Teacher Perceptions of School Consultant Social Influence Strategies: Replication and Expansion

The goals were to (a) replicate the findings of previous research with regard to the Consultee/Teacher Version of the Interpersonal Power Inventory (IPI), and (b) advance the literature by examining IPI scores about a current consultation relationship. Sample 1 included 99 elementary school teachers (44.4% Hispanic) who completed the IPI. Results replicated Erchul et al. Sample 2 (N = 37; 45.9% Hispanic) represented a subset of Sample 1 who participated in a consultation project and completed the IPI about influence in their current consultation relationship. The results advance the literature by offering evidence for convergent and predictive validity of the IPI soft power bases. Teachers who reported being influenced by soft power strategies experienced greater change in their behaviors and their students’ behaviors than those who reported being not influenced by such strategies. Implications for research and practice in school consultation are discussed.     

A Serious Threat to the Public Nursery School

For an introduction, the reader is referred to the comments in the preceding article.     

Stereotype Threat,Identification with Academics,and Withdrawal from School: Why the most successful students of colour might be most likely to withdraw

Claude Steele’s stereotype threat hypothesis posits that when there are negative stereotypes about the intellectual capacity of certain (stigmatised) groups, members of that group suffer aversive consequences; group members who are most strongly identified with the stigmatised domain in question (e.g., intellectual or academic ability) are those most likely to suffer the effects of stereotype threat. In education, it is widely held that personal investment in schooling should lead to more positive outcomes. However, highly‐invested individuals will most keenly experience the negative effects of stigma. Thus those most at risk for withdrawing from school among students of colour (who suffer a stigma of intellectual inferiority) could be those most invested in schooling. This hypothesis was tested by measuring identification with academics among a group of incoming students at a racially diverse inner‐city high school in the Midwest USA. Regardless of race, the students who most strongly identified with academics (they valued and considered academics central to the self) had higher GPAs, lower levels of absenteeism, and fewer behavioural referrals. However, among students of colour the most strongly identified were more likely to withdraw, while identification with academics did not significantly influence the withdrawal of Caucasian students. These results highlight the importance of providing a supportive environment that diffuses stereotype threat for all students, even those who appear to be academically successful.     

The Parent Threat Inventory: development, reliability, and validity

OBJECTIVE: The goal was to develop a retrospective inventory of parental threatening behavior to facilitate a better understanding of such behavior's role in the etiology of psychological distress. METHOD: Inventory items were developed based on theory and 135 students' responses to a question eliciting examples of threatening parental behavior. Following item development, two additional student samples (n = 200 and n = 603) completed batteries of self-report measures. Responses were used to eliminate unstable or redundant items from the inventory and to examine the inventory's psychometric properties. RESULTS: Factor analysis of the inventory revealed three factors, accounting for 66.2% of variance; this factor structure is compatible with theory, and consistent across maternal behavior scores, paternal behavior scores, and combined maternal and paternal scores. Cronbach's coefficient alphas indicated acceptable internal consistency; Pearson correlation coefficients indicated acceptable 4-week test-retest reliability. Moderate intercorrelations with two retrospective measures of childhood experiences suggested construct validity. Regression analyses demonstrated the ability of the inventory to predict both anxious and depressive symptomatology and lifetime symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorder. Normative data on combined parent scores, maternal scores, and paternal scores are also presented. CONCLUSIONS: Initial psychometric testing of the Parent Threat Inventory (PTI) suggests it is a reliable and valid tool for investigating the developmental antecedents of adult psychological distress. Further research should focus on addressing two limitations: (1) lack of normative and psychometric data on men and women suffering from clinical disorders, and (2) lack of validation by parental reporting.     

Consultant’s dilemmas: Trust,ethics, and effective practice across cultures

Conclusion The complex nature of an international development project is amplified by adding instructional and informational technologies to the activities of a project. In the case of the SRP and the CBNRMP, I was fortunate to be able to learn about these challenges as an integral participant. Underlying the technical, logistical, and educational aspects are fascinating elements of ethics, economics, and trust. Precisely because of the complexity, it takes considerable experience and effort to balance the apparently conflicting spheres of interest and centers of power. Navigating these channels while maintaining focus on the goals of the project and of the stakeholders takes patience, diligent attention, and wit. Connecting honestly and professionally with other participants and preserving a sense of balance and a sense of humor make it possible to work well in unfamiliar surroundings and to sort out the issues of professionalism, trust, and ethics that inevitably confront a consultant who is responsible for activities regarding economics, technology, and training. Working toward understanding the project’s needs and goals and contextualizing them within the cultural and personal contexts of the situation can help keep the consultant centered and allow him or her to deal with ethical dilemmas from a grounded and empathetic position. Unless one consciously cultivates a reflective perspective, the consultant’s decisions are less wise, the actions less sure, and the various goals more at risk. Even when faced with difficult situations and bureaucratic limitations, an ethical and professional approach can serve all stakeholders and permit the consultant to keep challenges and decisions in context and to keep faith with local collaborators. He previously chaired the communication arts department at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC.     

