Enseignants Italiens: Attitudes relatives a leur position et a la reforme de l'ecole moyenne

Sans résumé     

La formation des enseignants du secondaire: la formule belge

The author, drawing upon 37 years’ experience of the training of Secondary teachers in Belgium, offers a critical view of the present situation. His remarks bear upon training for the lower‐Secondary cycle, the system for which—though apparently simple— is in fact complex.

A 1981 reform extended the period of training to three years, but lower‐ and upper‐Secondary training, at University level, are still separate. A greater unity is desirable.

Three principles which should underpin all training are: a planned continuation into in‐service training, the development of practice‐oriented research, and (to allow of flexibility) a unit‐based approach. The length of study is important, since it has implications for maturation.

Finally, the author examines in turn each element in the range of skills, aptitudes and attitudes needed by the student teacher.     

La Diversité de Niveaux des Situations Scolaires: Essai de Caractérisation

European Journal of Psychology of Education -     

Practices of parental participation: a case study

The nature of parental participation in children’s education is changing rapidly. A growing body of research points to the positive effect that parental involvement has on outcomes of schooling and on children’s well‐being. This paper examines parental participation practices in terms of parents working together with a range of professionals, exchanging knowledge and information regarding their child’s SEN, challenging practices, and negotiating SEN provision. The parents in this study exercised agency – that is, they showed resilience and took initiative, within a context of shared responsibility and accountability, and advocated for their child’s right to educational provision. This paper argues for a strengths‐based approach towards enabling active parental participation and advocacy.     

La Formation de l'Ingenieur Européen: le point de vue des Grandes Ecoles Suisses

Although scientific and technical knowledge has grown considerably, the duration of studies in engineering of architecture has remained more or less constant for all institutes of technology and universities. Therefore, students have to specialize—to make premature and restricting choices for their careers—which is contrary to the objectives of a general education. In these circumstances, solutions must be found. At the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne, it was decided to give, at the undergraduate and graduate level, increased emphasis to the basic body of knowledge needed by an engineer or an architect during all their professional activity. The needs of the practice, regarding the deepening of knowledge in a specific field as well as the widening of knowledge in other fields, must therefore be satisfied by continuous education. This is structured in Switzerland according to the following three points: formation through research (Ph.D); postgraduate studies, following specific programmes for the different fields; proficiency retraining courses developed in close collaboration with the professional associations. For the European engineer, the consequences of this development should be rules guaranteeing the comparability of university-level diplomas conferred by different European institutions (duration of study, entrance qualifications, general aim of education). Some international equivalence is needed particularly with respect to postgraduate studies, in order to facilitate the exchange of teachers at a high level, and to increase the mobility of engineers and architects. The establishment of a European framework for postgraduate studies (acknowledged by all), the co-ordination of programmes, and the exchange of teachers, are the major objectives of this harmonisation.     

International Education and Training at Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chausées/La Formation a l'international a l'Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées

The programme of the Département de la Formation Internationale at Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chausées (ENPC) was created in 1981 to address the ever‐increasing international role of today's engineer in the scientific, economic and social spheres. Each year, 75 ENPC students spend at least 3 months abroad, mainly in Europe. ENPC has double degree programmes in engineering studies with three European partners in Germany and Spain: TU Munich and TU Berlin; Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Twenty per cent of the student curriculum is devoted to language study; the students are required to study English plus one of the following languages: German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese or Chinese. French courses for foreign students are also provided. Language teaching aims to provide students not only with the linguistic skills necessary for communication, but also to make them more sensitive to other cultures as well as their own.     

Student parents,hardship and debt: a qualitative study

To date little is known about the effects of financial hardship on student parents, who remain a significant although largely unrecognized proportion of the student population. The objective of this study was to gain an insight into their concerns and illuminate issues which may have far‐reaching consequences not only for the mental and physical health of student parents but also for their children. Interviews were conducted with 12 women who are parents balancing home life with studies and, in some cases, work. Questions were directed at obtaining information relating to both direct and indirect pressures of financial hardship on home and family life. Questioning covered eight topics: change in lifestyle; financial situation; work; sacrifices—financial or otherwise; financial resources; financial impact on mental or physical health; impact on children; doubts over worth of study. For the majority, financial adversity affected their psychological well‐being. In many cases parents reported that their own stress adversely affected their children. Questions were also raised regarding parents' ability to meet the dietary needs of their children. Quality of home and family life also suffered as a consequence of financial hardship. Students' reflections on their experiences offer a clear insight into the emotional costs of further education exacerbated by financial hardship for both them and their family.     

