Street children: a comparative perspective.

OBJECTIVE: This paper examines the findings from recent studies of street children in Ethiopia. METHODS: Following a discussion of the term "street children," comparisons are drawn between Latin American and Ethiopian street children in terms of gender, age, reasons for going to the streets, family relations and structure, delinquency, drug use, groups and the outcomes of street life. In particular, the victimization of street children in Ethiopia is examined. RESULTS: Widespread abuse of street children was reported. More than half of the street boys questioned reported being "regularly" physically attacked. Street life is also highly victimogenic for street girls. Sexual offences, in particular, were widespread. Forty four percent had been raped and a further 26% had been sexually attacked. CONCLUSIONS: Similarities between Latin American street children and their Ethiopian counterparts regarding gender, background and street life experiences are noted. Comparisons concerning the victimization of street children were not possible, as this is an issue that is relatively unexamined in the Latin American context. Also, issues such as the developmental outcomes of street life and the process of leaving street life remain to be examined.     

(Re-)designing higher education curricula in times of systemic dysfunction: a responsible research and innovation perspective

There is an urgent need to address the grand sustainability challenges of our time, and to explore new and more responsible ways of operating, researching, and innovating that enable society to respond to these challenges. The emergent Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) policy agenda can act as a catalyst towards the development of new and more responsible research and innovation efforts. Inevitably, higher education needs to be closely attuned to this need and agenda, by preparing students to engage in RRI efforts. This paper makes a first step towards guiding the embedding of RRI within higher education. It does so by bringing together academic knowledge with phronesis or practical knowledge about what should be done in an ethical, political, and practical sense. It draws on a literature review and on the reflective practices of partners in the European Commission funded project EnRRICH (Enhancing Responsible Research and Innovation through Curricula in Higher Education), as well as on interviews and case studies gathered as part of the project. The paper suggests elements, especially design principles and a competence framework, for (re)designing curricula and pedagogies to equip higher education students to be and to become responsible actors, researchers, and innovators in a complex world, and to address grand sustainability challenges. In addition, this paper proposes that contemporary higher education teaching and learning policies and strategies, especially those promoting neoliberal agendas and marketized practices, need to adopt a more responsible and responsive ethos to foster the renewal of higher education in times of systemic dysfunction.     

Teaching abjection: A response to the war on terror

In this paper, the author discusses pedagogy and strategy within the current climate set by the “War on Terror”. Deploying Lacanian psychoanalysis in a critique of standardized knowledge, the author develops a theory of “abject pedagogy” that seeks to subvert the current “regimes of truth” while providing educators with a viable pedagogy during this “state of emergency”.     

Student-centred learning: a humanist perspective

The notion of student-centred learning is often not defined; within the pedagogic literature it is generally associated with constructivism or principles associated with a constructivist environment such as building on prior knowledge, purposeful active learning and sense-making. An informal enquiry into conceptions of university staff prior to this study revealed a variety of interpretations warranting greater clarification and context. This interpretive study using a constructivist grounded approach focused on academic staff in art and design. It revealed a broader, more holistic conception of student-centred learning which is largely ignored in the literature and included ideas such as personal growth, consciousness raising and empowerment. It raises the question of whether humanist interpretations of student-centred learning should be more explicitly considered across the disciplines.     

Inclusive education: a critical perspective

The Gulliford Lecture 2002 was given by Professor Geoff Lindsay, Director of the Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research (CEDAR) at the University of Warwick. Professor Lindsay's lecture, on which this paper is based, addressed a number of key topics, including the development of inclusion and inclusive practices; models of special educational needs and disability; and the values that underpin our thinking about these matters. Basing his argument on the research evidence, Professor Lindsay provides a searching critique of prevailing notions about inclusion and of current approaches to research. His conclusions will be of interest to everyone concerned with the education of children and young people with special educational needs.     

对权威观的辩证思考

辩证的权威观是马克思主义的重要内容.权威是主观和客观的统一,功能性和价值性的统一,可能性、必要性和现实性的统一,是权威确立的充分必要条件,只有同时具备这三个条件,科学的权威才能确立起来.     

Arabic sign language: a perspective

Sign language in the Arab World has been recently recognized and documented. Many efforts have been made to establish the sign language used in individual countries, including Jordan, Egypt, Libya, and the Gulf States, by trying to standardize the language and spread it among members of the Deaf community and those concerned. Such efforts produced many sign languages, almost as many as Arabic-speaking countries, yet with the same sign alphabets. This article gives a tentative account of some sign languages in Arabic through reference to their possible evolution, which is believed to be affected by the diglossic situation in Arabic, and by comparing some aspects of certain sign languages (Jordanian, Palestinian, Egyptian, Kuwaiti, and Libyan) for which issues such as primes, configuration, and movement in addition to other linguistic features are discussed. A contrastive account that depicts the principal differences among Arabic sign languages in general and the spoken language is given.     

Undergraduate plagiarism: a pedagogical perspective

Student plagiarism is a pervasive and increasing problem at all levels of study in tertiary institutions. This study attempted explicitly and implicitly to address issues of plagiarism within the broad context of an academic writing framework in tutorials in a first‐year module at the University of KwaZulu‐Natal in South Africa. Despite these interventions, a quarter of the students were judged to have plagiarised in an essay assignment. The study revealed little deliberate intention to deceive but instead poor understanding of both technical matters such as correct referencing norms that had been addressed in the module and higher‐order issues such as writing as process, knowledge as constructed and the establishment of authorial voice through language and referencing. Lack of real engagement with plagiarism and referencing issues was also a problem, with certain groups of students being more at risk in terms of committing plagiarism than others. It is argued that, particularly in a demographically diverse society, acquiring values, attitudes, norms, beliefs and practices that help prevent plagiarism should be viewed as a long‐term and iterative process.     

Grading secondary vocational education students with disabilities: a national perspective.

A nationwide purposive sample of secondary vocational educators completed a questionnaire that examined practices and perceptions toward grading students with disabilities. A variety of grading methods was reportedly used, but over two-thirds of respondents included a competency-based grading component. An overwhelming majority believed that student effort should be used to determine grades. Two-thirds of vocational educators had never been involved in their students' IEP development. The most common changes teachers have made over time in their grading practices included becoming more flexible and individualized in grading. Overall, teachers displayed moderately positive attitudes toward grading students with disabilities.     

Becoming a teacher educator: a personal perspective

This paper examines various aspects of the author's transition from classroom teacher to a cooperating teacher and then from cooperating teacher to university teacher educator. This analysis is used as the basis for several specific suggestions for how to improve the preparation of the next generation of teacher educators and teacher education programs.     

Experience of completing a PhD: a student's perspective

This article describes the experiences of a student who undertakes a period of intensive research for a doctorate whilst still being employed as a teacher working with children with special educational needs. Carol Wolstenholme gives an ‘insider glimpse’ into the challenges and opportunities presented to her as a teacher‐researcher and offers readers a personalised reflection on both her chosen research topic and the process of obtaining an advanced qualification in special educational needs.