Labelling and self‐esteem: does labelling exceptional students impact their self‐esteem?

The purpose of this investigation was to explore the existing relationships between main concepts associated with labelling exceptional students and impact on their self‐esteem. The aim was to examine how these concepts are presented in the existing research literature, and what the implications are for educational practice of labelling exceptional students. This area of research is important for educators, researchers, practitioners, parents and advocates of exceptional students. By understanding the psychosocial and educational aspects of labelling and stigma, we can all contribute in different ways to address the unique particularities of exceptional students.     

How does student peer review influence perceptions,engagement and academic outcomes? A case study

Involving students in peer review has many pedagogical benefits, but few studies have explicitly investigated relationships between the content of peer reviews, student perceptions and assessment outcomes. We conducted a case study of peer review within a third-year undergraduate subject at a research-intensive Australian university, in which we examined: (1) students’ perceptions of the peer review process before and after peer review, (2) content of the peer reviews and what kinds of feedback were adopted and (3) the effect of participation in peer review on performance (grades) in the assessment task. Students overwhelmingly perceived peer review to be beneficial, and the opportunity to participate in peer review resulted in a significant improvement in the quality of work submitted for assessment. Students who benefited most from peer review were those of below-median performance, and the magnitude of benefit was related to the degree to which students engaged with the peer review process. Our study confirms that participation in peer review can lead to important improvements in performance and learning outcomes.     

Voices of disaffection: disengaged and disruptive youths or agents of change and self‐empowerment?

This article presents findings from research conducted into school disaffection in the north of England. Bourdieu's concept of capital is utilised to explore the perspectives of 14‐ to 16‐year‐old girls undertaking vocational learning as a strategy for re‐engagement. Data emanate from semi‐structured interviews in which social and linguistic capital in school is identified as a privileged feature of a select few. Thus, within the field of education, capital facilitates student empowerment, whereupon the lack of such can lead to marginalisation, disaffection and, subsequently, disengagement. However, voice is presented as a powerful mechanism for challenging the existing inequities of compulsory schooling in England by validating unacknowledged capital, recognising agency, and thus facilitating the self‐empowerment of disaffected young people. Schools are encouraged to rethink their political stance to consider the potentially detrimental impact of a discourse that validates the dominant sociocultural capital and empowers only those students whose individual dispositions align with institutional practices.     

How does writing for publication help professional development of teachers? A case study in China

Publications by teachers reporting results or case studies of school-based teacher inquiry activities benchmark their professional development by indicating they have a ‘stance of inquiry’. Such papers also disseminate valuable knowledge to the education community for sharing. Essay or case writing has always been a part of school-based teacher learning in China. The small-scale qualitative study reported here examines the impact of producing publications on the professional development of teachers within the context of educational reform. Findings show that producing publications contributes to teacher development in three ways. First, an expanded knowledge base gives the teachers new understandings of student-based learning. Second, teachers obtain insight into their practices by making their tacit knowledge explicit. Third, teachers have a sense of achievement by theorising personal experience. Publications serve as ‘boundary objects’ which can potentially help teachers achieve and develop their professionalism by disseminating individual knowledge into the public knowledge domain with transformative learning. Such developments, however, normally tend to focus on expanding local pedagogical practice. More emphasis on the notion of ‘teachers as researchers’ through critical reflection may help teachers perform as transformative intellectuals whilst searching for ways to retain teachers’ voices in their written publications.     

Does concept‐mapping strategy work for everyone? The levels of generativity and learners' self‐regulated learning skills

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of concept-mapping strategies with three different generativity levels (expert-generated concept map, partially learner-generated concept map, fully learner-generated concept map) on knowledge acquisition. Interaction between learners' self-regulated learning (SRL) skills and different levels of generativity was also tested. One hundred twenty-four undergraduate students, randomly assigned to three different concept-mapping groups, were differentiated by high and low levels of SRL skills. The findings suggest that the participants in the fully learner-generated map group significantly outperformed the participants in the expert-generated map group, and participants with high SRL skills significantly outperformed those with low SRL skills across all treatment levels.     

