Negotiating Academic Genres in a Multi‐disciplinary Context

The literature on higher education acknowledges the importance of context to the effective completion of research by postgraduate students but overlooks to study the importance of this factor for academics in higher education. The research reported here explores the extent to which academics in higher education sense that their research engages them in a collective effort, as against individualistic effort and the extent to which, in the latter case, they feel isolated. It also explores the extent to which their sense of teamwork or isolation is perceived as impacting on their abilities to perform effectively. The study reports on interviews with fifteen academics in a higher education institution (HEI) in the UK and reveals the widespread sense that, for the most part, research is not conducted in a teamwork setting, leading to feelings of isolation. The paper reveals the extent to which isolation is perceived as impacting negatively on the conduct of knowledge management and suggests that the kind of issues impacting on students appear to pertain also to academics. The article explores ways of overcoming these problems as well as future avenues for research.     

Problematizing the role of expert within small‐scale school‐university partnerships

Abstract

Since 2001, two teacher educators from distinctive midwestern universities have been engaged in partnerships with two local urban school districts that resulted from their personal relationships with educators and school leaders. By applying Macedo and Freire's (2001) framework of analysis, this article shares their dialogic reflection and assessment of the impact of their roles, intentions, and modes of operandi as qualitative researchers and the effectiveness of pursuing contextually relevant transformative agendas within these partnerships. This reflective analysis provides the forum for examining emergent issues and practices relevant to the intersection of these school and university communities, provides insight into the personal and professional commitments of those involved, and the potential for pursuing similar efforts to advance this agenda.     

ICT in‐service training and school practices: in search for the impact

This study set out to measure the perceptions of pre‐primary and primary school teachers in Cyprus regarding the impact and efficiency of a particular ICT in‐service training initiative. The research was carried out through telephone interviews with two groups of trained teachers. Teachers' responses indicated a significant impact of such training on their personal attitudes and skills. However, the professional practices which developed did not outline significant gains in student learning and achievement. Teachers' views on the efficiency of the training scheme highlighted the need for a more flexible ‘pick and mix’ training structure to tailor individual needs, and for professional development activities to become more relevant, to the context of classroom practices. The study also suggested that for ICT professional development to impact school practices, there is a need for contextual factors such as access to resources, curriculum time and a change‐oriented environment to be taken into account.     

Scallywags – an evaluation of a service targeting conduct disorders at school and at home

Conduct disorder (CD) is one of the most common childhood psychiatric disorders. Some research has focused on reducing conduct difficulties through parent training programmes. However, there has been limited research focusing on early intervention services that deal with emotional and/or conduct problems in a community setting. The aim of this study was to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the Scallywags service, a multi‐component, early intervention scheme, offering support in the educational and home setting. A total of 411 children, aged 3 to 7 years, was included in this study. Two behaviour inventories were used as the outcome measures. Parents and teachers completed these pre, post, and six months after the intervention. Results demonstrate significant decreases in child conduct problems after the six months intervention, with this change maintained six months later. This study adds to growing research illustrating the importance of multi‐component, early intervention schemes to reduce child conduct problems.     

An evaluation of Learning Contracts within the context of partnership in school‐based training: implications for school based mentoring

This paper explores parents' expectations and perceptions of effective induction and formative partnership with their child's school during the transition to full‐time statutory education.

Based on fifty case study children from two schools of similar size and catchment area but with different induction practices, it looks at a range of issues including parents' perceptions of home visiting, pre‐entry visits to school and pre‐entry profiles, as well as parents' knowledge about school and their notions of partner ship.

The paper outlines the implications for schools' partnerships with parents, exploring: ways in which schools and parents can begin to understand one another; how schools can help parents to support their children's learning; and ways in which effective schools can create opportunities for parental involvement.     

Immediate Impacts of PALS: A school‐wide multi‐level programme targeting behaviour problems in elementary school

The article describes the main outcomes of the intervention programme “Positive behaviour, interactions and learning environment in school” (PALS). PALS is an adapted Norwegian version of the School‐Wide Positive Behaviour Support model, developed in the United States with school‐wide interventions aiming at the prevention of behaviour problems and the promotion of social competence through a supportive learning environment. The effectiveness was evaluated with a quasi‐experimental design in four elementary schools, two years after implementation. An equal number of comparison schools were included in the study. Informants were students (n = 735) in third to seventh grade and teachers working at least 50% (n = 82). The immediate reductions in teacher‐observed problem behaviour ranged from moderate to large, while the results based on student ratings of social competence and classroom climate were less encouraging. Differential effects were found and implementation quality was together with teacher collective efficacy significantly related to better outcomes. The programme and results are discussed in relation to prior research, limitations of study design, and future implementation and research.     

Video‐courses in the inservice training of social‐service staff

This study describes the development and dissemination of a multi‐media package for inservice education for ‘teachers’ (INSET) in social‐service settings, and details its effectiveness when used in a variety of services with a diversity of staff. Three elements, critical to the success of this model, are identified and discussed. It is argued that this approach is a feasible strategy for future developments.     

The utilisation of a school self‐evaluation instrument

School quality care has become important in many Western countries. Expectations are high, but little is known about the nature and extent of the use of self‐evaluation instruments within schools. From this longitudinal study into the use of a Dutch school self‐evaluation instrument, it became clear that schools vary in the extent to which they are able to make use of self‐evaluation results. A minority of schools in this study were able to use the self‐evaluation results for developing measures at the school and classroom level to improve the quality of education. Potential causes for the findings and alternatives for promoting the utilisation of school self‐evaluation instruments are discussed.     

