Performing desires: The dilemma of aspirations and educational attainment

The authors critique the mechanistic notion of aspirations running through much research and policy‐making on educational and vocational outcomes. They present a performative model, with individuals drawing on limited social resources to express aspirations within constrained contexts. This argument is illustrated by discussion of the findings of large‐scale empirical investigation of the aspirations of 490 young people in three UK schools. Five themes from this analysis are presented and it is argued that these need to be explored in order to enrich and expand our understanding of young people's expression of aspirations.     

Educating Teachers for the Information Era

Abstract

This paper seeks to summarize efforts made by the Faculty of Education of the University of Macau to inculcate computer literacy in teachers in Macau in preparation for the information era. Based on one programme of study proposed by the National Research Center for Computers in Education in Primary and Secondary Schools, the paper summarizes the course objectives, as well as the concepts and skills required to ensure sustainable development of information technology in China. To educate teachers throughinformation technology, it is envisaged that two kinds of activities are required: (1) construction of web‐based learning environments, (2) multimedia courseware authoring.     

Exploring the Characteristics and Diverse Sources of Students’ Mental Models of Acids and Bases

This study was part of a 6‐year integrated project designed to build a databank of students’ science conceptions in Taiwan. The main purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of students’ mental models regarding acids/bases, understand their changes in mental models, and explore sources that might influence students in constructing models. The study involved 38 ninth‐grade students, focusing on three high‐achieving students as well as three low‐achieving students who were interviewed thoroughly. The results show that students mainly adhered to the Phenomenon Model, the Character‐Symbol Model, the Inference Model, and the Scientific Model. Also, it is possible to draw a parallel between the characteristics of some models and various models of acidity in the history of science. The results also show differences in mental models and the weights of sources influencing high‐achieving and low‐achieving students. Evidence for the weight of sources is not consistent with the findings reported in other studies. We also discuss the implications for teaching and curriculum design.     

Methodological and Ethical Dilemmas in International Research: school attendance and gender in Ghana

abstract

The paper considers questions of ethics and methodology in international research. An action research project designed for Ghana/UNICEF as part of a consultancy on school attendance is used as a case‐study from which to examine the ethical dilemmas facing consultants and their clients in educational research carried out as part of international aid. Ethical dilemmas of resourcing, ownership, accountability and self‐interest are discussed by the English consultants. It thus has a double purpose. It both contributes to research on school attendance, and also furthers debate about methodology and constraints on it.