School Closure: What are the consequences for the local society?

School closures have been common in rural areas since the middle of the last century, when new and modern schools replaced small old‐fashioned schools with only one or two classrooms. Due mainly to the industrialisation of farming and hastened by the merging and globalisation of industry, the last 50 years have seen a migration of people from rural areas to large towns. This has caused closures of schools built in the 1950s and 1960s, which had been the pride of and a sign of development in local societies. These closures most often give rise to heated debate, the main cry of protest being that the closure of the school is a death‐blow to the local society. The present study is based on a qualitative analysis performed in 2003 of 30 Danish school closures in the period 1990–1999. The results show that school closure in itself does not have the devastating effects mentioned in the debate. The main problem for local societies is a lack of people and thus lack of human capital, and in remote areas and on small islands school closure is a sign of a community in the final phase of the death process, not a cause.     

Podcasting in higher education: What are the implications for teaching and learning?

A podcast is any digital media file, or series of files, distributed over the Internet for playback on portable media players and personal computers. This study explored the attitudes, perceptions, and use of podcasting as reported by instructors and students at a large American Midwestern university. The results of two online surveys were examined, focusing specifically on items related to teaching and learning. Findings suggest that students use podcast materials largely for reviewing concepts and issues raised in lectures that they have previously attended. While instructors and students agree that podcasts help students learn, students are less sure about whether podcasts improve instructors' teaching. The authors argue that podcasts can help instructors change face-to-face instruction from traditional didactic lectures to more constructivist learning practices.     

What Future for Phenomenographic Research? On Continuity and Development in the Phenomenography and Variation Theory Research Tradition

Volume 60(3) of the Scandanavian Journal of Educational Research is a special issue on current trends in the phenomenography and variation theory research tradition. In the introduction to the special issue, Rovio-Johansson and Ingerman look towards the potential theoretical and methodological future of phenomenography and pose two questions: “Is phenomenography complete and finalised with no further development necessary?” and “Is phenomenography relatively insignificant in the future development of the tradition as it has been transcended by variation theory?” The aim of this paper is to address these two questions, and in the process elaborate the relationship between phenomenography and variation theory in educational research.     

Women and higher education in Iran: What are the implications for employment and the “marriage market”?

In contemporary Iran, women with higher education face both gender discrimination and an unfavourable economic system, one that is not conducive to employment-generation for women. This paper provides an analysis of women’s access to higher education in Iran, which has varied over the last 30 years, and their continuously limited participation in the job market. Based on qualitative field research, this paper includes the voices of individual women, discussing their experience of higher education and factors they think are contributing to their limited choice of employment. The paper suggests that while the recent trend in negotiating mehrieh (a nuptial gift which is payable by the groom to the bride) has been a strategy employed by Iranian women to overcome some of the discriminatory laws they are subject to, this trend cannot actually be explained by the fact that women’s employment opportunities are limited. The paper concludes by asserting that limited labour force participation for educated women is a consequence of both political economy and gender ideology.     

What are open universities for?

This article proposes a framework within which the question as to the purposes of open universities should be examined. It argues that the question has become submerged over time through the establishment of so many open universities that have become natural elements in a higher education landscape rather than remaining radical and innovative institutions. The article looks at a number of innovative distance teaching higher education institutions from the nineteenth century through to the contemporary period, and examines case studies in a wide international range. The outcome of the argument is that open universities should articulate their purposes within a discourse of development, and engage with the ethical and political questions as to how development is understood and advanced.     

Women and higher education in Iran: What are the implications for employment and the “marriage market”?

International Review of Education - In contemporary Iran, women with higher education face both gender discrimination and an unfavourable economic system, one that is not conducive to...     

What are the Differences between Good and Poor Readers?

Reading is a very essential skill in the process of knowledge aqusition,while,effective reading ability is the outcome of the good combination of both time and skills.The differences between good readers and poor reader will be studied in terms of comparisons towards their reading speed,efficiency and reasons behind in the domain of psychological perspectives.     

Tensions in the Biology Laboratory: What are they?

The purpose of this paper is to identify tensions in teacher–student interaction in a high school biology laboratory. Using micro‐analytic analysis of classroom talk, the interaction between the students and a teacher working in the biology laboratory session on Reproduction in Plants is studied. The two tensions highlighted here are tension with textbooks as authority and tension with the teacher as authority. Tension with textbooks as authority originates from an over‐reliance on generalizations expressed in textbooks resulting in the inability of learners to appreciate alternatives and exceptions. Tension with the teacher as authority stems from the task design and varying levels of control that a teacher has over the learner and the learning process. The genesis of the two forms of tensions in the laboratory is different and they are tackled differently by the participants to yield different outcomes. While science educators have conducted intensive research over the past two decades on the effects of school science laboratory work on students’ learning of science, more can be done in the specific area of teacher–student interaction. This paper offers some insights into the interaction between a teacher and her students in a laboratory as they learn biology. An increased understanding of the impact of the tensions in a science laboratory might help to bring about realization of the true spirit and intent of school science laboratory experiences.     

Effective Teachers for At-Risk or Highly Mobile Students: What are the Dispositions and Behaviors of Award-Winning Teachers?

What distinguishes effective teachers of at-risk or highly mobile students was the essential question addressed in this study. We conducted a cross-case analysis of US national or state award-winning teachers who taught in schools with student populations characterized as highly mobile, homeless, and/or high poverty. Six teachers meeting the criteria were selected as participants. Frameworks of effective teaching characteristics were adapted from prior research and from a review of the literature to gather on-site classroom observational and interview data from participating teachers. The data were examined in light of extant research related to teaching at-risk or highly mobile students and yielded information regarding beliefs and practices. Teachers' interview responses focused on 2 main areas of teacher effectiveness: the importance of student–teacher relationships and instructional delivery. These teachers emphasized affective and academic needs in their planning, instruction, and assessment. They had high expectations of students and were committed to ensuring that students had what they needed to succeed. Teachers maintained high student engagement and used a variety of instructional activities and a wide range of cognitive levels in the questions asked during their instruction which was primarily teacher-directed. Additional research into effective teaching and working with at-risk or highly mobile students is recommended.     

Communitarianism: what are the implications for education?

In the context of British communitarianism there has been almost no educational literature which draws on this philosophy. The educational debate in Britain has suffered as a result of this neglect, therefore this article argues that British educational policy will benefit if it engages with the challenges of recent communitarian debates. The article introduces and reviews the meaning of communitarianism and explores the implications for some education policies in England and Wales.     

What are the essential work‐place prerequisites for successful mentorship?

The article gives guidance to prospective partners in primary school -based teacher trainingabout those factors which contribute towards the effectiveness of the school's role. Evidence from research conducted in primary schools and experience gained in setting up a primary partnership programme, is considered alongside points arisingfrom discussion of the recent HMI review of secondary partnership.     

What are the outcomes for children born preterm and how can interventions meet their needs?

Recent medical advancements have resulted in improved survival rates for “preterm” children, born before 37 weeks gestation. However, this population remains vulnerable to adverse physiological, neurological and emotional outcomes. Research suggests that the professionals involved with them as they enter and progress through school, such as teachers and educational psychologists (EPs), have limited knowledge of the vulnerabilities of children born preterm. Using a bio-psychosocial approach, this paper gives an overview of some common outcomes for children born preterm and makes suggestions for evidence-based interventions aimed at minimising adverse outcomes. Particular attention is paid to holistic environmental interventions, to which the EP might contribute and advise, including classroom moderations, a focus on play and language, and the potential value of delayed school entry.