The Unbearable Lightness of Representing ‘Reality’ in Science Education: A response to Schulz

This article responds to Schulz's criticisms of an earlier paper published in Educational Philosophy and Theory. The purpose in this paper is to clarify and extend some of my earlier arguments, to indicate what is unfortunate (i.e. what is lost) from a non‐charitable, modernist reading of Lyotardian postmodernism (despite its weaknesses), and to suggest what new directions are emerging in science education from efforts to move beyond an either/or dichotomy of foundationalism and relativism.     

Mathematical Reasoning in School Tasks

An earlier study (Lithner 1998) treated the question “what are the main characteristics and background of undergraduate students' difficulties when trying to solve mathematical tasks?” This paper will focus on, and extend, the part of the earlier study that concerns task solving strategies. The results indicate that focusing on what is familiar and remembered at a superficial level is dominant over reasoning based on mathematical properties of the components involved, even when the latter could lead to considerable progress.     

Liberalism and Communitarianism: a response to two recent attempts to reconcile individual autonomy with group identity

This article is concerned with recent attempts to balance the claims for political citizenship in a liberal democracy (liberalism) with competing claims for cultural identity within traditional non‐liberal communities (communitarianism). Claims of the first kind are usually seen as universal in that they are based on what it is to be human, while claims of the second kind are seen as particular in so far as they relate to membership of a specific culture. Singh (1997) argues for discussion method as a means of reconciling the claims of democratic citizenship with those of cultural attachment in non‐liberal communities. In an earlier and related paper, Singh (1995) also seeks an accommodation between shared and particular values in a multicultural society. Halstead (1997) is concerned about the dilemmas faced by liberal educators and by Muslims with regard to the sex education curriculum and Muslim pupils. In an earlier paper, Halstead (1995) makes proposals for a curriculum which combines a communitarian commitment to the cultural integrity of non‐liberal communities with active participation in the life of a liberal democracy. I will argue that whether we begin from a liberal commitment to individual autonomy (Singh) or from a concern for the cultural integrity and survival of non‐liberal communities (Halstead), there are very real difficulties in achieving a reconciliation between liberal and communitarian perspectives.     

Perceptions in Role Change from Teacher to Counselor: Intra-Role Conflict and Motivation for Change1

Twelve former teachers who had been counseling for no more than two years were interviewed on how they experienced the processes of role change from teacher to counselor. This article extends the findings reported in an earlier paper and deals with intra-role conflict and with the motivation for changing roles. The following hypotheses emerged from the study: (a) if teaching experience heightens the conflict in perceived incompatibility of role expectations, then it is dysfunctional to becoming a counselor; and (b) teachers enter counseling primarily because they seek to fulfill an inner desire for growth toward what they perceive as their ideal role in education. The implications of the testimony given by the counselors for counselor preparation programs and for the structure of roles in schools were examined.     

Researching emotion and affect in the history of education

This exploratory paper was prepared for a symposium held at the 2011 ISCHE conference in which participants were asked to envision future challenges in the historiography of education, to predict where the field was moving, and to imagine what innovations and new interests would arise in the subsequent 30 years. While the paper is playfully written from the vantage point of 30 years in the future and pretends to offer a retrospective review of what happened in the field over that period, its primary purpose is to seriously suggest a number of ways that historians of education might engage with the history of emotion and affect in their work. The first section of the paper describes the consolidation of the history of emotions as a field of historical study and discusses the importance of a ‘governmentality' approach. It is then suggested in the second section that historians of education increasingly drew on the concept of ‘affect' and developed ‘affective histories' of education that both built upon and departed from earlier histories of emotions. The third section of the paper discusses some of the ways in which historians of education incorporated into their work insights from neuroscience into consciousness and choice-making as well as an increased awareness of the object-mediated body.     

