Provision for the Development of the Linguistic Proficiency of Young Immigrants in England and Wales and France: A comparative study

During the last 40 years or so, England and Wales and France have had to face the challenge of trying to educate a significant number of young immigrants whose mother tongue is not that of the host country. This paper compares and contrasts the approaches adopted and the measures taken to develop the linguistic competence of these young immigrants in the two countries, with particular reference to Toulouse in France and the London borough of Brent in England. Initially segregationist, the approach in both countries is now more integrationist, particularly in Brent. The differences in approach and provision reflect the differing educational traditions of the two countries. The degree of individual attention which immigrant pupils may receive differs in Brent and Toulouse. There are indications of success in developing second language skills in France, but national data on the effectiveness of second language teaching in England and Wales are lacking. Little mother-tongue tuition takes place in either country.     

TASK SPECIFICATION CHART: A KEY TO A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF TEST RESULTS

A task specification chart (TSC) that integrates the content facets and the procedural steps of a specified task is suggested as a tool for designing a test and for interpreting its results. An instructional unit for adding and subtracting fractions was used to demonstrate the design and application of the TSC. To evaluate its efficacy, a test based on the TSC was administered to two independent samples. Accounts of the variance of item difficulty indices and errors in students' responses were used as the criteria for this evaluation. The results indicated that a very high percentage of variance in item difficulty indices was accounted for by item characteristics representing different task components. The typology of errors constructed on the basis of the TSC proved to be an efficient tool for identifying erroneous rules of operation underlying students' response patterns on the test.     

An ecological approach to the on-line assessment of problem-solving paths: Principles and applications

In this paper, we propose a theoretical framework for designing on-line situated assessment tools for multimedia instructional systems. Based on an ecological psychology approach to situated learning, a graph theoretic methodology is applied to monitor students' performance (solution paths) throughout the learning activity. Deviation of the student's path from the target (expert) path generates indicators which can function as alerts to the student and to the instructor. The information collected in the dribble files and presented visually enables the instructor to identify problems quickly and intervene appropriately. The feasibility of the methodology is explored in case studies describing three instructional systems that teach (1) critical thinking and problem-solving skills, (2) principles of hemodynamic monitoring and treatment, and (3) orthodontic treatment, respectively.     

Using the Phono‐Graphix reading programme as a literacy support intervention strategy

The study outlined here was an attempt to investigate the effectiveness of using the Phono‐Graphix reading programme with a group of four struggling readers/non‐readers. The children selected were in Primary 2 and had already had one‐and‐a‐half years of mixed reading instruction strategies – primarily Jolly Phonics with a ‘look and say’ approach. The children were taught in twice weekly ‘pull out’ sessions in addition to learning with their peers in their normal, daily classroom lessons. Results showed that they had improved in all literacy sub‐skills being assessed. Two of them also improved on standardised assessments. All children were observed to be reading (and spelling) more accurately than at the beginning of the project.     

Student Review and Retention in Counselor Education: An Alternative to Frame and Stevens-Smith

The purpose of this article is to present a student review and retention policy for counselor education programs as an alternative to Frame and Stevens-Smith's (1995) dismissal process.