Acquisition and Retention of Reading Performance on Two Response Dimensions as Related to ‘Set’ and Tachistoscopic Training

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to provide support for the notion that having teachers making predictions about reading achievement gains has positive educational benefits. A comparison of the mean gain scores over a six year period for elementary school children in a remedial reading program indicated that greater gains were made in the years teachers made predictions. The results suggest that when teachers make predictions they carefully assess the academic strengths and weaknesses of each child. This assessment, combined with the selection of an appropriate instructional strategy, results in educational benefits for the students.     

Communism,anti-communism and education in Greece from the Axis occupation until the early Cold War era (1944–1967)

ABSTRACT

This study aims to examine communist education in occupied Greece (1944–1945) in combination with anti-communist education in Greece in the Cold War era (1950–1967). It discusses, on the one hand, the intentions of the Popular Liberation Front/the Greek Communist Party in establishing Slavic-Macedonian schools and their features and, on the other, it defines the characteristics of the American anti-communist educational model and its impact on the Greek one, as the redefinition of the Greek nation, the constitution of the anti-communist legislative framework, the promotion of educational reform or the need for modernisation and the demand for technological and economic progress. Finally, it evaluates both communist and anti-communist education and their consequences for Greek society.     

What can we learn from Plato about intellectual character education?

Abstract

In the Republic, Plato developed an educational program through which he trained young Athenians in desiring truth, without offering them any knowledge-education. This is not because he refused to pass on knowledge but because he considered knowledge of the Good as an ongoing research program. I show this by tracing the steps of the education of the Philosopher-Kings in Plato’s ideal state, to establish that the decades-long educational regime aims at training them in three types of virtue: (i) Moral Virtue; (ii) the Cognitive Virtue of Abstraction; (iii) the Cognitive Virtue of Debate.

Plato’s theory of education has much to teach us about intellectual character education today. The Platonic educational program does not advocate the direct transmission of knowledge from teacher to learner but rather focuses on building the learners’ epistemic dispositions. Building upon the Socratic Method, Plato’s educational program does not ‘spoon-feed’ knowledge to the learners but rather fosters the growth of intellectual virtues through problem-solving.

I explain ways in which fostering intellectual virtues through problem-solving could be applied in classrooms today. I conclude that Plato’s rigorous educational program is of definite merit for contemporary virtue education, especially since Aristotle offers us surprisingly little on how to educate for intellectual virtues.     

Biology in Community Education: a Philippine Scenario for Lifelong Education

Summaries

English

This paper describes the various activities undertaken by an educational institution as it seeks through a R & D project to improve the quality of life (and learning) in a rural community in The Philippines. Although the subject matter focus is on science education (biology), the project staff became involved in several activities which were only remotely related to biological education, but more closely related to the immediate concerns of the community; these concerns were mainly related to the economic and individual welfare. Efforts to bridge the gap between the community and classroom are described, including educational activities for adults of the community, identifying topics for in‐service seminars of teachers, educational activities for children. Some major principles of lifelong education are then reviewed, and implications to educators are then drawn.     

Small fish in a small pond: the impact of collaborative learning on academic success for less-prepared students in a highly selective STEM environment

ABSTRACT

This study examines academic outcomes for university students engaged in a supplemental peer learning program in a selective institution. Using a matched sample of 1266 students, half enrolled in the supplemental program and half not enrolled, we find that participating students on average earned higher grades in linked courses. Using a subsample of students in a chemistry course sequence, we find program participants were more likely to remain in the sequence than non-participants, and that the impact was greater for students with lower levels of preparation.     

Exploring the views and beliefs of parents of typically developing children about inclusion and inclusive education

Background: The inclusion of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SENDs) in regular classrooms has been identified as a high priority in many policy documents published by both European and international organisations. Its implementation, however, is influenced by a number of factors, some of which are directly related to the participation and attitudes of different stakeholders, including parents of typically developing children. Parents, as a social group, can act in favour of inclusion or they can support more segregated educational environments.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore, in a Greek context, the views and beliefs of parents of typically developing children about different aspects of the education of children with disabilities, with a particular focus on inclusion and inclusive education.

