Transforming schools: illusion or reality?1

This paper explores the claim that appropriately trained heads can motivate teachers and students to achieve challenging targets and transform the prospects of future generations. Theory derived from the leadership literature is tested against the experience of three headteachers in the field. Case study evidence is used to examine how Hillside School was improved. Applying recommended styles, the heads won the commitment of their colleagues and built the capacity for further progress, despite adverse circumstances that included social disadvantage. Although the ‘turn around’ was achieved quickly, the interpersonal styles adopted by the heads were only part of a leadership repertoire that included beliefs, values, professional knowledge and micro-politics. Variations in the combination of context, leaders and followers seem to have been more significant than the common elements emphasized by the school improvement literature and national training programmes. OfSTED reported that the school's effectiveness was greatly enhanced. Test and examination results were more or less unchanged, however, confirming recent studies that have found little evidence of leadership impact on student outcomes. This supports the suggestion that intake mix may influence results more than the organizational characteristics shaped by heads. The paper concludes that while leadership training may improve school climate, a transformation in performance is unlikely.     

Rhetoric and reality: are integrated schools in Northern Ireland really making a difference?

This article explores perspectives on the current contribution of integrated schools to society in Northern Ireland and asks whether there is a mismatch between what some expect from the schools and what they may be able to provide. It suggests that integrated education may for some be a magic panacea, whilst those leading the sector see the benefits of integrated education as emerging over a much longer and more realistic timeframe. Based on a series of interviews with principals and with other leaders, this article explores how integrated schools balance the practice and evaluation of integration with other conflicting priorities. It questions the extent to which the schools show variation and argues that greater coherence within the integrated sector might be helpful in the current climate.     

Matthew effects in reading comprehension: myth or reality?

The presence of Matthew effects was tested in students of varying reading, spelling, and vocabulary skills. A cross-sequential design was implemented, following 587 Grade 2 through 4 students across five measurement points (waves) over 2 years. Students were administered standardized assessments of reading, spelling, and vocabulary. Results indicated that the hypothesized fan-spread pattern for Matthew effects was not evident. Low and high ability groups were formed based on 25th and 75th percentile cutoffs on initial measures of spelling, reading accuracy and fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Multilevel modeling suggested that low and high ability groups had significantly different starting points (intercepts) and their pattern of growth on passage comprehension did not indicate that the gap would increase over time. Instead, some analyses, especially of the youngest cohorts, showed significant convergence. However, there was no evidence of eventually closing the gap. Thus, although the poor students may not be getting poorer, they do not get sufficiently richer either.     

Visuospatial superiority in developmental dyslexia: Myth or reality?

Anecdotal evidence indicates that dyslexia is positively associated with superior visuospatial ability but empirical evidence is inconsistent. We explicitly tested the hypothesis that dyslexia is associated with visuospatial advantage in 20 dyslexic and 21 unimpaired adult readers using paper-and-pencil measures and tests of 'everyday' visuospatial ability. We found no main effect of group on visuospatial task performance but did observe a series of significant sex × group interactions. Relative to dyslexic and unimpaired women, dyslexic men were significantly better at identifying shapes in ambiguous figures, reproducing complex figures, reproducing designs using coloured blocks, and recalling the direction of the Queen's head on a postage stamp. They were also significantly faster and more accurate than unimpaired men at navigating and recreating a virtual environment. These data suggest that visuospatial advantage in dyslexia may be confined to men. Possible explanations for this are discussed.     

Academic drift in Danish professional engineering education. Myth or reality? Opportunity or threat?

This article examines whether and, if so, to what extent academic drift can be said to have taken place in Danish professional engineering education. If the answer is affirmative, what were the driving forces behind it and what are the consequences – if any? First, a theoretical and conceptual framework for the discussion is introduced. This is followed by a case study of institutional change in higher education in Denmark, with a particular emphasis on two institutional examples, the two previously independent engineering colleges that recently merged with universities. The two examples are based on data gathered in interviews with teachers and management in these two engineering colleges (now both part of a university). In conclusion, based on the findings the questions posed in the title of this article are addressed and possible benefits and drawbacks of increased academisation of professional engineering education are discussed.     

Empowerment of children through circle time: myth or reality?

The focus of this paper is circle time, a widely used method in primary schools in Ireland and elsewhere. It involves children sitting in a circle with their teacher using method-specific techniques and strategies for self-esteem enhancement, promoting positive relationships and development of social skills. Qualitative research was undertaken in 2010–11 in five Irish primary school classrooms. Methods included observations, analysis of teacher journals and pre-and post-observation interviews. The theoretical and conceptual framework adopted for the research had empowerment of children as a central principle, supported by theories of self-esteem, emotional intelligence and voice and participation theory. Findings relating to rules and processes and aims and benefits are reported here. While teachers generally followed the Mosley Model of circle time, there were differences in relation to some rules and processes. Teachers in the research were aiming to develop social and personal skills, confidence, equality of voice and a positive classroom atmosphere. Benefits included enjoyment for both teachers and children, a sense of safety and ease of communication. A shift in aims and processes is suggested that would place more emphasis on social and personal skills development, the use of children's voice for agency and respect for children's right to contribute or not in circle time.     

The onion model: Myth or reality in the field of individual differences psychology?