Continuing education module-lamaze parents magazine: more than a giveaway

The Lamaze Parents magazine is an annual publication produced by Lamaze International to inform parents and childbirth educators on issues related to healthy birth preparation, normal birth, and parenting. The author of this column introduces teaching strategies for childbirth educators and doulas to use in tandem with the magazine's content in order to enhance their efforts in sharing current, evidence-based information with expectant parents.     

Involving parents in schools: Toward developing a social-intervention technology

Emphasis is on parents and public elementary schools in lower socioeconomic areas. A rationale for direct parental involvement in the school's instructional and policy-formulation processes is presented. Neighborhood and school social factors are identified, especially those related to the change process in schools, since these could potentially hinder the development of parental involvement. Finally, organization development is examined as a promising means of minimizing difficulties.

---

Résumé Cet article traite surtout des parents et des écoles élémentaires publiques des quartiers déshérités au point de vue socio-économique. L'auteur expose la raison d'être de l'intervention directe des parents dans les méthodes d'enseignement et dans l'élaboration de la politique éducative. Il identifie les facteurs sociaux représentés par le quartier et l'école et insiste sur les facteurs propres à la nature du processus d'évolution dans les écoles, étant donné que ces facteurs pourraient faire obstacle au développement de l'engagement des parents. L'auteur conclut que le développement de l'organisation représente une méthode prometteuse qui pourrait faciliter la tâche dans ce domaine.

---

---

OISE     

Towards a collaborative methodology: An ethnography of widening educational participation

This paper examines my attempts to develop a collaborative methodology, and critically considers the limitations and possibilities of this approach. It draws on a small-scale ethnography of widening educational participation undertaken for my doctoral degree. I worked with a group of access students in a UK further education college to develop the methods and methodology, to identify research questions and key areas of focus and, to a lesser extent, to analyse the data. Post/structural analytical tools enabled co-participants to deconstruct hegemonic neo-liberal discourses of widening participation. Feminist theory enabled the refashioning of radical discourses that are concerned with destabilising unequal relations of power in research and in education. In the paper I consider issues of power, research relationships, author-ity, reflexivity and ethics in collaborative methodology.     

Under-tapped potential: practitioner research as a vehicle for widening participation

Abstract

Practitioners working to widen participation to universities in England are an increasingly important and professionally diverse group but surprisingly absent from the academic literature and lacking in access to bespoke professional development pathways in HE. In England current approaches within policy and research also tend to position them as gatherers of evidence with a mission to inform change rather than developing their capacity to be(come) agents of change in their own right. Drawing on the perspectives of three widening participation practitioners who had recently completed a research-based MA, this paper explores the opportunity that this provided to illuminate the complexities encountered in routine practice, contributing to positive change. Rather than being methodologically inferior, practitioner research emerged as highly complementary and in the case of WP its transformative potential is currently hugely under-tapped.     

Alleged sexual abuse at a day care center: impact on parents

OBJECTIVE: This report describes the cascade of stressful events and secondary life changes experienced by parents in a case of alleged sexual abuse at a day care program. The study evaluated parents' Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms and general psychological responses to the stressful events 4 years after the alleged abuse, and explored predictive factors of parental distress. METHODS: A total of 39 parents were interviewed about stressful events, life changes, and social support. Current distress reactions, psychological wellbeing, and locus of control were assessed with a battery of standardized measures. RESULTS: Hearing about the sexual abuse, testifying in court, hearing the verdict, and being exposed in media reports were all rated by the parents as distressing events. The majority of the parents experienced secondary life changes after the alleged sexual abuse. Four years after the alleged sexual abuse, one-third of the parents reported a high level of PTSD Intrusive symptoms and one-fourth reported a high level of PTSD Avoidance symptoms. There was a significant positive correlation between a measure of psychological wellbeing and PTSD. Secondary life changes and locus of control significantly predicted PTSD. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that the alleged sexual abuse of children in day care and the resulting events in the legal system and the media constitute significant and chronic stressors in the lives of the children's parents. These findings underscore the need to expand the focus of trauma-related sequelae from the child victim to their parents and family.     

Enabling pupil participation in a study of perceptions of disengagement: methodological matters

Guidance and legislation in the UK suggest that it is becoming increasingly important to listen to the voices of pupils, to acknowledge their rights and to consult and collaborate with them in the development of personalised approaches to their education. In this article, Jackie Ravet, lecturer in inclusive practice at the University of Aberdeen, explores the methodological issues raised by a study of pupil perceptions of their disengagement in the primary classroom. She examines how an interpretative methodology was adapted to enable a group of eight- and nine-year-old primary school pupils to reflect upon their responses to learning and to express their interpretations, explanations and evaluations of their disengagement. Jackie Ravet's article details the array of interpretative methods used throughout her study with a particular focus upon a sequence of practical, activity-based interview formats designed to enable pupil communication and participation. This exposition is followed by a critique of the methodology and a discussion of its implications for research involving young children. The article closes with a call for pupils to be more effectively involved in reflecting upon the processes of participative research and in meaningful partnerships for school improvement. This article will be of interest to anyone seeking to enhance consultation and collaboration with pupils.     

