Toleration and Recognition: What should we teach?

Generally we think it good to tolerate and to accord recognition. Yet both are complex phenomena and our teaching must acknowledge and cope with that complexity. We tolerate only what we object to, so our message to students cannot be simply, 'promote the good and prevent the bad'. Much advocacy of toleration is not what it pretends to be. Nor is it entirely clear what sort of conduct should count as intolerant. Sometimes people are at fault for tolerating what they should not, or for tolerating what they should find unexceptionable. So virtue does not always lie with toleration. Tolerance can also seem condescending; should we therefore replace it with recognition? But recognition may not be able to coexist with the disapproval that makes toleration necessary. However, not everything about toleration and recognition is controversial; there are fixed points from which students can grapple with the issues presented by both.     

Interleaved practice in multi-dimensional learning tasks: Which dimension should we interleave?

Research shows that multiple representations can enhance student learning. Many curricula use multiple representations across multiple task types. The temporal sequence of representations and task types is likely to impact student learning. Research on contextual interference shows that interleaving learning tasks leads to better learning results than blocked practice, but this research has not investigated whether it matters on which dimension we interleave learning tasks. Many educational materials include multiple task types and multiple representations. Should we interleave representations or task types? We conducted a classroom experiment to investigate the effects of interleaving task types (while blocking representations) and interleaving representations (while blocking task types). The participants (158 5th- and 6th-graders) worked with a corresponding version of an intelligent tutoring system for fractions. Our results show an advantage for interleaving task types over interleaving representations. These results extend prior work on contextual interference by showing that this effect is sensitive to the dimension being interleaved. We also extend the literature on learning with multiple representations by investigating the effect of interleaved practice with different representations. The results provide guidance to designers of complex curricula.     

On the relationship between society and higher education: what path should we take?

Abstract

The current network society, with its primacy of information and communication technologies, is challenging the higher education model. The needs and expectations of today’s students differ from those of students in the past, and educational practices should adapt to modern times. But what changes will we see in the relationship between societal transformation and the higher education system? In this research paper, we set out a quantum-based approach in order to analyze this relationship and to advance the understanding about the role that distance education will play in the future. Under this perspective, we provide an illustration that allows for the representation and evaluation of future scenarios.     

Work placement experience: should I stay or should I go?

The opportunity to experience work placements that complement taught and practical courses in higher education has become a central strand of many undergraduate degree programmes. While there is tacit agreement that such placements are a good thing, in recent years the numbers of students opting for work placements has been declining. This paper uses a mixed method research design to probe the learning outcomes, attitudes and perceptions of undergraduate students who choose not to go on a work placement. Findings highlight some areas of concern that could be considered by institutions of higher education working to enhance good practice in students’ work placement experiences.     

Presidential Address: BERA. Who are we? How did we get here? Where are we going?

As we approach the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the British Educational Research Association (BERA), Vivienne Baumfield's inaugural presidential address reflects on who we are, how we got here and where we are going. On one level the answer to these questions is straightforward. BERA is a learned society established in 1974 to support educational research by building capacity, advancing quality and promoting engagement with a strategic plan identifying priority activities over the next 5 years. So far, so good, but does this tell us what we need to know? Delivered at the BERA Conference 2022, the address explores through these questions some implications of belonging to BERA as a ‘learned society’ in the twenty-first century.     

Conclusion: what have we learned?

The results of the nine studies reported on in this special issue suggest quite clearly that a book-based program consistently accelerates the language acquisition of school children in situations where (1) they are learning a second language; (2) they have minimal access to interesting reading materials; and (3) their teachers are themselves teaching in a second language. In this closing chapter, a set of generalizations derived from these studies is presented. More specifically, three areas are discussed: (1) the link with other empirical studies; (2) theoretical issues raised by the results of the studies; and (3) policy questions raised by the results of the studies.     

Online video gaming: what should educational psychologists know?

Based on a significant increase in correspondence to the author from parents, teachers and psychologists concerning “addiction” to online video games like World of Warcraft, this paper provides a brief overview of the main issues surrounding excessive video game playing among adolescents. As an aid to educational psychologists, and based on two decades of the author’s own research in this area, this paper briefly overviews: (i) online gaming addictions, (ii) the differences between online and offline video gaming, and (iii) video gaming benefits. The paper ends with some practical advice that educational psychologists can give to parents about the safe playing of video games.     

Valuing the future: should educational benefits be discounted?

The practice of assigning a lesser value to benefits the further they are into the future, or, in economic terms, discounting, has long played a significant role in shaping public policy. Recently, due to the growing influence of economic modes of thinking on the educational realm, the concept of discounting is also starting to have an influence on the way in which the future is dealt with in educational policymaking. While in other fields, such as health and environmental protection, much has been written about discounting and its far-reaching policy implications, little attention has been given to the subject in the educational domain. The purpose of this article is to discuss critically the role that discounting should play in the educational realm. The article provides a normative stance on the issue by examining the various justifications for discounting and assessing them in light of education’s special characteristics. It concludes that in education we should not rely on a single discount rate, and that certain educational benefits should either not be discounted at all or discounted using a very low rate.     

School leadership models: what do we know?

The growth in the importance of school leadership has been accompanied by theory development, with new models emerging and established approaches being redefined and further developed. The purpose of this paper is to review current and recent writing on leadership models. The paper examines theoretical literature, to see how leadership is conceptualised, and empirical literature, to demonstrate whether and how the research evidence supports these concepts. The paper shows that leadership models are subject to fashion but often serve to reflect, and to inform, changes in school leadership practice.