Clinical judgment vs. the computer: Can the school psychologist be replaced by a machine?

Can the school psychologist be replaced by a computer? The role of the computer in administering, scoring, and interpreting psychoeducational tests is examined. Both the intelligent computer model and the computer-as-assistant model are analyzed to determine what threat they may pose to the job security of school psychologists.     

Portfolios: A tool for reflective thinking in teacher education?

Portfolios have often been promoted as a tool for reflective thinking, yet few studies have examined the use of portfolios in reflective teacher education programs. This exploratory study uses interviews, essays, and survey data to examine 212 teacher education students' efforts to think reflectively through the process of constructing portfolios based on their experiences in a community service-learning program. Findings revealed that the portfolio process prompted reflective thinking in many, but not all, students. Recommendations for using portfolios in teacher education programs include: focusing attention on students' initial understanding of the process and its purpose, encouraging student ownership and individual expression, providing some structured aspects to balance the open-ended nature of portfolios, and evaluating the portfolio process and students' responses.     

How to make the neighbourhood school a school for all?

A new special education strategy was launched in Finland by the Ministry of Education in 2007. The new Basic Act was enacted in 2010 and the new national core curriculum concerning three‐tiered support for pupils in 2011. Since the 1990s, teachers across Finland have participated in developing Finnish basic education towards greater inclusion. The goal of this study was to enhance understanding of the implementation of the Finnish educational reforms. In this study, teachers' perceptions of good inclusive teaching arrangements were analysed and compared with the theories of inclusive education. There is still a lack of information available on the implementation of inclusive education practices, and especially about teachers' experiences of teaching in inclusive classrooms. In 2010, basic education teachers (N = 327) in Lapland, Finland, were asked to describe their experiences and perceptions of inclusive teaching arrangements. The results indicated that teaching practices have become more diverse, flexible and differentiated, enabling teaching of diverse groups. More and more teachers preferred teaching in teams and planning their work together, showing that changes in schools change the teacher's profession too. In this study, a framework for inclusive schools was constructed through implementing the indexes of inclusion created by Booth and Ainscow.     

Competency in Critical Thinking: A Requirement for the “Allied Professional”

This article on critical thinking using informal logic was developed for all allied professionals, especially physical education and (educational) sport teachersfmanagers. A brief discussion of the historical background of the topic includes a short statement on the elements of more formal, categorical logic to emphasize that every argument must be placed in reasonably standard argument format. However, the bulk of this analysis will focus on critical thinking, or informal logic, as applied to the managerial role that all within the professions assume to varying degrees. The discussion will center on the need to think clearly and will present a limited discussion of critical thinking, including definitions of ambiguity, sound arguments, and relevant statements and an introduction to fallacies.     

A charity school in the nineteenth century: Old Swinford hospital school, 1815–1914

The University in Society. Edited by Lawrence Stone. 2 vols, pp. viii, 642. Princeton University Press. London: Oxford University Press, 1975. £4.75 each.

Education for National Efficiency: the contribution of Sidney and Beatrice Webb. Edited by E. J. T. Brennan. Pp. 208. London: The Athlone Press, 1975. £5.00.

Microteaching: A Programme of Teaching Skills. By G. Brown. Pp. 163. London: Methuen, 1975. £7.00 hardback, £3.60 paperback.

Heinrich Pestalozzi. Father of Modern Pedagogy. By Robert B. Downs. Pp. 147. Boston, Mass.: Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1975. $7.50 (10% higher outside U.S.).

Authority and Organization in the Secondary School. By Elizabeth Richardson. Pp. 146. London and Basingstoke: Macmillan Education Ltd., 1975. (Schools Council Research Studies). £2.25.

An Introduction to the Study of Comparative Education. By Vernon Mallinson, University of Reading, 4th ed. London: Heinemann, 1975.

The Sociology of Educational Ideas. By Julia Evetts. Pp. via, 168. London: Routledge &; Kegan Paul, 1973. £2.50.

Class, Culture and the Curriculum. By Denis Lawton. Pp. ix, 124. London: Routledge &; Kegan Paul, 1975. Cloth £3.00. Paperback £1.25.

Ideology and the Imagination. By Fred Inglis. Pp. 244. London: Cambridge University Press, 1975. £4.90 hard cover. £2.00 paperback.

Handbook on Curriculum Development. By Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. Pp. 179. Paris: OECD, 1975. £2.80.

Looking at Innovation: two approaches to educational reasearch. P. Sheldrake and S. Berry. NFER Publishing Company Ltd., 1975.

The Sciences, the Humanities and the Technological Threat. Edited by W. Roy Niblett. Pp. xiv, 168. London: University of London Press, 1975. £3.80.     

A new role for the school psychologists— who needs it?

Educators are expressing concern over the wide and growing gap which they perceive to exist between research and practice in our nation's schools. A review of the literature reveals that this important, long-standing concern is well founded. It is proposed that the school psychologist with his/her specialized training in research theory and methodology and unique role as a practitioner in the school setting is the ideal professional to effect a linking of formal knowledge to educational practice. Presumably, the provision of such a vitally needed function will serve to enhance school psychologists' often less than favorable image with their educator colleagues. A paradigm is offered for effecting research into practice utilizing the school psychologist in the role of knowledge-linker.     

