‘Playing with or like the girls’: advancing the performance of ‘multiple masculinities in Black boys’ childhood play’ in U.S. early childhood classrooms

Play is a gendered activity among young children, especially boys. Boys often tend to be more actively engaged in the (re)production of gendered play. However, most research studies and conceptual papers have misread, ignored, devalued, or scrutinized the gendered ways Black boys engage in play. This idea is particularly true for Black boys who may not play within the monolithic gendered expectations of childhood play. Drawing from [Connell, R. W. (1995). Masculinities. Berkeley: University of California Press] notion of multiple masculinities, I propose what I call the performance of ‘multiple masculinities of Black boys’ childhood play’ to embrace the ways some Black boys engage in play activities, which may not fit within the performance of hegemonic and Black masculine norms and expectations. In so doing, I call for educators to broaden how we view Black boys, and our definition of Black masculinity so that embracing what might be traditionally called ‘less masculine’ and/or stereotypically feminine could be valued male traits. Recommendations are provided for early childhood educators to support the confluence of ways Black boys engage in play experiences.     

Students’ perceptions of the learning environment and attitudes in game-based mathematics classrooms

We investigated whether the introduction of games into college-level mathematics classes in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was effective in terms of improving students’ perceptions of the learning environment and their attitudes towards of mathematics. A pre–post design involved the administration of English and Arabic versions of two surveys (one to assess students’ perceptions of the learning environment and the other to assess their attitudes) after modification to ensure their relevance for college-level mathematics students in the UAE. For a sample of 33 classes (352 students), eight of which (90 students) were exposed to mathematics games, students involved in mathematics games perceived statistically significantly more teacher support, involvement, personal relevance, enjoyment of mathematics lessons and academic efficacy.     

Students’ views of oral performance assessment in mathematics: straddling the ‘assessment of’ and ‘assessment for’ learning divide

This paper explores the views of a group of students who took an oral performance assessment in a first-year mathematics module. Such assessments are unusual for most subjects in the UK, but particularly within the generally homogenous assessment diet of undergraduate mathematics. The evidence presented here resonates with some, but not all, of the existing literature on oral assessment and suggests that, despite concerns about anxiety and fairness, students see oral assessments as encouraging a focus on understanding, being relatively authentic and reactive to their needs. We argue that, suitably implemented, oral assessment may be a viable assessment method for straddling the ‘assessment for’ and ‘assessment of’ learning divide in higher education.     

Underperformance or ‘getting it right’? Constructions of gender and achievement in the Australian inquiry into boys’ education

The underachievement of boys has been a focus of intense concern in Australia for over 15 years. Historical analyses suggest that male students’ poor performance has traditionally been attributed to factors external to boys themselves (methods, teachers, texts), deflecting attention from the relationship between masculinity construction and successful engagement with school. This paper turns the focus back, addressing the ways in which gender itself was constructed within hearings held for the Australian Parliamentary Inquiry into Boys’ Education. Discursive analysis demonstrates that witnesses to the Inquiry drew upon a series of gender binaries in representing male and female students, and accounting for their relative attainment. These binaries worked to associate masculinity with ‘authentic’ learning, such that the success of male students was naturalised even in the absence of achievement. Conversely, the association of femininity and ‘inauthentic learning’ worked to undermine female students’ demonstrated success. The role of these binaries in the reproduction of a paradoxical relationship between gender and achievement is discussed.     

Do you know what I'm thinking? A comparison of teacher and parent perspectives of underachieving gifted students' attitudes

The Achievement Orientation Model posits students are motivated to do well in school when they believe they have the necessary skills to perform a task (self-efficacy), find the task meaningful (goal valuation), and see their environment as supportive. When these factors are present, students self-regulate and achieve. We examined these factors from underachieving gifted students', their parents', and teachers' perspectives. Results indicated teachers recognize students who are confident and not confident about their abilities to be academically successful; however, they are less able to recognize when students value the work they are encountering in school. Parents' perceptions of students' attitudes more closely correlated with students' perceptions than teachers' perceptions correlated with students' perceptions. Teachers and parents appeared to base their perception of the importance students hold for school on their perception of students' self-regulation. Furthermore, gender differences existed in students' perceptions. Females' self-efficacy scores were statistically lower than males' self-efficacy scores, and males' self-regulation scores were lower than females' self-regulation scores. We provide suggestions for how school psychologists may use these findings to (a) collect important information from students, teachers, and parents, (b) interpret these data to identify underlying influential factors, and (c) guide the development of appropriate interventions to address student underachievement.     

