Early Learning in CRESPAR

The goal of the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk (CRESPAR) Early Learning program is to ensure that young children reach the 1st grade with the necessary skills and competencies to be effective learners. This goal has been accomplished by 2 integrated areas of research. One area of research focuses on the development of effective practices that promote the development of language and literacy skills in young children. A 2nd area of research examines the systemic issues regarding school policies and teachers' beliefs and expectations that affect classroom practices. Over the past 5 years, the CRESPAR Early Learning Program has been conducting research in these areas, which has added to our understanding of how children learn and what teachers think that they can learn.     

A Helping Hand? A Study into an England-wide Peer Mentoring Program to Address Bullying Behavior

The purpose of this paper is to provide findings from a study into a school peer mentoring program which matched children aged between 9 and 12?years of age who were bullied or at-risk of being bullied with older student mentors. In total, 372 mentees as well as a comparison group of 1,249 young people from 22 English schools completed a questionnaire at the start and end of the school year (approximately nine months). An examination of the results showed that mentored students reported higher levels of bullying and life satisfaction, and statistically significant higher levels of school satisfaction than the comparison group at the end of the school year. These outcomes did not significantly vary by the mentee’s age, gender, or the number of mentoring meetings. Potential reasons for these findings are explored with a particular emphasis on the school environment and its influence on mentee–mentor and mentee–teacher relationships. The findings will have potential implications for future research and program developers.     

Boys’ Underachievement: issues,challenges and possible ways forward

This article considers the issue of boys’ perceived lack of achievement at 16 and the context within which this issue has developed. In addition to conducting a review of relevant literature concerned with boys’ achievement, case study research was carried out in three comprehensive schools in the Midlands, taking the form of interviews with one senior member of staff from each school with a specific responsibility for boys’ achievement. The purpose of the interviews was to consider how different schools perceived the issue of boys’ underachievement and to examine the strategies employed by each to combat it. The discussion of the research indicates some significant factors affecting the ways in which boys identify themselves as being ‘male’ and which may influence their behaviour and attitudes towards school and towards their peers. The authors attempt to place the issue of boys’ underachievement into a wider social context and consider other factors which may have a bearing on the issue. The authors then attempt to relate the experiences of these three schools, and their other research, to the national picture and suggest ways in which teachers nationally may take steps to address the issue of boys’ underachievement within their own schools.     

Trends in methodological rigor in intervention research published in school psychology journals

Methodological rigor in intervention research is important for documenting evidence‐based practices and has been a recent focus in legislation, including the No Child Left Behind Act. The current study examined the methodological rigor of intervention research in four school psychology journals since the 1960s. Intervention research has increased in prevalence, but it does not seem to have become more rigorous since the establishment of the What Works Clearinghouse. Small methodological factors often determined whether a study met or did not meet standards in the current investigation. Implications include the necessity of reviewing research quality guidelines prior to conducting intervention research and ensuring they are met whenever possible.     

'My eyes went wide open'– an evaluation of the special needs education awareness course at Molepolole College of Education, Botswana

This article is an evaluation of the special needs education awareness course run at Molepolole College of Education, Botswana. The course directly reflects the Government of Botswana's policy on special education and seeks to provide students with a wide range of skills and knowledge to help them identify and support pupils with a variety of special needs. It also seeks to examine teachers' attitudes towards the inclusion of children with a wide range of learning support needs in the ordinary school. The evaluation was carried out by Gareth Dart, senior lecturer in the Department of Special Needs Education at Molepolole College of Education, who, in this article, reports the views of the first cohort of student graduates to complete the full course. This account also includes feedback from staff at schools who were involved with supervising the students as they did their special education assignments while on teaching practice. Feedback from the students and teachers is very positive in terms of the content and effect of the course although Gareth Dart suggests that a more thorough evaluation will have to wait until the graduates have been in the field some time. In the future, there will be a need to assess the long-term impact of the course upon the practice of teachers; to review the sustainability of this form of teacher education; and to make judgements about the influence that new generations of teachers have upon schools and policies promoting inclusion.     

Policy-Participation Trajectories in English Higher Education

The pattern of expansion that brought mass characteristics to English higher education is very different from that intended to achieve near‐universal access by the end of the present decade. The spectacular growth of the late 1980s and early 1990s was neither projected nor planned, with important consequences for the shape of the English system. By contrast, the policies of renewed expansion and widening participation from the late 1990s represent a radical attempt to change the traditional pattern of demand for English undergraduate education, with future growth focused on the short‐cycle forms of vocational higher education. Although influenced by the example of Scotland in building expansion at levels below the first degree, the policy experiment pursued in England is highly distinctive, including the invention of a new undergraduate qualification and a partnership role for further education colleges.     

Using an inoculation message approach to promote public confidence in protective agencies

This investigation tested the effectiveness of inoculation as a pre-crisis strategy in combating the effects of politically motivated violent acts. A four-phase experiment was conducted involving 355 national consumer panel participants. The findings indicate that inoculation can be an effective pre-crisis message strategy as it was successful in enhancing public beliefs in the ability of government agencies to prevent, and minimize the effects of, violent acts. This strategy also created a ‘blanket of protection’ that extended beyond the focal politically motivated attack event as it enhanced the confidence in government agencies to manage national crises in general. Inoculation was also effective in lowering the intensity of experienced fear evoked by the threat of violent attacks and it enhanced the ability of individuals to cope with the aftermath of a crisis.     

Reasons for discontinuing study: The case of mature age female students with children

The research investigated reasons for leaving study amongst a sample of 118 mature age female students with children who had been enrolled at one of three eastern Australian universities. Analysis of questionnaire data revealed three major types of motive for attrition. Firstly, a strong socio-economic class influence was found. Women whose own and/or whose husbands' social class indicators were low tended to leave study because of a combination of lack of support from family for the mother's study, lack of money, weight of domestic responsibility and lack of knowledge or skills expected at university. Secondly, women who had been enrolled in non-traditional subjects (economics/business/law) were relatively over-represented amongst the discontinuing students and were particularly likely to cite lack of academic support or staff hostility as a reason for leaving. Thirdly, reasons for leaving study were found to be connected to student's age, suggesting a life style interpretation. Younger women with younger children were likely to leave because of family, financial or child care related reasons. Older women were more likely to leave because of practical difficulties or course dissatisfaction.