The role of artistic experiences in the comprehensive inductive educational approach

Postmodern pedagogy is constantly confronted with Lyotard’s condemnation of grand narratives found in the philosophy of modernity, on the basis of which basic patterns of moral education were developed. In searching for new answers to the question of how education can prepare individuals for life in an age of late modernity, this paper presents the idea of approaching identity and moral development through the inductive educational approach and highlights the importance of education through the arts in the latter, especially in view of the theoretical notion of aesthetics as ethics of postmodernity. In an age in which artistic creativity is deemed less important than acquiring competences aimed at technological development, it is crucial to provide a clear answer as to why and how different art practices may exert an influence on the full development of a child’s personality. In order to demonstrate the meaning of artistic experience in general education, one must seek arguments supporting the intrinsic value of the artistic experience. This paper stresses the meaning of artistic experience as a means of communication providing both the artist and the art recipient with the opportunity for personal fulfilment. In this context, Aristotle’s concept of mimesis and its role in education through the arts is emphasised as part of the comprehensive inductive educational approach. The argument is illustrated with some qualitative data from the implementation of a project in Kindergarten Vodmat, Ljubljana, Slovenia, using the inductive educational approach and art as a tool for cultural enrichment of pre-school children.     

Role of teacher-related factors and educational resources in science literacy: An international perspective

The study evaluated the relationship among teaching, leadership, teacher certification, student and teacher number related factors, and index of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS), and science literacy from an international comparative perspective. 2015 dataset of the Programme for International Student Assessment for Turkey, Singapore, the United States, Korea, Italy, and Brazil was used. Two-level hierarchical linear models were established for analysis. Results revealed that school ESCS was the best predictor of science literacy across six countries and additionally teacher-related factors came to the forefront of science literacy performance. The study underlined policymakers should focus primarily on policies that increase equity in education. Furthermore, the effectiveness of investments made in factors related to leadership, teacher certification, the number of students and teachers, which contribute very little to science literacy performance, need to be more questioned. Inferences about the findings were discussed in detail, and recommendations for further research were made.     

Story of a Seed: educational theatre improves students’ comprehension of plant reproduction and attitudes to plants in primary science education

Background Although plant reproduction is a core subject in school science curricula, botanical topics are typically unpopular with students. Integrating the arts into science subject matter has the potential to increase student interest and understanding. Educational theatre has shown particular promise in this area.

Purpose The study examined how an interactive theatre performance, where professional actors deliver a performance but invite regular audience participation as a way to promote active learning, benefited both understanding of plant reproduction and attitudes towards plants. Perceptions of the play and the way in which specific elements influenced learning and emotions were examined in detail and placed in a theoretical context.

Sample Opportunity sampling was used to recruit participants from five public primary schools in Devon, UK. One hundred and forty-four students (aged 9–11 years) participated in the study.

Design and methods A mixed methods approach was adopted. Quantitative analysis of pre- and post-intervention knowledge tests involved t-tests and repeated measures ANCOVA. Qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews made use of an emerging theme analysis with a priori categories.

Results Pre- and post-intervention tests indicated an increase in both knowledge of plant reproduction and positive attitudes towards plants. Follow-up interviews identified elements that were particularly beneficial for learning and enjoyment, including the thematic singing, humour, novelty of the play, visual elements and participatory art activities.

Conclusions This case study demonstrates the potential that an interactive theatre production offers for enhancing appreciation and interest in school science while improving knowledge.     

现阶段我国社区教育的主体对象及其需求——论社会分层与教育关怀

当代中国的社区教育理应承续"关怀弱者"的成人教育实践传统,推动社区底层群体的"上升流动",从而重建社区教育的社会使命。为此,社区教育应当调查和分析底层群体的基本教育需求,有针对性地进行各种补偿性和提高性的教育与培训。     

The role of social capital in the explanation of educational success and educational inequalities

This article examines the role that social capital plays in school success and in the explanation of social and ethnic inequalities in the German educational system. Based on Coleman's well-known concept of social capital, different aspects of social capital are distinguished, including social network composition, parent–school interaction and intrafamilial social capital. In sum, the overall results indicate that the different aspects of social capital influence the school performance of pupils. In addition, social capital endowment is found to be of relevance for the explanation of inequalities in school grades between social classes and ethnic groups. In this respect, the analyses indicate that social capital endowment is part of the underlying mechanism responsible for educational inequalities.     

Using educational games and simulation software in a computer science course: learning achievements and student flow experiences

This study investigates how educational games impact on students' academic performance and multimedia flow experiences in a computer science course. A curriculum consists of five basic learning units, that is, the stack, queue, sort, tree traversal, and binary search tree, was conducted for 110 university students during one semester. Two groups of students participated in learning activities: the experimental group was instructed using the gaming method; and the control group was instructed using the non-gaming method. During the study, tests, a survey, and interviews were conducted with students. The evaluation results for academic performance and multimedia flow experiences show that compared to the non-gaming method, incorporating the gaming method into the learning process can enhance students' academic performance and multimedia flow experiences. The results also indicated that there is a non-significant and positive relationship between students' academic performance and multimedia flow experiences.     

