Face-to-face contact in blended learning for intercultural education: the role of teachers

In societies experiencing or emerging from conflict, teachers often deliver educational programmes designed to build community cohesion. We report on research which examined teachers’ views of the implementation of a programme involving both face-to-face and online contact between pupils. Findings suggest that this blended approach is highly motivational, enhancing online work and relationship building. The research underlines the importance of the political, educational and historical context for work of this sort and the impact this has on the particular blend of online and face-to-face interaction. Implications for policymakers and teachers include value for money and sustainability of blended intercultural education in similar contexts.     

Recruiting older adults as participants in applied social research: Applying and evaluating approaches from clinical studies

While issues of recruiting older persons in clinical trials are well known, efficacious strategies in the recruitment process in applied social research are less explored. As more research becomes community-based, it is useful to see, if effective clinical-trial recruitment strategies can be applied to social and applied research studies. The goal of this article is to examine clinical recruitment strategies used with older adults (e.g. print and electronic advertising, referrals, and community-partnered approaches) in applied social research studies and to illustrate issues arising from the use of each recruitment approach with older adults in real-life settings. Experiences from four community-based, social research studies are included to show how some of the most successful clinical recruitment strategies fare in social gerontological studies. Specific guidelines are provided about how recruitment strategies can aid in future study planning and improved recruitment of older participants in social research.     

The operation of grade retention and educational inequality: who gets retained in Macao and why?

While the existence of a class, gender, or ethnic gap in educational attainment is well documented for many societies, how the practice of grade retention contributes to these patterns of educational inequality has been inadequately addressed. Given that grade retention is commonly practised in Macao, Macao is used as a case for illustration. Using data from PISA 2009 and a qualitative research project, we seek to demonstrate how inadequate state regulation could make possible the manipulation of grade retention institutionally and individually in Macao. This, in turn, illustrates how the specific contextualized structural operation of grade retention could serve as a mechanism for social differentiation and thus play a role in contributing to the observed educational inequality.     

‘It's more flexible’: persistence of women engineers in the academy

The under-representation of women in engineering is an issue of concern for policy-makers. While much of the existing literature has focussed on understanding reasons for women's under-representation in engineering and related technical fields, there is a paucity of research that examines why women who are already in engineering persist. This study aims to answer the question, why do women engineers in academe persist in a discipline that is generally perceived to be inhospitable to women. Three main challenges, namely gender discrimination, lack of institutional and disciplinary support, and the rigid nature of the workplace, emerged as key impediments to women engineers in the private sector. In contrast, women engineers in the academy identified the flexibility offered by academic environments, the presence of personal support networks, and a passion for teaching and students as critical factors that influenced their decision to remain in academia.     

Creating a learner-centered teaching environment using student choice in assignments

Learner-centered teaching (LCT) has been found to be a more effective pedagogy for online students, as traditional teaching methods do not work well in online courses. Professors in an upper-level technology management class revised their online introductory course to incorporate cafeteria-style grading. This LCT approach allowed students to select assignments they wanted to complete. More assignments were offered than needed to achieve an A grade. They included traditional projects such as research papers as well as more engaged activities such as demonstrating or mastering skills. To determine whether these changes promoted active learning, course data were obtained and analyzed. Students completed a range of assignments, showed mastery on a number of skills, and were overwhelmingly positive about having flexible options. Tellingly, 36% of students completed more assignments than were needed to earn the top grade.     

Relationships between reading comprehension and its components in young Chinese-as-a-second-language learners

Based on the Simple View of Reading model, this study examines the relationships among Chinese reading comprehension and its two componential processes, Chinese character reading and listening comprehension, in young learners of Chinese as a second language (CSL) using a longitudinal design. Using relevant measures, a sample of 142 senior primary ethnic minority students in Hong Kong was assessed twice a year. The results of regression analyses showed that character reading and listening comprehension could together account for a significant portion of the variance in reading comprehension at grades 4 and 5 both concurrently and predictively. Subsequently, a trivariate, cross-lagged path model was specified to evaluate the relationships among these variables after controlling for their autoregressive effects. The study identifies statistically significant and unique contributions of character reading and listening comprehension to reading comprehension; further, it finds reciprocal relationships between reading comprehension and its componential processes. Moreover, the two componential processes themselves are significantly related across grades 4 and 5. Apart from supporting the predictive influence of character reading and listening comprehension on reading comprehension, the findings of this study reveal how Chinese language comprehension and literacy development are interrelated in young CSL learners.     

