The Basis of Correctness in the Religious Studies Classroom

What is it that makes a student's answer correct or incorrect in Religious Studies? In practice, the standards of correctness in the Religious Studies classroom are generally applied with relative ease by teachers and students. Nevertheless, they are problematic. We shall argue that correctness does not come from either the students or the teacher believing that what has been said is true. This raises the question: what is correctness, if it does not come down to truth? We propose, and examine, three rival solutions, each of which, to an extent, rationalises a fairly natural response to the problem. The first, the elliptical approach, says that correct contributions have some tacit content: they are elliptical for true sentences about beliefs (e.g. a sentence of the form ‘Christians believe that …’). The second, the imaginative approach, seeks to replace appeals to truth and belief with an appeal to imagination, treating Religious Studies as a ‘game of make‐believe’ in which teachers and students imaginatively engage with certain worldviews. The third, the institutional approach, locates the root of correctness in the practices of the Religious Studies institution, which include making endorsements of some judgements and not others. We show that the first of our proposed approaches encounters a number of significant objections. We find the second of our proposed approaches to be better, but the third is the most attractive, providing a direct, intuitive and comprehensive route through the problem of correctness.     

As if by Machinery: The Levelling of Educational Research

Much current educational research shows the influence of two powerful but potentially pernicious lines of thought. The first, which can be traced at least as far back as Francis Bacon, is the ambition to formulate precise techniques of research, or 'research methods', which can be applied reliably irrespective of the talent of the researcher. The second is the recognition that in the social sciences we—humankind—are ourselves the objects of our study. The first line of thought threatens to cut educational research free of the wider range of ideas and theories that should govern or at least inform it. The second tends to turn it into an absorption with self, particularly when allied to what its practitioners like to think of as the postmodern turn.     

Encouraging Counselor Trainee Affective Group Behavior by Social Modeling

Can the planned social modeling of affective, group-focused, personal responses significantly increase such group behaviors in counselor trainees? In the study reported here 32 counselor trainees were randomly assigned to four practicum discussion groups: two video social model groups, one video lecture group, and one discussion group (eight in each group). Pre- and post-response frequencies were analyzed from audiotapes of the counseling groups to study type of delivery, content, process, and focus. Social modeling treatment significantly increased the response frequencies on all measures, while insignificant changes were generally found for the video lecture and group discussion treatments. Questions about social modeling variables and the usefulness of planned modeling in training are considered.     

Ethnicity and Training Marital and Family Therapists

The author reviews ethnicity in the family therapy training literature. She describes an original exercise that teaches counselors in training the significance of ethnicity to family functioning.     

The Nature and Development of Engineering Expertise

Engineering is the application of science and mathematics to human problems. This is a view that pervades engineering education. Recent emphasis in the United States is ‘engineering is design’. The thesis of this paper is that engineering as science as well as engineering as design are inadequate conceptions of engineering. The thesis is supported by comparing school and out-of-school knowledge. The nature of engineering is explored in terms of the activities of engineers and the goals of engineering education. Koen's definition of the engineering method, “The engineering method is the use of heuristics to cause the best change in a poorly understood situation within the available resources”, is introduced. The nature of expertise is examined. Alternatives to the ‘empty vessel’ model are presented for the development of engineering expertise. The alternatives include cognitive apprenticeship, reflective practicum, co-operative learning and problem-based instruction.     

The Effects of Two Precounseling Orientation Presentations on Client Expectations of Counseling

Two precounseling orientation presentations for prospective clients were examined in this study: a verbal presentation and a researcher-developed audiovisual presentation delivered on a color television monitor. The findings were based on a pretest and posttest assessment of client expectations; they indicated that the audiovisual presentation significantly enhanced expectations that would focus on affective variables. The verbal approach, however, had no effect on expectations.     

Training Counselors for Human Resource Development Positions in Business and Industry

Traditionally, counselors have not received systematic training for human resource development positions within business and industry. Yet counseling skills can be readily applied to the business setting. This article describes one counselor education department's response to the need for systematic training in human resource development.     

Extended services in schools: developing resources to prepare student teachers for a rapidly changing working environment

The role of schools in providing extended services to their communities continues to undergo change and development. This has raised issues regarding the training of student teachers who are increasingly likely to take up appointments in schools offering extended services. This research project investigated the development of resources to prepare student teachers for a changing working environment. The project used a case study approach to gather data from primary and secondary schools providing extended services. From these case studies training materials were developed and trialled with focus groups of students in initial teacher training. Findings demonstrate the importance for tutors in initial teacher education to have access to authentic school‐focused materials to assist them in equipping students for the realities of school life.