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The indiscriminate disposal of spent engine oils and other hazardous waste at auto mechanic workshops clusters in Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria is an environmental concern. This study examines the concentration of heavy metals in the soil inside the workshop cluster and in the unpolluted soil outside the workshop cluster at approximately 100 m. Ten sampling points were randomly selected from within the cluster and another ten from outside the cluster. Using a hand-held Global Positioning System, the coordinates of the selected points were established and used to create a digital map. Soil samples at depths of 0–30 cm and 30–60 cm, were analyzed for Cu, Fe, Zn, Pb, As and Cd using Spectrophotometer. Moisture content determination and particle size analysis were also done on the samples. Spatial variability of heavy metals concentrations of the studied site was also mapped with ArcGIS 10.2.2 using interpolation methods. Results showed that the soil ranged from sandy loam to sandy clay loam. Cadmium and Zinc had the lowest and highest concentration, respectively, in the studied area. Comparing the concentrations of heavy metals in soils within and outside the auto mechanic cluster revealed notable differences across various depths (0–30 cm and 30–60 cm). The analysis results for soil samples within the cluster exhibited concentration levels (mg/kg) ranging from 0.716–0.751 (Cu), 2.981–3.327 (Fe), 23.464–30.113 (Zn), 1.115–1.21 (Pb), 2.6–2.912 (As), and 0.133–0.365 (Cd) demonstrating a variation pattern in the order of Zn > Fe > As > Pb > Cu > Cd. Conversely, for soil samples outside the cluster, concentration levels (mg/kg) ranged from 0.611–0.618 (Cu), 2.233–2.516 (Fe), 12.841–15.736 (Zn), 0.887–0.903 (Pb), 1.669–1.911 (As), and 0.091–0.091 (Cd). To assess the disparity in heavy metal concentration levels between samples collected within and outside the clusters, ANOVA test was performed. The test showed significant difference in heavy metal concentrations between samples within and outside the auto mechanic cluster ( p  < 0.05), implying auto mechanic activities significantly impact heavy metal levels within the cluster compared to outside areas. The assessment of soil pollution utilized indices including the Geo-accumulation Index (Igeo), Contamination factor (Cf), and anthropogenic metal concentration (QoC). Zinc, Cadmium, and Arsenic showed the highest contamination factors, indicating significant soil contamination likely due to anthropogenic activities. The concentrations of the metals analyzed were within WHO permissible limits while the metals concentrations were also observed to decrease as depth was increased. Using ArcGIS 10.2.2, spatial maps showing heavy metal distribution were developed, with the Kriging method proving superior. This study suggests that heavy metal levels in the soil at the area be monitored on a regular basis.

Konrad examines the rhetorical work of disability in everyday life. One might assume that people with disabilities automatically or instinctively know how to-or always want to-advocate for their own access. People with disabilities are often encouraged to advocate for their own access without consideration for the mental and emotional labor required to do so.

[...]these same authorities ignored cautions about the devastating effects of closure on youth learning, mental health, and wellbeing. Within weeks, though, Harvard University economist Robert Barro crunched the data from 45 U.S. cities during that pandemic and reported that closures had had no long-term effect on mortality rates. On May 17, the European Union's education ministers shared the data from the first month of return-to-school in 22 nations and saw no evidence of increased spread despite minimal masking, three-foot (one meter) social distancing, and a lack of sophisticated HVAC systems. Which of the Covid forecasting models turned out to be most accurate? A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences took a hard look at the results and found that the most accurate forecasting models were those from outside the public health establishment.

The integration of engineering into existing school science curricula is arguably an effort to move beyond a mono-disciplinary goal of learning to one that teaches real-world applications and problem-solving in science. This study adopted dual theoretical lenses to scrutinize and compare the distribution of engineering elements in past and present Grades 1–9 science standards from mainland China, and the types of epistemic access afforded from these engineering-related standards. We found that engineering elements based on Moore et al. (Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research 4: 1-13, Journal of Research in Science Teaching 52: 296-318) in the present standards were more evenly distributed across grade levels (between 21 and 25 elements) compared to the past version that progressively increased learning about engineering up the grade levels from 10 to 40 elements. In contrast to the latter that conformed to a “step-by-step strengthening and deepening” pattern in engineering education in every element across grades/time, the present engineering-related standards have instead emphasized different elements at different grade levels. Moreover, ETool (20.2% in present/38.3% in past), SEM (14.9%/9.9%), and CEE (11.7%/14.8%) were the three most emphasized elements in the present and past standards, but POD, Ethink, ISI, Teamwork and Comm-Engr, and Ethics elements were least frequent. We also adopted Specialization codes from Legitimation Code Theory to examine the opportunities for epistemic access among these past and present engineering-related standards. It was found that the present standards are far more demanding for learners compared to the past due to greater frequency of elite codes (49.4%), which may limit finding success, meaning, and achievement in these topics. Our findings not only suggest some changes for better integration of engineering into the science curriculum in mainland China, but also have implications for the improvement of teacher professional development programs and the development of science curriculum resources/programs for engineering education in this region and elsewhere.

