Allowing the Voices of Parents to Help Shape Teaching and Learning

The authors observe that the nature of knowledge is multidimensional, and that current efforts to shape curriculum are guided by patterns of cognitive interests. Building from an example related to teacher education, they argue that higher education experiences represent a clash between freedom and conformance that relates to these curricular interpretations. They discuss the impact of these ideas on teacher education curricula and posit a curriculum model that emphasizes depth and connectedness at all levels, calling for a reconceptualization of curriculum to bring about a more fulfilling learning process.     

Evaluating E-resource Collections in a Business School Library: A Comparative Study of Aggregator Packages at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad Library

The need to continuously evaluate resource usage, whether in print or online, has been a challenge for libraries for a long time. The shift in resources to digital formats has made gauging the utility of resources more convenient as well as enabling cross database comparisons on various parameters. In this context, the article explores the aggregator databases subscribed by Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad library. The study compares EBSCO's Business Source Complete, EBSCO's Academic Search Premier, Proquest's ABI INFORM Complete, JSTOR, and Project Muse packages in terms of the features available, usage, and the most used journals in these packages.     

Behind the starting line: school capacity building in early childhood education

This paper describes the process of school capacity building in Hong Kong's early childhood education at a time when there was a quest for quality education. A local preschool was selected for the study, which took part in a university–school support programme through which consultancy was hired from a university to provide school-based support. An action research approach was chosen in the research design. The process of building capacity was examined in the selected preschool over a year. The findings indicated that the preschool went through a process of capacity building, from the status quo ante, through the exploration stage to the initial implementation stage of change. Restructuring and reculturing were emerging in the change process, with the support of the school consultants.     

Peer Conflicts of Preschool Children: Issues, Resolution, Incidence, and Age-Related Patterns

This study examined 2-, 3-, and 4-year-olds' peer conflicts in the naturalistic classroom setting during free-play time. 400 preschoolers from 25 classrooms were videotaped. Only the first conflict event generated by each target-child observation was included in the analysis. Of the 400 target-child observations, 322 generated a conflict event. In general, there was a shift in the issues of conflict from tangible material concerns to those that were more mental and social. 2-year-olds had a higher proportion of distribution of resources conflicts than did 3- and 4-year-olds. Conflicts about play and ideas significantly increased with age while those stemming from physical harm were low overall. Further, child-generated resolutions increased while insistence decreased significantly with age. What changes with development appears to be the issues of conflict and the way they are handled; not the incidence of conflict per se. These findings support the proposal that conflicts are natural contexts in which children develop socially, morally and cognitively. Implications for teaching are discussed.     

Making sense of teacher leadership in early childhood education in China

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is to offer a theoretical discussion on teacher leadership in early childhood education (ECE) in Chinese contexts. Since 2010, the Chinese government has initiated a comprehensive education reform in ECE, with strategies for developing teacher leadership and promoting education quality. However, at the school level there is a lack of leadership preparation and development, along with a gap between policy initiative and its implementation. How to narrow this gap between policy and practice in teacher leadership has become a critical issue for ECE in China. This paper suggests that ‘formal role or informal role’ and ‘role or practice’ are important dimensions of teacher leadership in a Chinese, policy-driven context. In this regard, it is worth exploring how teacher leadership is conceptualized and enacted in the process of quality improvement and related contextual factors. In doing so, an agenda could be identified for future research, contributing to theories on the development of teacher leadership in the global discourse.     

Challenges Faced by Canadian Social Work Field Instructors in Baccalaureate Field Supervision

ABSTRACT

This article examines the challenges faced by social work field instructors in two Canadian provinces. The results are based on the responses from 239 field instructors to a questionnaire survey. Findings highlight student difficulties, administrative issues with the social work schools, and practicum setting challenges. These demands hinder the optimal implementation of social work field education, reveal the concerning gatekeeping role of schools of social work, and discourage some social workers from taking on (or continuing) as field instructors. Implications for social work student placements, supervision of students, academic programs, and directions for future research are presented.     

Spectroscopic and chromatographic studies of sculptural polychromy in the Zhongshan Grottoes (R.P.C.)

The sculptural polychromy in the Zhongshan Grottoes, sited in northwest China, has been investigated in terms of chemical composition of employed materials and pigments, state of conservation and painting technique. Raman analysis, Fourier-transform infrared analysis, analysis through energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry coupled to scanning electron microscopy and pyrolysis coupled to gas chromatography and mass spectrometry were applied. Six analyzed samples showed silicates and kaolin as main components of the ground layers. Also lead white has been found in these layers. Minium, red-earth and mercury sulfide are the red pigments detected in the polychromy. A mixed use of malachite and atacamite has been detected in three green samples. Optical characteristics of atacamite and malachite found in the samples indicate a synthetic origin. The presence of a synthetic organic pigment such as phthalocyanine chlorinated pigment was also revealed. Ultramarine blue pigment, obtained by purification of lapis lazuli, has been detected in the blue sample. As for the binders used, fatty materials and siccative oil were found.     

Does branding impact student recruitment: a critical evaluation

This study focuses on segmentation feasibility within the private college/university market. There is considerable overlap for private and public college/university students with respect to their consideration criteria; however, previous research suggests that there are some criteria that appear to be differentially important based on the type of student and institution. Therefore, using factors considered by university students in a previous study, the current research sought to further explore the existence of segments within a private university. The findings suggested that three segments of students exist – one segment considers all university criteria as important, another places high importance on the financial aspects of attending a university, and another segment moderately evaluates all university criteria. Implications of the findings are discussed.