Without Criteria: Art and Learning and the Adventure of Pedagogy

A key aim of this article is to present a discursus on learning and teaching in the context of art education that softens transcendent historical and ideological framings of art education and its purpose. In contrast it places emphasis upon the immanence and necessary transcendence of local events of learning that occur in whatever framing and which have the potential to extend our comprehension of what art and learning can become. It recommends a ‘pedagogical reversal’ whereby external transcendent lenses and their respective knowledge and criteria for practice are relaxed and proposes a pedagogy ‘without criteria’. A key pedagogical issue revolves around ‘how something matters’ for a learner in his or her experience of a learning encounter and trying to comprehend this ‘mattering’ constitutes a pedagogical adventure for a teacher. The notion of mattering in the context of art practice and learning cannot be divorced from the force of art which is the motive force that precipitates a potential for learning and can expand our understanding of what art and learning can become. The article is therefore premised on the idea that it is not a case of coming to understand art through established knowledge and practice but the force of art challenging us to think. The force of art, or art's event, can be conceived therefore as a process with a potential for the individuation of new worlds or to see that other worlds might be possible.     

Work commitment and job satisfaction for program staff: How to build it

Children develop appropriately in social, cognitive, physical, and emotional ways in a stable environment. Early childhood administrators can help create this stable environment by minimizing staff turnover. Staff turnover can be kept at a reasonable rate through the development of administrative skills which will enhance staff self-esteem and job satisfaction.Nora Palmer Gould is an Early Childhood Administrator who is currently working as a consultant to Early Childhood Programs.     

Ironising with intelligence

This article is part of a project that seeks in part to explore how students understand and use the concept of intelligence. It is based on an ethnographically contextualized study of linguistic events and was conducted in an inner-city upper secondary school in Sweden. The article shows that the concept of intelligence is not spontaneously used by students but is given meaning by them when they are asked, and that this meaning is given in relation to future expectations, hopes, ambitions and the grades and performances in school that are seen as a means to attain them. When doing this the students also appear to describe their education, the demands it places on them and their performances with a sense of irony. Indeed, on closer analysis, irony seems to be an important communicative strategy for these students more generally.     

Does big-fish–little-pond effect always exist? Investigation of goal orientations as moderators in the Hong Kong context

The big-fish–little-pond effect (BFLPE) posits that students with the same ability will have higher academic self-concepts when they are in low-ability classes than in high-ability classes. Our research puts the BFLPE under scrutiny by examining goal orientations as the moderators that may affect the size of the BFLPE. We collected data on mathematics self-concept, mathematics ability and goal orientation from 7334 Hong Kong junior secondary school students in 201 classes. We hypothesised that the BFLPE would be exacerbated for students who endorsed high extrinsic goals while the BFLPE would be attenuated for students who endorsed high intrinsic goals. However, the results did not fully support the hypothesis. We found that students who were highly motivated in general (both intrinsic and extrinsic) experienced stronger BFLPE. The implications of the findings are discussed.     

The work avoidance goal construct: Examining its structure,antecedents, and consequences

Work avoidance goals have been relatively neglected in the literature with most research focusing on mastery and performance goals. The central aim of this study was to examine the structure, antecedents, and consequences of the work avoidance goal construct. Four studies were conducted. Study 1 investigated the construct validity of work avoidance, while Study 2 focused on its antecedents. Using a longitudinal panel design, Study 3 examined the impact of work avoidance—alongside mastery and performance goals—on engagement and achievement, while Study 4 explored its relationship to broader well-being outcomes. Results showed that work avoidance was distinct from mastery and performance goals. Entity theory of intelligence positively predicted work avoidance goal pursuit, while teacher and peer support buffered against it. Pursuing work avoidance goals was found to be associated with less engagement, lower grades, and greater negative affect. The impact of work avoidance on achievement and well-being outcomes seem to be more salient compared to the oft-examined mastery and performance goals. Implications are discussed.     

The dark side of social support: Understanding the role of social support,drinking behaviors and alcohol outlets for child physical abuse

The purpose of this study is to examine how parental drinking behavior, drinking locations, alcohol outlet density, and types of social support (tangible, emotional, and social companionship) may place children at greater risk for physical abuse. Data on use of physical abuse, drinking behaviors, types of social support, social networks, and demographic information were collected via telephone interviews with 3,023 parent respondents in 50 cities in California. Data on alcohol outlet density were obtained by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Multilevel Poisson models were used to analyze data for the drinking levels in the entire sample and dose-response drinking models for drinkers. Social companionship support was related to more frequent use of physical abuse. Having a higher percentage of social companionship support network living within the neighborhood was related to more frequent physical abuse in the full sample. This relationship was moderated by on-premise alcohol outlet density. With regards to drinking behaviors, drinking behaviors from ex-drinkers to frequent heavy drinkers used physically abusive parenting practices more often than lifetime abstainers. The dose-response models show that each additional drinking event at a bar or home/party was related to more frequent use of physical abuse. Practitioners working with parents who abuse their children should be aware that not all social support is beneficial. Findings build evidence that child maltreatment is influenced by the interaction between individual and ecological factors.     

Statistics,Computer Packages,and the Real World

The pathway to success in college can be bumpy. To smooth it we first investigated self-assessment of college readiness by undergraduates in terms of skills and habits required for college success. In a survey of almost 700 students, one of every two reported that their college work was more challenging than expected. Although 70% reported that they felt well-prepared for college by their high schools, finer questioning revealed that they recognized deficits for such skills/habits as time management, attention to detail, going beyond minimum requirements and studying to learn deeply. When asked what skills they wished to develop further, 40% identified time management and 39% exam preparation; fewer than 20% identified transferable skills such as effective communication and critical thinking. We then used these data to develop an evolving set of presentations, mini-workshops and course content designed to assist students to develop strategies for self-regulated learning by linking these to the self-assessment data provided by their peers. We stress the importance of mastering these strategies, as well as knowledge of their majors' subject contents, for success in both college and future career. Reception to our presentations and mini-workshops has been encouragingly positive, and quantitative assessments of their effectiveness are underway.     

Insights into Information-seeking and Communicating Behaviour of Academics

This paper discusses the information-seeking behaviour of academics in relation to the productivity of academics in South African Universities, with particular reference to the University of Zululand, through a survey of 105 academics. It was established that the nature of the discipline and the rank of the academic, which normally corresponds with the academic qualification, experience, exposure and research productivity level, largely determine the information-seeking behaviour. Academics mainly need information for career development, and occupational and professional needs. Furthermore, university libraries, which currently face budget cuts on acquisitions, still play a pivotal role in information access by the academics. It is confirmed that the use of “local environment” is dominant for intra- and inter-university information access network and system. It is recommended that avenues that work colleagues can use to interact should be supported, and career challenges that stimulate productivity by academics, such as research and publication, should be maintained and sustained.     

The Florida State Libraries Resource Sharing Initiative: Did the Predictions Pan Out?

This article revisits discussion from “The Florida State Libraries Resource Sharing Initiative: Unity Among a Disparate Group” (Schmidt & Smith, 2012) on the implementation of a new resource sharing program within the Florida State University Libraries called UBorrow. The program and its effects are assessed after 2 years with comparison to the project launch's original predictions.