Affiliation to school: measures and interventions

The degree of affiliation which pupils develop towards their schools is an important factor in their engagement and success. It has also been a matter of concern at the time of transfer from primary to secondary school. This article describes the development of a brief method for identifying the degree of affiliation which pupils feel, and also identifying any points of concern. Data from 670 pupils in a London secondary school is reported. Concerns about pupils’ experience of transfer are often addressed through interventions which are teacher-centred. An account is given of a pupil-centred intervention to improve affiliation, and its apparent long-lasting effects. There also seems to be an improvement trend over years, reflecting the school’s paying attention to this theme.     

The equity impact of public finance of private education provision in Côte d’Ivoire

The equity effects of public subsidization of private schools in Côte d’Ivoire are analyzed. The subsidy per student in private (and public) schools increases as one goes to higher household per capita expenditure groups. Students from families in the highest expenditure quartile receive twice the subsidy received by students from families in the lowest quartile, compared to four times more in the case of students attending public schools. However, the subsidy system is relatively progressive in the case of private school attendance as there is a clear tendency for the share of family education expenditure covered by subsidies to decline as one goes to higher quartiles.     

年代统计学:超越人口统计学的市场营销战略

长期以来，企业通常利用年龄、收入、性别与受教育程度等基本的人口统计信息来进行市场定位并制定营销战略。     

Sustaining technological innovation: The example of videoconferencing in English Schools

The main factors associated with technology integration have been the subject of research for over a decade. However, the conditions which sustain technological developments have been less frequently investigated. This paper explores this issue in the context of the use of videoconferencing in schools in England. The research took a multiple case-study approach by returning to schools with a reputation for demonstrating innovative policy and practice in videoconferencing, which were the subject of an earlier investigation. Analysis of developments in the interim five-year period led to the construction of a five-level typology of change. Further analysis identified critical dimensions associated with the sustainability of videoconferencing. These included technical and structural factors, as well as policy frameworks and personnel status. The perceived usefulness and relevance of videoconferencing as a learning technology emerges as a central determinant of sustainability, with the conclusion that for policymakers and schools, videoconferencing has become an ‘orphan’ technology.     

The generative paradigm

This research highlights the learning of female offenders on a 20-day tailor-made experiential adventure education course (Women in Action) delivered by Outward Bound New Zealand. The aims of the course were to increase self-awareness, to develop an understanding of the concept of choice and self responsibility, to improve communication skills and to effectively influence others. Twenty-seven women were interviewed immediately after the course and 14 of these, three months post-course. Most women indicated that their self-confidence had increased and they had become more self-aware. Key factors in facilitating learning opportunities for the women were the instructors and the course environment both physical and social. The holistic course approach provided physical, creative, emotional and reflective opportunities, enabling all the women to develop personally. The challenge of applying their learning on return to prison was highlighted by some participants.

Never did I think that

My life could be changed

In so many ways.

But the challenges I've faced

From being here Lord I Know

That I can make it.

Cos I gotta keep on

Moving on in life

Won't let my spirit fall

Walk on walk on.

Some people tell me

I'd never change.

But now I've seen the light

More clear in every kind of way

I'm alive today

No more worries on my shoulders

I'm gonna make it

Oh yes I am.

Cos I gotta keep on

Moving on in life

Won't let my spirit fall

Walk on walk on.

(Poem by T – Women in Action participant)     

Primary school students' metacognitive beliefs about religious education

So far scholars have researched beliefs about knowledge, knowing, and learning mainly in the areas of science and mathematics and among secondary school students. In this article, we explore primary school students' metacognitive beliefs about religious education. The article reports on a study involving 656 fifth- and sixth-grade students. We investigated their metacognitive beliefs, how these beliefs interrelate, and which students agree with which beliefs. In the minds of young students 7 categories are discernible: realistic learning, the transformative power of religion, social learning, intrinsic task value motivation, learning satisfaction motivation, the teacher's empathic orientation to learning, and the teacher's respect for students' contributions. These categories and their interrelationships open up new perspectives for the construction of a metacognitive beliefs system and for an interconnected network of beliefs across domains. We also outline implications for religious education in schools.     

Intensification of punishment effects through exposure to prolonged, fixed-duration shocks: The role of shock cues as a stimulus for fear

Three experiments tested the hypotheses that (1) the onsets of prolonged, fixed-duration treatment shocks (shock treatment, or ST) serve as cues for fear conditioning to the ongoing painful effects of these stimuli, and (2) this acquired fear transfers to and influences shock-motivated test performances in predictable ways. Experiments 1 and 2 involved spaced post-ST presentations of very brief shocks (a presumed analogue of the onsets of treatment shocks) as a means of extinguishing the fear putatively associated with shock cues. This procedure reduced defecation by ST subjects over blocks of extinction sessions and nullified the punishment intensification effect that was otherwise shown to be a consequence of ST. As a further test of the shock-cue hypothesis, Experiment 3 involved relatively massed presentations of these brief shocks prior to ST in a latent-inhibition procedure (Lubow, 1973). This briefshock regimen also nullified the ST punishment intensification effect but did not impair the transituational transfer of contextual fear. In contrast, the group that was given the same brief shock regimen following ST showed enhancement of the punishment effect. With respect to current theoretical accounts of ST effects, these data were most consistent with notions that rely on an acquired-fear construct.