The story of ESM

This paper looks at the origins of the international journal Educational Studies in Mathematics (ESM) in 1968 and traces its later development as it responded to changes in mathematics education. The paper first examines, in chronological order, the contributions of its editors in defining its spirit, policy and procedures, as they directed its growth and its transformation into a leading journal of research in mathematics education. The paper then presents a statistical profile of ESM articles by content area, educational issue, level of schooling and research method, and goes on to look more closely at the special issues of ESM, each dedicated to a single topic, and how they reflect the changing concerns of mathematics educators. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

THE SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF CABLE TELEVISION: RESTRUCTURING CONNECTIONS WITH SELF AND SOCIAL GROUPS

The present study deals with the social implications of cablebroadcasting and explores the possible links between the spreadof global media and the development of individualistic and globalisticorientations. The study examined the function of televisionin strengthening individuals' cognitive and affective connectionswith their own selves, with social groups such as primary andethnic groups, with their society (the nation-state), and withthe global community. The beginning of the cable era in Israelcreated a unique situation which made possible the comparisonof two research populations, subscribers and non-subscribers,which were similar in all background variables, yet differentin their television supply. The main conclusion of this studywas that there are differences between the two groups in termsof their assessments of gratifications obtained from television,and concerning the strengthening of their connections with varioussocial groups and with their own selves. Moreover, there isa clear difference in the structure of the assessments of thetwo groups as presented graphically in two SSA maps-among thesubscribers there is a well defined region of variables relatedto the connection with the global community, while among thenon-subscribers these variables are scattered among variablesrelated to connections with other social groups. In addition,our data suggest that the gratifications obtained from televisionfor the self are complimentary to the gratifications relatedto connections with the global community.     

A Longitudinal Study of Two Early Intervention Strategies: Project CARE

65 families with children at risk for cognitive difficulties were randomly assigned at the time of the child's birth to 1 of 3 groups, 2 intervention and 1 control. For the most intensive intervention group, family education was combined with a center-based educational day-care program; the less intensive intervention group received the home-based family education program only. To assess the cognitive performance of children, The Bayley Scales of Infant Development were administered at 6, 12, and 18 months; the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test at 24, 36, and 48 months; and the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities at 30, 42, and 54 months. On each test after the 6-month assessment, scores of children in the educational day-care plus family support group were greater than those in the other 2 groups. No cognitive intervention effects were obtained for the family education group. Group effects were not obtained for measures of either the quality of the home environment or parent attention.     

Exploring the possibilities of gender equality pedagogy in an era of marketization

In this article, we research and revisit our own experiences of gender equality work to determine the societal and discursive power relations that have shaped gender equality. We conducted our study in Finland, a ‘Nordic model of gender equality’, but we argue that these results have worldwide relevance, especially since Nordic models of gender equality and education have been exported globally. By combining earlier research, our own extensive experience of conducting gender equality work, and previous literature on feminist pedagogy, we examine the possibilities of what we call ‘gender equality pedagogy’ in an era of marketization. To develop the concept of gender equality pedagogy, we ask how combining an analysis of gender equality work with feminist pedagogy can help to acknowledge and utilize power relations. We suggest that understanding gender equality work as a form of pedagogic practice might help overcome some of the barriers that gender equality work has encountered for decades.     

Parental Mediation of Children's Viewing in a Changing Television Environment

For 25 years, Israeli television operated as a virtual monopoly, with one single channel shared by Educational TV and the Public Broadcasting Authority. Young viewers were exposed to non‐commercial quality programs primarily geared for children. The introduction of cable television challenges the ways parents control their children's viewing and fills the role of mediators between television and the child. This study is based on two surveys among parents of Israeli children aged 2‐8. The first was conducted with 537 parents in 1989, prior to the introduction of cable TV, and the second with 552 parents who had cable in 1993, when cable TV penetrated half of all Israeli homes. The results indicate that the introduction of cable TV changed strategies of parental control and mediation and parents’ assessment of television's influence on children. Active parental mediation was closely related to the attribution of learning values to children's viewing and to gratifications attributed to educational television broadcasts. Loosening of control and allowance for independent children's viewing was closely related to the attribution of entertainment value to children's viewing and to viewing of cable television.