Supporting and constraining factors in the development of university teaching experienced by teachers

Higher education calls for reform, but deeper knowledge about the prerequisites for teaching development and pedagogical change is missing. In this study, 51 university teachers’ experiences of supportive or constraining factors in teaching development were investigated in the context of Finland’s multidisciplinary network. The findings reveal that the supportive factors in teaching development arise from the nature of the development itself, i.e. from the teachers’ opportunities to act as active agents in an authentic development process. Furthermore, the circumstances of the development also play essential roles (both constraining and supportive) in teaching development. Such support, at its best, will come when teachers and others view teaching development in the university context as being valuable and rewarding, and when teachers are encouraged by management and are supplemented with the necessary equipment, tools, and networks they need to do their job. Increasing interaction between the institutional levels can make educational development successful.     

Which students need accommodations the most,and to what extent are their needs met by regular upper secondary school? A cross-sectional study among students with special educational needs

The aim of this study was twofold: (1) to identify factors associated with a high level of accommodation needs in school activities among students with special educational needs (SEN) in regular upper secondary education; and (2) to investigate the extent to which schools have met students’ perceived accommodation needs. Accommodation needs and their provision in school activities were assessed with the School Setting Interview for 484 students with SEN. Students’ mean age was 17.3 years and 50% did not have a diagnosis. A logistic regression analysis revealed that a high level of school absence, studying a vocational programme, and a neuropsychiatric disorder were associated with a high level of accommodation needs. In the majority of school activities, about 50% of students had not received any accommodation despite an experienced need for support. About 30% of students perceived a need for support even though they had been provided with accommodations, and around 25% stated they were satisfied with received accommodations. Regular upper secondary school students with SEN are insufficiently provided with accommodations to satisfactorily participate in education. Specific student characteristics, e.g. high level of school absence, should receive special attention when investigating and accommodating students’ needs for support in school activities.     

Student variables in the evaluation of mediated learning environments

This paper discusses the results of the student dimension in an evaluation applied to an educational teleconferencing system in a Mexican higher education institution. Traditionally, this institution has gained prestige for its face‐to‐face programs, and students are not used to mediated or distance learning. Courses offered through this system are based on a pedagogical model which emphasises the active role of the learner. Therefore, student variables such as perceptions of the self, and self‐regulatory processes become key components in this learning environment. Conclusions here presented correspond to: (i) students’ expectations; (ii) perceptions of efficacy for self‐regulated learning, and perceptions of the course, and of the teacher's and learner's work.

Results indicate students’ expectations focus on ‘learning more than in face‐to‐face situations’, followed by ‘using technology’, and ‘having freedom and initiative’. Perceptions of efficacy for self‐regulated learning were high overall. Nevertheless, analyses of individual items indicate specific areas requiring improvement. Qualitative data on perceptions of the course, and teachers’ and learners’ work suggest that these courses are more demanding than the face‐to‐face ones they are taking. Students’ responses include attitudinal and cognitive adjustments needed for these learning environments. These results have led to improvements, which are presently being applied. The importance of considering these student variables in evaluations of mediated learning environments is discussed.     

Critical Thinking in Preservice Teachers: A Rubric for Evaluating Argumentation and Statistical Reasoning

The authors implemented a cognitive apprenticeship learning community (Collins, Brown, & Newman, 1989) in a class of preservice teachers at the University of Missouri - Columbia to enhance their argumentation and critical thinking skills about complex, educational problems. A detailed rubric based on the literature in argumentation and scientific reasoning was developed to evaluate the students' performance before and after the intervention. The rubric was designed to measure students' (a) conceptions and use of evidence, (b) notions about research and its applicability in evaluating complex social problems, and (c) ability to consider alternative perspectives. This article describes the intervention, the theoretical underpinnings of the rubric, and the use of the rubric in measuring the development of critical thinking in a group of preservice teachers. Strengths and weaknesses of the rubric are outlined and avenues for future research are discussed.     

Interactive effects of the probability of the cue and the probability of the outcome on the overestimation of null contingency

Overestimations of null contingencies between a cue, C, and an outcome, O, are widely reported effects that can arise for multiple reasons. For instance, a high probability of the cue, P(C), and a high probability of the outcome, P(O), are conditions that promote such overestimations. In two experiments, participants were asked to judge the contingency between a cue and an outcome. Both P(C) and P(O) were given extreme values (high and low) in a factorial design, while maintaining the contingency between the two events at zero. While we were able to observe main effects of the probability of each event, our experiments showed that the cue- and outcome-density biases interacted such that a high probability of the two stimuli enhanced the overestimation beyond the effects observed when only one of the two events was frequent. This evidence can be used to better understand certain societal issues, such as belief in pseudoscience, that can be the result of overestimations of null contingencies in high-P(C) or high-P(O) situations.     

