An exploratory study of argument in the jury decision‐making process

Different from most other group decision‐making contexts, courtroom jurors face two distinct layers of argument— arguments made during the trial and arguments made during deliberation. The juror often makes an individual decision prior to deliberation based on arguments heard in court and then, using that decision, creates arguments with the other jurors about “what really happened.” The researchers used Canary, Tanita‐Ratledge and Seibold's (1982) coding scheme to analyze arguments in 80 mock juries. The results revealed that jurors’ arguments were not complex; they used assertions and acknowledgments most frequently, followed by propositions, elaborations, and non‐related arguments. The conclusions suggest practical applications for attorneys as well as a model of argument in jury decision‐making.     

Science and Scientific Curiosity in Pre-school—The teacher's point of view

Nowadays, early science education is well-accepted by researchers, education professionals and policy makers. Overall, teachers’ attitudes and conceptions toward the science subject domain and science education influence their ways of teaching and engagement. However, there is a lack of research regarding factors that affect this engagement in pre-school years. The main assumption of this study is that teachers’ attitudes regarding science in pre-school can shape children's engagement in science and develop their scientific curiosity. Therefore, the main objectives of this study are to investigate the attitudes of pre-school teachers toward engaging in science and to explore their views about the nature of curiosity: who is a curious child and how can a child's natural curiosity be fostered? An extensive survey was conducted among 146 pre-school teachers by employing both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Results indicate that most of the participants believe that scientific education should begin in early childhood; very young children can investigate and take part in a process of inquiry; and scientific activities in pre-school can influence children's long-term attitudes toward science. Despite these views, most participants felt they did not possess sufficient scientific knowledge. Furthermore, participants expressed diverse opinions when asked to identify what constitutes curiosity, how the curious child can be identified and how a child's curiosity can be fostered. The research findings carry significant implications regarding how to implement scientific activities in pre-school, and how to encourage pre-school teachers to engage children in scientific activities in a way that will nurture their natural curiosity.     

Legal decision–making in child sexual abuse investigations: A mixed–methods study of factors that influence prosecution

Prosecution of child sexual abuse cases is an important aspect of a community's response for holding perpetrators accountable and protecting children. Differences in charging rates across jurisdictions may reflect considerations made in prosecutors' decision–making process. This mixed–methods, multiphase study used data from a Children's Advocacy Center in a suburban county in the Southern United States to explore the factors associated with child sexual abuse cases that are accepted for prosecution and the process followed by prosecutors. Data were sequentially linked in three phases (qualitative-quantitative-qualitative), incorporating 1) prosecutor perceptions about what case characteristics affect charging potential, 2) 100 case records and forensic interviews, and 3) in–depth reviews of cases prosecuted. Content analysis was used to identify influential case elements, logistic regression modeling was used to determine factors associated with a decision to prosecute, and framework analysis was used to further confirm and expand upon case factors. Overall, findings indicate that prosecution is most strongly predicted by caregiver support and the availability of other evidence. The decision to prosecute was found to include a process of ongoing evaluation of the evidence and determination of a balanced approach to justice. The decision to prosecute a case can be influenced by strong and supportive investigative practices. An important implication is that interaction among multidisciplinary professionals promotes communication and efforts, further enhancing discretion about potential legal actions.     

Talk,planning and decision‐making in interdisciplinary teacher teams: a case study

A diverse range of social structures, for instance teacher teams, professional communities and teacher learning communities, are established to advance collaboration among teachers. In Norway, Interdisciplinary Teacher Teams (ITTs) have become a common way of organising teachers in schools, recommended in a national curriculum reform in 1997. This study explores the internal structure, social meaning and potential resources for learning and development inherent in the planning and coordination of work in ITT meetings. Most studies of teacher teams as well as teacher learning communities are based on teachers’ experiences, expressed in interviews or surveys. The focus of this study is not on what teachers say about teams, but on what teachers say in teams. While most studies have addressed within‐department, subject‐specific teams, this study focuses on interdisciplinary teams. Team‐talk in two ITTs in two different lower secondary schools in Norway has been videotaped and analysed. Four patterns of interaction have been identified – preserving individualism: renegotiating individual autonomy and personal responsibility; coordination: assuring the social organisation of work; cooperation: creating a shared object or enterprise; and sharing: clarifying pedagogical motives. The study illustrates patterns in team‐talk, conceptualises the processes of decision‐making that take place in these ITTs and identifies resources for learning and development inherent in certain forms of interaction. The study contributes to the research literature by both focusing on the details of the interaction in team meetings and analysing the dynamics of the group interaction in the perspective of the situatedness and the object‐orientation of team‐talk.     

