Critical realism and statistical methods—a response to Nash

This article offers a defence of critical realism in the face of objections Nash (2005) makes to it in a recent edition of this journal. It is argued that critical and scientific realisms are closely related and that both are opposed to statistical positivism. However, the suggestion is made that scientific realism retains (from statistical positivism) a number of elements that result in misleading accounts of social processes and events: indicators are used which do not reflect the close relationship between structure and agency; indicators refer to reified and not real properties of both structures and agents; and indicators do not refer to causal properties of objects and entities. In order to develop a narrative of causal processes, as Nash argues researchers should, then some adjustments need to be made to the principles that underpin scientific realism.     

Learning outdoors or with a computer: the contribution of the learning setting to learning and to environmental perceptions

ABSTRACT

Background: Outdoor learning and computer-based learning are two different alternatives to in-class conventional teacher-centered learning.

Purpose: This study compares the outdoor learning setting with computer-based learning in class. It examines the influence of the two different learning settings on academic achievements, the learning experience, and pro-environmental perceptions.

Sample: A total of 90 elementary school students (third and fourth-grade classes) participated in the study.

Design and methods: The academic knowledge of the study participants was tested through identical exams for both learning settings. In addition, in each group the students’ perceptions were examined by means of a questionnaire about environmental values and the learning experience.

Results: The study demonstrates that academic achievements in the two settings were similar, but the students expressed more enthusiasm about the outdoor learning experience than about in-class learning. In addition, the outdoor learning setting contributed more to promoting positive environmental perceptions even though students did not learn directly about environmental issues and sustainability.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that learning in the natural environment is valuable: Alongside the fostering of computerized learning, it is also important to promoteoutdoor learning settings and integrate both settings by implementing mobile technologies in the outdoor teaching.     

Parental perceptions of the 2014 SEND legislation

The study researched parent’s experiences of The Children and Families Act 2014 in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire. A sample of parents using KIDS Services in the area were surveyed by questionnaire, both before and after the legislation came into force. Nearly half of the parents were aware of a change in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) legislation; and a third noticed a change in support for their child. Professionals are now more involved in SEND early identification, and most SEND needs were identified at or before the early year stage. The majority of parents thought that the support for their child was either always or sometimes well coordinated. Parents generally felt more involved in the process since the Act, and perceived improvements in educational support. Professional support for parents at diagnosis had increased over the studies, and educational, health and social care needs were generally being met. However, some parents thought that Information, communication and school support needed to improve, and that the voluntary sector was highly regarded. Implications in relation to practice were also made.     

Pupils' perceptions of practical science in primary and secondary school: implications for improving progression and continuity of learning

In spite of the introduction of a National Curriculum in UK schools and the improved progression and continuity that it promised, pupils still have problems with learning when they transfer from primary to secondary school. These problems are particularly acute in science. One approach is to provide a programme of ‘bridging work’, focused on practical science, that is started in the primary school and continued in the secondary school. The research reported here explored pupils' perceptions and experiences of science practical work before and after transfer to secondary school. The implications of the findings for the design of bridging work in science are discussed.     

Measuring standards in primary English: The validity of PIRLS—a response to Mary Hilton

Hilton (2006) criticises the PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) tests and the survey conduct, raising questions about the validity of international surveys of reading. Her criticisms fall into four broad areas: cultural validity, methodological issues, construct validity and the survey in England. However, her criticisms are shown to be mistaken. Her claim of forced unidimensionality in the tests is not supported by statistical analyses and her claims of cultural strangeness are contradicted by the involvement of all the countries involved. She is concerned about linguistic diversity but this is actually reflected in the ways countries organise their surveys. Finally, Hilton suggests that the English sample was biased, but fails to recognise the stringent sampling requirements or the monitoring roles of external assessors and the sampling referee. A careful study of the evidence concerning PIRLS shows that it is actually a fair and robust measure of reading attainment in different countries.     