Method: Interviews were held with 40 Greek parents representing 40 typically developing school-aged children who were educated in six different primary education schools, from the broader area of central Greece. All of the children, at the time of the study, were educated in mainstream classes, in which an in-classroom support system was applied. Open-ended interview questions focused on parents’ views and beliefs about the implementation of inclusive educational programmes. Data were analysed according to the principles of an inductive data-driven approach.

Findings: The research findings indicate that most of the participant parents did not feel informed about specific school policy practices relevant to inclusive education; they were not aware of the notion of ‘inclusion’ or approached inclusion from an integrationist point of view. Within this context, they hold positive to neutral attitudes towards inclusion, on the basis that a child with SENDs can cope with the school requirements.

Conclusions: This small-scale, exploratory research study suggests the importance of informing and involving parents of typically developing children in efforts to promote more inclusive practices.     

Examining the comprehensive examination: Meeting educational program objectives

This article describes an alternative to the traditional method of administering the comprehensive examination, logically integrated in criminal justice educational program objectives. First, the traditional method of offering the comprehensive examination is evaluated according to its ability to satisfy the educational program goals of developing critical thinking and communication skills together with knowledge of the discipline. Bloom's Taxonomy is used as the paradigm of evaluation. Based upon the examination of available literature and the actual administration of the traditional comprehensive examination at Virginia Commonwealth University, the conclusion is reached that traditional examinations do not test beyond Bloom's first step, knowledge of terminology. The administration of the take-home comprehensive exam is then analyzed as administered at VCU and is found to better serve the educational program objectives of critical thinking and communication skills together with learning knowledge.     

Public Policies and Strategies of Actors

Abstract

A comparison of student learning outcomes between distance education and campus-based nursing students in a mental health course working toward registered nurse (RN) licensure in a baccalaureate (BS) degree program is presented. Learning outcomes were evaluated using results from a commercially developed content mastery test taken by students who completed a sophomore-level mental health course. Results utilizing independent t test analysis of archival data indicated no statistically significant differences between the distance education students and the campus-based students in either initial knowledge prior to the mental health course or in the educational effectiveness of the distance education and classroom-based delivery.     

A Model for Social Work Field Practicums in African American Churches

Abstract

In this paper the authors will give an overview of the history of the African American church, discuss the reciprocal benefits of social work educational practicums in this institution for both students and the church, and give a model for practicum learning that can be met through this arrangement.     

Auditing Educational Program Performance: A Multi-Stage Analysis of Current Student Satisfaction

ABSTRACT

Using multi-stage modeling and analysis, current student satisfaction with an educational program is assessed. A statistical model is developed to estimate students' relative importance weights for five major components of the educational-program offering. The determinants of these five major components are assessed with a second-level analysis. The regression models have high levels of statistical fit. The determinants of educational program performance are clearly identified with consequent implications for allocation of managerial effort.     

Innovating Education Through the Use of New Technologies: Reflections from the Field (Part 1)

Abstract

A series of in‐depth interviews was conducted with a sample of 65 experts on the challenges and opportunities of introducing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) into education. Interviewees were chosen for their expertise in the field, and the interviews reflect mainstream ideas and concerns on learning and learning support of the future, challenges and emerging changes at the organizational level of the educational institution, and new tasks and responsibilities for educational policy makers.     

An Overview of Community College Programs for Elderly Texans

Abstract

This report presents a summary of the program presented by 16 Texas community and junior colleges for people over age 60 during the academic year 1974–1975. This program, funded by the Governor's Committee on Aging and administered by the Coordinating Board, Texas College and University System, supported demonstration projects to improve the quality of life of elderly Texans through innovative educational activities. The development of these programs and the kind of activities made available are described. The majority of these colleges have subsequently continued programs with local funds, based on their demonstration experiences. This pilot project has helped a number of colleges in Texas enter the field of late-life education and, in turn, is helping the older residents in these communities to have an educational program of their own.     