Internationalization of British Universities: Learning from the Experiences of International Counselling Students

This retrospective qualitative study investigated the experiences of 12 international students in a postgraduate counselling programme at a higher education (HE) institution in the UK. Results from an earlier empirical study on these students (Pattison, Counselling and Psychotherapy Research 3: 107–113, 2003) were mapped against concepts derived from a content analysis of Turner and Robson’s (2008) work on the internationalization of HE institutions. The focus is on what can be learned from the perceptions of participants when reframed and reviewed through an internationalization lens. The paper suggests ways in which British universities can enhance the development of academic and intercultural competencies and support the international counselling student to receive an internationalized HE experience.     

Reflections on an Emerging Field: Researching Mathematics Teacher Education

This paper reports a survey of research in mathematics teacher education from 1999 to 2003 done by an international team of five mathematics educators and researchers. The survey included published research in international mathematics education journals, international handbooks of mathematics education and international mathematics education conference proceedings. Some regional sources from various parts of the world were also included. We investigated who was writing, from and in what settings, with what theoretical frameworks, and with what sorts of study designs for what core questions. We also examined the range of findings and conclusions produced in these studies. Our analysis presented here focuses on four themes that stood out from our initial investigation of almost 300 published papers, and systematically elaborated through a focused study of a 160 papers across key journals and conference proceedings in the field. From this vantage point, the paper offers a reflection on the current state of the field of mathematics teacher education research. Our aim is to stimulate discussion that can support the development of the field, not make final pronouncements about its nature. The research presented in this paper was done by five mathematics education researchers, the authors listed above, and presented at ICME10 in Copenhagen in July 2004. This Survey Team (Survey Team 3) was nominated by the International Program Committee for the Congress and asked to survey “Professional Development of Mathematics Teachers” and present this in a plenary at the Congress. A copy of the presentation can be viewed at: http://www.wits.ac.za/jadler/presentations.html. An earlier version of this paper will also appear in the ICME10 proceedings.     

Assessing the progress and the underlying nature of the flows of doctoral and master degree candidates using absorbing Markov chains

In this paper, absorbing markov chains are used to analyse the flows of higher degree by research candidates (doctoral and master) within an Australian faculty of business. The candidates are analysed according to whether they are full time or part time. The need for such analysis stemmed from what appeared to be a rather poor completion rate (as reported by the University concerned). However, this reported completion rate was a ‘macro’ figure that aggregated PhD and Master (by full time and part time) completions together. If there really was a problem, then the Faculty needed to know where in the system it was and what potentially might then be done to remedy the problem. The assembling of data into an appropriate database was difficult and required considerable care, but an adequate database was developed. The application of the absorbing markov chains to the problem resulted in an increase in the level of understanding associated with the long term underlying probabilities of completion and also expected durations of candidature. This information highlighted one area of concern. With the information gained from this study, appropriate strategies can subsequently be put in place for the rectification of some of the areas of concern discovered in the analysis. Areas for further research are also highlighted in this paper. Based on an earlier version of a paper delivered at the Western Decisions Sciences Institute 34th Meeting, Vancouver, Canada, 2005.     

On Interdisciplinary Research: with particular reference to the field of environment and development

Interdisciplinary research is fashionable, but also controversial; yet it is far from agreed what is meant by the term. This paper analyses some central issues concerning interdisciplinary research, both in general and with particular reference to the field of environment and development. It draws on earlier literature, especially Becher (1989) and on experience from universities in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, U.S.A and Britain. The paper includes an analysis of how disciplines interact, focussing on economics, ecology and anthropology. It also addresses two 'great divides'. The first is that between the 'two cultures': a gap which is indeed important, although it does not lie precisely between the natural sciences on the one hand and the social sciences and humanities on the other. The second is the gap between research and application; research that is usable by policy-makers, it is argued, is typically, and necessarily, not of high quality judged in academic terms.     