Bridging the gap: needs assessment of science teacher in‐service education in Turkey and the effects of teacher and school demographics

Turkish science teachers' in‐service needs and the effects of teacher and school demographic variables on these needs are examined in this study. In addition, major barriers that prevented science teachers from attending in‐service programmes are investigated. The data for the research were gathered through a survey. This study shows that Turkish science teachers require more instructional materials, laboratory equipment, computers, and software and need in‐service education to integrate these instructional facilities into their lessons. This study also indicates that teacher and school demographic variables have little significance in predicting science teachers' needs.     

The impact of pre‐service field training sessions on the probability of future teachers using ICT in school

Most industrialised countries have adopted training strategies for pre‐service teachers that place experienced teacher guidance centre stage, particularly within the context of regular pre‐service field training sessions. In this article, after analysing the data taken from a longitudinal survey on the computer skills and attitudes of students toward the integration of ICT in teaching in primary and secondary school teacher education programmes at the University of Sherbrooke, the authors underline the potential contradictory effects between the classroom teaching observed during practicum and the effort to support the use of computer technology in school during university training. They conclude by underlining the importance of supporting the professional development of practising teachers regarding the use of ICT, with the aim of changing practices observed by students in training and optimising the probability of increasing the use of these technologies in their future role as teachers.     

The role of subject knowledge in primary prospective teachers’ approaches to teaching the topic of area

The relationship between primary teachers?? subject knowledge and their approaches to teaching is an ongoing concern. This study reviews the relationship between prospective teachers?? subject knowledge in the topic of area and their approaches to teaching that topic. The research presents case studies of four primary prospective teachers on a 1-year postgraduate teaching course. The strengths and limitations of their subject knowledge are examined, in relation to their selection of teaching activities. The results suggest connections between these strengths and limitations, in relation to espoused teaching activities and pedagogical orientations. This questions the assumption that secure subject knowledge is necessarily transformed into effective teaching and concurs with other research that suggests other factors may be involved, such as knowledge of learners.     

The evaluation of a school‐based chemistry method course

The My Class Inventory and two creativity measures ‐ one figural and one verbal ‐ were administered to a sample of 350 students selected from the Grade 6 population of elementary schools in the three Caribbean territories, namely Barbados, Grenada and St Vincent. Analyses pointed to Barbadian schools as having a more favourable classroom learning environment for creative production than the other two territories. The level of creativity demonstrated by Barbadian students was also significantly higher than that of their counterparts in Grenada and St Vincent.     

Collaborative action research to develop the use of solution‐focused approaches

This collaborative action research project involves two educational psychologists (EPs) working with teachers from four primary schools to develop the use of solution‐focused approaches. The project illustrates a way in which EPs might make a distinctive contribution to improving outcomes for children and young people. Realist interviews were used to identify mechanisms responsible for encouraging change in practice and many of these can be linked to action research or solution‐focused approaches. The project will be funded for two years and this report is based on the first year. Progress has been encouraging and findings suggest that solution‐focused action research is a successful model for introducing a new initiative.     

Teachers’ views about pupil diversity in the primary school classroom

The present study explores Greek primary school teachers’ perceptions and views on pupil diversity in the classroom environment. A large-scale survey was carried out in order to examine teachers’ perceptions about pupil diversity and to identify personal and/or educational characteristics that can influence or predict these perceptions. The outcomes of the study reveal that Greek primary school teachers view diversity as a challenge more than as a barrier in teaching and learning, they can recognise at a high level the key elements of differentiated instruction as part of managing pupil diversity in their class and hold a negative-to-neutral stance on traditional curriculum implementation practices. The most influential factors and predictors of these perceptions and views are also presented and discussed.     

Promoting Pre‐experimental Activities in High‐school Chemistry: Focusing on the role of students’ epistemic questions

In high‐school chemistry the pre‐experimental phase of inquiry cycles often remains neglected. According to a procedural model, which is described in the text, this phase begins with an observation that stimulates students’ prior factual knowledge, the formulation of a research question for further elaboration (epistemic questions), the anticipation of a hypothetical answer, and the planning of experimental steps for deciding on the hypothetical answer. These activities were explicitly prescribed in an experimental group of 28 10th‐graders. Raising the quality of students’ epistemic research questions by providing structured help was a special focus of the intervention. Hypothesised motivational and cognitive effects were measured and compared with a group of 25 students (control group) who engaged in non‐structured pre‐experimental activities. The intervention provided to the experimental group resulted in stronger preferences for a more open and non‐recipe type of experimentation, in more intense cognitive activities (thoughts), and, most importantly, in increased skills for formulating causal epistemic questions. Supporting such procedural skills in classrooms may contribute to transforming labwork into intentional activities and students into active learners by helping them focus on further elaborating their knowledge.     

Learning‐to‐learn and learning‐to‐teach: the impact of disciplinary subject study on student‐teachers’ professional identity

A coherent view of student‐teachers’ preparation and the learning experiences to which they are exposed are key to sustaining the relevance of university‐based teacher‐education programmes. Arguably, such coherence is lacking and the research base to an understanding of the student‐teacher experience is still a relatively limited one. This paper takes the view that student‐teachers’ epistemological growth is a key component of their professional development, their sense of identity as intending teachers, and their successful entry into a teaching career. In adopting a phenomenographic approach it explores a chain of evidence which demonstrates that immersion in the processes of learning and knowing, within a specific disciplinary context, had a significant impact on students’ emerging professional identities and on their values as teachers which extends beyond the subject matter itself. Arguably, the findings of this case‐study hold important implications for a teacher‐education programme and for effective pedagogic practice.