An exacting study, but one that will likely be inaccessible to lay readers.
A scholarly examination of the measurement of reading ability.
Education research professor Stenner (Education/Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) and clinical psychologist Stone (Psychology/Aurora Univ.) structure their debut book around two questions: “How shall we explain reading ability?” and “Does the reader comprehend the text because the reader is able or because the text is easy?” They address these issues with one overarching aim—to develop an accurate instrument for measuring reading ability. Previous attempts to devise such an instrument, the authors contend, suffered from the absence of a substantive theory; without one, a test maker can’t determine what components of a test item are truly essential, making it impossible to replicate. Ultimately, Stenner and Stone argue for a specific combination of a Rasch psychological-testing model and widely accepted Lexile reading theory, expressed as an equation. Undergirding their entire argument is a desire to more closely model social science on physical science. Along the way, the authors helpfully illustrate their thesis by developing an analogy between reading measurement and temperature measurement: Different thermometers may yield different temperatures of different objects, they note, but the thermometers themselves are accepted as accurate measuring instruments, due to “well-developed construct theory, rigorously established instrument engineering principles, and uniform metrological conventions.” Stenner and Stone have been collaborating on reading and testing issues for more than 40 years, and their cumulative experience and expertise is beyond reproach. Also, the rigor of their work is matched by a pragmatic devotion to actionable results and a deep philosophical ambition to make social science more scientific. That said, this is more a collection of previously published papers than a unified monograph, so there’s a great deal of repetition. The prose is also forbiddingly technical and only other academics with expertise in this particular area are likely to find it digestible.
An exacting study, but one that will likely be inaccessible to lay readers.Pub Date: May 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5320-3653-8
Page Count: 372
Publisher: iUniverse
Review Posted Online: Nov. 29, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both...
Italian theoretical physicist Rovelli (General Relativity: The Most Beautiful of Theories, 2015, etc.) shares his thoughts on the broader scientific and philosophical implications of the great revolution that has taken place over the past century.
These seven lessons, which first appeared as articles in the Sunday supplement of the Italian newspaper Sole 24 Ore, are addressed to readers with little knowledge of physics. In less than 100 pages, the author, who teaches physics in both France and the United States, cogently covers the great accomplishments of the past and the open questions still baffling physicists today. In the first lesson, he focuses on Einstein's theory of general relativity. He describes Einstein's recognition that gravity "is not diffused through space [but] is that space itself" as "a stroke of pure genius." In the second lesson, Rovelli deals with the puzzling features of quantum physics that challenge our picture of reality. In the remaining sections, the author introduces the constant fluctuations of atoms, the granular nature of space, and more. "It is hardly surprising that there are more things in heaven and earth, dear reader, than have been dreamed of in our philosophy—or in our physics,” he writes. Rovelli also discusses the issues raised in loop quantum gravity, a theory that he co-developed. These issues lead to his extraordinary claim that the passage of time is not fundamental but rather derived from the granular nature of space. The author suggests that there have been two separate pathways throughout human history: mythology and the accumulation of knowledge through observation. He believes that scientists today share the same curiosity about nature exhibited by early man.
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both scientists and general readers.Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-18441-3
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Riverhead
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A magnificent account of a central reality of our times, incorporating deep scientific expertise, broad political and social knowledge, and ethical insight, and Idled with beautifully written biographical sketches of the men and women who created nuclear physics. Rhodes describes in detail the great scientific achievements that led up to the invention of the atomic bomb. Everything of importance is examined, from the discovery of the atomic nucleus and of nuclear fission to the emergence of quantum physics, the invention of the mass-spectroscope and of the cyclotron, the creation of such man-made elements as plutonium and tritium, and implementation of the nuclear chain reaction in uranium. Even more important, Rhodes shows how these achievements were thrust into the arms of the state, which culminated in the unfolding of the nuclear arms race. Often brilliantly, he records the rise of fascism and of anti-Semitism, and the intensification of nationalist ambitions. He traces the outbreak of WW II, which provoked a hysterical rivalry among nations to devise the bomb. This book contains a grim description of Japanese resistance, and of the horrible psychological numbing that caused an unparalleled tolerance for human suffering and destruction. Rhodes depicts the Faustian scale of the Manhattan Project. His account of the dropping of the bomb itself, and of the awful firebombing that prepared its way, is unforgettable. Although Rhodes' gallery of names and events is sometimes dizzying, his scientific discussions often daunting, he has written a book of great drama and sweep. A superb accomplishment.
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1986
ISBN: 0684813785
Page Count: 932
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1986
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