INTEGRATION AND REGULATION MATTERS IN EDUCATIONAL TRANSITION: A THEORETICAL CRITIQUE OF RETENTION AND ATTRITION MODELS

ABSTRACT: This paper examines the appropriateness of models developed to understand why students do or do not complete their courses in higher education. It is suggested that emphasising integration above regulation has taken attention away from a possible anomic interpretation. A more contextualised, nuanced and psychosocial approach to understanding student participation and retention is needed to address difficulties and inequalities in the transition to higher education.     

Deconstruction and reconstruction: Diversity as a productive resource

This article uses critical discourse analysis to show that a series of advertisements by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees are premised on a discourse of sameness that constructs difference negatively. The article moves from deconstructing these advertisements to possibilities for reconstruction that show difference as a positive and productive resource.     

Opening the Black Box: How Satisfaction with Democracy and its Perceived Efficacy Affect Regime Preference in Latin America

Exploring the micromotivations (Williams, 1979, 1988; Aguiar, 1991)or internal reasons (Williams, 1979; Lupia, McCubbins, & Popkin, 2000)that mold public preferences for either democracy or authoritarianism,this paper aims to discuss the types of rationality that liebehind people’s choices in survey studies in Latin America.From this perspective, we examine the balance between surveyrespondents’ evaluation of democratic government and theirviews of the efficacy of democracy to solve their country’sproblems, and their joint impact on the molding of citizens’preferences for a particular type of government. Results showthat satisfaction with how democratic government performs standsout as one of the reasons underlying individuals’ preferencesfor democracy. Also the belief that democracy does not solvethe problems significantly determines the people’s choice.Conclusions favor the hypothesis that, in the region, a utilitarianrationality prevails over an axiological rationality (Weber, 1922;Boudon, 1996) in the way citizens form preferences for or againstdemocracy.     

Structured approaches to participatory design for children: can targeting the needs of children with autism provide benefits for a broader child population?

In the past technology products created to overcome accessibility and usability issues experienced by individuals with special needs have also resulted in greater usability for the wider population. Technology is increasingly being seen as a key component within the education of children with special needs and recently researchers have developed tailored approaches to involving this population in designing the technology. However, it is not known if these approaches could also benefit participation in a wider population. This paper investigates the potential benefits of using a new structured and supportive participatory design (PD) approach IDEAS, tailored to the specific needs of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), for mainstream schoolchildren. The development of this new approach is guided by the TEACCH program and additionally draws on ideas from existing PD approaches for children. A study has been undertaken to trial this approach with four design teams, two teams including children with ASD and two teams including mainstream schoolchildren. Their design task was to develop a mathematics game over a series of six design sessions following the IDEAS approach. The findings reveal that a structured and supportive PD approach can benefit both children with ASD and mainstream children. However, these benefits varied between and within different groups, with some children requiring the additional structure/support more than others. Future work intends to build upon these findings to develop a PD toolbox for a broader child population, enabling researchers to provide appropriate tailored support based on children’s individual characteristics and needs.     

Preparing Doctoral-Level Consultants for Systems Change: Implementing and Supervising Multitiered Practices in Early Childhood Education

Implementing changes that support a preventative approach in early childhood education (ECE) requires the collaboration of skilled professionals. The present case study describes a change effort to implement multitiered systems of support (MTSS) in early childhood settings that included collaboration of agency personnel, school psychology program faculty and trainees, and ECE faculty. It describes a competency-based training initiative that provides applied experiences in consultation, supervision, and change facilitation for systems change efforts. The implementation of a systems-level approach for promoting positive behavior at three ECE agencies is described, with resulting teacher and child outcomes. Implications for future consultation research, training, and practice are discussed in relation to a consultation training model that provides competency-based field experiences to support change in ECE.