CHANGES IN PUBLIC OPINION ON THE UNEMPLOYED The Case of The Netherlands

In this paper we present the results of a longitudinal studyin public opinion on unemployed people during the period 1975–87.The study relates to 1) opinions on the extent to which socialsecurity laws are abused, 2) the degree of condemnation of suchabuse, and 3) the image projected on the unemployed. In theyears up to 1980 public opinion was rather negative, but a strikingimprovement accompanied the marked increase in unemploymentrates during the early 1980s. As unemployment dropped duringthe second half of the 1980s public opinion regarding the unemployedseemed to deteriorate again.     

Current research in developing countries: Teacher credentialling and distance education

Current research is reviewed on two aspects of educational efficiency in ‘developing’ countries: the effect of teacher credentials on student achievement and the cost-effectiveness of distance education. Major research findings on each topic are reviewed, followed by selected abstracts of current research publications and a brief annotated reference list. Complex debate over teacher credentials now concurs that investment in teacher credentialing is frequently productive but that the efficiency of particular investment strategies is often unknown. The potential cost-savings in distance teacher education are often not realized because of the small scale programs.     

Effects of Instruction on Verbal Interactions During Collaborative Problem Solving

During one school year, data were collected for vocational education students while they worked collaboratively on open-ended mathematics problems. In collaboration with participating teachers, instructional activities were designed with a twofold goal of modelling the process of problem solving and improving collaboration. Instructional activities were based on scaffolding instruction and included modelling problem solving, stimulating reflection, and giving feedback on the process of collaboration. These activities were gradually developed and implemented in collaboration with teachers who participated in the study. The main research question in this study was whether student collaboration while working in small groups creates a learning context where students work on open-ended problems and where instructional activities are aimed at stimulating collaborative problem solving in mathematics.To answer the research question, an experiment was undertaken in two classes in different schools. Two groups of students were videotaped while they tried to solve mathematics problems collaboratively. Observational data were analysed with a schema that was developed as part of this research. Analyses of the data showed that, in both groups, collaboration-oriented patterns increased during the school year. It is argued that the approach of gradual implementation of instructional activities that are designed in cooperation with participating teachers is effective in stimulating collaborative problem solving.     

Cultural factors in the origin and remediation of alternative conceptions in physics

Over a wide range of subject areas students exhibit persistent conceptions contrary to the prevailing scientific concepts. The same alternative conceptions in physics are reported to exist across many countries, within a variety of cultural and environmental contexts. Also, many alternative conceptions show striking similarities with difficulties encountered in the historical development of physics. What is the reason for these similarities? Is intuitive science learned or triggered? And, if similar brain structures are responsible for common-sense theories, in what way then are cultural factors still important in the teaching-learning process? The influence of cultural factors will be discussed on the basis of literature available on this topic. Data collected by the authors in the Netherlands, Indonesia and countries in Africa are also taken into consideration. A distinction is proposed between alternative conceptions some of which may be universal and some dependent on culture. The same distinction is made regarding ways of reasoning and epistemology. It is suggested that the effectiveness of methods for the remediation of alternative conceptions is strongly influenced by cultural aspects of the teaching-learning process.     

A comparison of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and Godly Play

Abstract

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and Godly Play are the two best known variants of Montessori style Religious Education programmes. While they have much in common, there are also obvious differences. This article offers a brief outline of the distinctive features of each programme, including some analysis of their effectiveness in terms of contemporary educational research. The article identifies four areas of significant difference, namely, the understanding of the Imago Dei, the stance taken towards sacraments and sacramentality, pedagogy and the conduct of the sessions themselves. The author argues that these differences create a natural constituency for each programme. Godly Play with its heavy emphasis on the Scriptures as ‘story’ and the interpretation of the Imago Dei in terms of a ‘symbolic/language’ mediation of divine reality fits in well with the insights of mainline Protestant and Evangelical Churches. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd interprets the Imago Dei in terms of sacramentality and ontological similarity – grace building on nature through the use of the material/spiritual composition of the human person. This is better suited for use in Catholic, Orthodox and Anglo-Catholic contexts.     

A context-specific detrimental effect of UCS preexposure on place conditioning with morphine

The effect of morphine preexposure on place conditioning with morphine was investigated. In the first experiment, five injections of 10 mg/kg morphine were administered to rats prior to place conditioning or taste-aversion training with morphine. Although this number of preexposures retarded taste-aversion learning, there was no effect on place conditioning. In subsequent experiments we investigated the role of context blocking in UCS preexposure in place conditioning. In one experiment, preexposure to five morphine injections prior to place conditioning resulted in a reduced place preference, compared with preexposure and place conditioning in different contexts. However, the overall detrimental effect of morphine preexposure was questionable, because the rats that were preexposed were only marginally different from those that were not preexposed. In a final experiment we examined the effect of a context change from preexposure to place conditioning with 15 preexposures and demonstrated a detrimental effect of preexposure on place conditioning that was context specific. These results support a role of classical conditioning in place-preference conditioning with morphine.     

Rural Students in a Chinese Top-Tier University: Family Background,School Effects,and Academic Performance

Abstract

New preferential policies in China promise to increase the number of rural students entering top-tier universities, where there is a wider path to a higher social status. While a substantial body of literature has investigated rural students’ trajectories to university, there is a dearth of systematic empirical studies on the academic success of rural students in colleges and universities. This study seek to address this gap by examining the academic achievement of representative samples of students entering an elite university in China, including their place of origin, family background, school experience, and the characteristics that align with their academic performance. The data suggest no significant difference in academic performance obtained by urban and rural students with respect to average grade point average (over four years). It also suggests that fathers’ occupations may not be associated with the academic achievements of students from different families. However, the data suggest a relatively clear school effect on the academic performance of students at University S.¹For ethical considerations, we use pseudonyms in the article. The study enriches the discussions of the inequality issue in China’s higher education sector. It also enriches the literature in sociology of education by looking at the relative strength of the relationship between the possible causes and outcomes of schooling.     

Writing skills training for engineering students in large classes

First Year engineering students at the University of Edinburgh are taught Writing Skills as part of aProfessional Engineering Module. Particular difficulties are presented by the large class sizes and the generally low standard of writing skills among native English speakers at entry to the course. The course aims not only to give students the skills to communicate effectively with any readership but also to teach the conventions of engineering writing. Writer-centred, genre-centred and reader-centred approaches to the teaching of composition skills are all seen as necessary means of helping students to get the most out of their writing, for themselves and for their readers, and of motivating students to improve their writing during the four years of their degree course and beyond. The merits of lectures, handouts, surgery hours and feedback were assessed by means of a questionnaire, student interviews and analysis of feedback proformae. The indications are that structured feedback provides the key to helping individual students evolve and maintain a personal development programme for improving their writing skills to a level which meets the needs of their profession.     

Resistance to extinction as a function of percentage of reward: A reinforcement-level interpretation

Three experiments investigated the effects of percentage of reinforcement on the resistance to extinction of an instrumental running response. In Experiment 1, with N-length held constant, 47% reinforcement during acquisition generated greater resistance to extinction (R_n) than did 77%. In Experiment 2, this result was replicated with both functional N-length and number of N-R transitions held constant. In Experiment 3, R_n was shown to be a function of both N-length and percentage of reinforcement. The results of all three experiments were discussed in terms of Capaldi’s reinforcement level theory and possible alternative explanations.