Understanding children's constructions of meanings about other children: implications for inclusive education

This paper explores the factors that influence the way children construct meanings about other children, and especially those who seem to experience marginalisation, within school contexts. The research involved an ethnographic study in a primary school in Cyprus over a period of 5 months. Qualitative methods were used, particularly participant observations and interviews with children. Interpretation of the data suggests that children's perceptions about other children, and especially those who come to experience marginalisation, are influenced by the following factors: other children and the interactions between them; adults' way of behaving in the school; the existing structures within the school; and the cultures of the school and the wider educational context. Even though the most powerful factor was viewed to be the adults' influence, it was rather the interweaving between different factors that seemed to lead to the creation of particular meanings for other children. In the end, it is argued that children's voices should be seen as an essential element within the process of developing inclusive practices.     

Perceived science ability as a factor in the course selections of men and women in college

It was hypothesized in this study that men and women develop a belief about their ability in science during their school years that is based in part on their participation in certain science courses and on their level of performance in those courses. This belief about their ability in turn affects the science decisions that these students make when they enter college. Students who believe they have ability in science are more likely to choose a science curriculum in college than those who do not. The results indicated that even though their performance in high school science was better than that of the men, women in this study rated their ability in science lower, and that this had a negative effect on later participation in college science.     

The Unity of Teaching and Learning (1919)

Today people call those who teach in schools "teachers," and they call what they do "teaching," and they call the methods they use "teaching methods," as though teachers are people who do nothing but teach the students a little book learning. Apart from teaching, they seemingly have no other ability; apart from what is in books, they have nothing else to teach; and the students in this kind of school, apart from receiving instruction, have no other assignments. Teachers only concern themselves with teaching, and students only concern themselves with receiving instruction, as though the business of learning could be completely transacted by the act of teaching. If we are talking about names, such schools are of course "institutions of learning," but if we are discussing the reality, they are more like "institutions of teaching." This is because we have emphasized teaching too much. Without knowing it, we have caused teaching to become separated from learning, though learning and teaching really cannot be separated and should be united.     

What is the current level of knowledge and confidence of mainstream school SENCOs in sensory integration theory and using sensory strategies within education?

The aims of the study were: to identify the number of SENCOs who have received specific training on sensory integration. To determine the understanding of the eight senses and sensory integration theory and sensory strategies. Determine any common gaps in knowledge or misconceptions. Fifty-five surveys were completed. 40% of respondents had received training on sensory processing. There was a significant chi-squared correlation between those that had received training and those that stated they did not know or made guesses about what the vestibular and proprioceptive senses are important for. There was a correlation between those that had received training and those that had good knowledge of the signs of sensory hyper-responsivity. There was no statistical significance of increased knowledge on sensory hypo-responsivity between those who had and had not received training. SENCOs who rated their school as being sensory-friendly had a greater understanding of what sensory integration is important for. Pertinently, those who rated their school as being ‘sensory-friendly’ (45.5%) were 8.5 times more likely to know sensory integration is needed for self-regulation. A number of recommendations are made including the need for greater collaboration between therapists and teachers to increase understanding of sensory integration and the impact of this on a child's education and wellbeing at school. Sensory strategy programmes are to be written with teaching staff and not given by the therapist in an ‘expert’ role. Sensory integration awareness training, including why and how to utilise sensory strategies, is to be encompassed in the SENCO national qualification.     

School Library Media Specialist-Teacher Collaboration: Characteristics, Challenges, Opportunities

The most successful school library media specialists are those who collaborate with teachers as full partners in the instructional process. Without assertive action by the school library media specialist, however, school administrators and teachers are likely to be more aware of the media specialist’s administrative role than the roles of teacher, instructional partner, and information specialist. Reductions to library media staff and finding common planning time are examples of serious challenges, but these are not insurmountable. In the context of well-planned instructional projects, collaboration with teachers is a primary way that school library media professionals can demonstrate that their work is a vital part of the academic life of their schools, and a positive factor in improving student achievement.     

Neuropsychological intervention in kindergarten children with subtyped risks of reading retardation

Kindergarten children at risk of developing language problems were administered the Florida Kindergarten Screening Battery. A principal components analysis revealed a verbal and a visual-spatial component and subsequent discriminant function analyses a high verbal/low visual-spatial group (LAL: Latent L) and a high visual-spatial/low verbal group (LAP: Latent P). LAL- and LAP-children were considered at risk for developing an L- or P-type of dyslexia, respectively. As is common practice with children suffering from manifest L- or P- dyslexia, the LAL- and LAP-kindergartners received right and left hemisphere stimulation, respectively. The outcomes were compared with those of bilateral hemispheric stimulation and no intervention. Reading tests were administered in primary school Grades 1 and 5/6; teachers’ evaluation of reading took place in Grade 5/6. Overall, the LAL- and LAP- groups showed significant backwardness in word and text reading, both at early and late primary school. Types of intervention made a difference though: not significantly backward in early word, late word, and late text reading were the LAL-children who had received right hemisphere stimulation. Nonintervened LAP-children did not show significant backwardness in early word reading and late text reading, nor did LAP-children who had received left hemisphere or bilateral stimulation. Early text reading was not affected by any treatment. Teacher’s evaluations were in support of these findings.     

