The use of the Infant Index/Baseline-PLUS as a baseline assessment measure of literacy

The Infant Index was initially developed as a baseline assessment instrument for children at school entry, with literacy as a key component. A later version, Baseline-PLUS, was developed to meet the accreditation criteria of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. The paper reports the results of a study of 5915 children, which comprised the 1996–97 cohort for one local education authority. The results indicate that the instrument is reliable (Cronbach’s alpha 0.92), that girls are rated as more advanced than boys in literacy and other domains, and that there are significant differences with respect to both children’s ethnic status and home language. Results for pre-school experience are also reported, but these are confounded by the LEA’s policy of provision. The implications for the use of the Infant Index/Baseline-PLUS and for the national scheme are explored.     

‘Family comes in all forms,blood or not’: disrupting dominant narratives around the patriarchal nuclear family

ABSTRACT

After nearly 25 years of democracy, lives of young South Africans are still profoundly shaped by the legacies of apartheid. This paper considers how these differences are produced, maintained and disrupted through an exploration of changing narratives developed by a small group of South African pre-service teachers, with a particular focus on the narratives developed around discourses of fatherhood generally and absent fathers in particular. We draw on interviews conducted with three students in which we discussed their digital stories and literature reviews. In this paper, we draw attention to the limitations of digital storytelling and the risks such autobiographical storytelling presents of perpetuating dominant narratives that maintain and reproduce historical inequalities. At the same time, in highlighting ways in which this risk might be confronted, the paper also aims to show the possibilities in which these dominant narratives may be challenged.     

The Internet: an aid to student research or a source of frustration?

The Internet is a powerful resource for research providing limitless access to information. This article considers an application in the undergraduate Bachelor of Education in Design and Technology course (B. Ed. [Hons] D&T ).

This four year course prepares students for the teaching of Design and Technology in secondary schools, focusing on the development of skills in design and problem solving. A project based approach is used within the course to encourage individual research activity and promote a student centred learning experience. As well as books and video resources, the students have access to the Internet through a network of Windows NT workstations. The potential for exploration via the Internet has been readily exploited by students and this article reviews the use made of this facility by students and their impressions of its value

Providing Internet access posed many technical and managerial challenges, some of which are considered in the article. The experience gained in its use has provided some interesting insights into other issues surrounding Internet access.

Student response to the Internet as a tool, experience of searches and some of their concerns about their experience in accessing Internet along with the perceived benefits are discussed in the article     

Managing course design

Any complex activity, such as course design, which involves group work must be managed. In universities, where academics are not always familiar with managing, it is often unsystematic. A modest attention to management can help a project, and may pay dividends in the avoidance of waste, conflict, overruns of time or budget or other potential disasters. The author presents a comprehensive framework for the various aspects of managing that may be needed and offers an extended checklist.     

Interactive Multimedia in Introductory Accounting: A preliminary analysis

This paper describes the development of an interactive multimedia package designed for incorporation into the teaching program for degree‐level first year accounting. The initial module forms part of a pilot study at James Cook University where interactive multimedia will form an integral part of the teaching program in accounting. This module includes four sessions, equivalent to one quarter of the semester's requirement. These sessions were trialed by students, colleagues and practitioners to assess the package's effectiveness in communicating introductory accounting concepts and enhancing the learning process. Some results of these trials are presented.     

University research in flux: Policy debate in Australia

After a brief golden age Australian university research faces a difficult future. Two notions, utility and concentration, have become the catchwords of the emerging policy initiatives. Both have tended to be interpreted narrowly and simplistically, utility as having immediate technological applications that will bring economic benefits, and concentration to argue for breaking the teaching-research nexus, reducing the research workforce and thus achieving cost savings. As proposed, both initiatives require more centralised control of research policy and funding. Despite the outstanding record of Australia's universities in research and the absence of evidence to support the benefits claimed for the new initiatives, the pressure for change is gaining momentum. The problems facing Australian universities have much in common with those in other Western countries, although unique solutions must be sought for every setting. This paper argues that, in Australia, the adoption of the easy solution of increased concentration, short-term utility, and centralised control, is likely to compromise the established excellence and diversity in basic research, and to lead to an overall reduction in the scale of university research. Before any changes are instigated, there is a pressing need for a broad-ranging review based on widespread participation in a debate about needs and priorities, and rigorous research into the performance of the existing system and the potential benefits of the changes proposed.     

Inclusive education: a critical perspective

The Gulliford Lecture 2002 was given by Professor Geoff Lindsay, Director of the Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research (CEDAR) at the University of Warwick. Professor Lindsay's lecture, on which this paper is based, addressed a number of key topics, including the development of inclusion and inclusive practices; models of special educational needs and disability; and the values that underpin our thinking about these matters. Basing his argument on the research evidence, Professor Lindsay provides a searching critique of prevailing notions about inclusion and of current approaches to research. His conclusions will be of interest to everyone concerned with the education of children and young people with special educational needs.     

Response to the discipline review of teacher education in mathematics and science

This paper relates to a study commissioned by the Department of Employment, Education and Training to evaluate the impact of the Discipline Review of Teacher Education in Mathematics and Science. The major datagathering strategies employed in that study have been to visit every higher education institution in Australia involved in teacher education to interview relevant staff and to seek information by mail from other bodies to whom recommendations of the Review were addressed. This paper reports a supplementary activity, the analysis of citations of the Report of the Discipline Review in the journal of the Australasian Science Education Research Association,Research in Science Education. This research reveals that there has been relatively little critical analysis of the Review, somewhat surprising in the light of its significance for science teacher education. Further the citations in the journal suggest that the Review Report has struck a responsive chord with those involved in the science education of primary school teachers. Its impact on secondary teacher education would appear to be less significant. This difference is explored in the context of professional education. Specializations: science education, teacher education. Specializations: international education, educational measurement, science education.