TAKING ACCOUNT OF STUDENTS’ EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE IN A COURSE OF INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION

This study focuses on an industrial, commercial and community experience programme within a full time, one year postgraduate teacher training course. Acknowledging the heterogeneous experiences brought to this course by the students, an attempt was made to detect links between the students’ prior experience and their experience of the industrial, commercial and community programme. The students completed questionnaires before and after a placement and the findings are described. These findings contribute to an evaluation of the programme and suggest a number of important questions for those responsible for designing teacher education courses.     

How valid are scholars' departmental rating models for assessing the quality of graduate programs?

The validity of the scholars' departmental rating (SDR) model for determining the quality of an institution's graduate program has been the subject of intense controversy for over a half-century. This study, using the aggregated data from each of four classical rankings of graduate programs in United States universities, found that the rankings of institutions in separate studies correlate significantly with each other and that the results from the SDR model correlate significantly with the objective measures of academic honors, basic research, and research and development awards. The author concludes that the SDR model is valid for the purposes intended.     

The Significance of Gender Boundaries in Preadolescence: Contemporary Correlates and Antecedents of Boundary Violation and Maintenance

Previous research has established the importance of gender boundaries as a normative aspect of development in middle childhood. Here, the nature and importance of gender boundaries as an individual differences construct was explored. Ratings of gender boundary violation and gender boundary maintenance were made of 47 10–11-year-old children participating in a series of summer day camps. These ratings were supported by videotape-based behavior codings of gender boundary violating behaviors and by live observations of sheer number of associations with members of the opposite gender. In addition, considerable external validation of these individual differences was obtained. Children low on gender boundary violation and (especially) children high on boundary maintenance were independently judged by camp counselors to be socially competent. They also were found to be higher on a friendship variable, based on observation. Those who violated boundary were especially unpopular with peers, based on a child interview. Finally, boundary violation and maintenance were related to attachment history and to early measures of parent-child generational boundary distortions.     

Donor agency support for primary education: Strategies reconsidered

In recent years a number of donor agencies have increased their lending to primary education in developing countries. However, some characteristics of primary schooling make it unsatisfactory for capital aid support, and arguments to increase recurrent funding are always controversial in aid policy circles. Nevertheless, this paper argues that this support should be further strengthened. It briefly reviews the economic case for such an emphasis. It analyses the typical problems faced in primary education, and the policy choices facing national governments. The final section outlines the main opportunities and priorities for increased donor agency support to the primary sector.     

Thinking,talking, and teaching on race: Derrick bell's “the space traders”

More criminal justice students are interested in a career in physical evidence collection. Oftentimes faculty have limited knowledge of the subject, which undermines their efforts to advise students on how to secure such a position. Additionally, because crime scene technicians have traditionally learned the position through “on-the-job” training, few academic programs exist designed to provide this education and training. This paper provides an overview of the development of a college-level degree program that will prepare individuals for careers as crime scene technicians and gives faculty a basis for advising students about this career option.     

Pre-service educators’ dispositions toward inclusive practices for students with emotional and behavioural difficulties

ABSTRACT

In response to challenging behaviour from students with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD), teachers around the world often label students as challenging, defining them by their disability. Negative views of students with EBD are a barrier to their inclusion and a major challenge for policy in the United States and elsewhere associated with access to the education system for students with disabilities. Pre-service teacher education has been highlighted as an optimum time to instil in pre-service educators a more equitable disposition toward behaviour management and inclusive practices. Therefore, the purpose of the current mixed-methods study was to assess whether or not an undergraduate course focused on relationship-based approaches to positive behaviour support could impact pre-service educators’ dispositions toward inclusive classroom practices for students with EBD. Survey results from 41 pre-service educators indicated that participants made significant improvements in their knowledge and understanding of compassionate behaviour management, intentional relationship building, and establishment of a welcoming classroom environment. Analysis of participants’ written responses to open-ended questions revealed several themes regarding changes in dispositions toward students with EBD. Implications for pre-service educator preparation and inclusion of students with EBD are discussed.