Refuting Myths,Making Electronic Links with the World: writing in secondary schools in the Eastern Province,South Africa

Older pedagogies that separate learning English in South African schools into LI and L2 inevitably bring in their train judgements of ESL achievements as relatively fixed in quality and as less good in kind than those of L1 users. New curriculum emphases on the dynamic creativity of human language‐learning potential entail more positive and success‐oriented criteria for assessing additional language learning. Electronic links with students in Canberra, Australia and with a Californian Professor of Writing showed Standard 7 students from the Eastern Province as already competent in writing communicatively in English. However, disabling myths still threaten to impede progress towards equity of educational outcomes in South Africa.     

Predicting Parent-Child Differences in Perceptions of How Children Use the Internet for Help With Homework,Identity Development,and Health Information

Bioecological systems theory provides a framework to understand how factors in the child's environment contribute to parent-child differences in estimations of how often children are helped by their Internet use. A national sample survey of 456 matched parent-child pairs investigated how parents-child relational factors, parental attitudes toward the Internet, and the bio-ecology of the child, are related to differing perceptions of the frequency of using the Internet to seek help with homework assignments, to aid in identity development, and to find health information. While previous research shows that parents underestimate risky online behaviors, we investigate whether parent-child differences will emerge in regards to how often the child engages in the behaviors under investigation here. The findings show that parents overestimate these online activities, suggesting they are biased in their estimations. Parent-child relational factors emerged as predictors of parental overestimation for each of these online activities, with trust perceptions as the most consistent predictor. Parental attitudes toward the Internet predicted parent-child differences in perceptions of how frequently the child used the Internet for help with homework and identity development, while the bioecology of the child was only predictive in the case of using the Internet for help with homework.     

What Makes Access Services Staff Happy? A Job Satisfaction Survey

This article reports the results of a survey that analyzed the job satisfaction of 361 library access services practitioners. Library access services staff were surveyed and asked to rate job satisfaction based on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory. Results show that access services staff have opportunities for satisfaction based on higher-level needs. Personal fulfillment, job opportunities, and relationships with coworkers rated as the top three most important factors. There are also contributing factors that affect job satisfaction based on lower-level needs, such as salary. Age, education level, and administrative responsibilities also play a role in job satisfaction of access services staff. The survey results demonstrated that most employees are satisfied, while improvements are needed in certain areas to provide employees with a more fulfilling work environment.     

“Loving,Knowing Ignorance”: A Problem for the Educational Mission of Museums

In this essay, I suggest that Mariana Ortega's concept of “loving, knowing ignorance” (2006) provides a useful conceptual tool for museum practitioners who seek to advance a progressive mission. This form of ignorance assumes authority in describing and acting on behalf of a subject, even as it fails to take seriously the subject's self‐knowledge and agency. While Ortega initially coined this term to describe the stance of white feminists toward women of color, here I extend the concept to describe a wider range of knowers—in this case, the institutional museum. Using a case study at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston to illustrate this problem, I will suggest that becoming aware of instances of loving, knowing ignorance and learning to avoid it is a key skill for museum professionals who hope for their institutions to fulfill their educational mission in a diverse and democratic society.