Participatory Action Research and MSW Curricula

Abstract

The value of partnership and participation for human empowerment is routinely stressed in today's social work practice literature, in which scholars emphasize the need for consumer participation, co-inquiry, and client collaboration. Because research is recognized to be a crucial element in such collaborations, one would expect that, alongside traditional research topics, the goal of empowerment would likewise be recommended in current social work research literature and curricula. One might further expect that the curricula, as part of the menu of research methods, would espouse specific kinds of participative inquiry available in the social work and social science literature.

The purpose of this study is to explore to what extent social work research methodology courses offered through social work MSW graduate programs in the USA include content that encourages active involvement in the process of research by the people whose lives are being studied. In other words, the question put to test has been how much emphasis (or how little) is placed on a relationship of partnership between “inside” and “outside” participants in the design, implementation, and analysis of the research activity? Utilizing a content analysis research design, the study posed and addressed three exploratory hypotheses in an attempt to answer this question.     

Humanism and Ethics

Abstract

Moral education has to be taken as “education in morality”: that is, in a particular form of thought and life which has its own procedures of reason. We have to establish what these are, what equipment the morally educated person logically requires and, from that, how to assess such equipment and how to generate practical methods that enhance it. The main features of this are not difficult to understand: what stands in our way is certain kinds of psychological resistance to the enterprise as a whole.     

One size never fits all: Teachers’ responses to standardized curriculum materials and implications for early childhood teacher educators

ABSTRACT

The age of accountability introduced by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 triggered widespread development of local control-oriented policies in an effort to “leave no child behind.” Research makes it clear that such policies directly impact instruction. However, primary grade teachers are rarely included in these studies, leaving teacher educators with little empirical data on which to ground their work with preservice teachers as it relates to such policies. This article reports findings from a study of 15 experienced primary grade teachers who work with standardized curriculum materials. Data from these teachers’ experiences can inform today’s teacher educators as they prepare the next generation of teachers to navigate “one size fits all” curricula. Findings suggest that experienced teachers of young children adapt, augment, and extend the intended curriculum to promote academic proficiency in tested subjects in very specific ways. Implications for preservice teacher education are discussed.     

“Falling back” on natural law and prudence: A reply to souryal and potts

The following essay seeks to provide some of the details to which Souryal and Potts refer in their article in the spring 1993 issue of the Journal of Criminal Justice Education. In their desire to combat what they perceive to be a state of cultural illiteracy in the field of criminal justice ethics, Souryal and Potts recommend a revision of criminal justice curricula to include courses on the history of Western political philosophy. In the past masters of political philosophy, they hope to find an effective “fallback” position on questions of moral judgment and discretion. In the following essay I locate that position in the traditional Western theories of natural law and prudence.     

Rural Undergraduates at Elite Universities: Learning Experience and Identity

Abstract

The decline in the proportion of rural students at major universities has caused widespread social concern. Special enrollment programs in recent years have increased the proportion somewhat. However, the situation at elite universities in China’s transition period is different than before. There are few studies addressing the learning experiences of rural students in the new period. This study uses qualitative methods to research 32 case studies of rural undergraduates at four elite universities in Shanghai. Based on Bourdieu’s concepts of capital, field, and habitus, this study finds a mismatch between the habitus of respondents and that of elite universities, which leads to an awkward initial school experience. In accordance with the operating logic of the academic field, they are able to achieve an increase in cultural capital by virtue of their own efforts. This complex class experience also has a far-reaching impact on identity through the individual’s response to their own emotions. This conflicted identity is expressed as feeling like either a “country bumpkin” in the big city or a “city person” from the country.     

An Experiment on Homogeneous Grouping for Reading in Elementary Classes

Abstract

Can a non-norraative measure of adjustment account for performance in mathematics independently of anxiety or intelligence? The mathematics performance of 621 grade 7 children was analyzed in relation to a measure of adjustment derived from semantic differential responses to “myself” and “the person I would like to be.” Covariance analyses for trait-anxiety, test-anxiety, and intelligence were carried out. It was found that the measure of adjustment was significantly related to mathematics performance after the effects of anxiety and intelligence were partialled out.     

