Exploring the communicative nature of corporal punishment

Extensive research in sociology and psychology suggests that corporal punishment of children is a serious problem because it increases the risk of physical and psychological harm. In the present study we utilized a recently developed communication framework to investigate corporal punishment. We derived two hypotheses and conducted a study of 178 college students. Following established procedures, we asked respondents to report about corporal punishment during a period of their youth. Participants rated each parent and themselves on aggressive communication measures. They also rated themselves on assault tendencies, anger, self‐esteem, and intentions to use corporal punishment. Support for our two hypotheses revealed that when participants recalled receiving higher levels of corporal punishment they perceived their parents to be higher in verbal aggressiveness. Furthermore, they reported being higher in assault tendencies, anger, and intentions to use corporal punishment with their children.     

E-Book Readers for Full-Time MBA Students: An Investigation in Manchester

This article is an investigation of the use of e-book readers by MBA students at the Manchester Business School of the University of Manchester. In Summer 2010 we undertook a pilot study with a small number of MBA students in order to gauge the effectiveness of e-book readers as an alternative means of accessing their course readings. The findings of this study are presented in tandem with discussion of the drivers behind the project and an overview of similar developments at other educational institutions globally, concluding with the results of our pilot and wider implications.     

Durkheim and Sociological Method: Historical Sociology,Sports History,and the Role of Comparison

This paper provides sociological reflections on the use of research methods in the history of sport. In light of the convergence of social scientific approaches and social research methods in recent years, it draws upon Durkheim’s reflections on the principles of sociology to explore the potential of the discipline to provide a distinctive methodological orientation to the study of sport. It subsequently uses this framework to assess the tendency in sports history to present interview data in non-anonymized form, and to advocate the value of particular kinds of comparative analysis for forwarding our understanding of the social world.     

Synthetic phonics and the teaching of reading: the debate surrounding England's ‘Rose Report’

The Rose Report, commissioned by the Secretary of State for Education for England, recommended in March 2006 that early reading instruction must include synthetic phonics. This paper evaluates the extent to which research evidence supports this recommendation. In particular, a review of international research into the teaching of early reading shows that the Rose Report's main recommendation on synthetic phonics contradicts the powerful body of evidence accumulated over the last 30 years. In this paper it is argued that action already taken by the UK government to change the National Curriculum in line with the Rose Report's recommendations represents a change in pedagogy not justified by research.     

Does it pay to attend an elite private college? Evidence on the effects of undergraduate college quality on graduate school attendance

Much attention has recently focused on the rapidly rising costs of a college education, and whether the benefits of attending an elite private college have kept pace with the increasing costs. In this paper we analyze whether undergraduate college quality affects the likelihood that an individual attends graduate school. Using data on three cohorts of students from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 and High School and Beyond, we find that on balance attendance at an elite private college significantly increases the probability of attending graduate school, and more specifically, graduate school at a major research institution.     

Evaluating the impact of the new National Award for SENCos: transforming landscapes or gardening in a gale?

This study, authored by Dominic Griffiths and Rachel Dubsky, both of Manchester Metropolitan University, considers the impact of the new National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordinators (NASENCo) in one English local authority. Data on the impacts upon both SENCos' personal professional development and upon their schools are drawn from semi‐structured interviews with six SENCOs, their headteachers and one colleague from each of their schools. Factors that appear to have enhanced or modified the impact of the training are identified. The article discussed, firstly, the emerging theme of SENCos' own perceptions of their role, and then the implications of the study's findings for future NASENCo course design.