Early stages in building hybrid activity between school and work: the case of PénArt

This formative intervention documents the emergence of a hybrid activity aiming at student engagement and academic achievement. In this context-bound study, early stages of this activity consisted in establishing PénArt meant to enable high school students with difficulties to start up their own business at school. It involved reaching agreements between a high school and a youth centre so that high school students engage in the production and selling of their branded t-shirt. At the frontiers of their respective activity system, students, youth workers, special education teachers and members of the school board took actions to cross boundaries and redefine their interrelations. Cultural historical activity theory was fruitful to document the development of a new object-oriented activity. Tensions and contradictions revelaled to be the key moments in the emergence of the hybrid activity. Expansive learning led us to understand that, in a conflicting situation, a collective’s agentive actions create an expansive form of learning and leads to a successful entrepreneurship experience. Change laboratory capacity to foster change for cooperative education in Quebec was successful. The students enrolled in a regional entrepreneurship contest and won it. That was a significant event for students with low self-esteem linked with their performance at school.     

Self‐efficacy of prospective Austrian and German primary school teachers regarding the implementation of inclusive education

This study examined the psychometric properties of the German version of the Teacher Inclusive Education Self‐Efficacy Scale (TIESES). Five hundred and nineteen teacher education students from Austria and 765 teacher education students from Germany participated in the study. Results of a multiple‐group confirmatory factor analysis (for the two countries) confirmed a single factor structure of the scale with partial scalar measurement invariance. Regression analysis showed that self‐efficacy when implementing inclusive education was explained by the motivation to deal with inclusive education during their studies, previous experience with inclusive education in internships, study interest and the country in which the students went to university.     

Three‐year results of the Friendly Schools whole‐of‐school intervention on children's bullying behaviour

A group randomized controlled trial tested the efficacy of the Friendly Schools program to reduce student bullying behaviour. This socio‐ecological intervention targeted the whole school, classroom, family, and individual students to reduce bullying behaviour. Self‐report data were collected in 29 schools over three years from a cohort of 1968 eight to nine‐year‐olds. Surveys measured frequency of being bullied, bullying others, telling if bullied and observing bullying. Results indicate that intervention students were significantly less likely to observe bullying at 12, 24 and 36 months and be bullied after 12 and 36 months, and significantly more likely to tell if bullied after 12 months than comparison students. No differences were found for self‐reported perpetration of bullying. The findings suggest whole‐of‐school programs that engage students in their different social contexts appear to reduce their experiences of being bullied and increase their likelihood of telling someone if they are bullied.     

The value and valuing of continuing professional development: current dilemmas,future directions and the case for action research

This paper explores and challenges the rationale for current, mainstream approaches to teachers’ continuing professional development (CPD) within schooling systems. Such approaches are significantly influenced by neoliberal and managerial pressures, evident in advocacy for generic, individualistic models of teacher learning, often focused on specific state-sanctioned domains. The paper draws upon a précis of recent action research literature, and empirical research from Sweden, to argue for an alternative paradigm, based on the practices and principles of participatory and collaborative action research. Action research is not presented as a simplistic ‘method’ which can be ‘applied’ regardless of context, but is explicitly focused on situated, specific, local sites. While more managerial and neoliberal practices can close down debates necessary for effecting real improvements in practice, evidence suggests action research, in its emancipatory iterations, enables a rich conception of educational practice which cannot be ‘managed’ into existence by a simplistic application of ‘what works.’     

The effect of patellar taping on EMG activity of vasti muscles during squatting in individuals with patellofemoral pain syndrome

Although patellar taping has been shown to reduce pain in participants with patellofemoral pain syndrome, the mechanisms of pain reduction have not completely been established following its application. The purpose of this study was to evaluate EMG activity of vastus medialis and vastus lateralis following the application of patellar taping during a functional single leg squat. Both vastus medialis obliquus-vastus lateralis onset and vastus medialis obliquus/vastus lateralis amplitude of 18 participants with patellofemoral pain syndrome and 18 healthy participants as controls were measured using an EMG unit. This procedure was performed on the affected knee of participants with patellofemoral pain syndrome, before, during, and after patellar taping during unilateral squatting. The same procedure was also performed on the unaffected knees of both groups. The mean values of vastus medialis obliquus-vastus lateralis onset prior to taping (2.54 ms, s = 4.35) were decreased significantly following an immediate application of tape (-3.22 ms, s = 3.45) and after a prolonged period of taping (-6.00 ms, s = 3.40 s) (P < 0.05). There was also a significant difference between the mean values of vastus medialis obliquus-vastus lateralis onset among controls (-2.03 ms, s = 6.04) and participants with patellofemoral pain syndrome prior to taping (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant difference between the ranked values of vastus medialis obliquus/vastus lateralis amplitude of the affected and unaffected knees of participants with patellofemoral pain syndrome and controls during different conditions of taping (P > 0.05). Decreased values of vastus medialis obliquus-vastus lateralis onset may contribute to patellar realignment and explain the mechanism of pain reduction following patellar taping in participants with patellofemoral pain syndrome.     

Evaluation of the level of problem solving skills of Turkish higher education graduates in technology-rich environments

Educational technology research and development - This study aims to evaluate the level of Turkish higher education graduates’ problem-solving skills (PSSs) in technology-rich environments...