Patterns of participation in year 9 academic testing and factors predicting absence on the day of test

Policies aiming to improve educational outcomes are typically based on academic testing data. However, such data only reflect the performance of students who completed the tests. It is possible that students who were absent have shared characteristics. The proportion of students absent out of all eligible school students and whether they have shared characteristics has not been investigated, as this is only possible through the use of linked administrative data. Participants were born in Western Australia in 1994 and 1995, and their birth records were linked to participation status in the Year 9 academic tests to determine the proportion of students who were absent. Logistic regression was conducted to investigate characteristics which predicted absence on test day. A proportion of non-Aboriginal (3.2 %) and Aboriginal students (21.9 %) were absent on test day. Risk factors which predicted the absence included contact with Child Protection and Family Services, history of maternal mental health problems, and fathers aged below 20 years at the time of their child’s birth. A significant proportion of students was absent and therefore not represented in academic achievement information. These students were more likely to have experienced adverse events and therefore are not randomly absent. As these data are typically used to inform policies which aim to improve educational outcomes, they may lack the necessary information to adequately address the complex needs of students who are absent on test day. However, findings suggest that service providers, as well as schools may play an important role in encouraging participation in school.     

The disposition of concern: an exploration into the affects of the power-knowledge dynamics uncovered during research into pupils’ perceptions of terrorism

In recent years, counter-terrorism measures have become incorporated into the UK education system, with the latest 2015 Counter-Terrorism and Security Act expanding on previous government policy by making it mandatory for schools to be actively involved with counter-terrorism measures [Clause 21, H.M. Government 2015. Counter-Terrorism and Security Act. London: Crown Copyright, 18]. However, during my research into pupils’ perceptions of terrorism, I discovered that conducting such discussions within the classroom setting were restricted from the outset. These findings are useful in demonstrating the difficulties facing those expected to deliver government policy and highlight how education researchers (and teachers) need to be aware of certain considerations prior to engaging in such sensitive subject matter with young people. This article provides an overview of my findings in this regard and demonstrates the complexities associated with discussing the topic of terrorism, in particular it’s relationship with religion, within schools. By using Foucault’s philosophical insights into power-knowledge [[1975] 1991. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. London: Penguin] to analyse this data, I discovered a common trait, which I categorized as ‘the disposition of concern’, that affected and restricted the scope of such discussions.     

Application of a transversal laguerre network in adaptive equalization

Synchronous data transmission systems that transmit information over dispersive channels often employ adaptive equalization techniques in the processing of the received signals. Most equalizers presently used in communication systems are of the tapped delay line (TDL) type. In this paper, we propose a class of adaptive equalizers of which the TDL equalizer is a member. Another interesting member of this class is the Laguerre adaptive equalizer which is to be introduced in this paper. The configuration of the Laguerre equalizer is developed. It is found, as shown by the examples, that the Laguerre equalizer is more accurate, and is less sensitive to timing error than the conventional TDL equalizer.     

The development of reading interest and its relation to reading ability

The development of interest in reading and its relationship to reading ability was examined longitudinally in 117 children in Grades 1–3. Interest in reading was measured by eight items from the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey. Less able readers had lower interest in reading, but their development was parallel to that of more able readers. Interest in reading in Grade 1 was weakly correlated with Grade 3 reading ability, but correlations were lower for interest measured in Grades 2 and 3. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated weak and inconsistent effects of reading interest on reading ability after controlling general cognitive ability, SES, phonological awareness and naming speed. It is concluded that interest in reading has only a weak relationship to reading ability in the early elementary years, and that much of that relationship overlaps with the effects of other more powerful predictors.