficient time for the parasites to accumulate in older fish. No seasonal changes in infection levels or size composition of the parasite population were recorded. The larvae occurred in capsules, the majority of which were attached to the stomach wall. No local pathological effects associated with the capsules were observed and infested fi5h were of similar length. weight and condition to uninfected ones. The absence of harmful effects upon the trout in Fernworthy Reservoir is compared and contrasted with the effects of the parasite in other localities. It is concluded that although EustrongyEides can occasionally cause damage to some species of fish, there is no conclusive evidence that it does so to trout. but its unsightly appearance and harmful effccts on birds renders it an undesirable parasite in any fishery.

The aim of the present contribution is to investigate similarities and differences of strengths in science competences between countries, based on TIMSS 2003 data. Analyses are based on systematic investigation of patterns of p values for individual science items. Hierarchical cluster analysis was applied to establish meaningful groups of countries. The resulting pattern of how countries cluster together into groups of increasing size is presented and discussed. The features for each group of countries are described in terms of relative strengths according to item format, subject domain, and cognitive domain. Finally, the measures on relative strengths in subject domain were compared to the relative emphases in the intended curriculum and in the implemented curriculum (percentage of topics taught in the classroom). It turned out that the data on emphases in the classroom could explain more of the relative strengths and weaknesses than the intended curriculum.