The system of education in Sweden: An outline and review

Abstract

Part of the rationale for the use of ICT in schools is the need to ensure that some sectors of society are not placed at an advantage as a result of unequal access to ICT. Taking this rationale as its starting point, this paper examines the patterns of equipment, access and use of ICT in Irish schools. The paper draws on data from two census surveys of ICT in Irish schools, conducted in 1998 and 2000. Patterns emerging from the data suggest that the young people most at risk of falling on the wrong side of the digital divide may be in relatively well‐equipped schools. However, there remain patterns of access and type of use that give rise to cause for concern.     

Higher Education in a World of Radical Unknowability: An extension of the challenge of Ronald Barnett

The purpose of this paper is to explore the pedagogical implications of Ronald Barnett's claim that teaching in higher education must confront, celebrate and augment a world of radical unknowability. In examining Barnett's body of work, significant reference is made to the insights of Martin Buber and Paulo Freire in relation to Barnett's conceptualisation of potentiality and dialogue. It is argued that a consideration of these ideas in the former philosophers' work extends and clarifies the challenges inherent for tertiary teachers who are dedicated to transform students' understanding of and capacity to change their relationships within the world. The fusion of these theorists elicits a powerful and motivating challenge for those working in higher learning to engage with diverse forms of thought, action and reflection in a rigorous and dialogical process, a process necessarily underpinned by the qualities of risk, strength and courage.     

A Pedagogy of Trust in Higher Learning

This paper develops and defends a notion of trust in higher learning, and examines the pedagogical challenges of its pursuit within the sphere of higher education. It argues that the experience of trust between teachers and students is a necessary foundation for a critical, dialogical learning environment, yet it is a pursuit and sensation that can be imperiled by many of the demands and restrictions placed upon teachers in higher education. This discussion is of a philosophical nature with the aim of providing a perspective on a concept that has often been neglected in recent educational debate.     

Elite formation in the higher education systems of Ireland and the UK: Measuring,comparing and decomposing longitudinal patterns of cabinet members

The role of higher education systems in the formation and reproduction of governing elites, and their countervailing potential for the creation of a more egalitarian, or meritocratic, society, has been an enduring subject of concern, debate and research. Many of these debates are made all the more difficult by our inability to directly compare elite formation systems within and between countries and over time. To resolve these problems, this paper employs elite formation quantitative indices to directly and transparently compare elite formation systems, namely the role of higher education systems in political elite formation over three quarters of a century in two countries. Specifically, the paper compares the influence, exclusiveness and eliteness of the Irish and British higher education systems in the production of their respective governing political elites in the 75 years between 1937 and 2012.     

Feedback seeking in children and adolescents: associations with self-perceptions,attachment representations,and depression

Because the feedback children and adolescents receive is important to their development, 2 experimental studies were designed to examine children's (M = 12 years) and adolescents' (M = 17 years) active selection of the quality of feedback they wish to receive. In both studies evidence emerged that participants' self-perceptions influence their feedback seeking. Participants with positive self-perceptions sought more positive feedback than participants with negative self-perceptions and sought more positive feedback than expected by chance. Participants with negative self-perceptions lacked this tendency to seek positive feedback and sometimes sought less positive feedback than expected by chance. As expected, depression and attachment-related measures were also associated with participants' feedback seeking. Contributions of feedback-seeking patterns to stability and change in children's and adolescents' development are discussed.     

An investigation of the Stroop effect among deaf signers in English and Japanese: automatic processing or memory retrieval?

Most studies on the Stroop effect (unintentional automatic word processing) have been restricted to English speakers using vocal responses. Little is known about this effect with deaf signers. The study compared Stroop task responses among four different samples: deaf participants from a Japanese-language environment and from an English-language environment; and hearing individuals from Japan and from Australia. Color words were prepared in both English and Japanese and were presented in three conditions: congruent (e.g., the word red printed in red), incongruent (e.g., red printed in blue), and neutral. The magnitude of the effect was greater with the deaf participants than with the hearing participants. The deaf individuals experienced more interference in English than in Japanese.     

Screening systems and decision making at the preschool level: Application of a comprehensive validity framework

Universal screening is designed to be an efficient method for identifying preschool students with mental health problems, but prior to use, screening systems must be evaluated to determine their appropriateness within a specific setting. In this article, an evidence‐based validity framework is applied to four screening systems for identifying preschool students with mental health problems. The framework is influenced by the most recent standards for educational and psychological testing, research on test accessibility, and considerations for evaluating screening systems. Suggestions are provided for evaluating the accessibility (Step 1), reliability (Step 2), construct validity (Step 3), and consequential validity (Step 4) of an instrument. Other factors for consideration (i.e., developmental stage, incremental validity, and generalizability) are also identified. Special attention is given to conditional probability indices, which are highly relevant to evaluation of screening systems, given the dichotomous nature of decision making in preschool mental health. The authors suggest that this framework be used, along with specification of the construct of interest and characteristics of the environment, to identify the appropriate method to be used for each preschool screening decision. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

What are “Complex Case Discussions” and how do they impact on key-workers?

Previous research has not focussed on defining the abstract, transferable processes which make ongoing consultation successful. This study aimed to explore and define the nature and impact of weekly consultations, or “Complex Case Discussions” (CCDs), with key-workers from two family intervention projects which were facilitated by educational psychologists (EPs) within one local authority (LA). Semi-structured interviews were carried out with key-workers. These were first transcribed and then analysed using thematic analysis. The themes identified fell into three overarching themes: “Process”, “People” and “Impact”. CCDs may lead to a quicker turnaround of families and to more sustainable changes. The key, transferable processes which make CCDs successful and valuable were identified as: time, hypothesising, a tailored approach and questioning assumptions. Due to the small-scale nature of this study, future research may look to apply these principles more widely and evaluate the impact of doing so.