Gender and high school chemistry: student perceptions on achievement in a selective setting

This paper reports on research undertaken in a middle-class Australian school. The focus of the research was on the relationship between gender and students’ engagement with high school chemistry. Achievement data from many OECD countries suggest that middle-class girls are achieving equally as well as, if not better than, boys in many subjects. This has led to claims that the ‘girls and science’ agenda is no longer necessary, and indeed may have been detrimental to boys’ achievements in science subjects. The data collected from students at this site indicate that at this school this agenda is far from a completed one. These data indicate that whilst girls’ achievement levels are comparable with those of the boys, for many students chemistry is still perceived as a masculine subject. Hence, the girls in the chemistry classrooms at this school construct themselves, and are constructed, as outsiders in the subject.     

社会关系对小学生孤独感的影响

用问卷法和同伴提名法对876名小学生的亲子依恋、教师接纳、同伴接纳与孤独感之间的关系进行研究。结果表明:亲子依恋、教师接纳、同伴接纳与小学生孤独感之间存在显著相关;各变量的不同水平之间儿童孤独感存在显著差异;亲子依恋、教师接纳、同伴接纳对儿童的孤独感有较大的预测作用,但在不同性别、年级水平上又存在明显不同。     

浅谈如何指导小学生开展经典诵读活动

学习、鉴赏诗文,我国古代早有一种流行广泛且公认有效的方法,即＂吟诵＂,就是用抑扬顿挫的声调,有节奏地读出作品的独特神韵。它对于理解和继承优秀文化,提高阅读和写作能力,至今仍有积极的作用。＂好书不厌百回读,熟读深思子自知＂＂读书破万卷,下笔如有神＂,这些古语分别从深度和广度上强调了积累的重要性：只有熟读,才能自悟其义;只有广读,博采众家之长,才能下笔如有神。     

'I'd Like to Read Fluorescently'— Year 7 Pupils' Developing Views of Reading and Their Progress

Previous research has suggested that children making transitions from one setting into another have to adjust to new sets of expectations and different cultural contexts for teaching and learning. In particular, they have to redefine for themselves 'what counts as literacy'. In this article, Sue Pearson, a past President of NASEN, an experienced teacher and currently a lecturer at Leeds University, reports on her investigations into whether similar adjustments may be required of some pupils as they start secondary school.
The recommendations at the end of this article are based on interviews with 24 11 to 12 year-olds and are of direct relevance to practitioners in primary and secondary schools and to parents and family members. Sue Pearson uses pupils' perceptions to raise important issues about the nature of the support that pupils experiencing difficulties in literacy require as they make the transfer from Year 6 to Year 7.     

A Qualitative Evaluation of a Project to Enhance Pupils' Emotional Literacy Through a Student Assistance Programme

Recent policy highlights schools' responsibility for safeguarding children and promoting their health and welfare and addressing their emotional and behavioural needs. In doing so, it is anticipated that their emotional literacy and social competence might be enhanced. Recognizing that an increasing number of children exhibit emotional and behavioural difficulties affecting their learning, Wrexham Local Education Authority implemented a Student Assistance Programme (SAP). SAP offers primary prevention and early intervention to pupils who exhibit high-risk behaviours and supports those whose circumstances affect their ability to engage with others at home and school, through participation in support groups. A study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of SAP. The study aimed to illuminate changes in student behaviour as described by themselves and facilitators, and to identify any wider implications of the SAP in terms of its effects on peers, teachers and family members. Using an interactive, responsive evaluation design, 11 focus group interviews were conducted involving 21 facilitators, seven head-teachers and 64 children. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The findings revealed benefits, challenges and issues of sustainability. This paper discusses the findings of the study and the implications for future sustainability.     