How do we create ASD‐friendly schools? A dilemma of placement

Scope exists within the Northern Ireland (NI) education system to transform mainstream schools into autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)‐friendly environments. The efficacy of mainstream inclusion is discussed prior to discussing the creation of ASD‐friendly schools. The transformation of mainstream school environments is underpinned by concepts such as inclusive pedagogical approach, universal design for learning and learning without limits. These are discussed alongside strategies to enact core inclusive principles of equity, participation and belonging. However, the need for ASD‐specific approaches and schools is also recognised. Our perspectives as educators influence pedagogy, attitudes and approaches to educating autistic children. A social constructivist consciousness is fundamental to moving from deficit SEN rhetoric to creating enabling education for autistic young people. The question of how to achieve this is answered within this article. The use of identity‐first language is preferred by a large proportion of the autism community; therefore the term ‘autistic child’, rather than ‘child with autism’, is adopted throughout.     

Application of the contextual model to school‐based counseling: Why does it work?

There is considerable support for the effectiveness of psychotherapies regardless of their individual theoretical underpinnings. They all evidence substantial positive outcomes, particularly if they contain common elements. These include a therapeutic relationship within an appropriate setting, a rationale for why the client is unhappy or distressed and in need of therapy, and procedures for effecting positive change. We interpret these common elements as a process of learning that promotes the client's independence, friendship formation and maintenance, competence, and physical health. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

How do elementary school teachers learn coding and robotics? A case study of mediations and conflicts

Education and Information Technologies - In this qualitative case study, we examined in-service elementary school teachers’ learning of coding and robotics in a blended professional learning...     

How does Donor Dissection Influence Medical Students' Perceptions of Ethics? A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Qualitative Study

The contribution of donor dissection to modern anatomy pedagogy remains debated. While short-term anatomy knowledge gains from dissection are questionable, studies suggest that donor dissection may have other impacts on students including influencing medical students' professional development, though evidence for such is limited. To improve the understanding of how anatomy education influences medical student professional development, the cross-sectional and longitudinal impacts of donor dissection on medical students' perceptions of ethics were explored. A cross-sectional and longitudinal qualitative study was undertaken at an Australian university where student responses to online discussion forums and in-person interviews were analyzed. Data were collected across the 1.5 years that undergraduate medical students received anatomy instruction (three semesters during first and second years). A total of 207 students participated in the online discussion forums, yielding 51,024 words; 24 students participated in at least 1 of 11 interviews, yielding over 11 hours of interview data. Framework analysis identified five themes related to ethics in an anatomical education context: (1) Dignity, (2) Beneficence, (3) Consent, (4) Justification for versus the necessity of dissection, and (5) Dichotomy of objectification and personification. The dominant themes of students' ethical perceptions changed with time, with a shift from focusing on donors as people, toward the utility of donors in anatomy education. Additionally, themes varied by student demographics including gender, ancestry, and religiosity. Together this study suggests a strong impact of donor dissection on priming students' focus on medical ethics and provides further advocacy for formal and purposeful integration of medical ethics with anatomy education.     

How Do the Different Components of Episodic Memory Develop? Role of Executive Functions and Short‐Term Feature‐Binding Abilities

This study investigated the development of all 3 components of episodic memory (EM), as defined by Tulving, namely, core factual content, spatial context, and temporal context. To this end, a novel, ecologically valid test was administered to 109 participants aged 4-16 years. Results showed that each EM component develops at a different rate. Ability to memorize factual content emerges early, whereas context retrieval abilities continue to improve until adolescence, due to persistent encoding difficulties (isolated by comparing results on free recall and recognition tasks). Exploration of links with other cognitive functions revealed that short-term feature-binding abilities contribute to all EM components, and executive functions to temporal and spatial context, although ability to memorize temporal context is predicted mainly by age.     

How can children with mild literacy difficulties be supported at the transition to secondary school? A small‐scale quasi‐experimental study

There is evidence that pupils with weak literacy skills struggle on transition to secondary school. Many experience a drop in attainment in the summer break between the two. A British government‐funded programme of rigorously designed research on boosting literacy at transition had (by 2015) found only four of 15 interventions evaluated had positive effects. This small‐scale quasi‐experimental study investigated the effectiveness of support for pupils with mild literacy difficulties on transition to secondary school. Thirty‐two pupils in three schools were involved; half received the programme. Pairs were matched on reading, spelling, age and gender. Intervention was designed around the individual needs of each pupil, focusing variously on language skills, writing, reading and spelling. The group receiving the programme made modest gains in spelling, reading efficiency and single word reading. The comparison group lost ground, relatively, in all three areas. The results suggest a promising line for more rigorous investigation.     

