Contextualising the career pathways of women principals in Hong Kong: a critical examination

The fields of gender and educational leadership have been enriched recently by analyses of national case studies from non-western contexts. By contextualising women’s career development, these studies highlight the importance of including experiences other than those generated from Anglo-American-Australian contexts, thus broadening our knowledge base for more nuanced theorisation in the field. This paper contributes a close examination of the career histories of eight female primary school principals in Hong Kong. Our analyses identify a range of facilitators, including the expansion of promotion opportunities, strong values placed on education and training, professional encouragement and support and help in relieving family responsibilities. Valuable these factors may be, but we argue that they are incidental, informal, familial and individual, and incur the costs of burn-out and guilt. The discussion not only underlines the significance of case study and cultural and contextual specificities, it also provides a nuanced understanding of Chinese patriarchy.     

Influences on Computer‐based Problem Solving: help facilities,intrinsic orientation,gender and home computing

Abstract Microcomputer aided instruction often provides pupils with a means of obtaining assistance. The findings of an initial study suggested that experience on a microcomputer task with a help facility does not necessarily lead to improved performance. The frequent use of a help facility was associated with poorer concurrent performance and was associated with poorer performance when the help facility was no longer available. The possibility that the effects of the help facility were confounded by other variables led to a second controlled investigation of this issue. This experiment confirmed that a help facility was of no significant benefit and appeared to interfere with some aspects of the pupils’ performance. The initial investigation also examined other sources of influence on computer‐based problem solving. It was found that, as predicted, pupils with an intrinsic orientation tended to use a help facility less and to choose more difficult problems. However, pupils who were intrinsically orientated were not found to be any better at computer‐based problem solving than pupils who were less intrinsically orientated. Finally, no differences were found in computer‐based problem solving according to gender or the pupils’ access to home computers.     

Simulated learning for generic communication competency development: a case study of Australian post-graduate pharmacy students

Authentic workplace experience is becoming increasingly challenging to provide for students. Simulation represents an effective pedagogical strategy for communication competency development in preparation for, or in lieu of clinical placements/practicums. The case study represents an innovative approach to simulating aspects of a pharmacy practice when insufficient placements were available. Prior to undertaking a three-week placement, a cohort of Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) students (N?=?95) completed two four-hour simulated learning modules (SLMs). Each of the six SLMs addressed interpersonally challenging, commonly experienced pharmacy practice scenarios generated by pharmacists/pharmacy educators. Scenarios, underpinned by the Excellence in Cultural Experiential Learning and Leadership (EXCELL) model, included schemas called Social Interaction Maps (SIMs), and involved interacting with trained actors. EXCELL is an evidence-based, professional development resource centred on learning generic social competencies including participating in a team, refusing a request and giving feedback. Evaluations comprised students’ survey responses collected before, during and after SLM workshops and pharmacy placements, and reflections from workshop facilitators. Students reported significant improvements in their overall communication competencies post-workshops and post-placement. Facilitators rated SLMs as a useful strategy to improve students’ communication competence and workplace readiness. Future curriculum development could benefit from including discipline-specific, interpersonally challenging SLMs using SIMs and actors (where possible) to simulate workplace interactions.     

Using Total Communication With Young Children With Down Syndrome: A Literature Review and Case Study

This paper presents a literature review regarding language abilities of children with Down syndrome and presents a case study concerning the effectiveness of using Total Communication with a young child with Down syndrome. The prevalence of expressive language delays in children with Down syndrome highlights the need to develop early interventions to promote language development. The existing literature on the usefulness of Total Communication as an intervention method with children and adults with special needs is documented and a rationale for the use of Total Communication with children with Down syndrome is presented. In the case study, a single subject simultaneous treatment design was used which involved introducing 20 words during free play (10 oral and 10 Total Communication), which were matched on phonetic complexity and reinforcement value. Results indicated that comprehension was not differentially affected by the type of communication approach used. However, expressively the child was able to use manual signs many months before any understandable words were produced. The use of manual signs did not inhibit use of speech. The results of this case study suggest that the early use of Total Communication can be an effective transitional mode of communication for at least some children with Down syndrome. Further research is needed to explore individual differences between children with Down syndrome and to identify factors that predict those children who benefit most from the use of Total Communication.     

