Institutional Practices and the Cultural Construction of Primary School Teaching in Botswana

This paper is based on a study which explores links between the interactional order of the Botswana primary classroom-frequently dominated by whole-class recitation routines-and the wider social order, which includes highly centralised control of the education system. Drawing on ethnographic observation, I argue that the institutional structures and practices of schools and training colleges are important-but covert-contributors to teachers' understanding of their professional roles. Firstly I describe the internal social structuring of two primary schools, the social hierarchy among those who work and learn there, and the cultural distance between the schools and their communities. Then I discuss the institutional practices of the primary teacher training colleges in Botswana, arguing that these do not challenge concepts of teaching already internalised by trainees. Such concepts include the authority of teachers, the use of English as a symbol of that authority, and the value placed on memorisation of knowledge for display.     

A Profession in Search of Professionals

By following the criteria that historically have been outlined to define a profession, counseling has now clearly reached that status.     

Counseling Self-Efficacy and Counseling Competence in Prepracticum Training

Counseling self-efficacy and counseling skills were examined over time in a graduate prepracticum class. Efficacy increased with training, but its relationship to performance of skills was weak.     

Human Sexuality Instruction in Counselor Education Curricula

The authors sent a questionnaire assessing curricula on sexual counseling to chairpersons of all counselor education programs in the United States. Results show the current status of sexuality instruction for counselors.     

Strategies for Implementing Marriage and Family Counselor Training in Counselor Education Programs

Three models for implementing marriage and family counseling training are presented: community counseling, interdisciplinary, and Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Related conceptual and pragmatic issues are identified and discussed.     

The Effect of Inference Training on Skilled and Less Skilled Comprehenders

This paper assess the impact of introducing inference training to skilled and less skilled comprehenders. Children aged between 6 years 6 months and 9 years 11 months, classified as skilled or less skilled comprehenders, were instructed on how to make inferences from and generate questions about a text over a period of six sessions. Comparison groups of skilled and less skilled comprehenders were trained in standard comprehension strategies. The less skilled group showed a significantly greater improvement than the skilled group, regardless of the training given, but inference training was significantly more effective than standard comprehension strategies in the less skilled group. Seven out of ten less skilled readers who were inference trained increased their performance sufficiently to become classified as skilled comprehenders, whilst four out of ten less skilled comprehenders taught standard comprehension strategies improved to the same level. It is concluded that the value of explicitly teaching children inferential skills is that the enjoyment of the task of reading is enhanced and is therefore more likely to be undertaken readily, even by pupils who may have initially found reading difficult.