Evidence,Evaluation and the ‘Tyranny of Effect Size’: a proposal to more accurately measure programme impacts in adult and family literacy

As literacy grows in importance, policymakers’ demands for programme quality grow, too. Evidence on the effectiveness of adult and family literacy programmes is limited at best: research gaps abound, and programme evaluations are more often than not based on flawed theories of programme impact. In the absence of robust evidence on the full range of short- and long-term programme impacts, it is difficult to accurately measure intervention effectiveness. Too frequently, researchers and policymakers focus only on short-term, easily measured outcomes, creating a ‘tyranny of effect size’ that may systematically underestimate impact while simultaneously distorting practice. However, the answer does not lie in turning away from quantitative research. Doing so will consign adult and family literacy to the margins of public policy, when they should be in the mainstream. Longitudinal research from Turkey and the US suggests a need for revised, more subtle theories of how adult literacy and family literacy programmes work, and the diverse ways they benefit participants. By working together more closely and intelligently, researchers, policymakers and practitioners can develop evaluation strategies that more accurately measure programme effects. The key is combining methodological rigour with fully fleshed out theories of literacy development and programme impact.     

探析大学生理想信念迷失的原因

大学生是祖国的未来和民族的希望,然而,随着改革开放的逐步深入,市场经济的飞速发展,当代大学生对学习的厌学,对生活的颓废、迷惘、无聊这是一个不争的事实。在厌学、颓废、迷惘、无聊的背后隐藏的是他们对理想信念的迷失。大学生理想信念的迷失与家庭教育的缺失有很大的关系。高校应该加强与家庭的联系,探索建立与大学生家庭联系沟通的信息反馈工作机制刻不容缓。     

A 3-Year Study of a School-Based Parental Involvement Program in Early Literacy

ABSTRACT

Although parental involvement in children's literacy development has been recognized for its potential in helping children develop early literacy achievement, studies of the effectiveness and sustainability of school-based parent involvement programs are not numerous. This study examines the effectiveness and durability of a school-based parent involvement program that was implemented by school staff without external supervision over 3 consecutive years in a public school. Results indicate that implementation of the program was associated with higher levels of children's achievement in foundational literacy competencies. Moreover, the program has sustained over 3 years and actually grew in the levels of parental participation over time. The authors argue that effective and systemic parental involvement programs are possible and can be guided by certain principles of program development and if implemented by a committed teaching staff.     

从一家祖孙三代的语言差异看语言变化--徐州方言向普通话靠拢趋势考察之四

普通话的推广、语言内部的竞争、思想观念的改变、社会的进步等原因都会使方言处于不断变化之中,一个家庭内部也是如此。分析家庭环境基本一致条件下的新老派语言差异及其变化原因和趋势,并由此考察家庭环境和社会环境的相互关系,是十分必要的。     

A remaking pedagogy: adaptation and archetypes in the child’s multimodal reading and writing

This paper proposes combining theories about, and practices of, using archetypes and adaptation in education for the purposes of multimodal literacy learning. Within such contexts, children of primary school age act as readers, performers and researchers, exploring and analysing existing adaptations of archetypal stories and images across time, space and platforms, as well as writers constructing and producing their own adaptations of archetypes in varying forms. Our suggestions are that ‘revisiting’ and ‘remaking’ existing texts and practices in the multimodal primary classroom can be a route to a deeper and more sophisticated learning experience, and one which challenges current definitions of reading, writing and literacy.     

非物质文化遗产研究的学科化思考

以联合国教科文组织和各国政府为主体的非物质文化遗产保护运动持续已近十年了了,在学者的广泛参与下．它已从政治层面转向了学术层面。非物质文化遗产的保护实践、传统学科的发展革新和学者的安身立命等需求推动了非物质文化遗产学的学科化,即依据传统学科体系的视阈分层、对象分化和条件分用的规律和原则,以非物质文化遗产形态类型为学科骨架和形象,以代际传承的精神文化现象为研究对象,建立独立、完善的非物质文化遗产学科体系。     

Composing across modes: a comparative analysis of adolescents’ multimodal composing processes

Although the shift from page to screen has dramatically redefined conceptions of writing, very little is known about how youth compose with multiple modes in digital environments. Integrating multimodality and multiliteracies theoretical frameworks, this comparative case study examined how urban twelfth-grade students collaboratively composed across three multimodal projects when responding to and analyzing literature. Data sources included screen capture and video observations, student design interviews, written reflections, and multimodal products. Findings revealed that multimodal composing was a complex, dynamic, and varied process mediated by the interaction of multiple factors. Students exhibited modal preferences when working with open and flexible digital tools – spending a majority of time working with that particular mode and relying on it to carry the communicative weight of their compositions. The development of multimodal composing timescapes for this study provided new insights into students’ rapid and frequent cross-modal traversals as they worked on their digital projects.     

Family Literacy Programs: Where Have They Come from and Where Are They Going?

Family literacy programs in North America and the United Kingdom have enjoyed widespread public and political support. Thousands of initiatives following a variety of models currently operate under the spectrum of family literacy programs. In edthis paper, the influence of learning theories, the research on children’s early literacy development, and the sociopolitical context with gave rise to the intervention movement, will be reviewed with respect to their impact on current models of family literacy programs. The research on program evaluation is also considered, and is related to current practice and future directions in family literacy programming.