International education and the employability of UK students

A common theme within the literature on higher education is the congested nature of the graduate labour market. Researchers have highlighted the lengths to which many students now go, in response to this congestion, to ‘distinguish themselves’ from other graduates: paying increased attention to university status; engaging in a range of extra‐curricular activities; and pursuing postgraduate qualifications. Studies that have focused on the strategies of Asian students, specifically, have pointed to the important place of studying abroad as a further strategy in this pursuit of distinction. Given that there is now some evidence that the number of UK students enrolling on a degree programme overseas is increasing, this article explores the extent to which an overseas education can be seen as part of a broader strategy on the part of British students to seek distinction within the labour market and whether such an education does indeed offer tangible employment benefits.     

Teaching for quality learning in chemistry

In Portugal, the number of students in higher education increased from 80,000 in 1975 to 381,000 in 2000 (a change from 11% to 53% in the age group 18–22), meaning a major change in the diversity of student population with consequences well known and studied in other countries. The teaching of chemistry at the University of Aveiro, for the first‐year students of science and engineering, has been subjected to continuous attention to implement quality and student‐centred approaches. The work devoted to excellence and deep learning by several authors has been carefully followed and considered. This communication reports research work on chemistry teaching, associated with those developments for first‐year students. The work included the design of strategies and the adoption of teaching and learning activities exploring ways to stimulate active learning by improving the quality of classroom interactions. In addition to regular lectures, large classes' teaching based on student‐generated questions was explored. In order to improve students' motivation and stimulate their curiosity, conference‐lectures were adopted to deal with selected topics of wide scientific, technological and social interest. Quantitative analysis and discussion of selected case studies, together with the organization of laboratory classes based on selected enquiry‐based experiments, planned and executed by students, stimulated deep learning processes. A sample of 32 students was followed in the academic year of 2000/01 and the results obtained are here discussed in comparison with those of a sample of 100 students followed in 2001/02. Particular attention was paid to the quality of classroom interactions, the use of questions by students and their views about the course design.     

Weiterentwicklung der Rankingsysteme im Reitsport

A critical analysis of the existing ranking systems of German and international horse sports could identify weak points with regard to their implicit evaluations of the horses’ performances. This study is aimed at developing a feasible and more performance-related valuation method and comparing it with the existing cumulative ranking systems of the German and international equestrian umbrella organizations. On the one hand, the modeling is based on a method using average points per competition; on the other hand, by considering additional points and drawbacks. We investigated a sample of 50 top-ranked jumping horses and monitored the differences towards the existing ranking systems. The modification proposed results in significant implications on the rankings. The validity in relation to the horses’ performance evaluation could be improved. As a consequence, the interests of different stakeholder groups are better served than before. It is recommended to further develop the existing ranking system accordingly and to analyze a more differentiated placing of points.     

Meeting the Challenge: The Jewish schooling phenomenon in the UK

The development of a Jewish schooling system in the UK has reflected sociological, political and historical situations spanning four centuries. In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the proportions of Jewish children receiving full time Jewish education. The causes of this change, and its impact on both the Jewish and wider community will be considered in this article, which seeks, within a historical framework, to understand the factors which have led to a resurgence of commitment to Jewish schooling in the past 25 years. The unique relationship of Jewish schooling to the State as it exists in the UK will also be explored as a means of contextualising the Jewish school system within a state denominational system.     

On the value of foreign PhDs in the developing world: Training versus selection effects in the case of South Africa

When seeking to improve science in emerging economies, uncertainty exists whether PhD training in an emerging economy can yield comparable results to PhD training in the developed world. Scientific achievements may vary because of excellent training at good universities, but also because excellent students select (and are selected by) good universities. This paper compares the career effects of overseas and domestic PhD training for scholars working in an emerging economy, South Africa. We differentiate between and examine both selection and training effects for PhDs from three tiers of South African and two tiers of foreign universities. South African academics with PhDs from universities in industrialised countries generally achieve greater career success than those with local PhDs, but training by universities in industrialised countries is not necessarily better than local training. Our results suggest that the perceived superiority of foreign PhD training stems from selection rather than do training effects, and pure selection effects in fact explain career outcomes better than training effects. Focusing on training rather than selection, PhDs from top South African universities produce a similar quantity and quality research output to those trained by the leading universities in the developed world. From the perspective of an emerging economy with limited resources wishing to advance science, the development of local universities should thus be stressed, although it is clear that individuals who are able to study for a PhD abroad gain personally when they return.