The politics of child abuse and neglect; New governmental recognition for an old problem

In the 1870s child abuse and neglect was transformed from a “non-issue” to the responsibility of the civic-sector charity groups and, more recently, to a charge of the public sector. The objective of this article is to examine the cause of these shifts of responsibility by covering three topics: (1) a discussion of spheres of responsibility for social problems, (2) a definition and discussion of what constitutes a shift of risk from one sphere to another, and (3) an analysis of the shift of responsibility for child abuse and neglect from individuals to the civic sector and then to the public sector. In both instances the shift of risk was caused by slack resources, willing leadership, and the absence of any organized opposition to the changing locus of responsibility.     

Choice paths in the Swedish upper secondary education – a critical discourse analysis of recent reforms

Decentralisation policy in Sweden emphasises school capitation allowance, the local upper secondary schools’ decision‐making and pupils’ choices in contrast to previous bureaucratic governing. The aim of this article is to discuss how pupils’ educational choice paths are a part of the different kinds of integration and differentiation processes within upper secondary education. By doing so, the intention is to make a theoretical contribution to the ongoing discussion in this research field. In the light of Habermas’s theory of communicative action combined with Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis, educational choice paths have been studied as a process within three educational practices in a local quasi‐market in Sweden: (1) choice of upper secondary school, (2) choice of upper secondary programme, and (3) choice of courses and subjects within a programme. Some of the results demonstrate that pupils’ choice paths can be vocation‐oriented, career‐oriented and consumption‐oriented. It is argued that these different types of choice paths are related to a market discourse. Other results demonstrate that pupils’ group‐oriented, interest‐oriented and tradition‐oriented choice paths are built upon an active citizenship discourse, which is about creating meaning in terms of seeking knowledge and establishing social relations in upper secondary education. The analysis of these two paramount discourses indicates that pupils’ integration and differentiation processes are ambiguous.     

Constructivist learning theory and human capital theory: shifting political and educational frameworks for teachers' ICT professional development

This case study discusses the influence of politics on educational technology policies and practices by tracing the effects of a change of governing political parties with differing ideologies and advisory constituencies. It begins by describing a democratic socialist government initiative based on social capital theory and emphasising connections among individuals. The information and communications technology (ICT) initiative is a peer mentorship model of teacher professional development using constructivist learning theory that emphasises activity‐based situated learning processes. The article then describes a shift in the political context with the election of a political party with a market orientation guided by principles of fiscal responsibility and free enterprise. The subsequent reformulation of educational policy draws from human capital theory and emphasises accountability and the measurement of students’ achievement of technological skills against standard learning outcomes. The significance of the political dimension on the development of educational policies for ICT is discussed, with the conclusion that the exclusion of particular constituent groups can result in narrowly defined educational needs.     

促进主动学习(英文)

本文原是1997年10月在南平师专举办的“世行贷款师资发展项目闽、桂、赣英语学科教学法省级研讨班”讲座稿。笔者在提出了讨论观点后,探究了主动学习的概念。根据对一组亚洲学生,特别是对中国学生的研究结果,举出了好学生在学习语言(这里指外语)时选择的手段。为了将教育的主要重点从教师转向学生,笔者认为对那些好学生的反应我们应该谨慎对待,某种学习态度的改变也许会对学习效果产生影响。在这个过程中,笔者没有忘记教师。为此,文章还列举了参加研讨班教师们提出的有关促进主动学习的建议,供大家今后能有效地进行学习者培训作参考。     

Neural Correlates of Risk Processing Among Adolescents: Influences of Parental Monitoring and Household Chaos

Adolescent risky behavior is related to developmental changes in decision‐making processes and their neural correlates. Yet, research investigating how the family environment relates to risk processing in the adolescent brain is limited. In this study, longitudinal data were collected from 167 adolescents (13–15 years, 53% male) who self‐reported household chaos and their parent's monitoring practices, and completed a decision‐making task during functional MRI at Time 1 and Time 2 (1 year apart). Parental knowledge was positively related to insular risk processing only among adolescents in low‐chaos environments at both time points. Results highlight environmental correlates of insular risk processing in the developing brain.     

Issues associated with participation in on line forums—the case of the communicative learner

This paper reports on participation within on-line forums. The focus is on asynchronous text based discussion within small groups of learners following a learning event or course. Participation is a key issue within such forums and research was carried out into adult learners' experiences within three case studies. Learners were positive about the forums in which they took part but participation was less than many would have liked. This paper describes the constraints on participation and outlines three patterns of participation—non participation, quiet participation and communicative participation. Discussion focuses on the communicative leaner—someone who participates regularly in forums and in ways which are broadly welcomed by others in the group. A profile of the communicative learner is developed in which the importance of fluency, coherence and informality is highlighted. The paper summarises the issues associated with on-line participation and their implications for supporting communicative participation.     

