Commentary on vocational mathematics education: where mathematics education confronts the realities of people’s work

In this commentary I will address the notions of work, the need for innovation, and the role of workplace mathematics. I will then provide an overview of some of the complex issues that confront the subfield of vocational mathematics education with consequences for current and future workers, drawing in part on the work of Basil Bernstein. Finally, I will address the question of workplace research and offer some possible directions for future research, as well as implications for policy. Reflections on the articles included in this special issue will frame the discussion.     

Pre-service teachers’ growth as practitioners of developmentally appropriate practice: a Vygotskian analysis of constraints and affordances in the English context

This paper reports on an ongoing research programme designed to investigate the opportunities for, and barriers to, pre-service teachers’ growth as practitioners of developmentally appropriate practice for children aged 5–11. The analysis is framed by a Vygotskian cultural–historical perspective and points to personal, cultural and structural factors as potential constraints immanent in the various configurations produced by the pre-service teacher–environment interface. The paper concludes by confirming Vygotsky’s contention that development possibilities lie immanent in the contradictions produced by these specific configurations of constraints and affordances. Potential implications for teacher education programmes are also discussed, including the possibilities for facilitating the growth of critical teacher-researcher identities in what is currently a contested education landscape.     

Emotional and behavioural development in Glasgow primary schools

Studies examining the well-being of British children find that about 5–10% are at risk of developing problems. This study aimed to examine the emotional and behavioural development of six to eight year olds in an area of socio-economic deprivation in Glasgow (Scotland) and compare this with UK norms. Furthermore, it aimed to look at overlap between the problems children had. It was a population-based survey involving parents and teachers of 1658 children. The study found that the overall emotional and behavioural development in this deprived population was surprisingly similar to UK norms. There was however a small group of children with overlapping problems. There is an emphasis within Glasgow on supporting young people's social, emotional and behavioural needs, particularly with regard to nurture and attachment. Implications of Glasgow initiatives are discussed, and their potential role in helping children from deprived backgrounds maintain levels of emotional and behavioural development in line with UK norms and, in particular, this group with overlapping problems is explored.     

No Parent Left Behind: Strengthening Ties Between Educators and African American Parents/Guardians

This study used regression analyses to identify variables predicting the six most frequently cited problems that concerned 129 African-American parents and guardians of children who were primarily enrolled in urban schools. The findings indicate that in order to increase African-American parents' and guardians' satisfaction with the public school system, the racial climate in schools must be improved; unfair disciplinary practices must be eradicated; and curricula and instructional practices must be reformed specifically in areas that result in the strengthening of African-American students' math and reading-comprehension skills.     

Teaching Systems Thinking in the Context of the Water Cycle

Research in Science Education - Complex systems affect every part of our lives from the ecosystems that we inhabit and share with other living organisms to the systems that supply our water (i.e.,...     

The Curious Case of the Deaf and Contested Landscapes of Bilingual Education

In this article, the authors examine deaf education as a “curious case” to prompt thinking about issues of language inequities. The authors argue that tying the fortunes of deaf students to those of other language minority students provides opportunities for new insights into policies and practices of deaf education as well the education of other language minorities in American schools. The authors provide a case example of successful deaf bilingual education that challenges the equation of deaf communicative difference with academic failure. They conclude with a discussion of American bilingual education history and how a consideration of the “curious case” of deaf education opens up possibilities for expanding understandings of more general issues of language difference in education.     

A comparison of types of attorney representation for children in California juvenile court dependency cases

OBJECTIVE: The present study concerns types of attorney representation for maltreated children involved in juvenile court actions in the state of California. The aims of the research were to document the different types of representation used in dependency cases in 2000 (e.g., public defender, District Attorney, private firms) and to evaluate these types of representation with respect to children's experiences in foster care. METHODS: Every county in California was surveyed about the predominant type of legal representation used in their dependency court system. In addition, data on children's experiences in foster care were obtained from the Child Welfare System/Child Management System (CWS/CMS). RESULTS: Findings indicate that, in the majority of counties in California, children were represented by the public defender's office or by a panel of court-appointed attorneys. Approximately equal numbers of counties employed county-affiliated (i.e., District Attorney, public defender, county counsel) and independent (i.e., private firm, panel of court-appointed attorneys) types of representation (47% and 52%, respectively). Further analyses suggested that children in counties employing independent types of representation tended to experience fewer foster-care placements than did children in counties employing county-affiliated types of representation. This relation remained significant when potentially confounding variables were statistically controlled. CONCLUSION: Results indicated that some types of representation, specifically, private firms and court-appointed attorneys, were associated with one better outcome for children.     

Are older adults satisfied with their sexuality? Outcomes from a cross-cultural study

ABSTRACT

The present study intends to analyze older adult perspectives on what determines sexual satisfaction in old age. Four hundred and twenty-one non-institutionalized older parti- 10 cipants from three different nationalities aged 65 to 97 years were interviewed. All narratives were submitted to content analysis. This study’s outcome originated five themes: positive communication (k =.94, p <.01); supportive partner (k =.82, p <.01); feeling attractive (k = 81, p <.01); good sexual activity (k =.97, p <.01); and eroticism (k =.98, p <.01). 15 This study highlighted different determinants of sexual satisfaction in old age and emphasized the importance of positive communication and a supportive partner for older adults.     

Children's Representations of Attachment Relationships in Family Drawings

Children's representational models of self and attachment figures were investigated in family drawings at age 8–9 in a high-risk, raially mixed sample. Drawings were scored using a series of specific signs and a group of theoretically derived, global rating scales. When specific signs were treated in a combined way (versus separately), they were significantly related to early attachment history in predicted ways. Similarly, specific rating scales were found to be significantly related to early relationship history. Analyses exploring the relative contributions of early attachment history and contemporary measures of child IQ, life stress, and emotional functioning revealed that even after contemporary influences were taken into account, attachment history made a significant contribution to the prediction of negative drawing outcome. Results were interpreted as supporting an organizational perspective on development where qualitative differences in early relationships are hypothesized to shape core representational models of the self and to exert an ongoing influence on later representational processes.