The history of reductionism versus holistic approaches to scientific research

For centuries, reductionism has been the subject of much discussion among scientists and philosophers, and has come to be an integral part of modern science. In its strongest form the world may be seen as a series of reductive levels: social groups, multicellular living things, cells, molecules, atoms, and finally as the smallest parts the elementary particles. In contrast, holism, in the form of systems theories, builds on the idea that systemic relations arising at complicated stages of integration may produce new and unpredictable characteristics of the system. This paper presents a brief historical overview, and explains some of the basic distinctions which are necessary in analyzing what reductionism is all about.     

Narrow identity resources for future students: the 21st century skills movement encounters the Norwegian education policy context

21st century skills is a global network of corporate and governmental influences that promotes competences suited to fit the future knowledge economy. Through a discourse analysis of an influential Official Norwegian Report, ‘The School of the Future. Renewal of Subjects and Competences’ (NOU 2015:8), this paper explores how ideas of 21st century skills are translated into the Norwegian education policy context. Firstly, the paper analyses the context-specific reasons for receptiveness by investigating discursive warrants. Secondly, the paper identifies how the policy document constructs a set of preferred subject positions that constitute an image of an ideal student. Thirdly, the paper investigates the discursive framing of these subject positions. We find that the policy document constructs an image of an ideal student who is creative, responsible, cooperative, engaged, self-regulated and in complete control of herself, her learning and her future. This image draws on more pronounced neo-liberal discourses, but also well-established discourses in the Norwegian context, such as social democratic progressivism. This intertwining of discourses shows how traits of homogeneity related to global ideas, as well as heterogeneity related to the Norwegian policy context, are both visible in the Norwegian translation of 21st century skills.     

From words to text: inference making mediates the role of vocabulary in children’s reading comprehension

We examined the relationship between inference making, vocabulary knowledge, and verbal working memory on children’s reading comprehension in 62 6th graders (aged 12). The effect of vocabulary knowledge on reading comprehension was predicted to be partly mediated by inference making for two reasons: Inference making often taps the semantic relations among words, and the precise word meanings in texts are selected by readers on the basis of context. All independent variables were significantly and moderately correlated with reading comprehension. In support of our prediction, the link between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension was significantly mediated by inference making even when verbal working memory was controlled. An alternative mediation hypothesis (vocabulary as a mediator of the effect of inference making on comprehension) was not supported by the data. The study replicates and extends the findings of earlier work (Cromley & Azevedo, 2007; Segers & Verhoeven, 2016; Ahmed et al., 2016).     

Inclusive and exclusive knowledge practices in interdisciplinary,international education

This study provides a critical engagement with the principle of inclusion, as manifest in three international, interdisciplinary master programmes in Denmark. Initially, it is proposed that one focuses on the knowledge practices found in international, interdisciplinary education, asking to what extent these suggest inclusion in the sense that all students are treated as equals. The alternative is an exclusive learning environment where certain groups are singled out for special treatment, which will often request from them assimilation into the dominant practice. A conceptual point of departure is provided by the educational sociology of Pierre Bourdieu, which motivates the identification of ‘normative centres’ (Graham, L., and R. Slee. 2008. “An Illusory Interiority: Interrogating the Discourse/s of Inclusion.” Educational Philosophy and Theory 40 (2): 277–293. doi:10.1111/j.1469-5812.2007.00331.x, 283) related to the two themes of interdisciplinarity and international-ness. The topics are subsequently pursued in an empirical analysis, drawing on 19 qualitative research interviews with lecturers involved in the three master courses. This leads to the conclusion that exclusive knowledge practices can be found in all programmes. At the same time, the interviews reveal a reality that is multi-centred, suggesting that interdisciplinarity is as ‘troublesome’ (Land, R. 2012. “Crossing Tribal Boundaries: Interdisciplinarity as a Threshold Concept.” In Tribes and Territories in the 21st Century, edited by P. Trowler, M. Saunders, & V. Bamber, 175–185. Abingdon: Routledge) in higher education as the question of internationalisation.     

Die professionelle Kompetenz angehender Physiklehrkräfte in verschiedenen Ausbildungsformen

A nation-wide measurement of competencies in teaching training programs was carried out in order to find suggestions for optimizing university study programs for students on teacher training programs in the subject of physical sciences. 430 physical science teacher training students were surveyed using a standardized test, which covered knowledge of physical sciences, didactic knowledge for physics, general pedagogic knowledge, beliefs and motivations. This contribution, firstly, compares the competencies of students of teacher training colleges with the competencies of students of teacher training in universities. Parallel investigations have already found that the students of different training programs also differ in their performance. The resulting differences are then analyzed using regression models in an attempt to find the determinants of subject-related competencies in teacher training programs. The findings point to the significance of individual personality characteristics and the amount of time spent on learning opportunities in the university. The article closes with a discussion of the implications for optimizing teacher training programs.     

Inclusive discourses in early childhood education?

This article explores the discursive formation of inclusion in early childhood education and after‐school (recreation) centres in a Danish municipality. While inclusion has been a central educational issue in research and practice for well over quarter of a century, with continuing emphasis worldwide on ‘initiatives by governments’, this interest has centred on the school environment and institutions of higher education. Thus, despite increasing recognition of the significance of preschool and after‐school‐care, inclusion in these environments remains peripheral to the main debate.     

Acting on Behalf of Objects? Conservators’ Reflections on Their Professional Role

ABSTRACT

This paper seeks to give insight into conservators' reflections about their practice and professional role. Ecclesiastical art from and in churches is an example where a variety of claims can be present and trigger diverse approaches to conservation and restoration. In this study we approached ecclesiastical art as a gateway to insight into conservator-colleagues' experiences and their views on decision-making, prevailing ethical boundaries, and the conservator's professional role. To gain access to the practitioners' own words and reasoning, in-depth interviews with seven conservators were chosen as a method. The interviews were analysed using a variant of qualitative analysis with an ideal of a theory-free starting point and by taking a constructivist and inductive approach. Through coding, themes and theories emerged from the data, which gave insight into a Norwegian status quo of practice, three emerging categories or topics caught our special interest and are described and discussed in this paper. The category, Conservation is a narrow path, gives an account of internal and external restrictions in the field. Internalised ethical restrictions and financial limitations are most often determining factors for conservator's decisions. The second category, Acting on behalf of objects, shows that conservators tend to feel obliged to the objects rather than to stakeholders. They understand their roles as defenders and mediators of the object. Conservators' potentially emotional closeness to the object is discussed. The experts should have the strongest voice, refers to the fact that stakeholders' opinions are only sparingly involved in decision-making among the interviewed conservators. Instead, projections of possible interests of stakeholders are often part of the conservators' basis for decision-making. However, external preconditions, as the mandates given by authorities, and financial issues play a role in the rather top-down nature of communication and decision-making. In light of (recent) claims for more people-based decision-making there seems to be a gap between theory and practice. Nonetheless, the authors argue that the conservator's engagement for and with the material object still is a necessary point of departure for conservation endeavors.     

Facilitation: A Novel Way to Improve Students’ Well-being

In this article we analyze a project that used facilitation techniques, which are known from training in industry, to improve the study environment at a public research university in Denmark. In 2009, the project was initiated in one graduate program; and it has subsequently been modified and institutionalized. The project did not change the teaching format, but introduced facilitated study-groups using peer learning. It was successful in increasing students’ well-being. While peer learning and study groups are well-known in higher education, facilitation is a different and novel tool. We argue that facilitation makes study groups more inclusive, and they provide the potential for deep learning by structuring the learning situation.