A Meta-Analysis of Advance Organizer Studies

Twenty-nine reports yielding 112 studies were analyzed with Glass’s meta-analysis technique, and results were compared with predictions from Ausubel’s model of assimilative learning. Overall, advance organizers were shown to be associated with increased learning and retention of the material to be learned. Levels of some variables in the high-effect-size studies were not as predicted by Ausubel’s model, however.     

The professional practice of educational psychology

This paper discusses the potential for the field of educational psychology to move beyond psychology-applied-to-education to develop a unique professional practice component. We argue that many of the things educational psychologists are trained to do and have been doing for years fall within the service provider domain. Educational psychology is the only subfield of psychology to focus on the design of instructional systems, and many valuable psychological services derived from the knowledge base of instruction are worthy of professional recognition. We also discuss components of professional training for educational psychologists.     

Legacy evaluation and London, 2012 and the Cultural Olympiad

The Summer Olympic Games were held in London from 27th July to 12th August 2012 with the Paralympic Games following two weeks later. In the immediate aftermath, the event was heralded as an outstanding success with praise for efficient organisation, welcoming volunteers and sporting prowess. But how do we evaluate the longer term legacy of an event like the Olympic Games? This article explores developments within the last decade to establish a paradigm for evaluating the legacy of the Olympic Games. The development of the International Olympic Committee's focus on “legacy” planning introduces this article and is followed by a brief synopsis of the contribution that the UK has made to legacy evaluation. The final section suggests that one of London 2012s major contributions to the Olympic movement as a whole may be what an interrogation of the issues surrounding legacy evaluation tell us about legacy as a whole.