Retention in a Bachelor of Education (Early childhood studies) course: students say why they stay and others leave

The literature suggests that student attrition at the university level has been of growing concern in many countries. Student attrition has a number of implications for universities, chief amongst them are losses to revenue and investment in higher education. While many studies have examined causes for attrition from an institutional perspective, this study examines how the Bachelor of Education (Early childhood studies) that sits within the School of Education can support the retention of students from the students’ perspectives. Using a qualitative methodology that recorded up to 40 hours of interviews with 20 students provided insights into why they stay at university and what aspects of the Early childhood studies degree support them in staying. Conversely, the students also comment on those aspects that are not supportive and could impact on retention. The data revealed that a sense of belonging was very important and that particular course-specific activities at certain times supported developing this belonging. The students identified the importance of a mentorship program and how this program needs to be made available from the commencement of their course. Other factors contributing to retention included well-placed practicums, career choice, designated study times, as well as study groups and supportive and responsive lecturers.     

Prompting teachers’ constructive reflection: pupils’ questions as critical incidents

Constructive reflection is seen as an important ingredient in the professional development of teachers, in order to stimulate significant change in approaches to classroom practice and the general provision of science education in schools. This paper explores the use of pupils’ questions in provoking ‘critical incidents’ in the professional lives of teachers. It is suggested that pupils’ questions can be both indicative of their own conceptual change as well as being sophisticated prompts for teachers to examine their own thinking. Case studies of two teachers ‐‐ one primary and one secondary ‐‐ are used to illuminate how such critical incidents can lead to changes in teacher thinking, resulting then in changes in classroom practice in science. Suggestions are made for the use of pupils’ questions as critical incidents in the professional development of teachers.     

Pathways to Children’s Academic Performance and Prosocial Behaviour: Roles of physical health status,environmental, family,and child factors

The objective of this article is to examine the pathways by which children’s physical health status, environmental, family, and child factors affect children’s academic performance and prosocial behaviour, using a theoretically‐based and empirically‐based model of competence development. The model proposes that 3 types of relational processes, dealing with opportunity, support, and skill development through participation, lead to competence. Structural equation modelling was performed on cross‐sectional, parent‐report data for approximately 10,000 Canadian children aged 6–11 years from the 1994–95 National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. The analyses controlled for family socioeconomic status and child’s age and sex, and included 3 groups of children (those with activity‐limiting conditions, non‐activity‐limiting conditions, or no health problems). There was little evidence that children with chronic conditions were at direct risk for poorer outcomes. Children with activity‐limiting conditions were at increased indirect risk for academic difficulties through the role played by cognitive functioning. Cognitive functioning and hyperactivity/inattention difficulties were the major predictors of academic performance. Recreational participation and behavioural functioning were the main predictors of prosocial behaviour. The pathways in the model also indicated the importance of family functioning, social support to parents, and neighbourhood cohesion. In conclusion, the findings indicate the utility of the model of competence development in understanding the pathways and processes by which various factors affect children’s academic and social outcomes.     

Book reviews

The following books are reviewed.

Research Method in the Postmodern JAMES J. SCHEURICH (1997) Qualitative Studies Series 3 London: Falmer Press. 190 pp., ISBN 0 7507 0709 7, hardback, £58.00, ISBN 0 7507 0645 7, paperback, £16.99

Digital Diversions: youth culture in the age of multimedia JULIAN SEFTON-GREEN (Ed.) (1998) London: UCL Press. ISBN 1 85728 856 4, hardback, £48.00, ISBN 1 85728 857 2, paperback, £14.99

Reflective Teacher Development in Primary Science PETER OVENS (2000) London, Falmer Press. 230 pp., ISBN 0 750 70863 8, hardback, £50.00, ISBN 0 750 70862 X, paperback, £15.99     

Education the way ahead? An evaluation of a pilot course on scenario writing

Scenario writing is a method to promote creative thinking and a proactive approach to dealing with the future. ATEE's Research and Development Centre Curricula in Teacher Education has adapted this method for use in teacher education. A Comenius funded course on Scenario writing was run over five days with teachers, teacher–educators, and persons in training management from several European countries. The paper reports the results of the summative evaluation which proves the course was very successful. In addition, on the basis of the formative evaluation indications, a detailed analysis makes clear which cognitive, motivational, and social problems are fundamental to courses like this and how these difficulties are to be dealt with.

Écrire des scénarios est une méthode qui promeut la réflexion créative et en même temps c'est une approche proactive au traitement de l'avenir. Dans le cadre des Curricula de Formation des Enseignants du Centre de Recherche et de Développement de l'ATEE (Association pour la Formation des Enseignants en Europe), la méthode d'écrire des scénarios a été adaptée pour l'utilisation dans la formation des professeurs. Dans un stage de cinq jours, financé par Comenius, des professeurs, des instructeurs de professeurs et ceux engagés dans l'organisation des programmes de formation ont été introduits à la méthode d'écrire des scénarios. Les participants provenaient de différents pays européens. Cet essai traite des résultats de l'évaluation finale qui ont démontré que un stage a été un grand succès. De plus, une analyse détaillée du stage est présentée qui—en considérant des résultats de l'évaluation formative—démontre les problèmes cognitifs, sociaux ainsi que les problèmes de motivation qui sont généralement liés à un cours de ce genre et qui donne des suggestions pour résoudre ces difficultés.

