A framework for research into Australian middle school practice

As a new reform in Australian education, middle schooling has been gaining momentum. The rationale behind middle schooling is to bridge the traditional primary-high school gap and provide a more developmentally appropriate educational experience for young adolescents. Middle schooling in the USA has gone through a “boom-to-bust” cycle and is currently undergoing a “reinvention” as research on practice and reporting of research on practice has, in the most part, been ad hoc and piecemeal. If Australian middle schools are to avoid the boom-to-bust-to-reinvention cycle experienced in parts of the USA (Beane 2001), then a more systematic approach to researching practice is required. Research-based criteria for systematic study and improvement of middle school practice have been identified as (a) acceptance as part ofplanning alternative practice, (b)effectiveness as part ofimplementing alternative practice, and (c)sustainability as part ofevaluating alternative practice.     

Transition from school to industry and further education

Since the war a good deal of attention has been focussed in Great Britain on the problem of transition from school to industry and further education. The writer has found himself in recent years in the position of having to conduct study groups and advise on practical approaches to these transition problems. This paper is designed to report on a number of researches and experiments which have been conducted in this field in this country. It is not meant to be exhaustive nor are the events necessarily recorded chronologically. They are reported to show the development of a policy and at the same time the writer wishes to pay tribute to a great deal of work which has been done especially in the field of social adjustment to industry and commerce.

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Der Übergang von der Schule zur Industrie und zur Weiterbildung

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Passage de L'ecole a L'industrie et a L'education Complementaire

     

A school wide approach to leading pedagogical enhancement: An Australian perspective

This paper presents how some Australian schools are changing their approaches to leading the teaching and learning in their diverse and multi-characteristic contexts. Experiences of these schools shows that the development of a school wide approach to pedagogy and its implementation needs to be firmly embedded in the leadership of learning. Drawing on recent research conducted in the Sydney Catholic Education Office system in Australia (Crowther et al. in Leading and Managing 18(2):1–33, 2012) there is evidence of relationship between the development and implementation of a school wide approach to pedagogy and student achievement. There is also evidence to support leadership that is based on a mutualistic relationship between teacher leaders and the principal. This paper focuses on the way schools have used their visions and pedagogical frameworks to enhance whole of school quality outcomes. It highlights the power of teacher leaders taking responsibility for pedagogical development and implementation. In addition, it illustrates the power of mutualistic relationships (parallel leadership) when the principal takes responsibility for unleashing and trusting the creative expertise of teacher leaders in line with the role of strategic leadership and management.     

Transition from high school to university: a person-centered approach to academic achievement

Although a vast body of studies regarding the variables related to students’ achievement exists, only a handful has investigated how these variables combine and interact together. Such an investigation might make it possible to more accurately illustrate the heterogeneity of students enrolling in university and assess the impact of this diversity on academic achievement. The current study focused on the person-centered approach and investigated the possibility of determining significant subgroups of freshmen in the very first week of the academic year in the Belgian educational context. Using k-mean clustering, 2178 freshmen were classified according to their past performance, socioeconomic status, study choice process, and academic self-efficacy beliefs at the beginning of the first year at university. Analyses of variance were also conducted to analyze the relationship between these student clusters and academic achievement outcomes. Six distinct profiles of students were identified representing different combinations of achievement predictors. Results revealed different odds of success among these profiles. The implications of our approach to the understanding of the heterogeneity of freshmen and the first-year achievement process are discussed.     

Two elementary school affective education programs — a research review

In recent years, a number of developmental counselling programs have become increasingly popular among counselors and teachers both in Canada and the United States. Programs such as Developing Understanding of Self and Others (D.U.S.O.), the Human Development Program (H.D.P.) and Toward Affective Development (T.A.D.) are designed to promote greater self-awareness, greater self-confidence and better interpersonal skills among students. In the present paper, the two most widely used elementary school programs, D.U.S.O. and the H.D.P., are examined and compared in terms of their objectives and format. Next, the research on each program is reviewed and finally suggestions for further research are made.Paper presented at the 9th International Round Table for the Advancement of Counselling, Thessaloniki (Greece), April 1980. Inquiries or requests for offprints should be directed to Dr. S. Robertson, Department of Educational Psychology, the University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4 Canada.     

A review of handwriting research: Progress and prospects from 1980 to 1994

Contemporary handwriting research has focused on skilled performance, the developing capabilities of children, atypical development, the effectiveness of various letter forms, instructional techniques, and the construction and evaluation of assessment instruments. This paper critically reviews and synthesizes research conducted between 1980 and 1994 in each of these areas, providing suggestions for future research. Considerable progress was made during this time period in understanding the processes involved in handwriting control and development as well as in teaching students with handwriting difficulties. In addition, advances in theory, experimental procedures, on-line recording devices, and computerized instructional programs resulted in an increased level of sophistication. Thus, the prospects for future research in this area are promising.     