Got math attitude? (In)direct effects of student mathematics attitudes on intentions,behavioral engagement,and mathematics performance in the U.S. PISA

Academic performance is predicted by a multitude of demographic, contextual, cognitive, and noncognitive factors. The noncognitive factors predicting achievement in mathematics that have previously been investigated in depth are study skills, confidence, self-efficacy, and personality traits (Kyllonen, 2012). Limited applied research has explored the predictive value of attitudes and beliefs in mathematics achievement using representative data of U.S. students. The current study uses the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explain high school students’ performance in mathematics in large-scale assessment data by using the PISA 2012. Along with key demographic factors, results indicated that students’ attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control beliefs explained 21.1% of the variability in intentions to pursue and major in mathematics in the future, 59.4% of the variability in behavioral engagement with mathematics learning, and 30.7% of the variability in mathematics performance.The study results have implications on: (1) the applicability of an attitude-behavior framework in educational research for understanding academic performance, (2) the importance of perceived control and self-efficacy beliefs for predicting behavioral engagement in mathematics (e.g., paying attention in class, completing homework, studying for exams) and subsequent mathematics performance, and (3) the practical significance of students’ attitude towards mathematics on their intentions to pursue mathematics coursework in post-secondary education and possess math-relevant career aspirations.     

How different are they? A comparison of Generation 1.5 and international L2 learners’ writing ability

A growing body of literature in second-language writing suggests that the writing ability of international second language (L2) learners, who attend post-secondary education abroad after having completed high school in their home countries, and the so-called Generation 1.5 population, that is, L2 learners who enter post-secondary education after attending high school in the new country, differs. The present study provides much-needed empirical evidence concerning potential differences in the writing ability of these two groups. Many-facet Rasch measurement procedures were used to analyze learners’ writing scores in five components, based on a theoretical model of writing ability: grammatical, cohesive, rhetorical, sociopragmatic, and content control. Results revealed that the international learners performed better overall than the Generation 1.5 learners and that the two groups had opposing strengths and weaknesses in grammatical and sociopragmatic control. Language program administrators and practitioners can use these results when designing curricula addressing the needs of diverse groups of L2 learners.     

‘Do they think we live in huts?’ – Cultural essentialism and the challenges of facilitating professional development in cross-cultural settings

Depending on the particular definition of culture they employ, pedagogical approaches meant to promote integration, inclusion, and empowerment across cultural divides can end up magnifying existing feelings of alienation, exclusion, and disempowerment. This article explores the negative consequences that can arise when ‘funds of knowledge’ approaches are employed to construct ‘culturally responsive pedagogy’ through the case of the Sharing the Environment programme, a situated professional development programme that sought to promote inquiry-based environmental education at the elementary school level. The programme directors' efforts to mediate the cultural differences between the different groups of participating teachers inadvertently engendered a process of ‘othering’ that actually inflamed the ethnocentric opinions participants had of one another. I argue that the reasons their well-intentioned, theoretically grounded efforts failed so spectacularly have to do with their reliance on a particular, essentialised concept of ‘culture’ that entered science education research in the 1950s and remains at the heart of funds of knowledge pedagogical approaches.     

‘Who do you think you’re talking to?’—the discourse of learning and teaching strategies

As part of the ongoing enhancement and assurance of quality in the UK higher education sector, universities have been required by the Higher Education Funding Council of England to prepare learning and teaching strategies since 1999. As part of an institutional strategy development process, an investigation of currently available strategies was carried out. The research reported here uses a critical discourse approach to analyse a sample of UK learning and teaching strategies. The results show a set of highly impersonalized texts, where staff are largely absent and students are objectified. Such findings raise questions about whether the learning and teaching strategy discourse disengages the very people who ‘make and shape’ policy, thus inhibiting institutional enhancement of learning and teaching practices.     

Intuitive rules in science and mathematics: the case of ‘more of A ‐‐ more of B’

In the last twenty years researchers have studied students’ mathematical and scientific conceptions and reasoning. Most of this research is content‐specific. It has been found that students often hold ideas that are not in line with accepted scientific notions. In our joint work in mathematics and science education it became apparent that many of these alternative conceptions hail from the same intuitive rules. We have so far identified two such rules: ‘The more of A, the more of B’ and, ‘Everything can be divided by two’. The first rule is reflected in students’ responses to many tasks, including all classical Piagetian conservation tasks (conservation of number, area, weight, volume, matter, etc.), in all tasks related to intensive quantities (density, temperature, concentration, etc.), and in tasks related to infinite quantities. The second rule is observed in responses related to successive division of material and geometrical objects, and in successive dilution tasks. In this paper we describe and discuss the first rule and its relevance to science and mathematics education. In a second paper (Tirosh and Stavy, in press) we shall describe and discuss the second rule.     

