Group Psychodrama for Korean College Students

Psychodrama was first introduced in the Korean literature in 1972, but its generalization to college students did not occur until the 1990s. Despite findings from psychodrama studies with Korean college students supporting psychodrama as effective for developing and maintaining good interpersonal relationships, as well as decreasing anxiety and stress, it is still underutilized in South Korea. Accordingly, the current study looked at implementing a psychodrama program in South Korean universities. The positive results of the program implementation suggest that psychodrama is a useful technique for improving Korean college students’ general development and mental stability including secure attachment.     

Teacher Education Objectives: A Survey of Student Views

This article is a summary of the Survey of Teacher Education Objectives: The Views of Diploma in Education Students published as a monograph in 1982. A report of the previous study was published in 1981 and a summary of the report appeared in Vol. 4 No. 1 of this Journal.     

Service-learning and the development of student teachers in Singapore

ABSTRACT

Service-learning has been gaining traction in Singapore, with many educational institutions integrating it into their curriculum. In the National Institute of Education (NIE), the Group Endeavours in Service-Learning (GESL) is an experiential learning opportunity for all student teachers (STs) to collaborate with the community to address local needs. GESL endeavours to build character, and develop positive values and social-emotional competencies. Hence the purpose of this study is to explore how GESL enhances pre-service teacher education in relation to teacher training. Eleven GESL groups were selected, with 12 members from each group randomly recruited to participate in the focus group interviews. A total of 15 focus group interviews were held. The interview data was transcribed, coded and presented in themes by using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Overall, there seemed to be a greater level of self-awareness and understanding of the community needs. Participants reported getting to know themselves better, in terms of their strengths and weaknesses and how they can contribute to the community. There was also enhancement of collaboration, communication and people-management skills. These findings suggest that GESL may be an effective channel to imbue attributes that NIE has identified as important for teaching professionals.     

Strategic development of multiplication problem solving: Patterns of students' strategy choices

Low mathematics achievement is a persistent problem in the United States, and multiplication is a fundamental area in which many students manifest learning difficulties. This study examined the strategic developmental levels of multiplication problem solving among 121 elementary school students in Grades 3 through 5. A latent class analysis modeling was used to identify three valid groups representing different patterns of strategy choices for each of three types of multiplication problems. Findings indicated intra-group variability for problem-solving accuracy, for frequency of using different strategies, and for accuracy of executing direct retrieval/algorithm (DR/AG) strategies. Students demonstrated relative consistency in their strategy choices for solving the three problem types. Students who used DR/AG strategies most frequently showed the highest problem-solving accuracy and the highest accuracy of executing the DR/AG strategies. Students who most frequently relied on incorrect operations or who indicated they did not know how to solve problems demonstrated the lowest problem-solving accuracy among the three groups; the number of students in this group increased with problem difficulty levels. Implications are discussed in terms of identifying students' strategic developmental levels and providing differentiated instruction based on the identified levels.     

The Malaysian Teacher Standards: a look at the challenges and implications for teacher educators

Talks of education transformation to improve the quality and outcomes of education in Malaysia culminated in the articulation of standards for teachers. The all new Malaysian Teacher Standards (MTS) launched in 2009 is to establish ??high competency?? standards for the teaching profession and to increase the status of teachers in Malaysia. This article briefly describes the standards that concern teachers and teacher educators alike. It is proposed that there are three challenges to the standards system that teacher educators may face. First, on transforming ingrained beliefs, values and biased perceptions of teaching that student teachers bring to the teaching institution. The second centers on the rhetoric-reality gap of the MTS itself, while the third challenge involves the actual training of teachers. Given these three challenges, this article also outlines several avenues for teacher educators to consider as they set out to better understand and re-design teacher education programs in this standards-based era of educational transformation. The discussion of the challenges and the proposed resources to meet the challenges are by no means exhaustive or acts as a conclusion but rather to create awareness for further discussion and analysis of the implications proposed in this article.     

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Negative Life Events From Late Childhood to Adolescence

This multiwave longitudinal study tested two quantitative genetic developmental models to examine genetic and environmental influences on exposure to negative dependent and independent life events. Participants (N = 457 twin pairs) completed measures of life events annually from ages 9 to 16. The same genetic factors influenced exposure to dependent events across time and increased in magnitude during the transition to adolescence. Independent events were less genetically influenced than dependent events in boys, but not girls. Shared environmental influences decreased in magnitude as youth transitioned into adolescence. Nonshared environmental influences were mostly age specific and contributed significantly to both types of events at all ages. Results provide theoretical implications for developmental risk pathways to stress exposure and stress‐related psychopathology.     

The significance of social relationships in learning to become a vocational and technical education teacher: a case study of three individuals

This article about workplace learning examines the learning of individuals in becoming a Vocational and Technical Education (VTE) teacher in Brunei. Drawing on research findings from a group of student teachers, it presents case study accounts of three individuals to illustrate the importance of social relationships in learning to become a VTE teacher. These findings also extend current theorising about learning at work which integrates individual learners into predominantly social theories of learning.     

Exploring Survivor Experiences and Emotions Expressed about Loss and Responsibility Following a Thrombosis Event

We explored the experiences and emotions women expressed about having a blood clot, including revelations about family members' decision to avoid disclosing inherited risk for clotting. We do this through analysis of in-depth life reflection interviews (N = 20) of women who experienced a first venous blood clot between the ages of 18 and 50 years. Selective coding reduced the data to an overarching story associated with thrombosis survivorship and loss across multiple life domains. The themes identified include participant revelations about living in the shadow of genetic susceptibility for thrombosis. Participants manage changes associated with lingering health effects, and daily routines for work and life, adapting their lives to manage coagulability. A second theme reveals the fallout linked to the severity of thrombosis encompassed in haunting psychological scenarios, persistent emotional concerns, and social discrimination. Participants assumed responsibility to disclose inherited risk, with the women expressing empowerment in knowing risks and acknowledging possible genetic testing mistakes. The overarching perspective was one of hope through proactive actions in occupational, recreational, and relational realms. We offer our findings as a theoretical depiction of thrombosis survivor identity and the need for public health and clinical communication to support disclosing family history for clotting.