The Relation of Body Motility in Young Infants to Some Physical Traits

Fourth grade children learned consonant-digit associates of their choice from two novel, distinctive lists during daily, five-minute study sessions. Points exchangeable for free time reinforced correct responses on corresponding tests under high (80%) and low (20%) reinforcement conditions. Equivalent novel high- and low-reinforcement lists were also studied each day as homework on which, unlike session materials, correct test responses were reinforced equally (100%). Results showed that children preferred to study and learned more on the highly reinforced lists during the experimental sessions. Children also displayed a generalized nonreinforced preference for learning the “highly reinforced” homework material.     

Application of a new resampling method to SEM: a comparison of S-SMART with the bootstrap

Among the commonly used resampling methods of dealing with small-sample problems, the bootstrap enjoys the widest applications because it often outperforms its counterparts. However, the bootstrap still has limitations when its operations are contemplated. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine an alternative, new resampling method (called S-SMART) and compare the statistical performance of it with that of the bootstrap through an application of them to the most advanced modelling technique, SEM, as an example. The evaluation of the statistical performances of S-SMART and the bootstrap with respect to the standard errors of the parameter estimates was conducted through a Monte Carlo simulation study. This work, while potentially benefiting educational and behavioural research, conceivably would also provide methodological support for other research areas, such as bioinformatics, biology, geosciences, astronomy, and ecology, where large samples are hard to obtain.     

School Leadership and School Development: reflections from research

This article examines what two school‐based qualitative research projects have highlighted about primary school leadership and development. After discussing findings from the Primary School Staff Relationships and Whole School Curriculum Development Projects, the author reflects upon these insights in terms of: the complexity of leadership; instrumental and expressive leadership; the pace of school development; headteacher motivation; vision, ownership and community. The author concludes that primary school leadership needs to be more carefully researched and rethought.     

A Study of the Professional Curriculum Requirements for the Preparation of High School Teachers in the United States

The authors present a method that ensures control over the Type I error rate for those who visually analyze the data from response-guided multiple-baseline designs. The method can be seen as a modification of visual analysis methods to incorporate a mechanism to control Type I errors or as a modification of randomization test methods to allow response-guided experimentation and visual analysis. The approach uses random assignment of participants to intervention times and a data analyst who is blind to which participants enter treatment at which points in time. The authors provide an example to illustrate the method and discuss the conditions necessary to ensure Type I error control.     

The development and validation of a scale measuring teacher autonomous behaviour

In the current study a multi‐dimensional scale that measures teacher autonomous behaviour is presented. The scale is applicable across the following educational sectors: primary education, secondary education and vocational education. Based on an elaborate literature study, four theoretically relevant dimensions of teacher autonomous behaviour were derived. Psychometric characteristics of the instrument (note that the terms ‘scale’ and ‘instrument’ are used interchangeably in this article) were tested among a sample of Dutch teachers working in primary, secondary and vocational education (N = 1111). The validity of our instrument was tested in several ways. First, by performing confirmatory factor analysis, we tested the factorial structure, which confirmed the hypothesised four dimensions: (1) primary work processes in the class; (2) curriculum implementation; (3) participation in decision making at school; (4) professional development. Thereafter, we calculated the scale's reliability, which appeared to be excellent. In addition, we tested for measurement invariance by cross‐validating the study in the educational sectors mentioned above. Also, the convergent, divergent and predictive validity was investigated. Teacher autonomy appeared to predict workplace learning, more specifically experimenting, reflecting and school development. Finally, we investigated whether transformational leadership can facilitate teacher autonomy, which appeared to be the case. The results empirically confirm the four dimensions of teacher autonomous behaviour, which we derived from theory, and offer solid proof of the psychometric properties of our instrument. The instrument can be used by school leaders and policy makers to monitor autonomous behaviour. More generally, the development and use of this instrument helps us understand teacher autonomous behaviour and teacher professionalism.     

