Exploring the values of chaplains in government primary schools

Minimal prior research has examined the school chaplaincy programme in Australia. This exploratory study sought to identify the values primary school chaplains feel are the most important to them personally, and in their role as chaplain. Eight chaplains working in government primary schools were interviewed. Inductive thematic analysis was used to determine key themes evident within the data. Results suggested that chaplains identified understanding, tolerance, inclusion, care, compassion, honesty, trustworthiness and integrity as most important to them personally and professionally. Chaplains noted clear boundaries in their work and emphasised that to proselytise or evangelise would be to contravene their role. Of some concern were the information gathering techniques some chaplains employed before referring on to appropriately trained school staff. As the federally funded chaplaincy programme has been controversial in Australia, this study provides valuable insight into chaplains’ values and their role which can help governments and communities make informed choices regarding school chaplaincy programmes.     

Motion Pictures

Leonard Maltin's Movie Comedy Teams (Signet W4453, $1.50)

Edward Wagenknecht's The Movies in the Age of Innocence (Originally issues in 1962 by University of Oklahoma Press, re-issued by Ballantine at $2.95)

Jay Leyda's Films Begat Film (originally issued in 1964, re-issued by Hill & Wang at $1.95 paper and $4.95 hardback)

Rachel Madcluy, Stirling Sillipaant and Neil D. Isaacs' Fiction into Film: A Walk in the Spring Rain (University of Tennessee Press, $10.50)

Charles Sweeting, A Film Course Manual (McCutchan Publishing Corp., 2526 Grove St., Berkeley, Calif. 94704, $2.25)     

The role of the Extended Project Qualification in developing self-regulated learners: exploring students’ and teachers’ experiences

Abstract

Self-regulated learning (SRL) – autonomously planning, self-monitoring and self-reflecting on learning – is a strong predictor of academic success. Mastery of the strategies needed to become a self-regulated learner does not develop automatically in all students; thus, the classroom environment, including pedagogy and modes of assessment, plays a vital role in stimulating SRL. Indeed, the post-16 curriculum in England is often criticised for failing to promote SRL. The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), however, is a post-16 project-based qualification that has drawn from SRL theories. Research indicates that the EPQ can bolster A-level and degree attainment, yet, the mechanisms underlying this effect remain unknown. This article reports on a qualitative investigation using focus groups and interviews to explore students’ and teachers’ experiences of the EPQ and its effects on general academic performance. The qualification was seen to promote SRL by building learner agency and self-awareness, and improving engagement. We argue that the EPQ offers solutions for many of the perceived deficits of the English post-16 curriculum and that the decline of the AS-level in England represents an opportunity for learners to fill the ‘fourth space’ with qualifications like the EPQ, which could empower them to pursue a broad and diverse education.     

CHANGES IN RATINGS FOR STAFF WHO EVALUATED THEIR TEACHING MORE THAN ONCE

It is reasonable to ask whether staff who have their teaching evaluated improve their teaching as a result, but this question is probably an unanswerable one. In the present paper, however, we look at whether staff evaluated on more than one occasion using the same type of teaching in the same subject improve their ratings. The study is based on ratings generated from over 2000 class groups evaluated during a four year period and involving about 72000 student questionnaires. About one quarter of these class groups satisfied the selection criteria (same subject and teaching method on two separate occasions) and were included in the analysis. We find that on average there is a modest increase in both subject and teacher ratings. Further analysis reveals that the change in the relevant initial rating on average decreases with increasing initial rating. There is no clear relationship apparent between the number of semesters between successive evaluations and the magnitude of the change in ratings.     

Undergraduates' Evaluations of Developmental Claims and Their Identification of Information Sources

Students in a large human development course rated the accuracy of 50 developmental claims. Half of the claims were specifically embedded in the course content, but the remaining claims were not addressed in the course. Students also identified the major information source for each developmental claim rated. From the beginning to the end of the course, students (especially high performers) improved in evaluating the accuracy of course-related developmental claims and increasingly attributed their ratings of these claims to professional information sources. Our study underscores the importance of sensitizing students to the role of research evidence in judging the credibility of claims in general education courses.Sherry K. Bain is an Associate Professor in Educational Psychology and Counseling at the University of Tennessee and a member of the school psychology graduate faculty, Her research has included investigations of common beliefs in areas such as giftedness and educational psychology and their relationship to data-based evidence. Robert L. Williams is a Professor in Educational Psychology and Counseling at the University of Tennessee. His current research focuses on the role of critical thinking in a large human development course. Rachael Isaacs and Ashley Williams are doctoral students in the School Psychology Program at the University of Tennessee. Susan Stockdale is an Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology and Middle Grades Education at Kennesaw State University. Her recent research has related to critical thinking and cooperative learning in higher education     

Prospective relations among victimization, rejection, friendlessness, and children's self- and peer-perceptions

This study investigated the prospective links between three forms of peer adversities (i.e., victimization, rejection, and lack of reciprocated friendships) and children's perceptions of themselves and of their peers. The sample consisted of 212 children (107 boys and 105 girls, 11-13 years) recruited from four primary schools and followed up for a period of one year. The results showed that a negative self-perception was a risk factor for the development of all forms of peer adversities. Of the three forms of peer adversities assessed, victimization and rejection had an influence on children's peer perceptions. None of the peer adversities predicted changes in self-perceptions. The results partially support a transactional model between children and their environments.