Effect of preschool integration for children with disabilities.

This study examined the effects of integration and segregation in a special education preschool program for children with mild to moderate disabilities to determine whether initial level of development differentially influenced gains achieved. No main-effect differences between the two groups appeared on several pretest and posttest measures. Aptitude-by-Treatment analyses revealed than higher performing students gained more from integrated classes, whereas lower performing students gained more from segregated classes. The data suggest careful monitoring of lower functioning students to ensure appropriate academic and social stimulation.     

Does the EDI Measure School Readiness in the Same Way Across Different Groups of Children?

The present study investigates whether the Early Development Instrument (Offord & Janus, 1999) measures school readiness similarly across different groups of children. We employ ordinal logistic regression to investigate differential item functioning, a method of examining measurement bias. For 40,000 children, our analysis compares groups according to gender, English-as-a-second-language (ESL) status, and Aboriginal status. Our results indicate no systematic measurement differences regarding Aboriginal status and gender, except for 1 item on which boys are more likely than girls to be rated as physically aggressive by Kindergarten teachers. In contrast, ESL children systematically receive lower ratings on items of the language and communication domains—as expected by definition of ESL status—but not within the physical, social, and emotional domains. We discuss how our results fit with child development research and the purpose of the Early Development Instrument, thus supporting its validity.     

Accelerationism: a timely provocation for the critical sociology of education

Abstract

Accelerationism is a theoretical movement that seeks to mobilise reason and technological development as a strategy for moving beyond capitalism. The first wave of accelerationism took the effects of capitalism at their most pernicious and suggested that they have not gone far enough. More recent work has complicated this project and explored political, epistemic and aesthetic accelerations. The central push to accelerate, and therefore to manifestly alter time, has consequences in terms of how one understands temporality in education. This article outlines the development of accelerationism and examines whether this theoretical movement can aid critical analysis of the growing presence in education of commercial technology providers, new modes of data analytics, and the application of machine learning algorithms to analyse data. These developments provide a useful example in relation to which a critical question can be asked: is it possible to accelerate technological development in education separate from its capitalist development?     

Who has a Problem,the Student or the Teacher? Differences in Teachers' Beliefs About Their Work with At‐risk and Integrated Exceptional Students

In this study, teachers' assumptions and beliefs are explored about the needs of at‐risk and exceptional students, and about their roles and responsibilities in meeting such needs. Teachers appear to hold consistent and coherent belief systems which differ along an ordinal scale. At one end, ‘restorative’ beliefs assume that problems reside largely within the pupil, and therefore the teacher's duty is to refer the pupil for confirmatory assessment as soon as possible. At the other ‘preventive’ end, teachers assume that the environment, including instruction, plays a part in a student's problems. The teacher therefore attempts prereferral interventions, and requests assessment to identify instructional alternatives. This study provides evidence for the validity of the restorative‐preventive construct, reporting the results of both quantitative and qualitative analyses of interviews with 27 regular class elementary teachers. Teachers' ratings on the construct correlated significantly with their self‐ratings of teaching efficacy (Gibson & Dembo, 1984). Teachers with preventive beliefs had higher self‐efficacy scores than those with a restorative profile. Further, teachers with restorative beliefs rated the withdrawal of problem pupils from the classroom as a more desirable resource service than preventive teachers, who preferred in‐class consultative support.     

Emotional Labour in Magazine Work

This ethnographic research concerns the management of emotions in the editorial offices of the Finnish fashion-oriented lifestyle magazines, Elle Finland and Trendi. The material was collected through focused interviews and participant observation in editorial shoots. The analysis focuses on the informants’ ways of acting in the editorial shoots and their experiences in their work and the role of emotions in content production and co-operative work practices. The study demonstrates that emotional labour is required in production of content that is aimed to move, please or surprise the model reader and through her, the actual readers of the magazine. The members of the photography team are inclined to suppress feelings of anxiety and at the same time support and encourage other team members and the photographed subject. Emotional labour maintains stability in a tightly scheduled and goal-oriented teamwork, and enables team members to attune to the intimate and convivial atmosphere. The study also gives evidence about cruel optimism as it points out how magazine staff adjust to the uncertainty of the magazine field and the increased personal workload by invoking in themselves feelings of enjoyment and suppressing feelings of strain.     

The impact of culture upon child rearing practices and definitions of maltreatment

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship between a childhood history of abuse that a parent may have experienced and the cultural beliefs/factors that an individual may subscribe to with current parenting behaviors and attitudes. It was hypothesized that cultural factors would be more predictive of parenting behaviors and attitudes than ethnicity as a demographic label. METHOD: Using a survey design, 150 parents of Hispanic, African American and European American descent participated. Participants completed the Conflict Tactics Scale, a Familism Scale, a Machismo Scale, a Valuing Children Scale, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and assigned seriousness ratings to vignettes depicting child maltreatment. RESULTS: A history of childhood abuse was found to be predictive of the use of both physical and verbal punishment by mothers, but not for fathers. Cultural factors/beliefs were predictive of fathers' parenting behaviors, but not mothers'. Ethnicity, as a demographic variable, continued to be a significant predictor of parenting behaviors and attitudes for all parents, controlling for cultural factors. DISCUSSION: The present study adds to our understanding of diverse parenting styles, of definitions of child abuse and neglect, and of ethnicity. The findings indicate that ethnicity is a complex factor, one demanding further examination with regard to its components.     

Collaborative Amateur Production of Educational Videos,which are Viewed on Mobiles: Addressing Poor Technical Resources for Nigerian Creative Arts Academics

This research was a co‐creation and co‐assessment exercise between the researchers, participating printmaking and weaving academics and their students in a Nigerian university. The poor technical resources and increasingly large student groups in the design department, which severely hampers the delivery of an effective education, were addressed. The academics were supported to learn how to create their own instructional videos for their students, demonstrating identified designer‐maker skills and how to use required equipment. These academics are now empowered and have the knowledge to produce their own instructional videos without professional assistance. This is also irrespective of their previous experiences of using video equipment and developing video content.