Thirty studies involving the “scientific attitude inventory”: What confidence can we have in this instrument?

The purpose of this study is to show how conceptual analysis may be used to investigate the validity of a research instrument. The instrument chosen here, the Scientific Attitude Inventory (SAI), is by far the most popular of its type, yet the studies in which it has been used give reason to question its validity. Using the conceptual perspectives developed in the study, it is possible to show that many of the items which might be thought to tap attitudes can be interpreted quite differently. In this way, the discrepant results obtained by using the SAI in quantitative research can be explained. The report concludes that we can be less than certain of what is measured by the SAI, and that it needs reworking before it can be used with confidence. The report ends with some general concerns about attitude measurement and its place in science education research.     

A home visiting project for Reception children predicted to experience literacy difficulties

The importance of early success in literacy learning and of engaging parents in this process has long been recognised by those involved in early years education. However, key factors that underpin effective strategies for helping families who might be described as 'difficult to reach' have yet to be identified. The study reported here was designed to support two children judged to be most at risk of struggling with literacy, primarily through the provision of weekly home visits during their first year at school. Anthony Feiler, a lecturer in special educational needs at the Graduate School of Education, University of Bristol and previously a teacher and educational psychologist, describes the work of the teaching assistant who carried out these visits and presents data on the outcomes for the children involved. There is evidence that the additional support was effective. Anthony Feiler uses both test scores and the views of participants, taken from a series of interviews, to draw tentative conclusions from this research and to highlight a need for further development work and enquiry in this crucial area.     

The place of teachers' beliefs in research on teacher thinking and decision making,and an alternative methodology

Recent research on teacher thinking and decision making is reviewed, together with the models that gave rise to this work, to show first that scant and insufficient attention has been given to the content of teachers' thinking, specifically their beliefs and principles, and second that because of this, the inferences made in these studies are flawed by assumptions, especially by the assumption that teachers and researchers share perceptions and so understand language identically.An alternative methodology for acquiring an understanding of teachers' beliefs and principles is described and illustrated with a case study. This methodology is an adaptation of Kelly's Repertory Grid Technique.