A Rational Examination of Integrating “Classics” into University General Education Curriculum: An Empirical Survey Based on N University

Abstract

The power of general education curriculum comes from the enduring classics. The authors apply research methods such as questionnaire survey, interview, and observation to investigate the state of general education curriculum implementation at N University and analyze problems faced by incorporating classics. Based on this, the authors propose that universities should rationally review the practical value of “classics” in general education and enhance the effective integration of classics into general education curriculum by improve the texts for teaching, instruction methods, teaching personnel, and assessment modes, to achieve general education’s objective of cultivating the “whole person.”     

National unity in cultural diversity: how national and linguistic identities affected Swiss language curricula (1914–1961)

Abstract

By the end of the nineteenth century, the relationship between the state, language and schooling had become extremely close: a state was supposed to be “national”, and a real nation was supposed to be monolingual. Following the literature on nation-building, it is because schooling was charged with the task of forming such nations that curricula intended for the great majority of pupils included only one language. The theory of a direct effect of national identity on curricula was elaborated by focusing on the typical monolingual nation-state. This paper discusses the theory from the perspective of a multilingual state: Switzerland. The study’s analysis shows that in the 1914–1945 period the Swiss state’s multilingualism became part of the Swiss national identity and learning another national language became a matter of patriotic education. However, this new conception did not affect all curricula in the same manner. The economic and pedagogical rationales given voice by actors other than the state seem to be equally important factors in explaining the decisions made regarding language curricula as a state’s national identity. Therefore, warning is given against the assumption that a school’s language policy automatically aligns with a state’s national identity.     

The effect of schools on school leavers’ university participation

ABSTRACT

This paper considers the role that schools have in determining whether school leavers participate in higher education or not. It examines the association between schools and university participation using a unique dataset of 3 cohorts of all young people leaving maintained schools in Wales. School “effects” are identified, even after controlling for individual-level factors, such as their prior attainment, socioeconomic circumstances, ethnicity, and special educational needs. Schools appear to have a particular “effect” on the likelihood that a young person enters an elite university. However, the findings suggest the concept of a school “effect” on higher education participation is not straightforward – schools appear to have different levels of effectiveness depending on the gender of the young people and the nature of their higher education participation. These findings are considered within the policy contexts of school effectiveness and widening access to higher education.     

The Body and the Place of Physical Activity in Education: Some classical perspectives

Abstract

The place of physical education has been contested in recent times and it has been argued that its justification as part of school curricula seems to be marginal at best. Such justifications as have been offered, propose that physical education is justified because of its contribution to moral development or because it is capable of being studied as a theoretical subject. Other justifications have centred on the embodied nature of the human being. In this article we draw on some classical thinkers, Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Augustine and Benedict, to argue for a strong, integrated view of the human person. From this it is concluded that physical education is a necessary component of education and that a complete education therefore involves physical education. Physical education is understood in a broad sense as a family resemblance concept which incorporates a wide variety of physical activities. Disciplined physical activity which enables individuals to gain those physical skills required for learning, it is proposed, is essential for intellectual development. Benedictine education, which involves hard physical work, reading, prayer and reflection, illustrates how the physical and mental aspects of a person are to be integrated in order to attain the ends of the committed Benedictine monk.     

Design and Evaluation of a Programme to Promote Prosocial‐Altruistic Behaviour in the School

Abstract

This article describes a programme of educational intervention aimed at the development of prosocial‐altruistic behaviour, and presents a study which evaluated its efficacy. The sample comprised 110 subjects, aged between 10 and 12 years, from four class‐groups. The intervention, which consisted of a series of activities intended to encourage empathy, perspective‐taking, having the concept of a person, and co‐operation, was carried out by the teacher‐tutor of each group in 15 weekly sessions. The pre‐test/post‐test comparisons showed a significant increase in prosocial‐‐altruistic behaviour (measured by a sociogram on “Consoling and Defending” behaviour and a questionnaire on Prosocial behaviour), as well as an improvement in the capacity for perspective‐taking and in the climate in the classroom.     