Monetary returns to academic ability in the public teacher labor market

Previous research has established the returns to academic ability in the general labor market, and this paper investigates such returns in the teacher labor market. Using a nationally representative sample of public school teachers, I find that teachers who graduate from the most selective undergraduate institutions have salaries that are between 7% and 14% higher than those who graduate from the least selective colleges. An empirical investigation of the source of these returns reveals that the majority of this difference is due to high-ability teachers sorting into higher paying districts, though a non-trivial amount arises from within-district deviations from the salary schedule.     

A new approach to high-order cognitive skills in linguistics: problem-solving inference in similarity to computer science

A central issue in the design of curricula for all school levels is the development of the learners’ high-order thinking skills and metacognitive skills. Among such required skills is the ability to solve problems. The literature dealing with the development of problem-solving skills is vast and primarily addresses the scientific disciplines, even though the importance of integrating such skills into all disciplines is widely mentioned. The current study aims to compare problem-solving questions used in two seemingly different disciplines: linguistics and computer science. Our premise was that the basis for imparting problem-solving skills is asking problem-solving questions. We analysed problem-solving questions posed in various teaching and learning school scenarios for keywords, and identified nine categories of problem-solving question keywords common to both disciplines. We present those categories and extend our study of two categories to demonstrating the ability to follow the problem-solving process in linguistics is similar to the exact sciences.     

中小学教师工作感受及情绪体验的实证研究——以北京市朝阳区教师为例

通过问卷调查的形式考察了北京市朝阳区596名中小学教师的工作感受和情绪体验状况。研究结果显示:朝阳区中小学教师最常见的工作感受为工作繁重和觉得很累,最不常见的工作感受为工作轻松;最常见的情绪体验为愉快的、有满足感的,最不常见的情绪体验为恐惧的、没兴趣的。班主任相对于非班主任来说,更多的人感到工作是繁重和厌烦的。在性别上,更多的男教师感受到工作繁重,同时有更多的意义和兴趣。在学段上,更多的小学教师感到工作繁重、很累;更多的初中教师在工作中体验到兴趣,同时更多的初中教师体验到厌烦。41岁以上的教师,更多的人觉得工作繁重,感觉很累;31~40岁的教师,更多的人体验到厌烦、失落。     

Negotiating uncertain economic times: Youth employment strategies in England

Higher education is commonly understood as the gateway to better, higher‐paying jobs. This paper draws on longitudinal survey and interview data to explore how different groups of young people, those who left school at 18 and those graduating from higher education, negotiated pathways into employment or otherwise during the recent economic recessionary climate in England. While a mix of employment and unemployment featured in both groups, with temporary and unstable contracts more common than skilled and secure jobs, our evidence reveals that those with degrees were less likely to be in work at the ages of 22 to 23 than those who left school to enter employment at 18. In some contradistinction to popular discourses on the employability benefits of higher education therefore, entering paid work at 18 was a more effective strategy for being in employment five years later than proceeding into higher education.     

Do school entry laws affect educational attainment and labor market outcomes?

Age based school entry laws force parents and educators to consider an important tradeoff: though students who are the youngest in their school cohort typically have poorer academic performance, on average, they have slightly higher educational attainment. In this paper we document that for a large cohort of California and Texas natives the school entry laws increased educational attainment of students who enter school early, but also lowered their academic performance while in school. However, we find no evidence that the age at which children enter school effects job market outcomes, such as wages or the probability of employment. This suggests that the net effect on adult labor market outcomes of the increased educational attainment and poorer academic performance is close to zero.     

Adult Recollections of Name-calling at School

A sample of 220 adults responded to a questionnaire on their recollections of name-calling and nicknames while at school. Hurtful names were reported by 141 participants, who described coping with them primarily by means of verbal retaliation or ignoring the names. Participants rarely told teachers and most stated that their school was unhelpful. Although the experience was regarded less negatively over time, this was not the case for those who reported finding the names most hurtful. These participants reported greater effects on all areas of school life and a stronger association of name-calling with physical bullying, and they rated their current feelings about the past experience as more negative. The most common content of names referred to physical appearance, play on the individual's own name, and animals, trends also found in studies of children and in research into teasing.     