Despite the age-long ban on the production of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), exposure to humans continues because of the persistent nature of the chemical. This study is a baseline assessment of the exposure level of the blood and urine of auto-mechanics to PCB congeners in Akure metropolis, Nigeria. Exposure assessment was based on total PCBs in blood and urine of smoking and non-smoking auto-mechanics. PCB congeners were analyzed by high-resolution gas chromatography coupled with an electron capture detector (GC-ECD). Total PCB concentrations in blood and urine, computed as the sum of the 19 congeners ranged from 0.365 to 7.534 µg/L and 0.069 to 1.099 µg/L, respectively. The study showed no correlation between PCB concentrations in blood and urine. The study observed a significantly lower sum of non-dioxin-like PCBs (PCB-28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, and 180) in urine (0.021–0.267 µg/L) than those in blood (0.056–3.001 µg/L). On average, the dioxin-like PCBs constituted over 20% and 25% of the total PCBs in blood and urine, respectively. Six low-chlorinated PCB congeners (1, 31, 52, 66, 77, and 118) constituted on average 81% and 41% of the total average PCBs in blood and urine samples, respectively. Thus, they could serve as indicator PCBs in the blood and urine samples of artisans. Comparatively, the study recorded greater contributions of different dioxin-like PCBs to the total toxic equivalent quantity (TEQ) in smoking than in non-smoking auto-mechanics. Our findings showed PCBs and dioxin-like activity as potential biomarkers in the blood and urine samples of artisans. The study also suggests potential exposure to PCBs via occupational and domestic engagements.

Children develop career expectations as they increase self‐knowledge and perceive societal affordances and barriers to life roles. Parents are powerful agents in the socialization of children to work, transmitting occupational concepts that influence children's career development. The authors used Gottfredson's (1981) and Holland's (1973) theories to test associations between children's career expectations and parents' jobs in terms of gender, prestige, and interest typology among same‐sex and cross‐sex child‐parent dyads. Data were collected from 185 Portuguese children (51.4% boys, 48.6% girls; Mage = 10.41 years) from 2‐parent families. Children reported their parents' jobs and shared personal career expectations. Correlation and linear regression results indicated that fathers' male‐dominated jobs put boys at risk of gender‐based circumscription of career expectations. An intergenerational cycle of prestige inequalities was also evidenced, although parents seemed to support children's exploration of various interest areas. Future research could explore these relationships across family structures. Practice should foster children's in‐breadth career exploration and engage parents as key partners.

We investigated the ecological validity of performance measures from a computer-based assessment tool that utilises scripted video vignettes. The intended purpose of this tool is to assess the maintenance and repair skills of automotive technician apprentices, complementing traditional hands-on assessment formats from the German journeymen’s exams. We hypothesise that the ability to correctly judge repair actions shown in videos is a good predictor of the ability to perform corresponding actions in hands-on scenarios. Apprentices in the third year of vocational training carried out repairs on real cars or car systems, while experts rated their performance. After this, they worked on our computer-based tests, which utilise videos of very similar repairs. The correlation between video judgement and hands-on performance was lower than expected for most repair actions as well as for overall scores, indicating insufficient ecological validity of the test score interpretations. However, the findings are promising for developing future tests, as the results for some repair actions indicate it is generally possible to develop ecologically valid video-based items focusing on hands-on skills. We discuss the results in the light of a validation framework that combines validity evidence from different sources for the same assessment tool. Finally, we hope our findings contribute to a broader discussion about the psychometric quality of exams.

Steve Woodward is ASEE's senior systems administrator, which means a lot of things; from the perspective important to ASEE staff, Steve is the guy who smooths things out when your computer doesn't like you, though he does a lot of \"back end\" work to keep technical systems running seamlessly throughout the organization. Anything he can figure out how to do on the car, he does, and he notes he's learned a lot about electronics and auto mechanics from his tinkering.

Industrial work culture education (IWCE) is an important component in creating vocational school graduates who are competent and able to adapt quickly in the workplace. The implementation of IWCE has not been widely studied, so this study aims to describe Indonesian vocational high school teachers' perceptions and practices concerning IWCE. This study is a phenomenological qualitative research with automotive teachers from public and private VHS that have been accredited A in the Special Region of Yogyakarta and Central Java, Indonesia. Data were collected using interview techniques, analysed using the method presented by Creswell and Poth (2019). Analysis was assisted by Atlas Ti software to code, determine themes and relationships between themes, and determine the conclusions of the study. Results show that (1) types of IWC applied in VHS vary and their application is not optimal; (2) teachers have a central role in the educational pattern of IWC in VHS; (3) each school has different strategies for implementing IWCE; and (4) obstacles have been identified in school aspects, regulations, teachers, infrastructure, industry and costs.