Making the Intentional Decision to Use an Effective Curriculum to Promote Children’s Learning

This study investigated the extent to which early education classrooms across Indiana implemented evidence-based practices and how well the classrooms of different types of early education programs in our state compared with one another. Evidence-based effective curricula increase children’s learning compared to those that are not effective. This article addresses the question: “Are the curricula used by the teachers effective?” The 81 participating classrooms included 28 in licensed child care centers, 27 in Head Start, and 26 in public school prekindergarten. Of the 81 classrooms, 80 teachers responded to the question: “What curriculum or curricula do you use in your classroom?” We used a three-step process to determine whether each response named a curriculum based on the Head Start definition; whether studies of the curriculum met the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) guidelines for being evidence-based; and if the WWC reviews identified the curriculum as effective in increasing children’s learning. Findings revealed that only 2 of 80 responding teachers used a curriculum determined by WWC to be effective. Other teachers used curricula that did not meet the Head Start definition, used curricula that did not meet the WWC standards for evidence, or used curricula with evidence but that were ineffective. These findings suggest that administrators and teachers should opt for a curriculum determined to be effective and to choose whether the curriculum will be math- or literacy-based since no comprehensive curriculum has been determined to be effective. A challenge for implementation is that the WWC has shown only five curricula to be effective.     

THE PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION MOVEMENT AND CHARACTER EDUCATION

If we may attempt a summation of the “progressive” movement as regards character education, we would say that these educators are of the earnest group which is seeking a new discipline for the individual and society. The old control of command and threat of punishment is giving way.

“Europe, like America, is discarding the traditional idea of discipline through coercion or blind obedience, and is looking for a new technique through which children may be helped to become self‐directing personalities using freedom intelligently.” ¹⁴ 14. Sidonie M. Gruenberg, Progressive Education, Vol. 4, p. 126.

It is not merely a question of interest and of project method. It is a problem of developing a new system of control in place of the old paternalistic and militaristic discipline that finds its last resort in the employment of force. In place of the domination by force, the newer “voice of conscience” says to give every individual a chance to develop an inner control. In place of punishment for those who do not abide by the norm of society, it seeks to substitute diagnosis. Seek first for an understanding of the individual, giving to the genius large leeway in working out! his original ideas, and, to the sub‐normal person, treatment such as the doctor gives to his patient.

“Progressive” educators are, of course, not the only ones contending for this new discipline, but they seemingly have taken the lead in working out a process of education to secure it. In this process the work of the teacher is not minimized but greatly exalted. In this undertaking to produce a more finely integrated person, the teacher must enter as a highly skillful guide and friend. What more “religious” conception of the function of the teacher can be found than this given by a “progressive” educator.

“It is the teacher's business to live with the child, as the refreshing shadow of a great rock in a weary land, as a spring of water for a thirsty soul, as an ever‐present help in time of trouble, as a lamp in the darkness, as a guide to little feet that stumble, and to little hearts that err; as a loving local Providence winning their affection and loyalty.”

     

Linguistic performance and minority groups

Abstract

Beginning with linguistic performance as currently defined, this article systematically pursues its implications to and through the notion of “successful communication.” The four divisions of the article attempt explorations of the following questions: What does linguistic performance do? What place does it have in a theory of communication? What are the practical implications of such a theory in connection with actual language use? How is all this relevant to problems of what we take to be “linguistically underprivileged” (minority) groups? The article concludes that the concept of linguistic performance, “scientifically” based, is not significant in successful communication, which is an art.     

Towards social competence in verbal children with special needs‐The parent's dilemma

Abstract

This paper considers the universal human need to link with others through shared social experience. It discusses theoretical and practical issues involved when a young person, although articulate, is not skilful at perceiving feedback in social interactions, and the ongoing dilemma for parents trying to foster social independence. The nature of reciprocity is discussed in relation to play. From a contextual approach it is suggested that the early childhood sequence of play skills may be relevant to learning “self‐inclusion” at later developmental stages.

It is within the intimacy of the immediate family setting that the infant first learns how to gain a response from its mother, father, and other caregivers. The research of John Bowlby (1982) and Mary Ainsworth (1974) has given us insight into how attachment proceeds, from the neonate's early non‐discriminating responses, to somewhere between six to eight months, when the child shows an obvious preference for one person, often the mother.

