Making Our Way Through: Voices of Hispanic Counselor Educators

Through 23 open‐ended questionnaires and 8 individual interviews, this phenomenological study explored the experiences of Hispanic men and women (N = 23) who completed doctoral degrees in counselor education. Six themes were identified: family role models, educational support, parental expectations, ethnic identity, acculturation/cultural expectations, and intrinsic motivation.     

The Effects of a Flipped Classroom Model of Instruction on Students’ Performance and Attitudes Towards Chemistry

This study establishes the effects of a flipped classroom model of instruction on academic performance and attitudes of 66 first-year secondary school students towards chemistry. A pre-test and post-test experimental design was employed to assign students randomly into either the experimental or control group. In order to assess the suitability of using flipped model of instruction, students were divided in two groups. For the first group called the experimental group, a “flipped classroom” was used in which the students were given video lessons and reading materials, before the class to be revised at home. On the other hand, the second group followed traditional methodology, and it was used as control. The rate of reaction knowledge test and the chemistry attitude scale were administered. In addition, the researcher documented classroom observations, experiences, thoughts and insights regarding the intervention in a journal on a daily basis in order to enrich the data. Students were interviewed at the end of the research in order to enrich the qualitative data also. Findings from this study reveal that the flipped instruction model facilitates a shift in students’ conceptual understanding of the rate of chemical reaction significantly more than the control condition. Positive significant differences were found on all assessments with the flipped class students performing higher on average. Students in the flipped classroom model condition benefited by preparing for the lesson before the classes and had the opportunity to interact with peers and the teacher during the learning processes in the classroom. The findings support the notion that teachers should be trained or retrained on how to incorporate the flipped classroom model into their teaching and learning processes because it encourages students to be directly involved and active in the learning.     

Elementary science textbooks: Their contents,text characteristics,and comprehensibility

The purpose of this article is to present findings from a systematic analysis of elementary-school science textbooks. Comparisons of content domains and vocabulary are presented for the Merrill (1982) and Silver-Burdett (1985) science programs, grades 1–5 as well as the fourth-grade Holt (1980) and fifth-grade McGraw-Hill (1974) texts. Analyses of how each publisher presents information, types of questions, and various text characteristics reveal striking differences between programs. Systematic comparisons of content domains between programs also reveal few instances of “inconsiderate” texts. The textbooks analyzed were selected because they are used in the three school districts participating in our longitudinal study. Results are discussed in light of the differences found between programs regarding textbook content and opportunity to learn, the greater amounts of text and activities within each program, and teachers' probable uses of textbooks, the long-term results of students' exposure to various textbooks, and the need for careful examination of materials in order to determine their quality.     

Supporting the kindergarten–primary school transition in Hong Kong: reform in a teacher training programme

ABSTRACT

The conflicting education values in Hong Kong kindergartens and primary schools pose various challenges to kindergarten teachers in providing pupils with a smooth transition to primary school which requires collaboration from schools and families. This study explored these challenges as well as the benefits of a professional teacher training programme. In-service teachers (N?=?35) and tutors (N?=?2) engaged in the module ‘The Social and Emotional Aspects of Teaching and Learning’ participated in this study. The trainees’ weekly reflective journals throughout the 22-week module were subjected to documentation analysis. Group interviews with the in-service teachers and individual interviews with the tutors were conducted on completion of the module. Findings reveal a gap between teacher training and providing pastoral care for pupils through supporting the social and emotional aspects of their families in Hong Kong, and indicated that traditional beliefs associated with the teaching profession should be widened. Meanwhile, counselling knowledge and skills should be contextualised and integrated into teacher training programmes.     

Parents’ and teachers’ beliefs about children’s school readiness in a high-need community

This study compared the beliefs of preschool teachers, kindergarten teachers, and parents in one mostly Hispanic and Black high-need urban school district to learn their views of what children should know and be able to do at kindergarten entry. Beliefs regarding the importance of 12 school readiness “resources” were assessed with the CARES survey designed for this study. Parents held remarkably similar beliefs, regardless of ethnicity or education. Parents and teachers also agreed that children must be healthy and socially competent, and be able to comply with teacher authority, although parents rated this latter resource higher. However, parents rated all classroom-related readiness resources as more important than teachers did. They believed it was necessary for a child to be able to communicate in English and to have basic knowledge and skills, which was more important than a child’s approach to learning. Preschool teachers also believed that knowledge was more important than kindergarten teachers did. Directions for further research and implications for policy and practice are discussed.     

Tackling early school leaving: Principals’ insights into Portuguese upper secondary schools

This article addresses Early School Leaving (ESL) as a phenomenon that is identified in the EU and European countries such as Portugal as being the result of school disaffection that can be associated with social and educational problems. The relevance of this problem at the European level is highlighted by the large number of European guidelines on the matter and by the inclusion of ESL as one of the main questions to be addressed by the Horizon 2020. Based on interviews, this article questions possible relationships between how principals perceive both ESL and the measures to deal with it and the culture of the school as an identity of differentia specifica (ethos). It should be emphasised that the approaches of these principals to ESL and the school‐based practices addressing it are quite diverse and relate to the ethos of the schools; students’ trajectories and the complex relationship between education and the labour market. The principals manifest their investment and implication in the provision of adequate measures for their specific contexts and see teachers and external partners as key actors.     

Predictors of Academic Stress Among College Students

The purpose of this study was to examine factors predictive of college students' academic stress. Three hundred seven undergraduate students (179 men, 128 women) participated in the study. Results indicated that female college students had higher academic stress than did male college students. Bivariate correlations and multiple regression analyses revealed that life satisfaction, locus of control, and gender were significant predictors of academic stress. Directions for future research and implications for counselors are discussed.     

THE AGING ADULT LEARNER: A TRULY NEGLECTED SPECIES

This paper will examine the impact of and need for educational opportunities among adult U.S. citizens. To assess quality of life across 15 different dimensions, 3‐ to 4‐hour interviews were conducted with nationally representative samples of 30‐, 50‐, and 70‐year‐olds. Ratings on importance indicated that learning was of decreasing importance to older groups. However, a large proportion of all age groups reported that their needs were not being well met in learning. Correlations of ratings on needs met with ratings on overall quality of life, weighted by importance ratings, revealed that learning related substantially to overall quality of life. Analyses of the educational needs of these cohorts identified adult education programs needed to improve quality of life.

This paper is adapted from a presentation given at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society, San Francisco, 1977.

Support for this project was provided by a grant from the National Institute of Education (Grant NIE‐G‐00‐3‐0148) for the interviews with the 30‐year‐olds and a grant from the Administration on Aging (Grant 90‐A‐514) for the interviews with the 50‐ and 70‐year‐olds.