Threat,security and attitude formation among the young

The perception of threat to security on the part of young people reflects a central aspect of the societal phenomenon of attitude formation, whose primary function is, ideally, to meet the need for security. In all modern societies, however, the process of socialization — which by its very nature is educational in that it prepares individuals to function as members of society — operates on the principle of systematically frustrating this need by employing a system of reward and punishment based on competition.This system creates a fundamental insecurity and a corresponding attitude (de)formation in the individual, which is exploited by the state in order to consolidate the power of the dominant groups. Due to this fundamental insecurity, the individual is incapable of coping rationally with threat and seeks pseudo-security, e.g., in conformity. Threat — particularly global threat — is perceived as an external factor over which the individual has no control, i.e., it is perceived as falling exclusively within the province of those in power, whose control is further strengthened by this perception.Since the essential damage to the individual's attitude system has been done by the time he leaves school, this undesirable condition of modern societies can only be rectified by a socialization process in general — and an educational process in particular — which cultivates in the individual the development of critical judgment, free self-realization and the spirit of co-operation instead of competition.

---

Zusammenfassung Die Vorstellung der Jugendlichen, daß die Sicherheit bedroht ist, spiegelt einen zentralen Aspekt des gesellschaftlichen Phänomens des Meinungsprozesses wider, dessen primäre Funktion es sein sollte, dem Wunsch nach Sicherheit zu entsprechen. In allen modernen Gesellschaften jedoch ist der Sozialisierungsprozeß insofern seiner Natur nach erzieherisch, als er den Einzelnen auf seine Rolle als Mitglied der Gesellschaft vorbereitet. Dieser Prozeß beruht auf dem Konkurrenzprinzip und frustriert dieses Sicherheitsbedürfnis, indem er sich der Belohnung und Bestrafung bedient.Dieses Systems erzeugt eine grundlegende Unsicherheit bei jedem Einzelnen und sorgt für eine entsprechende Meinungs(ver)bildung. Beides wird seitens des Staates ausgenutzt, um die herrschenden Gruppen zu festigen. Aufgrund dieser fundamentalen Unsicherheit ist der Einzelne unfähig, mit Bedrohungen rational umzugehen und sucht daher vermeintliche Sicherheiten, z.B. im Konformismus. Bedrohungen, besonders solche weltweiter Art, werden als äußere Faktoren empfungen, über die der Einzelne keine Kontrolle hat, d.h. sie gehören ausschließlich in den Bereich der Machthabenden. Ihre Macht wird durch diese Vorstellung zusätzlich verstärkt.Da den Haltungen und Meinungen des Einzelnen bis zum Schulabschluß der wesentliche Schaden bereits zugefügt ist, kann dieser unerwünschte Zustand moderner Gesellschaften nur durch einen Sozialisierungsprozeß im allgemeinen und einen Erziehungsprozeß im besonderen behoben werden. Diese Prozesse haben die kritische Urteilskraft des Einzelnen, freie Selbstverwirklichung und Kooperationsbereitschaft anstelle des Konkurrenzdenkens zu fördern.

---

Résumé La perception de la menace et de la sécurité chez les jeunes reflète l'aspect central du phénomène social de la formation d'attitude dont la fonction primaire est théoriquement de répondre au besoin de sécurité. Dans toutes les sociétés modernes cependant, le processus de socialisation — éducatif de par sa nature en cela qu'il prépare les individus à agir en tant que membres d'une société — opère d'après le principe de frustration systématique de ce besoin en ayant recours à un système de récompense et de punition basé sur la compétition.Ce système crée une insécurité fondamentale et une formation d'attitude correspondante chez l'individu qui est exploitée par l'Etat afin de renforcer le pouvoir des groupes dominants. C'est en raison de cette insécurité fondamentale que l'individu est incapable de faire face d'une manière rationnelle à la menace et recherche alors une pseudo-sécurité dans la conformité par exemple. La menace — et en particulier la menace globale — est perçue en tant que facteur externe sur lequel l'individu n'a aucun moyen de contrôle, elle est perçue comme dominant exclusivement chez les personnes au pouvoir et dont le contrôle est renforcé davantage par cette perception.Puisque c'est au moment où il quitte l'école que le système d'attitude de l'individu subit les plus grands préjudices, cette condition peu désirable des sociétés modernes ne peut être rectifiée que par un processus de socialisation en général — et par un processus éducatif en particulier — qui cultive chez l'individu le développement d'un jugement critique, d'une libre réalisation de soi et d'un esprit de coopération plutôt que de compétition.

