Metaphors and Sense of Teaching: How these constructs influence novice teachers

The purpose of this study was to identify the root metaphors of secondary classroom teachers and to observe ways in which these constructs influence teachers’ work with their students and their environments. Specifically, five case studies of novice teachers were presented. Results indicated that the metaphor of life as a tree was the most common view and that all five participants held a similar childhood metaphor in which they tended to idealize childhood. Overall, the data showed the persistence of ideas that beginning teachers bring to their university preparation and those beliefs extend into actual classroom practice. Teacher development seemed to be more influenced by the schooling environment rather than the pre‐service preparation the teachers received. Furthermore, these novice teachers felt conflict between their held beliefs and the reality of teaching and schooling. Implications for teacher educators and future research are included.     

The Way Forward: Improving Interlibrary Loan Service Delivery at a Caribbean Academic Library

The Alma Jordan Library (AJL) is located on the St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago and is the largest academic library in the University of the West Indies' library system. This article examines interlibrary loan and document delivery (ILL/DD) services, discusses existing ILL/DD activities, and analyzes usage statistics at this Caribbean educational institution. It reviews the current literature that exists about ILL/DD in the Caribbean and other academic institutions outside the region. This article serves to add to the body of literature on this topic and provides practical recommendations for improving the current service.     

A Review of “Reference Reborn: Breathing New Life Into Public Services Librarianship”

No abstract available for this article.     

Career development: Implications for providers of career services in higher education

Only recently have theorists and practitioners begun to consider and investigate the applications of developmental psychology to the delivery of career services. While there are several conceptual approaches to understanding the process of career development in general, the focus of this paper will be limited to the under-standing of career development in a college age population. In addition, the practical implications generated by this conceptual understanding will be discussed especially as they relate to the delivery of career services in higher education.     

The Process and Impact of the Infant/Toddler Credential as Professional Development: Reflections from Multiple Perspectives and Recommendations for Policy

Early childhood educators worldwide all strive to improve the quality of care and education for young children through sustainable pathways. One such pathway is professional development (PD). In the United States, ongoing PD has been recognized as critical to enhancing practitioners’ professional competence. Situated within the broader context of early childhood professional development systems, this study examined the New Jersey Infant/Toddler Credential (NJITC) as a case of PD. Specifically, we evaluated the effectiveness of the NJITC as PD by investigating its process as well as impact on the participating practitioners’ professional growth and practice from multiple perspectives: written reflections from a course instructor and a childcare center director; survey reflective responses from 12 practitioners; and informal conversations with childcare center directors, course instructors, field supervisors, and practitioners. The findings revealed that having the NJITC coursework offered through an onsite PD model and supported by a state-based scholarship program provided much needed incentives to encourage participation. It also resulted in improved professional growth and practice among the participating practitioners. However, it is only to the extent that the infant/toddler practitioners continue to engage in continuous PD beyond the ITC coursework will they be able to keep themselves abreast of the state of knowledge and best practices from which to further enhance their professional competence. In light of the process and impact of the NJITC on practitioners’ acquisition of specialized knowledge, skills, and dispositions to effectively work with infants and toddlers, implications and recommendations for policy are discussed.     

Mathematical Formalism as a Means of Occupational Closure in Computing — why ‘hard’ computing tends to exclude women

In this paper the failure of equal opportunities initiatives in computing is discussed. Reasons for the increasing exclusion of women from the higher levels of computing are considered, together with the implications of this problem for the profession as a whole. The paper identifies aspects of computing which have resulted in the definitions of good and bad, desirable and undesirable, real and unreal computing. From this perspective it considers areas of business computing and research findings which indicate that both the present business needs and future trends show that these unlegislated decisions are not appropriate. The solution reached is that the emerging canon in the computer science curriculum places an inappropriate emphasis on ‘hard’ areas such as mathematical formalism. More incorporation of arts‐based skills and skills traditionally associated with women would actually result in a curriculum more likely to meet the needs of the computing and information technology industries. If the emphasis in the curriculum and the rewards system should change to allow for this positive action in terms of curriculum, promotion and advertising will be required, together with a more widespread acknowledgement of what attributes actually contribute to successful computing at a professional level.     

Predicting student success by modeling student interaction in asynchronous online courses

Early-warning intervention for students at risk of failing their online courses is increasingly important for higher education institutions. Students who show high levels of engagement appear less likely to be at risk of failing, and how engaged a student is in their online experience can be characterized as factors contributing to their social presence. Social presence begins with teacher-student and student-student interaction in online courses. Fortunately, student interaction data can be gleaned from learning management systems, used to model and predict at-risk students at an early stage. This research addresses an existing model for predicting at-risk students to test a previous hypothesis that a holiday effect is a contributor for failure. A new analysis then presents an alternative approach, one that tests the frequency of student interaction rather than amount of interaction as a preferable indicator.     

An investigation into students' use of a computer-based social learning space: lessons for facilitating collaborative approaches to learning

Provision of computers in universities for self‐study is taken for granted and is seen as a “must have” educational resource, yet it is very expensive to fund. Students report that they use the Internet as their first stop in approaching research tasks. Learning theorists posit the important role of social interaction in contributing to learning. The use of collaborative methodologies such as group work also illustrate the importance, and perceived beneficial role of, learning with others. However, in general, student access to computers for self‐study in UK Higher Education is provided through large rooms furnished with serried ranks of computers, which do not allow or encourage computer‐based collaborative working. This study addresses this mismatch between approaches to learning and the way universities make computers available to learners. The University of Wolverhampton provides a social learning space with 24 computers on four fishbone‐shaped tables, in a room without any restrictions on talking, eating, or drinking. It was provided so as to encourage learners to work collaboratively and to be able to integrate the use of a computer whilst doing so. This paper reports the initial findings of a study into its use, through questionnaires, observational data, and interviews. Has the provision of a computer‐based collaborative learning space positively affected approaches to computer‐based self‐study? The results of this study inform how best Higher Education institutions might provide computer access to learners so as to encourage collaborative working and positively affect student approaches to their learning.     

Metrics and outcomes of conservation education: a quarter century of lessons learned

We conducted a systematic literature review to analyze evaluations of conservation education programs on a global scale in order to better understand (1) temporal and spatial trends in conservation education program evaluations over the last 25 years, (2) patterns in the types of conservation-related issues addressed through these programs, (3) metrics that indicate effectiveness of conservation education programs, and (4) methods and timeframes used to draw conclusions about program outcomes. Findings indicated that there is a need to better connect the types of issues addressed through conservation education programs with metrics that would indicate success in addressing these issues and the actual outcomes measured and reported. As well, there is an opportunity to employ a variety of metrics and methods for evaluating program outcomes, particularly in developing countries, by focusing on cognitive and behavioral components as well as social and ecological ones. Finally, shifting to a more comprehensive strategy for evaluating multiple outcomes in different cultural contexts would provide opportunities for utilizing mixed methods and qualitative approaches in partnership with community stakeholders.     

A Phenomenological Investigation of Wellness Within Counselor Education Programs

In this phenomenological investigation, the authors explored doctoral‐level counselor trainees’ (N = 12) perceptions of wellness promotion in programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. Using semistructured interviews, the research team identified 3 structural themes (components of wellness, program culture, and recommendations) and 13 textural themes. Findings highlight the need for training regarding boundaries and self‐awareness.