Towards new teacher education models ∗

In 1977 more than 2500 Israeli student‐teacher applicants were tested on a variety of cognitive and affective measures. Based on multivariate analytical techniques, the results showed three selection phases:

1. Self‐selection by the potential teacher for the vocation, characterized by a conservative modal personality.

2. Admission by the teacher‐training program, when the more able students are accepted.

3. Election, once admitted, to undergo the course of instruction. This phase cancels cognitive ability differences apparent in the admission phase; and elevates personality traits of a conforming and a conservative type, as the most discriminatory modality between future teachers and those who elected not to become teachers. The findings are discussed in terms of a type‐placement model.

     

Personality characteristics differentiating and predicting the achievement of televised‐course students and traditional‐course students 1

Abstract

A large‐scale field study was conducted to 1) determine if the personality traits of students enrolled in televised college‐level courses differ from the personality traits of students enrolled in traditional college‐level courses and 2) identify the specific personality traits predictive of successful performance in televised classes. Results showed that students enrolled in telecourses do have a unique personality profile and that certain traits predicted success for these students. Implications of these results are discussed.     

Capacity building for gender‐sensitive agricultural extension planning in Ethiopia

Abstract

This article concerns capacity building for gender‐sensitive agricultural extension planning in a two‐year FAO pilot project at the Ministry of Agriculture of Ethiopia. The aim of the paper is to review and analyse the capacity‐building process, drawing out the lessons learned, regarding both ‘best practice’ and challenges faced. The author was engaged fully in the project for its two‐years duration and this study is a reflection of that experience. The project involved training extension staff in both participatory rural appraisal and gender analysis to ensure more client‐oriented extension planning. It is concluded that the use of the experiential learning cycle in capacity building, the reliance on participatory management and implementation styles, networking and the mainstreaming of the project within the Extension Department constitute ‘best practice’. Four challenges to the project's success are reviewed. They are, the difficulty of institutionalising the process within the short time‐scale of the project, the necessity of involving policy‐makers at all stages and levels, the need to raise gender awareness amongst rural men and women and the importance of addressing women's lack of decision‐making power.     

Personality Traits Are Associated With Cortical Development Across Adolescence: A Longitudinal Structural MRI Study

How personality traits relate to structural brain changes in development is an important but understudied question. In this study, cortical thickness (CT) and surface area (SA), estimated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), were investigated in 99 participants aged 8–19 years. Follow‐up MRI data were collected after on average 2.6 years for 74 individuals. The Big Five personality traits were related to longitudinal regional CT or SA development, but limited cross‐sectional relations were observed. Conscientiousness, emotional stability, and imagination were associated with more age‐expected cortical thinning over time. The results suggest that the substantial individual variability observed in personality traits may partly be explained by cortical maturation across adolescence, implying a developmental origin for personality–brain relations observed in adults.     

大学城中校园规划建设用地指标分析

通过分析1992年国家颁布的《普通高等学校建筑规划面积指标》(简称《规划指标》）,研讨大学城中高校校园规划建设用地面积。认为只要有效地利用地形,科学规划,1992年的《规划指标》总体上还是可以满足大学城中各高校校园规划建设需求,且有一定的发展弹性,只是在规划用地时必须对该《规划指标》进行分区分解,并根据现实需求予以适当调整;不同的建设区域应与时俱进地采用不同的建筑容积率指标。     

Curriculum design for inquiry: Preservice elementary teachers' mobilization and adaptation of science curriculum materials

Curriculum materials are crucial tools with which teachers engage students in science as inquiry. In order to use curriculum materials effectively, however, teachers must develop a robust capacity for pedagogical design, or the ability to mobilize a variety of personal and curricular resources to promote student learning. The purpose of this study was to develop a better understanding of the ways in which preservice elementary teachers mobilize and adapt existing science curriculum materials to plan inquiry‐oriented science lessons. Using quantitative methods, we investigated preservice teachers' curriculum design decision‐making and how their decisions influenced the inquiry orientations of their planned science lessons. Findings indicate that preservice elementary teachers were able to accurately assess how inquiry‐based existing curriculum materials are and to adapt them to make them more inquiry‐based. However, the inquiry orientations of their planned lessons were in large part determined by how inquiry‐oriented curriculum materials they used to plan their lessons were to begin with. These findings have important implications for the design of teacher education experiences that foster preservice elementary teachers' pedagogical design capacities for inquiry, as well as the development of inquiry‐based science curriculum materials that support preservice and beginning elementary teachers to engage in effective science teaching practice. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47:820–839, 2010     

