Young Children''s Understanding of the Role That Sensory Experiences Play in Knowledge Acquisition

3 studies investigated whether young children understand that the acquisition of certain types of knowledge depends on the modality of the sensory experience involved. 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children were exposed to pairs of objects that either looked the same but felt different, or that felt the same but looked different. In Study 1, 36 children were asked to state, when one of these objects was hidden inside a toy tunnel, whether they would need to see the object or feel it in order to determine its identity. In Study 2, 48 children were asked to state which of 2 puppets knew that an object hidden inside a tunnel possessed a given visual or tactile property, when one puppet was looking at the object and the other was feeling it. In Study 3, 72 children were asked, in a scenario similar to Study 2, to state for each puppet whether he could tell, just by looking or by feeling, that the hidden object possessed a certain visual or tactile property. Children were also asked what was the best way to find out whether a given object possessed a certain visual or tactile property. Results of all 3 studies suggest that an appreciation of the different types of knowledge our senses can provide (i.e., modality-specific knowledge) develops between the ages of 3 and 5. The results are discussed in relation to young children's developing understanding of the role that informational access plays in knowledge acquisition.     

How school staff understand the relationship between problem behaviours and language difficulties

This exploratory study adopted a mixed methods methodology, a critical realist ontological stance and a constructionist epistemological position to consider how special educational needs coordinators and pastoral managers in mainstream high schools understand the relationship between problem behaviours and language development. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants, and 20 participants completed a Q sort. The interview data were analysed using thematic analysis and in Q methodology an inverted factor analysis with a qualitative interpretation of the resultant factors was used. Triangulation was adopted as the method for the final integration of the data. Three meta-themes were identified indicating that, despite a range of recent initiatives, school staff continue to have a limited understanding of the relationship between problem behaviours and language difficulties. Previous experience and existing practice were drawn upon in considering causal relationships and interventions. Implications for educational psychology practice at casework, systems and commissioning levels are addressed.     

Normalising: Children's activity to construct meanings for trend

This paper looks back over a number of exploratory studies which have researched young children's construction of meanings for graphs, produced from data entered in spreadsheets. In this paper we discuss children's use of normalising, an activity in which children correct data towards some perceived norm. Through normalising, children construct meanings for trend in data and in graphs. We discuss how particular aspects of the pedagogical setting including task design encourage the use of normalising.This revised version was published online in October 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Moral Reasoning about Sexually Transmitted Diseases

The purpose of this research was to investigate moral reasoning related to sexual behavior that could lead to the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Using hypothetical dilemmas about situations in which STDs can be transmitted, respondents were asked to explain why they believed the characters should or should not engage in risky behaviors. 40 college freshmen ( M = 18.3 years) and 32 college seniors ( M = 22.3 years) participated. Using Kohlberg's moral stage theory and Gilligan's moral orientation model, the interviews were scored for moral stage and moral orientation. Results indicated that the older age group had a significantly higher stage of moral reasoning than the younger age group when responding to dilemmas about STDs. There was a significant difference in moral stage between dilemmas, reflecting the possible effect of dilemma content on moral reasoning. The overall pattern of results shows nonsignificant gender differences in stage of moral reasoning and moral orientation. Clinical and theoretical implications of these findings for understanding the role of moral reasoning in sexual risky behavior are discussed.     

Psychosocial Environment and Student Self-Handicapping in Secondary School Mathematics Classes: A cross-national study

Research investigating the relationship between classroom environment and self-handicapping was conducted in Australian, Canadian and British secondary schools. Perceptions of classroom environment, self-handicapping and academic efficacy were assessed by 3,602 students from 29 schools. Correlation analyses between ten classroom environment scales from the What Is Happening In This Class (WIHIC) questionnaire and the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES) and self-handicapping were conducted with and without control for academic efficacy. Results showed that classroom environment scales accounted for appreciable proportions of variance in self-handicapping beyond that attributable to academic efficacy. Enhanced affective dimensions of the classroom environment were associated with reduced levels of self-handicapping. Commonality analyses revealed that the WIHIC scales accounted for a much greater proportion of variance in self-handicapping that did the CLES scales.     

The Handbook for the Inspection of Schools: a critique

Since it was established in 1992, the Office for Standards in Education has published two versions of the Handbook for the Inspection of Schools and a third version of the summary Framework for Inspection. The second version of the Handbook represents a major attempt to tighten OFSTED's control over the newly established privatised system of inspection. This paper sets the Handbook within the context of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector's duties and powers, examines the main developments in the various sections and analyses the key features of qualitative observation and quantitative evaluation. It is argued that the range and complexity of what is mandated raise serious concerns about the feasibility, validity and reliability of the inspection process, which puts the credibility of OFSTED reports at risk. This has arisen from a perception of the need for an unassailable database and an attempt at an unattainable degree of bureaucratic control     

Faculty at work: Focus on research,scholarship, and service

Within the framework of cognitive motivation theory, selected personal and environmental motivational variables for faculty in eight liberal arts and science departments from community colleges, liberal arts colleges, comprehensive colleges and universities, and research universities were regressed against faculty allocation of work effort given to research, scholarship, and service. The data came from a 1988 national survey of faculty.Gender, (sociodemographic), quality of graduate school attended, career age, andrank (career); self-competence andself-efficacy regarding research, scholarship, and service andpercent time prefer to give to research, scholarship, and service (self-valuations); andinstitutional preference, consensus andsupport, andcolleague commitment to research, scholarship, and service (perception of the environment) were entered into regressions.R ²s were generally strong (.64 for liberal arts-I institutions) and significant. For all institutional types,self-valuation (self-competence and-efficacy) motivators significantly accounted for the explained variance.Sociodemographic andcareer variables did not explain appreciable amounts of variance.