How does women’s education influence infant survival? A structural equation model using aggregate data from 95 low- and middle-income countries

Previous studies have shown that women’s education increases infant survival with a magnitude that varies along methodological designs. Besides, the causal chain from women’s education to infant survival has so far remained largely unknown. This cross-country study investigates the relationship between women’s education and infant survival in 95 low- and middle-income countries using a comprehensive set of mediating and control variables. The article applies structural equation modelling on aggregate data, which were produced by the UN, UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank. The independent variables are from 2000 to 2009, and the dependent variable, infant mortality, is from 2018. The models are adjusted for income level, population size and extreme epidemic or political instabilities. Structural equation modelling is an advantageous method to specify how women’s education affects infant survival explicitly through the indirect influences of an enhanced child health provision and through an increased reproductive autonomy for women. Overall, women’s education is an equally important variable with poverty alleviation and women’s reproductive autonomy in explaining the cross-country variation in infant survival. The models, taking into account key child health policies, provide new evidence on how women’s education is mediated to better infant survival in low- and middle-income countries.     

How to support and engage students in alternative forms of education and training? A qualitative study of school staff members in Flanders

This study focuses on how students, who for a variety of reasons struggle in mainstream secondary schools, can be supported and engaged by alternative forms of education and training to attain a (formal) qualification. Interviews and focus groups are carried out with school staff members of distinct types of alternative learning arenas in Flanders (northern part of Belgium): second chance secondary education, part-time apprenticeship track and part-time work-based vocational education. Our analyses reveal that, due to the selectiveness of mainstream secondary education, staff members in alternative learning arenas mainly struggle with the ways to develop inclusive curricula/practices and with the actual content of the curricula of their educational training or programme they are supposed to teach. Staff members struggle with putting into practice the fundamental aim to prepare socially vulnerable students for their future lives. Debates within the school team focus upon the relative importance of transferrable, specialist and social skills and competences. Results of this study are discussed to further enhance the professionalisation of school teams, and can be seen as the starting point to specify and develop the curriculum taught in both alternative learning arenas and mainstream secondary education.     

How does reading performance modulate the impact of orthographic knowledge on speech processing? A comparison of normal readers and dyslexic adults

Studies on proficient readers showed that speech processing is affected by knowledge of the orthographic code. Yet, the automaticity of the orthographic influence depends on task demand. Here, we addressed this automaticity issue in normal and dyslexic adult readers by comparing the orthographic effects obtained in two speech processing tasks that are or not sensitive to strategies developed by participants. Our finding showed that while participants’ performance in a metaphonological task, which is known to be strategy prone, was affected by their orthographic knowledge regardless of the childhood diagnosis of dyslexia or of their actual reading-related skills, this latter factor significantly modulated the orthographic influence found in a more natural speech recognition task. The finding supports the claim that while any individuals who know a reading code are able to resort to their orthographic knowledge when they process speech, a more profound modification of the speech processing system by the orthographic code takes place only in readers who have reached a certain level of reading expertise.     

Do social regulation strategies predict learning engagement and learning outcomes? A study of English language learners in wiki-supported literature circles activities

Educational technology research and development - Combining wiki technology with the literature circles could be powerful and beneficial for promoting the learning of English as a foreign language...     

Reciprocal effects between intrinsic reading motivation and reading competence? A cross‐lagged panel model for academic track and nonacademic track students

Previous research has demonstrated positive relations between intrinsic reading motivation and reading competence. However, the causal direction of these relations and the moderating role of relevant background variables (e.g., students' achievement level) are not well understood. In the present study, a cross‐lagged panel model was applied to academic track and nonacademic track fifth grade students (N = 396) to test whether intrinsic reading motivation and reading competence are reciprocally related depending on the students' achievement level (indicated by school track affiliation). According to expectations, the cross‐lagged effect of intrinsic reading motivation on reading competence was only significant for academic track students. In the nonacademic track group, neither the effect of intrinsic reading motivation on reading competence nor the reverse effect proved to be significant. Thus, the nature of the relation between intrinsic reading motivation and reading competence seems to depend on students' school track affiliation.     

