Comparing key dimensions of schooling: towards a typology of European school systems

‘Institutional context’ has come to play an important role in the explanation of differences in ‘effectiveness’ between schools. But what is meant by such a concept differs from system to system. In this study we typify education systems based on indicators of institutional contexts such as: the financial base of public‐private education/schools, differences in their governance structure, locus of control, and the degrees of freedom of (parental) school choice available in countries. We develop configurations of education systems based on these institutional context characteristics and establish the relationships between quality and equity of West European education systems and certain institutional characteristics.     

Envisioning the industrial present: pathways of cultural learning in Luxembourg (1880s–1920s)

Abstract

This article examines how and to what extent Luxembourg society was “exposed” to visual representations of the prospering steel industries and labour and working-class culture(s) from the 1880s until the 1920s – a period of massive industrialisation – and how it thus gradually “learned to labour”. Indeed, modern visual media were seen as ideal catalysts for the circulation, transmission, and production of meaning, since they were considered to be appealing, objective, direct, and capable of inspiring the imagination. The article takes the reader through various mundane moments and events of industrial enculturation (annual funfair, slide lecture, vocational school, etc.) and engages with different “technologies of display” (photographs, fair albums, postcards, scale models, etc.) that subtly calibrated, conveyed, and inculcated the new industrial reality “through the eye” and, in the process, (re)produced national identifications. By zooming in on these different “visual encounters” with industry and by bringing these isolated encounters together in one story, the article (re)constructs a “learning route” – one among many possible pathways through this huge dynamic field of learning resources (or, “cultural ecology”) – and thus suggests how (informal) “cultural learning” might have taken place at the time. While accompanying us on this journey, the reader gains insights into how this field of resources evolved and how the industrial present was (re)framed, visually performed, and (re)configured over time.     

Building and sustaining communities that prevent mental disorders: Lessons from the field of special education

Quietly, at least beyond the awareness of many psychologists, a relatively new technology based on school‐wide behavior management strategies has emerged in special education to answer the call to build healthy communities. The success of these strategies in changing the practices of school systems and creating positive school climates may offer insights for school psychologists interested in preventing mental disorders and promoting health on a broader scale. Spreading the influence of school‐wide behavior supports to ensure that all schools provide the nurturing environment needed to promote academic and life success for all children is an important and immediate goal. Beyond the school, the challenge will be to implement and evaluate the impact of positive behavior supports in other connected communities. The present article reviews the history and present state of school‐wide behavior supports and prevention research, limitations of current practice, and opportunities for integrating school‐wide programs with psychological science and practice. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 43: 313–329, 2006.     

The development of cognitive maps of large- and small-scale spaces.

Kindergartners, second, and fifth graders made repeated trips through a large- or small-scale model town, and then constructed from memory the layout of buildings in either a large- or small-scale space. Accuracy of construction increased as a function of developmental level and repeated trips through the town. Children's constructions were most accurate when they were tested in the same-scale environment as that in which they developed their spatial knowledge; accuracy was impaired significantly only when children were exposed to a small space and then reconstructed in a large space. Results were interpreted in terms of a "competence-load trade-off."     

A research synthesis of magnet school effect on student outcomes: Beyond descriptive studies

Characterized by thematic instructional programs and voluntary enrollment, magnet schools are often the result of a neighborhood schooling effort to increase racial integration and academic achievement. With the continued expansion of magnet schools, it is critical that stakeholders have a comprehensive research synthesis of their potential impact. This article reviews and aggregates findings from 18 studies that evaluate magnet schools’ influence on student outcomes. Emphasis is given to the results of lottery-based studies and those utilizing prior achievement and demographic controls. Though results across studies vary substantially, effects are generally positive, particularly for magnet secondary schools.     

Multimodality,crossmodality, and dyslexia

It is argued that what we call intelligent behavior is based to a great extent on our ability to analyze multimodal and crossmodal information. Acquisition and utilization of those functions seem to appear and develop greatly during the 2–4 year period in humans. Among the functions are those frequently affected in dyslexic persons. It might be possible to diagnose potential dyslexics by testing for the adequacy of those functions at that early period. In addition, limitations on the number of concepts that can be handled simultaneously may be involved in information processing in such a way as to affect both multimodality and crossmodality; this limitation seems not to be generally taken in to account by educators, especially those working with dyslexic persons.     

Using a blended learning approach to support women returning to STEM

ABSTRACT

This paper examines a blended learning model designed to support women returning to STEM after a career break and its delivery in a unique partnership between an online distance education provider and a community-based equality organisation. Through this partnership additional activities such as networking events, returnships, career clinics and webinars were used in conjunction with a structured online Badged Open Course (BOC), which enabled a successful return to employment for many of the participants. This article outlines the results and implications of this integrated model and argues that blended learning approaches need to be flexible and adaptable to be able to incorporate the needs of learners at different life-course stages, taking into consideration gender and other diversity characteristics.     

Pedagogical Reflections by Secondary Science Teachers at Different NOS Implementation Levels

This study investigated what 13 secondary science teachers at various nature of science (NOS) instruction implementation levels talked about when they reflected on their teaching. We then determined if differences exist in the quality of those reflections between high, medium, and low NOS implementers. This study sought to answer the following questions: (1) What do teachers talk about when asked general questions about their pedagogy and NOS pedagogy and (2) what qualitative differences, if any, exist within variables across teachers of varying NOS implementation levels? Evidence derived from these teachers’ reflections indicated that self-efficacy and perceptions of general importance for NOS instruction were poor indicators of NOS implementation. However, several factors were associated with the extent that these teachers implemented NOS instruction, including the utility value they hold for NOS teaching, considerations of how people learn, understanding of NOS pedagogy, and their ability to accurately and deeply self-reflect about teaching. Notably, those teachers who effectively implemented the NOS at higher levels value NOS instruction for reasons that transcend immediate instructional objectives. That is, they value teaching NOS for achieving compelling ends realized long after formal schooling (e.g., lifelong socioscientific decision-making for civic reasons), and they deeply reflect about how to teach NOS by drawing from research about how people learn. Low NOS implementers’ simplistic notions and reflections about teaching and learning appeared to be impeding factors to accurate and consistent NOS implementation. This study has implications for science teacher education efforts that promote NOS instruction.