Applied psychology and the case for individual casework: some reflections on the role of the educational psychologist

The authors consider the changing role of educational psychology in the current era and emphasise the importance of casework‐based interventions not only for influencing systemic work but also for maintaining credibility within the educational marketplace. With in‐school counselling and intervention becoming more popular, the natural providers of this service should be educational psychologists but this may not be the case in many local authorities. The authors consider the possibility of the profession becoming obsolete if there is a continuation of the move away from individual interventions to a more consultative based approach.     

School Organizational Health and Teacher Commitment: A Contingency Study with Multi-level Analysis

Traditional studies of teacher commitment often ignore the effect of interactions between personal characteristics and school environment and the implications of their findings are inevitably limited. Responding to this research gap, the present study aims to investigate the contingency relationship of school organizational health to teacher commitment with multi-level statistical analysis. The study was a survey involving 20 aided primary schools and 423 teachers in Hong Kong. The findings suggest that three school organizational health factors such as morale, consideration and institutional integrity are related to teacher commitment through interactions with the teacher personal characteristics such as position, marital status, and length of service in the school. The result supports that the relationship between school organizational health and teacher commitment is contingent upon teacher characteristics. The interesting findings can provide implications for school improvement and future research.     

School self-evaluation for development: The case for and reflections on a training programme

Abstract

This paper explores the case for schools conducting their own self-evaluation to serve the dual purpose of professional development within schools and accountability demands from external sources. The paper is in three parts. The first outlines the argument and benefits for schools conducting their own case study evaluation of their curriculum policies and practices, indicating how this approach is both similar to and different from external case study of schools. The second describes a training programme designed and implemented by the author to support schools in conducting evaluations that are valid, credible and useful. The third presents the participants' and author's reflections on the training and its outcomes and, through an example from one of the schools involved, illustrates what school self-evaluation looks like grounded in the actual experience of undertaking the process. From the evidence presented, the paper concludes that educational professionals, with appropriate support and training, are more than equal to the task of conducting credible and valid case study school self-evaluations.     

Global injustice,pedagogy and democratic iterations: some reflections on why teachers matter

Abstract

The article argues teachers matter because of their potential to engage in critical reflection on values associated with connecting the local, the national and the global. Their practice can support those who are dislocated, and who have no place. Teachers matter because they can help us understand how we share humanity and aspirations across many differences. The discussion identifies some similarities between approaches to pedagogy and Seyla Benhabib’s notion of democratic iteration. Both concepts suggest a navigation between the general, the particular and some of the complexities of their contradictions which can guide teachers’ work. Frameworks from cosmopolitanism and the capability approach are explored for detail they provide on how this navigation can be considered in practice across differently politically constituted formations and diverse, unequally situated groups. Drawing on some reflections on work in an international classroom, the conclusion explores some of these navigations across inequalities.     

Education and Leisure: a reappraisal

Early years education and special needs education have been the focus of UK government interest in recent years, with a strong emphasis on ‘joined up thinking’ across professional boundaries in order to plan and provide cohesive and increasingly inclusive programmes of education and care. This article considers the potential for joined up thinking and action across the early years and special needs education domains with the argument that there is often neglected common ground between the two, such as the shared need for a holistic perspective, partnership with parents, multidisciplinary collaboration and developmentally appropriate practice. Examples are provided from the UK context but the debates are relevant more widely. The article ends with an exploration of why this potential has often not been realised, arguing that separate histories and vulnerabilities and a desire to avoid parallel stigma are partly responsible.     

