Fifteen years on: the legacy of section 28 for LGBT+ teachers in English schools

ABSTRACT

This article examines the legacy of Section 28 of the Local Government Act in England for LGBT+ school teachers between 1988 and the repeal of the Section in 2003. Section 28 stated that ‘A local authority shall not – (a) intentionally promote homosexuality… (b) promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship’. A questionnaire examined the ways in which LGBT+ teachers in England experienced their work environments in 2017–18. The current perceptions of LGBT+ teachers who experienced Section 28 were compared with the perceptions of those LGBT+ teachers entering the profession after the repeal of Section 28 in 2003. Responses suggest that Section 28 continues to adversely affect the LGBT+ teachers who experienced it. These teachers are, in 2017–18, less open about their sexuality, unlikely to engage in the school community with their partner and more likely to see their teacher and sexual identities as incompatible. Whilst a climate of oppression, discrimination and harassment consistent at the time of Section 28 also played contributed to LGBT+ teachers’ experiences, despite advances in equalities legislation those teaching during the Section 28 era are still deeply affected by their experiences.     

School‐to‐work transition services for students with disabilities in Malaysia: organisations' views on policy and practices

Transition services are required by law for students with disabilities in many developed countries. In Malaysia, however, there is still no specific legislation mandating that school‐to‐work transition planning and services be provided to students with disabilities. This study investigated the state of the transition services provided by educational organisations to students with disabilities in Malaysia. A mixed method research design, which utilises both quantitative and qualitative research techniques, was employed to obtain information from 23 government organisations and NGOs involved in the education and training of students with disabilities. This study found that the organisations surveyed were aware of the lack of transition support and call attention to the importance of instituting a national policy on school‐to‐work transition services and supported employment systems for students with disabilities. The legislative and educational implications for Malaysia are discussed.     

The impact of organizational learning capacity from the socio-cognitive perspective on organizational commitment

This study is to examine the impact of organizational learning on affective commitment in Korea. In particular, this study addressed the importance of organizational learning as an HRD strategy from the socio-cognitive perspective. Data were collected from four large companies located in the area of Seoul, South Korea. There were 233 usable questionnaires yielding a response rate of 61 %. Multiple regression analysis and principal factor analyses were applied to conduct a data analysis. The results showed that a linear relationship existed between the organizational learning capacity and affective commitment (R ² = .495). Four dimensions were statistically significant with the exception of “feedback.” Participative decision-making is the most important factor. Finally, the study discussed some implications for HRD theory and practice.     

Education 3.0: breaking the mold with technology

In order to meet the needs of today's knowledge economy, education needs to move beyond the industrial age approach of treating all learners as if they are the same and adopt a learner-centered model of education suitable for the information age. To support this model, a new and transformative technology is needed that focuses on mastery and customized learning. This article reviews the existing approaches to educational technology before proposing a new, customizable, open, and interoperable technology: a personalized integrated educational system (PIES) that provides full functionality for students, teachers, parents and other stakeholders and bridges the gaps between formal and informal learning. PIES' four primary functions: record keeping, planning, instruction, and assessment, as well as secondary functions, are defined and described. Future challenges and research opportunities are also identified.     

The role of model building in problem solving and conceptual change

This study examines the effects of the activity of building systems models for school-based problems on problem solving and on conceptual change in elementary science classes. During a unit on the water cycle in an Asian elementary school, students constructed systems models of the water cycle. We found that representing ill-structured problems as system models improves problem solving as well as creating beneficial conceptual change related to the topic.     

Student attitudes towards internship experiences: From theory to practice

Traditionally, internships have provided a unique way for criminal justice students to gain work experience while earning academic credit. Questions remain, however, as to whether a student's educational experiences adequately reflect the realities of internship (and other work-related) experiences. As part of a larger study, we sought to explore student views and attitudes regarding their undergraduate curriculum and its relevance to their experiences at the criminal justice agencies. Through the use of self-report surveys, findings were two-fold, indicating tremendous support for internship programs. Moreover, (1) students felt their undergraduate curricula adequately reflected the practical realities of criminal justice operations, and (2) internships were regarded as invaluable in preparing students for criminal justice careers.     

Bayesian Analysis of Multivariate Latent Curve Models With Nonlinear Longitudinal Latent Effects

In longitudinal studies, investigators often measure multiple variables at multiple time points and are interested in investigating individual differences in patterns of change on those variables. Furthermore, in behavioral, social, psychological, and medical research, investigators often deal with latent variables that cannot be observed directly and should be measured by 2 or more manifest variables. Longitudinal latent variables occur when the corresponding manifest variables are measured at multiple time points. Our primary interests are in studying the dynamic change of longitudinal latent variables and exploring the possible interactive effect among the latent variables.

Much of the existing research in longitudinal studies focuses on studying change in a single observed variable at different time points. In this article, we propose a novel latent curve model (LCM) for studying the dynamic change of multivariate manifest and latent variables and their linear and interaction relationships. The proposed LCM has the following useful features: First, it can handle multivariate variables for exploring the dynamic change of their relationships, whereas conventional LCMs usually consider change in a univariate variable. Second, it accommodates both first- and second-order latent variables and their interactions to explore how changes in latent attributes interact to produce a joint effect on the growth of an outcome variable. Third, it accommodates both continuous and ordered categorical data, and missing data.