A mass observation study of student and teacher behaviour in British primary classrooms

A large scale observational study by educational psychologists of 141 UK primary classrooms used a partial interval time‐sampling observational schedule to record the frequency and type of verbal behaviour of teachers and whether students were “on‐task” (following the teacher’s directions) or “off‐task” (not following the teacher’s directions).

Results were analysed and comparisons made between lessons that followed National Literacy Strategy or Numeracy guidelines and those that did not; between schools from different geographical contexts, e.g. rural or inner‐city; between classes where there was one, or more than one, adult present; between schools with different percentages of free school meals; and between a.m. and p.m. lessons.

A range of findings included higher rates of students being on‐task than found by previous studies, and correlations between high on‐task rates and teachers who used high levels of verbal behaviour including positive academic feedback. Teachers used three times more verbal approval for desired social behaviour in the classroom than has been reported in previous studies. It was found that teachers verbally interacted more with students during National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy lessons but that this did not lead to statistically significantly higher on‐task rate. Similarly, teachers in inner‐city schools interacted more with students, but on‐task rates in inner‐city schools were not significantly higher. Reasons for this effect are discussed.     

Stability and correlates of student evaluations of teaching at a Chinese university

This paper examines the stability and validity of a student evaluations of teaching (SET) instrument used by the administration at a university in the PR China. The SET scores for two semesters of courses taught by 435 teachers were collected. Total 388 teachers (170 males and 218 females) were also invited to fill out the 60‐item NEO Five‐Factor Inventory together with a demographic information questionnaire. The SET responses were found to have very high internal consistency and confirmatory factor analysis supported a one‐factor solution. The SET re‐test correlations were .62 for both the teachers who taught the same course (n = 234) and those who taught a different course in the second semester (n = 201). Linguistics teachers received higher SET scores than either social science or humanities or science and technology teachers. Student ratings were significantly related to Neuroticism and Extraversion. Regression results showed that the Big‐Five personality traits as a group explained only 2.6% of the total variance of student ratings and academic discipline explained 12.7% of the total variance of student ratings. Overall the stability and validity of SET was supported and future uses of SET scores in the PR China are discussed.     

The Roles of Maternal Psychopathic Traits,Maternal Antisocial Personality Traits,and Parenting in the Development of Child Psychopathic Traits

Objective. The development of psychopathic traits in children has been largely understudied compared with the etiology of these traits in adults; therefore, this study aims to elucidate factors that may be involved in the development of psychopathic traits in childhood. Design. The potential impact of maternal personality traits on parenting practices and child personality were examined. Specifically, statistical relations were examined among maternal psychopathic traits, maternal antisocial personality traits, and child psychopathic traits, and the role of parenting as a potential mediator and/or moderator of these relations within an all-male sample (N = 75) between the ages of 7 and 11 years. Results. Parenting mediated the relation between maternal antisocial personality traits and child psychopathic traits, but not the relation between maternal and child psychopathic traits. In addition, positive parenting interacted statistically with maternal psychopathic traits, such that maternal and child psychopathic traits were related only when positive parenting practices were lacking. Conclusion. These findings support the consideration of parenting as a point of intervention in the prevention of childhood psychopathic traits.     

How teacher education students cope with practicum concerns

Abstract

Student teacher stress during practicum experiences has generated interest across teacher education programs. However, there is very little research on the sources of support students draw on to help them cope with practicum stresses. This study sought data directly from the students to represent the student perspective. Students ranked their five most important sources of support for coping, and they noted the strategies they used to cope with practicum stresses. Students consistently reported that seeking support from the teacher was their primary coping strategy. This finding suggests that an effective student‐supervising teacher relationship is critical for student practicum success. Differences emerged between the most and least stressed students in terms of their reported use of coping strategies. Implications of the findings for teacher education programs are addressed.     

