Triangulating Perspectives: A Needs Assessment to Develop an Outreach Program for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations

This article describes the tiered process used to conduct a needs assessment and the implications of the methods employed had on the design and development of interventions for a community audience. A needs assessment was conducted to identify health needs for an underserved, vulnerable population. This report emphasizes the findings addressing the need for preventative educational materials and programming. Ethnographic characteristics were used to gather information from multiple sample sources in order to triangulate data from three different perspectives: (1) the client, (2) providers and support staff, and (3) educators in the community. The outcomes of this project will serve as input for designing and implementing innovative educational outreach programs for the vulnerable and underserved populations and for community‐based physicians and medical students who serve the community.     

Addressing the Needs of Students with Autism and Other Disabilities in China: Perspectives from the Field

Autism is a developmental disability that has gained increasing attention during the past several decades in China. The two case studies presented in this article examined the perspectives of two school leaders on educating students with autism in China. Two school principals, one from a public school and one from a private school, were interviewed during this study using 10 open-ended questions. Responses generated the following areas of discussion: teacher recruitment and training, curriculum and teaching methodology, parental involvement, and factors that contribute to success and present challenges. This study provides the readers with an update from the perspectives of two school leaders on the school system in China for children with disabilities, particularly for students with autism. Implications of the study and further suggestions for future research are also discussed.     

An Empirical Assessment of Interdisciplinarity: Perspectives from Graduate Students and Program Administrators

Interdisciplinarity is heralded as a relatively new educational and research paradigm that can effectively address complex problems at disciplinary boundaries. Yet little is known about the extent to which interdisciplinarity has penetrated higher education, nor about how students and program administrators view its usefulness. Through a case study of one field, urban planning, we assessed the extent to which graduate students and program administrators understand and support interdisciplinarity in the departments. We also assessed the extent to which specific factors might affect levels of support. Our survey results suggest differing attitudes between students and administrators and diverse opinions as to whether interdisciplinarity provides a practicable approach to addressing societal challenges. We offer a model for fostering interdisciplinarity and developing empirical evaluations of programs.     

Becoming a Parent of a Child with Special Needs: Perspectives from Korean Mothers Living in the United States

The current study aimed to explore how cultural contexts influence the attitudes of mothers raising children with disabilities. Semi-structured in-depth interviews of seven immigrant Korean mothers regarding their personal experiences within the complexities of the special education system in the United States were analysed to identify factors that help mothers to thrive in the face of numerous challenges they encountered when working with professionals from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Narratives revealed that support groups, parent–professional relationships and cultural norms served as motivational factors that encouraged mothers to take initiative in proactively seeking ways to meet the needs of their children. Findings highlight the importance of a professional’s genuine attitude and open-mindedness when approaching culturally and linguistically diverse families.     

Connecting Children's Stories to Children's Literature: Meeting Diversity Needs

Combining children's natural storytelling abilities with quality multicultural literature serves to enhance their language skills and students' appreciation of cultural differences. Narrative abilities—particularly stories—are a natural vehicle for building on children's oral language skills and develop literacy with print. If the stories have a multicultural focus, it is only natural that readers and participants will develop an appreciation of both cultural similarities and differences.     

Assessment Needs in GCSE Examinations: Some student perspectives

This article explains the conceptual link between the special assessment needs of disabled; GCSE examination candidates and the assessment needs of ordinary, non-disabled; candidates within the context of the available guidance. It reports the results of a study sampling the views and experiences of 66 ordinary GCSE mock examination candidates by questionnaire or interview. The findings indicate a range of potential insufficiencies in ordinary examination arrangements which are testimony to the value of a student perspective in the EP assessment of assessment needs. The results challenge the validity of the distinction between special and ordinary assessment needs as presently constructed and also suggest the utility of more evidence-based functional data. Future research could usefully elucidate how the range of GCSE examination assessment needs are manifest and for whom. This may lead to examination arrangements that are maximally inclusive and offer equality of opportunity to both disabled and non-disabled candidates alike.     

