RESEARCH SECTION: Examining the nature and perceived causes of indiscipline in Zimbabwean secondary schools

The problem of student indiscipline is an issue of concern for teachers and parents around the world. Teachers need to maintain student discipline and for them to do so it is important that they also understand the nature of discipline problems. This study, by Lawrence Kofi Ametepee, who is studying for a PhD in special education, Morgan Chitiyo, board certified behaviour analyst and Assistant Professor of Special Education, both at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, USA, and Susan Abu, who is currently a graduate student in the Department of Women's Studies at Texas Women's University, was designed to examine the nature and perceived causes of student indiscipline in Zimbabwean secondary schools. The authors anticipate that such an examination will promote teachers’, parents’ and policy makers’ understanding of student indiscipline, which will, in turn, enhance disciplinary policies and practices, making schools safer for all students and more effective in their role as educational and socialising agents.     

中专舞蹈软度训练之我见

软度对于学习舞蹈的中专学生来说是一种特殊的要求,这一点对于最初学习舞蹈表演的学生来说是必须要解决的难题,这一难题的解决是一个即漫长又难熬的过程。即使软度解决很好的学生也会随着年龄的增长,出现肌肉韧带纤维失去弹性,关节逐渐僵化的现象。为适应舞蹈专业的需要,延长表演艺术的生命,她们就要自觉地、不遗余力地、坚持不懈地练习,保持、发展软度。     

Special educational resources in the Swedish upper secondary schools: a total population survey

This paper analyses the special educational resources in the Swedish upper secondary schools using a total population survey that covers all upper secondary schools. Special educators and special teachers together constitute the special educational resources at each school. With two types of regression models (logistic and linear regression), the study investigates which variables at school level determine the presence and availability rate of special educational resources. The main findings are that there is a great difference between public and independent schools in the presence and accessibility of special educational resources, where many independent schools do not offer special educational support for their students. It also shows that what kind of provider (public or independent school) and the size of the school are especially important variables for predicting presence of special educational resources. When analysing the variance of availability rate of special educational resources, student variables (grades from compulsory school and parental educational level) on the school level, together with school size, are especially important.     

A comparison of the governing of primary and secondary schools in England

In England, governing bodies continue to be responsible for the conduct of publicly funded schools. This article compares the governing of publicly funded primary schools (for 5–11 year olds) and secondary schools (for 11–18 year olds). The research analysed policy documents and the governing of 16 primary and 14 secondary schools. The main governance mode for both primary schools and secondary schools is hierarchical and similar in nature, and the governing bodies of primary and secondary schools use broadly similar governing instruments. However, they differ in significant ways. In primary schools, governing is smaller in scale and less complex. Primary school governing is closer to the school and children, and the images held by governors of the system to be governed are better developed in primary schools. Functional knowledge was more useful in primary school governing, and the use of informal meetings as instruments of governance was more widespread in primary school governing. The findings and their implications need to be taken into account in the analysis of and policy making for school governing.     

Classroom climate and motivated behaviour in secondary schools

For some children, school failure is attributed to a lack in motivation. This article reports a study of motivation from an ecological perspective, considering the individual in interaction with the meaningful environment. Unlike much of the motivational literature that measures motivation in terms of constructs that are assessed largely via self-report, the dependent variables used in this study were three measures of more immediate classroom behaviours: participation, self-reported engagement, and task completion. The results show that aspects of classroom climate are significantly related to all of these measures of motivation. Implications for practice are discussed.     

Affordances of teacher professional learning in secondary schools

It is commonly understood that teachers in secondary school should develop throughout their career in order to stay as an essential factor in student learning. Schools can offer opportunities to link teachers’ professional learning to their school practice with a positive impact on teachers’ motivation to learn and the effectiveness of their learning. In this field study, teachers, school leaders, policy-makers, educational consultants and educational scholars were asked for their perceptions of conditions for teacher learning in school and of interventions in school to enhance teacher professional learning. These conditions and interventions were understood as affordances in schools that enable and support teacher professional learning. The main affordance in school these stakeholders mentioned was an open, but critical way in which teachers share their practices, collaborate and reflect upon their teaching practice. Collaborative practices seem to stimulate many interventions of teacher professional learning in school. Two implications of this finding are discussed. First, we suggest that the maximum teaching time should be reduced, team teaching should be more implemented or classes should be scheduled in such a way that teachers can meet. Second, distributed leadership approaches match with our findings about the role of school leaders in teacher professional learning.     

The dynamics and intricacy of budgeting in secondary schools in Lesotho: Case studies of three high schools

Abstract

This paper reports on the qualitative study that used in-depth interviews and document reviews on financial management practices in their schools. The participants were school principals of the case study schools. The findings of the study highlighted problems regarding the implementation of the policy – despite the Manual for Principals of Secondary Schools on financial planning and organisation, there are still problems regarding the collection and recording of school fees, budgeting, as well as a lack of administrative support. Findings further suggest that during the process of budgeting, power relations surface where principals play a dominant role in decision making regarding both departmental budgets and the school's main budget. Findings also suggest that lack of policies on the use of fees affects issues of budgeting in these schools. Moreover, most school principals are not provided with sufficient capacity building on financial matters, which cripples them in performing the budgetary tasks. The implications of the study are that there should be adequate capacity building of the principals in regards to budgeting and systems should be put in place regarding policies on how the school fees are to be used.     

