Demographic characteristics and rates of progress of deaf and hard of hearing persons receiving substance abuse treatment

A lack of demographic information and data related to the achievement of short-term goals during substance abuse treatment among persons who are deaf or hard of hearing dictated the need for the study. New York State maintains a database on all individuals who participate in treatment. Within this database, 1.8% of persons in treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) were also deaf or hard of hearing. As hypothesized, members of the deaf and hard of hearing sample were older, likelier to be white, and likelier to be female, relative to the SUD-only group. For both groups, alcohol, heroin, and cocaine had the highest rates of reported use. Achievement of short-term goals in the areas of alcohol use, drug use, vocational/educational goals, and overall goals indicated no differences between the deaf and hard of hearing group and the SUD-only group. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Teacher training and ‘quality’ in higher education language teaching: strategies and options

The article focuses on the training of higher education language teachers from a quality enhancement perspective. After a brief discussion of the nature of quality in higher education, the article considers the implications which the expansion of language learning in higher education in Europe has for the teachers involve in designing and delivering language programmes. The main body of the article is then devoted to a discussion of the strategies and options in the field of the training of language teachers which emerged from reports on quality enhancement in higher education language studies prepared in 18 European countries. The reports were prepared within the framework of Thematic Network Project 2, organised by the European Language Council. The article concludes by highlighting the crucial role of teacher training in the ‘quality cycle’ with respect to both teaching and student learning.

L'article traite de la formation d'enseignants de langue travaillant dans l'enseignement supérieur d'une perspective axée sur l'amélioration de la qualité. Suite à une brève discussion de la notion de qualité dans l'enseignement supérieur, l'article examine les implications de l'expansion de l'apprentissage des langues dans l'enseignement supérieur en Europe pour les enseignants responsables de la conception et de la réalisation pédagogique de programmes de langue. La partie principale de l'article est alors consacrée à l'analyse des choix et stratégies dans le domaine de la formation d'enseignants de langues qui se sont dégagés de rapports sur l'amélioration de la qualité dans le domaine des langues dans l'enseignement supérieur dans 18 pays de l'Europe. Ces rapports furent préparés dans le cadre du Projet de Réseau Thématique 2, organisé par le Conseil Européen pour les Langues. En conclusion, l'article souligne le rôle crucial joué par la formation des enseignants par rapport à la qualité autant de l'enseignement que de l'apprentissage des langues par les étudiants.

El artículo trata de la formación de profesores de lengua que trabajan en la enseñanza superior, desde la perspectiva de la mejora de la calidad. Tras una breve discusión acerca de la noci?n de calidad en la enseñanza superior, el artículo examina las implicaciones de la expansión del aprendizaje de las lenguas en la enseñanza superior en Europa para los profesores responsables de la concepción y de la realización pedagógica de programas de lengua. La parte principal del artículo se consagra por tanto al análisis de las elecciones y estrategias en el campo de la formación de profesores de lenguas, tal como se desprenden de los informes sobre la mejora de la calidad en el campo de las lenguas en la enseñanza superior en 18 países de Europa. Estos informes fueron preparados en el marco del Proyecto de Red Temática 2, organizado por el Consejo Europeo para las Lenguas. En conclusión, el artículo subraya el papel crucial desempeñado por la formación de los profesores en la calidad tanto de la ensepanza como del aprendizaje de las lenguas por los estudiantes.

Der Artikel behandelt die Ausbildung von Sprachlehrkräften an Hochschulen aus der Sicht der Qualitätsverbesserung. Nach einer kurzen Erörterung der Spezifität der Qualität in der Hochschulbildung, befasst sich der Artikel mit den Konsequenzen des verstärkten Lehrens und Lernens von Sprachen an Hochschulen für die mit der Planung und Umsetzung von Sprachlehrprogrammen betrauten Lehrkräfte. Der Hauptteil des Artikels ist der Analyse von Strategien und Möglichkeiten im Bereich der Ausbildung von Sprachlehrkräften gewidmet, die aus 18 europäischen Länderberichten über Qualitätsverbesserung im Sprachenbereich an Hochschulen hervorgingen. Diese Berichte wurden innerhalb des vom Europäischen Sprachenrat organisierten Thematischen Netzwerkprojekts Sprachen II (TNP2) erstellt. Am Schluss des Artikels wird die entscheidende Rolle der Ausbildung der Sprachlehrkräfte für die Qualität des Lehrens und Lernens von Sprachen an Hochschulen hervorgehoben.     

Schools and Industry: Some Organizational Considerations (Part 2)

In this article the author argues that the somewhat laissez‐faire attitude to curriculum reforms of the 1960s and 1970s led to their demise. The Bains Report (1972) marked recognition of the need for management techniques to promote corporate objectives successfully. A synthesis of the work of Schwab (1969), Everard (1982), Shipman (1983) and Dalin (1978) leads the author to suggest a simple ‘systems approach to management’ as a realistic framework for curriculum innovation. In conclusion, the author stresses that this model will not guarantee success, but provides a systematic approach for would‐be innovators.     

Community‐based early intervention for children with behavioural,emotional and social problems: evaluation of the Scallywags Scheme

Scallywags is a community‐based, early intervention programme for young children (aged 3–7) with behavioural, emotional and social problems, which integrates work in the home and school with a parenting curriculum and direct work with children. A pre‐post intervention study across multi‐sites of 340 participants is reported. Using standardised measures, the study found statistically significant reductions in problems at home and school experienced by children who completed the programme, and in parental stress levels. Participation was found to be high and the project acceptable to parents, many of whom would be described as hard to reach. The rigorous evaluation of this real‐life service and its positive outcomes highlight the potential of such programmes to tackle the needs of these children and families, and help prevent longer‐term problems associated with early onset behavioural problems, including social exclusion, antisocial behaviour and educational failure.