Four Perspectives on Educational Assessment

Educational achievement testing is considered from four perspectives. First, the political concerns for accountability provide a powerful impetus for state‐wide testing of students. Second, parents want evidence about their children's accomplishments but often do not receive nor understand much information regarding testing. Third, in the USA, teachers often spend 2 to 8 weeks preparing their students for achievement tests and administering them. The “high‐stakes” nature of the tests undermines teachers’ curricula and instruction and, according to critics, may place too much emphasis on discrete skills, rote recall of facts, and esoteric test‐taking strategies. Students’ views of testing are the fourth perspective considered. A series of studies has revealed that the trust placed in testing by young children is gradually eroded until many adolescents are sceptical about the purpose and value of standardized achievement testing. Low achievers are especially prone to give token effort and to use counterproductive tactics. The cumulative, negative impact of standardized testing on many students and teachers threatens the validity of the test results and effective instruction. Seven suggestions are outlined to improve educational assessment for all participants.     

Assessment,Control, and Autonomy: Macroscopic Perspectives

Assessments such as ranking exercises arguably level the playing field for stakeholders. Quality assurance may remain a challenge for consumers, but ‘public’ assessments do provide a nominal element of independence or autonomy. This article outlines, from a German perspective, the way in which research assessments are frequently subject to influence from a variety of sources. It offers some developmental perspectives on assessment as an organic work‐in‐progress for the scientific and research community.     

高职英语课程学习需求分析——以顺德职业技术学院为例

本文对调查对象的学习条件、现有水平、学习目标与困难以及他们对教师的要求,对教材、学习内容、活动方式等的看法进行了分析研究,并比较了有关专业学生的需求差异。了解了学生对高职英语课程学习的需求状况,为确定教学目标,开展教学活动,选择教学方法、内容等提供依据,也为后续课题研究和课程建设提供参考。     

动态评估在特殊儿童评估中的应用

本文首先介绍了动态评估的概念及其理论基础。接着论述了各类儿童在动态评估中所表现出的差异、如何对各类特殊儿童开展动态评估以及如何结合具体领域开展评估等问题。最后提出了一些有待解决问题以及具体实施方面的建议     

Needs Assessment as a Change Strategy: A Case Study

Needs assessment provides a tool for gathering data which, when applied back upon the situation it addresses, becomes a first step in a change process. A major criticism of needs assessment has been that frequently the process is an exercise, and that the results are seldom actually applied in the planning process. The question arises whether the process, separate from the intended results, can be beneficial to the organization. This article documents a case study in which needs assessment and a change model were applied in conjunction with each other in such a way that the needs assessment process, independent of data collected, served as a change strategy. In this case, while the results of the needs assessment were important to the planning process, the needs assessment process itself, independent of its conclusions, also contributed to the organization's change goals.     

欲望与救赎:新时期文学性恋描写透视

新时期文学是在剧烈的非人的压抑之后发生的,有关性爱的描写一开始就面临着道德与审美的冲突,表现出强烈的人本主义的倾向,包容着丰富的文化意识与生命体验.而从性恋文体的发展倾向与趋势来看,它正走向诗性叙述.     

Dynamic Assessment of Young Children: Educational and Intervention Perspectives

Dynamic/interactive assessment (DA) has been motivated by the inadequacy of conventional static tests to provide accurate information about the individual's learning ability, specific deficient functions, change processes, and mediational strategies that are responsible for cognitive modifiability. A growing need for DA with young children has emerged recently because decisions about treatment should be made as early as possible. The objectives of this paper are to review the major criticism of the standardized static testing approach, present the theoretical basis of the DA approach, describe current research on DA of young children within educational and intervention perspectives, and suggest some directions for future research. The theoretical foundations of the presented research derive from Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, specifically the zone of proximal development concept, and Feuerstein's mediated learning experience theory. DA has been applied with different clinical and educational groups and was found to be more accurate in reflecting children's learning potential than static tests, especially with minority and learning disabled children. The mediational strategy is also reported as more effective than other intervention approaches (e.g., graduated prompt). The DA approach was found useful in assessing outcome effects of cognitive education programs aimed at enhancing learning how to learn skills. Crucial issues of cost-effectiveness, training, reliability and validity, and generalization are discussed.     

论教师培训的需求评价要素:模型建构

培训需求评价是教师培训核心要素之一,本文基于教师专业发展理论和培训需求分析理论,明确教师培训需求是教师工作的理想状态和实际状态之间的差距,且这一差距需要通过培训才能最有效地解决,由此所产生的培训需求。并提出包含公共分析、发展分析、组织分析、工作分析、人员分析、培训准备分析在内的教师培训需求评价模型,进而分别从国培、地培、校培三个层面梳理其教师培训需求评价路径。本文还指出,教师培训需求评价首先是要判断是否需要开展培训,只有进行需求评价才能保障教师培训经费用得其所,才能保障培训项目落到实效。