Changing the English language curriculum in Brunei Darussalam

This paper describes the development of a language project in Brunei Darussalam, a project aimed at improving English language learning and fostering positive reading interests. In-service teachers were trained to change from traditional textbook-based techniques to an activity-based approach integrating the practice of aural-oral and writing skills. The major components of project implementation will be discussed to demonstrate the optimization of available resources, particularly available expertise in teacher skill and language competence. This project provides an interesting example of an attempt to satisfy the practical demands of policy-makers while adhering to research standards of evaluation studies.     

Educational Media Specialist Preparation and Accreditation in the United States

Preparation of educational media specialists in the United States can be understood only if the various forces which shape such programs are considered. One of these influencing factors, accreditation, is nationwide in its activities. Accrediting agencies have as their members most higher educational institutions and most educational associations such as the Association for Educational Communication and Technology (the national association of educational media specialists).     

Bridging the Gap: Information Literacy and Learning in Online Undergraduate Courses

This study explores how libraries can enhance information literacy in online undergraduate courses at Purdue University, a large Midwestern research university. The article investigates undergraduate students’ perception of the importance and their awareness of libraries’ services for online learning, challenges of using information to complete course assignments, and the ability to gather and evaluate information to complete online coursework. The findings contribute to four aspects of the Libraries’ programmatic efforts to support undergraduate students taking online courses. These include showing a need for IL, helping students stay connected to resources and support, pedagogic strategies, and strategically targeting courses.     

Parental perspectives and challenges in inclusive education in Singapore

Relatively little work has focused on inclusive education in Singapore. This study examines the experiences and perceptions of parents whose children with disabilities are attending mainstream secondary schools in Singapore. Data was drawn from interviews with 13 parents of children with mild disabilities. Our findings reveal that parental perspective on inclusive education in Singapore is not only about classroom support but also reflects a deeper concern about whether their children with disabilities will emerge from school as contributing individuals in society. While parents strive to effectively include their children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms, there were dichotomies in their (1) understanding of disabilities, (2) expectations of school support, and (3) expectations for their child with disabilities. Given that academic and social prowess is a critical prerequisite to have a shot at entering the meritocratic Singapore society, the tension parents experience is to gauge a reasonable amount of pressure to exert on their children, the school and themselves as they assert their children's educational entitlements within an imperfect but evolving state of inclusion.     

Sensitivity of School-Performance Ratings to Scaling Decisions

Policymakers usually leave decisions about scaling the scores used for accountability to their appointed technical advisory committees and the testing contractors. However, scaling decisions can have an appreciable impact on school ratings. Using middle-school data from New York State, we examined the consistency of school ratings based on two scaling approaches that differed in scaling decisions that are important in high-stakes testing contexts. We found that, depending on subject, grade, and year, a switch in scaling approach led to (1) average absolute shifts in ranks of between 50 and 132 positions (median = 69), which are appreciable shifts for a listing of 1,243 schools; and (2) between 7% and 45% (average = 20%) of schools experiencing shifts in assigned performance bands, depending on the classification scheme. Further, the effect of scaling approach was larger when the raw-score distribution has more severe ceiling effect, and in these cases, it was driven primarily by the difference in the location of the highest obtainable scale score from the two scaling approaches.     

Charge It! Translating Electric Vehicle Research Results to Engage 7th and 8th Grade Girls

Journal of Science Education and Technology - Despite attempts to generate interest in science and technology careers, US students continue to show reduced interest in science, technology,...