Student perceptions of their learning and engagement in response to the use of a continuous e-assessment in an undergraduate module

Student engagement is an important issue in higher education, and is related to the quality of the student experience. Increasing student engagement is one way of enhancing quality at a higher education institution. An institution is able to influence student engagement in a number of ways, one being through curriculum design. The use of a low-stakes continuous weekly summative e-assessment had a positive influence on student engagement in an optional level 5 (second year) undergraduate geography module. Students considered their increased engagement was a direct consequence of this assessment method. It was also found that students thought they improved their learning, particularly their understanding, as a result of the continuous assessment. This study suggests that carefully designed assessments can be used to increase student engagement and learning, and, as a result, contribute to improving the quality of the overall student experience.     

爬行运动改善四年级小学生脊柱形态实验研究

为了探讨"手足/膝异侧的直线、曲线爬行"运动方案对小学生脊柱形态影响的效果,以石家庄市石门小学四年级两个班级的学生作为实验对象,通过体育课实施为期14周的干预方案,采用颈部曲度、腰部曲度和背部形态来评价小学生脊柱形态.结果显示:实验前实验班与对照班颈部曲度和腰部曲度不存在显著性差异(P>0.05),各种背部形态分布不存在显著性差异(P>0.05),其中正常背实验班为13.6%,对照班为11.4%.实验后实验班与对照班在颈部曲度、腰部曲度以及背部形态中驼背、正常背分布百分比存在显著性差异(P<0.05),其中正常背实验班为36.4%,对照班为13.6%.研究结果显示,爬行运动能够促进四年级小学生背部形态的改善.     

Using students’ drawings to elicit general and special educators’ perceptions of co-teaching

This paper describes the findings of a study of general and special educators’ perceptions of co-teaching in elementary and middle school classrooms. A total of 85 students, 20 general education, and 11 special education teachers participated in this investigation in which student drawings were used as both data and as tools to spark teacher reflection. Students’ pictorial depictions of co-teaching were analyzed for apparent features and traits. Co-teachers’ reactions to the drawings were springboards for reflective conversations around modifications they felt needed to take place to improve co-teaching. Findings suggest that proactive role distribution, support structures, and trust building are critical factors in strengthening co-teaching. Implications for practice are discussed.     

Teacher and principal perceptions of student victimization and the schools’ response to violence: The contributions of context on staff congruence

Consistency in staff awareness and response is a key programmatic centerpiece in most school violence prevention and intervention programs. Staff consensus on the definition of violence, the behaviors that constitute violence, the extent of the problem, and how to deal with violent situations are often the cornerstone of evidence-based programs. Nevertheless, little is known theoretically or empirically about the staff and school variables that shape principal and teacher consensus in recognition of the problem or the response to violence. To explore these issues, this study drew on a nested national sample of Israeli schools (1352 teachers; 186 principals and schools) to explore staff and school correlates of the extent of congruence in staff reports of awareness of and response to school violence and victimization. We drew on Rasch analytic techniques to measure the extent of staff congruence about frequency of student victimization, risky behaviors and school response. Overall, student-reported risky behavior accounted for congruence in staff reports of student victimization and risky behavior and was consistent across Jewish and Arab school systems. Staff reports of student victimization and risk shaped the school's response violent events, but important differences were observed across Jewish and Arab school systems. For example, the findings suggest that above and beyond all the school contextual factors, staff in religious Jewish and Arab schools reported less student victimization and less school response to violent situations. Implications for practice, theory, and future research in the school violence literature are discussed.     

学生发散性思维与批判性思维的测量方法

发散性思维与批判性思维问题随新课改的实施越来越受到人们关注,虽然吉尔福特和保罗就有关方面做了权威的论述,但如何以量化的方法来测量它们仍然是空白。2006年,邢丹丹女士设计编制了用空瓶子用途来测量发散性与批判性思维的量化工具,从头脑风暴、分类、重新分类、评价、元认知几个角度去评价学生,制定了相应的评分标准,并设计了相应的活动和问卷来验证其信效度。结果表明空瓶子活动具有较好的信效度。