Visualizing Matrix Multiplication

Efficient visualizations of computational algorithms are important tools for students, educators, and researchers. In this article, we point out an innovative visualization technique for matrix multiplication. This method differs from the standard, formal approach by using block matrices to make computations more visual. We find this method a helpful alternative for introducing matrix multiplication.     

The Schooling Experience of Adolescent Boys with AD/HD: An Australian Case Study

This study explored the experience of schooling of six adolescent boys diagnosed with AD/HD from the perspectives of the boys, their mothers and their teachers. The study utilised social constructionism as the theoretical orientation and the Dynamic Developmental Theory (DDT) of AD/HD as the explanatory framework. Utilising a multiple, instrumental case-study, data were collected by means of semi-structured individual and focus group interviews as well as a review of school reports across a two year period. Findings of the study suggest that taking medication as prescribed together with supporting the students to make and manage friendships, utilising classroom strategies that support learning, and providing an engaging classroom environment are important considerations to promote a positive schooling experience for adolescents with AD/HD.     

The Strong African American Families Program: translating research into prevention programming

A randomized prevention trial contrasted families who took part in the Strong African American Families Program (SAAF), a preventive intervention for rural African American mothers and their 11-year-olds, with control families. SAAF is based on a contextual model positing that regulated, communicative parenting causes changes in factors protecting youths from early alcohol use and sexual activity. Parenting variables included involvement-vigilance, racial socialization, communication about sex, and clear expectations for alcohol use. Youth protective factors included negative attitudes about early alcohol use and sexual activity, negative images of drinking youths, resistance efficacy, a goal-directed future orientation, and acceptance of parental influence. Intervention-induced changes in parenting mediated the effect of intervention group influences on changes in protective factors over a 7-month period.     

Individual differences in cognitive skills related to reading ability in the deaf

Deaf subjects who represented a wide range of reading abilities were tested on a number of factors including reliance on phonological recoding as well as several metacognitive abilities. The sample consisted of 19 high school students who were prelingually and profoundly deaf. Subjects were given a set of paper and pencil tests that included an assessment of phonological recoding ability as well as the measures designed by Baker (1984) to assess metacognitive skills in reading. Results indicated that deaf subjects demonstrated a significant degree of reliance on phonological recoding, but that individual differences in reliance on phonological recoding showed no relationship to reading skill (r = .02). Individual differences on the metacognition measures, however, showed a strong relationship to reading ability (r = .65, p less than .01). The implications for remedial instruction for deaf students are discussed.     

Association of Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein (CETP) Gene -629C/A Polymorphism with Angiographically Proven Atherosclerosis

Association of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) Gene -629C/A Polymorphism with angiographically proven atherosclerosis CETP gene has been linked to CAD risk via its role in HDL and LDL metabolism. There is no agreement of whether CETP is atherogenic or not. Furthermore, various genotypes of CETP gene have been associated with CETP levels and thus with atherosclerosis risk. Our aim was to study the association of CETP -629C/A gene polymorphism with CETP and HDL levels and their association if any with atherosclerosis. Study population consisted of angiographically documented 50 cases with coronary artery atherosclerosis and 50 controls negative for atherosclerosis of coronary artery. Serum lipid profile was measured on SYNCHRON CX-9 using standard kits. Serum CETP levels were measured by ELISA method. CETP -629C/A gene polymorphism was studied using PCR–RFLP method. There was no significant difference in lipid profile of the two groups. However, serum CETP level was significantly higher (46.44 ± 21.75 ng/ml) in cases than controls (37.10 ± 21.92 ng/ml) with p value =0.035. The frequency of -629A allele was higher (0.85) in cases than that of controls (0.81). Homozygosity of A allele was more in subjects with atherosclerosis of coronary artery. We conclude that CETP is atherogenic and could be used as atherogenic risk predictor in angiographically proven atherosclerosis. Also A allele of -629C/A polymorphism is more prevalent in cases; indicating its effect on expression of CETP gene.