Collective academic supervision: a model for participation and learning in higher education

Supervision of graduate students is a core activity in higher education. Previous research on graduate supervision focuses on individual and relational aspects of the supervisory relationship rather than collective, pedagogical and methodological aspects of the supervision process. In presenting a collective model we have developed for academic supervision of Danish master students, we seek to fill these gaps. The underlying pedagogical rationale for the model is that students’ participation and learning are interconnected. The model provides possibilities for incorporating a progressive and systematic interaction between master students in their individual writing processes. In the article, we investigate the potentials and challenges of the model and draw on analyses of six individual interviews with master students and one focus group interview with five supervisors. Our findings show that students learn core academic competencies in collective academic supervision (CAS), such as the ability to assess theoretical and practical problems in their practice and present them to peers. The analysis reveals that interaction between divergent projects and voices in CAS can be highly productive in academic learning. However, the model also challenges both students and supervisors because both parties are used to a one-to-one supervisory relationship and not prepared for different modes of participation and learning. According to both supervisors and students, the majority of supervisors need better training in the facilitation of collective supervision processes.     

Forging links between parents and schools: a new role for Teaching Assistants?

Elaine Logan and Anthony Feiler discuss findings from the Literacy Early Action Project, a home based scheme for Reception children at risk of struggling with literacy. During the project, Teaching Assistants (TAs) made regular visits to children's homes, sharing ideas for literacy learning with parents and other family members. The article concludes that TAs are exceptionally well positioned to take on innovative roles, developing links between home and school.     

Preservice teachers and parents: using a reading course to change perceptions and practice

The authors sought to understand preservice teachers’ views about parents of students who struggle with reading and about their own preparedness to deal with such parents. Research, including surveys, student evaluation and tutoring intervention, indicates that before their work with parents and students, preservice teachers held strong beliefs about parents’ role and responsibilities with respect to their children who find reading daunting. After a semester‐long reading course which provided opportunities to work with struggling readers and their parents, the preservice teachers in this study expressed beliefs that were contrary to the ones they offered at the beginning of the course.     

Marquage de l’importance et traitement des eléments dans un texte: Effets immédiat et différé

An expository text is presented, in which two types of importance signals are manipulated: a linguistic signal (a sentence calling attention on the following target-sentence’s contents); a paralinguistic signal (underlining a part of the target-sentence). Reading times (RT) allocated to the various text sentences were measured. The underline affects not only RT for the target-sentence itself (increased in case of underline), but also RT for the preceding linguistic signal (shortened when the targetsentence is underlined), and RT for the following sentence (shortened when the two types of signals are simultaneously present). The interpretation of these results is grounded on the importance signals’ function in activating some high level representations (here bounded to a specific rhetorical structure: analogy), the effects of which can be delayed on the following sentence’s integration. The necessity is argued to take over the connection between relevant representations, marks likely to activate these representations, and devices likely to call reader’s attention on these marks.     

Longitudinal study of participation in adult education: a theoretical formulation and empirical investigation

Few studies and theoretical frameworks have treated participation in adult education (PAE) from a longitudinal perspective. This paper presents a theoretical framework which posits that PAE is embedded in the adult developmental process and is an interactive result of individual internal and external forces. These forces can be further explained by several variables that have been revealed to be significant to PAE in the literature. The proposed longitudinal model was supported in part by an empirical investigation. Based on the proposed theoretical framework, an empirical model of PAE was drawn and tested with a US national sampled data set. A structural equation modelling technique was used to assess the model and data. The results suggested that the empirical model established on one proposed conceptual framework had fitted the data reasonably well.     

How parents influence school grades: Hints from a sample of adoptive and biological families

Using the biological and adoptive families in the Minnesota-based Sibling Interaction and Behavior Study, we investigated the associations among genetic and environmental influences on IQ, parenting, parental expectations for offspring educational attainment, engagement in school, and school grades. All variables showed substantial genetic influence, and very modest shared environmental influence. No gender differences were evident. There were significant genetic influences common to IQ and parental expectations of educational attainment, parenting and engagement in school, school grades and engagement in school, parental expectations for offspring educational attainment and school grades, and IQ and school grades. A possible interpretation of the common genetic influences involving parenting is that parents use their own experience with school in shaping the ways in which they parent their offspring.