Philosophy and Teacher Education in England: The Long View

Until recently teacher education in England has always contained a ‘philosophical’ element – to do with what education is for in the light of human nature. The paper traces its history since 1839, through inspirational approaches – based first on religion and later on psychology – to the critical approach of R S Peters and his colleagues in the 1960s. It then looks at the existential crisis faced by this kind of philosophy of education after changes in education policy in the 1980s; and at ways it has found of overcoming it – at the expense, however, of partially turning away from its earlier raison d’être in teacher education. The paper concludes with a discussion of what would be needed for it to resume its old role.     

The Prediction of Educational Failure

This paper investigates the possibility of an ‘early warning system’ for identifying children ‘At Risk’ of educational failure. Using data from the National Child Development Study, a national, longitudinal survey of about 16 000 children in Britain, we examined what characteristics could be used to predict at earlier stages children whose experience of the educational system would lead to their being classified as relative failures (as identified at 16 years). The paper uses, to this end, the technique of analysis of variance, and we reach the conclusion that relatively effective prediction of those ‘At Risk’ could be accomplished using quite simple criteria. The ones found in this study to be the most effective in predicting educational failure were in fact educational criteria themselves.     

Joint determination of college student achievement and effort: Implications for college teaching

In this paper, a four-equation simultaneous equations model is developed with college student effort and achievement being jointly determined. The model is then tested using a sample of students from one comprehensive university. The empirical results provide evidence that student efforts with respect to faculty interaction, but not with respect to library usage or course effort, significantly affect achievement.You know, teachers sometimes think they are all that happen in class. But I have to take what a teacher is trying to teach me and translate it into something I learn, and that has little to do with the teacher. The learning is what I do.—A student named Susan, fromOn College Teaching, by Ohmer Milton and AssociatesAn earlier version of this paper was presented at the Lilly Conference on College Teaching at Miami University in November 1989.     

略论台湾地区的教师专业伦理建设

教师专业伦理建设是推进教师专业化进程的重要步骤之一。我国台湾地区对教师专业伦理的探讨较内地要早一些。总结他们在教师专业伦理建设过程中遇到的难题和所做的探索,将对内地教师专业伦理制度的建设与发展有所裨益。     

Selective traditions in group discussions: teachers’ views about good science and the possible obstacles when encountering a new topic

There is an ongoing discussion about what content that should be taught in science education and there are different views among teachers about what represent good science content. However, teachers are not isolated individuals making their own interpretations, but are part of institutionalised systems building on patterns in the selection of teaching goals and content. Earlier research shows that teachers teach in alignment with different selective traditions, which can be understood as well-developed teaching habits. Individual teachers seem to develop their personal habits on the basis of the contextual situations created by earlier generations of teachers. In order to find out which content teachers find representative for science education, we asked nine teachers to take part in group interviews to talk about what they value as “good” science content. The participants were grouped according to their selective traditions expressed in earlier studies. The method was used to dynamically explore, challenge and highlight teachers’ views. The starting point for the group discussions is national tests in science. In Sweden, national tests in biology, physics and chemistry were introduced in secondary school science (year 9) in 2009. One overarching aim of these tests is to support the implementation of the science curricula and to include for example knowledge about socio-scientific issues (SSI). The content of the tests can consequently be seen as important for teachers to consider. The findings show that ‘resistance’ to including SSI is not just an issue for individual teachers. As individuals teachers can create many kinds of obstacles, but still be interested in integrating SSI in their science teaching. However, in group discussions the teachers tend to collectively adopt the scientific rational discourse. This discourse is what joins them and creates their common identity as science teachers. In turn, they seek to free scientific knowledge from social knowledge and thereby make assessment easier.     

“Poetry is happening but I don't exactly know how”: Literacy Subject Leaders’ perceptions of poetry in their primary schools

Evidence suggests (Ofsted, 2007) that the role of the Subject Leader is crucial in how well poetry is taught in schools. This paper attempts to provide some insights on “what it is like” to coordinate poetry teaching in a primary school. Some of the data confirm elements of the findings from earlier research on the state of poetry in schools, particularly concerning space in the curriculum, teacher subject knowledge and personal interest in poetry. However, we attempt to show that, much to the surprise of some of the Subject Leaders, where poetry teaching in the participants’ schools was perceived to be successful it was often nourished by the combined enthusiasm and ‘zeal’ of the teachers and children experiencing poetry together, which in turn was maintained by an empowering synergy of professional/personal pleasure and engagement with poetic texts experienced by some of the teachers while in school.     