Shadow education in Singapore: A Deweyan perspective

Abstract

This study focuses on the phenomenon of private supplementary tutoring, otherwise known as ‘shadow education’, which has proliferated around the world. By casting the spotlight on one particular shadow education institution (SEI) in Singapore and viewing it through the lens of Dewey’s educational philosophy, the study aimed to illuminate the inner workings of a SEI to shed light on its ability to thrive in a competitive educational landscape. Data were drawn from lesson observations, interviews with various stakeholders and the SEI website. Viewed through Dewey’s philosophical thinking about the connections between the child and curriculum and school and society, the data shows an institution outwardly guided by a progressivist mission to develop learners as a whole, providing opportunities for broadening their minds and preparing them for their future workplace. However, evidence also suggests that there is a fundamental focus on high-stakes examination preparation in its pedagogic practices and curricular content. This tension reflects the wider socio-economic culture in Singapore that is entrenched within a utilitarian and pragmatic paradigm while aspiring towards more humanistic and holistic educational goals.     

Quality control in distance education: The role of regional accreditation

Abstract

Presidents wanting their institutions to maintain traditional educational primacy despite necessary changes occasioned by offerings made possible through technological innovations can rely upon the quality assurance mechanisms of their regional accrediting association. This article discusses how, by augmenting traditional standards as well as the process for their application, the associations address such areas as: the admission, promotion, and graduation of students; the availability of out‐of‐class services, including information resources; the integration of distance education programming into the institution as a whole; and public communication of the expectations, process, and results of distance education programming at an accredited institution.     

Adjunct Faculty in Social Work Education

ABSTRACT

Adjunct faculty are growing in numbers and time spent instructing courses in social work programs. This paper describes one school's approach in working with and involving adjunct faculty as significant stakeholders in the overall educational program. The described program incorporates a number of ongoing activities to encourage adjunct faculty to contribute to the academic community beyond the instruction of one course. The paper also identifies additional strategies a social work program may consider to further strengthen the adjuncts? role in academia. The paper concludes with questions for social work educational programs and the Council on Social Work Education's Commission on Accreditation to recognize and define the position and function of adjunct faculty in social work education.     

Satisfaction with Business Education: A Comparison of Business Students and Their Parents

ABSTRACT

The study examined relationships between ratings of college services and program quality among 57 pairs of parents and students. The study revealed that the relationships between parent and student ratings of the institution were relatively small. However, parents who believed that they had greater influence over student choice of institution were more satisfied with the institution. Satisfaction also was associated with amount of parental contribution to payment of tuition and fees. Marketing implications for universities are indicated.     

The Changing Demographic Landscape of the Nation: Perspectives on College Opportunities for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

Abstract

With the rapidly changing demography of the United States, there is a need for greater attention to expanding opportunities and reducing barriers to education for all. This article focuses on one of the nation's fastest-growing immigrant groups—Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). A case study of a program at a community college shows the importance of developing educational practices and policies that support the unique needs and challenges of low-income AAPI students.     

Researching Teaching Methodologies in the Classroom

ABSTRACT

This paper presents the findings of a research project comparing the effectiveness of two teaching models used in a graduate social work practice course. Two teaching methodologies, the lecture/discussion model and the cooperative learning model, were used in two separate sections of Foundations of Social Work Practice, a first semester graduate course in the MSW program at a large public university.

A pretest/posttest comparison group model was used. One section of this course used a cooperative learning model while the other used the lecture/discussion model. Both sections spent the same amount of time on the material in the knowledge questionnaire and administered the posttest and follow-up on the same date. T-test and effect size statistics were used which demonstrated the greater efficacy of the cooperative learning model, particularly on long term retention of information.

In the course of describing the teaching models used in the study, the cooperative learning model and its history is discussed in some detail. It is expected that after this introduction many social work educators will be motivated to use the model in their own classrooms.

This paper further serves as a model for how instructors can effectively conduct small scale research in their own academic setting. It is an example of how educational research can be done expeditiously and with limited resources.     

A call to action: exploring and responding to educational developers’ workplace burnout and well-being in higher education

ABSTRACT

There is a gap in research exploring stress, burnout, and well-being within the context of educational development. The purpose of this study was to examine the concepts of burnout and workplace well-being among educational developers across the international landscape. Thematic analysis from the survey responses (n = 210) revealed characteristics around four themes that both enhanced or hindered participants’ sense of well-being: a) colleagues, b) manager/director, c) institution/senior administration, and d) workplace. Our findings highlight the need to further amplify conversations related to burnout, as well as examine and promote workplace well-being for educational developers.