THE CLASSIFICATION OF ABILITIES

Sixth‐form students who had expressed varying degrees of commitment to entering teaching as a career reported on their knowledge of the teaching profession, their expectations for teacher training and on their own educational experiences. By the time they had entered the sixth form most had developed quite sophisticated views about the profession and about their own potential to become effective teachers.

A warm and approachable personality was seen as the most important characteristic of the good primary teacher, while for the secondary teacher, subject matter competence was emphasized. Students planning to enter teaching saw themselves, already, as warm and approachable, but felt that their training would have a great effect on their general level of competence, and indeed on their confidence. At their chosen college of education, they anticipated too much ‘educational theory’ and not enough on ‘methods of teaching’ or teaching practice.

Most students who planned to teach had had a reasonable amount of prior experience in one of a wide range of teaching settings. This appeared to have had a beneficial effect, especially for those enrolled in formal work experience programmes.     

Child maltreatment and risk behaviors: The roles of callous/unemotional traits and conscientiousness

Child maltreatment poses significant risk to the development of callous/unemotional traits as well as risk behaviors such as engaging in violence, having sex with strangers, and binge drinking. In the current study, the indirect pathway from child maltreatment to risk behaviors was examined via callous/unemotional traits; whereas the conscientious personality trait was tested as a moderator of this indirect pathway. Young adults and parents (N = 361; M_age = 19.14, SD = 1.44) completed questionnaires on child maltreatment histories, callousness/unemotional traits, personality characteristics, and risk behaviors. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the hypothesized direct, indirect and conditional indirect effects. Findings showed indirect links between the child maltreatment latent factor and physical fighting, having sex with strangers, and binge drinking via callous/unemotional traits. Furthermore, the conscientiousness personality type significantly buffered the connection between callous/unemotional traits and physical fighting, supporting a conditional indirect effects. Callous/unemotional traits are important factors in the underlying mechanism between child maltreatment and risk behaviors among young adults, and conscientiousness serves as a protective factor against violence. Preventive intervention programs and clinicians may benefit from focusing in addressing callous/unemotional traits among youth who report childhood maltreatment experiences as well as targeting conscientiousness as a protective factor.     

Simon S.I.O.

Abstract

How many students with epilepsy need help in basic skills, and if so, how much? This paper looks at communicating with those outside the school who are concerned with the student, those within the school, and with the most underrated resource ‐ the student himself/herself.

However helpful these resources are, the teacher has to cope alone at least some of the time. Most students with epilepsy who are in mainstream classes also cope alone. Regarding academic learning, some students have to cope with the effects of epilepsy and/or medication on alertness, on the processing of information, on attention and memory, and on distractibility.

The resulting teaching strategies are similar to those applying to students without epilepsy, whether of greater or less ability.     

Career adaptability and associations with personality traits and pathological traits utilizing network analysis

This study investigated relationships between career adaptability and personality and pathological traits using the network analysis approach. We administered CAAS, BFI-2-S, and IDCP-2 to 630 working adults. We observed positive associations between personality and career adaptability and negative associations between pathological traits and career adaptability. This paper contributes to the understanding of the associations between career adaptability and Big Five personality traits and pathological traits. We found stronger associations between career adaptability and personality traits as compared to pathological traits. Our findings suggest that Neuroticism and Conscientiousness contribute more to adaptation to professional development tasks than do pathological traits.

     

Rural Self Employment Initiatives for Young People: Experience with ‘Instant Muscle’ groups in Somerset,England 1983‐1986.

