What teachers can learn from parents' perceptions of young children's literacy learning

Research in the last ten to fifteen years has provided a strong knowledge base for understanding how children learn to read and write in naturally developing ways. *These findings and conclusions are drawn from the wealth of early literacy research. The research provides a keener understanding of how the learning environment contributes enabling children to construct their own personally meaningful rule systems for making written language work for them, even at very young ages.Stevie Hoffman is Professor of Early Childhood Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, and Larry Kantner is Professor in the Departments of Curriculum and Instruction and Fine Arts, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO.     

Students’ perceptions of career conversations with their teachers

Internationally, schools acknowledge their responsibility in guiding students not only in their academic growth, but also in their lifelong career development. In relation to this development, vocational schools in the Netherlands are implementing integral career guidance in which teachers receive a new task in guiding students in developing their own learning and career paths. A questionnaire was developed to investigate students’ perceptions of career guidance by teachers during career conversations, and data involving 28 teachers were collected from 579 students. The study identified four different teacher guidance profiles. Remarkable is that teachers spoke very little about career issues, and school issues were mostly on the agenda. The results indicate that teachers struggle with the transition towards becoming a career guide of students, and aspects influencing the transition into this new role need to be considered.     

Children's perceptions of deviance and disorder.

First-, fourth-, seventh-, and eleventh-grade boys and girls were interviewed on the topic of deviant behavior among their peers. They were also asked to make deviance judgments on 2 story characters whose behaviors exemplified qualities that typically evoke an attribution of psychological disorder on the part of adult judges. 1 story described loss of control and aggression, the other a distorted and paranoid perception of social reality. The pattern of reaction to the stories was consistent with age-related shifts in the basic for deviant status. First graders largely failed to think in terms of group norms. The transition from the middle grades to adolescence was marked by greater emphasis on social consensus--both in psychological perspective and group behavior.     

M‐learning adequacy and perceptions of students and teachers in secondary schools

In recent years, the use of mobile technologies has increased in a number of fields such as banking, economy, tourism, entertainment, library research, etc. These developments have also led to the use of mobile technologies for educational purposes. The successful integration of mobile learning (m‐learning) technologies in education primarily demands that teachers' and students' adequacy and perceptions of such technology should be determined. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare teachers' and students' abilities and perceptions concerning m‐learning. Research data for the analysis were obtained from a sample of 467 teachers and 1556 students from 32 schools that were surveyed in Northern Cyprus. Based on our results, we conclude that teachers and students want to use m‐learning in education. Their perceptions are positive but their m‐learning adequacy levels are not sufficient.     

A cross-cultural study of parents' perceptions of early childhood programs

Cross-cultural studies in early childhood education assist in expanding perspectives and gaining increased understanding and appreciation of programs in other countries. Because both Sweden and the United States are interested in parent involvement in early childhood programs, a survey was conducted to assess parent's perceptions of these programs. Following a review of family life and early childhood education in Sweden and the United States are the specific components of the cross-cultural study. A stratified random sample of parents whose children were involved in early childhood programs was done in St. Louis County, MN, United States, and Kronobergs Lan, Småland, Sweden. In the first section of the five-part survey, parents indicated the degree to which they agreed or disagreed with statements about such areas as governmental support of children and families. Parents in Sweden felt more support of the government, whereas parents in the United States used early childhood programs as a support mechanism to increase their confidence. In the other four sections of the survey, parents rated the importance of various types of parental involvement and the importance of various materials, activities, and caregiver actions in their children's programs. In general, parents in Sweden valued informal contact and inner-directed creative materials and activities. Parents in the United States valued more confining activities such as rote counting, community-based experiences, and compliance with adult expectations. The influence of the macro-society on parents' perceptions as well as microsystem interactions and environments is evident in this study. As early childhood educators learn about and adapt new ideas to their own programs, the potential of cross-cultural studies becomes realized in improved opportunities for young children and their families.     

Circle Time: The perceptions of teachers and pupils

The interest of teachers and educational psychologists in circle time has grown over recent years, and there has been an explosion of publications offering activities and curriculum on the subject. Despite this expansion in publications, there has not been an accompanying growth in efficacy-based research about circle time. The current literature contains little evidence of its effectiveness. The present paper outlines a research study, undertaken within one local education authority and as part of the researcher's work on the Education Doctorate programme at Sheffield University, that aimed to investigate teacher and pupil perceptions of circle time. It concludes that both groups view circle time as a positive intervention. The study raises questions about the possibilities regarding socially mediated learning.     

Playing Social Chess: Children's play and social intelligence

Humans live in complex social environments. By the time they reach adulthood, most people have developed highly sophisticated social skills, including the ability to infer the 'invisible' mental states in others, and to act upon those inferences; they have become experts at 'social chess'. This paper draws upon research from developmental and evolutionary psychology, primatology, as well as studies of autistic children, to explore the processes by which children acquire the complex skills underpinning social interaction. It also examines obstacles to social skill acquisition. In light of ethological studies of social play in humans and other primates, it is argued that play is a fundamental medium for acquiring social skills.     