A gendered point of view on the challenges of women academics in The People’s Republic of China

The authors conducted a qualitative study of women’s experiences as faculty members at Northern Research University, a pseudonym for a top 40 university in The People’s Republic of China. Based on 27 semi-structured interviews with women (15) and men (12), and drawing from feminist standpoint theory and symbolic interactionism, the authors identified four key findings that highlight serious barriers confronting Chinese women faculty. They describe these as: (1) working double time, (2) the glass ceiling, (3) the boys club and social exclusion, and (4) comrades in arms. The first three findings support previous international studies of women’s experiences as faculty members and thus contribute to an expanding global body of knowledge about challenges faced by women academics. The fourth finding—comrades in arms—highlights a structural quality somewhat unique to the Chinese university and raises important concerns about the limited role women play in critical personnel decisions influencing academic promotions and advancement.     

Self‐knowledge and psychological knowledge: Teaching psychology from the cognitive point of view 1

The aims and methods of teaching psychology depend on one's conception of the field. The three principal contemporary approaches are behaviorism, dynamic psychology, and cognitive psychology. Of these three, only cognitive psychology provides a frame of reference in which knowledge can be seen as valuable in its own right, and psychological knowledge as important even for non‐professionals. The three orientations have different implications for the level at which psychology can usefully be taught. A successful course taught in a junior high school illustrates the feasibility of teaching about cognition at this level, where other approaches may have little to offer. The three orientations suggest emphasis on different methods of teaching. Classroom demonstration of perceptual and cognitive phenomena plays a special role in teaching about cognition. It enables the student to discover that what he is learning applies to him, and thus endows it with specific concreteness and personal relevance.     

Experienced EFL teachers’ professional practical knowledge,reasoning and classroom decision making in Egypt: views from the inside out

This study aimed to investigate the areas that constituted the professional practical knowledge of experienced English as a Foreign Language teachers in Egypt and how their knowledge informed their classroom practice. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 236 preparatory and secondary school teachers in 38 schools through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and stimulated recall following classroom observation. Six areas of knowledge were revealed and rationalized from the participants’ responses. In addition, the teachers made decisions while teaching informed by what they knew and viewed. The findings of the study call for a knowledge-based practical approach to teacher learning and professional development.     

The roles of the anterior cingulate cortex and its dopamine receptors in self-paced cost–benefit decision making in rats

It has been shown that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and its dopamine system are crucial for decision making that requires physical/emotional effort, but not for all forms of cost–benefit decision making. Previous studies had mostly employed behavioral tasks with two competing cost–reward options that were preset by the experimenters. However, few studies have been conducted using scenarios in which the subjects have full control over the energy/time expenditure required to obtain a proportional reward. Here, we assessed the roles of the ACC and its dopamine system in cost–benefit decision making by utilizing a “do more get more” (DMGM) task and a time–reward trade-off (TRTO) task, wherein the animals were able to self-determine how much effort or time to expend at a nosepoke operandum for a proportional reward. Our results showed that (1) ACC inactivation severely impaired DMGM task performance, with a reduction in the rate of correct responses and a decrease in the effort expended, but did not affect the TRTO task; and (2) blocking ACC D2 receptors had no impact on DMGM task performance in the baseline cost–benefit scenario, but it significantly reduced the attempts to invest increased effort for a large reward when the benefit–cost ratio was reduced by half. In contrast, blocking ACC D1 receptors had no effect on DMGM task performance. These findings suggest that the ACC is required for self-paced effort-based but not for time–reward trade-off decision making. Furthermore, ACC dopamine D2 but not D1 receptors are involved in DMGM decision making.     

The “Biglan model” and the smart messenger: A case study of eponym diffusion

The Biglan model, a classification system arraying academic fields and disciplines into eight cells, is frequently cited and has become a generally accepted new eponym in the field of higher education. Bibliographic indicators and co-citation patterns document that John Smart (and associates) introduced the eponym to the field, but he is never expressly acknowledged for the contribution. Over time, the eponym may be taking on new, more theoretical, meaning. As this eponym becomes further diffused throughout the literature, there are signs that citations to the Smart messenger may diminish, along with obliteration of the formal citation of Biglan. The disappearance of citations is not atypical, nor is it a violation of normal scholarly practices but, in fact, it undermines the veracity of typical bibliometric studies of intellectual influence structures.     