Observe,interact and act: teachers’ initiation of mini-plenaries to scaffold small-group collaboration

Mini-plenaries, the shift in discussion from group to class and then back to group during the course of a small-group collaborative activity, have long been part of the repertoire of teachers. Despite this, they are not considered in detail in the research into teacher orchestration or classroom interaction. This article explores the behaviours of two teachers prior to their decision to initiate a mini-plenary. It considers the impact of technology and classroom conditions on this decision. It also looks at the impact of mini-plenaries on student learning and discusses what the initiation of a mini-plenary may signify within the current theoretical framing of classroom orchestration and teacher–student interaction.     

Developing a discourse community of preservice teachers in a technology‐mediated context

Abstract

Through an asynchronous discussion group on the Internet, students were given opportunities to interact in a community of beginning preservice and inservice teachers. They questioned, argued, and negotiated issues generated from their experiences in an introductory educational psychology course and school‐based practicum. This paper reports findings from an investigation into the social dynamics of a technology‐mediated environment and the extent to which community‐building occurred. Using a discourse analysis approach, the data were analyzed to determine the extent to which a technology‐mediated discourse community reflects the five main features that characterize the ethos of classroom communities: respect among members with open exchange of ideas, individual responsibility with communal sharing, shifting roles among members, constructive discussion/making meaning, and a participation framework. Illustrations of each of these categories that demonstrate an overall sense of community among the participants are provided.     

Framing evolution discussion intellectually

This study examines how a first‐year biology teacher facilitates a series of whole‐class discussions about evolution during the implementation of a problem‐based unit. A communicative theoretical perspective is adopted wherein evolution discussions are viewed as social events that the teacher can frame intellectually (i.e., present or organize as exchanges of an intellectual nature). Furthermore, we characterize teacher framing of evolution discussion in terms of five communicative components: focus, orientation, social structure, mood, and participatory nature. Our video‐based analyses revealed that the teacher paid little attention to the conceptual contents and history of evolutionary theory, framing evolution discussions as moderately playful and partially mandatory events focused mainly on student sharing of ideas (i.e., personal opinions) and polite communication of evolution. Within this framing, the teacher adopted the role of a neutral (though admittedly biased) facilitator with an intermediary expert status (less knowledgeable than evolutionary biologists) and who was legally required (though also inclined) to discuss evolution. The main significance of this study is that it provides new and useful insights into social phenomena such as respect, politeness, and humor in the context of evolution discussion as well as a robust theoretical framework for analyzing evolution discussion from a social perspective. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., Inc. J Res Sci Teach 48: 257–280, 2011     

The influence of decision factors on what is reported in free recall of a brief narrative

In recent research on memory for prose, attention has focused on the influence of a reader's perspective or schema on what is encoded and subsequently recalled. Previous research has revealed that subjects were able to recall previously unrecalled information if they were directed to take a new perspective during a second recall trial. This has been termed the perspective shift effect. This paper describes two possible mechanisms to account for the perspective shift effect—a retrieval process and a decision process. Two experiments which investigated the roles of these processes in the perspective shift effect are described. Experiment 1 employed an incentive to influence the subjects' criterion for reporting recalled information. Experiment 2 obtained separate estimates for decision and memory processes by applying signal detection theory. The results of both experiments provide data that tend to rule out the decision process as an important factor in the perspective shift phenomena in recall.     

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.     

Precision of age norms in tests used to assess preschool children

This study investigated normative precision in 14 preschool tests representing four domains: cognitive, language, adaptive behavior, and early academic skills. The purpose was to explore the consequences of using tests with more‐ vs. less‐precise age norms to identify disabilities in preschool children. As expected, on tests with more precise norms, standard scores associated with the same raw score shifted gradually across age groups. On the other hand, tests with less precise norms showed more dramatic standard score shifts across age groups. Examination of the degree of shift found in each test indicated that many preschool tests have norm tables that are potentially problematic for diagnosing disabilities, particularly for children near norm group cut‐off ages. On high stakes tests, an optimal span is one to three months. This standard can be achieved by using interpolation and/or increasing the size of norming samples at the preschool level. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Trust versus control: the impact of school leadership on teacher reflection

As teacher educators have worked to encourage teachers to become more reflective, they have noted the important role that school context plays in supporting or constraining reflection in action. This study describes one kindergarten teacher's experiences in two contrasting school contexts. The study documents the leadership styles, school organizational structures and resources, faculty‐administration communication processes, and curriculum decision‐making practices that promoted or hindered the teacher's ability to reflect. Data analysis revealed striking contrasts between the two schools. These differences had an impact on the curriculum provided by the teacher, her ability and willingness to accept responsibility for her professional decisions, and her self‐confidence and job satisfaction. The study concludes with suggestions for teacher educators interested in helping their graduates find and maintain contexts supportive of reflective practice.     

Developing High Quality Decision‐Making Discussions About Biological Conservation in a Normal Classroom Setting

The conservation of biodiversity is an important socio‐scientific issue that is often regarded as a precondition to sustainable development. The foundation for citizens’ understanding of conservation issues can be laid down in formal school education. This research focuses on decision‐making discussions about biological conservation issues among 131 15–16‐year‐old students, to address two main research questions:

1. Can peer group decision‐making discussions, in a normal science lesson setting, help develop students’ personal reasoning in relation to conservation issues?

