A Descriptive Survey of the Educational Preparation and Practices of Antenatal Educators in Ireland

Antenatal education is recommended to prospective parents, yet little is known about the educational preparation of the facilitators of this education, or of the educational practices they use. The aim of this study was to investigate the educational preparation and practices of antenatal educators in Ireland. Data were collected using a questionnaire structured on the three components (abilities, opportunities, and means) of Stamler’s theoretical framework of enablement. Eighty-four of the 120 antenatal educators responded (70%), and this included midwives, public health nurses, physiotherapists, and private antenatal educators. Findings describe a picture of varied educational preparation for the antenatal educator with a range of educational practices being used. Within public antenatal classes, large class size was a barrier to providing a participatory educational approach.     

Disseminating Standards in Higher Order Learning: Systemically Valid Instruments for Standards-Based Education Reform

A decade of British experience in assessing and reporting higher order learning using a scale of national standards has important lessons for countries currently embarking on programmes of standards-based education reform. The architects of the British National Curriculum envisaged that the reliability of measures of higher order learning could be assured through a comprehensive auditing programme involving expert teachers. However, plans for a national auditing programme in Britain were never realised for financial reasons. This article argues that, in the absence of orthodox auditing procedures, modern information handling techniques have an important role to play in enhancing the technical fidelity of instruments for measuring higher order learning, by making the combined professional wisdom of experienced teachers available to the assessor at the time of marking. The higher order skill of creative writing is used to illustrate the calibration of a systemically valid computerised assessment tool, applicable to any standards-based assessment framework.     

Student Views of Concept Mapping Use in Introductory Tertiary Biology Classes

Introductory tertiary level science classes (i.e., at the university or post-compulsory school level) including those for biology face increasing diversity in intake. Previous research has indicated university level teachers assume a certain level of prior knowledge which may or may not be possessed by such students. This report focuses on the use of concept mapping in introductory biology tutorial classes. The research findings suggest that the students found the use of concept mapping enjoyable and that it can enhance meaningful learning for topics that require students to link concepts.     

Prevention is better than cure: coping skills training for adolescents at school

Children and adolescents today face a plethora of stressful problems, including family and relationship conflict, death of close family members or friends, and academic and social pressures. Such problems have been found to contribute to an increased risk of various emotional–social–cognitive difficulties in adolescence. These include academic failure, social misbehaviour, interpersonal problems, and depression.

Programmes that promote coping with normative stress, delivered to the whole population, have been considered to represent a promising direction for the prevention of social emotional difficulties. The Best of Coping: Developing Coping Skills Program (Frydenberg & Brandon, 2002 Frydenberg E Brandon CM (2002) The best of coping Melbourne: Oz Child [Crossref] [Google Scholar]) was introduced in two school settings on four separate occasions. Evaluation of the results provides modest support for coping skills enhancement but provide a warning about the need for caution when implementing and evaluating the Programme. First, it appeared to have some opposing effects on males and females. Second, improvements in students' coping responses were apparently related to the authenticity of implementation of the Programme.

The findings are discussed with regard to the need to implement programmes through which we can teach adolescents coping responses, which include optimism and problem‐solving skills, so that they may handle problems and stressors more effectively. Additionally, an important feature of such programmes is a focus on the reduction of the use of non‐productive coping skills. With an increase in psycho‐social problems, the need to provide school‐based programmes is discussed, with emphasis placed on programme implementation. In particular, the probable need for ongoing involvement of psychologically trained school counsellors with teachers, through the life of the programme.     

Expanded Koppitz scoring system of the bender gestalt visual-motor test for adolescents: A pilot study

The current research represented a pilot study to assess the use of the Bender Gestalt Visual-Motor Test with school-age adolescents over 11 years of age. Research regarding the accuracy of the hypothesis that visual-motor integration functioning is normally intact by age 11 was presented. In addition, initial data to extend the Koppitz scoring system of the Bender for ages 11 years, 6 months through 15 years, 11 months was proposed. Mean error scores from the pilot study suggested that visual-motor development is not maturationally complete by age 11 years, 11 months. Additional research focusing on extending the normative sample or developing a new scoring system for adolescents is suggested.     

Objective structured professional assessments for trainee educational psychologists: an evaluation

Objective Structured Professional Assessments (OSPAs) were developed and evaluated at three universities in the United Kingdom, to supplement supervisor assessments of trainee educational psychologists’ placement practice. Participating second year students on three educational psychology doctoral programmes (n = 31) and tutors (n = 12) were surveyed. Scenarios, developed with experienced practitioners, were considered authentic and relevant. Tutor feedback indicated that the marking scheme was a good basis for judgements, but required further calibration and standardisation. Strengths and limitations relating to authenticity of scenarios and practical arrangements were identified. Students considered OSPAs to be a valid assessment of communication and perspective-taking skills, although some found them to be anxiety provoking. Levels of authenticity and complexity were deemed appropriate, although there were concerns over time allowed and how the assessment criteria were interpreted. The discussion highlights how OSPAs address issues relating to assessment reliability by improving objectivity, reducing bias and providing uniformity to student assessment experiences.     

The Influence of Contextual Factors on the Sustainability of Professional Development Outcomes

This study investigated how contextual factors influenced the sustainability of outcomes from a 3-year, state-funded professional development program that provided science assistance for K-2 teachers in small, rural school districts. The research used a case-study approach with a purposive sample of five elementary schools that varied in instructional time in science several years after the funding period. The primary data sources were teacher surveys and interviews conducted 2 and 3 years after the end of the professional development program. The findings highlight variations across schools and the influence of principal support, resources, collegial support, personal commitment, and external factors. The research holds practical implications for enhancing long-term sustainability of professional development outcomes in science education.