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.     

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.     

The effects of conscious processing on golf putting proficiency and kinematics

Abstract

Researchers have suggested that skill performance deteriorates when people try to exert conscious control over automatic actions. Unfortunately, little is known about the effects of different types of conscious processing on skilled performance by expert athletes. We conducted two experiments to address this issue. Experiment 1 investigated the influence of a specific form of conscious control (making technical adjustments to a stroke) on the putting skills of expert golfers. The expert golfers maintained putting proficiency (i.e. number of putts holed) when making technical adjustments. However, this form of conscious processing altered the timing and consistency of golfers' putting strokes. Experiment 2 compared the influence of technical adjustments and conscious monitoring (paying attention to the execution of the stroke) on expert golfers' putting skills. Technical adjustments had no disruptive influence on expert golfers' putting proficiency but did reduce the consistency of their strokes. However, conscious monitoring was found to impair putting proficiency. The implications of the work for theory and future work are discussed.