Contrasting Research Perspectives: What the evidence yields

This paper reviews pre-service elementary teachers' beliefs about mathematics and mathematics teaching and, learning from an earlier study of the mathematics methods course of a teacher education program, then overviews the data triangulation, and discusses the inconsistencies and contradictions in the data. Thus, the study offers further insight into the complexities of pre-service teachers' unwavering conceptions and their acquisition of innovative pedagogy. Questions emerged about the inconsistencies between what was said and what was done. For example, why were the pre-service teachers' responses in surveys and interviews inconsistent with their instructional behavior? Explanations to this and other questions are offered to shed some light on two of the most unsettling features of teacher education: changing pre-service teachers' beliefs and their learning of mathematics pedagogy.     

Kindness in pedagogical practice and academic life

The paper presents the argument that kindness in teaching is both commonplace yet unremarked and that, moreover, it is subversive of neo‐liberal values. In arguing for the value of attending to kindness, we reject the dichotomy between emotion and reason and the associated gendered binaries. We distinguish kindness from ‘due care’ and acts that are required of professionals, and instead locate it philosophically in personal values and with a concern for lay normativity. We illustrate our claims for the pervasiveness of kindness through a re‐reading of student data from an earlier study. These data are used to elaborate the concept. We conclude by suggesting that what is subversive in thinking about higher education practice through the lens of kindness is that it cannot be regulated or prescribed.     

Transition to school practices: comparisons from Iceland and Australia

This paper is the result of collaboration among early childhood education researchers from different cultures on opposite sides of the globe. The project sought to identify what practitioners in both preschool and primary school settings in Iceland and Australia regarded as successful transition to school practices. Independently developed surveys of these practitioners, both based on earlier work in the USA, gathered data on what the practitioners identified as ‘good ideas’ in transition practices. There were similarities across the countries: popular practices included children visiting primary schools prior to the start of the school year and informational meetings for parents. There were also differences: Icelandic primary school teachers were, for instance, more likely than Australian teachers to write to their prospective students before they started school.     

Measuring children's retention of skills to resist stranger abduction: use of the simulation technique

This paper describes an evaluation which builds upon an earlier project to measure actual behavioral change in the form of reduction of vulnerability to abduction and abuse by strangers; change attributable to participation in a primary prevention program. Simulations, life-like scenarios previously described, were used to address three key questions: Did children who had demonstrated mastery of prevention skills acquired six months earlier retain those skills? Would reteaching the prevention program result in mastery for those children who failed to demonstrate required skills after the first presentation of the prevention program? Could the experimental group results of the first project be repeated with the previous control group? Several findings validated the earlier work and enhanced the understanding of what can be accomplished through prevention programing. Thirty of the original 44 children who participated six months earlier were again available to take part in the final simulation. Of those, all of the previous experimental group children who had performed successfully when participating in the simulation upon completion of the first project were again successful six months later in resisting the invitation of a stranger to leave their school. Each of the previous control group children were successful in the final simulation after participation in the program. But reteaching of the prevention program was successful for just two of the four children who had earlier failed following participation in the program. These findings document the immediate and continued benefits which may accrue from experientially based prevention programing and suggest an important research agenda to facilitate the further evolution of prevention programing and evaluation.     

Language and Educational Practice

This paper picks up and discusses issues regarding the relationship between language and practice commented upon by Michael Fielding in an earlier edition of this journal. The position taken is sympathetic to Fielding's concerns but attempts to situate the debate in a wider theoretical perspective. The basic thrust of the argument centres around two considerations: the extent to which language may be said to be partly constitutive of educational practices and a radical misconception as to the nature of education inherent in what Fielding labels 'the language of performativity'.