Educational Planning and Social Responsibility: Eleven Years of Mega Planning at the Sonora Institute of Technology (ITSON)

ABSTRACT The Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora (ITSON), a public and autonomous university in Cuidad Obregon, Sonora in Mexico has, since its inception, maintained a commitment to society and public service. To transform this commitment into valued results, it has used Mega Planning as its framework over the last eleven years. This article illustrates the impact an educational institution can have through a strategic planning and implementation approach that is focused on measurable objectives, the appropriate processes and activities, and the required resources for the development of its region (i.e., students and their environment). The article will begin with a brief background of the institution, its strategic approach, the subsequent curriculum and organization reform, and finally four key strategic programs that have had a positive social impact in the region: The Integrated Community Development Program; ITSON‐Consulting; Masters in Agribusiness; and the Software Factory.     

An investigation of WISC-R verbal-performance differences as a function of ethnic status

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised was administered to 187 black, 184 Hispanic, and 184 white children aged 6–11. The Verbal-Performance (V-P) IQ discrepancies were determined for the total group and for each ethnic group. The overall mean of 10.74 was similar to the V-P discrepancy found in the WISC-R standardization sample. The Hispanic group had a significantly greater V-P split than did the black group or the white group. Implications of these results were discussed, focusing on the various cautions of using V-P discrepancies for diagnostic decision making.     

Who has come out of the pipeline? African-Americans in criminology and criminal justice

This study analyzes survey data collected from African-Americans with PhDs who teach criminology or criminal justice. This research is particularly concerned with the experience of African-Americans in institutions of higher education. In addition to demographic data, the survey collected information on school of graduation, scholarly productivity, and collegial relations. The results indicate that African-Americans are graduating from, and being hired at, some of the top-ranked PhD programs in criminology/criminal justice. African-Americans are generally entering the academic profession as assistant professors with limited publication experience. Finally, African-Americans, in most cases, feel included and a part of their departmental activities.     

An exploratory study of students’ constructions of gender in science,engineering and technology

Despite an appreciation of the need to increase gender sensitivity and awareness among tertiary students in the field of science, engineering and technology (SET), there is a paucity of research that explores how students in this field construct gender. A greater understanding of such constructions can assist in transforming gender relations and creating a more gender‐sensitive learning environment for SET students. This paper explores SET students’ constructions of gender and the discourses they draw on when constructing female participation in SET. Focus group discussions were conducted with male and female students from an urban South African university. A discourse analysis identified various restrictive discourses that resist female participation in SET and value traditional gender roles for men and women, as well as more marginal voices that support gender equity. The paper concludes with recommendations for interventions aimed at challenging restrictive constructions of gender in higher education.     

A turning‐point or a backward slide: the challenge facing the Swedish preschool today

Thirty years or more of striving for a coherent theme in the educational system from preschool to gymnasium might now be at an end. Millions of Swedish kronor have been spent on projects concerning cooperation between pre‐ and primary school. The curricula for preschool and the gymnasium are similar in structure, and they are connected with each other through the goals that children and students are expected to achieve. Teacher education has so far been one integrated programme with different orientations and specialities, and the basic knowledge that teachers require has been largely the same from early childhood education (ECE) to adult education. The political winds are, however, blowing in another direction. A question to ask is whether Sweden is changing its holistic and social‐pedagogical approach to ECE and teacher education towards a more traditional academic one. It is this change that will be discussed in this article, although one has to bear in mind that nothing is fixed and stable, so the article is a snapshot from an ongoing process.     

Dropping out of school as a meaningful action for adolescents with social,emotional and behavioural difficulties

This study examines and discusses dropping out of school related to adolescents with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). It is based on in‐depth interviews of 10 adolescents between the ages of 16 and 20, three girls and two boys with internalised problems, and two girls and three boys with extroverted behavioural problems. Given this group of students' challenges at school, the aim of this paper is to explore the narratives of this adolescent group as they relate to the significance they attach to their dropout behaviour. An additional objective is to draw attention to what these findings are likely to mean for implementing preventive practices in school. Results show that adolescents with SEBD perceive a non‐supportive classroom environment to be a primary explanation for why they are dropping out from school. Additionally, lack of support from teachers and parents and family problems are, according to the adolescents, an important reason for dropping out. Findings are discussed in relation to future implications for this group of adolescents in the context of school.