Globalization and science education: The implications of science in the new economy

Science has seen considerable change in recent decades with the emergence of a new economic and sociopolitical contract between science, the nation, state, and private commercial interests. Generally regarded as having been precipitated by globalization, these changes in the sciences are beginning to be documented by a range of commentators. Clearly, science's changing forms hold profound implications for the development of science education. As there is little science education scholarship exploring the implications sciences' altering forms, this paper attempts to investigate the relationship at more depth. Detailing this relationship is important because it can help formulate new questions, and methods for their investigation, relevant to the work of science education in the newly global world. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 617–633, 2008     

The educational experiences of pupils with a Statement for special educational needs in mainstream primary schools: results from a systematic observation study

Findings from the Deployment and Impact of Support Staff project showed that day-to-day support for pupils with special education needs (SEN) in mainstream UK schools is often provided by teaching assistants (TAs), instead of teachers. This arrangement is the main explanation for other results from the project, which found TA support had a more profound, negative impact on the academic progress of pupils with SEN than pupils without SEN. There is, however, surprisingly little systematic information on the overall support and interactions experienced by pupils with the highest levels of SEN attending mainstream schools (e.g. those with Statements). The Making a Statement project was designed to provide such a picture in state-funded primary schools in England (e.g. schools attended by children aged between five and 11). Extensive systematic observations were conducted of 48 pupils with Statements and 151 average-attaining ‘control’ pupils. Data collected over 2011/12 involved researchers shadowing pupils in Year 5 (nine- and 10-year olds) over one week each. The results, reported here, show that the educational experiences of pupils with Statements is strongly characterised by a high degree of separation from the classroom, their teacher and peers. A clear point to emerge was the intimate connection between TAs and the locations, in and away from the classroom, in which pupils with Statements are taught. The currency of Statements – a set number of hours of TA support – is identified as key factor in why provision leads to these arrangements, and appears to get in the way of schools thinking through appropriate pedagogies for pupils with the most pronounced learning difficulties.     

The student experience and subject engagement in UK sociology: a proposed typology

This article is a contribution to the sociology of an expanded and newly diversified UK higher education system. How differentiated is the student experience? How sharply is the system polarised? Drawing on interviews and questionnaires conducted in five sociology departments in a variety of pre‐1992 and post‐1992 universities, it examines students' views on ‘what they learn’ and their orientations to study. It explores differences in curriculum content and organisation and the extent to which student narratives and identities vary with differences in institutional context. A typology of student experiences and subject engagement is advanced that as well as capturing institutional differences also locates a range of student orientations – and worthwhile student experiences – in all five departments that suggests a somewhat greater commonality of experience and outcome across institutions than the extreme polarisation of institutional experiences and outcomes sometimes suggest.     

网络对人的全面发展的阻碍

网络是一柄“双刃剑”,一方面大大推动了社会和人的发展,另一方面又在某种程度上对人的全面发展产生了阻碍。网络社会中人的发展在一定程度上是不自由、不自觉的,网络一定程度上导致人的自主性消隐、能动性缺失、创造性受阻。网络社会中的虚拟交往一定程度上造成人际交往的信任危机和情感异化。本文仅分析网络对人的全面发展可能产生的负面效应,以使我们能避其害,取其利。     

论苏童小说童年意绪的发生

童年意绪是一种主要起源于苏童的童年体验,又被苏童投射于小说创作,并在小说中逐步稳定和发散开来的精神介质。他的创作从未停止关于童年的＂修辞想象＂,是基于童年的＂超验想象＂,将自己的童年体验移植到小说中,使小说形成氛围浓厚的童年意绪。而这一切,均是基于苏童的童年经历与童年意绪的形成。     

Socioeconomic school segregation in a market-oriented educational system. The case of Chile

This paper presents an empirical analysis of the socioeconomic status (SES) school segregation in Chile, whose educational system is regarded as an extreme case of a market-oriented education. The study estimated the magnitude and evolution of the SES segregation of schools at both national and local levels, and it studied the relationship between some local educational market dynamics and the observed magnitude of SES school segregation at municipal level. The main findings were: first, the magnitude of the SES segregation of both low-SES and high-SES students in Chile was very high (Duncan Index ranged from 0.50 to 0.60 in 2008); second, during the last decade, SES school segregation tended to slightly increase in Chile, especially in high schools (both public and private schools); third, private schools – including voucher schools – were more segregated than public schools for both low-SES and high-SES students; and finally, some market dynamics operating in the Chilean education (like privatization, school choice, and fee-paying) accounted for a relevant proportion of the observed variation in SES school segregation at municipal level. These findings are analyzed from an educational policy perspective in which the link between SES school segregation and market-oriented mechanisms in education plays a fundamental role.     