Revisiting School Knowledge: some sociological perspectives on new school curricula

This article focuses on attempts to understand how the curriculum and pedagogy can help to reduce inequalities in the outcomes of schooling between those from higher and lower socio-economic backgrounds. In the 1970s, the author was involved with Michael F.D. Young and others in the development of the so-called 'new' sociology of education. Much of this work entailed laying bare the assumptions underlying the school curriculum and demonstrating how the selection of school knowledge was implicated in the reproduction of social inequalities. During the 1980s in England the curriculum was overtly politicised by the Thatcher government but the interests of sociologists of education moved increasingly away from the sociology of school knowledge to focus instead on the sociology of education policy. This paper identifies a recent tendency on the part of sociologists of education to return to the 'knowledge question'. In particular, it examines Young's own role in this and his attempts to revisit and revise of his earlier position. Contemporary developments in curricular policy in England and Northern Ireland are then outlined and discussed. Finally, the paper considers whether the work of Basil Bernstein, particularly his concepts of classification/framing and recognition/realisation rules, might help us to address one of the prevailing political problems of many modern education systems — the systematic failure of socially disadvantaged pupils to perform well at school.     

The role of HE in professional development: some reflections on a foundation degree for teaching assistants

Rapid change in higher education (HE) has lead to a reappraisal and debate about the role and ‘mission’ of the university and the university teacher. In the diversification of the HE sector, it is possible to see a shift away from the ‘advancement of knowledge’ as the primary purpose of the HE sector as a whole. This article focuses on a particular dimension of this change referred to as the ‘vocationalisation’ of HE and evident in the growing role of work-based learning (WBL) in the academy. In particular, foundation degrees provide a context for examining the role of WBL and the university in professional development. Analysis of interviews with 19 students on, or progressing from a foundation degree for teaching assistants reveals how they construct their learning and the relationship between work-based and academic learning. The author concludes that notions of ‘equivalence’ between work-based and academic learning are flawed and fail to recognise HE's distinctive contribution to professional learning, and argues for recognition of the distinctive contributions that both WBL and ‘academic’ learning make to professional development.     

Beyond a command performance: reflections on Classmates as a new teacher preparation initiative

This paper reflects on a new pre‐service teacher education initiative, Classmates. Classmates is a collaboration between the University of Western Sydney (UWS) and the New South Wales Department of Education and Training (DET), South Western Sydney Region. Classmates aims to prepare pre‐service teachers to work in challenging, hard‐to‐staff schools. These contexts typically have socially disadvantaged populations and annually experience teacher shortages and high teacher turnover, particularly amongst beginning and early career teachers. Classmates seeks to produce beginning teachers who are highly prepared for, confident and mentally and emotionally equipped to work in such environments. This discussion focuses on some of the positive attributes about the initiative, particularly its practicum structure; its nurturing of pre‐service teachers to work in challenging contexts; and its strong focus on networking and development of ongoing support structures.     

硕士研究生入学业务课考试有效性研究——以某大学教育学院04级为例

本研究以某大学2004级教育类专业学生为主要对象,考察了硕士研究生入学业务课考试(包括初试和复试)对学生学术潜力预测的有效性.通过分析业务课入学成绩与研究生在读期间业务课程平均成绩的相关性,我们发现,不同专业业务课初试的有效性存在很大差异;与初试比较,复试的有效性更好一些;初试对不同性别学生考察的有效性没有体现出明显差异;不同本科学术背景体现出不同的学术优势,在初试成绩中,相关专业学生有明显的优势,但这一优势在复试中不那么明显,而在入学后的学习中几乎消失.基于考试成绩和学术表现的相关性分析和对不同专业导师的深度访谈,本研究提出了改革硕士研究生入学业务课初试、复试的若干建议.     