Die Szenario–Technik fördert kreatives Denken und regt zu einem offensiven Umgang mit der Zukunft an. Im Rahmen des Research and Development Centre Curricula in Teacher Education der ATEE wurde diese Methode für die Anwendung in der Lehrerausbildung angepaßt. In einem von Comenius finanzierten Lehrgang, der sich über fünf Tage erstreckte, wurden Lehrer, Lehrerausbilder und in der Ausbildungsorganisation Tätige in die Szenario–Technik eingeführt. Die Teilnehmer kamen aus verschiedenen europäischen Ländern. Dieser Beitrag berichtet von den Ergebnissen der summativen Evaluation, in der sich der Kurs als sehr erfolgreich erwies. Darüber hinaus wird eine detaillierte Kursanalyse vorgelegt, die unter Berücksichtigung von Befunden aus der formativen Evaluation aufzeigt, welche kognitiven, motivationalen und sozialen Probleme grundsätzlich mit einem Lehrgang dieser Art verbunden sind und wie sie zu bewältigen sind.

La escritura de escenario es um método para promover el pensamiento creativo y un enfoque proactivo para enfrentar el futuro. El Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo Curricula en Educación Pedadógica de la ATEE ha adaptado este método para usarlo en la educación pedagógica. Un curso financiado por Comenius sobre escritura de escenario se impartió por cinco días con profesores, pedagogos, y personas en el entrenamiento de administradores de varios países europeos. El reporte informa que los resultados de la evaluación sumativa que demuestran que el curso fue muy exitoso. Además, sobre la base de las indicaciones de la evaluación sumativa, un análisis detallado deja claro que los problemas cognitivos, motivacionales y sociales son fundamentales a cursos como éste y cómo abordar estas dificultades.     

Do managers and students share the same perceptions of societal culture?

This article explores the notions of convergence and divergence in respect of societal cultural practices and values within and across Austria and the Republic of Ireland, by comparing samples of middle managers and students on nine dimensions of culture. In the context of globalization, we consider whether there is evidence of cultural convergence across the Austrian and Irish samples or if the data of the two countries remain distinct (country effect). We also ask whether differences between managers and students can be attributed to cohort/age effects. Our findings suggest that there is some convergence, but also that the country effect is more dominant than the cohort/age effect for both practices and values. High within-country consistency exists in respect of practices between Irish students and managers and between Austrian students and managers. For values, there is evidence of convergence across all four sub-samples on four cultural dimensions, namely Power Distance, Gender Egalitarianism, Collectivism I and Future Orientation. We discuss whether the dynamics underlying such convergence can be attributed to cultural change, generational differences and/or an idealized worldview held by the younger generation.     

Where Britain Meets ‘the Continent’: Language and Cultural Exchange in Children's Fiction

Children's perceptions of other cultures are formed, at least in part, by the books they read; yet the potential of children's literature in the UK as a site for international cultural exchange is limited by a lack of translations and a historical resistance in Britain toward the languages of the European continent. The Year of European Languages is an opportune moment to explore the reflection of this uneasy linguistic relationship in children's texts and to compare selected instances of the role of European languages in British children's fiction from the mid-twentieth century to the present day.     

Growing a garden without water: Graduate teaching assistants in introductory science laboratories at a doctoral/research university

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in the sciences are a common feature of U.S. universities that have a prominent mission of research. During the past 2 decades, increased attention has been paid to the professional development of GTAs as instructors. As a result, universities have created training programs to assist GTAs in selecting instructional methods, curricular formats, and assessments when they serve as laboratory, lecture, or discussion group instructors. Unfortunately, few studies explore the educational and instructional environment of GTAs in these reformed settings. This study was conducted to address this specific need. As a constructivist inquiry, qualitative methods were used to collect and analyze the data to elucidate the educational and instructional environment of science GTAs at a doctoral/research university in which various training programs existed. We found that GTAs worked autonomously, that traditional practices and curricula existed in laboratories, and that instructors frequently held limited views of undergraduates' abilities and motivation. Findings in this initial study about GTAs suggest that developers of GTA training programs draw on the literature regarding science teacher education, and that reward systems be instituted that recognize faculty and staff for their participation in GTA training programs. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 211–233, 2004     

Education and Domesticity

This paper explores the relationship between education and domesticity within two different contexts. The first is the theoretical literature about the reproduction of domesticity within the education system — which in various ways suggests that the education of girls and women leads them towards domestic roles and low paid work. The second context is a study of mature women students, in which respondents saw education as leading them away from the traditional versions of domestic roles and into more rewarding paid employment. The paper concludes that the reproduction of social roles is contested and that the extension of education for women has real potential for destabilising traditional notions of femininity.     

Undergraduate Students’ Conceptions of Mathematics: An International Study

In this paper, we report on an international study of undergraduate mathematics students’ conceptions of mathematics. Almost 1,200 students in five countries completed a short survey including three open-ended questions asking about their views of mathematics and its role in their future studies and planned professions. Responses were analysed starting from a previously-developed phenomenographic framework (Reid et al., 2003) which required only minor modification. Students’ conceptions of mathematics ranged from the narrowest view as a focus on calculations with numbers, through a notion of mathematics as a focus on models or abstract structures, to the broadest view of mathematics as an approach to life and a way of thinking. Broader conceptions of mathematics were more likely to be found in later-year students (p<0.001) and there were significant differences between universities (p<0.001). The information obtained from the study not only confirms previous research, but also provides a basis for future development of a monitoring questionnaire.