Abstract

Instant Muscle odd‐job service groups, run on co‐operative lines, were seen as a potentially suitable model for those rural areas and small towns in Somerset with particular youth unemployment problems. The Community Education Service of the LEA played the major role in resource and staff time provision in the establishing of one pilot group and later others around the county. Organisational, financial and practical problems were encountered, partly as a result of the inexperience of those joining and organizing groups. Other problems were those common to small business start‐ups, particularly in the volatile ‘odd jobs’ sector. The change in emphasis by Instant Muscle to the encouragement of self employment/small business ideas, together with a locally‐based part time MSC funded advisor has helped revamp the initiative, to take its place alongside other local and national initiatives. The establishment of a Somerset Enterprise Network (SEN) will serve as a forum to exchange ideas and offer support and encouragement to the variety of initiatives planned or underway.     

Improving educational outcomes & reducing absenteeism at remote villages with mobile technology and WhatsAPP: Findings from rural India

Reduction of teacher and student absenteeism, together with consistent teacher support and training, are critical factors in improving the quality of education in rural India. As part of an ongoing project involving schools and educational centers in rural areas spread across 21 Indian states, this study investigated how implementation of two simple, accessible technologies could not only reduce absenteeism but also increase teachers’ effectiveness and improve student performance. In addition to students and teachers, key stakeholders included educational coordinators who provided support and monitoring regarding use of WhatsApp and two additional apps designed specifically to support simple educational improvements. In our study we coded and analyzed nine months of messages (n?=?8968), both photographs and texts, posted by 26 participants. The number of text messages related to attendance was strongly positively correlated with frequency of interactions between coordinators and teachers. Our approach resulted in increased teacher and student attendance, as well as improvements in lessons and other planned educational activities. This model functions well in rural settings where there is poor internet connectivity and lack of supporting infrastructure. Remote schools can easily adopt this tablet-based model to reduce teacher absenteeism, improve teaching techniques, improve educational resources, and increase student performance.     

Who dares to disconnect in the age of uncertainty? Teachers’ recesses and ‘off‐the‐clock’ work

In 1999, all student teachers at secondary I level at the University of Bern who had to undertake an internship were asked to participate in a study on learning processes during practicum: 150 students and their mentors in three types of practicum participated—introductory practicum (after the first half‐year of studies), intermediate practicum (after two years of studies) and final practicum (after three years of studies). At the end of the practicum, student teachers and mentors completed questionnaires on preparing, teaching and post‐processing lessons. All student teachers, additionally, rated their professional skills and aspects of personality (attitudes towards pupils, self‐assuredness and well‐being) before and after the practicum. Forty‐six student teachers wrote daily semi‐structured diaries about essential learning situations during their practicum.

Results indicate that in each practicum students improved significantly in preparing, conducting and post‐processing lessons. The mentors rated these changes as being greater than did the student teachers. From the perspective of the student teachers their general teaching skills also improved, and their attitudes toward pupils became more open. Furthermore, during practicum their self‐esteem and subjective well‐being increased. Diary data confirmed that there are no differences between different levels of practicum in terms of learning outcomes, but give some first insight into different ways of learning during internship.     

The New Right and the national curriculum: State control or market forces? 1

This paper takes as its starting point an apparent tension within the Education Reform Act between its imposition of a national curriculum and its stress elsewhere on parental choice and market forces in determining the shape of the school system. The paper then explores differences within the New Right over the issue of the school curriculum, but also points to ways in which neo‐liberal and neo‐conservative positions may ultimately be reconcilable. However, it also suggests that neither position may prove entirely attractive to the government's industrial sponsors who wish the curriculum to be more responsive to the needs of industry. The paper then draws on the findings of a recent research project on school choice to consider some possible consequences of allowing market forces to determine the nature of the curriculum. In conclusion, it stresses the importance of seeing the national curriculum within its broader structural context and notes that there are important lessons to be drawn from the approaches taken by both the tendencies identified within New Right thinking about the curriculum.

     

Teaching of Mandarin in an English Comprehensive School: A case study

A group of English children in a rural comprehensive are learning Mandarin, taught by a Chinese teacher. This article describes the background to this development and follows three cohorts of students, giving the pupils' views about learning Chinese and why they chose it. As a psychologist who has interests in education and who is also a part-time student of Chinese, the author welcomed the chance to share the pupils' experience. In the final cohort, sensation-seeking tendencies and intellectual achievement responsibility were investigated as personality traits which may influence a child's choice of foreign language study.