To bring order in concepts related to individual learner differences, Curry (1983) designed the three-layered onion model. As this model provides an interesting way to distinguish related concepts – such as cognitive styles and approaches to studying – on the basis of their stability in learning situations, ample studies build further on this model. Given that only few studies have been conducted to empirically test the model, we conducted two studies to address this research gap. In the first study (N = 113), analyses do not show a clear causal path from three concepts belonging to different layers in relation to learning outcomes. In the second, longitudinal study (N = 162), no support is found for differences in stability between cognitive styles and approaches to studying. Our research does not provide solid evidence for the onion model, which warns to be cautious with applying the assumptions of theoretical models in educational practice without empirical support.     

New public management in korean higher education: Is it reality or another fad?

The purpose of this study is to analyze changing patterns of governance in Korean higher education through the window of the NPM, so as to compare policy developments in Korea to wider international trends. Building upon Braun & Merrien (1999)’s earlier analytical framework on university governance, the study focuses on the following dimensions in analyzing the Korean case: (1) the belief system of the government regarding the role of universities; (2) the university-state relationship in terms of both ‘procedural’ and ‘substantive’ autonomy; and (3) the distribution of power and authority within individual universities. The results of the analysis suggest that, although some typical elements of the NPM governance model can be found, the NPM principles have yet to be firmly incorporated into Korean higher education. The study argues that the main reasons for this retardation in the implementation of the NPM driven reforms in Korea would be: (1) the general cynical attitude of professors towards the NPM governance model which was considered as the legacy of the former military regime and (2) the lack of a necessary coherence of government policies over the past two decades (i.e., the heavy emphasis on accountability without an accompanying increase in institutional autonomy). The study recommends, as a conclusion, that a more systematic and integrated implementation strategy would be needed so as to create the necessary preconditions for the NPM principles to be able to work properly in Korean higher education.     

Liberty and Justice for All? The Paradox of Governmental Rhetoric

Although all organizational discourse (mis)represents various publics' interests it is supposed to represent, this study highlights the paradoxical nature of government rhetoric. Using Cincinnati's announcements of urban renewal as a case study, this essay discusses how the nature of organizational rhetoric opens this form of discourse up to sharper claims of illegitimacy and explores the various ways the nature of city government problematizes organizational rhetoric. Due to its possible condemning nature, especially as it relates to the interests of minority publics and their subsequent marginalization in eminent domain battles, this essay demonstrates the power and, at times, the adverse effects of governmental rhetoric and encourages scholars to engage in future research that further explores the distinguishing characteristics of government rhetoric and the implications surrounding its use.     

常用英语修辞浅谈Rhetoric

英语修辞是语言的表现形式,它是从表达方式、表达效果的角度去研究语音、词汇、语法的运用。那么,什么叫修辞?不同的语言学家对它有不同的解释。陈望道在《修辞学发凡》中说:"……往往可以造成超乎寻常文字、寻常方法以至寻常逻辑的新形式,而使语辞呈现出一种动人的魅力;一种是比较同内容贴切     

Inclusive education： Proclamations or reality （primary school teachers＇ view）

This paper deals with 2 focal points of inclusive education, which is the integral segment of the current education reform in the Bosnia and Herzegovina： its position in various proclamations and in primary school teachers＇ reality, i.e., legislative aspects vs. everyday situation in primary schools. The survey research was carried out through the 5-level Liken scale, on the sample of 105 primary school teachers working in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton （specific for its education reform implementation）. The aim was to examine the attitudes of the direct implementators of the education reform and the inclusive education （2003-2009）--primary school teachers, with particular reference to： teachers＇ acquaintance with inclusive education requirements; their involvement in its designing, planning and organization; relevant professional education; school preparedness for inclusive education; level of partnership with relevant subjects; and evaluation of the inclusive education implementation. The results obtained have indicated exactly the lack of the mentioned as the main issues of the implementation of inclusive education within compulsory primary schools in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton. Therefore, this paper gives a kind of guidelines for the improvement of the inclusive education, derived directly from the teachers＇ everyday experiences, problems, proposals, notes and suggestions.     

Sooner or Later?

SOn:Dad,Ifind Ellglish I’aher difficult.Wqlllt should do if wan to p it?Fathr:My boy,at the einnillg it is bud to learn Enhsh,but a few dmp laer Wu ill ind It easier毗 easier.on:I。皿阶’s nat！I’11 ie。it。的 laer.Sooner or Later?@张万明$安徽当涂二     

Bicycle or Bull?

A burly professional wrestler was visiting his friend in a small town and one night they stayed a little too long at the pub. Not wanting to drive they decided to walk home. As they were crossing a farmers field a bull charged them. The wrestler grabbed the bull by the horns and they went down in a snarling heap. Finally the bull jumped up and ran away. "Wow" said the friend "that was quite a tussle." "Yeah" the wrestler replied "and if I hadnt had that last drink I wou…     

Revolution or Evolution?

This short exposé deals with the problem of why modern teaching methods, especially the ‘audio-lingual’ method, have not been more successful after discussions lasting many years.     

科技馆or游乐场?

带孩子们去科技馆,其实目的还是有些功利,希望孩子们在得到快乐的同时亲近科学知识。但是愿望和效果是否一致呢?去了科技馆自动就亲近科学知识了?这些寓教于乐的活动是不是最终只是娱乐的另一种形式呢?     

0 or 100?

阅读小助手:I got 0 in this English exam again.我这次英语考试又得了0分。I can add a 1 and a 0 before the 0,then it will be 100.在0前面加一个1和一个0,就是100分了。But,why are there so many crosses in the paper?可是这卷子上怎么有这么多叉啊?