University leaders and university performance in the United Kingdom: is it ‘who’ leads, or ‘where’ they lead that matters most?

With key performance indicators (KPIs) part of everyday life in the higher education (HE) sector, universities have become increasingly concerned with league tables and performance indicator-led strategy and planning. The choice an institution makes concerning the KPIs it wishes to be evaluated on depends on its mission and objectives, with a Head of Institution (VC) appointed to deliver against this. As such, this raises the question as to whether institutional performance can be related in any way to the characteristics of its leader. The purpose of this research, therefore, was to identify any empirical justification for the socio-demographic characteristics which those responsible for searching and appointing VCs appear to have favoured over the past 10 years. Also, whether these can be shown to be related to the performance of their institutions. Using data available in the public domain and for UK (excluding Scotland) VCs in service for, at least, some time during 1999–2004 inclusive, evidence for the importance of VC characteristics for institutional performance was limited. Indeed, our findings suggest that, whilst the performance of a university may be ‘moulded’ by the characteristics of its’ leader, most of the variability is explained by non-leadership factors. We also found highly significant correlations amongst the KPIs used in HE, which has very significant implications for those wishing to differentiate themselves from other institutions.     

Whatever Happened to Progressive Education? A comparison of primary school teachers’ attitudes in 1982 and 1996

Two cohorts of teachers working full‐time in Church of England voluntary‐aided and voluntary‐controlled first, primary and middle (deemed primary) schools within the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich were invited to complete a questionnaire concerned with teaching styles in 1982 and again in 1996. The data demonstrate a significant shift toward placing greater value on traditional teaching styles between 1982 and 1996.     

We train,but what do they think? Preservice teachers’ perceptions of the adequacy of their teacher education in Turkey

The study aimed to assess the adequacy of pre-service teacher education in Turkey as perceived by preservice teachers. Specifically, the researchers investigated preservice teachers’ perceptions of the adequateness of their education in terms of developing teaching skills and the major components of teacher education. The factors affecting their perceptions were also examined. In total, 1856 preservice teachers participated in the study. A questionnaire was prepared to collect data from the participants. According to the findings, teacher education should be enhanced in terms of preparing candidates for skills such as teaching in different contexts and cooperating with parents; and practicum hours needed to be improved for more effective preparation of preservice teachers. Moreover, it was also found that the preservice teachers’ subject, college, orientation towards teaching and the perceived adequacy of program components played significant roles in affecting their perceptions of teacher education.     

‘We are inclusive. We are a team. Let's just do it’: commitment,collective efficacy,and agency in four inclusive schools

Implementation of inclusive education for children with disabilities continues to vary across and within Canadian provinces and territories leading us to question why some schools move forward while others maintain traditional segregated approaches. Drawing from Appreciative Inquiry methodology, this study used semi-structured interviews to gather and document successful practices within four inclusive elementary schools within a Canadian province. Interviews were conducted with students, parents, teachers, educational assistants, and principals. Thematic analysis revealed a common belief in the central importance of learning and relationships for all students, shared commitment to inclusion, general classroom teacher responsibility, and collaborative team work characterised by a belief in collective efficacy. The predominant finding in this study was individual and collective agency that transcended themes. Participants reported ongoing and conjoint processes of planning, teaching, reflecting on current practice, sharing knowledge and ideas, solving problems together, and attending to relationships.     

‘Dicks are for chicks’: Latino boys,masculinity, and the abjection of homosexuality

Employing social constructivist theories and the concept of abjection from gender studies, this article examines how and why a group of low-income, USA-born Dominican and Puerto Rican middle-school boys constructed masculine identities by invoking and repudiating homosexuality. Ethnographic data from a 2.5-year study indicate that the abjection of homosexuality was a place of performativity wherein the boys utilised their bodies, cultural referents, and bilingualism to delineate masculinity, reiterate heteronormativity, and distance themselves from homosexuals, who they perceived as a threat to their sexuality, personal safety, and physical dominance. At school, the boys enacted a hypermasculine, heteronormative variant of their ethno-racial identities. As a result, their gender construction was heavily influenced by dominant gender practices present in their neighbourhoods and in segments of the broader US, Dominican, and Puerto Rican cultures. Together, these cultural influences shaped the gender regime within the boys' school peer group. This article concludes with a call for additional research examining the intersection of ethno-racial identity, sexuality, gender, and class.     

