Development and Construct Validation of a Situational Judgment Test of Strategic Knowledge of Classroom Management in Elementary Schools

The current study describes the development and construct validation of a situational judgment test for assessing the strategic knowledge of classroom management in elementary schools. Classroom scenarios and accompanying courses of action were constructed, of which 17 experts confirmed the content validity. A pilot study and a cross-validation with preservice teachers and inservice teachers revealed the assumed factor structure and sensitivity of the test to differences in expertise. The results indicate that the situational judgment test for assessing strategic knowledge of classroom management in elementary schools is a valid assessment tool for investigating the acquisition and promotion of classroom management knowledge during teacher education.     

Team-based curriculum design as an agent of change

Curriculum design in higher education environments, namely the consideration of aims, learning outcomes, syllabus, pedagogy and assessment, can often be ad hoc and driven by informal cultural habits. Academics with disciplinary expertise may be resistant to (or ignorant of) pedagogical approaches beyond existing practice. In an environment where there is a need to develop online activities for students, one way to counter this friction is through a team-based approach underpinned by design-thinking. A design-thinking team brings together content, pedagogical and technical expertise to examine and resolve curriculum design issues. This paper explores a number of case studies in which such teams developed units of study and programmes for online delivery. The paper looks at the possibilities that the team approach can be a vehicle to instigate cultural change within and beyond the team; that is, from an individualist to a collective approach and ownership of the curriculum and its design, maintenance and continuous improvement.     

Behavior of College Students under an Unlimited Cut System

The effects of six classroom motivational treatments on 112 fifth and sixth grade students were measured using a difference score on a substitution task. Individual goal setting and competitive treatments, under reward and non-reward conditions, are analyzed by means of planned comparisons. Results indicate a significant interaction which suggests caution against an oversimplified interpretation of main effects. A S’s performance in a competitive treatment is shown to be dependent upon three factors: his initial ability relative to that of his classmates; the presence or absence of a reward; the homogeneous or heterogeneous nature of the group in competition. The evaluation of this significant 3-way interaction ( i. e., ability x reward x grouping) and comparisons of means suggest several tentative hypotheses and raise highly relevant questions regarding the use of classroom motivational techniques which are competitive in nature.     

Effectiveness of the Additional Early Mathematics program for teaching children early mathematics

This paper presents the results of a study of the development of early mathematical competence among young poor arithmetic achievers in the 4–7 year age group. Research has shown that arithmetic difficulties later in life can be explained by an insufficient development of early mathematical competence: i.e. different aspects of early mathematical competence. The different aspects of early mathematical competence are derived from cognitive psychology and from a didactical point of view with an emphasis on (the various phases of) counting. The Piagetian operations (seriation, correspondence and classification) are used, however, as much as possible embedded in a counting context.After selection by way of an early mathematical competence test, children with a score below a criterium are presented with an additional program. This program consists of activities, embedded in real (daily) life themes, in which attention is paid to the different aspects of early mathematical competence. The program is given to the children with a guiding or a structuring instruction form. The results of the study show that it is possible to stimulate the development of early mathematical competence among young poor arithmetic achievers. The way in which instruction is offered has no influence on achievement.     

Learning about Mentoring; the Enfield experience

Over the last few years there has been a growing body of knowledge, both nationally and in Enfield, of the expertise required for mentoring newly qualified teachers (NQTs). Coordinating the LEA support for this group we identified a gap in the provision for those in their second and third years of teaching. The article describes the efforts that were made through the accreditation of teachers' work to support teachers new to the profession to develop as reflective practitioners. This work is based mainly on the experiences of a group of teachers who were NQTs in 1992–93 and who wrote assignments that were submitted in May 1994. It is in three parts. In Part One we identify the problem as we see it; in Part Two we present our model for filling the ‘gap’; and Part Three explores the learning outcomes for the new teachers and ourselves.     

Comparing children's attitudes towards disability

This study, carried out by Bernadette Cairns, principal officer for Additional Support Needs and Early Education in the Highland Council Additional Support Needs Team, and Kirstie McClatchey, a research assistant in the Highland Council Psychological Service, explores children's attitudes towards disability, making a comparison between a school with a high number of pupils with additional support and complex needs where the philosophy was one of inclusion, and a school with few children with additional support needs. An opportunity sample of children (N = 82) in Scotland was obtained, and interview data were collected from pupils regarding video clips they had viewed of children with varying disabilities. Results found that children from the more inclusive school had a greater number of prior experiences of children with disabilities, made different suggestions for helping children with disabilities and had more positive attitudes towards having a pupil with disabilities in their own class. To conclude, these findings suggest that inclusion in schools may lead to a positive effect on children's acceptance and understanding of disabilities.