‘Ready for big school’: making the transition to primary school – a Jamaican perspective

The aim of this small-scale, qualitative study is to understand the perspective of varying stakeholders responsible for student transitions from pre-primary to primary school in the Jamaican context. The questions that guided the research are: What factors affect student transitions to primary school? What skills do children need in order to successfully transition? and Who/what is responsible for preparing students to transition from pre-primary to primary school? To answer these questions a representative from the Early Childhood Commission, 13 parents and 16 Grade 1 teachers from 12 schools across the island of Jamaica were interviewed. Findings reveal that student transitions from pre-primary to primary school need systematic attention particularly in light of how this impacts on student success, not only in primary school, but in their secondary years as well. The data also reveal that a major issue affecting student transitions is the quality of pre-primary education and parenting practices in the early years. Also highlighted are the differing perspectives of teachers and parents on the skills needed for success in primary school. Parenting programmes and professional development for both parents and teachers, respectively, are critical if strides are to be made.     

Challenging the Politics of the “Model Minority” Stereotype: A Case for Educational Equality

This article examines the political rationale of the “model minority” stereotype about Asian Americans and its ramifications on education. Created by white elites in the 1960s as a device of political control, the model minority stereotype continues to serve the larger conservative restoration in American society today. By over-emphasizing Asian American success and misrepresenting it as proof of the perceived equal opportunity in American society, proponents of the stereotype downplay racism and other structural problems Asians and other minority groups continue to suffer. The theory that Asians succeed by merit (strong family, hard work, and high regard for education) is used by power elites to silence the protesting voices of racial minorities and even disadvantaged Whites and to maintain the status quo in race and power relations. In education, the model minority thesis has always supported conservative agendas in school reform. Now it goes hand in hand with the meritocracy myth and promotes educational policy that emphasizes accountability, standards, competition, and individual choice, while trivializing social conditions of schooling and unequal educational opportunities facing different student groups. It is the responsibility of educators to deconstruct the “model minority” stereotype and any other stereotypes or myths prevailing in education discourse, and seriously challenge racism, class division, and other structural problems. Social justice and equality must become a guiding principle for school reform and educational policy.     

Realists or pragmatists? “Reliable evidence” and the role of the educational psychologist

Outcomes of interviews with seven educational psychologists, focused on issues of epistemological and ontological positioning, are reported. The interviews were conducted within a qualitative, biographical research paradigm which examines the ways in which a person’s meaning-making is impacted upon by all aspects of their life experience. Thematic analysis suggests most participants are ambivalent about the scientific basis of their work and the contribution of peer reviewed research to their practice, and they regard the utility or social value of their professional practice as more important than its congruence with a recognised evidence base. This standpoint is compared to the philosophical position of pragmatism, which resists the assumptions of realist perspectives and contests the primacy of scientific methodology and methods in the establishment of knowledge claims. Implications for the professional practice of educational psychologists beyond the present study are discussed.     

A Rose for “A Rose for Emily” Interpret the Gothic Story in the Perspective of Feminism

The short story "A Rose for Emily" written by William Faulkner belongs to the gothic fiction.Faulkner adopts the gothic writing skills and tells the readers the tragic life of the female protagonist Emily Grierson.In the perspective of feminism,the writer analyzes the short gothic fiction.In the following,this paper states the female’s negative living conditions in the maledominated society.Even though she tried to change,she finally failed.And the patriarchy is the fundamental reason for her trage dy.     

Understanding school attendance: The missing link in “Schooling for All”

India is close to its goal of achieving 100 % school enrolment for children in the age group of 5–16 years. However, this does not correspond with universal school attendance. Not all children who are enrolled attend school regularly. Enrolment is, at best only “nominal” for them. In this study, we examine the ‘demand’ and ‘supply’ side factors behind low attendance by drawing upon a new dataset on adolescents in India- Understanding Adults and Young Adolescents (UDAYA) for Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Results indicate that girls and older students are more likely to be absent from school. Married girls were more likely to be absent than their unmarried peers. Engaging in unpaid work also deter children from attending school regularly, although surprisingly, there is no significant difference between children who are not working and children engaged in paid work in terms of absenteeism. Religion, affluence, and school type also have a significant influence on attendance. Surprisingly, absenteeism did not emerge to be significant when proficiency in math as a marker of academic performance is taken into consideration. Provisioning of infrastructure can be a particularly effective means towards increasing attendance, as can be the contribution of teachers when considered as positive role models.     

Fostering parents-professional collaboration for facilitating the school inclusion of students with ASD: design of the “ToGather” web-based prototype

Educational technology research and development - In recent years, many psycho-educational technologies were studied to address the school-related difficulties encountered by students with autism...     

A tool for changing the world: possibilities of cultural‐historical activity theory to reinvigorate science education

Cultural‐historical activity theory, an outcrop of socio‐psychological approaches toward human development, has enjoyed tremendous growth over the past two decades but has yet to be appropriated into science education to any large extent. In part, the difficulties Western scholars have had in adopting this framework arise from its ontology, which is materialist dialectical and, hence, does not allow easy absorption into non‐dialectical (classical logical) thinking underlying much of Western scholarship. Cultural‐historical activity theory has tremendous potential because it sublates traditional dichotomies in everyday teaching‐learning situations including individual/collective, body/mind, intra‐/inter‐psychological, cognitive/emotive and psychological/sociological. In this contribution, we not only review the existing literature that uses or develops this non‐dualistic approach, but also articulate an intelligible explication of the theory that is more accessible to Western scholars and describe possible future curriculum work and research in science education as an expression of the fruitfulness of the theory.