How simple is reading in Arabic? A cross‐sectional investigation of reading comprehension from first to sixth grade

This study aimed to examine, from a cross‐sectional perspective, the extent to which the simple view of reading (SVR) model can be adapted to the Arabic language. This was carried out by verifying, in both beginning and more skilled readers, whether the unique orthographical and morphological characteristics of Arabic contribute to reading comprehension beyond decoding and listening comprehension abilities. Reading comprehension was evaluated in a large sample of first to sixth‐grade Arabic‐speaking children. The participants' decoding and listening comprehension abilities were investigated together with their orthographic and morphological knowledge. Path analysis indicated that reading comprehension was moderately explained by the SVR (56–38%). Orthographic and morphological knowledge explained an additional 10–22% of the variance beyond that explained by the basic SVR components. These findings demonstrate that certain linguistic aspects of Arabic impact reading processes differently when compared with other languages. The psycholinguistic implications of these findings are discussed in the light of previous findings in the literature.

What is already known about this topic?

• The ‘simple view of reading’ model explains reading comprehension as the product of decoding and listening comprehension.
• This model explains between 70% and 83% of the variance in reading comprehension in English, in which the contribution of decoding and listening comprehension varies as a function of the level of the readers.
• Orthographic transparency and other unique characteristics of the languages studied might influence reading comprehension in these languages

What does this paper add?

• Arabic is a diglossic language that is characterised by relatively unique orthographic and morphological features for which the validity of the simple view of reading (SVR) has not been tested.
• The basic components of the SVR (decoding and listening comprehension) have explained between 56% and 38% of the variance in reading comprehension in children from the first to the sixth grade.
• Decoding, as one of the basic components of the SVR, failed to contribute to reading comprehension when orthography and morphology were considered.

Implications for practice and/or policy

• This large‐scale cross‐sectional study is the first of its type to assess reading comprehension in Arabic.
• The study justifies the necessity to assess the suitability of the SVR in languages with very specific linguistic characteristics such as Arabic.
• The results emphasise the necessity of considering the complex orthography and the rich morphology of Arabic for improving teaching, assessment and intervention.

     

Back to the future? A case study in changing curriculum and assessment: The story of the London Association for the Teaching of English’s Alternative ‘O’ Level English Language Paper

In the early 1950s, the London Association for the Teaching of English (L.A.T.E.) became increasingly concerned about the syllabuses and examination papers for GCE 'O' English Language and English Literature. Worried about the potentially adverse effects of the London Board's papers on children's learning, teachers' practice and curriculum design, L.A.T.E. worked with interested schools to draft, write and submit an alternative GCE syllabus and examination paper for 'O' Level English Language. This article is an account of that process, and its possible resonance for the subject community in the present day.     

How comprehensive are research studies investigating the efficacy of technology‐enhanced learning resources in anatomy education? A systematic review

Anatomy education is at the forefront of integrating innovative technologies into its curricula. However, despite this rise in technology numerous authors have commented on the shortfall in efficacy studies to assess the impact such technology‐enhanced learning (TEL) resources have on learning. To assess the range of evaluation approaches to TEL across anatomy education, a systematic review was conducted using MEDLINE, the Educational Resources Information Centre (ERIC), Scopus, and Google Scholar, with a total of 3,345 articles retrieved. Following the PRISMA method for reporting items, 153 articles were identified and reviewed against a published framework—the technology‐enhanced learning evaluation model (TELEM). The model allowed published reports to be categorized according to evaluations at the level of (1) learner satisfaction, (2) learning gain, (3) learner impact, and (4) institutional impact. The results of this systematic review reveal that most evaluation studies into TEL within anatomy curricula were based on learner satisfaction, followed by module or course learning outcomes. Randomized controlled studies assessing learning gain with a specific TEL resource were in a minority, with no studies reporting a comprehensive assessment on the overall impact of introducing a specific TEL resource (e.g., return on investment). This systematic review has provided clear evidence that anatomy education is engaged in evaluating the impact of TEL resources on student education, although it remains at a level that fails to provide comprehensive causative evidence. Anat Sci Educ 11: 303–319. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.