The elusive experience of ‘flow’: Qualitative and quantitative indicators

In this investigation mixed methods were used to examine flow within the context of a writing task. Forty-four secondary students aged between 15 and 18 years completed a computer-based writing task requiring them to examine information and then write on one of two topical issues. We examined the level of agreement between end-of-task ratings based on two approaches to measuring flow, the four-channel model ratio of challenge and skill, and a classification based on ratings of absorption, timelessness and effort. Flow groups that emerged were significantly associated but not entirely consistent. A range of additional data sources concerning students’ on-task experiences illustrated different patterns of task engagement. The variability between indicators suggests that flow cannot be reliably identified through any narrow set of measures. Just as the flow experience is complex so a range of indicators is needed to identify when and how students experience flow in their learning.     

Conceptualising Art Education as Environmental Activism in Preservice Teacher Education

This article explores how art and design education can contribute to the imperative of climate change and help societies adapt to living more sustainably. Drawing on methods from arts‐based research and qualitative case study, it reports on an investigation into what can be learned from creating environmental art installations with preservice teachers (those training to be K‐12 teachers), as part of an environmental art education programme in a leading Canadian university. Findings support that preservice teachers experienced behavioural and attitudinal shifts towards sustainability after engaging in the processes of creating environmental art; involvement in the programme also provided opportunities for building community, engaging multiple domains of learning, modelling sustainable art‐making practices and prompting environmental activism. The results of this study inform a developing pedagogy for environmental art education in higher education settings.     

Women's Studies in a Cold Climate: conference report

Women's studies has been in existence for almost two decades but in the current climate of fostering technological innovation and entrepreneurialism in the educational sector, it is fighting to retain its hard‐earned place in the curriculum. This paper provides information about current developments in the British context via a report of the 1988 national conference of the UK Women's Studies Network. Major themes of the conference range from plenary discussions of the future for Women's Studies, to workshop analyses of: theory and methodology, pedagogy and course structures, sexuality and European networks.     

The adolescent dyslexic: Strategies for spelling

The adolescent dyslexic student’s problems with spelling are very different from those of a young dyslexic child, as he already has considerable knowledge of the English spelling system. But this knowledge is very often random and confused, so he needs to acquire a logical structure which will enable him to generate spelling for himself and to communicate effectively in writing. It will be suggested that accuracy is not always attainable, but the student can be taught to recognize and use the main components of the spelling system and can learn to employ all available resources. The general aim is to provide the dyslexic adolescent with the tools he needs to cope with his spelling requirements, both in school and outside; to make informed deductions; to think for himself. In short, to spell independently and logically.     

Using Focus Groups,Expert Advice,and Cognitive Interviews to Establish the Validity of a College Student Survey

This study focused on how the design of a national student survey instrument was informed and improved through the combined use of student focus groups, cognitive interviews, and expert survey design advice. We were specifically interested in determining (a) how students interpret the items and response options, (b) the frequency of behaviors or activities associated with the response options, (c) if the items are clearly worded and specific enough to produce reliable and valid results, and (d) if the items and response categories accurately represent students' behaviors and perceptions. We collected focus group data from 8 colleges and universities as part of a nationally funded research project on student engagement. The findings provide additional insight into the importance of using focus groups and cognitive interviews to learn how students interpret various items and what different responses really mean.     

Physical activity experiences of young people in an area of disadvantage: ‘there's nothing there for big kids,like us’

Through an examination of the experiences of young people in one disadvantaged area, this paper adds to an emerging body of knowledge focused on what place physical activity occupies in the lives of young people in areas of disadvantage. A total of 40 young people (21 males, 19 females) participated in focus group interviews. The research question explored the forces which enable and constrain the participation of youths in physical activity and the interplay between such forces and how they experience and exercise agency. All focus group interviews were transcribed, coded and thematically analysed. The findings remind us that young people can be seen as positioned within multiple social relations conferred by specific social identities (such as child, friend, brother or sister) and each of these identities influences the ability of youth to exercise agency in choosing whether, where and when to participate in physical activity. Institutional structures also influenced the physical activity habits of young people in this study. It was interesting to note that staying out of trouble was one of the most discussed benefits of physical activity. Young people also recorded feelings of disempowerment through the belief that no significance was attributed to their words and shared thoughts. This sense of constrained agency presents a particular difficulty when we consider that it is only through accessing the voices of young people that those attempting to promote physical activity can ensure that the range of opportunities being created are matched to the preferences of youth.     

A primer of research on cognitive strategy instruction: The important issues and how to address them

Five types of strategy research are reviewed. (1) We argue it makes sense first to determine whether there is a need for strategy instruction. If there is, (2) development of a treatment with preliminary evaluations can follow, as can (3) formal evaluation of the resultant intervention in true experiments. As instructional need research, strategy development, and experimental evaluation proceed, two other types of research should be conducted. (4) It is important to study the acceptability of strategy interventions to educators and students. (5) Research on material modifications can provide information about how strategy benefits can be made available to students when strategy instruction is not effective or unlikely to occur. Very little strategy instruction has been evaluated in all five types of research covered here, making obvious the need for more systematic research on strategies. Observational, ethnographic, and experimental methods are required in order to address the many issues comprising comprehensive empirical analysis of any type of strategy instruction, with many recommendations made here about how to conduct informative studies.     

Putting Co-operative Learning to Good Effect

Co-operative learning in primary schools has recently become the focus of a good deal of research and the importance of language and communication to this kind of learning has been well established. Jim Ewing and his colleagues in Dundee have been investigating the effects of co-operative learning experiences on children's attitudes and linguistic skills and here describe a study which demonstrates the clear gains to be derived from co-operative learning as a means of classroom organisation.