2. Are there features common to high quality discussions about conservation which might be readily identified by classroom teachers?

Findings indicate the positive value of students taking part in these short decision‐making discussions guided by a structured framework and as part of their normal science classroom activities. Students increase their quality of personal reasoning, and modify their solutions to the issues. The study begins to uncover features about students both as individuals and as members of discussion groups, which can be associated with high quality decision‐making about conservation issues, and which teachers might realistically identify. The work calls for the need to cultivate these features and to integrate them appropriately with learning about the scientific concepts that underpin the theory and practice of conservation management. Such integration will facilitate the development of teaching strategies for dealing effectively with the complex topic of biological conservation; not just in terms of science content, but also in terms of how students are expected to engage with the issues.     

Mapping Children’s Discussions of Evidence in Science to Assess Collaboration and Argumentation

The research reported in this paper concerns the development of children’s skills of interpreting and evaluating evidence in science. Previous studies have shown that school teaching often places limited emphasis on the development of these skills, which are necessary for children to engage in scientific debate and decision‐making. The research, undertaken in the United Kingdom, involved four collaborative decision‐making activities to stimulate group discussion, each carried out with five groups of four children (10–11 years old). The research shows how the children evaluated evidence for possible choices and judged whether their evidence was sufficient to support a particular conclusion or the rejection of alternative conclusions. A mapping technique was developed to analyse the discussions and identify different “levels” of argumentation. The authors conclude that suitable collaborative activities that focus on the discussion of evidence can be developed to exercise children’s ability to argue effectively in making decisions.     

Basic Problems of a Critical Theory of Education

ABSTRACT Education is in itself a project of Enlightenment. The critical theory of the Frankfurt School, whose origin and development bear the imprint of self-destructive social-cultural processes of modernity and of the Holocaust, can count as an attempt to continue the process of Enlightenment through radical self-criticism. The paper presents the approach of the first generation of critical theory and then Jurgen Habermas' critique of this approach and his reconstruction of critical theory in his theory of communicative action. Special emphasis is laid on the discussion of the ethical implications of human communication. From this background the paper enquires what significance these reflections could have for a revised concept of education.     

Academics or executives? Continuity and change in the roles of pro‐vice‐chancellors1

The leadership roles of pro‐vice‐chancellors (PVCs) in the United Kingdom and elsewhere have evolved markedly over the last three decades while universities have been encouraged to shift towards more executive styles of leadership and decision‐making. The change does not only reflect changing institutional needs, however, but an accommodation of deeper historical continuities around institutional autonomy and academic values. Most PVCs are drawn from the ranks of professors; typically have an Oxbridge, London or big civic background; and most are male. The role gains authority through influence, rather than command, and depends on academic experience and credibility to be effective. PVCs maintain a complex corporate‐academic web balancing two, sometimes contradictory, roles: one firmly academic, concerning cross‐institutional responsibility for core academic values and mission; the other more bureaucratic or executive, focusing on the burgeoning demands of accountability. The research cautions against a simple model of executive leadership. Understanding the needs of academic leadership and the contours of its practices remains paramount.     

Enhancing participation in primary school and class councils through visual communication

In the context of citizenship education, many UK primary schools have recently set up school councils. Previous research has overlooked the importance of exploring communicative practices specific to school councils and the implications for children's participation. This paper draws on an action‐orientated research project with teachers in three Norfolk primary schools, which began with ethnographic observation of school and class council meetings. By developing alternative visual strategies for facilitating communication in meetings (based on a methodology known as PRA), teachers were able to encourage involvement by more children and enable them to have a greater voice in decision‐making. We argue that the common focus on adult procedures in school councils puts the emphasis on teaching children about their future role as citizens and can limit children's ownership of decision‐making processes. The alternative is to create contexts in which children have a sense of the democratic purposes of their school council in the here and now, by providing children with means (such as the visual strategies) that are consistent with those purposes and prioritizing action as an end.     

From Autonomy to Divinity: The Cultural Socialization of Moral Reasoning in an Evangelical Christian Community

This study examined moral reasoning in parent–child conversations within a U.S. evangelical Christian community. The goal was to identify social‐communicative processes that may promote the development of Divinity in children's moral reasoning. Sixteen parent–child dyads (6–9 years old) discussed hypothetical moral vignettes about failures to help peers in need. Analyses revealed that Divinity typically co‐occurred with Autonomy in these conversations and that such co‐occurrences typically happened through three distinct social‐communicative processes, labeled “align,” “scaffold,” and “counter.” Findings are used to explain the shifting priority of Autonomy and Divinity over the life course among members of evangelical Christian faiths that previous research has documented. More broadly, findings highlight socialization processes through which children can rationalize their developing moral outlooks in culturally distinct ways.