Babies come equipped with reflexes designed to elicit nurturing behaviour from their parents and these interactions quickly become mutually‐reinforcing social patterns. With the cognitive attainment of “object permanence” as described by Piaget (1958), the growing child begins to understand that mother does indeed exist, even when out of sight, and will return. Once the infant is mobile we can tell when attachment has developed by the child's proximity seeking, and by protest behaviour, such as crying, upon separation. In Ainsworth's theory it is from a secure emotional base that the infant is able to investigate its environment, and it is to this secure parental haven that the child returns after exploratory risk‐taking, both social and physical. Though developmental milestones may be delayed in special needs children, there is no reason to suppose that the attachment process involved is qualitatively different.     

Student Ratings of Televised Classroom Demonstrations

Abstract

Student attitude toward classroom observation experience in an educational psychology course were explored as a function of whether observations were made in person, by closed circuit television, or kinescope recordings. Two hundred fifty-seven college juniors were randomly grouped to observe the same classroom demonstrations by different means or to receive a control lecture.

At the conclusion of the course mean subject ratings of the special observation (or lecture) experience were significantly different for the four treatment groups. Highest ratings were given by students who observed In person, next highest were given by “live” television observers, next highest by kinescope observers, and lowest by those who received the control lecture. No significant differences were observed between groups on ratings of the course of which the observations were a part.     

Occupational outcomes for Australian computing/information technology bachelor graduates and implications for the IT bachelor curriculum

ABSTRACT

In Australia, the IT workforce and employment outcomes for university IT bachelor graduates have a complex interrelationship. The likelihood of IT bachelor graduates to work in a professional IT role is infrequently discussed in the research literature. It has been suggested that “deficient” undergraduate IT curricula are one contributor to poor employment outcomes for graduates. Using the latest available Australian national census data, we present a detailed analysis of the occupational outcomes for graduates of undergraduate IT programmes, and the makeup of the IT workforce in Australia. This analysis presents important findings for those designing undergraduate IT curricula that seek to equip students to prepare for the best employment outcomes. The finding that, even immediately post-graduation, a significant proportion of Australian IT bachelor graduates do not work in IT roles, even though professional IT job roles outnumber IT bachelor graduates nearly two-to-one, has implications for undergraduate IT education.     

Hypertext and collaboration: Observations on Edward Barrett's philosophy

In a departure from the view that characterizes hypertext as a new writing paradigm based on old associationist ideas, Edward Barrett has proposed a model for hypertext that rejects cognitive and associationist language as both unnecessary and inaccurate. In this view, knowledge, reality, and even facts are community generated, “linguistic entities,” and hypertext supports the “social interface” rather than the “deep structure” of thought. This essay considers some of the premises of Barrett's proposal. A central issue is the rejection of the “authorial imperative” of structured information in favor of a view of writing as an open‐ended ever‐changing conversation in which readers and writers collaborate to discover—or generate—reality.     

Incidence,type and intensity of abuse in street children in India

ObjectiveThe aims of this cross-sectional survey were to examine the prevalence, type and intensity of abuse in street children in Jaipur city, India.MethodBased on purposive random sampling, 200 street children, inclusive of equal number of boys and girls, were selected from the streets of Jaipur city, India, and administered an in-depth interview schedule which included five areas of abuse, namely, “general abuse,” “health abuse,” “verbal abuse,” “physical abuse,” and “psychological abuse.” Data was interpreted using percentages, t-test and correlations.ResultsStreet children reported experiences of abuse in all the five areas under study. Larger numbers of children (61.8%) scored in the “moderate” category of abuse while 36.6% children indicated abuse in “severe” and “very severe” categories on the intensity of abuse. Highest mean scores were obtained on the “verbal” and “psychological” area of abuse. Gender differences were significant in health and overall abuse, indicating boys to be significantly more abused than girls. There were significant positive correlations of abuse with increasing “age” and “income” of street children; and the occurrence of “multi-type” maltreatment and neglect in street children was clearly present.ConclusionDifferent forms of abuse are prevalent in street children in India. This area of study needs attention both by the researchers and the social workers.Practice implicationschildren who are identified in severe and very severe categories of abuse should be worked with in a follow up study with the help of governmental and nongovernmental agencies working in the field for child welfare.