     

Some Dilemmas of the Consultant in a College:

Psychotherapists working in colleges live with a peculiar imbalance: what looms largest in our day to day work is likely to be relatively invisible in the institution, whereas what we see as rare or unusual moments of being on stage in a public crisis are likely to be the moments which most shape the institution's view of us. The role conflicts or strain we experience in moving center stage can be partly understood in terms of the need to modify our usual psychotherapeutic rules in order to be of use in those urgent situations.     

20世纪的民族主义与战争及恐怖主义

20世纪，民族主义以三次浪潮的形式与战争、恐怖主义等交织在一起，对20世纪历史的发展起到了重要作用，成为影响20世纪国际政治、国家分合、地区冲突、宗教信仰的重大因素之一。考察20世纪民族主义与战争、恐怖主义的互动关系，有助于加深我们对民族主义的认识。     

20世纪的民族主义与战争及恐怖主义

20世纪,民族主义以三次浪潮的形式与战争、恐怖主义等交织在一起,对2 0世纪历史的发展起到了重要作用,成为影响2 0世纪国际政治、国家分合、地区冲突、宗教信仰的重大因素之一。考察2 0世纪民族主义与战争、恐怖主义的互动关系,有助于加深我们对民族主义的认识。     

From School Effectiveness and School Improvement to Effective School Improvement: Background,Theoretical Analysis,and Outline of the Empirical Study

School effectiveness and school improvement have different origins: school effectiveness is more directed to finding out “what works” in education and “why”; school improvement is practice and policy oriented and intended to change education in the desired direction. That means that in the orientation on the outcomes, input, processes, and context in education, school effectiveness and school improvement also have much in common. In the project Effective School Improvement (ESI), the merger of the 2 traditions has been pursued. In the theoretical part different orientations have been analysed and combined in a model for effective school improvement. Based on this analysis the framework is developed for the analysis of the case studies on school improvement projects in the participating countries.     

世界、民族国家与现代学校:重思我国学校教育制度的产生

既有的解释我国学校教育制度产生原因的分析视角,或淡化了世界因素的影响,或未能深入地回答"为什么晚清政府选择教育作为回应挑战的重要手段"、"为什么模仿其他国家的教育模式"等问题.它们倾向于将我国学校教育制度的产生,理解为政治自觉的结果.然而,表面上的政治自觉,实则根源于意识不及的文化一认知因素,它与晚清时期世界观的转变深深勾连,正是新的世界观合法化了民族国家模式.而支撑民族国家模式的各种信念又使晚清士大夫相信,建立学校教育制度是造就政治人才,实现国家富强的重要途径.     

校本科研的特征、过程与评价

校本科研具备教育科学研究的一般特性,同时又有其自身的特点。学校及教师是研究结果的直接形成者与享用者。校本科研的基本过程是:发现并提出有价值的、切实可行的来源于教学实践的真实的问题,设计研究方案,按照研究方案而进行有目的、有计划的行为活动,对校本科研的研究结果与过程进行评价。     

School Culture,School Effectiveness and School Improvement

The relevance of the concept of culture to school effectiveness and school improvement is explored. Two typologies are developed. The first proposes four ‘ideal type’ school cultures, based on two underlying domains; the second, a more elaborate and dynamic model, proposes two ‘ideal type’ school cultures, based on five underlying structures. Each is discussed for its heuristic, conceptual, methodological and explanatory potential in research in the fields of school effectiveness and school improvement. In distinguishing collegial cultures from collaborative styles, the article advances recent writing on collaboration. From the theory hypotheses about the relationship between school culture and school effectiveness and improvement can be derived as well as techniques to test such hypotheses.     

“中国威胁论”的内涵、危害及现实对策

“中国威胁论”是西方国家遏制中国的一种手段。其危害主要是：损害中国的国家和人民形象,破坏中国经济赖以发展的内部和外部环境,给别有用心者破坏中国经济秩序以可乘之机等。应对“中国威胁论”的对策是：将计就计,灵活利用之;针锋相对,坚决反对之。     

政府·社会·学校--基于校本管理理念的现代学校制度设计

一、现代学校制度的本质内涵近年来,现代学校制度研究倍受教育理论工作者、教育行政管理部门和学校管理者的关注。教育部《2003-2007教育振兴行动计划》就现代学校制度的建设问题提出了一些方向性的意见,指出要“深化学校内部管理体制改革,探索建立现代学校制度”;“继续深化学校内部管理体制改革,完善法人制度。高等学校要坚持和完善党委领导下的校长负责制,推进依法办学、民主治校、科学决策,健全学校的领导管理体制和民主监督机制。中小学要实行校长负责、党组织发挥政治核心作用、教代会参与管理与监督的制度。职业学校可建立由行业、企…