Predicting or guessing: the progress of Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP) students at the University of Glasgow

This paper investigates the academic performance of adults who entered the University of Glasgow via the Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP) between 1988–1993. Approximately half of the total number who entered with such qualifications also attended the Pre-University Summer School. This is a course, run by the university, which provides preparation and access for non-traditional students most of whom have backgrounds of socio-economic disadvantage. Initially the groups of students were separated into those who attended summer school and those who did not to determine what effects, if any, attendance at the summer school had had on academic performance. There were found to be few differences between the two groups (summer school and non-summer school). The students who attended the summer school dropped-out at largely the same rate as those who did not. A closer review of the number of passes in degree examinations gained in first year by students who eventually dropped-out was then undertaken. At this point the review of the passes gained indicated that considerably fewer of those who had had the benefit of the summer school preparation left having gained no passes in degree examinations. From the initial review it appeared to be possible to predict the probable future performance of those involved in the analysis that had yet to complete their degrees at that stage. Therefore, in 1999 the academic performance of those students who had not completed previously were examined together with the early prediction model. The results indicated that a pattern of prediction could be formulated on the basis of first year performance which, if tested on a larger scale, might provide the basis for a programme of intervention with academic support for those students whose progress after first year degree examinations is in doubt.     

谁决定香港新高中通识教育科的校本课程

本文旨在探讨香港新高中通识教育科的校本课程由谁来决定。本研究在2010年的暑假进行,透过半结构性的访谈以探索不同中学发展通识课程所采取的策略。研究者发现校长在通识科的课程决策上占主导地位,通识科主任才是正真的课程领导,而科任教师多扮演追随者的角色。     

近代高等教育体系中的“独立学院’’略论

近代中国的独立学院,出现于民国时期。南京国民政府建立后,对独立学院的设置进行了相关的政策规定。但是,在实际的办学过程中,各独立学院的行为却往往逸出政策之外。同时,尽管近代社会办学条件艰苦,但是,各独立学院仍取得了较为丰硕的成绩。这些成绩对于今日独立学院的办学具有重要的启示。     

Dual Enrollment,Community Colleges,and Baccalaureate Degree Attainment

This study examines baccalaureate attainment by a cohort of 2004 Virginia high school graduates who enrolled in a minimum of one dual enrolled course while high school seniors. Results of the logistic regression analyses indicate that students who began their postsecondary education at community colleges were significantly less likely to earn a baccalaureate degree when compared to students who began directly in four-year institutions. Minority students, though more likely to enroll directly in a four-year institution, were less likely to earn a baccalaureate degree than their White counterparts. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.     

Relative Contributions of Prekindergarten and Kindergarten to Children's Literacy and Mathematics Skills

Research Findings: A difficulty for developmental researchers is disambiguating children's general maturation from the influence of schooling. In this study, we use a natural experiment to examine the influence of prekindergarten and kindergarten schooling experiences on the development of literacy and mathematics. Children (n = 60) whose birthdates fell within 2 months of the state-determined cutoff date for prekindergarten and kindergarten entry were administered 4 subtests of the Woodcock–Johnson III Tests of Achievement in the fall and spring of the school year. Using hierarchical linear modeling coupled with propensity score matching, we found that children who were starting kindergarten and who had prior experience in prekindergarten had higher scores on measures of phonological awareness, early reading, and mathematics skills than did children who had not attended prekindergarten previously, even though they were essentially the same age. Fall vocabulary scores did not differ in relation to whether children had prekindergarten experience. In addition, although children who attended kindergarten as well as those who attended prekindergarten exhibited growth on all measures during the school year, children who attended kindergarten demonstrated greater gains in early reading and vocabulary during the school year. Practice or Policy: These findings highlight the potential of early schooling processes to facilitate children's intellectual growth.     

The epistemic role of novel metaphors in teachers’ knowledge constructions of school reform

In this article, a parallel is drawn between Steven Hawking’s use of common and novel metaphors in his evolving explanation of the theory of the universe and the similar use of common and novel metaphors by educators in four school contexts attempting to illuminate their experiences of school reform storied and restoried over time. The epistemic role of novel metaphors is unpacked through examining the plotlines of the metaphors, the morals of the metaphors, the freedom of the metaphors and the teacher knowledge implications resident in the live metaphorical utterances. Through the use of self‐selected novel metaphors, both Hawking and the educators merged propositional and non‐propositional knowledge that was bound up in persons—and communicated across people—in deceptively simple, though infinitely complex, ways.     

Selling Schools: Marketing and Recruitment Strategies in New Orleans

Under new school-choice policies, schools feel increasing pressure to market their schools to parents and students. I examine how school leaders in New Orleans used different marketing strategies based on their positions in the market hierarchy and the ways in which they used formal and informal processes to recruit students. This study relied on qualitative interviews, observations of board meetings, and board-meeting minutes from a random sample of 30 schools in New Orleans. Findings indicate that marketing was a very common strategy. Yet even though choice policies were meant to give parents, not schools, power in selecting where their children attend school, some schools found ways to avoid enrolling disadvantaged students, often by not marketing. Faced with the pressure of accountability and charter renewal, these schools traded greater funding for potentially greater averages in student achievement. At the same time, some schools that were oversubscribed invested in marketing and recruitment anyway to draw less affluent parents to the school, who might not be aware of the open application and enrollment process. I discuss the implications of these marketing strategies.