Women,adult education and literacy: A Caribbean perspective

The main function of agricultural extension is generally thought to be the transfer through nonformal educational means of practical knowledge to agriculture and the enhancement of rural development. Agricultural extension has received renewed attention in recent years from international development agencies and considerable discussion has ensued regarding the appropriate role for extension programmes. Much of the attention has been directed towards improving the functions of existing services. This article discusses the policy considerations of extension within the broader context of agricultural development goals and the overall direction of the country's development objectives and strategies. A framework is presented for analysing important characteristics of different extension development options. The issues raised are relevant to the larger concerns of adult education policy and the promotion of lifelong learning strategies within society. They include the relationship of sectoral goals and policies to broader national objectives, the audience the public sector should target, the role of the private sector, the structural arrangements best suited to meet certain objectives and the correct mixture and co‐ordination of various services and programmes.     

Diversity and inclusivity at university: a survey of the experiences of lesbian,gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) students in the UK

The extent to which UK universities are ‘gay friendly’ has received some attention in the press. Whilst there are a number of published studies exploring campus climate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) students and/or staff, these are primarily localised studies undertaken in State Universities and Baccalaureate Colleges in the US. The present study is a nationwide UK study of campus climate, based on survey data collected from a sample of 291 LGBT students from 42 universities across the UK. The findings show that despite the increased implementation of an equality agenda (e.g. equal access; widening participation) in UK Higher Education, homophobia on campus is still a significant problem and therefore universities are not perceived nor experienced by LGBT students as ‘safe spaces’ in which to be open about sexual orientation/gender identity. The implications of the findings for university policy and practice in relation to LGBT (and indeed all) students is also explored.     

Containment and denial: raising awareness of unconscious processes present when teachers are working with children and families where there is domestic abuse

This paper reports a small-scale, mixed methods research project exploring the perceptions and experiences of primary school teachers regarding domestic abuse. The paper focuses on the psychoanalytic concepts of containment and denial present in such situations. Questionnaire findings suggested that there was a significant difference between teachers who had attended relevant training and those who had not in their confidence levels in 1) responding to disclosures, and 2) recognising whether a child was exposed to domestic abuse (n = 165). Semi-structured interviews, analysed using thematic analysis, were carried out with experienced teachers (n = 8). Four overarching themes were identified: emotional factors of the teacher’s role; working within the school system; the relationship with the child and family; and uncertainty about what teachers need to know. Findings are discussed in relation to the psychoanalytic concepts of containment and denial. Implications for practice, identifying the roles of unconscious processes and holistic containment, are discussed.     

Bing: The New Guy in Town

All Aboard the Internet

Bing: The New Guy in Town     

Repurposing children’s television for the classroom: teachers’ use of “square one tv” videocassettes

This study investigated whether a major new children’s television series on mathematics, produced primarily for an at-home audience, could be “repurposed” for classroom use. Segments were selected from the PBS children’s series, “Square One TV,” and edited into 30 videocassettes organized by curriculum topics. Teachers in two public elementary schools in Cambridge, Massachusetts, used the cassettes over a 10-week period. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected, including teacher interviews, teacher journals of classroom use, researcher observations, a survey of student attitudes toward mathematics, and student interviews. Teachers found the reformatted cassettes to be useful motivational and instructional resources, especially in demonstrating connections between mathematical ideas and real-world situations. A videotape of teacher and student responses is available from the authors. This paper written while Dr. Chen was an assistant professor at the same school, won the Instructional Video Paper Competition marking the 25th anniversary of the Agency for Instructional Technology, Bloomington, Indiana.     

The effect of sequence of instruction on students' cognitive preferences and recall in the context of a problem-oriented method of teaching

This experiment investigated two possible sequences in which biochemical theory and the clinical applications of such theory can be presented to pre-clinical medical students. The dependent variables were the students' cognitive preferences and their ability to recall the contents of the instruction. Seventy-two students were randomly allocated to either a Theory-to-application or an Application-to-theory condition. The results indicated that the Application-to-theory sequence of instruction produced a significantly greater preference for being taught the specific facts of pre-clinical medical science, as opposed to being taught about the clinical applications. However, this was achieved at the expense of a significantly reduced ability to actually recall the theory which was taught.     

Competency, capability, complexity and computers: exploring a new model for conceptualising end-user computer education

Notions of competency have dominated the computer education literature, and have underpinned Competency‐Based Training (CBT) in information technology at all levels of education and training. The emergence of counter‐narratives underpinned by the capability movement, have as yet had minimal impact on practice in computer education. New discourses in educational theory and practice which are founded on non‐linear approaches to learning and teaching provide added impetus to engage in the competency/capability debate, and re‐examine our approaches to computer education. This paper explores complexity theories and demonstrates how complexity's pedagogical implications can lead to new models for understanding computer learning and teaching. A new model for conceptualising end‐user computer education is presented that was derived from a three‐year action research initiative with pre‐service teachers.     

Learning through discussions

Students studying a third‐year e‐commerce subject experienced face‐to‐face and online discussions as an important part of their learning experience. The quality of the students' experiences of learning through those discussions is investigated in this study. This study uses qualitative approaches to investigate the variation in the students' understanding of what they were learning through discussions, and how they went about engaging in them. Quantitative analyses are used to investigate how the students' experience related to their performance. Key outcomes of the study include that the quality of the students' experience of learning through discussions is positively related to their performance and that face‐to‐face and online discussions have qualitatively different benefits for learning.     

THE EFFECTS OF MIDDLE SCHOOL BULLYING AND VICTIMIZATION ON ADJUSTMENT THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL: GROWTH MODELING OF ACHIEVEMENT,SCHOOL ATTENDANCE,AND DISCIPLINARY TRAJECTORIES

The current 5‐year longitudinal study examined the effects of middle school bullying and victimization on adolescent academic achievement, disciplinary referrals, and school attendance through high school (N = 2030; 1016 both boys and girls). Greater engagement in bullying behaviors was concurrently associated with lower achievement and school attendance for girls and higher levels of disciplinary problems, and, for girls, predicted increases in disciplinary referrals through high school. Victimization was unrelated to school adjustment difficulties when controlling for bullying. Moreover, academic achievement was longitudinally associated with disciplinary referrals and school attendance. These findings outline concurrent school adjustment difficulties associated with engagement in bullying behavior, the longer‐term behavioral ramifications for girls, and the relations of behavioral and academic development from middle school to high school.