Towards an understanding of the shaping of research outcomes by contextual issues: reflections on the contributions of the ReMath project

In this paper, we react to Lagrange and Kynigos’s contribution to this special issue, in which they present some of their experiences from two cross-case studies in the ReMath project (associated respectively with the use of two dynamic digital artefacts, Casyopée and Cruislet). They described how the project, which involved teams from three different countries (France, Italy and Greece), working in different conditions and relying on different theoretical approaches, was structured in order to address the role played by contextual characteristics. We consider how the ReMath approach of using cross-studies, and especially the inclusion of a cross-analysis phase, served to identify particularities associated with designing and implementing mathematics learning scenarios using digital tools. In their discussion of the process of re-contextualising, one of the factors which appears to have been particularly influential in shaping research activities was theoretical framework and they show how this factor both influences and is influenced by institutional and cultural characteristics. To further explore some of the other important contextual factors they pinpoint, such as the role and engagement of teachers, student characteristics and issues related to the empirical settings, we reflect upon the processes of re-contextualisation that we could identify in our own research.     

Extended school non-attenders’ views: developing best practice

Despite the abundance of legislation and research initiatives concerning children’s participation in decision-making, there is less research in this area with regard to extended school non-attenders. Using semi-structured interviews, this research explores how the views of children and their families who have experienced school non-attendance can be incorporated into best practice within an Educational Psychology Service in the UK. Analysis of the interviews revealed the highly complex nature of school non-attendance and how the interrelating factors behind it have been somewhat lost due to the current medical approach. The rhetoric surrounding this use of the label “school refuser” was also examined.     

Painting Hinemihi by numbers: Peoples-based conservation and the paint analysis of Hinemihi's carvings

This study describes the analysis of paint samples from carvings belonging to Hinemihi, the Maori meeting house, Clandon Park, Surrey, UK. The assessment of physical evidence contained within Hinemihi's built fabric (along with historiographic research of archival sources and oral histories) has formed a key part of the information gathering process during the current conservation project. The production of such data provides an opportunity for a dialogue that is essential for effective decision-making within participatory conservation projects. From this, it is evident that the use of paint analysis, in deciding the eventual painted scheme for a restored Hinemihi, is settled within a broader dialogue about the conception, use, and management of Hinemihi as a Maori cultural centre, as built heritage, and as an object of conservation. Therefore, the value of material analysis is considered in relation to the potential that this information has to engage a community of users in designing an effective conservation response that seeks to balance the opportunities and constraints of the cultural and physical landscapes that surround Hinemihi and Clandon Park.     

Students’ interests for personalized learning: an analysis guide

The lack of alignment between, on the one hand, what schools seek to teach and, on the other, the students’ interests and learning objectives is leading to increasing numbers of students who are unable to derive meaning from school activities. Personalized learning strategies represent one of the most powerful ways to help students attribute meaning and personal value to their learning. This paper has two interrelated objectives. The first is to present a guide to the analysis of educational practices that work with and from students’ interests. This tool makes it possible to identify the potential of practices to reinforce and promote the meaning and personal value that students attach to their school learning. The guide is structured around three large blocks (personalization strategies, conceptions of interests, and design and development of practices), which describe the dimensions, subdimensions, questions, and levels for the analysis. The second objective is to illustrate use of the guide by analyzing two practices designed and implemented in primary school classrooms, characterized by a focus on students’ learning interests. The paper concludes by highlighting the main contributions of the guide presented, identifying some limitations, and pointing to future lines of research.

     

Looked After Children: Non‐local authority placements and meeting educational needs

Research consistently reports an educational disadvantage of being looked after. There is a lack of literature pertaining specifically to young people who are placed out of their local authority. The following research reports on an investigation of educational psychologists’ views on the educational implications of non‐local authority residential placements for 12 young people. The findings show that non‐local authority residential placements were usually precipitated by care crises and tended to have a negative impact on the extent to which educational needs were met. One non‐local authority residential placement which allowed continuation of the local authority educational placement had positive educational implications. Action implications for local authorities and educational psychology services are given regarding casework, working with other agencies, local commissioning of establishments and areas for further research.     

The Economic Dimension of the Culture and Leisure Industry in Spain: National, Sectoral and Regional Analysis

This article analyses the economic dimension of a set of activities groupedunder the heading, Culture and Leisure Industry, from three complementaryperspectives: national (Spain), sectoral and regional. Particular emphasis isplaced on determining the value added generated by this industry and itscontribution to the Gross Domestic Product – 4.5% – as wellas showing its level of employment both in absolute terms and as a percentageof the number of employees in the economy – 7.8%. This is apioneer project; studies in this field on either a national or internationalscale are scarce. The study demonstrates that the cultural sector is aproductive activity generating wealth in Spain. However, a high degree ofheterogeneity is found at both the sectoral and regional levels. Economicactivity is led by Performing, Musical and Audiovisual Arts (mainlyTelevision) and Publishing and Printing, which jointly account for about70% of sales and gross value added, and it is concentrated in similarproportions in developed regions specialized in service industries, Madrid andCatalonia, where most culture and leisure activities are available.     

Profiles of self-perceived competencies and conceptions of academic writing in university students / Perfiles de competencias y concepciones sobre la escritura académica en estudiantes universitarios

Abstract

This study analyses Spanish undergraduates’ perceptions of their competency in academic writing, as well as their perception of the criteria that define its quality. We identified student profiles and examined their relationship with (1) certain sample characteristics, such as years of university experience, area of study and students’ gender, and (2) variables related to the process of writing, namely the students’ perception of the writing process and the importance they attribute to its characteristics. The data obtained came from the European Writing Survey (EUWRIT) which was administered to 1,044 students from nine Spanish universities. Profiles were identified by means of k-means cluster analysis. The relationship between these profiles and the variables studied was examined by means of chi-squared analyses and univariate ANOVAs. Two profiles were identified: students who are confident about their writing skills and who acknowledge the importance of writing in their field of knowledge; and students who are relatively confident about their writing ability and who consider writing to be relatively important in their subject area.