ICT use in mathematics lessons and the mathematics achievement of secondary school students by international comparison: Which role do school level factors play?

By means of an international comparison, the research presented in the article aims to identify supporting and hindering school level factors for the use of ICT in secondary school mathematics lessons. The relationship between ICT use and the performance of Grade 9 students in mathematics is examined and further integrated into a multi-level model including school level factors. Against the background of a theoretical allocation (1) the IT equipment of schools, (2) school leadership, (3) aspects of school goals and educational strategies as well as (4) teachers’ attitudes will be analyzed by means of a multi-level regression model as well as a multi-level path model including the mathematics achievement of students as measured in the context of PISA 2012. Representative school and student data from five countries, namely Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Singapore are taken into consideration, as the integration of ICT in teaching and learning is firmly emphasized in these countries (overall 24,579 students in 1263 schools). By modeling the complex structure, school characteristics are examined with respect to their effect on the use of ICT for mathematics teaching. Moreover, the relation between different factors and students’ mathematics achievement will be synchronously assessed in the different educational systems. The results show that characteristics at school level do play a major role in the integration of ICT into teaching and learning and turn out to be relevant across the educational systems. In addition to further in-depth country-specific findings, the results point to cross-national future challenges in the field of using technologies to enhance teaching and learning.     

Pygmalion and the gender gap: do teacher expectations contribute to differences in achievement between boys and girls at the beginning of schooling?

ABSTRACT

This study examined the role of teacher expectations in the emerging gender gaps in reading and mathematics in the first year of schooling. Therefore, we first investigated whether boys and girls differ in their vulnerability to teacher expectancy effects. Second, we analysed whether gender-specific effects of teacher expectations contribute to gender achievement gaps. Our analyses were based on 1,025 first-grade students in Germany. Among the majority of the students, boys and girls did not differ in their vulnerability to teacher expectancy effects. Further analyses examined a subgroup of students who were targets of relatively strong teacher expectation bias and who showed unexpectedly high or low achievement gains. In this specific subgroup, girls’ mathematics achievement was more adversely affected by negatively biased expectations and benefitted less from positive bias than boys’ achievement. Mediation analyses revealed that teacher expectation bias did not substantially contribute to gender gaps in reading or mathematics.     

‘Drop-outs’ or ‘heritage learners’? Competing mentalities of governmentality and invested meanings at a weekend Japanese language school in the USA

Based on fieldwork at a weekend Japanese language school in the USA in 2007–2009, this article illustrates the ways in which different regimes of government arise from an activity depending on meanings individuals invest in it. We examine how two students in the same classroom experienced two different regimes of government: one of a low-track class for ‘native speakers’ and the other of a heritage language class for bilingual speakers. Building on Mitchell Dean's reworking of Foucault, we suggest a new approach to ethnographically studying governmentality which focuses on invested meanings.     

What are the characteristics of nature preschools in Norway,and how do they organize their daily activities?

This study provides basic information about how Norwegian nature preschools differ from other Norwegian preschools and how they organize their daily activities. Fifty-six nature preschools and 52 other preschools were included in the study. A total of 106 headmasters and 98 pedagogical leaders filled out questionnaires about the characteristics of their preschool and the characteristics of their preschool’s outdoor activities. Two women and four men from nature preschools were interviewed about organizing a nature preschool. Most nature preschools are private and have less children and staff than other preschools. Nature preschools have more reference areas in nature and visit these areas more frequently than other preschools. Nature preschools spend a large amount of time in nature and have routines and rules that allow the children a significant amount of trust.     

Language use and racial redirect in the educational landscape of ‘just good teaching’

At colleges and universities across the United States, teacher preparation programs are increasingly required to prepare teachers for culturally and linguistically diverse student populations. Teacher education programs have responded by incorporating fieldwork experiences and curricular requirements that include a social justice and multicultural education focus. One key individual is uniquely positioned to reinforce and connect coursework with classroom practice during the teacher candidate’s practicum experience: the university supervisor. Our research team focused on the supervisors and their understandings of culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) in order to better support them as they worked with teacher candidates to reinforce CRP in the classroom. Through interviews, field notes, and classroom observations, we examined language (words, phrases) that the supervisors used to talk about race and culture in relation to CRP. Our findings indicate a tendency to redirect conversations about race and culture to topics that they were more versed on such as teaching to the whole child or addressing the needs of the individual student. We termed this linguistic move the racial redirect, which emerged in language that (1) simplified the meaning of CRP and (2) made CRP seem like an unexpected or chance event in teaching.