中等职业学校心理健康教育实施途径研究

以某中等卫校学生为研究对象,通过准实验法比较心理健康知识讲座和个别咨询相结合的心理健康教育模式1以及心理健康知识讲座与班级心理辅导和个别咨询相结合的心理健康教育模式2的效果。实验前后SCL-90评定多重比较结果显示:模式1与对照组相比,只有恐怖因子变化差异具有显著性,而模式2与对照组相比,除躯体化、偏执和精神病性因子外,其他各个因子和总分变化差异均具有显著性。学生自评及班主任和任课教师评价均表明:实验2班学生在自我认识、人际关系、情绪调控能力、挫折承受能力、学习效率等方面均有显著变化。心理健康知识讲座与班级心理辅导相结合是现阶段中等职业学校心理健康教育有效而可行的途径。     

中职学校专业与绿色职业的对接分析

从绿色职业这一视角出发,对当前中职学校专业体系中能够与绿色职业对接的“绿色”专业进行了筛选,并从不同的角度对中职学校“绿色”专业的存量、优势和不足进行了分析。     

The positions of primary and secondary schools in the English school field: a case of durable inequality

In interviews as part of a research study of structural reform in England, some tension between primary head teachers and their secondary peers was evident. This was symptomatic of a long-standing difference in status between the two phases. At a time when relations between stakeholders in local systems are subject to change, we seek to understand anew why that might be the case and how the tension we found was evidence of a current difference of power within interactions between representatives of the phases. We analyse differences of size, resources, workforce, pedagogy and history, and how they have resulted in different, and differently valued, practices and professional identities. We explore how attributes of the two phases have been counterposed and how, in complex interaction with wider discourses of politics, gender and age, this process has invested the differences with meanings and values that tend to relegate attributes associated with primary school. By focusing on the activation of cumulative inequality in interactions, we contribute a complementary perspective to studies of perceived relative status and highlight the implications for understanding school positioning in local arenas as the role of local authorities is reduced.     

中职学校职业指导教师培训的若干问题与对策

依据教育部2008年的一次专项调查,分析了中职学校职业指导教师培训存在的主要问题,提出了对中职学校职业指导教师培训的建议,即:中职学校职业指导教师培训应具有灵活的课程设置和分类指导的培训模式;重视职业指导专业能力的提高;促进中职学校职业指导教师学生观、评价观、师生观的转变;提高中职学校职业指导教师运用多种教学方法的能力.     

农村中小学布局调整必须慎重处理的若干问题

如何正确处理集中办学与分散办学、兼顾公平与效率、重点支持集中办学又适当照顾分散的校点、协调区域内经济发达地区与边远贫困地区教育的均衡发展等,是农村中小学布局调整过程中必须高度注意和慎重处理的问题。我们基于对中西部地区的湖北、河南、广西、云南、陕西和内蒙古等6个省(自治区)38个县市177个乡镇中小学布局调整的调查,从理论和实践相结合的角度,对上述问题进行了分析和探讨,并在此基础上提出了如何正确处理这些问题的对策思路。     

论职业学校“双师型”教师队伍建设

职业学校要培养适应21世纪需要的应用型劳动者,要求教师既要有扎实的理论知识,更要有熟练的专业操作技能,这就需要培养一支＂双师型＂教师队伍。文章从职业学校＂双师型＂教师队伍建设的必要性、现状及建设思路三个方面进行了探讨。     

综合中学制与中等师范教育改革

20世纪20年代，在我国曾实施综合中学制，在高级中学中实施包括师范在内的职业教育，师范成为中学的一科。虽然综合中学制实施才几年便宣告失败，但这一制度仍具有现代价值。在进入21世纪的今天，对中等教育学校进行“关、停、并、转”的改革，综合中学制似乎又有了回归的必要。     

谈中学化学教师实验教学研究能力的培养

基础教育改革要求中学教师具有教学研究能力。中学化学教师应具备化学实验教学研究的能力。本文就如何培养中学化学教师实验教学研究能力，以及化学实验教学研究的一般方法进行了探讨。     

试论高中阶段职普教育关系及其协调发展策略

高中阶段教育包含普高和中职两类 ;职普教育各自在数量、结构、特征及模式等方面有异有同 ;职普教育协调发展是未来高中阶段教育的必然走势。本文提出职普相互沟通和协调发展的五个对策     

浅谈传统玩具在中小学科学教学中的应用

中国传统玩具是中华民族传统智慧的结晶。合理地运用传统具,可以培养学生的观察、思维和创新能力,促进学生主动学习、探索。本文对传统玩具进行了分类,并结合具体的课程,探讨了在中小学科学教学中的应用。     

论中学历史课堂教学中创新能力的培养

创新教育是素质教育的核心内容 ,课堂教学是实施素质教育的主渠道。中学历史课堂教学可以通过激发创新兴趣、创设问题情景、培养质疑释疑能力、培养发散思维、营造民主氛围、开拓学习空间、改革评价方式等方式来培养、提高学生的创新能力 ,促进学生全面发展。     

Acting,accidents and performativity: challenging the hegemonic good student in secondary schools

Current educational practice tends to ascribe a limiting vision of the good student as one who is well behaved, performs well in assessments and demonstrates values in keeping with dominant expectations. This paper argues that this vision of the good student is antithetical to the lived experience of students as they negotiate their positionality within complex power games in secondary schools. Student voices in focus group research nominate six rationales of the good student that inform their ‘performances’ of the good student. Understanding the multiplicity and dynamism of the good student is an educational imperative as schools seek to meet the changing needs of society in the new millennium.     

农村中小学布局调整模式的分析和探讨

完全合并式、兼并式、交叉式和集中分散式是当前我国农村中小学布局调整中的主要模式。根据对中西部地区6省(自治区)38个县(市)177个乡镇的农村中小学布局调整情况的调查研究,对这四种模式分别加以分析和探讨。