Novice teachers as organisational people: expectations of a professional work environment,collegiality, recognition and respect

This study introduces a model of novice teachers’ expectations together with supporting empirical evidence. The model is sectorial, distinguishing novice teachers’ expectations according to their reciprocal relations with their partners in the school. The study investigated 237 teachers attending internship programmes at five large teachers training colleges in Israel, using a self‐report questionnaire. The findings revealed that: (1) the expectations of novice teachers are based on a sectorial organisational view of the school, as proposed by role theory; (2) novice teachers have very high expectations of their organisational work environment; and (3) their highest expectations are for public recognition of the importance of teaching, while the lowest expectations are for receiving support and backing from the partners in the educational process. The article discusses novice teachers’ views of their function as organisational people and of the school as an arena for developing and nurturing their organisational selves.     

Family rearing antecedents of pubertal timing

Two general evolutionary hypotheses were tested on 756 White children (397 girls) studied longitudinally: (1) rearing experiences would predict pubertal timing; and (2) children would prove differentially susceptible to rearing. Analysis of pubertal measurements, including some based on repeated physical assessments, showed that mothering and fathering, earlier and later in childhood, predicted pubertal development, but only for girls, with negative parenting appearing most influential; maternal harsh control predicted earlier menarche. Rearing effects varied by infant negative emotionality, proving stronger (and opposite) for girls who in infancy were lower rather than higher in negativity. Maternal menarche, controlled in all analyses, was a stronger predictor than rearing. Findings are discussed in terms of theory development, genetic and nutritional influences, and sample restrictions.     

The Extraordinary Growth of the Science‐Technology Museum

Abstract Science museums, coming off a period of 50 years of explosive growth, have been undergoing evolutionary development for over 200 years. Examples of three distinct generations thrive today, though hybrids are also common. The Science Museum in London is about half interactives; the Lawrence Hall of Science is known at least as much for its curriculum development as for its exhibitions; and the Exploratorium has built a large presence on the World Wide Web and in cities around the world. The evolution is continuing, but where is it going? Are science museums merging into one species, at last? Or are they diverging into many more categories, including virtual institutions with no physical collections at all?     

On Nature and Environmental Education: black parents speak from the inner city

Twenty four black parents from Houston, Texas were interviewed on their perspectives about nature and environmental education. Residts showed that animals, plants and parks played an important part in the lives of these parents and their families. Parents were also aware of the negative effects of environmental problems, such as air pollution, water pollution and garbage. Parents talked about such problems with their children, acted to help the environment and believed it was important to live in harmony with nature. Parents supported environmental education for their children and believed it was as important as drug education. Anthropocentric and biocentric considerations characterized parents' environmental reasoning and often their conceptions of what it means to live in harmony with nature. Taken as a whole, parents spoke of their commitment to environmental issues and enjoyment of nature while remaining vividly aware of the difficulties which arise from urban poverty.     

Lessons From an Urban School Readiness Initiative: Including Family,Friend, and Neighbor Care Providers

ABSTRACT

Research Findings: Using a structured qualitative case study method, this study examined one urban school readiness initiative's efforts to identify and engage family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) care providers to promote school readiness in underserved and immigrant communities. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with 23 FFN providers, 14 parent leaders, and 35 community partners in five urban neighborhoods. Results show that 1) a community-organizing approach was the primary method of engaging FFN providers, 2) FFN providers self-reported positive impacts of their engagement for both themselves and the children in their care, and 3) the inclusion of FFN providers elicited many strong feelings among partners about potential benefits and liabilities of supporting FFN care, which in some cases acted as a barrier to successful engagement of FFN providers. Practice and policy: Results highlight key strategies and potential benefits of engaging FFN providers in comprehensive school readiness systems. The tensions that arose regarding the engagement of FFN providers point to the importance of addressing misconceptions of FFN care and its value to children, families, and communities in order to ensure a shared commitment and understanding of the value and possible benefits of such a strategy.     

Glycoscience: Integrating a Key Macromolecule More Fully into the Curriculum

The recent report from the National Research Council, Transforming Glycoscience: A Roadmap for the Future, explores an important area of the life sciences. Glycoscience examples are suitable additions to many areas of the curriculum, and their inclusion will help ensure that students have an understanding of the diverse functions played by this key class of macromolecules.     

Accent,Language, and Race: 4–6‐Year‐Old Children's Inferences Differ by Speaker Cue

Three experiments examined 4‐ to 6‐year‐olds' use of potential cues to geographic background. In Experiment 1 (N = 72), 4‐ to 5‐year‐olds used a speaker's foreign accent to infer that they currently live far away, but 6‐year‐olds did not. In Experiment 2 (N = 72), children at all ages used accent to infer where a speaker was born. In both experiments, race played some role in children's geographic inferences. Finally, in Experiment 3 (N = 48), 6‐year‐olds used language to infer both where a speaker was born and where they currently live. These findings reveal critical differences across development in the ways that speaker characteristics are used as inferential cues to a speaker's geographic location and history.