A sociocultural approach to learning orientation in an early childhood setting

This paper considers ways in which a model of motivational processes that describes children as internalizing learning or performance goals can incorporate situated and sociocultural features without losing its explanatory power. It analyzes the relationship between dispositional and situational factors within a pattern of interwoven socioculturally derived social identities or intents. Data come from an interpretive case study of 4-year-olds working on everyday technology in a kindergarten. The analysis of five main activities suggests that learning orientations - learning and performance goals- were being attached to social identity. Four processes illustrate the complex and shifting system of socially situated learning orientation: appropriation and display; shifts from one intent to another; niche fitting and forming; and mergers and invasions.     

Childhood Maltreatment and Early Developmental Vulnerabilities at Age 5 Years

This study examined associations between maltreatment and early developmental vulnerabilities in a population sample of 68,459 children (M_age = 5.62 years, SD = .37) drawn from the Australian state of New South Wales, using linked administrative data for the children and their parents (collected 2001–2009). Associations were estimated between (a) any maltreatment, (b) the number of maltreatment types, and (c) the timing of first reported maltreatment and vulnerability and risk status on multiple developmental domains (i.e., physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and communication). Pervasive associations were revealed between maltreatment and all developmental domains; children exposed to two or more maltreatment types, and with first maltreatment reported after 3 years of age, showed greater likelihood of vulnerability on multiple domains, relative to nonmaltreated children.     

Gaining insight into interdisciplinary research and education programmes: A framework for evaluation

Greater understanding of how interdisciplinary research and education evolves is critical for identifying and implementing appropriate programme management strategies. In this paper a programme evaluation framework is presented. It is based on social learning processes (individual learning, interdisciplinary research practices, and interaction between researchers with different backgrounds); social capital outcomes (ability to interact, interpersonal connectivity, and shared understanding); and knowledge and human capital outcomes (new knowledge that integrates multiple research fields). The framework is illustrated on an established case study doctoral programme. Data are collected via mixed qualitative/quantitative methods to reveal several interesting findings about how interdisciplinary research evolves and can be supported. Firstly, different aspects of individual learning seem to contribute to a researcher's ability to interact with researchers from other research fields and work collaboratively. These include learning new material from different research fields, learning how to learn new material and learning how to integrate different material. Secondly, shared interdisciplinary research practices can be identified that may be common to other programmes and support interaction and shared understanding between different researchers. They include clarification and questioning, harnessing differences and setting defensible research boundaries. Thirdly, intensive interaction between researchers from different backgrounds support connectivity between the researchers, further enabling collaborative work. The case study data suggest that social learning processes and social capital outcomes precede new interdisciplinary research findings and are therefore a critical aspect to consider in interdisciplinary programme management.     

‘I just can’t bear these procedures,I just want to be out there working with children’: an autoethnography on neoliberalism and youth sports charities in the UK

This paper uses an autoethnography to recount my experiences with SportHelp, a UK youth sports charity. Using a layered account format, which jumps through time and space, I demonstrate the extent to which neoliberal values have influenced the continuity and change of SportHelp. This paper does not constitute an attack on the charity, its staff, nor the charity sector. The focus is on how the wider neoliberal context shapes how SportHelp operates. The findings are analysed in terms of Foucault’s (2008, The birth of biopolitics. Lectures at the Collége de France, 1978–79. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan) notion of governmentality by examining SportHelp’s monitoring and reporting practices, as well as the managers’ use of New Public Management discourse. The conclusion reflects on the extent to which neoliberal governmentality, though in some instances beneficial for SportHelp, ultimately does more harm than good. This paper, by offering an ‘insider’s view’, adds to the literature calling for a change in how policy makers and funders shape the current hypercompetitive socio-political landscape. Charities should be supported, not discouraged, to develop holistic programmes that move beyond ‘economic rationales’ and are capable of addressing the multifaceted needs of their service users.     

The playing performance of county cricket pitches

The surface on to which a bowler projects a ball in the game of cricket is made up of hard packed soil with sparse grass cover. This natural turf pitch is of fundamental importance to the play of the game and the quality of the surface is a prime concern of players, officials, commentators and spectators alike. A programme of research has been undertaken to identify the factors that lead to the construction of high quality cricket pitches. This work employed the technology of highspeed video analysis to monitor the performance of first class cricket pitches during county matches. A system for measuring the impact of a cricket ball on a pitch was developed, and over 3000 ball impacts analysed. This analysis enabled pitches to be characterized in terms of pace, bounce and consistency. Soil properties for the monitored pitches were identified and correlations were drawn between pitch performance and soil composition.