How to Create the Ideal Son: The unhidden curriculum in pseudo-Plutarch On the Training of Children

This article enquires into the curriculum advocated in the only ancient Greek treatise concerning education that has survived in its entirety, entitled On the Training of Children. The treatise was highly influential in Europe from the Renaissance to the nineteenth century, and thus exhibits certain assumptions concerning the purpose of curriculum that lie behind the development of western education and may still be influential today. The inquiry is conducted in three stages: the intended recipients of the curriculum are identified; its elements are enumerated and evaluated; and its aims are inferred from the text. I conclude that the curriculum was intended for wealthy, privileged boys, that philosophy (though not independent theorising) was the most valued subject of study and that the aim of the curriculum was to instil in the recipients aristocratic values and modes of behaviour. Finally, some topics are suggested for reflection, in response to these conclusions, upon existing curricula.     

Socially desirable responding in an environmental context: development of a domain specific scale

Numerous studies have pointed to a gap between the attitudes people express about the natural environment and their subsequent behaviors toward that environment. Variables identified within these studies include: how significant others view behaviors related to the attitudes; demographic variables such as sex, age or education; self‐perceived ability to do the attitude‐related behavior; attitude strength; and personal relevance of the attitude. This study proposes the concept of environmental desirability responding (EDR) as another factor which might contribute to the attitude‐behavior discrepancy. The development and construct validation of the Environmentally Desirable Response Scale (EDRS), which is designed to identify the existence and level of EDR, is described. The EDRS contains items designed to measure two types of socially desirable responding – ‘Self‐deception’ and ‘Image management’. A total of 1024 usable data sets were obtained from a sample of respondents in several countries (Japan, the US and Australia). Principal factors and correlation analyses revealed that the EDRS comprises three factors identified as ‘Self‐deception/Assertion of positives’, ‘Image management’ and ‘Self‐deception/Denial of negatives’. Cronbach alpha estimates of reliability for the three factors were .74, .66, and .61. Suggestions for further research regarding the scale and EDR are offered.     

PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDIES OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF SENSE OF HUMOR TO CREATIVITY AND INTELLIGENCE: A REVIEW

Although it is widely assumed that sense of humor is closely related to intelligence and creativity, the empirical studies of these relationships, which are reviewed in this article, have yielded conflicting findings. On the basis of the present review and a consideration of other relevant literature, it is suggested that the nature of such relationships might be affected by how the variables are operationalized, several characteristics of the experimental participants, as well as various aspects of the broader experimental context As the extant studies have investigated only a restricted number of the empirical issues to do with those characteristics, it is evident that a considerable amount of research remains to be conducted The more informative characterization provided by such research would clearly provide the basis for more accurate analyses of the nature of intelligence and creativity.     

Implementing impact evaluation in professional practice: A study of support needs within the museum, archive and library sector

This paper reports on research into the professional needs of those embarking on impact evaluation in the museum, archive and library sector. The research used a web portal providing impact evaluation research findings and examples of methods and toolkits as a means of facilitating response and discussion about practitioner attitude to, and resource needs for, impact evaluation in their own organisations. The various challenges associated with impact evaluation are briefly explored in relation to the conflicting interests of policy makers, managers and practitioners working in the frontline. Respondents’ reactions to issues associated with information accessibility are discussed and reflect the complexity of providing adequate support for a wide range of professionals with varying experience and potential or perceived needs. Although the study focused on one sector of practitioners, the findings are relevant to all professionals aiming to develop high quality information services and systems in relation to their end users.     

Individual Differences in Thinking: cognitive and neurophysiological perspectives

This paper explores the neglected area of categories of individual difference in human cerebral function. During thinking and decision making, it is hypothesised that different people process the same information in different ways, using different areas of the brain. Recent work suggests that individuals can be categorised into a small number of consistent groups of thinking, or cognitive, style. The different ways of processing reflect two basic dimensions of cognitive style. A simple computer‐presented method of determining cognitive style has been developed.

It is probable that these styles have an underlying cerebral basis. The styles are likely to be related to cerebral orientation. The specialisation of one cerebral hemisphere for verbal function and the other for visuo‐spatial has been long established. Hemispheric specialisation has been associated with the right hemisphere being the location of the visuo‐spatial and the left the verbal function, although evidence for this has been sometimes conflicting. This is not surprising when attention has not been paid to individual differences in cognitive style, as subjects of different styles will use different processes when doing the same cognitive task. Individual differences in orientation have not been clearly linked to differences in cognitive style.

It is proposed that studies could usefully explore the cerebral basis of individual differences in cognitive style, by measuring EEG asymmetries of individuals of specific cognitive styles, during the performance of a range of cognitive tasks. It is proposed that this would identify the location of certain brain functions associated with the different processing underlying the styles. A subsidiary intention is to assess the effectiveness of digital EEG monitoring as a research tool in this context.     

The 2022 SEND Green Paper and the SENCo: more evidence on demographics,qualifications and leadership status

The 2022 Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Review in England has proposed changes to the way in which SENCos are trained before working in English schools. Although the DfE collects data relating to the demographics of all teachers, the 2022 SEND Review Green Paper does not draw on this to support or inform the changes being proposed. A Freedom of Information request was made to the DfE, from which actual data could be acquired, with breakdowns by age, gender, qualifications and leadership status. The data describe a teacher who is still more likely to be female and approaching the middle of their career. Most SENCos are still on the class teacher pay scale rather than the leadership scale, with a minority holding a Master's-level qualification. The DfE does not have an accurate overview of how many teachers hold the current SENCo qualification. The article provides a number of recommendations to policymakers based on the data provided.