Television and education: A review of research

Summary The existing research on television of interest to educators was analyzed and found to be grouped into four general categories: (a) studies of the general social effects of television, (b) content analyses, (c) studies of the educational effects of television, and (d) technical studies. Studies in each of these four categories were reviewed and generalizations drawn from them. No attempt was made to review related research that is, no doubt, applicable to the problems of television. For example, the vast amount of research information developed in the audio-visual field during the past 30 years was not touched. Future investigators will find that the existing television research and the existing audio-visual research provide only a sketch map of the field of audio-visual communication. To use these important instruments wisely, and this is particularly true of television, it is necessary that we know and understand much more. This is the challenge for future research. To the knowledge of the editor, this is the first comprebensive review of educational television research to be published. The organizing of the research into four categories—general social effects, content analyses, educational effects, and technical problems—the rather detailed reviewing of the results, and the drawing of general conclusions should greatly aid the educator in understanding the unique contributions of educational television. An attempt will be made in future issues of Audio-Visual Communication Review to supplement this review of research by regularly publishing, in “Research Abstracts,” reviews of the most recent television studies. Dr. James D. Finn is Associate Professor of Education and Chairman of the Audio-Visual Education Department, University of Southern California. This paper was originally prepared at the request of the California State Department of Education for inclusion in theBrochure of Background Materials: Educational Television for the Governor’s Conference on Educational Television, held in Sacramento, California, December 15–16, 1952. It was necessary to develop the material in a very short time, and the writer wishes to express his indebtedness to F. Dean McClusky and May V. Seagoe of the University of California, Los Angeles, and to Lester F. Beck and Nicholas Rose, his colleagues at the University of Southern California, as well as to several of his graduate students for helping in locating copies of the studies reviewed.     

Classroom-based elementary school affective education programs: A critical review

Twenty-three studies on the effectiveness of classroom-based, elementary school affective education programs were selected by predetermined criteria from published and unpublished research dating from 1970. The resulting research evidence was evaluated by methodological rigor, program type, grade level, program length, and leader's profession. The lack of positive significant findings in the more carefully designed studies provides little support for the effectiveness of affective education programs in promoting positive changes on either behavioral or affective measures, especially for programs with an internal focus. Studies of social-cognitive problem-solving programs produced promising results, but require further evidence of effectiveness. The results provide important implications for future research and professional practice.     

The determinants of research performance: A study of Australian university economists

In this article, the relationship between individual productivity in research, as measured by an index of publications produced, and their preferences and perceptions about research-related issues is explored. A sample of 134 Australian university economists were classified as low, average and high in respect of their publication performance using cluster analysis. Discriminant analysis was then used to see whether membership of these groups was associated with items representing individuals' preferred research approach, their involvement in a range of research-related activities, the things which they felt constrained their research and their perceptions of the benefits of their position which might be conducive to research.Our results show that there was a relationship between these items and group membership, and therefore productivity. Highly productive researchers made deliberate choices about the type of research they undertook in order to enhance their career advancement; they were heavily involved in a number of areas of research activity; they felt relatively few constraints on their research by comparison with low producers; and they enjoyed the freedom and challenge of their positions. These results imply that research performance is more a function of individual motivation than resource support.The authors would like to acknowledge the helpful comments of two anonymous referees.     

中小学科学教师探究教学观的国际研究述评

探究教学成为国际科学教育领域的热点问题,中小学科学教师的探究教学观直接影响他们的教学实践,本文综合考察了国际上有关该领域的研究成果,以期对探究教学理论和实践研究提供启示。     

谈学校教育科研

教育科研是学校工作的重要内容,是学校发展的强大动力。抓好科研队伍建设、健全科研工作制度、选准科研方向、树立“大科研”观念、重视现代信息的利用,以及校长的率先垂范是搞好学校科研的关键。     

Effects of text illustrations: A review of research

Can illustrations aid learning of text material? These authors review the results of 55 experiments comparing learning from illustrated text with learning from text alone. They go on to look at research in closely related fields (involving, for example, nonrepresentational pictures, graphic organizers, learner-produced drawings) and conclude by offering guidelines for practice.     

从学校向工作的过渡:不同年龄组的过渡有多难?

<正>■在OECD国家中,绝大多数人在20-24岁之间完成了从学校到工作的过渡,但是13%的15-19岁群体已经离开学校。■对于未受过高中教育的年轻人来说,从学校向工作的过渡更加困难。在OECD国家中,20-24岁既未就业也未在接受教育或培训(neither employed nor in education or Training,缩写NEET)的群体中,平均有36%的人未受过高中教育,而在这一年龄段中仅有18%的人就业。■仍在接受教育的年轻人的读写和计算能力更高。在受教育和未在受教育的人在技能上的差     

Attitudes and learning disabilities: A literature review for school psychologists

Most LD students spend the major part of the school day within the regular classroom. Research, however, supports the rejected status of these students. The purpose of this presentation is to: (a) review research pertaining to the feelings professionals and peers have about learning disabled students, and (b) review those factors that may be important for consideration when attempting to modify these perceptions. School psychologists should address the attitudinal issues with a knowledge and basic conceptualization of various strategies that may be utilized to initiate attitude modification programs.     

中学科学课程与生物课程之比较

科学课程与生物课程在学校的整体课程中的地位是相等的,两者间没有孰优孰劣的区别,在生命科学内容选择、课程设计、学习方式和科学素养的培养方面等各有不同。