开放写作的书写态势和形式表征——论20世纪90年代诗歌中的叙事性书写

叙事性书写是20世纪90年代诗歌重要的诗学表征,它以戏剧、反讽、戏拟、互文等手段丰富诗歌写作的维度,而且这一文类突破与综合创造的企图,使诗歌写作始终以未完成的、生长的态势出现,从而成为开放写作的形式表征。     

非语言禁忌符号与灵物崇拜所映现的社会文化心理

从迷信禁忌、动物禁忌、颜色和饰物禁忌三个层面出发，分析人类社会复杂的文化心理，从而说明非语言禁忌符号与灵物崇拜是人类社会普遍存在的文化现象。     

社会实践活动在思想政治课教学中的价值

社会实践活动环节的设置是高校思想政治课教改的关键。文章从高校思想政治教育的主要任务、主要目的、主要内容以及教育对象等几个方面入手,重点讨论社会实践活动在思想政治课教学中的重要价值。     

教育社会分层功能的失衡:转型期农村教育的主要危机

在社会全面转型过程中,农村教育由于受到再分配和市场两种机制的双重边缘化,而使教育社会分层功能在城乡之间明显失衡。这种失衡状态,强化了教育促进复制式社会流动的功能,而非替代式的社会流动功能。它直接带来的后果是农村教育中新的读书无用论的兴起,并进而导致农村基础教育社会功能和育人功能的全面受损。     

Solidarity and support: feminist memory work focus groups with working-class women studying social science degrees in Australia

This paper reports on our use of a two-phased, feminist memory work in a project conducted with 11 women, social science students at an Australian university. We begin by describing government-led attempts to widen participation in Australian universities because 10 of the 11 women who participated in our project were from non-traditional backgrounds. We discuss qualitative group research, identifying some of the benefits and limitations of focus groups, before differentiating them from feminist memory work and analysing key findings. Using excerpts from participants’ written stories and oral discussions, we analyse some of the obstacles the women faced trying to complete their studies. Our attention then turns to methodological concerns where we examine memory work as a feminist inquiry method. As second-wave feminists understood several decades ago through their use of consciousness-raising groups, we describe how we derived many benefits from using feminist memory work. The method invites deep reflection on the intersections between the personal and political and can be productive of insights about how people feel, not just think, about their experiences. A sense of solidarity can stem from this awareness amongst participants who have a chance to workshop and thus reinterpret their own stories and those of others, which can mean a growth in self-confidence and a reduction in self-blame.     

The assessment of practical work in school science

In this paper we provide an overview of the literature on understandings of drop out/opt out from science, technology and mathematics (STM) higher education programmes. After outlining the literature on students leaving higher education programmes in general, we then explore the research on drop out/opt out from STM programmes in particular, with an emphasis on research since 2000. We show that most of the research focuses on overcoming deficits in students' prior knowledge, but that a more specific focus on identities as an analytical framework for understanding young people leaving STM higher education programmes is also emerging. We show that it is important to shift from considering drop out as an individual problem for the student to regard it as a feature of the relationship between students and their study programmes. In the same way, measures to increase retention rates must shift from focusing on individual student adaptation to studies addressing institutional change. However, this change is difficult since it is entwined with fundamental conceptions of science and teaching.     

The role of the Virtual School in supporting improved educational outcomes for children in care

ABSTRACT

In England, ‘Virtual Schools’ oversee and support the educational progress of children in care. This paper reports on the analysis of 16 interviews with Virtual School headteachers that were part of two mixed methods research projects on the educational progress of children in care. These interviews explored their role; the types of support they offer young people in care; what they see as the key factors about a young person’s individual characteristics and care experiences that influence their educational outcomes; how schools support young people in care; and the influence of the foster carer/residential staff on the educational outcomes of these children. The interviews were analysed using NVivo and emerging themes were identified informed by the literature on the education of children in care. The paper draws out the main findings which explore the status and role of Virtual Schools in England, their functions, strategies, and what they see as their contribution to improving the educational outcomes of children in care.     

《德意志意识形态》中分工概念的历史局限性

马克思对分工概念的理解和运用是与他的政治经济学批判、历史性社会关系视域的不断生成紧密联系在一起的。在《德意志意识形态》中,马克思从现实的物质生产出发,以分工为理论中轴建构起对人类社会历史发展特别是资产阶级社会的历史性分析与批判。但与《资本论》中对分工的科学认识相比,此时的分工还是一个具有局限性的概念：首先,在对政治经济学初步研究的基础上以经验性的社会关系视域来理解分工,将消灭分工视为解决社会矛盾的途径;其次,并未区分狭义的工场内部分工与广义的社会内部分工,从而遮蔽了资本主义生产关系层面剩余价值生产的剥削性质;最后,从经验性的分工与所有制关系出发的“历史科学”的建构尚无法实现对人类历史发展内在动力的科学揭示以及对资本主义生产关系的本质性认识和批判。