Student perceptions and instructional effectiveness of deaf and hearing teachers

The study examined the views of deaf and hard of hearing secondary-level students when asked about their preferences for deaf vs. hearing teachers. It also compared elementary- and secondary-level students' achievement scores based on the hearing status of their teachers. Deaf and hard of hearing secondary-level students showed greater preference for deaf teachers, with deaf students showing greater preference for deaf teachers than hard of hearing students did. No significant differences were found in the achievement levels of students based on differences in teacher hearing status. The study supports the limited research done in the past.     

Children's perceptions of discrimination: a developmental model

Discrimination affects millions of children in the United States and throughout the world. Although the topic is important for both theoretical and applied reasons, little developmental work has examined children's perceptions of discrimination directed toward themselves and others. A review of past theoretical and empirical work on the perception of discrimination is provided. Next, a developmental model of the perception of discrimination is offered. The model identifies developmental and individual differences expected to influence judgments about discrimination, as well as situational variables that are likely to support attributions to discrimination.     

Children's expectancies and perceptions of adults: effects on rapport

Interpersonal expectancy effects are less thoroughly understood in children than in adults, yet they can have practical implications for children's interactions. To understand better children's expectancies, this study extended earlier work to include expectancies of adults, preexisting (i.e., noninduced) expectancies, and joint effects of expectancies and subsequent perceptions. Children (N = 81) in Grades 4 through 6 (i.e., 9- to 12-year-olds) indicated their expectancies of adults who subsequently interacted with them using a style of either autonomy support (AS) or control (CN). After each interaction, children reported on perceived AS and on rapport. Results indicated that children's expectancies and subsequent perceptions interact to predict rapport, adult AS is associated with increased rapport, and the effect of children's expectancies on rapport is only partially mediated by their perceptions.     

Mentors' perceptions of their roles in mentoring student teachers

Mentoring may be seen as a process that helps student teachers become professional teachers. In this context, a variety of significant roles played by mentors have been identified in the literature. This paper reports on mentors' perceptions of the most important roles selected from a given list, as revealed through questionnaire and interview data. This analysis forms part of a large‐scale evaluative project of a school–university partnership scheme initiated by the University of Hong Kong. The findings indicate overwhelming attention given to the role of ‘provider of feedback’, which stresses the provision of pragmatic advice given to student teachers according to their personal strengths and weaknesses. However, for those mentors whose perception of the most important role had changed over time, the direction of change was towards roles such as ‘counselor’, ‘equal partner’ and ‘critical friend’, which emphasize a more relational aspect of working together with student teachers to achieve professional development.     

Children's play: the differential effects of intrafamilial physical and sexual abuse

This study investigated the play of sexually abused, physically abused, physically and sexually abused, and nonabused children between the ages of 3.5 years and 10 years. Using a modified form of the Lowenfeld World Technique, we observed each child in four individual sessions in which the child was asked to create a world picture in the sandtray. Their worlds were drawn up, photographed, and analyzed according to three differing criteria. The results indicated both structural and thematic differences across the four groups. The controls made representational and phantasy worlds whose themes were domestic and phantasy wish fulfillment. The sexually abused children's worlds were representational and mixed, and themes focused on sexuality and the need for protection and nurturance. The physically abused created representational and phantasy worlds in which were displayed considerable aggression and disorganization; and their themes were concerned with conflict, chaos, and phantasy wish fulfillment. The physically and sexually abused were the most diverse; and although their worlds were representational and phantasy ones displaying considerable aggression, thematic content was conflictual in a quarter of cases but also ranged over all categories except domestic.     

The play of education: Volunteer teachers in Experimental University Classes

This paper describes an Experimental academic program at Kent State University in which a volunteer, nonprofessional mode of teaching seems to have produced positive results. The phenomenon of volunteerism is puzzling, but the data collected from this Experimental program suggest that people like to teach and do it well when they are part of a divergent system of openness and continued growth. In any case, this program's idealistic objectives of self-directed learning and a strong sense of community have been implemented by using volunteers.     

现代学徒制下“楚天技能名师”的作用与管理措施

指出了现代学徒制意义和人才培养模式,阐明了楚天技能名师的意义与潜在作用,提出了发挥楚天技能名师作用的几点措施。     

Faculty and student perceptions of outstanding university teachers in the USA and Russia

The majority of research that relates teacher characteristics to student learning in the university has come from Western universities. Using various methodologies, research continues to examine the characteristics of outstanding university teachers. Much of that research in the USA assesses faculty and student perspectives. However, there are nearly no cross‐cultural comparisons on this issue. We examined faculty and student perspectives about outstanding university teachers in the USA and in Russia. Faculty members and students at the University of Central Arkansas, Orel State University and Moscow City University rated the qualities of outstanding teachers on the Teacher Behaviors Checklist (TBC). Results showed significant positive correlations for the relative importance of teacher characteristics across the six participant groups. There did not appear to be any substantial differences between the American and Russian counterparts for 21 of the 28 specific teacher characteristics. The comparison of American and Russian faculty and students suggests more universality than cross‐cultural differences in the characteristics of outstanding university teachers.