教师非权力影响力现状调查与实践整合——基于中等幼师学校的研究

本研究分别从山西省成立的三所中等幼儿师范学校随机抽取540名学生和117名教师,分别探讨学生对教师非权力影响力的期望与现状,不同发展阶段教师期望差异,以及师生期望差异的比较。结果表明：（1）学生整体对教师非权力影响力的期望与教师现状差异明显;（2）三个年级的学生对教师非权力影响力的期望表现不同,但差异不显著;（3）不同发展阶段教师对其非权力影响力的期望表现出明显差异;（4）稳定形成阶段教师的期望与学生期望最吻合。     

Achievement goal orientations,learning strategies,and mathematics achievement: A comparison of Chinese Miao and Han students

This study compared the relationships between the goal orientations, learning strategies, and mathematics achievement of Chinese Miao and Han students. A total of 211 Han and 321 Miao fifth‐ and sixth‐grade students from Qiandongnan participated in the study. The results suggest that, in both samples, mastery orientation positively predicted the use of surface/deep learning strategies and mathematics achievement, and that performance‐approach orientation significantly predicted the use of surface strategies. Ethnic differences were also detected. The positive relationship of the performance‐approach orientation to deep strategies was stronger among the Han than the Miao students. Overall, our findings confirm that goal orientations have an important influence on Chinese students’ strategy use and achievement and that ethnic differences affect the patterns of these relationships. Possible explanations for the results and the practical implications for school practitioners are discussed.     

Teacher educators' reflections on moments in a secondary teacher education course: thinking forward by challenging our teaching practices

In this paper the authors explore two pedagogical moments that occurred within a diversity‐focused secondary teacher education course, giving specific attention to Genevieve's and Debra's reflections as course instructors. We explore the ways in which instructors find themselves challenged, engaged and provoked to rethink taken for granted ideas and beliefs about their pedagogies as teacher educators. We conclude the paper by ‘thinking forward’: challenging teacher educators to be responsible and to be vulnerable with respect to their own teaching stances and to take the time to critically examine their own lived experiences in order to connect with their students' emergent understandings.     

Trainee Change through Teacher Training: A case study in training English language teachers in Spain

In the course of giving greater importance to trainees' previous knowledge about and experience of teaching and learning foreign languages, the role of teacher training courses as agents of change has recently been questioned. Through a research project reported in this article I tried to find out to what extent two teacher training courses I was recently involved in caused trainees to change their points of view in relation to some of the fundamental issues involved in teaching. Special attention was given to the sources of these modifications, particularly to the role that teaching practice plays in them.     

Augmented Reality in Design Education: Landscape Architecture Studies as AR Experience

The rapid and ongoing development of digital technologies continues to create new opportunities for education. Over the last decade this has enabled the establishment of blended learning approaches and online education. More recently, Augmented Reality (AR) has emerged as a unique technology that can transform learning experiences across diverse disciplines. This article outlines the development of an AR prototype, Master of Time, which was created to educate first year students and non‐designers on the foundational principles of landscape architecture. This study examines the learning potential and benefits of AR technology with a focus on creating new practices in digital storytelling across situated experiences. In outlining project outcomes, the authors propose a series of critical design principles, strategies and methodologies for educators to apply when developing AR learning experiences across disciplines. Included within this is a framework for transdisciplinary and co‐design collaboration, which is essential for educators working in the forefront of learning technologies.     

On explaining curriculum change: H. B. Beal,organizational categories and the rhetoric of justification

ABSTRACT

In response to a perceived reluctance to engage with poetry on the part of teachers and trainee teachers, a questionnaire was administered to a group of 48 trainees in their second year of training, before they undertook the part of their course dealing with the teaching of poetry. Their responses indicated that they had had a positive experience of poetry during their own primary education but had ceased to enjoy or understand poetry at secondary level. In discussing the responses, attention is drawn to the importance of understanding the difference between poetry as a specialist subject and as a vehicle for teaching other things. The difference between ‘enjoyment’ and ‘appreciation’, as outlined by Wittgenstein, is defined and applied to the study of poetry. Ways of extending trainees’ understanding and ability to teach poetry are explored. It is concluded that in order to get ‘on the inside of the subject they should (a) be allowed to respond freely to poetry at their own level and (b) be initiated into the kind of skills and knowledge which will enable them to identify the progressive features of poetry itself as well as the instrumental aspects of poetry teaching in the primary school.