Cuba,YanquizaciÓn,and the cult of EliÁn Gonzalez: A view from the 'enlightened' states

Using the recent controversy surrounding Elian Gonzalez as a centerpiece, and employing a Marxian critique of United States capitalism and imperialsm as a heuristic device, this essay explores the major contradictions surrounding the position taken by the Miami Mafia with respect to Elian and Cuba's communist regime. In doing so, it criticizes the US media portrayal of the saga surrounding "the miracle child". Paramount in this controversy is the campaign of misinformation directed at creating an erroneous image of life in Cuba grounded in the reactionary and virulently negative critique continually waged against Cuba's postrevolution social project. The authors explore the role played by the "Miami Mafia," the anti-Castro Cuban exile population in the United States, in conjunction with official pro-capitalist, "anticommunist" government and media apparatuses designed to create an environment of defamatory rhetoric against the nation of Cuba. In doing so, the authors bring to the surface contradictions and injustices inherent in both the rhetoric and the reality of US capitalism. In addition, this essay highlights the many achievements of the Cuban socialist project, focusing specifically on education. The authors share a concern about Cuba's recent economic experiment and put forward an argument about why market socialism should not be a viable option.     

A comparative study of TVET projects — implementation experiences from Jamaica and The Gambia

The purpose of this paper is to provide some lessons for policy makers who are involved in implementing TVET projects in the developing world. It presents the findings of a study of 19 projects which were implemented in Jamaica, and in The Gambia, over the 1980 to 1996 period. A case study method was adopted, involving semi-structured interviews with key officials in each country and the collection of appropriate policy documents. The study was specifically concerned with identifying the role played by overseas aid agencies and the corresponding impact of depending on foreign consultants and project components obtained from the developed world. Overall, it found that this dependence could have a negative impact, both on a project's implementation and on its long term sustainability. Furthermore, the study illustrates how different types of dependency manifest themselves at various stages in the life cycle of TVET projects funded by overseas aid agencies. The paper concludes by suggesting steps that might be taken to reduce the likelihood of dependency being an influential factor in the implementation of future TVET projects.     

Academic engagement: assessment,conditions, and effects—a study in higher education from the perspective of the person-situation interaction

European Journal of Psychology of Education - This study has three main objectives. The first is to know to which degree engagement, as a person variable, and each of its modalities—agency,...     

The romance and reality of policy‐making and implementation: a case study of the target‐oriented curriculum in Hong Kong

One of the major innovations in the recent wave of education reform in Hong Kong is the target‐oriented curriculum. An interesting feature of this new curriculum initiative was its amoebic characteristics – changing shape and focus in its course of development. It was reshaped from an assessment system for accountability purposes to a centrally developed curriculum initiative for improving teaching and learning, and finally to a school‐based curriculum development. In this paper, this course of development and the reasons behind it will be described and analysed. The study suggests that the two‐tier educational policy and implementation system in Hong Kong is a major cause leading to such a phenomenon. If this system were not improved, the possibility of achieving real changes at the school and classroom level would be low.     

Female academics’ research capacities in the Kurdistan region of Iraq: socio-cultural issues,personal factors and institutional practices

In October 2010, an interdisciplinary group of female academics from a university in the Kurdistan region of Iraq initiated a collaborative research project with a UK university to investigate opportunities and challenges for female academics' research leadership in universities in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The project aimed to develop female academics' research capacities using action learning and research principles, in order to focus on issues of concern to practitioners, seek understanding, reflect on activities and enhance them through needs identification–solution–reflection cycles and collaboratively seek solutions. The research uncovered socially constructed barriers to advancement shaped by socio-cultural issues and institutional practices, found exemplars of successful female academics and strengthened participants' research leadership capacities. We conclude that the expansion of female academics' capacities should be prioritised in the Kurdistan region of Iraq to harness their contributions to nation-building and economic development, goals that are explicitly emphasised in higher education policy statements.     

The genesis of mentors’ professional and personal knowledge about teaching: perspectives from the Republic of Ireland

This study investigates the sources of mentors’ knowledge about teaching. A mixed-method research design combining quantitative and qualitative data collection methods was used to examine this area. The findings of the study suggest that: mentors’ knowledge about teaching is practice orientated and emerges from their professional experiences, their teaching skills, their pre-service teacher education and, to a considerable extent, from their own personal experiences. The authors argue that mentors require support to reflect on their early socialisation experiences and their attachment to practice-based experience as a source of professional knowledge, in this way they can better understand and carry out their role as mentors.     

Analysis on “The Nightingale and The Rose” from the View of Beauty in Color

Oscar Wilde is one of the most famous writers in the period of the Victoria Age. As his classical work, "The Nightingale and The Rose" has been worshiped for its profound theme and the brilliant exertion of color. Now, the tale will be analyzed from the view of beauty in Color, expecting sharing my reviews with all of you.